72 
WILD NORWAY. 
catch the pony, we hurried to the home pools, and I had 
already gaffed a cock-fish of 11| lbs. (time, five minutes) 
when the stolkjser pulled up. A few more scattered 
rain-drops, few and far between, still further stimulated 
hope, and at full speed we pushed on direct to Lilfos. 
Here I killed a ten-pounder, and was soon fast in a 
second salmon, which seemed resolved to ascend the foss 
right away; but those terrible streams told their tale— 
after a grand effort, he perforce fell back, and a straight 
pull brought him to gaff in seven minutes, weight 
14i lbs. This was a good beginning; but now, alas ! 
before our small white pony could trot down to Gravel- 
set, the sun was already glinting through crevices of his 
cloudy canopy. Another half-hour, and he shone in 
a cloudless vault. One dull hour had given us three 
fish; but never again did we receive one shred of 
assistance from the weather. 
The size of the fly used in fine water is an important 
consideration, as the following incident shows. One 
evening we fished down Gravelset with a Jock Scott, 
No. 3, without response; but on trying the pool a 
second time with the same pattern two sizes smaller, 
a fish of 22 lbs. was secured. The short twilight in May 
is a drawback to early-spring fishing. The sun remains 
on all pools till 8.30—on some till 9 p.m. We com¬ 
bated his malevolence, and made the most of the two 
hours till half-past ten (when it is as dark as the night 
will ever be), by keeping our stolkjser, or pony-cart, in 
waiting, hitched on to a tree hard by. After finishing 
a pool, we jumped in, rattled off full speed to the next, 
and leaving Lars to anchor the pony, or tie his legs if no 
tree grew handy, got to work without a moment’s delay. 
