January 21, 1893] 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
37 
morning I found him watching from hia window, 
with an amused smile, the whirling snowflakes 
fall. “ Ay, my lad, ye’ll hae a fine jobbie afore ye 
the day.” I puckered my brow, but said little. I 
was tempted to ask the sarcastic Donald to post¬ 
pone the contest; only my resolution to do this 
faltered before an imaginary portrait of that 
worthy’s triumphant face. “ Ye surely winna fish 
the day ? ” remarked Mrs. Sandy reproachfully. 
“ I must,” was my reply, as, wrapping myself 
well up in ulster, hood, and gloves, and care¬ 
fully adjusting my sou-’wester, I crossed the 
threshold. 
“ Dinna come hame withoot ‘ Peter,’ ” cried 
Randy from the door-step. I vaguely moved my 
head, and hurried on. There had been a very 
keen frost during the night, for I felt my heels 
several times smash up some diminutive lake that 
lay glossily under the snow. Donald was, as I 
expected, first upon the scene of action. He was 
accompanied by a ghillie acquaintance, a tall, 
bushy-haired man, with “Tam O’Shanter” 
bonnet and thick wool “ mittens.” He hailed 
from the mountains. “ She’s colt,” he said ; I 
didn’t contradict him, but, giving Donald a 
glance and nod, asked if he was ready to begin. 
“ Lang ago,” was hia response. “ Fire away, 
then,” I said, and the battle began. For some 
time we fished in silence, Donald on the one side, 
I on the other, and each pausing briefly to clear 
the vision by the ejection of snow, which was 
whirled about with blood-chilling intensity, to the 
accompaniment of a weird wailing wind. The 
ghillie slolidly stood by, with his “ mittened ” 
hands thrust into his pockets for additional 
heat. 
“Ha!” The exclamation came from Donald, 
and simultaneously something light went flying 
through the air. “ He’s caught him,” I muttered 
sarcastically, as I sawed my gudgeon through the 
pot in the momentary expectation of my pub¬ 
lished defeat. “That’s nae Peter, onyway,” was 
the next utterance I heard, and hope rose within 
me, as, through the clearing drifting, I saw a 
three ounce trout walloping among the snow. 
Once more we both tempted “ Peter,” but that 
rugged disciple of safety refused betrayal. The 
snow was now falling so thickly, and the wind 
was blowing so fitfully, that only our Scottish 
obstinacy of disposition excused the continuance 
of sport (?). 
Not long after, Donald betrayed much more 
excitement, and silently, but swiftly, left the pool 
in pursuit of a “ catch ” lower down, where he 
had noticed a big boil. T, however, fished on in 
the pool. I was desperately cold, and the storm 
was increasingly merciless. The ghillie, like a 
huge snow man, walked backwards and forwards 
to prevent the drowsiness of freezing, and with 
numb fingers I grasped my rod and with failing 
energy “jiggled” (perforce) my line. 
•ife ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 
^ ^ ^ “Tr ^ •TV 
The gloom of a winter’s afternoon was quickly 
increasing—the wind had softened just a little, 
but the snow yet thickly fell. I was standing in 
a semi-unconscious state, moodily staring into the 
“ pot.” when a strange, pale light gleamed down 
upon the water. Looking up I saw a rift in the 
clouds. One great star shone brilliantly through 
it, and it seemed to speak courage. How weirdly 
beautiful was the scene, as I paused to glance 
upwards. Mountains of white around and above 
me. and, like a wall of glistening spears, stood the 
white woods. For a brief season that star 
twinkled encouragement, then it was suddenly 
hid, and simultaneously with its disappearance, and 
as my gudgeon wobbled close to the edge of a great 
ledge of rock, I felt a heavy drag, followed by a 
wave in the pot, and a gleam as of a huge silver 
biir, and, scrambling up the bank, away from the 
pool, ’mid crackling ice and deceptive snowdrift, 
1 was holding grim death into—yes, I knew it, 
Peter. Up the river he went with that im¬ 
petuosity for ever associated with his name. I 
reeled in as I ran, for there were reefs and 
boulders further up, large and cruel, and over them 
I should have to heave the line. Above the “ Shak- 
kin’ briggie ” the river is wide and stony, and, to 
secure a good angle on the line and prevent it 
drowmirg, I kept well above the “ disciple.” 
