Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1891-06-09

one could wish TO find for poem, romance
or idyilic company-Fashion, Melinda and
Bess--and a number Of gypsy brats Of both
sexes and all sizes and ages, so bewilder
ingly mixed with the family dogs that as
sortment aud description are needless.
What with visiting gipsy friends at
keigh1y. DOncaater and l.infoln. we were
three days reaching our Destination, the
village Of Hickling. near Hickling Broad,
in Norfolk, and short tramp from Hick-
ling, accompanied by a village cart well
laden with gypsy belongings. brought US
70 the water side. Here. hard by an old
daub-and- waffle cottage. whose peasant
owner roafed out an alarming welcome,
we found our punt. This was already In
fine order for the season, the cottager hav-
ing cared for It in 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 prepa~
ration, and snug quarters for all the mot
ley crew arranged for the night
Consulting the map Of England, IL 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 a
mass of sand hills and dunes Nearly the
entire surface Of the two shires behind it is
but a few feet above the level Of the sea,
and in many respects is similar 20 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 Ia
goons are feeders 70 the Bure, Yare and
Waveney rivers, all of which form confiu-
ence, and flow lazlly into the sea, at the an
cient city Of Yarmouth. These lagoons
are provincially called The Broads." No
one knows how or when the term orig
mated. Their borders are chiefly fat and
marshy But many are richly wooded 70
the waters edge, giving them a peculiarly
picturesque beauty, particularly in con
trast with wide, fat or slightly undulatinR
fens by which they are surrounded.
Altogether there are nearly fifty Of these
broads, ali 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
TEEN 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 unusual diversity, the characterful
folk who live beside them, the almost
way for small boating 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
sweetsr and subtler charms than any other
known resort in England to the naturalist
and sportsman.
Ny tawny friends belonged 70 neither
class. hut our house boat possessed quite
as many provisions for necessary comfort
as many Of the hundreds OF aristocratic
yachts which haunt the region, and it
crew and passengers were quite as
care-free and merry The boat itself was
about twenty-four feet in length and per
haps eight in breadth. Properly speak.
ing, there was neither fore" nor aft,
but the terms were interchangeable at will
At one end was little compartment, hav.
ing at its own extreme end a comfortable
bed for the gypsy and his wife, with capa-
cious door, closed locker beneath. In
this all the provisions and valuables were
stored Extending toward the middle Of
the boat were four hunks, two on either
side, With sliding windows above.
In these slept Fashion. Melinda, Bess
and a couple of the lesser progeny. Still
in front Of this was the most curious com
partment OF all In its center. on the bot
tom of the punt where there had been
made a solid bed Of baked clay. shaped
like a gigantic saucer, was the gypsy fire
that Is never allowed TO 60 out; and above
IL the real gypsy crooked iron kettle stick,
firmly embedded in the clay. Here is where
our kettles sung, and where the sweet
perch and luscious pike were broiled, while
the smoke escaped sometimes through q
round hole in the roof. but generally and
principally where il listed This was
kitchen and parlor in our boat house.
Necessary utensils hung against the walls,
but could not quite hide many efforts at
decorative art, from the illustrated papers,
pasted solidly in their places. and given
antique and generous coloring from the
smoke Of the burning ''hoVers" Of peat
Amidships was our salon Il was not
large, but as "Gran'pop Wharton" re-
marked, "Hit 'ad good prospecs. an airy
onesP' This was covered by an old sail
that had once done duty with the Var
mouth herring feet Here our hearty
meals were taken, and this place was also
the workroom where the nimble fingers Of
the gipsies wrought the pouches and has
kets 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 a little shedlike coop
where the gypsy grandfather, the huge
lad. myself and 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 a sail covered
place where the stores Of baskets and
pouches were kept until sale-the show
room, as it were, for the fishers and hunt
ers of the lagOons.
Then came the nights and days Of this
strange. quaint life with my gypsy friends
among the 'DroGds " We seldom re-
mained long at one mooring. There were
countless cottages Of farmers. fenmen and
marshmen 20 be visited The gipsies were
welcome everywhere Old anglers and
fowlers paused In their wherries, gave
cheery greetings, often made purchases,
I and never passed without finging white
| money" into our outlandish punt Many
/ Of the passengers Of yachts visited patron.
lied and tipped US handsomely for our ever
I ready secrets Of where the perch and pike