THE LAST SALMON FISHER

CHAPTER1

１－１

It was already the end of August. The eyes of the French were glued to two headline news articles in "Le Monde". One of them told of a flood in Paris. It said that the flood, brought by localised heavy rain, had destroyed several 1200 year old buildings. The second article was about a whale, with the headline, “Iron Whale Crashes into Fishing Boat".

The night before he left Paris, Shin made a phone call to Godfrey the ghillie ---in Scotland people call fishing guides "ghillies"---. Usually he calls from Japan to find out how the weather is in Scotland before he leaves, but, as he happened to be finishing a shoot in Paris at the end of August that year, he decided to go to Scotland from Paris directly.

Although he was going to be at Godfrey's cottage the following evening and would then see how the weather was with his own eyes, Shin always wants to know the state of the weather before he heads off. When he goes on a business trip, he thinks it a waste of time to worry about the weather before he gets there but, when it comes to fishing, he just has to know. There was no need to worry about the time in Scotland as there was only an hour's difference between Paris and Scotland. Godfrey answered the phone himself.

“Hi, Shin. I thought it was about time for you to call me.”

“Ha,ha,ha...did you? So, Godfrey, how's the weather”

“Hopeless. No rain at all.”

“Oh, come on, are we going to be night fishing again? How about the salmon? No good? ”

“With this weather, I’m afraid not. The sea trout are fairing a little better though.”

“I've had enough of sea trout. I really want to land a salmon this year”

“I know. This weather is a shame. But, Shin, you can’t do anything about the weather.”

The Scottish have an established reputation for being proud and fussy, and ghillies, they're the worst of all. When they can't offer fishing spots to guests in perfect condition their pride causes them to use expressions like “well, it's a shame but....”.

“Hmmm... no rain, no salmon. I see. Oh, look, Godfrey, do you know that an iron whale is all over the news in Paris? ”

“Yeah, that's not a whale. It's a red submarine.”

“Red submarine? ”

“Yes. A Russian submarine that's heading north across the North Sea during the night.”

“If it's a submarine, why doesn't it dive?”

“It's one that can't dive anymore. I bet it's a battered old one they can't use in their Baltic fleet anymore and they're taking it up to the North Pole to dump it, or something.”

“It doesn't sound good, does it?”

“Indeed. The fishermen are getting worried about sea pollution.”

“Will the salmon be all right?”

“Don't worry, the Russians love salmon too. They wouldn't do anything that would affect the Russian way of life.”

“I hope you're right.”

“Is the red submarine in the news in Japan as well?”

“No, I'm in Paris actually.”

“Ho-hoh, are you? You'll be here soon, then.”

“That's right. I'm gonna come by the usual shuttle tomorrow evening, so please come to collect me, OK?”

“Sure. Would you like to talk to Dawn?”

“No, no, she must be tired what with the baby on the way. Tell her hello from me.”

“All right, then. I’ll be waiting for you at the usual time, usual place, tomorrow.”

“Thanks. See you then.”

That one telephone call altered Shin's mood completely. Checking the weather of one's intended destination is an essential ritual for all anglers, without which angling is impossible. Shin, now raring to go, prepared for his departure.

An angler escapes --- from everyday reality. Fishing is definitely one way of escaping from reality. But as there is no one absolute form of reality in this world, it is safe to say that fishing is an alternative form of reality. However, in this alternative reality, the angler feels time flowing at a completely different rate. Perhaps when an angler fishes α-waves rather than β-waves might be detected from his brain.

While he fishes he is in a dream-like state. He escapes by fishing and sleeping at the same time. And such a man, who has learnt how to move between these two forms of reality, is called ‘an angler’.

The angler is not seeking fish. He is chasing a dream of his ideal self. As he fishes, the angler becomes acutely aware of himself. He tries to see through himself.

Despite hard rain, strong wind and the tug of the river, he is able to cast his rod for hours on end. Is this a case of mind over matter? Or is he being moved by the will of something beyond him?

It is perhaps safe to say that, when an angler fishes, he is in a trance, and in this trance, all of the angler's five senses are concentrated on one point, the fly, floating in the water. It is as if all his nerves have moved to the surface to become a parabola, waiting for a faint signal from the water. And those nerves, concentrated at his surface enable him to see his true self.

Or perhaps, he sees himself as a disembodied spirit floating in front of his eyes. As he fishes in the river, and walks downstream, his mind is always a step ahead of his body. And it is this pull between mind and body that leads the angler ever onward. In an attempt to pursue his future, his ideal self, the person he ought to be, to start afresh in that other everyday reality, he chases his shadow down the river. And then, after this endless journey, he may experience the climax of his life; an encounter with the salmon.

１－２

It had already been twenty years since Shin entered the world of advertising. And discounting his first five years as a novice, he had been flying around the world shooting adverts for fifteen years.

He couldn't remember in the slightest what he had done between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five but from thirty-five to forty he had been able to do work that even he felt satisfied with.

However, after a man turns forty, his life takes one of two different paths; either a path filled with enjoyment or a path with none. In other words, a life where he truly feels alive or a life where he doesn't.

Although he doesn't know when the moment of this choice will come and will not notice when it has arrived, he certainly chooses one of these two paths and then follows it for the rest of his life. In retrospect, Shin himself also made this choice.

It was a complete accident. Five years ago, after planning a shot for a golfing wear commercial which was to be filmed in the suburbs of London, Shin headed for England with the rest of his crew. However, after arriving, the director had the sudden inspiration of shooting the commercial in the snow so they hurried to find a new location. Shin didn't remember the details of the incident, but he couldn't forget the face of their English co-ordinator.

“Do you Japanese people make a habit of thinking up the continuity AFTER you arrive?!”, the co-ordinator complained, after having wasted his time in a meeting with Shin before the change of plan.

Alas, there was no snow in London due to the mild winter that year so they decided to head for Scotland in pursuit of snow.

But, even in Scotland, there was only snow on the ski slopes due to the unusually warm weather.

Then the director suddenly recalled that the birthplace of golf, St.Andrews, was in Scotland so they went straight there, shot a boring sightseeing commercial and then flew straight back to Japan.

For Shin, this unexpected series of events produced a decisive encounter.

The encounter was with a fish served at dinner on their last night, after they had finished the shot. It was placed on a big silver platter and looked very much like a salmon. Shin had never seen such a brilliantly silver coloured fish before. The landlord of the inn where they were staying sliced the fish himself and placed a single fillet on Shin's plate.

The landlord said that the fish had been landed by an eccentric relative of his who worked as a gillie. His name was Godfrey.

The landlord told Shin that the fish was a sea trout, the seafaring cousin of the brown trout. Shin knew a little about the brown trout. It has a brown body covered with ruby-like red spots and was known as the subject of Schubert's work, "The Trout". In Europe, it was listed ahead of everything else as the ideal target for fly fishing.

But the fish looked so different from the brown trout. First and foremost, the difference in size was obvious. Shin's sense of awe and wonder at how growing to maturity at sea could produce such a different trout was quickly replaced by the desire to land such a fish himself.

He asked the landlord about the chances of landing a sea trout and was told that it was impossible to catch the fish in ordinary rivers, but there was one special river where the fish ran up from the sea. Unfortunately, that river was always completely booked a year in advance.

The landlord called Godfrey just to make absolutely sure that he didn't have any time for a new customer but, of course, he was fully booked. The fishing restrictions on the river had been lifted in February, in other words, that year's fishing season had already begun. The landlord suggested that Shin book for next year; he reasoned that if space became available Godfrey would notify him by Christmas. Shin took the landlord's advice and made a booking for the following year.

But, of course, Christmas came and went and he heard nothing. Bookings for that particular river, which was hired on a weekly basis, were taken as soon as each fisherman finished his turn, and no-one ever said no to the chance of fishing there again the following year. Occasionally space

became available due to sudden cancellations by fishermen who wanted to come to the river but couldn't for reasons beyond their control. Shin would have to wait for such a cancellation.

Shin finally realised this when he took a fishing trip to Scotland in May of the following year. In the season of dancing mayflies.

Of course he wasn't even allowed to set foot in the river, but he was quite satisfied with the brown trout fishing he did. It was fun in its on way.

