Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1895-04-15
FISH OR PIXIE?

It was hidden away in the chalice Of
the hills like dewdrop in the folds Of
a burdock leaf-one of those mountain
tarns of Western Ross which are reused
by sunshine into distinctive beauty Of
their own, deadened by mist out Of all
individuality, SO that the wandering
fisherman has some excuse for being
careless Of names, Of everything save the
trout lying between the shallow and the
Deep The time was June, and I had
slipped away from London for three
weeks freedom ere the gathering of the
gillies and the general raid of the popu-
lace on the Sassenach make the West
Highlands purgatory instead Of par
adise to those who have not the purse Of
Fortunatus.
Day after day rose cloudless. serene,
in true June fashion. There was no one
to hurry me, no one to hint at light
basket. As for sport, fish must feed,
even in tho driest weather, and some-
times, if the heat haze dimmed the wa.
ter and causeless breeze set the COT
ton tassels swinging, brief half hour
would come, sufficient for most men.
Then the charm Of tie long evenings,
when, though the light left the world, il
fingered in the sky till dawn brought
renewal, kept me in thrall and drove
my cook to distraction.
had had a blank day on the bigger
lochs. Even the time between 7 and ha Il
past, when the glitter goes from the wa
ter, brought me no luck. On my way
home, partly for the sake of lingering
longer in the SURPRISING beauty Of the
moors, I bethought me Of blue dot,
which, according to the map, should
lie half mile to the westward.
shall never forget my first sight Of
Looh Finaioh, or Loch of the Heather,
as it was called. Held in the hollow Of
the hills, ithad two arms, one stretching
west to where the moorland sloped
swiftly to the sea. Thus at its farther
end the shining level Of water looked
about as if to plunge into space, intent
on quenohing the fires of sunset in the
sky. The other arm wound, dark and
deep like shadowed mirror, into pre-
oipitous oorrei, where the snowdrifts
still lay, despite the heat. There was
an unearthly stiffness and silence In its
beauty which thrilled me through and
through. A distinct desire to take ref
uge in the commonplace made me hurry
to strip Of shingle and throw my fly
where faint shadow told Of weeds be-
low the water. The next instant I for.
got everything in the knowledge that a
big fish had risen short. The brown
body and turkey wing lit like thistle
down again and again without re-
sponse, and / was about to turn away
when circle Of widening ripples told
me the brute was at me once more.
Mortal angler could not resist the chal-
lenge. ! threw over it, around it, to
windward, to leeward Of it, without
success. The glare had left even the
eastern shore. The sunset had faded to
pearly grays and Colds. 1t was growing
late. But one more cast-by all that is
tantalizing-at me againl
"very annoying, " said voice be.
hind me as my fly fell on the water,
light, but determined.
7 turned in surprise. Some ten yards
of on the bank behind me a man Of
about 80 was leaning on a landing net,
from his dress a fisher like myself,
though he carried no rod.
every annoying. echoed, "but I'll
get the brute yet"
II doubt it. ! thought 90, too, but
was mistaken.
To a fisherman the confession Of fail
ure in a rival is never disheartening.
! put little more skill into my cast,
that was oil.
"It has been a beautiful day, hasn' Z
it?" went on the voice behind, Just as
the fish stirred again. "As fine mid
summer eve as I remember. By the
way, do the folk about here tell tales Of
the dangers Of st. Johns eve, as they
used to dor"
"No," replied shortly, for I was
rapidly losing my temper over that
devil Of fish, "but can imagine it.
Pixies, fairies and all that bosh, !"
"Just 30. All that bosh.
Something in his tone made me pause.
"Well, 1t ia bosh, isn't itr' echoed.
Doubtless, and yet"-he paused in
his turn-"how are you to know that the
big fish yonder which is tempting you
to linger here-on st, Johns eve, mark
you-is not pixie9"
The conceit amused me. Besides the
brute might think better. Of its ways
after q rest. I laid aside my rod, took
out my pipe and leaned against the bank
on which my new acquaintance had
seated himself.
because It in't," I said stolidly.
Nevertheless II is q thing that 10 ab-