o 2 ft.; now "she" is up
again 6 in.

One does not care how high a river may rise, provided it gets over the
business once for all, and recedes steadily, to have done with change
for a reasonable time. The worst phase of all is that which is
represented by intermittent ups and downs on a small scale; for the
fish follow the example of the river most religiously in one
respect--when it is unsettled they are unsettled too. Such experience
as this, morning after morning, for many days, may be handsome exercise
in the finishing-off touches of your lessons in patience, and are
probably entertaining enough to your friends who are not anglers.
There is no amusement for you; only resignation. Make up your mind to
that, my brother.

There must have been a quantity of downpour away to the west up amongst
the hills; the skies are leaden with rain clouds even now; the air is
saturated with moisture. Up beyond the picturesque little island at
the junction of the two rivers the water thunders over the rocky ledge
which forms the dub at the bottom of Floors Castle lower water, and if
you observe closely you will soon conclude that Teviot is bringing down
an undue amount of Scottish soil. Cross the bridge and look over to
the heavy pool under the wooded slope, and note, where the light
strikes the eddy, the yellow hue; 18 in. above ordinary level is the
outside limit which the initiated on Tweed give you as a bare chance
for a fish, and it is evident that, even if those dark clouds do not
fulfil their threats, this chance will scarcely come to-morrow, or
perchance next day. Wherefore, once more, let patience have her
perfect work.

The bait fishers are busy, to be sure. Your extremity is their
opportunity. With the worm they make fair baskets of trout in this
dirty water. The public on Tweedside are indeed a privileged race.
Nearly the whole of the river is free to trout anglers, and there is an
abundance of trout in it. The inhabitants of Kelso ought to be full of
gratitude to the Duke of Roxburghe, for he gave them, as a generous
supplement to their free trouting, miles of the Teviot for salmon
fishing. They had only to enrol themselves members of a local
association and pay a nominal fee to obtain salmon fishing on the
Teviot for a certain number of days in every week. Mr. James Tait, the
clerk to the Tweed Commissioners (whom hundreds of anglers had to thank
for much kindness to strangers), informed me that when the