Angling in the birthplace of fly fishing allowed Shin to taste a kind of satisfaction he had never experienced before. For Shin, who had begun to realise that fishing in Japan and making ads were just not enough for him, the fishing trip was an exercise that brought fly fishing into sharp focus.

It was also the point at which he choose to change his life; to walk a different path.

Needless to say, Shin didn't forget to book fishing time for the following year.

Shin didn't even know how long he would have to wait. He knew, however, that if he didn't keep booking he would never set foot in the river. Then, just before Christmas that year, he received a big envelope from Godfrey.

It was information about sea trout fishing for June of the following year.

When he read the accompanying letter from Godfrey, he realised that his fishing skills were being tested.

In the letter Godfrey said, “there were other fishermen waiting for the chance to catch sea trout, but I chose you, Shin, because I thought that, for a Japanese, you handle your fly well".

And he added that Shin could come to the river this year but he shouldn't expect to be so lucky next year.

There was very little rain that year either. Shin ended up having to go night fishing in an almost completely dried up river. But he fished, and caught three sea trout. On seeing this Godfrey asked Shin if he wanted tocome back the following year.“No-one ever says no, right?”, was Shin's answer.

“I can't promise anything”, was Godfrey's predictable reply.

Shin knew that salmon return to the same river year after year. He reasonedthat even if Godfrey couldn't guarantee space on the river he should make abooking for next year without delay. On voicing his impudent request, Shin was greeted with a look of mild disgust. "You might have to wait ten years,you know?!", retorted Godfrey.

It turned out that there was no space on the salmon river after all. Shin had no choice but to fish sea trout instead. However, the year after that, at around Christmas time, another large envelope arrived from Godfrey. It was information about salmon fishing and the accompanying letter read, “Shin, you are just too lucky”. Godfrey's invitation was for the first week in September which was ideal for salmon fishing.

When September came around Shin set off on his salmon fishing trip in the highest of spirits. But, again, his hopes were dashed. Despite going three months later than the year before, the river was still too dry for the salmon to swim upstream, so Shin only caught a few sea trout whose silver bodies had turned black because they had been in the river too long.

This year, Shin had booked the same week in September. It had already been five years since Shin first encountered the sea trout.

The Atlantic salmon has the Latin name SALMO SALAR from which its modern name is derived.

It would perhaps not be an exaggeration to say that fly fishing developed n order to catch this particular fish. It is said that the classic salmon fly which was devised to catch only the

Atlantic salmon was already in circulation three hundred years ago. Originally flies were made to resemble insects or small fish but, the classic salmon fly bears no resemblance to anything. Despite this fact, the colourful animal fur and feathers from which it is made and its shape have a beauty that attracts both salmon and fishermen alike. However, the long history of Scottish salmon fishing makes even stepping into the river a difficult task for the layman.

Shin had heard from Godfrey that one man had waited eight years before he got the chance to fish in the salmon river. Nevertheless, Shin had got his hands on the river. This year he just had to catch a salmon.

Yet, according to Godfrey, there was no rain. It was raining heavily in Paris but, just over the Channel in Scotland, it wasn't raining at all. Shin looked through the curtain of raindrops covering his hotel window and could see the lights of the Eiffel Tower floating in the Parisian night. He showered and, still naked, got into bed and fell asleep at once.

１－３

He didn't dream. The following morning he awoke refreshed. His mind was already in angler mode. He called room service and ordered his last breakfast in Paris. When it came he poured some hot milk into the insipid coffee and made a cafe lait. He spread butter and orange marmalade on a croissant and put it in his mouth.

As soon as he finished breakfast he began to dress himself for the trip. He toyed with the idea of going to London a little earlier and dropping into Hardys. It wasn't that he wanted to buy any fishing gear, just that Hardys was perhaps the only place where anglers with time on their hands went to relax.

But, Shin didn't stop off in London. He transferred to the shuttle and flew straight to Edinburgh. He took a taxi from Edinburgh airport and headed for the railway station.

British Rail operates between Glasgow and Edinburgh so Shin thought of going to Godfrey's house by Intercity Express. It would be nice to get there early and have lunch together.

When he got to the station, the train which was supposed to be there already had yet to arrive. As ever, British Rail was late. After waiting for about thirty minutes, the train finally arrived. Shin boarded the train, and without any explanation of the delay, the train left. Nobody complained about the inconvenience it had caused them.

After about an hour's journey the train arrived at Lucas. Lucas station certainly couldn't be described as large but, as the world's most famous golf course, St. Andrews, was nearby there were a lot of taxis and buses parked outside to provide convenient access for visitors.

When Shin told Godfrey's address to the taxi driver he turned his steering wheel away from St. Andrews and asked Shin why he'd come to Scotland. Shin explained that he planned to go salmon fishing and the taxi driver threw him a sceptical glance via the back mirror. He said that he'd never met a Japanese salmon fisher before.

After about twenty minutes, they reached the bottom of the slope in front of Godfrey's house. On the right hand side of the house was a garage. This was Godfrey's workshop where he restored cars for a living, out of fishing season. Apparently, he only needed to restore one car a year to make ends meet.

He worked for six months restoring cars and then fished to his heart's content for the rest of the year. On the left of the garage, lower than the road was the house itself. The front door was at the bottom of a flight of stone steps.

Shin asked the driver the time, it was just after twelve. The Scottish are a punctual people. Godfrey was probably washing his hands ready for lunch, thought Shin. And pregnant Dawn, was probably preparing lunch a little slower than usual. What was today's menu, he wondered. Fresh coffee and Dawn's speciality, quiche loraine perhaps. Shin got out of the car and, feeling like he'd finally arrived home, walked down the stone steps towards the front door.

“Hi, Godfrey.”

“Hi, Shin. What happened?”

“Have you washed you hands already?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha. My hands are always clean. You said you were coming this evening, didn't you?”

“Yeah, but I was fed up with Paris, so I came earlier.”

Godfrey got up from the table and came over to shake Shin's hand. His wife, Dawn, did the same. Shin kissed her on both cheeks like a Frenchman .

“Hey, Shin. that's French style.”

“Ha ha ha, I'll stick to Scottish style from now on. How have you been?”

“We're all well. Dawn, Mary, everybody.”

“The problem is the weather, isn't it?”

“That's right. This weather is a crying shame. We haven't had weather like this in ten years. It should have started raining ages ago. Would you like something to drink, Shin?”

“Yeah, I'll have a whisky.”

“He wants whisky, Dawn!”

“I'm just kidding. I'd love a cup of coffee and some quiche though. Dawn's quiche is excellent.”

“Alas, you're the only one who thinks so, Shin.”

“Godfrey, so this week might be a complete write-off?”

“It's such a shame. The spring run was the same as usual, but it hasn't rained at all since last month”.

“And yet Paris has been flooded by heavy rain. It is hot this year, isn't it?”

“It is indeed. It's like it's still summer. We usually have rain every day at this time of the year.”

“How many salmon have you caught so far, Godfrey?”

“Around thirty. There are a fair number of sea trout, but we can't fish during the day in these conditions.”

“Oh, come on, are you telling me we're going night fishing after all?”

“Shin, I'm really sorry. But I didn't catch anything either, last week”

“I'd like to take a look at the river anyway. We'll be fishing by that pool downstream, I suppose.”

“Everywhere is satheme. Tell me where you'd like to go and I'll take you there. Last week an Englishman was here but he went straight back to London because there were no fish."

“None at all?”

“Well, he caught two sea trout on the first day but nothing after that.”

Shin got into Godfrey's car and they headed for the river.

The sun was dazzling and the heat reminded Shin of midsummer in Japan.

After a five minute drive they arrived at the river. The trees on either side of the river were thick with green leaves that glistened in the sunlight. It seemed that Autumn was still a long way off.

The river was dead, the riverbed mercilessly exposed. Water flowers floated in the pools and a green line ran around the edge of each pool, just like a drought-stricken Japanese dam. The dry, listless river was starving to death. It was a truly miserable sight.

“Godfrey, this is terrible!”

“It's a shame. We can't fish in a river like this.”

“Let's go. Let's drop by Mary's cottage for a sherry”, urged

Shin and began to walk in the direction of the car. As he did so he caught sight of the bodies of countless mayflies and caddis flies floating by the riverbank.

“Godfrey, why are so many insects dying?”

