CH. 1X.] HOLD OF HIM AT LAST. 123 
close by the lip-hook. However, as we had not 
had a run from a big fish in trailing, and it was 
getting late, I thought I would just take the 
chance, and continue fishing with it. At length, 
after we had been long, over-long, stretched on 
the heather, watching the smoke of our pipes, as 
it curled up among the birch-trees to the blue over- 
head, each awaiting from the other the unwelcome 
signal for a move, our eyes met, and the fact that 
it was time to be at work again was tacitly but 
mutually acknowledged. He has some pleasant 
reminiscences, who can look back to many half- 
hours of such unmixed tranquil enjoyment as that 
which I, at least, experienced before the sense of 
duty prevailed, and we forced ourselves away for 
a fresh start. Having rebaited our hooks with 
small trout, we now pulled over to the opposite 
side of the loch, and had only taken one or two 
turns up and down the likely part of it, when 
about half-past six I felt a tug from what I soon 
found was very different from anything that I had 
had on before, and away he went with the bait,— 
away—away—straight from the stern of the boat, 
as if there was to be no end to his going. I im- 
mediately sung out to Cameron to back the boat 
after him, but before he could get any way upon 
