The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-29
he had a good chance for another.

The river that divine summer evening
was covered with boats of all kinds,
as peopled as Regent street with carriages
in an afternoon. They kindly relegated
me to the place of honor, where l had
nothing to do but survey the scenery and
criticize the rowing. Contemplated as
work of art, can not say that / was
greatly impressed by the rowing. My
Young friend who was steering was i'm
partially distributing his attentions to
the fair occupants of the boats, instead of
attending to his own proper business, the
result of which was that we were fire.
quently driven ashore or dashed wildly
into the surrounding craft, to the consid-
cradle amusement of the ladies in ques-
ton. The man who rowed had contracted
an evil habit of catching "a crab" and
falling back into the middle of the boat.
The general result was that ones body
acquired a centrifugal tendency and was
flying out of its seat for two or three
hours. | know this reach of the river
pretty well and began to reckon up the
unfortunate accidents and melancholy
deaths that had happened upon it within
recent years So we went on beyond the
place where the famous Miss Berrys used to
live and past the Duke of Buccleuch'slawn
(which was the duke who used to sit OH
the lawn and say, %, that wearisome
river, | wish it would cease fowing'?)
and by the grounds of the Orleans Club,
entirely deserted that charming summer
evening; and the lovely arcades and un-
visited terraces of Ham House; and
Eelpie Island, where eel pie is never to be
got; and Pope's Villa q have never yet
been able to see the Grolto), and Straw
berry Hill; and then through Teddingtt n
Lock, out of the tidal waters, along the
broad fresh river between green shores.
And these places are immemorial places
for me, not only for the associations con-
nected with the sites, but for the old
days and the old companions belonging
to them, in solitary rambles, or with fes-
tive picnic parties.
Barring the constant terror of asphyxia
in the water, | rather enjoyed the expe-
dition. l remember we alighted on a
pleasant lawn sloping down to the water,
where we imbibed our modest shandy-
eaff. and l was astoniShed at the swift
succession of visitors who alighted from
their boats to recuperate. | was very
favorabIy impressed with these p'rties,
generally a young man with his sweet
heart, or perchance his bride, and
thought that they must be nice people
to prefer the pure quiet attraction of the
riverside to the gaieties of London. I
can not say that l liked the steam
launches. But, except in the hands of a
few silly or malignant persons, do not
hink that they would interfere with
small craft, or with the gentle brother
hood of the angle. The large steamers
seemed to me a great nuisance. They
are built expressly for the river, shallow
and wide, and displace an immense guam
tity of water. As soon as you are in the
wake, you suddenly find your frail boat
amid tempesluous waves. The only plan
is to face and mount them, otherwise you
would be infallibly Y swamped.
Coming back there was a new terror in
store for us. For it had grown to dusk,
and the dusk had grown to dark, and all
the little boys of the neighboring villages
had turned out to perform their ablutions
in the Thames. They were around us
like swarm Of fishes. Every now and
then you saw small, white curly-pated
head, and as two powerful men were
rowing at full speed, if the oar had come
in contact with the head, there was dis
tinct chance that the head might go off at
tangent. 1t is astonishing what daring
little boys might do, but there is doubt
less SPECIAL Providence which watches
over them. We managed to disengage
ourselves from the human shoal, and were
soon nearing Richmond Bridge once more
The hospitable young fellows were hang
ing out supper--cool salad and substan
tialI, Apol inaris water and accompani
ments. So we waited the last few min
utes for the last train, and, as old Pepys
would have it, "merrily home to bed"