“It's strange. They suddenly started dying last week, in unusually high numbers. There's so little water in the river that the water temperature has risen too high and killed them all, I suppose. Those weeds over there should be dead already but they're still growing, as if it were the middle of

summer.”

Godfrey pointed to a plant called the hogweed growing among the bushes on the riverbank. It was about one and a half metres in height and was covered in big leaves that resembled those of the fatsia plant.

There were prickleson the leaves and in those prickles was poison.

Godfrey explained that if you were to accidentally touch it, you would be in pain for a week and the sting would swell into a hard lump around five centimetres in diameter. It was so poisonous that, in severe cases, a sting to the fingertip could cause your entire forearm to swell up.

The seeds of this plant were allegedly brought to the British Isles by accident from colonial India along with a shipment of jute. And those seeds, favouring the cold hillsides of Scotland, took root. The hogweed alone wasthriving in the abnormal weather conditions.

CHAPTER2

２－１

Mary was a friend of Godfrey and Dawn's and worked on a huge farm with her two elder brothers.

It was harvest time, the busiest period in the year for farmers and, unlike the anglers, they were happy for the lack of rain. Shin rented out Mary's cottage every year when he came fishing.

Mary called it a cottage but it had two bedrooms, a sitting room and a kitchen and was fully equipped with television, washing machine and fireplace so even a month's stay was a comfortable experience. There was just one thing missing - a telephone. This was Mary's ploy to allow her guests to enjoy their holiday to the full with as little interference from the outside world as possible.

Godfrey unlocked the front door with the key Mary had given him. On entering the cottage Shin saw all his fishing gear lying in a neat row on the floor; fishing wear, hat, rain gear, knee boots, waders, rod and reel. He had asked Godfrey to look after his gear until the next time he came. Apparently Godfrey had laid it all out before he arrived.

This place was no longer just a cottage but had become Shin's home away from home and it had been waiting patiently for his return. Godfrey carried Shin's luggage into the bedroom on the right. Shin went into the sitting room on the left and sat on the sofa. It was always the first thing he did; the same every year. He took a sip of the Portuguese "Dry Fly" sherry that he been set on the table for him. A green bottle with a brown label. On the label was a picture of a "Dry Fly", one of the flies used in fly fishing.

The taste itself was not dry, but Shin was fond of the name.

Five years before, when Shin visited Scotland for the first time, the landlord of the inn he was staying at just happened to offer him a glass of "Dry Fly" and since then Shin had made it a habit to drink a little of the sherry before he went out fishing.

Godfrey usually lit the fire the moment they set foot in the cottage but this year the weather was so hot that Shin wondered whether he even needed his sweater. Godfrey took of his jumper, revealing a thin T-shirt, and sat opposite Shin.

"Godfrey, so what are the chances of catching something tomorrow?"

"Well, it's up to you Shin. If you want to go, I'll take you. You never know, you might catch a few sea trout"

"I've had enough of sea trout. I really want to land a salmon this year"

"I know how you feel Shin. But with this weather, I really don't know. It's perfect for the tourists though."

They stared reproachfully into the brilliant sunshine that shone through the window. Any angler will tell you that good weather means a cloudy sky.

And not just clouds, a little rain is also required, but not too much of course, that won't do. When they can't catch anything, blaming the weather with "It was good last week." or "Next week may be better." is an anglers' speciality but, no rain at all, that is quite out of the question.

"Shin, I'm just going home to finish off some work. I'll come back to collect you this evening. Come to our place tonight for supper. I've invited Mary as well.", said Godfrey and left.

Shin unpacked leisurely, and then lay, sprawled on the bed. The light reflecting from Mary's uncut wheat field streamed in through the net curtain of the window and was so bright that Shin couldn't look at it directly.Shin repeated to himself what he'd just said to Godfrey,

"I've had enough of sea trout. I really want to land a salmon this year"

It was the truth. He had already spent too much time on the salmon. He could catch brown trout and even sea trout, but so far, he had yet to land a salmon."I've had enough of night fishing." muttered Shin to himself. He had been sea trout fishing twice before and both occasions had been at night.

Salmon run up river in the spring and autumn whereas sea trout run up in the summer between the two salmon runs. However, as there is little rain in summer the river becomes very shallow so the trout rest in the river-mouth or in pools waiting for nightfall. And when it gets dark they finally begin to move. That is why you have to fish sea trout at night.

Although it is called "night fishing" it isn't done in total darkness. As Scotland is situated at a high latitude it doesn't get dark until around ten p.m. in summer. Under the light of the lazy moon the angler becomes a silhouette against the star sprinkled dark blue sky. And he is invariably unsteady on his feet thanks to a glass or too many of gin. Then, when the splashing of the fish, a sound beyond imagination, comes into earshot, it is the signal to start fishing.

Sea trout form a run and then wait for nightfall to make their move. After the run has passed, the river is still and quiet, as if nothing has happened. The angler lies down on the cobble stones at the riverside and swigs his gin.

Even in summer it can get chilly down by the river. In the meantime, the next run comes along. The angler continues his vigil until five in the morning and then heads home to bed, waking in the early afternoon only to wait for nightfall when he will fish again until sunrise of the next day. Shin recalled his first ever fishing trip with Godfrey where he hooked his first sea trout.

２－２

"Godfrey, are there really any fish? It's very quiet. "

"There are. They're around the river mouth waiting for nightfall. Just wait.... Listen, can you hear that?”

"Hear what?"

"The sound of the fish surfacing."

"No."

"There, you hear that splashing sound, don't you?"

Before Godfrey had finished his sentence, under a far off bush, the golden moonlit surface of the river broke and a fish jumped out of the water. A loud splash followed. By the side of that fish and just behind it too, other fish were jumping and getting closer and closer all the time.

"Hundreds, maybe thousands of sea trout are on their way. Come on Shin, let's go."

Shin was standing there, rod in hand. The fish were approaching quicker than he had at first thought.

He was able to see the fish jumping clearly even in the moon light. They seemed to be about 60 or 70 centimetres in size. Some were huge and looked at least a metre long. They must have each weighed over 10 pounds.

The sea trout is the sea-faring cousin of the brown trout. However, unlike the atlantic salmon, they do not die after only one spawning; they may lay eggs four or five times during a lifetime and will grow larger and larger each year in order to achieve this.

The run was about to reach the shore where Shin was standing. Big fish jumped out of the water and then passed by sneering at Shin. After casting out several times, a fish snatched the line and Shin's rod began to quiver.

Shin jumped for the rod and held it firmly with both hands.

"No, Shin. Don't stand the rod so suddenly. You don't need hooking. Sea trout aren't like salmon, they bite well. They'll come to you when they're ready. Don't worry."

"O.K."

Shin's straining body and that of the fish were linked by a single thread. Shin's rod bent against the sky, mirroring the geat arc of the moon.

The fish struggled blindly. She swam away pulling out the tightly wound line behind her. The sound of the ratchet in the reel echoed in the blue night sky.

Her vigorous thrashing reached up to Shin's hands through the rod. She was giving Shin a demonstration of the swimming skills she had acquired during her time at sea. She must have been panicking, however, for she couldn't understand how such a small fish (the fly) could resist with such incredible force and, moreover, try to drag off its hunter.

When her resistance weakened a little Shin lifted his rod and reeled in the line. She shot off again pulling out the line and, again, Shin lifted the rod and reeled it in. Shin reeled it in again and again and, eventually, the fish's anger reached a peak.

She darted off, pulling out the line with even greater force than before, and leaped towards the branch of a bush in the distance. The sheer momentum of the jump caused her to somersault over the branch and splash back into the river, leaving Shin with nothing but a heavy, empty rod.

"Ho-hoh, wonderful! Good fight!", Godfrey shouted from behind.

"Forget it, Shin. There are thousands of other fish. Come, put on another fly. Go for another fish."

And that was Shin's first encounter with the sea trout.

That evening, Shin did eventually catch some sea trout, but none as big as the first one that got away. An angler's first encounter is always with a big fish because the biggest ones always bite first.

That first fish burns itself into the angler's memory forever and, as time goes by, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger in the angler's mind.

Shin belonged to the world of advertising where the golden rule was to always live in the present.. No past, no future; only the present. What's in fashion? What's selling in the shops? Who the most popular star at that moment? Shin had to keep ahead of such things.

