THE LUCK OF SALMON FISHING 87 
so high that fishing was hopeless, but on the 
morning of April 18, though still high and 
coloured, it had run down to such an extent as 
to be in fair condition. 
My host was most kind in wishing to give me 
every possible chance of getting a good fish, and 
had arranged that I should take with me his 
butler, C, a first-rate hand at gaffing salmon, 
who had been with me in the preceding year when 
I was so unfortunate, and was very keen to help 
me to kill a big fish. My host sent me to try, 
first of all, a pool which had a great reputation. 
This pool is about a mile long, and has to be fished 
from a boat, trees and bushes running throughout 
its entire length along both sides of the bank. 
My host had the fishing on one side of the river 
only, and on reaching the head of the pool we 
found some one fishing from the other side. 
After waiting until this rod had fished some way 
down the pool, we began operations. I fished 
the whole morning with the fly, but with no 
success, and about half-past one, as the river was 
still so high, we decided to try the minnow, a much 
more favourite lure than the fly on this particular 
river in the spring. At my third cast I got a pull, 
and was fast in what was obviously a heavy salmon. 
