An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Later on we had our usual month on the" Broads" without any particular episode, except that having run aground at the mouth of Upton Dyke one morning, we left the man to get her off, and returning at night found her still stuck. We ultimately got her off by anchoring our longest sheet across the river at one end and fixing the other to our tabernacle and laying in wait for the next trading wherry coming down to run into it, which she did to her astonishment, but our relief. This August I was foolish enough to give 150 guineas for a picture by Landseer, which some years after I was glad enough to sell for 20. The Bank Holiday sail was with the Grimmers up the Ant (only just squeezing through Ludham Bridge) to Yarmouth where we saw that excellent piece of fooling '· Pepita," and the song of "My excellent friend Bobbados" has stuck in my bead ever since. Having bought a new '' Cripper" tandem I rode with my son (R.C.R.) through North Walsham, Hanworth, Wells, Hunstanton (where he upset E.M.B.'s daughter on a joy ride) and back by Swaffham and Seaming to Nor– wich. Considering its weight we got it to move fairly well~ IO miles in 52 and 16 right up to St. Giles' in 1.28. By the 12th September P.B.F. had married, for I saw his wife for the first time, and they came for a short cruise with us. Her determined and spirited conduct when he got a nasty knock through the block coming over, deluging his new cap with blood, will never be for– gotten by me. On the 19th I attended as guest the Mayor's feast to Hardley Cross and returned thanks for the visitors. The Mayor in proposing it had gone a little out of his way to chaff me about my genealogical propensities and suggested that if any of his bearers wanted a pedigree they should come to me for it. I could not therefore in my reply do less than to say that I should be delighted to take bis job on, but should have to be first told who his gran<;lfather was, which went home, for it was notorious he didn't know! On the nth to 16th November, I had another journey to Berwick, when I caught my first trout. This was, I think, very soon after the Tay Bridge disaster, and it was blowing a positive gale on Berwick platform. A F