An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1 37 well for me, and I shot at the Quebec Archery Meeting for the first, and I think, the last time, badly as usual.. The meeting was stopped by the rnin, and finished my holiday by coming round by Cawston, Aylsham and Lam mas. D. M.R. came down for a few days but he being unwell, was very uncompanionable, and I wasn't sorry when he left on the r 2th. On 19th September the City Engineer feeling aggrieved that Gas Hill was being used as a test hill by motor bicyclists and motors, took the extraordinary step of driving in posts, and putting up a locked gate across what was one of the oldest public roads iu the City. I had suffered a good deal at his hands since I had been in Norwich, bnt to use the words of the irate nobleman, when the footman dropped a plate of soup down his neck, "Great G- Almighty, this is a little too much,·' so 1 threatened an immediate injunc– tion, with the result that the posts came up on the 21st. Next week I thought I would practise Archery in the St. Leonard's Garden at 50 yards, and got 33 hits out of 48, with a score of 167 which I nearly repeated the next day, but when I shot at the full 60 I fonnd the immense difference that the extra ten yards made. The "loony" show at the Bethel on 12th October, was extremely good as usual. I greatly admired the tact of the doctor in charge, who, when one of the patients loudly interrupted the performauce with a grievance got him away nicely to his private room for the purpose of writing out such grievance and its immediate transmission to the Home Office. It was one of the neatest things I ever saw done. At the end of October I still tried to practise at 50, and got 36 and 37 hits out of 50 for 170 aud 177 and later on increased it to 43 hits for i93, but this promise did not bring the desired result at the real range. On the 28th October I went to a shooting party at which I overheard a keeper described me as" that old gentleman," which was the first time I realized how old I was looking at 61 1 though I couldn't feel it myself. On the 2nd November I got 43 hits at 60 for 193 long, a record for me and about double what I could do in public On the 6th, a local volunteer and freemason at Lammas, named Gladwin, having died, their was an enor– mous attendance, quite a rooo at bis funeral.