30 THE EULOGY OF RICHARD JEFFERIES. 



used to go on exploring expeditions in quest 

 of curiosities or wild Indians." 



Here we get at the origin of " Bevis." 

 Those who have read that romance which, if 

 it were better proportioned and shorter, would 

 be the most delightful boy's book in the 

 world will remember how the lads played and 

 made pretence upon the shores and waters of 

 the lake. Now they are travellers in the 

 jungle of wild Africa ; now they come upon a 

 crocodile ; now they hear close by the roar of 

 a lion ; now they discern traces of savages ; 

 now they go into hiding ; now they discover a 

 great inland sea ; now they build a hut and 

 live upon a desert island. The man at thirty - 

 six recalls every day of his childhood, and 

 makes a story out of it for other children. 



One of the things which he did was to 

 make a canoe for himself with which to ex- 

 plore the lake. To make a canoe would be 

 beyond the powers of most boys ; but then 

 most boys are brought up in a crowd, and can 

 do nothing except play cricket and football. 

 The shaping of the canoe is described in 

 " After London " : 



