NAPOLEON BALLADS.-No. IL BY WALTER THORNBURY, AUTHOR of "ART AND NATURE." THE NIGHT REVIEW BEFORE AUSTERLITZ. DECEMBER dawn-through frosty fogs The sun strove hard to shine, A rolling of the muster drums More like a savan than the man Who won an emperor's crown. He looked at Soult, and raised his hand, Then all at once a silence fell As deep and hushed as night. The gunner, with his lighted match, "One year to-day, my sons, you placed (We saw his coal-black eye was fired, "The Tartars yonder want to steal Six hundred cannon bellowed "No!" In waves of sound the grenadiers My children, where the eagle flies A grizzled giant, old Daru, And lay them at our Emperor's feet, A FORTNIGHT'S SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS. August 26th.-Some very heavy showers. I hope they did not spoil Alick's sport. Spent nearly the whole of the day copying out my journal; it is certainly not very agreeable being laid up in the Highlands, every one enjoying himself, and I Must pine in my fetters here. Well, it can't be helped. I would gladly serve the other leg the same to get such another stag. Retired at an early hour to my downy couch, where, had it not been that I suffered much pain whenever I turned in bed, I should probably have slept the clock round. 27th.-Very wet. What a nuisance! it is impossible Alick can stalk a deer to-day. What a cruel disappointment it must be to him. Still suffered much pain when I moved about; nevertheless, was decidedly progressing towards convalescence. Had a long visit from Colin; spent the greater part of the day tying flies and chaffing on fishing matters. He told me that there was a heavy speat in the river, but that he hoped by the time I was well enough to get about again that it would be in order for the fly. Was very glad of Colin's company, for he amused me greatly, not only with many fishing anecdotes, but also with accounts of every piece of fun that had taken place in the neighbourhood since the Deluge. He is a great wag in his way, and tells a story well, but as they were chiefly jokes against my own countrymen, the "Southerns," as he called us, I would rather not retail them. Arranged with him, should I be well enough in a couple of days, to try if I am as lucky with the salmon as with the deer, the death of which had delighted him wonderfully. Just as he was going away, he came back to say he considered that I might have some good fun trolling for pike and trout in the loch, and if I took my gun down should be nearly certain to get a few shots at ducks ; that I could drive to the boat-house, and then take the air on the loch without any danger of hurting myself. This sounded so reasonable, and, further, was so exactly in accordance with my wishes, that I immediately determined to take his advice; so I started him forthwith to the burn, to get as many small parr as he could for bait. What would some of the contributors to the Times say to this? Probably, that I ought to be transported; but is there one among them-I mean, of course, a fisherman-who would not have done the same? or, if he happened to have an idle hour himself, would not have taken his own rod and renewed his schoolboy's sport? for Oft have I, in forbidden time I appointed Colin to meet me at ten o'clock next day at the boat-house, which is on the river near the head of the loch. Got out my box, and soon tied up some spinning tackle, which I made on very fine gimp-so fine, indeed, that there was little fear but that a trout would take it, should I come across one, just as well as a pike. It was dinner-time be fore I finished all my work. Having no one to chat to, I did not remain long over my toddy, but turned in at an early hour. 28th.-Fine, with a nice breeze. Come, here is one glorious day for Alick, at any rate. Much better; indeed, I could make a very fair walk of it. As soon as breakfast was over, ordered the drosky, and away to the loch. Found Colin at the boat-house. He had a famous supply of bait, of all kinds and sizes; among the rest, two very fine loach, one of which he recommended me to try in the river on the way to the loch, as the salmon often rest in the dead heavy water there, and the speat would certainly have brought some up from the loch. I obeyed instructions, but considered the river far too dirty. While baiting my lines, a fine brood of wild-ducks flew over my head at about thirty yards' distance. I up with the gun, but had not loaded it, a neglect which was very speedily remedied, and of course the gun was kept within reach for the rest of the day. Although there was a very nice breeze it did not hit the river, consequently it was as calm as a well, to add to its not being in fishing order; in fact, had there been a hundred salmon there, not one would have taken with the water in such a state. I, however, had scarcely entered the first bay, at the head of the loch, when I got a drag, and soon landed a nice pike of about seven pounds. I then baited both lines with parr, as there was a pretty curl on the water, and the loach was rather too dull a bait. We let the boat go down with the wind, and drop to leeward of some rushes, expecting a shot, as it looked a very favourable place for ducks. I was right; and as soon as they winded us, which they did not do until we were close upon them, up they got, a fine brood of ten, out of which I tumbled three, as they doubled nicely together on the rise. While picking up the birds, and reloading, I had entirely forgotten the rods, and both bait were, consequently, hard and fast in the weeds. It took a long quarter of an hour to repair damages, for one set of hooks remained in some obstinate obstruction at the bottom. Colin informed me that the next bay was considered the best in the loch for large pike, and I believe he told me the truth, for we had scarcely entered it when both my bait were taken. Colin immediately gave the oar to the gillie, and seized one of the rods; but he was too late, the fish had departed. I still held mine, and a nice one it was, which, after making me two or three very good runs for a pike, I brought to the edge of the boat, and Colin soon drew it on board with the gaff. It weighed ten pounds. While arranging my bait I was aroused by a "Whist! look at the ducks, sir," from the gillie. We all crouched down in the boat. There were seven of them-probably the rest of the brood from which I had killed the three. They made two or three circles round us, but never came within shot; at last they pitched in some reeds at no very great distance. I wound up the lines, and gave directions which way to approach the spot they had alighted in; but the wind was, unfortunately, a little foul, and before we got within a hundred yards of them up they got; they flew round the boat; I fired, and struck one. We watched the flight for a long time, but as the wounded bird did not separate from the rest, I conclude that it was not hit very hard. We tried some likely-looking water for pike, for about two hours longer, during