Monocytes and macrophages in myocardial infarction

"It is so long since we have had a holiday," said Father Seal to Mother Seal, as they lay basking in the sun on a rocky islet in the Western Ocean. "What say you to a change this summer ?"

"Yes," said Mother Seal, "and what say you to a visit to our old haunts in Loch Fvne? I should like to see them once again—the Bay of lnverneill where the shingle sparkles in the sun, and the quiet resting place on the sands of Kilfinan, and the haunts of the fish round Eilean Mor where we spent so many happy hunting days so long ago. I should like to show them all to Ron, our son."

"Ron," called Father Seal to his son, who was swimming in the Fairy Pool among the rocks loved of all young seals,

"Come here. We are going a long, long way to a loch you have never seen, dear to your mother and me." And Ron was in great glee, for he longed to swim in the ocean and visit the hunting ground ot the seals far away.

So splash off the rocks they dived. They were not humans, so they had no suitcase to pack, no provisions to order, no ticket to take for their journey. Down came the rain in torrents, but not being humans they loved it—ideal seal weather. So splash through the ocean they swam until they came to Inverneill, where the shingle sparkles, to the resting place on the sands of Kilfinan, and to the happy hunting ground round Eilean Mor; and Ron was happy as the day was long.

But often, wistfully, he looked across from Eilean Mor in the quiet of the night and watched the green light and the white light—blink, blink, blink in the darkness—and wondered what they were. And in the daytime his eyes opened wide at a great vessel, tar larger then anv seal, moving through the water. They watched it far away but when it came near thev dived to the depth, for they teared the humans.

"Father," said Ron. as thev were swimming together one day in the sea. "What are these strange things clustered on the shore ?" "These are the homes ot the humans, and thev call them Ardnshaig, the Hill of the Briar." "May I go over to the Hill of the Briar ?" asked Ron.

"No, no, you may not ! You would never come back. The humans kill the seals." "That is not true," screamed a voice that made them nearly jump out of the water. It was Faolin. the seagull, wheeling round and round them. "Every day"

said Faolin "I go a-fishing with one ot the humans. Robinangh. I sit on his boat and I light on his shoulder and he gives me ot the fish he catches. There is no kindlier spirit on all the waters than Robinangh. He loves the seals and the seagulls, and so do all the humans I know.''

"Oh, let me go," pleaded Ron the seal, "with Faolin the seagull, to the Hill of the Briar." And at last, in much tear, they let him. So splash through the water went Ron the seal, and wheeling round and round him, Faolin the seagull, both in great glee. But when they drew near to the hill of the Briar, the home of the humans, Ron all at once stopped, and the wash of the waves gently flowed over him.

"Why have you stopped ?" asked Faolin the seagull, lighting down on the water beside him. "I fear the humans, I think I'll go home," answered Ron the seal. Just at this moment a boat floated past them and on it the letters "T. T." were written.

"Away out on the ocean, I've seen these boats and these letters on them," said Ron the seal. "But what mean the letters I know not. Do you ?"

"I've often wondered," said Faolin the seagull, "but I think they stand tor 'tender and true.' Tender and true are the men who sail them. So I've always found them.

"Let us draw near, don't be afraid." said Faolin the seagull.

Just then something thrown from the boat flashed in the air—a fish, and another, and still another. And nearer and nearer came Ron to the boat and took from the kindly hand ot the fisherman. "Faolin was right," said Ron. "The men

are tender and true. "And when he went back to his home in the gloaming, there was a joy in the haunts of the seals round Eilean Mor.

And so the days passed; and with every new morn came Ron to the Hill of the Briar, the home of the humans. And very day came the children to greet him and called him bv name—their own little Ron, little Ron the seal who trusted and loved them. And from him they learned to be tender and true.

But one morning neither children nor fishermen came, and Ron wondered. And that morning the sound ot bells came floating far over the waters. "Faolin," said Ron, "all is so quiet. The day is one of rest and peace. What meant these pleasant sounds ? Why come not my little friends and the fishermen to greet me ?"

"They will come on the morrow," said Faolin the seagull. "This is the day when the humans worship the Father, Creator of all things." And sweet music fell on their ear. In the church the children were singing "All things bright and beautiful; All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful; The Lord God made them all".

And as they sang their hearts became more kindly and tender and true, for they were thinking of Ron the seal, their little friend who trusted and loved them and of Faolin the seagull too.

