The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-06

ye like to name, I'm thinking. And
now yell see."
| don't suppose | saw the half that
there was to see. but / saw enough III
the next ten minutes to convince me, III
/ had needed convincing, that a trained
keeper OF the glens and moors or scot
land is as different as chalk and cheese
from the limp nerved inhabitant or
town MacTavish drew toward the one
tiny bay of the pool where fish could
any how be coaxed In. The SIDES
shelved almost vertically into the wa
ter and foothold seemed lacking alto
gether; but with one arm laced round
a wisp of a birch tree, MacIaVlsn
looked fairly secure. And thus ne
fought the fish with the dash and per
sistency of a japanese in arms Tor MS
country's independence. There were
connections in the somber corner OF the
pool furthest from the cascade, and the
rod was not so steady now as hitherto,
and there were muttered adtectiYes ana
objurgat.ons from MacTavish as MS
| feet slid from under him ana the hsh
tried his temper with splendid ana III
creasing stubbornness. 1t was no time
to ask questions and no time for the
warrior TO volunteer information to the
more or less safeguarded observer
above. But at length the clicking OF
| the reel was the one dominant sound,
above even that steady roar OF the cas-
| cade The point of the rod fell grad
ually TO the left, and MacTav4sh's mead
| lowered like the point of the roo. he
seemed to be part of the pool In the
| final stage, and how he kept from ac-
| tually merging himself in 1t in resist
ance 10 the phalanX of forces allied
against him is one Of the mercles OF
that night. And then ghostly white
shape CLEANED in the water or that
bay, cleaned and shot through the ar
| several feet among the rocks clear OF
the pool; and MacTav- sh rose erect and
triumphant Got him." he cried.
1t was enough TO raise even whisky
| in a teetotaller's estimation to realize
| by and by what this masterful keeper
| of the glen had done, either in the
strength of il or in spite of il. he had
got one hand down to the fish at the
crucial moment, and like lightning Tor
| quickness had tailed his captive and
| jerked it from his temporary home. HIS
| boot gave Ii the coup de grace, ana
| then all was over save our stumble
| home in an ecstasy OF mutual rejoicing
| on the stroke or so of midnight. AFTER
such an achievement, without any us
aSter worth remembering, it was lmpos-
] SfDle not 10 agree with Mac a 1871 tlAN l
| he deserved a wee drop more whisky,
| Just TO celebrate the victory. His good
| wife herself didn't seem TO mind this
ultimate drop in her husband. En-,
| MacTavish," she said, when she had
| listened to the tale told with endless
circumstantiality) but I'm glad we're
home again; | am that" To which
/ MacTavish replied, with wise rather
| than. an inebriate smile at me: "Ay, ye
dinna ken what I'm good for woman
/ Me to be beat by a salmon, that never
! lost a fish since ] was wee laddle!
| And Macgregor did weel to stay where
! he was in his bed"
| 1t was a fish of nineteen pounds ana
some ounces, and duly went TO England
/ the next morning. Ere this, however,
| l had almost had enough Of 1t. Mac
I Tavish's voice In the night, still decant-
| ing to Mrs MacTavish about the incl
dents of the fight, was tr1fie too un-
| firing. It came through the pine par
| titions of the house as freely as the cry
| of the stream in the glen. And Mrs.
MacTavish's now plaintive and now I'M
| patient entreaties to him to have done
| with the salmon and get to sleep were
/ just as plain to hear.