An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY .59 take my brother into the rooms over the kitchen, hut her sister-in-law feared to accept the offer, and he was moved about in an ambulance for the whole of a day till he was taken in at a Small-pox Hospital, where he died very soon afterwards. Had my wife's plucky and unselfish offer been accepted be would in all probability have been alive now, for his constitution was a very strong one. He was buried in my family grave at Barnes' Common, his funeral being attended by many of his scientific and rowing friends. I was in bed ill at tlne time, and so unable to be there. In May Hubert G. Rye was very bad with lung disease, and Dr. Grun performed the operation of aspira– tion and drew off nearly a pint of matter and serum, my sister Annie nursing him, and at the same time having been ordered complete rest, I bought the "Lotus;' an old round-topped boat with a short jib, snd embarked at Norwich on a long voyage. I broke off on 12th July and had a week at Putney, bringing the four bpys back with me for a fortnight's sail. By 24th June my weight had run up to 17 st. 7~ lbs.! In May I parted with my old friend J. J. Bateman, the Birmingham runner at the Aylsham Sports, and this was the last time I saw him. He died 28th April, 1886, and bad been one of the firmest friends I ever had. I did not /eturn to work at the office till 10th September. having been away 22 weeks, and then I had another short sail in September with my nephew Dobbie and Willoughby. In October I was again at Lamport working at the Record Room there. On 2nd November, my old athletic friend Arthur Ball <lied, and in consequence none of the club ran in the T.H.S. No. 40. The Christmas week, Brooke Little, and D. M. Roberts slept in the boat, but I did not, both of them being inveterate snorers. We reached Beccles and bad an amusing if unpleasant experience with a man called Pickthorn or Pickthall. Returning, we bad to leave the boat at Reedbam, for there was heavy snow and much landwater and the tide never making for three tides, the snow being heavy all night, so we came back to Norwich by rail.