The Great Swordfish

IN August 1972 a great fish washed ashore on the beach at Loch Killiesport, South Knapdale, Argyll, was a mighty swordfish. It was found by some young people on holiday from Bradford. They did not know what a valuable find they had come across, as this was only the third of these mighty fish to be recorded in this country this century. One was got on the beach in Ayrshire and another came ashore below Dunderrave Castle above Inveraray in Argyll in 1904.

The swordfish was in a decomposed state and it these young people did not take the action they did this great fish would have been lost. They brought the head complete with the sword attached and we cured it with a strong salt mixture. After three days it started to take the salt. so in this way we were able to arrest the decay; we were glad that we had been able to save it.

The position is, any fish of a strange nature like the swordfish is supposed to be reported to the Fishery Officer at Campbeltown, Argyll. Well that's fine if he is available. He may be on holiday; or in this case the swordfish was 140 miles away from the fishery office. Nobody from that department made any enquiries about this great fish.

Well the day arrived for the young people to depart for Bradford. They tied the large head and sword on the iront of the Volkswagen van and it seemed secure for the journey. I'm glad to report it arrived safe atter the motorway journey and was taken to Bradford Museum where it has a good position for people to see it. The young girl for whom we cured it got first prize for the summer school project.

The swordfish on leaving his warm waters chasing shoals of mackerel never thought he would land on a museum wall.

The swordfish is called the "bully of the seas." It will attack anything, boat or fish; it has put the sword through 10 inches of wood, cut into whales, seals and any other moving thing.

Some 12 years have passed since we were involved in this curing project, four weeks ago a young woman arrived at the kipper shed and told me she was the girl we cured the big fish for. I said, "You tied it on the front of an old olkswagen van." She replied: "It's still going strong and we'll always remember that journey home !"

From the Islands

IN one small Island shop a man called in to get some cigarettes. The old lady said, "We don't sell them." The man said,

"That's funny, you used to sell them." "Oh yes," said the old shopkeeper. "We stopped it a while ago. It was too much bother as we kept running out of them."

* * *

On one West Coast Island, when the Priest was taking confession one morning Mary came in. Father said: "And what are you in to confess, Mary ?" "Oh Father, I slept with Donald John last Thursday night." "Well, Mary, you will have to pay £,10 towards the repairs to the roof of the chapel."

A little while later another lady called. Father said: "And what are you here to confess, Jenny ?" "Oh Father, I slept last Friday night with Donald John." "Well, well, Jenny, that will cost you £20 for the repairs to the Chapel roof."

Not long after, another ladyv called to confess. She was a local worthy called June in Bloom; she also had been sleeping with Donald John so the father told her to pay £20 to the chapel roof.

Another tap at the door well. "Well, surely not another !" He shouted, "Come in," when who appeared but Donald John himself. "Well, Donald, are vou here to confess ?" "Oh no Father, I am here to collect the commission."

* * *

Three young bulls were heard talking one day. One said he would like to go to Spain and deal with the Spaniards with his horns. The second young bull said he would like to go to South America and enjoy himself among the large herds on the open. The third young bull said he would like to stay here in Argyll, in and he would like to live here for Sir William Lithgow's herd at Ormsary, heifer and heifer and heifer. He was sure Archie MacArthur would look atter him in his old age when he was not fit for his work !

* * *

One member of an old Mid-Argyll family was in Iran in the oil business. At a meeting one day he was sitting next to an elderly gentleman who turned out to be an old German submariner. He had been in the U-boats during the First World War and had been around the Scottish Coast. He asked my friend where he came from and when he received the reply

"Argyll, "he then asked him if he knew a place called Island Reigh, a large island in Loch Craignish. The German told him that he and another German officer had landed on the island and killed three sheep but they had a difficult job getting the sheep back up over to the submarine and down the conning tower.

My friend told him that the island they had taken the sheep from was farmed by his uncle from 1914 to 1925. So he then added, "You owe me £30 for these sheep !"

The old German was surprised to hear this and said that it had been the best mutton he had ever tasted. They had tied the tripe bags around the conning tower to give them a good wash. However, when standing watch at night they could still smell the stench of a farm yard. On returning to the shipyard in Hamburg, they told their mates the story and were known as "the farmers" after that. The strangers you meet today will be your triends of tomorrow.

Ardrishaig to New York

QUITE a number ot the lairds and landed gentry of the neighbourhood, and much further afield, I am proud to say, have made it their habit to bring their salmon to me tor smoking. My recipe involves the use of liberal quantities of rum. On one occasion when I had been left three salmon tor smoking, everything had gone exceptionally well until the gentleman came to collect his fish. It was only then that I discovered that my black cat had taken a liking to rum and in satisfying its desire for the drink it had made inroads into one side of one of the fish.

