ted to receive books and pictures, and until late in
the dark the infantile menagerie squalled with all its might.

An expedition of river discovery up the Medway seemed to be worth trying
now, for no bonds of time or engagements fettered that glorious freedom
of action which is one of the prize features of sailing thus. The yawl
went bowling along on this new errand amid huge old hulks, tall-masted
frigates, black warrior-like ironclads, gay yachts, odoriferous
fishing-smacks, and a fleet of steady, brown-sailed, business-like
barges. This is a pleasant and a cheerful river for some days'
excursion, with a mild excitement in sailing over banks and shoals, and
yet not striking once, although we had no chart.

The tide helps much, until the high ground near Chatham adds rock and
sylvan scenes to the flat banks of the winding estuary.

Now we come on a busy industry of peculiar type, thousands of convicts
working on the new seawall, closely guarded by armed keepers. These poor
criminals are paid or privileged according to their good behaviour, and
it has been found that their labour thus stimulated is very productive.

Once fairly up among the war-ships at Chatham, the Rob Roy anchors by the
Powder Magazine, and while a waterman rows away for the usual
supplies--"Two eggs, pat of butter, and the 'Times'"--we inspect the
Royal Engineers as they are engaged alongside at pontooning, and are
frequently pulled up by the command of a smart sergeant--"Eyes--right,"
for they _will_ take furtive glances at my dingey gyrating so as they had
never seen boat spin round before. This comment on the dingey's shape
was ventured, too, "It's for hall the world like 'alf a hegg."

Pushing on again, still up the river, the Rob Roy had to beat against an
east wind all through the densely packed brigs and barges in the narrow
bend at Rochester, where the difficulty of working her added zest to the
journey, and now and then a resounding crash from some great barge
drifting down against other vessels, told me that not every one of the
craft was as fortunate in navigation as the yawl. Before us is the
Cathedral, but it is far too stiff in its sharp outline to arrest the eye
for a moment. On the other side, the fine old weatherworn and time-eaten
Castle rears its great tower, and challenges a long and satisfying look,
especially as this was the only ancient ruin we had seen in the tour, and
so there had long been a yearning in the mind fo