244 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



Finding it rather dull at Neath living by myself, I per- 

 suaded my brother to give up his work in London as a 

 journeyman carpenter and join me, thinking that, with his 

 practical experience and my general knowledge, we might be 

 able to do architectural, building, and engineering work, as 

 well as surveying, and in time get up a profitable business. 

 We returned together early in January, and continued to 

 board and lodge with Mr. Sims in the main street, where I 

 had been very comfortable, till the autumn, when, hearing 

 that my sister would probably be home from America the 

 following summer, and my mother wishing to live with us, 

 we took a small cottage close to Llantwit Church, and less 

 than a mile from the middle of the town. It had a nice little 

 garden and yard, with fowl-house, shed, etc., going down to 

 the Neath Canal, immediately beyond which was the river 

 Neath, with a pretty view across the valley to Cadoxton and 

 the fine Drumau mountain. 



Having the canal close at hand and the river beyond, and 

 then another canal to Swansea, made us long for a small 

 boat, and not having much to do, my brother determined to 

 build one, so light that it could be easily drawn or carried 

 from the canal to the river, and so give access to Swansea. 

 It was made as small and light as possible to carry two or, at 

 most, three persons. When finished, we tried it with much 

 anxiety, and found it rather unstable, but with a little 

 ballast at the bottom and care in moving, it did very well, 

 and was very easy to row. One day I persuaded my mother 

 to let me row her to Swansea, where we made a few pur- 

 chases ; and then came back quite safely till within about a 

 mile of home, when, passing under a bridge, my mother put 

 her hand out to keep the boat from touching, and leaning 

 over a little too much, the side went under water, and upset 

 us both. As the water was only about two or three feet 

 deep we escaped with a thorough wetting. The boat was 

 soon bailed dry, and then I rowed on to Neath Bridge, where 

 my mother got out and walked home, and did not trust 

 herself in our boat again, though I and my brother had many 

 pleasant excursions. 



