An Angler's 'Paradise. 27 



there were, as might have been expected, sundry little bits of 

 adventure, which rather "added a spice to the cake" than other- 

 wise. Perhaps the most remarkable was an occurrence that took 

 place on the night of December nth, 1883, when a terrific gale, 

 of greater force than I had before experienced, burst upon us. 



Soon after midnight the storm began to reach its height, and 

 at one o'clock in the morning the thick plate-glass of a large 

 window was blown in, the frame being left intact a few pieces 

 of broken glass still remaining in it, while the rest were scattered 

 over the room, a considerable quantity being found in the 

 fire-place. Hastily calling an assistant, who was soon on the spot, 

 we set to work to block up the broken window, in order to 

 prevent the wind from getting into the house and doing further 

 damage. 



I remembered a wooden platform that had recently come 

 back from the International Fisheries Exhibition at South 

 Kensington, and we ran to the place where it was lying along 

 with some large cases of hatching apparatus, models, etc., still 

 unpacked, but were met by one of the cases which came careering 

 through the air, passing us within a few feet. The other cases 

 had already gone, and the platform would soon have followed had 

 we not secured it. As it was we had not much difficulty in 

 getting it carried to the window, for we had almost a fair wind, 

 and by steering a little we kept a good course, the only thing 

 needful being to let go just at the right point. To have taken it 

 back would have been impossible for six men. It was speedily 

 fastened up and blocked the aperture safely. 



The wind at this time (about 1-30 a.m.) was terrific. I have; 

 been in gales both on sea and land, but never witnessed anything 

 approaching this. Every now and again there was a complete 

 lull, and we could hear the wind sweeping down the pine woods 

 in the distance, with a roar as of a mighty flood, and as it struck 

 the house the noise was as if some huge battering ram had been 

 brought to bear upon it. Large timber trees were uprooted 

 wholesale, or snapped asunder, and daylight revealed the awful 

 destruction that had been going on in the woods around, many 

 thousands of large timber trees being blown down. Many of 

 the woods were lying quite flat, the trees torn up by the roots, 



