The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-24
H DOUBLE ALIBI

roiling endleesly 70 the leet OF Calrnsmuro
n the circle of the eastern hills. cannot
be good feeding for the least epicurean of
sheep, and sheep do not care for the lank
and sour heritage by the sides OF the
lanes" as the h~alf-stagnant, black. deep
and weedy burns are called in this part OF
the country. The scenery 10 not unattract-
i've, but tourists never wander to these
wastes where no inns are, and even the ang-
Ter seldom visits them. Indeed. the fishing
is not to be called good. and the lanes"
which 'seep,n IS the Scotch say. through
marshes and beneath low hillsides. are not
such excellent company as the ~garrulous
and brawhng brooks of the border or OF the
Highlands. AS the lanes flow, however.
from far-away lochs. it happens that largo
trout make their way into them-trout
which, if hooked, offer a gallant resistance
before they can be hauled over the weeds
that usually line the water-courses.
Partly tor the sake of trying this kind of
angling. partly from q temporary distaste
for the presence of men and women, partly
for the purpose of finishing q work styled
"A History of the Unexplained" l once
spent n month in the solitudeso of Glen
Aline. l stayed ct the house Of q shep-
herd, who. though not an unintelligent
! man, WAS by no means possessed OF the
modern spirit. He and his brother SWANS
had sfurdily and successfully resisted an
attempt made by the schoOl-master at Q
village ZONE seven miles off to get Q postal
service III the glen more frequently than
once q week. A post once q week was often
enough for lucky people who did not get
letters twice a year.
My shepherds cottage was four miles
from the littie-traveled road to Dalmelling-
ton; long. bad miles they were. across bog
and heather. Consequently 1 seldom saw
any face of man. except in or about the
cottage. My work went on rapidly enough
in such an undisturbed life. Empires
might fall, parties might break like bursting
ghel.s, and banks might break also, L plod-
deG on with my labor. and went a-fishiDg
hill loch Loch Nam about five miles away,
which / favored a good deal. The trout
were large and fair of flesh. and in proper
weather they rose pretty freely and could
be taken by an angler wading from the
however, was difficult and dangerous,
owing. to the DOGGY nature OF
the bottom. which quaked like q
~quicksand in some places. The black
water, never stirred by duck or moor-hen.
the dry rusting weeds. the noisome smell
of decaying vegetable matter when yen
stirred it up in wading. the occasional
presence of q dead sheep by the sullen mar
gin of the tarn, were all opposed to cheer
AoAnCcc VII u . . hOAOs oAo VIZ
lane" which sulkily glided from the locb
towards the distant river. contained some
monsters. which took worm after a Hood;
One misty morning. as | had just topped
the low ridge from which the loch became
visible. l saw q man fishing from my favor
lite bench. Never had noticed q human
being there before, and / was not well
pleased to think that some emissary
of Mr.. Watson Lyall was making expert
ments in Loeb Nan. and would describe it
in the Sportsman's guide. The mist blew
white and thick for q minute or two over
the loch side, as it often does at Loeb
Skene; so white, n thick, and sudden
that the bewildered angler there is apt to
the Gray Mares Tail. When the curtain of
cloud rose again, the loch was lonely; the
angler had disappeared. / went on %rejoic-
ing. and made q pretty good basket as the
weather improved and grew warmer-a
hange which gives an appetite to trout in
some hill lochs. Among the sands between
the stones on the farther bank / found
| traces of the anglers footsteps; he was not
not wear heavily nailed boots, as he evident
ly did. The traces, which were soon lost.
of course. inclined me to think that he had
retreated up narrow green burnside. with
rather high banks, through which, IN rainy
weather, a small feeder fell into the loch:
l guessed that he had been frightened
away by the descent of the mist, which
usually puts down. the trout and pre-
vents them from feeding. In that case his
alarm was premature. / marched home
wards, happy with the sunaccustomed
weight of my basket. the contents of which
were a welcome change from the usual
porridge and potatoes, tea without milk,
jam and scenes of the shepherds fable.
But, as / reached the height above the loch
on my westward path, and looked back to
| see if rising fish were dimpliDR the still
waters, all flushed as they were with sun-
set, behold. there was the other man at
work againl
1 should rave thought no moro about him
had / not twice afterwards seen him at q
distance. fishing up a lane" ahead of me,
in the loneliest regions. and thereby. of
course. spelling my sport. + l knew him by
his peculiar stoop, which seemed not unfa-
miliar to me. and by his hat. which was of
the clerical pattern once known. perhaps
still known. as "a Bible reader's"-a low,
soft, slouched black felt. The second time
that ! foun him thus anticipating me. !
left off fishing and walked rather briskly
towards him, to satisfy my curiosity. aid
asked the usual questions, what SPORT"
aud What fiesf' But rs soon as he OBJ
served me coming he strobe of across the
inquisitlve that / followed him. But he
walked so rapidly, and was so manifestly
anxious to shake me off that l gave up tie
pursuit. Even If he were q preacher whose
conscience smote him for using salmon-roe.
was not my brothers keeper nor any
body's keeper. He might 'otter" the loch,
but how could | prevent hint
1t was no affair OF mine, and yet-where
had j seen him beforef His gait, his stoop,
the carriage of bis head. all seemed familiar
but O short-sighted man is accustomed to
this kind of puzzle; he is always %recogniZ-
ing the wrong person. when he does not fail
to recognize the right one.
/ am rather s~hort-sighted, but science
has its resources. Two OF three days after
my encounter with this very shy sports
man 1 went again to Loeb Man,. But this
time / took with me a strong field-glass.
AS / neared the crest of the low heatherly
slope Immediately above the lOch, whence
the water first comes into view, / lay down
on the ground and crawled like q deer
stalker to the skyline.
Then l got out the glass and recon.
noitered. There was my friend. sure
enough; moreover, he was playing q very
the near side of the loeb, and though I had
a very distinct view of his back, and in.
deed of all his attenuated form, / was as far
as ever from recognizing him. or guessing
where, if anywhere, 1 had seen him before. ]
now determined TO stalk him; but this wasn't
too easy. as there is literally no cover on
the hillside. except a long march dyke" of
the usual loose stones. which ran down to
the lochside. and, indeed, three or four feet
into the loch. reaching it a short distance
to the right of the angler. Behind this ]
and was just about to climb the wall unob.
served, when two grouse got up. with their
wild cluck. cluck of alarm, and flew down
past the angler and over the loch. He did
not even look around, but jerked his line
out of the water, reeled il up, and set of
walking along the lochside. He was max
ing, no doubt, for the little glen up which