2 WOODLAND, MOOR, AND STREAM 



The odour of fish pervaded the place ; whichever 

 way you went, inland or along shore, you saw fish 

 not only outside but in the houses as well. To this 

 day it is no favourite diet of mine. It is sometimes 

 possible to have too much of a good thing. Nearly 

 all the people got their living on the water. Poor 

 they were, but a contented lot, and, as this world 

 runs, honest. Now and again it would be gently 

 hinted that they smuggled who can say ? the vir- 

 tuous have enemies ; they, perhaps, had theirs. One 

 thing I can testify ; if at any time a little medicine 

 was needed, it was sure to come out of a very short- 

 necked dark-green bottle, holding more than a pint, 

 and that medicine was certainly made in Holland. 

 The fishermen and their lads passed our house on 

 their way to and from their fishing-boats which lay 

 at anchor below in the marshes. On the return 

 journey they were sure to have something in the 

 shape of fish or wild fowl for you would find a 

 duck-gun on board all the boats and to catch a 

 sight of these was my principal hobby. When they 

 found out this, they never passed the door without 

 showing ' the boy ' what they had got. To this day 

 that is my title with the few that are left who knew 

 me as a child. Many were the questions I asked 

 them about bird and fish. I tried to draw on my 



