252 WAYFARING NOTIONS 



from the boatyard of poor Randolph Cook and 

 his still living partner, Mr Arthur ; and let me 

 turn out, not out of the boat, but on to the river 

 early in the morning before the trippers can get 

 afloat, and then you can couple me for self- 

 satisfaction and indifference to public opinion or 

 anything else with the Miller of the Dee himself 

 Possibly I might get tired of its scenery, which 

 is well enough in its way, only that the Thames 

 spoils you for it ; on the Thames we have flags 

 and fig-wort and tansy, and, for those who know 

 where to look for it, the yellow balsam, and reedy 

 places with sweet-scented rush and osiers, and 

 dabchicks and moorhens and water-rails, and a 

 tern now and then, and pollard willows, as also 

 maiden trees and beech woods, and all manner of 

 delights ; also drawbacks, which I do not discover 

 on my Dee voyages — but, then, you do not 

 always go out to do nothing else but look at 

 the scenery ; something is to be said for the 

 exercise, and under certain conditions a reason- 

 able person ought to be satisfied with the 

 diversion he can get even on the Lewes river 

 at low tide — voyaging on low water and Lewes's 

 only product between two walls of mud. On the 

 worst puddle I consider you can work yourself 

 into such a state of sublime satisfaction as to be 

 certain to run into something. You become 

 affected with such supreme admiration of your 

 own performance ; being safe from observation, 

 and the boat running well, you reach out just far 

 enough to get a lovely grip of the water, pull the 

 stroke right through, swinging well, and putting 

 on a mighty wrench with the wrists as you 

 feather in the Hanlan style, to make the hoick, 

 so telling with skiff sculling, and flatten your 



