William Smeaton
A Crieff Worthy of Yesteryear
( Macara 1881)
William Smeaton was well known in his day as a keen angler,
and his narrative powers were of a high order. This latter was generally used
to recount the deeds of the former, which were at times extraordinary. He lived
in North Bridgend near the River Earn, and had ample scope to improve his talents.
He could dress a good fly hook, and while at work, with a good listener beside him,
his hands and eloquence would work at high pressure. He assured his hearers
that he best way to make sure of having the proper fly for a particular stream was to go to the
stream , catch a specimen of the water
flies in the locality , dress a hook to
the pattern, and , to make an assurance doubly sure, fix the newly made hook to the line and hang it so as to touch the water, strip
yourself , and after plunging into the water , look up through the liquid
element and judge of your handiwork . He had now and again
presentiments of fish being at particular places, and one instance he
occasionally told as follows: - One day while working at his loom, and happening
to look down to his treadles, he imagined he observed a number of large salmon.
Om looking more closely it appeared as if the place was at the Isle of Dargill.
He immediately rose off his loom, seized his spear or leister, and hurried to
the place indicated. On reaching it, he saw the fish exactly as in the vision,
and with a little caution and expertness he soon secured the lot. He sometimes “skied
“the water when it was in flood. This
consisted in holding a piece of red
cloth above the pools .which, he affirmed , shaded the water so that he could see the bottom and discover if any fish were about; for, he said, there was no use in
fishing if there were no fish . He had a
belief that the finny tribe had more sense than was generally believed. As an instance,
he said that one summer there was a pike in the pool above the ford in the Earn
at Forr, and he had tried it frequently when passing up and down, but to no
purpose. One time when passing he bethought himself to a little scheming. At
some distance from the haunted pool he got his tackle all right , and
crawled through the furze and broom to
the proper spot , and lying on his belly
, he cautiously threw the line across the stream which ran into the eddy . As
the current carried it down, he felt sure that a fair chance of success was approaching;
but judge of his astonishment. The pike put its head above water, and on looking
round saw discovered William moving the rod. The creature turned its eye full
upon him, and with a knowing wink, hinted, “Oh, it’s you Smeaton; you needn’t try’t!
“
His exploits were not all connected with fishing. He was for a time a
member of a local militia or volunteer
company in the early years of the century, and when at the annual training of
his Regiment at Perth many were the doings he reported of his prowess. One
Saturday he got leave of absence to come
to Crieff to see his aged mother , and
to show his filial respect he purchased
for her a large bundle of fish , and
was proceeding along the road to Crieff at a quick
march with the bundle on his shoulder .
When about a mile out of Perth a returned post chaise or noddy
came up to him , and he asked
for a lift from the driver . This was declined , and William , feeling annoyed , said
that it would be seen who would be first
home .The coachman gave his horse rein , and William smartly slipped
up to the back of the chaise , and tied his fish on the luggage board , and in a trice was
tripping along the road in gallant style . A little further on he left the
high turnpike road , and turning to the
left brushed along what is called the
mid-road , and in a credibly short space of time he finished his 17 ½ miles journey , and turned up round the
east toll gate of Crieff, and walked
leisurely east wards along the high
turnpike . In a little , he observed the
chaise clearing Callum’s Hill , and as it
neared he observed the coachman taking observations , and when they met
, William asked , “ Who was the first in
Crieff ? “ The coachman looked bewildered, and William, to show that he was actually
the individual passed near Perth, darted to the back of the chaise, and,
unloosing his fish, held them up to the astonished gaze of the driver.
He often told of a daring encounter with a large dog which attacked him one time when he was fishing at Lochearn. Seeing that there was no escape from it , he quickly rolled his handkerchief round his right hand , and when the infuriated animal had its mouth wide for attack , William with a tremendous effort sent his hand down its throat and through its body , and catching its tail firmly, drew back his hand and tuned the animal inside out . William was a quiet, hardworking man, and seemed capable of filling a station much higher than that in which his lot was cast. He had a large family, several of whom emmigrated to America. He died many years ago.
He often told of a daring encounter with a large dog which attacked him one time when he was fishing at Lochearn. Seeing that there was no escape from it , he quickly rolled his handkerchief round his right hand , and when the infuriated animal had its mouth wide for attack , William with a tremendous effort sent his hand down its throat and through its body , and catching its tail firmly, drew back his hand and tuned the animal inside out . William was a quiet, hardworking man, and seemed capable of filling a station much higher than that in which his lot was cast. He had a large family, several of whom emmigrated to America. He died many years ago.
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