In order to survive in this world you had to keep up with the rat race, and if you couldn't, you were finished. For Shin, who lived in this world, fishing was something eternal, immutable and universal; a bright shaft of light illuminating his dreary, boring life.

 

"Hey, Shin. Hey, good evening."

The sound of Godfrey's voice calling from the doorway brought Shin to his senses. The fact that Godfry had come over meant it must have been around five p.m. already. Shin got out of bed and walked towards the door.

"Good evening, Godfrey. Is it five, already?"

"It is. Have you been sleeping, Shin? You're showing your age, my friend"

"No, I've been thinking about something."

"Come on, let's go. Everybody's waiting"

"Right. Just give me a second to get ready."

"You don't have to. You look fine as you are."

On summer evenings, drinking with neighbourhood friends was about the only fun to be had in the village. Two hours of relaxed drinking and story telling before supper.

With the sun still high in the sky it didn't feel like evening at all but, nonetheless the drinking began at five on the dot.

Shin asked Godfry for a gin. Tanqueray gin with tonic, a slice of fresh lime and precisely three ice cubes. That was Shin's favourite way of drinking gin. A little strong for an aperitif perhaps, but just what the doctor ordered for a tired and weary body.

A simple supper followed the aperitifs. Having heard that Shin would arrive that day Mary and Dawn had cooked the meal together.

A main dish with salad. It was a typical Scottish supper. The main dish was Aubergine and mince with a couple of slices of bread on the side. Shin was resigned to the fact that, in line with Scottish tradition, supper should be a light meal which didn't burden the stomach but, having just arrived from Paris, the difference in cuisine was stark to say the least.

As soon as they finished eating, with whiskey in hand, they began a game of cards.

Shin was pleased to see everyone again and knew there was no way he would be going fishing that evening so he chucked back whiskey after whiskey. After he'd been drinking for a while and started to feel a little sleepy Godfrey suddenly said,

"Hey Shin, let's go fishing. It's time to go!"

Shin looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly ten. It was getting pretty dark outside.

"I wish we could tomorrow morning instead. But we've got no chance with the river in that state. We'll have to call tomorrow off. If only it would rain..."

As Shin finished his sentence, the leaves on the trees outside began to rustle and the window of the sitting room where they had been playing cards started rattling. Then suddenly, raindrops began to strike the windowpane.

Everyone threw down their cards and stood to face the window. The rain was falling so hard it looked like a storm had suddenly arrived.

Godfrey turned on the TV. They had to wait a while before the weather forecast finally came on. It really was a storm; and one big enough to cover the entire area. Shin had only just been complaining about the complete lack of rain and now here was a storm. No wonder it was raining so heavily.

"Godfrey, now we won't be able to fish because of the rain"

"What are you on about Shin? You are so lucky! This rain will bring the salmon. It'll call out to those salmon who've been waiting and waiting by the river mouth. Tomorrow we're going salmon fishing! You're so lucky, Shin, you really are!"

CHAPTER3

３－１

It rained all night long. Shin was exhausted but for some reason he just couldn't get to sleep. He drank glass after glass of sherry and whisky in an attempt to sooth his weary body but the alcohol just made him more alert and did not numb his body or mind in the slightest.

At around dawn he crawled into bed. The sound of the rain striking the windowpane continued unabated. Under the covers shin's derailed train of thought began heading towards a light at the end of the tunnel - that light was Shin's need to catch a salmon, whatever the cost. Shin tensed his entire

body. Concentrating every fibre of his being, Shin told himself that come hell or high water he just had to land a salmon.

The function of this ritual was to focus his will on the task at hand. As Shin relaxed his body he felt himself slowly slip into a deep sleep.

"Hi Shin. Good morning!", boomed Godfrey's voice from outside.

He had probably called several times before Shin had come to his senses.

Godfrey peered into the bedroom through the net curtains and then tapped on the window. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Shin faced the window and raised his hand in reply. He then got out of bed and went over to open the front door.

"Hey, were you still asleep? The weather's good today. The salmon will start swimming upstream"

"I suppose it's still raining?"

"Just a little so that's OK. Good conditions", said Godfrey and headed for the kitchen to boil the kettle.

When he returned he lit the fire, and then turned on the television to check the weather forecast. Shin sat down on the sofa and cast his sleepy gaze through the window to outside. It was still raining and from the look of the swaying treetops there was a fair wind blowing too. Compared to the

previous evening, the rain had lightened a little but the clouds were now low enough to cover not only the mountains in the distance but also the hills nearby.

According to the weather forecast the storm was not likely to weaken for the time being. All that rain in one go was no good to them. Today's fishing trip was off. When Shin said this to Godfrey, he suggested they go and take a look at the river.

"But Godfrey, surely we can't fish after so much rain?"

"Shin, this is the first time it has rained in absolutely ages. At this time of year it usually rains every day, day after day. The rain we've had so far won't even register"

"But, it rained cats and dogs last night. The weatherman said it was a storm, didn't he?"

Shin was obviously tired and irritable. Godfrey went back to the kitchen to make some coffee and toast. He was consumed with the task of waking Shin up.

Godfrey was doing his best to be the good host and Shin was doing his best to be the demanding guest.

They had returned to the cottage at 2am that morning and then Shin had drunk until dawn when he finally managed to get to sleep only to be woken up by Godfrey a few hours later. Of course he was tired and irritable.

"Shin, do you really want to land a salmon?"

"Of course I do! But we can't fish with the weather like this"

"It seems you know the weather around here better than I do!"

"Didn't you hear the weather forecast? They said this storm doesn't show the slightest sign of passing for the time being"

"Shin, the salmon have been waiting so long for this rain. They must be dying to start their run. If you want to catch a salmon we have to go now"

"OK. In that case, we'd better go"

Shin reluctantly changed into his fishing wear and then they went to the car. Despite the driving, almost horizontal rain and the fact that they were in the middle of a storm, Godfrey forced him to go to the river. The river had become a gushing mud-flow. For a river that, the day before, was so dried up that it was hardly there at all, the change was spectacular.

The water upstream had turned muddy brown and roared between the swollen banks at amazing speed. The shrubs along the riverbank were being dragged into the water and the sandbank that usually separated the main stream from

the smaller ones had sunk without trace. Shin wondered whether the salmon could possibly swim upstream in a river like this.

"Very good conditions"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Look Shin, that bush in the middle of the river is just poking its head out of the water, right? That means the water level has risen about five feet. That's the ideal depth for this river. The salmon are coming; you mark my words. the grilse are on their way!"

"But Godfrey, surely we can't fish in these conditions?"

"We can so don't worry, Shin. The water will clear soon. It'll take about half a day to clear. I'll come back for another look this afternoon and if the water's clear I'll pick you up. Until then you may as well take it easy back at the cottage"

３－２

In spring and autumn, the Atlantic salmon returns to the river of its birth. The special name, grilse, is given to those fish who return to the river for the first time to spawn at the age of three or four.

Only those fish who have experienced the swim upstream on more than one occasion are given the title, "salmon".

The grilse has a sparkling silver body and is known for its feistiness. On being hooked the grilse has been known to dash a hundred yards before the angler can even get his hands on the reel.

In contrast to this, the salmon is less boisterous and does not so much swim as hover in the water. Its repeated "head shaking" tells us it is a seasoned veteran.

The body of the grilse gradually changes colour from sparkling silver to red as it heads upstream. This colour is called "spawning colour" or sometimes "wedding colour" and it shows that the fish is getting ready to spawn. After spawning the fish returns to the sea but its bright red body will never return to its original colour. When the fish returns to the river the following year its body will have changed colour again to pale pink.

After several spawnings the fresh water salmon can grow to as much as eighty pounds in weight - a huge, wild animal.

Those fish born in the spring and the autumn return to spawn in the spring and autumn respectively. Why they are born in spring and autumn and why they always return to the same river are still questions to which no one, as yet, has found the answers.

Another mystery is the fact that no one has ever seen the body of a dead salmon after spawning. You have to wait until the following year to see whether a particular salmon will return or simply disappear, never to be seen again.

The salmon, like many nomadic peoples, avoid tainting their homeland with death and old salmon seem to face death bravely, alone in foreign waters.