We both looked at the damaged side and he ran his finger over it. "What is the meaning of this, Forsyth?"

"It's that black cat, and I would say it means it canna read the labels and doesn't know the difference between Lithgow and Hamilton." We are still friends, but maybe that is only because the black cat is away to the happy hunting grounds.

On another occasion I had cured and smoked a large salmon for the laird at Carradale and let him know it was ready tor collection. A while later a car drew up at the gate and a man came in and told me he was to take half of the salmon, so I duly gave him a side, and off he went. Half an hour later another fellow cam in and said he was to collect the other halt, so I gave him the second side and he too went away.

Two hours later another fellow came in, who told me his cousin had left half a salmon with me tor him to collect. I asked him if he knew how many sides there are on a salmon and when he said two I told him about the previous two men. Naturally enough he was astounded at the story. It turned out that the owner ot the salmon had told the first man to collect the side of salmon while they were on the pier at Carradale, and the second man must have overheard the arrangments and had just followed up to the kippering shed. Anyway the owner took its loss well, just shaking his head. "You can't win them all, Forsyth."

The fourth man to call the same day was an Irishman who asked it I would like to buy a sideboard. "What is it like?" I

asked. "Ah, sure, it's in beautiful condition, and it's in three halves." "I don't think I want your sideboard, but I only wish you had been here a day or two ago to cut up a salmon for me !"

One salmon that I received in a batch ot twelve tor smoking trom Mr Hopperton had a tag on it saying it had been released in the River Foyle in Northern Ireland. I wrote to the Foyle River salmon fishing station and they told me that three fish had been returned, one trom Loch Fyne, one from Cork and the third from Stavanger in Norway. Some spread from twelve fish released on the same day !

In July 1983 we caught two fish that had been released in the River Esk and one from the River Tummel, both of which are on the East Coast of Scotland. The tags were sent to the Pitlochry Salmon Station where their numbers were verified and the £2.00 rewards were received, but I had great difficulty in convincing the Tay salmon board that the fish had been caught here on the West coast. Mavbe they got the taste of oil to the east of Shetland when they were on their way back from Greenland and decided to come down the west coast where the water is still fresh and clean.

Another time, a man came into the kippering shed to tell me there was a seal eating a salmon in my net. By the time I got out to it there was only about two pounds of fish left on the tail and the rest had been ripped off. Taking what was left up to the shed I had no sooner arrived than I was called to the telephone. I was away about 10 minutes and came back in time to see two cats finishing the last of the salmon, so that was one day when I was frustrated on sea and on land.

Coming down from the bowling green one night after nine o'clock to find the local pub shut, but a little drop of liquid coming down the side of the door, old Donald put his finger to it on the pavement. Archie said to him, "Is that White Horse ?" "No," he said, "blooming Fox Terrier !"

These same men were in the Cosmo Club at the swing bridge south side Ardrishaig when we put in two home-made stink bombs made from old herring guts. In two minutes they were all outside putting the blame on one another.

Celtic and Rangers would be played all week till the following Saturday. Them were the days.

Donald stayed with an old lady who looked after him very well. At Glasgow Fair he asked her if he could bring a tnend up for his tea. She said alright. He and the friend had been in the pub till late. On arrival at the digs the landlady produced two large plates with a cod head on each, filled with meal and onions. The wee Glasgow lad said, "Good God, what is that one ?" Donald said, "That's a cod head." The wee Glasgow fellow said, "It looks more like its erse !"

New York is so commercialised it will be a marvellous place to have money in, but a real dreadful place to be broke in.

To be over in New York for l½ days, I only had time to see the toilets at the coastguard station and they looked like Carlisle Station with all the troops going through during the war ! I was stationed at Carlisle in 1941 up at Crosby on Eden. I used to hear the lads say they stayed at the Station Hotel if they missed the last bus. So I missed the last bus myselt, stayed at the Station Hotel—slept on the floor under a table, one slice of toast and beans, cup ot char cost me nmepence; glad to get back to camp on the 7 o'clock bus. Last time I'll stav at the Station Hotel.

Having travelled back on the QE2 in the best Atlantic crossing for 16 years, it really was a most memorable occasion.

Having met people who had been on the trip 40 times and people who had only been on it once, I would recommend it to anybody for the best holiday of a lifetime. Cunard have not paid me any cash for saying this but it is the truth. Why

Having met people who had been on the trip 40 times and people who had only been on it once, I would recommend it to anybody for the best holiday of a lifetime. Cunard have not paid me any cash for saying this but it is the truth. Why