An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

42 AUTOBIOGRAPHY The autumn was memorable to me by the brilliant win of my old brother, E. C. Rye, in his handicap sculls at Thames Regatta on 12th September. About this time, I took as junior partner, William Henry Eyre, whom I knew to be a first-rate oarsman and sportsman, and whom I came across while training together at Putney. There is probably no better known man in the world of aquatics than 'Piggy' Eyre, of the Thames Rowing Club, who with Hastie Long, formed the chief pair-oared race on the London water, and I think won every possible race except the Diamonds at Henley, to which may be attributed the fact that I never in my life had a chance of racing at that regatta. Why he earned this nickname of Piggy is buried in the past. It may probably have arisen from a trace in his character of a very slight disposition on his part never under any circumstances to abandon a pre-conceived opinion. He was as good a lawyer as my father, and our firm's combination, in which one advised on the law, and the other did the routine, was an excellent one, and prospered extremely. His memory was another great factor, I almost believe he remembered every important decided case, and almost the page and volume where it was reported, and his memory of back business was something abnormal. Often (for I had the happy knack of dismissing from my mind all d~tails of back work almost at once) I would ask him if we bad not previously had something to do with A.B. and received then and there the reply, "Yes, shady chap, concerned for C.D. nine years ago in the litigation as to E.F." On the uth August, r874, my son F. G. Rye was born at Wandsworth. On the 18th September, I had a week at Runton, Cromer, Susan Abbs bringing Jimmy, but my old trouble drove me home. In January, 1875, I walked a mile at the" Star" in 7.42, and on 6th April, two miles in 15.37. On 3rd April, 1875, the Thames Hare and Hounds, our club, was the first to start the Canadian game of Lacrosse, which was introduced to us by Dr. Archer of Wandsworth, and we p layed what I think was the first game ever played in England, on Wimbledon Common.