which time I killed two small jack only, but lost three or four rather nice fish; they were not taking well. Colin advised me to try across the upper part of the loch, where the bottom is rocky, as, in the spring of the year, it is a famous lie for large trout. When passing over a part where there were about four feet of water, I had a run, and had the pleasure of landing a fine trout of nearly five pounds; but my tackle being very strong, I did not allow him much time after he was hooked; the only difficulty was in landing him, owing to my having no landing-net, and the gaff being rather large for a fish of that size. I afterwards killed a fine perch of nearly three pounds weight; these were all the rocky bay afforded, though I fished several times over it. My leg now began to pain me a little, having kept it so long in a bent position being the probable cause; so I directed Colin to pull quietly for the boat-house, fishing, of course, as I went along. When we came near the opening of the river, which had greatly run down and cleared since the morning, I got a tremendous pull, forthwith raised my rod, and away went the fish, running me out fifty yards of line in no time. "It's a salmon, I am certain." Scarcely were the words out of my mouth when up it went, making a splendid spring in the air. "Wind up the other line and get the gaff ready." I then went to the bow of the boat, which enabled me more easily to bring the fish within reach, cautioning the gillie at the same time not to entangle the line with the oars. It was a fine sporting fish; had I held it in a rough heavy stream I should probably have had a good half hour's sport, but in ten minutes it was in the boat. Colin pronounced it to be the first autumn fish he had yet seen, and guessed its weight at fifteen pounds; he was not far wrong, as it wanted but a quarter of a pound of it. This was a capital addition to our larder, for the only fish we had tasted since our arrival were the Loch Fyne herrings, and, delicious as they are, one likes a change: on n'aime pas toujours perdrix. This was the end of my sport for the day, although I fished for a couple of hours longer, the salmon having completely taken the stiffness out of my knee. Colin said that the river would be in order next day for the fly, and advised me to try the streams at the falls, as there was certain to be a run of fresh fish up with this speat; that I need not walk much, as I could drive to the spot; he thought also that I should probably meet Sir A. as he generally shot his way home from the forest, following the course between the road and the river. I arranged that unless Sir A. returned that evening, which I thought probable, I would be at the falls by nine o'clock. On arriving at the lodge, found a note from Sir A. telling me that he should return precisely as Colin had said, asking me to meet him at the falls, and after I was tired of fishing to shoot home from thence, if I could make a walk of it. I took care to have a salmon cutlet for dinner, which, in spite of my late affection for herrings, went down admirably, as it was an excellent, firm, and curdy fish. 29th.-Rose by times in the morning; was all right again; found no inconvenience from my knee, but it was still a little weak. Having demolished the best part of a grilled blackcock, started for the falls, with fishing-rod, guns, and dogs, ready for anything. Did not expect much sport in the fishing way, as the salmon in that river are generally very sulky in the summer months, but take freely in the spring. The streams below the falls are splendid, and the day was such as a fisherman dearly loves. Saft the southland breeze was blawing, 1, of course, put myself entirely into the hands of Colin, never having thrown a line on that river before. After I had made a few casts he lighted his pipe, and sat down on the bank, telling me he would give me a call when I had fished far enough down the pool, which was all the instruction I should require, as I could throw a line and fish a stream quite as well as he could, which was saying a great deal; but I doubt much if he thought it, for he was considered by far the best fisherman on the river. However, whether I fished well or ill it seemed to matter but little, for nothing could I stir, although there were a multitude of fish showing themselves, which, by-the-by, does not often betoken good sport. Stream after stream I fished of as beautiful water as line was ever thrown over, but to no purpose. Until twelve o'clock I never ceased thrashing, except when changing my fly, which I did about twenty times. I now determined to rest the water and myself too, not that I felt much inconvenience from my leg, for I was well on my pins again, though not yet quite up to a hard day's work. Down I sat for more than an hour, took some refreshment, and listened to Colin's fishing yarns, which seemed inexhaustible, of times past in the palmy days of salmon-fishing. Among others, he told me that, thirty years ago, he thought nothing of killing ten or a dozen fish of from ten to twenty pounds weight before breakfast (I conclude he rose very early, and broke his fast at a late hour on those occasions); that one day before two o'clock he had landed seventeen salmon, one of them a thirty-two pounder, besides hooking and losing nearly as many more, in the same streams that I had for two or three hours been fruitlessly endeavouring to stir one. He also told me a very amusing story of a young Englishman who pretended to be quite blasé with everything, and having hooked a salmon requested him to play it, as really, after the first race, all amusement was over; that, in fact, it was a bore playing a fish. I could not help thinking that this must have been the same individual whom I once met in a steamer on one of the Scotch lakes. He had scarcely got his eye-teeth, and certainly had not then cut his wise ones. By way of introducing a conversation, I asked him if he had been long in Scotland, and whether he had had good sport in the Highlands? He answered me in a lisping drawl-for he was far too conceited to speak his native language-that he had been making a short tour in the lake districts, chiefly for the purpose of sketching-producing something which he called a drawing, that looked for all the world like a molehill with a cabbage stuck into it. This, he told me, was a faithful representation of a well-known tree that still stands close to the spot where some celebrated character performed some great feat, but who the hero was that had done this wonderful deed, or what it was he did do, I have forgotten. As to sport, he was quite sick of grouse shooting, salmon-fishing, deer-stalking, and all that sort of thing, and had long since (he must have been still in his teens) come to the conclu sion that the only real happiness in life consisted in being left to his own thoughts with a cigar-case well filled. How fat he must have got on the continual feast of such a noble, contented mind! I told Colin |