Travel Diaries and Journals

5

lasted longer when I was a boy, hedges and ditches to be repaired, whilst if time could be spared a day was allowed for rabbit hunting, and wildfowl shooting, and oh! when the 'Broad' was frozen over, the pleasure of flying over the ice with my old skates. And thus the seasons went and came, bringing toil but many, many pleasures with them, and all was bright and prosperous, but a change was coming. My uncle returned from sea and commenced practice of his profession as a surgeon in the little town of Beccles, about seven miles from where we lived, from him I heard about the sea and the sailors, ships, and foreign countries, and I longed to be a sailor. My old boat although not at all adapted or built for the purpose, I tried to bring into sailing trim, one of the sheets of my bed I fixed up in her for a sail which took her across the 'Broad' in a strong wind to my great satisfaction, and great fright of a neighbor who stood looking on, with threats to acquaint my father with my daring, believing the boat would capsize, but I never heard that he put his threat in execution, if he had I well knew a flogging would be my lot. My sisters' shawls also, whenever they accompanied me in my boating excursions, were sure to be hoisted off their shoulders on to a jury mast rigged on to the boat for that purpose, causing much wonder to dear mother as to how the garment got into the damaged state, which was sure to be the result. However 'go to sea' I would and got my fill of the hardships to be met with on board the collier trading from the northern ponds with coals from Yarmouth +c, and cargoes of flour for London.

One morning at my request my father