tively upon his old vocation as the only source of comfort and relief. Multitudes of other heavy hearts and aching brains have found like relief from the same source of harmless diversion.

These distinguished anglers had had grand success. It was Judge GRAY's first visit, but having had long experience in the minor departments of the art, he found but little difficulty in acquiring the higher skill which the more complicated work of salmon-fishing requires. He had numerous trophies to exhibit in proof of the success which had attended his maiden efforts, and he referred to them with as much enthusiasm and, I doubt not, with far more satisfaction, than he had ever referred to any of his most noted triumphs in the line of his profession. It is never in a spirit of mere boasting that a true angler alludes to his achievements, but because of the simple pleasure which, like the old soldier, he derives from "fighting his battles o'er again." To rehearse the incidents connected with the capture of some famous fish, is to re-experience the thrilling sensations which accompanied the feat itself. They remain, like the recollections of some pleasant spoken word, or of some beautiful picture, or of some grand scene in nature, a joyous memory forever. He is an unhappy man who has not some pleasant wells of memory to draw upon, if it be true, as

some thoughtful philosopher has said, that "half the joy of old age consists in the recollection of the pleasures of youth.”

A single incident in the experience of Chief Justice RITCHIE is especially worth mentioning. Near the close of a day of fine sport he struck a thirty-pound salmon, which he tried in vain to kill before nightfall. It is a herculean task, requiring the highest skill and every possible favoring opportunity, to capture such a fish. The chances are always against success at the best. But the venerable Chief found himself tied to this monster long after twilight had ceased to fall upon the face of the waters. The pool, always dark in its great depths, soon became black as a starless midnight. There were rocks on either side of him, rushing waters above him and boiling rapids below him. His line was invisible, and the only perceptible sign of life around him or before him, was the tugging and rushing of the maddened salmon fighting for his life amid the thick darkness which every where prevailed. Under any circumstances, the venerable angler would rather, a thousand times, subject himself to the merciless criticisms which a wrong judicial decision might provoke, than to lose a fish. But under the circumstances in which, at this time, he was surrounded, he would rather have taken that fish than to have been placed on

the wool-sack of the United Kingdom. And yet how could it be done? It was useless for him to soliloquize, as he did, "You beggar, I'll fight you 'till sunrise before you shall beat me." Long before sunrise the fish might escape, the canoe be swamped in some merciless rapid, and the venerable Chief left stranded and dripping upon some inhospitable rock, with nothing to cheer him in his wretched loneliness but the roar of the thundering waters or the plaintive notes of the hooting night-owl. Fortunately, neither an all-night fight nor a possible shipwreck awaited him. His coChief Justice took in the situation as readily as he catches the point of a lawyer's brief, improvised a few flambeaux and started off to the rescue. It was a timely interposition, resulting in perfect sucThe flambeaux made the surroundings of the combatants bright as day, and in due time the salmon gave up the fight, was duly gaffed and brought into camp, escorted by the first torch-light procession in which either Chief had ever before been the principal actor.

cess.

CHAPTER IX.

CAPTURE OF MY FIRST SALMON.

"An' than," continued Jock, "whan a muckle chiel o' a salmon, wi'oot time tae consider whether yer flee is for his waime or only for his mooth-whether it's made by natur' or by Jock Hall-plays flap! and by mistak' gangs to digest what he has gotten for his breakfast, but suspec's he canna swallow the line along wi' his mornin' meal till he takes some exercise!-an' than tae see the line ticht, an' the rod bendin' like a heuck, an' to fin' something gaun fra the fish up the line and up the rod till it reaches yer verra heart, that gangs pit pat at yer throat like a tickin' watch; until the bonnie creatur', after rinnin' up an' doon like mad, noo sulkin aside a stane to cure his teethache, then bilkin awa' wi' a scunner at the line, tryin' every dodge, an' syne gies in, comes to yer han' clean beat in fair play, and lies on the bank, sayin' 'Waes me!' wi his tail, an' makin' his will wi' his gills an' mooth time aboot! Eh! mon! it's splendid!"- [Norman Macleod, D. D., in " The Starling."

Y impatience to make my first cast and take my first salmon was so great that the hours consumed in pitching tents, unpacking stores and arranging camp generally, seemed a sinful waste of precious moments. I did not wish, of course, to take advantage of the useful industry and greater patience of my companions; but I

mentally voted them over nice in their anxiety to

"make things comfortable" when, in my state of mind, the only thing which seemed requisite to the supremest comfort was the capture of a salmon. With that result achieved, I felt that I could be abundantly comfortable sitting upon a bare rock at high noon munching hard tack and bacon. I must in some way have manifested my restlessness, for the General, trying to hide his kindliness under a very thin veneering of brusqueness, said to me, "D., you are of no earthly use here. I wish you would get out of the way and go a-fishing." As this remark was made several hours before we had mutually agreed to begin work, I felt some little delicacy about taking advantage of the "ticket-ofleave" offered me. But as in the language of modern theology, I had an "inner consciousness that I really was of "no use" as a tent-pitcher, and had no tact as a man of all work" in camp preparations, I soon found myself moving canoe-ward, with my salmon and trout rods strung and my nerves in a tremor in anticipation of "the good time coming" when I would no longer have to say "I never killed a salmon." I honestly meant to show my appreciation of the General's kindness by confining myself exclusively to trout waters. And my resolution was adequate to the emergency until I became weary of the slaughter I was making of

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