up. A similar bit of frivolity was practised by another
fish ten minutes later at my middle rod, which, I forgot to say, had
brought the well-mended kelt to bank. Going to land for the midday
rest, as it was not quite one o'clock, I put up a rod which I wished to
try, and proposed to warm myself with a little casting. The second
cast rose a fish close to the bank, and, after allowing the usual time
for restoration to confidence, out went the Nicholson, and very bravely
did that noble fly work round, swimming, I could swear, on an even
keel, and shaking its finery all around in the water. The fly did not
reach the fish which had risen, because another was before him, and I
knew that the hook had gone home. We thought this was a good fish, and
fresh run, albeit he lay low and confined his movements to a small
area. Alas! it was kelt number two, and not more than 10 lb. at that.
All the same, I had landed three fish of sorts by one o'clock, and
enjoyed minor sensations.

There was no more fun. We had heard that 3 in. of snow had fallen in
the hills a few miles up, and the sun of the forenoon had no doubt
melted it. We harled for two hours, and with neither pull nor sign of
fish. To-morrow ought to bring the river into fair order; though, even
so, a foot less would be more to my mind.

The next day opened with a heavy storm of wet snow, and this continued,
with intervals of sleet, till the afternoon. It was not expected that
this would put the river up, and she was in fact falling very slowly.
At this point, however, every inch of drop is to the good. I landed
six fish that day, only one a springer. The boats had done better in
the reaches where the clean fish lie in such high water, and two
gentlemen at night brought into Malloch's five grand springers, caught
on the beat which was to have been mine on Friday. The Tay still
remained a foot too heavy:

Strong without rage,
Without o'erflowing full.

The novel experience (to me) of salmon fishing in a heavy snowstorm is
worth a few words of amplification, for all new experiences add to the
interest of the game. It was snowing at breakfast time, and Mr.
Malloch was so kind as to snatch a day from the demands of his own
affairs to share my boat, and from the way he and the boatmen took the
storm as a simple matter of course--indeed, as not calling of a casual
comment--I take it that up here, at the foot of the Grampians, they are
used to this sort of