WINTER DAYS ON BREYDON 31 



Then the old chap, reloading his pipe, chuckled. Another 

 reminiscence had come back to him. 



"I must be a-goin'," said he, "but I'll just tell you about 

 old Steven Bowles/' and he laid down his pipe without light- 

 ing it. 



" One bitter January mornin' just such weather as this 

 I went up to the houseboat. I had a shot at a mallard as I 

 went, but found on pickin' it up the shot had ploughed 

 a wide strip clean, as if plucked, out of the breast feathers ; of 

 course it wasn't saleable. So I thought I'd have it for dinner. 

 I plucked it and cut it up, shovin' it in the saucepan for 

 a stew. I shoved in an onion, and started to pepper it, when 

 the lid dropped off the box it was a smacksman's tin one, 

 what held two or three ounces of pepper and in it went ! 

 I felt inclined to chuck the lot overboard, but a thought came 

 into my head to have a bit of fun out of it. I know'd 

 old Steven Bowles was likely to come up, so I let it bile. 

 And presently through the snow loomed up old Stevey, cold 

 as he could well be, and grumblin' about * bein' frozen to the 

 marrow.' 



" ' Anything warm aboard ? ' axed Steve. 



" ' Stewed duck,' says I, balin 1 out into a big basin a dollop 

 of duck and gravy, what looked almost like duck biled 

 in ink ! 



" Bein' persuaded it was all right, although of a rum colour, 

 Steve proceeded to empty the soup down of his neck, amid 

 much puffin' and blowin', and remarkin' on the heat of it. 

 He only finished half the basin, and I couldn't persuade 

 him to have more. He'd have hung his tongue out like a 

 dog, but for fear of bein' frost-bitten. He bade me good 

 mornin', and went on uppards. 



" I'll vow," said P , " he didn't feel the cold much more 



that day and it was a raw 'un too." And P- laughed 



again ! 



The joke was rough and ready, but quite in keeping 

 with the rough manners and hard life of the men and of 

 Breydon. 



