DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 119 



sons, expressed such sincere willingness to be housed 

 as gipsies, if that would help to solve the seeming 

 difficulties, that their attitude evoked offers of roofs 

 beyond our needs, and we were soon all established 

 in this out-of-the-world dreamland, which has since 

 been described in one of the chief London papers — 

 though no name was given to the place — as an un- 

 touched Arcadia. The writer of the articles claimed 

 that he and his comrade *a famous but, happily, 

 quiet actor' were the only foreigners who had ever 

 visited it. This is surely a compliment to the behaviour 

 of our party during our sojourn there, which was 

 evidently not sufficiently uncongenial to cause the 

 villagers to babble of us to strangers. Please do not 

 suggest that it may have been the shame of having 

 harboured such visitors as ourselves that kept them 

 silent. At any rate the said writer, I must keep his 

 name 'Dark,' and his actor friend, are not forgotten, 

 but are spoken of down there with eager kindness. 



I was just indulging proud feelings at the settling 

 of my family when a telegram was brought me from 

 St Keverne sa3'ing that two more of my sons would 

 be at Falmouth next morning, by the first train, and 

 asking me to meet them with the Shag] so after dinner 

 we had to go bed-hunting again. This satisfactorily 

 arranged, the captain of the Shag was interviewed. 

 She lay at anchor in the bay, and a hallo soon brought 

 the captain ashore. Tides and wind chances were 

 considered, and a very early start recommended if 

 we wanted to meet the seven a.m. at Falmouth. 



Those of us who elected to go were up at day- 

 break for our first voyage in the Shag, a fishing boat 

 which I had hired at Falmouth with her crew — Captain 

 Vinnicombe and his brother Frank. 



She travelled well that early morning, and we 

 all enjoyed the nine-mile sail that took us to meet 

 the travellers, who wore a sleepy look that caused 

 me to ask, 'Did you get much sleep?* 



