Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-07

enhf fp-tdccu, bndrp-tyou anu sndf P-eon6~~i
three as pretty Gipsy girls as one could could
wish to ind for poem, romance or loylle
company, Fashion Melinda and Bess; and
number Of Gipsy brats of both sexes and All
sizes and ages so bewilderingly mixed with
the family dogs that assortment and de-
scription are needless.
The Floating Summer Home.
What with visiting Gipsy friends at
Keighly, Doncaster and Lincoln, we were
three days reaching our destination, the
village Of Hickling, near Hickling Broad, In
Norfolk; and short tramp from Hickl1Dg,
accompanied by village cart well laden
with Gipsy belongings, brought us to the
waterside Here, hard by an old daub-and-
waffle cottage, whose peasant owner roared
out an alarming welcome, we found our
punt. This was already in fine order for the
season, the cottager having cared for it in
the winter, and got it in readiness against
the Gipsies' coming; and in an hour more
the floating summer home was launched, the
evening meal in preparation, and snug
quarters for all the motley crew arranged
for the night.
Consulting the map of England, 1t will
be noticed that the shires of Norfolk and
Suffolk push out boldly from the nearly
north and south English coast line into the
German Ocean. The shore is here mass Of
sand hills and dunes. Nearly the entire
surface of the two shires behind it is but
few feet above the level of the sea, and in
many respects is similar to Holland, which
is but 100 miles distant to the east. The
whole eastern portion of the shires is dotted
with extensive reedy and marshy sheets Of
water, of but from three to six feet In
depth, with hard smooth bottom of mari
These lakelike marshes or lagoons are feed
ers to the Bure, Yare and Waveney rivers,
all of which form confluence, and flow lazlly
into the sea, at the ancient city of Yarmouth.
These lagoons are provincially called "Ine'
Broads." No one knows how or when the
term originated. Their borders are chiefly
fiat and marshy. But many. are richly
wooded to the waters edge, giving them
peculiarly picturesque beauty, particularly
in contrast with wide fiat or slightly undu-
lating fens by which they are surrounded
A Paradise for the Sportsman.
Altogether there are nearly 80 of these
broads, all communicating with each other
by lazy currents called "dykes, or with
the rivers, which they feed; and their total
| water surface is about 5000 acres They
| team with fish-the roach, Dream, perch and
pike-and are the resort of countless water
| fowls. Eels and mussels are taken from
| them by the ton. In their quiet, their un-
usual diversity, the characterful folk who
| live beside them, the almost countless miles
of river and dyke waterway for small boat
ing and yachting. the quaint and sunny old
| inns-of-call dotting here and there the silent
shores, and the genuine possibilities for
securing fish and game among them, they
| no doubt possess sweeter and subtler charms
| than any other known resort in England to
| the naturalist and sportsman.
| NV tawny friends belonged to neither
class, but our house-boat possessed quite as
many provisions for necessary comfort as
many Of the hundreds Of aristocratic yachts
which haunt the region, and its crew and
passengers were quite as care-free and
merry. The boat itself was about "a feet in
| length and perhaps eight in breadth.
Properly speaking, there was neither ''fore"
nor taft, +" but the terms were interchange
| able at will At one end was little COM
partment, having at its own extreme end a
comfortable bed for the Gipsy and his wife,
with capacious door-closed Cocker" be-
| meath In this all the provisions and valu-
| ables were stored. Extending toward the
middle of the boat were four hunks, two on
either side, with sliding windows above. In
| these slept Fashion, Miranda, Bess and q
couple of the lesser progeny. Still in front
| of this was the most curious compartment of
! all
| The Fire That Never Went Out.
| In its center, on the bottom of the punt
naS IL .LaraS I;i-a s;ron+ic sar,o.r
uaAed the e GiDsu s 4re that i. nsys- allowed to
We o,,t. and ahove II tbe real Ginsv crooked
SfroTn ~ TIstt1e stick firmly embedded in the
olov Here is where our kettles sung. and
.a U,Ss. ~ sn,a.t Tarcb and inscions nike
,vara hro;Ied. wbiie the smoke escaped
s+;r,es thronsb a round hole in the roof.
Int ~enerally and principally where il
listed This was kitchen and parlor in our
boathouse. Necessary utensils hung
AGAINST ths walls. but could not quite hide
many efforts at decorative art, from the
illustrated papers, pasted solid1y in their
places. and given antique and generous
coloring from the smoke of the burning
''hovers" of peat.
Amidships was our salon. It was not
large. but. as "gran'pop Wharton" re-
marked, s'Hit 'ad good prospecs, an airy
onesp' This was covered by an old sail that
had once done duty with the Yarmouth her.
ring fleet. Here our hearty meals were
taken; and this place was also the work
room where the nimble fingers of the Gipsies
wrought the pouches and baskets of flag and
osier. Beyond this, and extending to the
end of the boat opposite that occupied at
night by father, mother and daughters, was
little shed-like coop, where the Gypsy
grandfather, the huge lad, myself and a few
of the children had comfortable hunks for
the night; and on top of this, something
after the fashion of the upper deck" OF our
American willow-ware hawkers' wagons, was
sai1-covered place where the stores OF
baskets and pouches were kept until sale
the showroom as it were Tor tine nshers ana
hunters of the lagoons.
/ On the Waves,