252 TROUT FISHING 



by putting to flight, a sulking salmon in 

 the Dee, at Banchory ; but I had realised, 

 even as I mentioned this, that such an 

 expedient was out of the question on 

 Loch Voil. It is astonishing how a 

 man chatters when in a dilemma. Con- 

 temptuously irritated at myself, I turned 

 upon the gillie in wrath and mixed 

 metaphors. 



" Chuck it, Ronald," I adjured him. 

 "What's the good of sitting there wise 

 as an owl and depressing as a wet 

 blanket ? Buck up. We've got to kill 

 this salmon." 



" Ha'e we, sir ? There's mony a thing 

 we've got to do that we never do." 



"Come, come, Ronald. That's no 

 talk for a Lovat Scout." 



Ronald was not pleased ; but he 

 answered reasonably : 



"That wark was naethin' to this, sir. 

 In the war we aye kent that onything 

 was possible, and did it ; but in fishin' 

 some things are clean impossible, and this 

 is ane of them. She was a cunnin' man. 