It seems that this way of dying is also embraced by the fishermen who return year after year to the same river to catch the salmon. For some reason, it only becomes possible for a novice to rent space on the river after a veteran dies to make room.

As spring salmon fishing starts in february, while spring is still a long way off, it is a far from comfortable experience. The angler smashes the ice covering the river and stands in the water close to the riverbank surrounded by freezing slush. His hands and the line stick to the rod with the cold. He casts again and again; a martyr at the mercy of the elements.

In contrast to this, salmon fishing in the autumn is a battle against all the dead leaves clogging the river. When a leaf catches on the fly the rod responds exactly as if a salmon has taken the fly so autumn fishing can be a very stressful experience. Every time a leaf catches on the fly the angler's body fills with unneeded adrenalin, making the angler constantly on edge.

September, which in Scotland spans from late summer to early autumn, is the best time to fish but, of course, this depends largely on the weather and especially on the amount of rainfall. "Last week was good", "next week might be OK"; Shin had heard Godfrey said the same thing year in and year out for the last five years.

Every year the fishing season lasts for thirty-seven weeks. Salmon fishing accounts for twenty-six of the thirty-seven but the river is in ideal condition for only one week of those twenty-six. Add to this the fact that the salmon have contracted their stomachs in preparation for spawning so they have almost no appetite and you begin to realise that the chances of catching a salmon with a fly are very small

indeed.

Shin opened his fly box and studied the flies he had put in it. Every year he fished he acquired more flies. Over the years, the number of flies he had caught sea trout with had increased but he still did not have a successful salmon fly.

Shin rested his cheek in one hand and took a swig of sherry with the other. Sherry was a good friend whenever boredom struck and always entertained away his ennui.

However, compared to the intangible ennui of decadent Paris, the ennui he experienced in Scotland, land of refreshing simplicity, was many times healthier.

Having said this, coming fishing and having to wait for decent weather is just like waiting for the woman you love to turn up. You can't concentrate on anything, you get nothing done, you just feel worse and worse. The need to see her again fills your mind and you can do nothing but let time tick slowly past while you stand there staring vacantly at the water, in a world of your own.

"Just where had yesterday's heat gone to?", Shin wondered.

Along with all the wind and rain, the storm had also brought the cold. Shin had built up the fire with plenty of logs and coal but the flames did little more than toast his face. He just couldn't get warm. Inevitably, his consumption of alcohol increased.

Shin swapped his sherry for a glass of gin. He'd left the television on all day and the reception was as bad as ever. As he watched, the latest weather report came on. The weather showed no sign of changing for the time being.

The weather forecast was followed by regional reports showing scenes of swollen rivers.

The season was clearly changing; from summer to autumn.

３－３

"Hi! Good afternoon, Shin", chimed Godfrey from the doorway of the cottage.

"Hey, cheer up, Shin. The water's clearing as we speak. We'll be able to fish this evening so get your things ready. We're going fishing!"

Shin only half believed Godfrey's words but he got ready anyway. He pulled on another sweater, put on his Jacket and then his knee boots. He also decided to take his waders along, just in case. He usually put them on before he got into the car so that he could start fishing as soon as they got to the river but today, with this weather, he just didn't feel like it.

But Godfrey was not wrong. The river, which this morning could only have been described as a muddy torrent, was beginning to clear, as Godfry had said. The water level was still high, however. The river was silty but certainly not muddy anymore. Shin realised that Scottish mountains may look like gentle slopes but they are actually quite steep; steep enough to clear the river.

The wind was still blowing and it was still raining. There were two choices available; either return to the cottage for another sherry or get straight into the river. It took Shin, as an angler, less than a second to make a decision.

"Shall we give it a go, Godfrey"

"You bet we will, Shin"

"If we wait a little while we should be able to fish"

"We can't wait, Shin. We have to start now"

"But surely the water is still too high? It's dangerous"

"Shin, the salmon are swimming for their lives. They've been waiting for this rain for ages and now it's come they're desperate to swim upstream. They are running up, I know it."

Godfrey took Shin to a pool where the water level was relatively low, despite the rain.

A boat pool. It was a calm pool with a steady, shallow current; the kind that would be perfect for sailing toy boats on. But even in this pool the current was strong and when Shin waded in up to his waist he bobbed up and down and felt as though he might be swept away.

In such conditions an angler puts a lot of unnecessary force into his upper body so he cannot hope to keep his balance when casting. What is worse is that, to counter the current, he has to use a no. 8 sink-tip fly line which makes things even more tricky.

After casting for about an hour, Shin was sitting on the bench by the riverbank. He had put his rod in the rod holder next to the bench and was taking a rest when he saw Tony, the owner of the river, plodding towards him along the path running by the riverbank. This was rather unusual sight, being three p.m. on a Monday afternoon.

"Good afternoon, Shin. It looks like it might be a good day afterall"

"Good afternoon, Tony. I thought you'd gone to Edinburgh"

"Aha, Shin, I finished up at lunch-time and then headed back here. That rain last night was just marvellous, wasn't it?"

Shin had heard from Godfrey that Tony held an important post in the Scottish parliament but, from the look of Tony it was no wonder that Scotland was going downhill. What was even more surprising was Tony's laid-back attitude amidst the turmoil.

Shin knew that Tony drove over from Edinburgh with his family by Range Rover to stay in their cottage every Friday night, but it seemed that the heavy rain had not only affected the salmon but had also caused Tony to abandon his work and hurry back to the river.

"So have you seen the salmon jump yet, Shin?"

"No, not yet. There's just too much water; it's difficult for me, Tony"

"Too much water? Shin, you've always come when the river was low, you just don't know how the river usually is. How it should be. Shin, this is the normal state of the river. In fact, it's in top form. Shin, maybe you don't remember but, last year I showed you a sketch I was making of the river. I was thinking of the river with the water level as it is now. Look at the tree canopies, aren't they lovely? And, look at the layout of the hardcore; it's great, isn't it? If there was less water the stones would stick out all bare and look terribly ugly, don't you think?"

"But, I'm not built like you, Tony. You're so big. I need a handicap!"

"Ha ha ha, Shin, there are no handicaps in salmon fishing. It's the same as sumo wrestling in your country, you have to use all your strength and cunning otherwise you won't catch a thing. Oh, I know. I'll let you have a couple of my flies. The big one is best when the river is high, like today, and the smaller one is best used when it's low. They're of the same kind though"

"Treble hook?"

"Ahh, that's right. You should be able to land a couple of salmon with these. These are the only handicap I can give you, Shin. Oh, by the way, have you finished fishing in this pool?"

"Yeah, I'm going to move to a pool with better footing"

"So, it's OK for me to fish here, then?"

"Of course, Tony"

"Thanks, Shin. See you later"

"Tight lines, Tony!", shouted Shin after him.

３－４

"Tight lines!" was the anglers' catchphrase and meant, "have a big catch".

Tony got up promptly, walked upstream a little and then jumped into the river with a big "plop". The "plop" was so loud that Shin could hear it clearly even where he was sitting. What a noisy wader! It was a mystery to Shin that Tony regularly landed fifteen salmon a year despite his rough and ready ways.

Shin looked down at the flies that Tony had given him. They were shrimp flies tied to hooks. Shrimp fly are made to resemble the shrimp that salmon like to eat when they are at sea. Tony's flies were quite different from the classical design and had obviously been born of practical experience. The design was one that Tony had developed from his long experience as a fly fisher. They weren't exactly beautiful but Shin knew they would land him a salmon.

"Hey, Shin. The fish are on the move. They're running up!"

Tony was already wading in front of Shin. In an attempt to allow Shin to catch something Godfrey took him to various

pools but it was no good; Shin didn't catch anything, not even in the boat pool which had the best footing. Not only was the water too high but the current was too strong.

Shin couldn't keep his balance long enough to cast.

He couldn't get the fly to sink properly either, not even with a sink-tip line and as the fly approached the centre of the river it floated to the surface becoming easily visible. He just didn't stand a chance. Shin firmly attached a split-shot and a small sinker to the fly but this time he couldn't cast properly.

“Would you like to use a spinning reel?", whispered Godfrey.

“Would you like to use live bait?". A devil's whisper.

