10 JANUARY IN BROADLAND. 



miles the greater portion of these 5,000 acres of charming lagoons, and some 200 

 miles of navigable waterways. They have a beauty peculiarly their own, to enjoy 

 which to the full, one must needs get under canvas and cruise here and there in 

 the most leisurely fashion, for Broadland is not a land of worry or bustle, but one 

 of dreams and delightful lotus-eating. He who in his trim yacht glides through 

 the narrow channels which connect these quiet lakes, will find a certain sameness 

 about their characteristic points which is rather refreshing than otherwise, an effect 

 quite different from that produced by the repetition of many other scenes : and 

 our" treatment of an individual Broad will suffice for a description of them all. 



Broadland offers to all its patrons something that will make their holiday- 

 jaunt pleasurable even in remembrance. The angler finds its waters teeming with 

 hungry denizens; to the yachtsman it offers advantages unparalleled in the king- 

 dom; the artist who loves the picturesque finds in it an el Dorado; the archaeologist, 

 the botanist, and the entomologist will find plenty to see and do; whilst, the ad- 

 mirer of things ornithological may travel far and wide in search of a happier hunt- 

 ing-ground. To the strong the Broad district is exhilarating, and to the weakly 

 health-giving; and he who wants for nothing, save perfect rest and quietude, may 

 here idle away the longest summer's day in perfect happiness, undisturbed by the 

 jostling of his fellows or the costliness of his well-earned holiday. The air is dry 

 and bracing; the annual rainfall is below many other districts in the kingdom. 



The Broadland native is a hardy, docile being, with a tawny, sun-scorched 

 beard, a fair skin and a ruddy complexion, a nose that savours of the aquiline, 

 and mild blue eyes, with Norse or Danish blood in his veins mixed with a dash of 

 Saxon. His vocabulary is limited, but his tongue is easy-going, and 'lets fly' a 

 strange jargon spiced with stray Danish derivatives and a host of curious accents. 



Let us hie away then into Broadland, taking our first glimpse and impressions 

 with the New Year's advent, when the cold north winds whirl the plumy snow- 

 flakes hither and thither, and the leafless reed-stems rustle strange music as the 

 gusts of winter sway them to and fro; and the erstwhile tranquil waters of the 

 Broad are flinging foam-tipped waves into their midst, or may be, when the merry 

 skaters glide to and fro upon its glassy surface, and the starving coot, at his wits' 

 end, has flown to the nearest estuary in search of needful sustenance. 



To-day we have found its waters locked quietly in the embrace of the frost- 

 sprite. Snowflakes are falling and eddying around us in the keen, bustling wind. 

 The thermometer is still descending, to the delight of many who will be shortly 

 speeding hither from the town, to whirl with the lively throng on iron-shod feet. 



