-looking cottages, forming the village of Gorleston, and
inhabited chiefly by pilots. As it was getting late, we settled not to
go on shore until the following morning.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

YARMOUTH.

After an early breakfast, we landed on the north side of the river, and
made our way over a level sandy plain towards a tall column which rose
in the midst of it. The plain is called the Denes, and extends from the
mouth of the river to the town. It is scantily covered with grass and
sea plants, round which the sand collects in little hillocks.

We had to steer our way among a vast number of tanned nets spread out to
dry. Here and there fishermen and their wives and daughters were
employed in mending those which had received damage. There must have
been acres upon acres of these nets. We soon reached the column, which
we found was erected by the inhabitants of the county to the memory of
Lord Nelson, who was a Norfolk man. At the top of each side of the
pedestal were the names of the hero's chief victories. At the summit is
a ball, on which stands the figure of Britannia holding a trident and a
laurel wreath. The keeper invited us to enter; and we ascended by a
flight of two hundred and seventeen steps to a gallery at the top of the
column, the total height being one hundred and forty-four feet. From
the platform we got a good bird's-eye view of the town below us, and the
country as far as Norwich, and a wide extent of ocean.

"Have you been here long?" I asked the keeper.

"Not so long as the man who had charge before me," he answered; "he came
here when the column was first put up, and here he stayed for wellnigh
forty years."

"What was his name?" I enquired, finding that the old _custos_ was more
inclined to speak of his predecessor than himself.

"James Sharman. He was with Lord Nelson at Trafalgar. It was he who
helped to carry the admiral from the upper deck to the cockpit. He came
home in the Victory, and afterwards joined several other ships, until he
bore up for Greenwich Hospital; but not liking to be shut up there, Sir
Thomas Hardy--who, you mind, was Lord Nelson's flag-captain--got him
appointed to look after this column; and a good berth it is. He entered
the navy as far back as 1799, and was afloat wellnigh twenty years. He
came here, as near as I can remember, in 1819. He was as brave a seaman
as ever stepped. I mind hearing of a gallant act of his, after he had
been here about