“No, if you catch a fish without a fly, you can't say you've really caught it.”

“Shin, in conditions like these it's OK. The important thing is to catch the fish.”

“No, the way you catch it is more important. There is no point in fishing with that.”

CHAPTER4

４－１

And so four days passed. Shin fished from morning till night except for the odd lunchtime visit to the pub.

The eleven foot rod and no.8 sink-tip line he was using were relatively light tackle for salmon fishing, but after four days of constant casting they were beginning to feel heavy.

Stood in the river casting away, Shin was concious of the muscle groups running from wrist to elbow, from shoulder to back, from waist to leg, on either side of his body. They seemed to move automatically, their own masters, again and again. He couldn't stop them if he tried.

Shin cast and let the line drift into the centre of the river, then he retrieved it slowly, took a step downstream and cast again. He repeated this series of movements, as if he were posessed by something.

It takes about a minute to complete a cast. So in one hour, that's sixty times. In eight hours, that's 480, and in four days that makes a grand total of 1,920 times. And not a single fish.

In Japan, there is a saying, “Three in a thousand”, which means something happens only very occasionally, but even this cannot compare to salmon fishing where even after fishing non-stop for a week you still don't catch a thing.

Even Godfrey was getting a little worried. Usually, if the gillie caught a fish it went to his client but Shin had refused even that. Godfrey, however, wore an expression that seemed to say, "whatever you say, we have to land something...", put a big spoon on his spinning reel and cast out with a swish.

Unfortunately, he only caught red-bodied females which couldn't be kept.

Godfrey began to implore Shin to use a beginner's spinning reel with bait.

Shin only had two days left and it would be fare to say that he too was getting a little impatient. He began to get the feeling that he might not catch anything this year either.

After that it hadn't rained a drop, and the water level had already fallen so low that it looked just as it had on Shin's first visit.

The water level had been falling more than a foot a day. They knew this from the twigs Godfrey had been sticking into the riverbank. From the look of the river Shin guessed that today might be his last chance to land a salmon.

On that day Shin faced the river, closed his eyes tightly and imagined himself catching a salmon. He then stepped slowly into the river. He had been given the Red Bray pool for the day. It was one of Shin's favourites; there was a shallow stream at one end which flowed down into the pool and on to a big, shallow pool further downstream. It seemed the ideal pool for salmon to hide while they regained their strength before making their way upstream again.

Shin started fishing at the furthest point upstream. He tied the small shrimp fly that Tony had given him to his 15lb test leader. Since the storm, it had been getting colder day by day. The fallen leaves floating on the surface of the water had begun to turn red like the salmon.

While he fishes the angler may witness an instantaneous change in the seasons. A gust of wind sweeps over the river and sways the trees, touching the leaves which, as if by magic, change colour in an instant. Such a mysterious scene with such a sorrowful air.

And, in the end, those leaves fall with a gentle sigh upon the peatcoloured, bitter ale coloured waters of the river and are washed away.

This is a little different from the image of a Japanese autumn where a single crimson leaf flutters down to touch a calm pond sending out ripples that widen slowly. It is Scotland's own natural ceremony to announce the arrival of autumn.

In his first routine he caught only dead leaves. When he had finished drifting his line to the downstream end of the pool he climbed on to the bank and walked back to the upstream end. He then began to fish his way downstream again. Half an hour later he had reached virtually the same place as before.

Shin lightly cast his line into the pool ahead of him and suddenly a strong hit reached his hand.

Thinking that it was probably a leaf again, Shin instinctively stood the rod a little and tried to pull it nearer. But, it didn't come closer; it actually began to move upstream. Shin quickly grabbed hold of the line between his fingers and tried to pull his catch nearer with the rod.

The rod twitched wildly.

The pirn creaked.

The fish began to swim off pulling the line out behind it.

The pirn made continuous high-pitched squealing sound.

The fish stopped.

Shin held the rod in both hands and tugged hard. But the rod just bent and the fish didn't get any closer. He raised the rod, then lowered it and reeled in the slack line. He could feel something heavy on the other end of the line and it was getting closer and closer, little by little.

Then the leader tied to the tip of the line came into sight.

When Shin thought that he could almost see its body, it suddenly made a dash for it - downstream this time. Shin was certain that he almost had it so he was taken quite by surprise. He stumbled over the stones at his feet and fell over, into the water.

Water poured in over the top of his waders and from the sleeves of his jacket too. But, he did not release his hold of the rod. The line was being drawn out and he could hear a faint sound coming from the pirn, now underwater. And when Shin put his left down in an attempt to stand, something incredible happened; the fish began to drag Shin's entire body downstream.

The fish had overcome all resistance and was now challenging its foe to a duel. Godfrey, who was looking on, couldn't bear to watch any longer and came running over.

"Let it go, Shin. Let go of the line. It'll cut your fingers off!"

Before Godfrey had finished his words, the fish suddenly made another dash. Although his hands were underwater he felt his right palm getting hot. The line had bitten deep into the skin of his right hand. As Shin slowly opened his hand he noticed that there was something red trying to merge with the peat coloured river water. Apart from his thumb, the fingers of his right hand were cut wide-open.

Shin got up with Godfrey’s help and recovered his balance. He pointed the rod towards the hidden fish, and took a fighting stance. He could feel it head-shaking. It was trying to remove the fly from its mouth. It was obviously wild with anger. The line moved off, cutting the water as it went.

It was definitely there, at the end of the line.

４－２

Shin took a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around his hand.The blood soaked through it immediately, and dripped from the rod and line. He took up the slack and the rod tip quivered. The graphite rod amplified the fish's head-shaking and transmitted it right into Shin's hands.

Shin held the rod with both hands and kept tightening the line. When the fish seemed to weaken a little, he flicked the rod up and reeled in the line.

The fish made a pretence of coming closer but Shin couldn't be fooled. He knew that, at any moment, it would run with whatever strength it had left. It pulled the line into the water, and tried to dive down deep. Shin let out just enough line to keep it taut whilst preventing the rod from being stretched. Would the fish surface? Would he be able to land it? Anxious thoughts flashed across Shin's mind.

It stopped moving. It hugged the bottom of the river and seemed not to move. Shin tried to lift the rod but it just bent and he couldn't bring the fish any closer.

Time ticked past. Nothing moved.

Shin remained still and kept tightening the line. As he tightened the line, he tried to picture himself catching the salmon.

He could see himself clearly. And then, just as he realised the line had slackened, the surface broke and the fish jumped clear into the air. It was a bright red female salmon and it had Tony's fly in its mouth.

“Wow! It’s not less than 40 pounds !”, shouted Godfrey with excitement.

When Shin heard this, he started to worry about the tackle.

He had knotted a 15lb test leader and the fly Tony had given him to his no.8 sink-tip line. He began to worry about the knot. The knot connecting the fly to the leader might already be stretched to breaking point.

The leader may have cut into the fly-line and be on the verge of snapping. The long battle with the fish must have weakened the leader considerably. It must be stretched to the limit. And when salmon get this big they have sharp teeth; with all that head shaking the fish might just bite through it. It could be worn through and held on by just a few threads.

For a moment these anxious thoughts robbed Shin of the strength in his arms. The line slackened, and the fish was quick to seize the opportunity to escape. It began to head upstream, towards where Shin was standing, at furious speed. Shin needed to tighten the line. He began to reel it in as fast as he could. Drops of blood fell from his soaked handkerchief on to the surface of the water. This didn't bother Shin at all; he just kept on reeling in the line.

"I won't let it go!", Shin promised himself.

"You may have been waiting all this time by the river mouth but, I too, have being waiting. I've been casting non-stop for five days. And I've had to wait five years to catch you. Whatever it takes, I'm gonna land you!"

Shin held the rod in his left hand and reeled with his right. But however hard he tried, he got nowhere. His Hardy Princess reel just wasn't up to the job.

Finally, the fish stopped, just in front of Shin. It was at about ten yards away.

Shin finally finished reeling and, holding the rod with both hands, tried to pull the rod up. The rod responsed just as heavily as before but the fish had come just a little closer. He reeled in the line again. He pulled the rod up a second time. The fish came closer and in the shallow water its dorsal fin broke the surface. The beautiful lateral fins could also be seen.

