The Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk Part 3

"What a number of anglers there are!" said Wynne, "and the singular thing is, that they always seem to be catching fish.-How many have you caught?"

he called out to two fishermen in a boat.

"About six stone, sir," was the reply; "but we have been at it since daylight, and they bite very slow."

"I must say I think Norfolk a very favoured county, with all these splendid rivers and free fis.h.i.+ng; and one place seems as good as another."

"Yes, as long as you pick deepish water, and get under a lee."

"Do they groundbait the place where they fish?"

"Not before they come, but while fis.h.i.+ng they throw in a good deal of meal, mixed with water and clay. If they were to groundbait one or two suitable places on both sides of the river, so as to be sure of getting a lee, for a day or two before they fish, they ought to get even more than they do now. Here is a boat-load trailing for jack. Ask how many they have caught."

Wynne did so, and the reply was, "Fifteen, but all small: they run from two pounds up to seven."

"People here either fish for pike with a live bait or trail with a spoon.

You rarely see anybody spinning by casting, or even using a dead bait on a spinning flight. Now, I know that in the hands of one or two people, a paternoster has proved very deadly. With three large minnows on your tackle, and roving about close to the bank, you may get many pike and perch."

"I'll try it in the morning before breakfast," said Wynne.

In another mile the river again turns westward. On the north is a very large Broad, called Hoveton Great Broad, whence comes the clangour of a large colony of black-headed gulls. The Broad is not navigable for anything of greater draught than a small sailing boat; and now all access to it has been barred by chains across the d.y.k.es, and it is strictly preserved, chiefly in consequence, it is said, of the disturbance of the gulls by visitors. The gulls flew, screaming, overhead, in a white cloud, so that the air seemed filled with them, and the half-grown young ones floated on the water, as lightly as thistle-down. Although this colony is nothing like so large as the famous one at Scoulton Mere, near Hingham, in Norfolk, yet it is extremely interesting, and particularly when the eggs are being hatched off, and the little fluffy brown b.a.l.l.s, which represent the young birds, are running and creeping about the reeds and gra.s.ses, and swimming in and out of the water-divided tussocks. Air and water and gra.s.ses seem thrilling with abundant life, and the ear is deafened with abundant noise; a noise, however, which, discordant as it is, has for a naturalist the music of the nightingale. The water is very shallow at the east end, where the gulls are, but the soft mud is of an exceeding great depth.

Some years ago the American weed, _Anacharis alsinastrum_, that pest of our inland waters, so completely filled this Broad, that a duck could walk upon the surface. It then suddenly decayed, at the same time poisoning the fish so that they died by thousands. Since this time the Broad has been comparatively free from it.

During Wynne's visit the Broad was still open, and we visited it in the jolly. After rowing about for some time, we turned to go back to the yacht, and Wynne said, "I don't see the sails of the yacht anywhere.

Where can she have disappeared to? I know that the river is over there, because there is the sail of a wherry over the reeds, but there is no channel through the reeds, and it is no use your rowing that way. You have lost your way, my boy."

We only laughed at him and rowed on.

"I tell you that there is no way into the river here. Oh, yes, there is; I beg your pardon, but I should have rowed about until doomsday before I found the way off."

"And you couldn't have landed, for I don't think there is a bit of solid ground all round the Broad. But where is the yacht?" For there was no sign of her.

The wide opening on the opposite side of the river suggested that perhaps the man had taken her on to Salhouse Broad. So we rowed on, disturbing a kingfisher, which was perched on a bullrush, and there was a picture.

Wynne cried, "OH!" with delight, and, although I have seen the like so many times, the scene is always fresh in its beauty. On the placid bosom of the small lake the yacht lay motionless, while a pair of swans, with their brood of cygnets, swam near her. Outside the ever-present boundary of green reeds, was a darker circle of trees, and crowds of yellow lilies made a bright bit of colour in the foreground. On the further sh.o.r.e was a thatched boat-house, and behind it a wooded bank. The thud of the jolly against the yacht's side aroused a wild duck; a shoal of rudd broke the still surface, as they sprang from a pursuing pike, and the red-and-white cows, which had pushed through the reeds to drink, stood looking at us contemplatively.

We dropped the anchor, and got tea ready, and Wynne worked hard at a water-colour sketch, brush in one hand, bread and b.u.t.ter in the other, palate, plate, and sketch-block mixed up, and the brush going as often into his teacup as into the mug of water.

After tea, we landed, and walked into the long and straggling village of Salhouse, in search of bread and fresh meat, and on our return, climbed to the top of the bank, whence a fair prospect met our eyes. At our feet were Salhouse Broad, and the smaller Broad next to it, which I call Salhouse Little Broad, a lakelet covered with water lilies; outside these, the sinuous river, doubling upon itself, as though loth to leave so pleasant a land; Hoveton Broad to the right, and Wroxham Broad to the left; many white sails flitting about on the latter, and more yachts coming slowly up the river.