I was standing with one leg above the knee in 
a drift of snow, and the other precariously propped 
by an ice-covered tree stump, playing the fish up 
and down, when Peter exhil)ited another trait of 
character by suddenly rushing back to his eld 
haunt the pool. Tenaciously he stuck to this 
place for some minutes, when, as I slacked the 
line, over a ledge he sliddered four feet high ; and 
then tumbling, scrambling, runr.ing, and pausing 
by turns, I was after him into the rapids. A 
grand struggle that was, and, to intensify matters, 
the wind rose and angrily blew the icy flakes into 
my eyes. I was in a critical position. Donald 
had said, in speaking of a supposed capture, that 
no fish could be taken down the way I was going, 
but excitement made me sanguine, plus a little 
knowledge gained elsewhere. Every time Peter 
reached the ledge (and I had to strain my dim¬ 
ming eyes to watch for obstacles), I staked line to 
let him drop. But at last, after the most difficult 
chase I ever had, I reached the deep water. Half 
drowned, but still perverse, Peter was now near¬ 
ing his doom. The ghillie, glad, I suppose, of a 
run to save his freezing life, came to my assist¬ 
ance as I carefully worked him on to the beach. 
Soon he was there, was gaffed, was mine. 
**■**#* 
When, some time after the customary hour, I 
reached “ Ski;lie,” it was to find the complacent 
Donaldconcoctingayarn regarding my mysterious 
disappearance. He even had insinuated that he 
himself had nearly caught Peter/or the third time, 
but had, owing to some piece of ice cutting his 
line, lost him. His surprise and mortification 
may be imagined when, in front of all, I unbagged 
the veritable Peter. A right royal feast did that 
28-pounder of a spring fish prove, and in cosy 
contemplation cf Mrs. Sandy’s good things, 
animosities were forgotten, and even Donald 
drowned his wrath in huge bumpers of the rale 
“ Lochnagar.” 
THE POLLUTION OF THE EDEN. 
The Eden Fishery Board has at length taken 
the bull by the horns, and at its meeting last 
Saturday resolved, by eight to six, to send to the 
Local Government Board the report of the 
Pollution Committee, with a request that steps 
be taken to secure the observance of the Rivers 
Pollution Act of 1876. 
Mr. Hesketh Hodgson, in bringing forward 
the motion, claimed that the state of the river 
below the outfall of the Carlisle sewage justified 
the resolution, and he complained that the Carlisle 
Corporation had not treated the Fishery Board 
with that courtesy which was due from one public 
body to another. It was evident that the Carlisle 
Corporation would take no voluntary action, and 
he moved the resolution in the hope that some 
pressure would be brought to bear upon them to 
remove a great and increasing evil. Some gentle¬ 
men had suggested that the County Council were 
the proper body to apply to, but he could not 
agree with that. He had carefully looked through 
the text-book, and found that the County Council 
had large and important powers as regarded 
trade pollution, but they did not appear to have 
power in regard to sewage pollution any more 
than other people had. Under Part 2 of the Act, 
any person aggrieved could take proceedings. 
There was a saving clause as to the use of the 
best means of sewage disposal or prevention of 
pollution, but the Carlisle Corporation had 
adopted no effective system. The screen simply 
retained certain solid matter and allowed all the 
liquid filth to pass into the river. No one would 
say that the Corporation had taken the best 
means; their means was no means at all for 
rendering the sewage harmless. 
Mr. T. Robinson seconded the motion. 
Mr. CouLTiiARD (who is also a member of the 
Carlisle Town Council), observed that there could 
be no doubt if this were brought to a head it 
would cost the Corporation something like 
£100,000 or £150,000, and he thought they would 
scarcely go to the extreme of putting the Cor¬ 
poration to that enormous expense. They all 
admitted that the river was polluted, and they 
would observe that there were about seventeen 
different towns now trying their best to utilise 
their sewage and purify their rivers. 