"Be careful, Shin. You may have brought it close but it still has strength in reserve. They always catch you off guard and leave you with nothing but a broken line", shouted Godfrey from behind. He was holding a big fishing net.

Shin could clearly see Tony's fly in the fish's mouth. It had caught fast in the right side of the mouth. But, the fish had yet to show him its belly.

For a moment, Shin's and the fish's eyes met. But, where the fish's eyeball should have been was nothing but a black void.

Shin took a step back in surprise. Godfrey moved toward the fish with the net at the same time and in the confusion that followed the fish made good its escape.

Just as Godfrey put the net under the fish it turned over and broke the hook off Tony's fly. It then swam off towards the shallow, almost empty, pool downstream showing off its dorsal fin and creating waves just like a big red submarine.

"She'll never come back, will she, Godfrey?"

"You're right. It might have been the last time for her. She probably weighed forty or maybe even fifty pounds, Shin."

"I wonder if she'll go to the North Pole or something. She's missing an eye."

"What?"

"I feel like I've been deserted by a girlfriend."

“Pull yourself together, Shin, we still have tomorrow and today isn't over either!"

That evening, Shin had dinner at the pub with Godfrey and his wife, Dawn. Godfrey went around the pub telling the locals about the size of the fish Shin had almost caught and how it had fought. But there is a world of difference between landing a fish and letting it escape.

When Shin said this to Godfrey, Godfrey tried to cheer him up by reminding him that he would have had to release a female anyway. This was certainly true, but that wasn't the point.

"Cheer up, Shin. There's still tomorrow. You're bound to catch a grilse."

"Thanks Godfrey. Today has tired me out. That fish really was missing an eye, you know."

"Are you still going on about that? You really are showing your age, Shin."

"Yes, you're probably right. My back, arms and legs are all numb and won't do as I say."

“Tomorrow is the last day so try your best OK, Shin?”

“Thank you, Dawn. Oh, Godfrey. I’d like to ask you something.”

“What's that?”

“Just about the river I've been hiring. I was able to hire the river because someone died and made room for me, right?”

“Yeah, Shin. You are lucky in that sense. Nobody can catch salmon without physical strength, intelligence and luck.”

“He must have died last year sometime, right? Do you know how old he was?”

“Why do you want to know that?”

“Well, I just wondering how long the desire to fish lasts for.”

“He was 83. Shin, he came to the river for 43 years; which means, he was the same age as you are now when he started. He'd been wading in that river since you were born.”

CHAPTER5

５－１

Godfrey's “tomorrow” never came.

As he had filled his exhausted body with drink the night before he couldn't wake up that morning. What finally woke him up, towards afternoon, was the unusual heat. It had been cold up until the day before, and Shin had wrapped himself in a blanket every morning to keep warm, but that morning the blanket was on the floor and his sheets were damp with sweat.

He got up feeling muzzy, and went over to the door where he found a note. It was from Godfrey and said that he had come by but, as Shin was still sleeping, he had gone to the river to check the conditions and would come back later.

Shin went to the sitting room and sat on the sofa, as he always did after getting up. It had been so cold that he had been lighting the fire immediately after getting up, but it was hot as a summer's day.

The alcohol of the night before was still in his system and he lacked the will power to resist its commanding voice, “Sit where you are. Stay exactly where you are”. Shin stayed where he was for a while, he then stood up as if he had suddenly remembered to do something and walked unsteadily towards the shower room.

It was Godfrey who saw it first. He was at the river that afternoon because he wanted to find a good pool for sleepy Shin's last day. He was an excellent ghillie, and as such, more than anything, he wanted his guest catch a salmon.

Tony, who had heard about Shin's near miss the day before from Godfrey, also suggested that Godfrey check the pools early that morning to find the best one for Shin.

It happened when he passed the middle course of the river and neared a pool downstream. Godfrey heard the sound of an angler striking the head of a salmon with a "priest".

In Scotland, when an angler lands a salmon that he can keep, he immediately strikes its head with a "priest" to kill it. A “priest” is a stick made of a buckhorn or metal and is so called because it is said that the stick gives the fish its last rites, just like a priest.

But, there should have been no anglers around there at that time of day. Several years before, someone, under cover of darkness, had poisoned the river and a great number of salmon had died.

The incident was even reported in the newspaper. But there never, not on a single occasion, had an angler set foot in the river without permission. Godfrey began to walk in the direction the sound had come from. And just then the same sound reached his ears from another direction.

Godfrey became suspicious and quickened his pace. As he got nearer to the source of the sound, he began to hear more and more knocking. The sound of salmon heads being struck was coming from the shade of some nearby rocks.

A splashing sound of struggling fish could also be heard. Godfrey had never heard such violent splashing before except for the time he had witnessed a male salmon chasing a female around a spawning bed. But it was hardly possible that salmon could be spawning so far downstream.

When Godfrey tilted his head to look over the big rock that was obstructing his view, something jumped out of the water tossing up splash and flew past by his right cheek. It hit its head against a rock just behind making the same thick sound he had heard just before. It was a female salmon.

She was laden with eggs and her head was covered with white marks called sea lice. “My God, that was a lively one! ” muttered Godfrey as he pulled himself up on to the rock with his both hands. What he saw made him freeze to the spot.

Wherever he looked, salmon were repeatedly knocking themselves against rocks in the river. They were not even trying to swim upstream. As he turned a look to further downstream he was greeted with a foaming, frothing scene of death.

There were already countless bodies of salmon on the riverbank. Live salmon were jumping and slithering about on the bodies as if they were trying to swim upstream. Godfrey noticed little creatures in the bushes running to hide from him. Predatory animals like foxes and weasels are supposed to be nocturnal, but, as there were no people about, they were not about to miss an impromptu salmon feast.

“It must be poisoning.” thought Godfrey instantly. The river hadn't been poisoned for a long time but it had happened again. And what was more, the culprits had had the gall to do it in broad daylight!

Godfrey climbed over the rock in haste and ran downstream. A little further downstream he began to return to the river those salmon which were still alive. However, despite his valiant efforts, he couldn't keep up; there were just too many fish.

The salmon were jumping out on to the land much faster than Godfrey could put them back. Godfrey ran about frantically. At his feet, salmon were beginning to rot with the heat and were giving off an offensive odour.

Godfrey tried to grab another fish and it twisted its body in his hands and leaped at his thick chest. He dodged, grabbed the tail with his right and held its head down with his left. Then he suddenly let out a cry.

“Oh my God! No eyes!”

５－２

The large quantity of sea lice around its head indicated the fish had just returned from sea. Its nose was damaged from repeated knocking against the rocks and the nostrils were smashed.

There was a white fatty substance around its eyes and the eyeballs were missing. The poison had already taken effect. Another fish leaped into Godfrey's lap.

The lens and vitreous humor oozed from its eye sockets, the skin and flesh from around its nose had come away, and the head had been bleached white. When he looked up, he saw salmon clambering over the bodies, slithering up on to land, one after another. The poison had attacked their eyes and noses causing them to loose all sense of direction.

“After battling this far upstream, how terrible to die here, like this. They must have been poisoned somewhere around the river-mouth.” thought Godfrey.

Godfrey picked up a stone and struck the salmon's head with it. It didn't make the usual sound. The salmon's head caved in, splashing clear liquid everywhere but he brought the stone down again and again. The salmon's tail twitched a little and the fish died with a gaping mouth.

After smashing a few more heads with the stone Godfrey felt his palms getting hot. He slowly opened his horny, knotty Scottish hands, and noticed white spots on his palms, as if they had been bleached white. His palms seemed to be getting hotter by the minute.

As he stared at them he noticed that the white spots were joining together and were trying to spread all over his hands. And then the spots suddenly turned into a water blister-like rash.

“This isn't poison. If it was, the fish would've just died and floated to the surface. And if a gang of poisoners is responsible, they wouldn't use a poison that would stop them selling the fish.” Godfrey stood up and ran to the river as the heat in his hands became unbearable.

He ran to the river bank tripping on the salmons' bodies, and washed his hands at the riverside while trying to avoid the jumping salmon. He scrubbed his hands thoroughly; he had never washed his hand so carefully before. But the white spots on the palms didn't disappear in the least.

