The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-04-06
FISH OR PIXIE?

II was hidden away in the chalice Of
the hills like a dewdrop in the folds of
Il burdock leaf-one Of those mountain
tarns OF Western Ross which arc reused
by sunshine into distinctive beauty uf
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 a purgatory instead of a par.
adise to those VINO have not the purse Of
F0rtunatus.
Day after day rose cloudless, serene,
III true June fashion. There was no one
TO hurry me, no one to hint at a light
basket. AS for sport, fish must feed,
even i'll the driest weather, and some
times, if the heat haze dimmed the wa
ter and q causeless breeze set the cot
ton tassels swinging, a brief half hour
NOUib SOlLiC, ouIlICICuU LII IlOSU A1Su.
Then the charm of the long evenings,
when, though the light left the world, it
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 half
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, l bethought me of a blue dot,
which, according to the map, should
lie half a mile to the westward.
l shall never forget my first sight Of
Loeb Finaich, OF Loeb of the Heather,
as it was called. Held in the hollow of
the hills, it had two arms, one stretching
west to where the moorland sloped
swiftly to tho sea. Thus at it's farther
end the shining level of water looked
about as if 50 plunge into space, intent
on quenching the fires of sunset in the
sky. The other arm wound. dark and
deep like a Swallowed mirror, into a pre-
cipitous %correi, where the snowdrifts
still lay, despite the heat. There was
all 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 a strip of shingle and throw my fly
where a faint shadow told Of weeds be
low the water. The next instant I for
got everything in the knowledge that {
big fish had risen short. The brown
body and turkey wing lit like a thistle
down again and again without re
spouse, and I was about to turn ava.
when a circle of widening ripples tolt
me the brute was at me once more
Mortal angler could not resist the chal
lenge. l threw over it, around it, t.
windward, to leeward of it, withou
success. The glare had left ever tn
eastern shore. The sunset had faded t,
pearly grays and colds. 1t was growing
late. But one more cast-by all that j
tantalizing-at me again!
Very annoying" said a voice be
hind me as my fly fell on the water
light, but determined.
I turned in surprise. Some ten yard
off on the bank behind me a man O
about 80 was leaning OH a landing net
from his dress a fisher like myself
though he carried no rod.
Every annoying, ~ echoed, "but II
get the brute yet"
II doubt it. l thought SO, too, but
was mistaken
To a fisherman the confession Of fail
ure in a rival is never disheartenine
put a litrlo more skill into my cast
that was all.
sit has been a beautiful day, hash
it," went GU the voice behind, just a
the fish stirred again. "As fine a mid
summer eve as I remember. By tn
way, do the folk about here tell tales c
the dangers of st. Johns eve, as the
used to do?"
NO." I replied shortly, for / wa
sapidly losing my temper over tia