WHAT fisherman will ever forget the long drought of the autumn of 1894? While yachtsmen, ladies, farmers, labourers, and hotelkeepers were blessing the unwonted and continuous sunshine which prevailed from August 18 to October 25, one universal cry of lamentation and anguish poured from the lips of unfortunates by the banks of every Highland stream, from Thurso to Tweed, as they tapped the aneroids which declined to fall, and watched in vain-morning and night-for the clouds that never came. It was rumoured-I do not know with what truth-that one angler, who rented the best stretch of a celebrated river at a total cost of little less than 10007. for the season, only secured one small grilse in over ten weeks; and this was but an exaggerated sample of the meagre nature of the harvest reaped by hundreds. Yet it was at the very close of this period, when springs were dry which had never given out' during the memory of the oldest inhabitant, and when it was almost impossible in the wettest district of Rossshire to find enough water to perform the necessary ablutions after the death of a stag, that a little river where I have fished for over a quarter of a century gave me the best week's sport I have ever experienced.

Dearly do I love that little river: its every stone and pool has memories and associations peculiar to itself. Rising high

up among the hills near Loch Fine, it dashes rapidly through gorges and over boulders, preserving for about four miles the true characteristics of a Highland stream; then, when it reaches the strath below, it still keeps fairly rapid, with occasional rocky pools, for about three miles more, while walls and 'putts' of loose stone show the efforts-often futile-which have been made to restrain it within its banks, and to prevent it, when in spate, from washing away roads, bridges, and cultivated land. Thence, for the remainder of its course, it meanders through nearly level soil, gradually growing more winding and sluggish until it makes its way into the sea; the tide always coming into the bottom pools where the tortuous river cuts its way through a partially reclaimed peat bog. It rises and falls very rapidly, as the deep sheep drains carry the heavy showers down almost immediately, so that the upper pools are only in order for a very short time after a flood; and the angler is always liable to be washed out in the very middle of his day's sport. Still, it has many advantages over more pretentious rivers. As the banks are perfectly clear, you can follow your fish anywhere, and therefore need not be burdened with a heavy rod and a great deal of line, and also can gaff and land your own fish. So, too, the lower pools always afford some chance of a fish, or, at least, a basket of sea trout, till the tide comes in, especially if there is enough breeze to make a curl on the surface.

On October 13 the morning broke dull, misty, and still, with a little drizzle falling. We had intended to take a walk after wild grouse; but the day was not inviting, and after waiting till about eleven o'clock in the hope of its clearing, I took my trout rod and strolled off to the river-rather jeered at by my host; but, although I had not much hopes of sport, I knew that I could amuse myself for an hour or two watching the stream, which I had not seen for more than a year. My mackintosh I left at home a piece of rashness I should not have been guilty of many years ago. A small bag contained my lunch, reel and fly-book, and a net and gaff to screw into my landing-handle, while its outer partition seemed likely to be more than large enough for anything I might have to bring home. A light, but fairly stiff, split cane trout rod completed my equipment, and three-quarters of an hour later I was crossing the foot-bridge over the river, and as I looked upon and through the glassy surface, and counted the stones below, I felt that there was only one place which I could try with any chance of success. Most of the lower water is guarded by deep banks, but there is a long horseshoe-shaped pool, about a mile from

the mouth, with a low, shelving gravel bank on opposite sides at each turn, some part of which is sure to catch every breeze that blows. No time was to be lost, as next day was full moon, and the tide would be in by half-past one o'clock at the latest; so a very few more minutes saw me at the head of the pool with my rod put together, and two small sea-trout flies-a blue doctor, and a nondescript with black body and silver twist on a medium loch trout cast.

There was only a very slight ripple on the water, but at about the third cast something large turned at the fly, and I caught a glimpse of a silvery side as the fish returned to its fastness at the bottom. A short pause, then another cast, and the salmon rose again in the same place-a third-and I was fast in the first fish of the year, which dashed off across the pool almost as much surprised as I was. I treated him with becoming deference, waited till he sulked a minute before I screwed the gaff into the handle, and in a short time administered the coup de grâce to a nice grilse weighing 7 lb. I will not enter into a detailed account of the events of the next two hours; but before the tide came in I had risen a number of fish, and killed two more grilse of 6 lb. each, besides an ugly, large, red kipper, weighing 9 lb. By the time these were landed the tide had begun to run strongly upwards, bringing with it a nice lot of fresh sea trout, of which I secured six in the next twenty minutes.

Fishing was then over for the day, as it is only at 'first of flood' that even sea trout rise for a short time, while salmon stop rising as soon as the gravel begins to be flooded off the shoals. So I collected the fish and hid them in a tuft of rushes, and after luncheon and a pipe, walked home, calling at the keeper's on the way to tell him to send for the fish, which I did not care to carry back myself.

Tuesday found me again in the same place; and although I could only fish for a short time before the tide came in, I got two salmon weighing 18 lb. between them, and lost another I had nearly landed, on a bit of wire fence which had at some time been washed in and which I could plainly see in the deep part of the water bending as the fish struggled before the final catastrophe The only other adventure of the day was that a second fish took the tail fly after I had nearly landed one on the dropper, and pulled his predecessor off in his eager struggle to escape, falling a victim himself to his philanthropic efforts.

Three times during that eventful week did I have two salmon on at a time, but I never succeeded in landing both of them,

NO. XV. VOL. III.

K K