On the contrary, his wrists and hands were turning white, just like his palms. The discoloured parts got hotter and hotter and then blisters suddenly appeared. The blisters swelled and when Godfrey prodded them a clear liquid trickled out. Godfrey screamed. His loud voice echoed in the nearby bushes which glistened in the light of the hot sun. A strong smell of rotting fish filled the air.

Godfrey was taken to hospital in Edinburgh. As Shin had been the first to discover the eye-less salmon he was also examined but, according to the doctors, it was just a simple laceration. It was perhaps fortunate for Shin that his fish escaped.

They had never seen a case like Godfrey's before. At first the doctor thought that some kind of chemical pollution might have caused the injury. However, Godfrey showed no signs of recovery. Godfrey's skin might have been damaged by sulphuric acid or a similar chemical but there was little chance of finding a similar case of skin discolouration on record.

The North Sea had been heavily polluted for years, and the number of herrings - used to make kippers and essential for a traditional UK breakfast - was on the decrease and the UK had become dependent on imports of Halibut and Cod from northern Europe. Red and green tides of algae were practically an annual occurrence. But there had never been a similar case of fish with missing eyes or melting bodies. The doctors were completely stumped.

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A few days later Shin went to the hospital with Dawn to see Godfrey. The doctor had phoned and asked them to come. When they arrived, the doctor took Shin into another room and showed him some photographs. They were photographs of Godfrey's injury.

The skin on Godfrey's hands and forearms had turned completely white. In only a few days, his condition had worsened considerably. It looked as if he was wearing a lady's long white gloves. The doctor wanted to confirm whether Godfry’s symptoms resembled radiation sickness and he thought that, as Shin was Japanese, he might know. Shin had never seen such symptoms before and when he told the doctor so, the doctor looked Shin in the eye and nodded without saying a word.

He then briefly explained Godfrye's symptoms and took Shin into the sickroom. Godfrey had been isolated in a glass cubicle. His hands were in bandages and had been hung in slings from the ceiling. There was a slight whiff of something rotten hanging in the air.

When Godfrey saw Shin, he smiled, raised his hands and pulled a funny face to hide his embarrassment. The doctor put on a silver suit and stepped into the room. He unwound Godfrey's bandages. Shin hesitated to move his gaze from Godfrey's smiling eyes. There were Godfrey's arms, as if wearing long white gloves, just as Shin had seen in the photos.

The smell of disinfectant and the faint rotted odour emanating from Godfrey's arms seeped into Shin's nostrils. Shin tried to swallow the acidic saliva welling up in his throat but it was too late. He instinctively put his right hand to his mouth but the yellow vomit trickled out from between his fingers and dripped on to the floor.

When Shin glanced up he saw Godfrey grinning at him. One hundred and thirty years of salmon river history were coming to an end. Since Tony became the eighth owner of the river, the numbers of salmon and sea trout had increased significantly. And thanks to the love and attention which he had channeled into the river's design, it had become well known and highly valued among salmon fishers.

The incident occurred just as the river had become established. Blinded fish were found in not only Tony's river but also the river Spay, the river Tay, the river Dee and the river Tweed.

There were even reports of damaged salmon off the east coast of the United States. It seemed that Salmon rivers were doomed.

The Atlantic salmon was about to disappear from the face of the earth.

A solid mass of cloud covered the scorching midsummer-like sun. The temperature dropped sharply and only a few sunbeams broke through the clouds to the world below. It hadn't rained since the storm but the Highlands were already covered with the year's first sprinkle of snow.

It has already been a week since Godfrey had entered hospital. The passage of time forces women to deal with things realistically. During the week, Dawn had kept a cool head and had fully grasped the situation at hand. Godfrey was not going to die. Even if it came to the worst, and Godfrey's hands had to be amputated, he would survive.

That was how Dawn saw it. For women, life has meaning whatever its shape or form. Besides, Dawn was pregnant with the child of her beloved husband so he had to survive, at whatever cost. Godfrey's condition slowly if steadily improved. Measures regarding the salmon rivers were promptly decided.

The mouths of every river were to be blocked up and covered in concrete.

５－４

Godfrey was allowed to leave the hospital the day before the concrete construction work began. Tony, who had been waiting so long for Godfrey to return, told Shin, the two river keepers and Godfrey to come to the river that night, properly dressed and with their rods. Shin drove Godfrey's car to the river because Godfrey still couldn't use his hands properly.

The meeting place was Tony's stream. The pool had been nameless for as long as anyone could remember so Tony had named it himself. It was a remarkable pool because nobody had ever landed a salmon there in the entire hundred and thirty year history of the river.

As it was the shallowest pool by far and anglers walked through it to cross the river it was hardly surprising that the pool had no name.But Tony had named it after himself as joke, saying that anyone who fished there could not but fish as well as himself.

When Shin and Godfrey got out of the car the others were already there. The sun broke out from a mass of cloud and began to dip behind the bushes on the riverbank. The slowly setting sun painted the sky with a rosy flush, casting an afterglow at the clouds, and making dark silhouettes of the trees. It covered the choking river with the same red.

A huge moon was attempting to rise out of the bushes on the right bank just like that night when Shin had hooked his first sea trout.

Tony, Shin, Godfrey and the two river keepers sat around the pool facing downstream, where the two streams ran together. Tony was drinking whisky from a hip flask in silence. The others were drinking their favourite tipples from their own flasks.

“Hey, Shin. We should have dressed in a lady's evening dress, shouldn't we?” Godfrey's joke had a sad ring to it. Godfrey's hands were still wrapped up in bandages so he couldn't hold his rod. Neither could Shin, for that matter. The salmon river was going to be covered in concrete just like some broken-down nuclear power plant.

However hard the salmon tried they couldn't run up a river that was no more. The salmon fishers were about to loose the fish they were meant to catch. They were about to loose the only thing that was worth risking their lives to pursue. And Shin felt that he too, like the salmon, had been cut off from the path he was supposed to follow.

Nobody said anything. Around that time on summer evenings they used to sit and drink, listening to the splashing of the sea trout as they headed upstream. For Tony, the owner of the river, it used to be the perfect time for working over his many new ideas and layout plans for the river over the coming year. And for salmon fishers, it was a time to look back on that season's catch, to pledge to return the following year and to say a personal farewell to the river.

They all listened intently to the babbling of the stream. Each drinking their own mixture of feelings with each swig from the hip flasks. Tony let out a great sigh and stood up. He then went down to the river with his fly rod. The others followed suit. Tony and the other four lined up along the riverbank and poured the contents of their hip flasks into the river. The moonlight reflected off the stream of tears running down Tony's cheeks.

The moon rose higher and higher, and the night sky sank into dark blue. The river splashed weakly through the darkness. And then, from nowhere, drops of water began to hit the surface of the water.

The moon was out and yet it began to rain. The rain came down faster making black blots on shoulders of the five men standing on the riverbank. Tony's tears were hidden in the falling rain. Tony's and Godfrey's face were soaked with rain. It was raining so hard that it reflected the moonlight.

Shin went to wipe Godfrey’s face with his handkerchief when suddenly, a loud splash was heard from a pool downstream. None of the five could believe their ears. “Salmon? It can’t be...”, thought everyone. The river-mouth already completely barricaded with fishnets. No salmon could have run this far upstream.

The five stared at Tony's stream which was so shallow that the riverbed was visible in the moonlight. Suddenly, the surface of the rain-pocked river tore open.

A creature jumped forth arching its back against the hazy moon, exposing its brilliant red body. There was no doubt. It was definitely a salmon. It was a female salmon heading for the spawning ground, taking its chances in the shallow stream at the five's' feet.

The fish leaped in the moonlight, showing off as if it were the first fish to the finish line. It had obviously broken through the fishing nets stretched across the river-mouth and had run quite a way upstream.

The salmon was struggling through water which was hardly enough to keep it afloat. There was so little water that the riverbed was exposed in places.

Shin stepped forward in an instant but Tony stopped him and said, “Let her go. This is her last time. Let her live... to the very end.”

The salmon put forth her last spurt, and was about to pass before the five men. Every time it rubbed against the stony riverbed part of its skin came away. The current stripped off the fish's skin and flesh. Finally the river robbed the fish of its tail and exposed its backbone. The salmon had lost its fins, and yet, it continued to writhe its way towards the spawning ground.