There is a navigation across Salhouse Broad to Salhouse Staithe, but the present owner of the Broad discourages sailing upon it, and the reader is advised not to anchor or moor there. The old times when one could come and go upon the Broads as a matter of apparent right are now past.

We went to Girling's farm, close by, to get milk, and eggs, and b.u.t.ter, and I may mention that Mr. Girling has comfortable rooms to let, suitable for a family, whilst the situation is unsurpa.s.sed for prettiness.

We quanted off the Broad, and found just sufficient air moving on the river to take us gently on. We had a little surprise in store for Wynne.

As we came up to Wroxham Broad, I asked him to reach me something out of the cabin. When he was safe inside, I put the helm up, and we slipped through the 'gatway' into the Broad. When Wynne came out of the cabin, instead of the river banks, he saw the wide-stretching Broad, the Queen of the Broads, for her beauty, size, and depth of water combined.

"This is lovely. I had no idea that we had left the river. What a string of fis.h.i.+ng boats! Are they having a match?"

"Yes. Angling matches are very favourite amus.e.m.e.nts here, and the prizes are sometimes valuable, and sometimes very miscellaneous in their nature.

They are very sociable, well-conducted gatherings, and I think the Norfolk anglers would meet with old Izaak's approbation, as being honest and peaceable men."

"They all look very happy. But, tell me, are there always so many yachts here as there are to-day?"

"Not quite. The fact is, there is a regatta of the Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club here to-morrow, and it is always a genuine water frolic. This is a favourite place at all times; Wroxham is only seven miles by rail from Norwich, and the Broad is only a mile and a half from Wroxham by water."

We drifted across to the other side of the Broad, and there dropped our anchor, and made all snug.

[Picture: Horning Ferry]

It was a lovely evening, and yacht after yacht came upon the Broad, and anch.o.r.ed; anchoring, by the way, meaning, in the majority of cases, dropping some pigs of ballast overboard, at the end of a rope, for the mud is so soft that an ordinary anchor would drag through it. We visited our friends on various yachts, and then the moon shone so brightly out of a cloudless sky, that, late as it was, we did not turn in for a long time, but floated about in the boat, and yarned about old times, until it was very late indeed.

[Picture: Decorative chapter header]

CHAPTER VI.

WROXHAM BROAD.

[Picture: Decorative drop capital] I had scarcely closed my eyes, it seemed to me, ere I was awakened by Wynne moving about.

"What are you up to?" I cried.

"I am going to paternoster for perch, and I'll take the casting-net to get some small fry."

"Oh, dear! why can't you wait until the morning?"

"It is morning. It is four o'clock and broad daylight."

"Then go, and don't come back until breakfast time." And I drew the curtains over the windows, and tried to think it was quite dark, and to get to sleep again.

On awaking I heard the sound of a piano. My first thought was, "Where am I?" I found that I was on the boat, sure enough, and it was seven o'clock. There was no more sleep for me, for a wherry, fitted up as a yacht, was lying near, and her crew had not only got a piano on board, but played upon it at seven o'clock in the morning. It is an excellent plan to rig up a wherry in this way for a cruise, as good accommodation for a large party is secured, and the interior can be well divided into several sleeping-rooms. The presence of ladies aboard the wherry, and up so early, was rather a nuisance, as one had to row away for one's dip.

Up to eight o'clock, the Broad is generally sacred to the men, who can take their plunge overboard with safety.

Presently Wynne came back.

"Well, what have you caught?"

"Two jack, about five pounds each, and three perch, about a pound each.

If I could have got some minnows I should have done better, but the roach I got were too large for paternostering, and not lively enough. I got into a row, too. I found a bow net set among the weeds, and there were three large tench in it. As I took it up to look at it, its owner appeared, and slanged me considerably at first; but when he cooled down, he got talkative, and told me that the reaches of the river by Salhouse and Hoveton Broads are the best for pike, but that all the way down to Horning Ferry is good. By the way, I saw a lot of boats fis.h.i.+ng on the Broad when I set out, and they went on to the river when they saw me.

The Broad is not preserved, is it?"

"No; but one of the owners, Mr. Chamberlin, levies a tax of 2s. 6d. on fishermen, and as it goes to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, one ought to pay it willingly. Poor men can't pay it, so they fish on the Broad in the early morning, and then leave for the river. They walk here from Norwich, overnight, and begin to fish before daylight, and as they can get a boat at Wroxham for a s.h.i.+lling a day, it is not an expensive pastime for them."

"I saw some notice boards at Salhouse, but there was so much on them, and the letters were so small, that I could not read them, but I suppose they were meant to warn people off."

"Yes, there is unfortunately too great a disposition amongst owners to try and close the Broads against the fis.h.i.+ng public, and even to interfere with the old navigation rights, but there are praiseworthy exceptions, and here comes one, the owner of this end of Wroxham Broad."

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