The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-06-06

can quite an unknown region. It is
variously known in Great Britain as the
'NOrfolk and sufEolk Fens, the Breads
OF East Anglia, and prOyineiRlly and by
iOwleri and Gportsmen, as "rhe Breads"
One otthe families OF this Gipsy Park
dale community annually visits the
BrOnds lives IN punt-hoat as floating
canp.home, and while the women decker
and dpkcer among the lowly peasant
families, the men, often with the women
and children's assistance, make good
deal OF money by weaving and selling
all manner of rush and osier bags,
pouches, crates and baskets required by
lenInen, mafshmen, eel and mussel
catchers and the nnmberless sportsmen
and Yachting parties that frequent the
region.
Our party comprised "ol' granpop"
Wharton, tinker, fiddler and what-not;
his son Uriah Wharton, q splendid type
Of the shaggy, huge, manly, hind-heart-
ed English Gypsy; a huge hulk Of son
with his fathers sunny nature and;
France the wife, little, sharp-faeed,
sharp.eyed and sharp-tongued; three as
pretty Gipsy girls as one could wish to
ind for poem romance or idyllic COM
pany Fashion, Melinda and Bess; and q
number Of Gypsy brats Of both sexes
and all sizes and ages so bewilderingly
mixed with the family dogs that assort-
ment and description are needless.
What with visiting Gypsy friends at
keigh!y, Doncaster and Lincoln, we
were three days reaching our destpa-
ton, the village OF Hicklipg, near Hickl-
ing Broad, in Norfolk and a short tramp
from HicbliAg, accompanied by village
cart well laden with Gypsy belongings,
brought us to the waterSide Here, hard
by an0ld daub-and-wattls cottage, whose
peasant owner roared out IN alarming
welcome, We found our punt. This was
already in fine order for the season, the
cottager having cared for 1t in winter,
and got It in readiness against the Clip
sizes coming; and in an hour more the
floating summer-home was launched,
ifi5 5iffIiE 75df n 55s5i7S
snug quarters for all the motley crew
arranged for the night.
Consulting the map ofEngland, 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 q mass Of sand hills and dunes.
Nearlyt the entire surface Of the two
shires behind it is but few feet above
the level oftha sea, and in many re-
spects is similar to Holland, which is
but 100miles distant 10 the east: The
whole eastern portion Of the shires is
dotted with extensive reedy andmarshy
sheets Of water, Of but from three to six
feet in depth, with hard smooth bot
tom of'marl.. These lake like marshes
or lagoons are feeders to the Bure, Yare
and MaYeney rivers, all OF which form
confluence, and flow lazily into the sea
at Yarmouth. These lagoons are. pro-
vincially called 1.-THE Broads." No ono
knows how or when tho term original.
ed Their borders are chiefly fiat and
marshy. But many are richly wooded
to the waters edge, giving them a pecu-
liarly picturesque beauty, particularly
in contrast with wide fiat or slightlyun-
dulating fens by which they are sur
rounded.
GREAT FISHING.
Altogether there are nearly fifty Of
these Breads, all communicating with
each othet by lazy currents called
"dykes," or;with the rivers, which they
feed; and their total water surface is
about /, 900 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 UNI
usual diversity, the characterful folks
who live beside them, tho almost count
less miles-of river and dyke waterway
for small boating and yachting, the
quaintand sunny old inns-ot-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 sports
man.
My twany friends belonged to neither
class, but our house-boat possessed quiet
as many provisions for necessary COM
fort as many Of the hundreds OF aristo-
cratic yachts which haunt the region,
and its crew and passengers were quite
free and merry. The boat itself was
about twenty-four feet in length and
perhaps eight in breadth. Properly
Speaking, there was neither "foreh nor
"att," but the terms were interchang'
able atwill. At one. end was o little
compartment, having Of its own ex-
IRENE end o comfortable bed for the
Gypsy and his wife, with capacious
doccriclosed "locker" beneath, In this
all The provisions and yaluables were
stored. Extending towards the middle
OF the boat were four hunks, two on
elthIr side, with sliding windows
aboys. In these slept Fashion,
Miranda, Bess, and couple OF
the lesser progeny. Still in
front Of this was the most curious COM
partment Of ALL In Its centre, on the
bottom Of the punt where there had
been made a solid bed OF baked clay,
SHAPED like gigantic saucer, was the
Gipsy fire that Is never allowed to go
out; and above 1t the real Gypsy crook
ed iron kettle stick, firmly EMBEDDED in
the clay. Hero is where our kettles
sung, and where the sweet perch and
luscious pike were broiled; while the
smoke escaped sometimes through
round hole in the roof, but generally
and principally whereit listed This
was Htchef, 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
thu burning "hovers" Of peat.
Amidships was our salon. 1t was
not large but, as "gran'pop Wharton"
remarked! 4, "H I, good prospects, an