Mr. T. Robinson remarked that the Corpora¬ 
tion had had this matter before them for twenty 
years, and Mr. Hodgson said that the Cor¬ 
poration had shown no serious intention of 
grappling with the question. 
The motion was then put, and carried as 
stated. 
^cofcl) 'glofcs. 
By Mac. 
Since little more than a week ago there has 
come about a general break-up of the ice-bound 
rivers of Scotland. In most districts the crash, 
with the ice giving way when the waters assumed 
the mastery, occurred in the early days of the 
present week. _ 
It will, no doubt, be of interest to many anglers 
to learn that last week a meeting of the Esk and 
Liddle Fisheries Association was held at Lang¬ 
holm under the presidency of Mr. Carthew- 
Y^ourston, representing the Duke of Buccleuch, 
when the fishing regulations in the whole of the 
waters of the association were under considera¬ 
tion ; it being reported that there had been much 
unfair salmon fishing, and that, in consequence, 
legitimate sportsmen belonging to both sides of 
the Border found that the fish would not rise, 
although there were thousands of salmon in the 
rivers. In order to check evil practices, it was 
resolved that no bait fishing be permitted before 
June 1, nor after September I. Under the old 
rules, bait fishing was permitted from March 1.5 
to October 1. It was also resolved that no party 
purchasing a fishing ticket be allowed to employ 
as guide or attendant at the waterside any person 
who has been convicted of illegal fishing during 
the past five years, and a list of such persons is 
to be printed on the tickets for the information 
of anglers. It was further determined to employ 
additional watchers for the whole waters for 
certain purposes during the season. In regard to 
fishing for yellow or burn trout, it was resolved 
that for the present year all such trout of a less 
length than six inches must be returned to the 
water with as little injury as possible, under 
penalty of forfeiture of the fishing ticket. It was 
decided that the River Esk be open for fly fishing 
on February 1-5 below Canonbie glebe land, and 
that the rest of the waters ®f the association be 
opened on March 15. It was resolved to petition 
the Board of Trade against the confirmation of a 
bye-law made by the Eden Fishery Board, alter¬ 
ing the close season for salmon in the Galway. 
It was resolved that the pi ice of fishing tickets 
remain the same as last year. Reports showed 
that there was a good deal of salmon disease in 
the rivers. _ 
Trawlers from the port of Aberdeen are 
“getting quite a lot of sharks in the North Sea, 
where at present it is reported there is a great 
plague of dog-fish. _ 
With reference to the right of drift-net and 
line fisheimen to catch and land salmon. Sir 
John Rigby, Q.C., M.P., the solicitor-general, 
who takes a great interest in fishery matters, has 
written to a correspondent as follows = “ The 
right to take salmon in the open sea outside the 
territorial waters in Scotland, i e , at a distance 
of amarine league from the coast—is open to all 
nations, and is in no way interfered with by any 
law in force with reference to Scotland. Within 
the three mile limit the right to take salmon 
would seem to be vested either in the Crown, 
where no grant has been made, or in the grantees 
of the Crown where any grant can be established 
to have been made. Under a statute of 1814 
penalties are imposed for taking salmon without 
title within a distance of one mile from the low- 
water line, and later statutes would seem to throw 
upon any person, in possession of salmon which 
might have been taken in contravention of the 
statute of 1844, the burden of showing that 
they were not so taken. ... I know of no 
reason why salmon taken beyond the three mile 
limit should not be landed and sold by captors; 
but it should be borne in mind that if the place of 
capture is called in question the captors will have 
to prove that they did not take the fish within a 
mile from low-water mark, as pointed out above.” 
Says an informant: “A young angler went out 
for an afternoon’s trouting on a stream in the 
Scottish Midlands last season. After arriving at 
the railway station, he, keen to get to the fishing 
as soon as possible, launched straight forth 
I through the fields of Farmer Fatsides. All went 
well till he got half through the last field, when 
