fancied I had missed him altogether. It was a wonder to all of us how the second had not finished him, so fair was he struck. The third passed through his heart.

It was now agreed that we should separate, for a thorough search after the wounded goat. It proved unsuccessful, although we were assisted by half-a-dozen pair of active limbs and sharp eyes—the general birthright of Highlanders. The shades of evening drew on, and we were obliged to take to our boat.

What motive was it that made me decline a shooting party next morning, and determine upon a second excursion to the Lone Isle ? After the narrative of the preceding day, I have little right to expect belief, when I say it was compassion. I could not help thinking that the poor goat might be alive; and, if so, nothing awaited him but a lingering death of pain. Having quickly finished my breakfast, I was soon seated at the oar, with a sturdy partner, and pulling rapidly for the quiet strand.

The people of the island had been on the outlook; and about two hours before we came, had seen him slowly limping up a hill. With my attendant behind me, I immediately walked off in the direction they pointed out. I had not long to look. Upon the pinnacle of the hill, which commanded a view all round, sat the poor goat, evidently in dread of a surprise like yesterday's. There was no possibility of stalking him; and the moment he saw me, he rose leisurely to his feet, and descended the hill on the other side. He then sauntered to the rocks on

E

the shore, being quite unable for the steeps of Crap-naGower. We followed to the beach; but, upon getting there, he had hidden again.

After a search of many hours, my follower winded him. Upon looking cautiously all round, he detected him completely engulfed in heather, with rocks on each side, and only a small aperture by which he had entered this snug shelter. He had an instinctive knowledge the moment he was discovered; for he immediately rose and limped out of his retreat. The man hallooed to me, and I took my station upon a rock which commanded two passes, one of which he must cross, as he was unable to climb the high rocks. When he was within forty yards, I shouted to make him turn off the shore, and thus present a broadside. He only looked up languidly, and kept his course along the beach. He passed directly under me, at the distance of twenty yards, when I fired at the back of his neck, and hit him in the spine: of course his death was instantaneous.

Our boat was at the other side of the island, and we had no time to bring it round; so we could only leave him where he fell, and send early next morning to fetch him home. A light cobble and couple of gillies were alongside of him by five o'clock; but, even before that early hour, Rob Roy's "bedrels, the corbies, and the hoody craws," had entered upon office. I made them welcome to their share, but preserved his head, horns, and skin, together with that of his chief, which are as handsome trophies of the chase as any I have in my collection.

SALMON ANGLING

I SHALL hope to be pardoned if I claim for fishing the appellation of a science. I have never considered it, like shooting, a mere art. At all events, it has certainly not yet been brought to perfection; and the more able the angler, the more willingly will he admit, that not a season passes without his acquiring fresh secrets which he is not over-solicitous to tell. If a man fancies he can jump into proficiency after a season or two's practice, he is vastly mistaken; it is not a few fishing excursions now and then that form the adept, but the heedful experience of years. Take an instance; and suppose a man to be expert in the knack of throwing a line; he is angling down a fine salmon-stream, followed by a finished master of the fly, and has just completed his last throw of a promising pool. Upon looking over his shoulder, his companion has hold of a good fish, at the very part of the cast on which he had bestowed the most care and pains: he immediately suspects that his comrade has been more knowing in the choice of a fly. But when the salmon is landed, he discovers, to his

amazement, that it was attracted by a facsimile of the identical fly which a moment before he had so dexterously tendered to its acceptance! Every really first-rate flyfisher will meet with such occurrences, when angling in the wake of a less gifted craftsman. And although to the looker-on it appears as if he had charmed the fish, yet it is only by a more scientific knowledge of the exact spots where the salmon are likely to come up, and lingering over these with the motion of a glancing insect. This mastery of the gentle craft can only be attained by long practice and the most perfect command of the rod.

Angling for salmon may be called the deer-stalking of the streams. As in the first sight of the herd there is more excitement, and more satisfaction when you bring down the stag than any other game, so in salmon-fishing, compared with all other kinds, the interest is greater when you rise a fish, and the satisfaction double when you lay him on the shingly bank. Like deer-stalking, however, it has its disadvantages; not the least of which is, the greater stock of patience required, and the greater uncertainty of the sport; unless, indeed, in preserved waters, where there is much less opportunity of displaying the superiority of an accomplished fisher over the ordinary performer. In unprotected water, for instance, should the weather be unpropitious, the best rod may flog the river for hours without stirring a fin; while a couple of fish is always reckoned a good day's work. Under the same untoward circumstances, the trout-fisher may often, by skill and perseverance, make out a very tolerable bagful.

I have heard it said by some pseudo salmon-anglers, that the only pleasure was the hooking of the fish; and some have even declared they would not mind breaking every salmon directly after fastening him. Such men, to be consistent, should drop the salmon and stick to the trout: they will of course have more rises, and fix more fish; but the idea is absurd. If they have arrived at such a pinnacle of perfection, why not reduce their tackle to a single horse-hair? And if even this should be too strong for their exquisite skill, let them carefully cull the softest hair from the softest lock of their own softer heads.

However one may admire the dexterity of a master of the rod, as he casts his line between every opening among the trees, in a difficult river, yet I would rather see him manage his fish after hooking it; the cool nerve and delicate touch is the very perfection of art and I should never pronounce a man a true salmon-fisher until I had seen him working one in a difficult situation. To throw a very long line, and to search the casts properly with the fly, are no doubt indispensable requisites; but a river fly-angler, (for I don't here speak of either bait or loch fishing,) who can work his hooked fish scientifically, will seldom be deficient in all the prerequisites of fixing him ; while the rising man, who has only fished preserved waters, where all is clear and open, should he hook a salmon in a difficult place, will most likely find that he has got hold of too strong a customer. And here we may ask, what was the magic in angling that captivated the intellect of such men as Chantrey and Davy? Sir Humphry, I suspect,