The village boys, fired by a novel example, began to hold their own
athletics. One might see the corduroyed urchins scrambling down the
street in a footrace, or jerking their awkward little limbs over a
roadside ditch. Our boys looked on as men look at a monkey, half amused,
half indignant at the antics "which imitated humanity so abominably."
If we were little worse off than at home in the appliances for games,
there were other recreations which were proper to the place, and clear
gain to the immigrants. For example, the fishing in the Lery, along
whose banks groups of anglers might be seen strolling, whipping the water
to the full entertainment of themselves and the fish, or now and then
blessing Sir Pryse, as the angler landed his first trout from our good
friend's waters. Yet we had our old sportsmen too, who could kill trout
as well as amuse themselves, and bring home a delicate dish for a half-
holiday tea. For masters, there was a little shooting to be had on the
land of some friendly neighbours; and on the no-man's-land of the coast,
a variety of sea-fowl fell to our guns, and were stuffed to enrich our
museum with a "Borth Collection.
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