Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/swimmingskatingrOOpard CAPTAIN CRAWLEY^S HANDBOOKS . SWI M M I NG, SKATING, RINKING, AND SLEIGHING. THEIR THEORY AND PRACTICE. ILLUSTRATED WITH EXPLANATORY DIAGRAMS. LONDON : WARD, LOCK, AND CO., WARWICK HOUSE, DORSET BUILDINGS, SALISBURY SQUARE, E.G. hi jcap. Svo, paper uurapper, One Shllllftg each, CAPTAIN CRAWLEY'S HANDBOOKS. IN-DOOR GAMES. 1. Billiards and Bagatelle : Their Theory and Practice, with 40 Diagrams. 2. Whist, Loo, and Crib- BAGE ; Their Theory and Practice. 3. Chess AND Draughts, with numerous Diagrams and Problems. 4. Backgammon ; with a Chap- ter on Solitaire. 5. Bezique, Euchre, Ecarte, All- Fours, and all the Round Games. OUT-DOOR GAMES. 1. Cricket, Base-Ball, and Rounders. 2. Footbali,, Golf, Curling, Hockey, &c. 3. Swimming, Skating, Rinking, Sledging, and Sleighing. 4. Rowing, Sailing, Boat- ing, Canoeing, &c. 5. Bicycling ; Its Theory and Practice. 6. Croquet, Lawn Tennis, Racquet, &c. 7. Athletics and Training, Boxing, Wrestling, &c. Each Handbook is fully illustrated hy Explanatory Engrav- ings and Diagrams, and contains trustworthy and authoritative information as to the Origin, Laws, and Present Practice of its special Game or Sport, by the most celebrated and popular exponents. The entire series EDITED BY CAPTAIN CRAWLEY, Author of ''The Billiard Book," Billiards and Bagatelle in the " F-n cyclopaedia Britannica," " Chess, its Theory andPract ice,' and other popular Works on Games and Sports. London : WARD, LOCK, AND CO., Warwick House, Dorset Buildings, Salisbury Square, E.G. PREFACE. The world over, the art of Swimming is usefully prac- tised ; and in those countries lying north and south of the imaginary lines we call the Tropics of Cancer and Cap- ricorn, Skating is, or may be, pleasurably pursued. So that, in this little volume, I may be said to address al the peoples in the world — or at least all those who can read English. Think of that ! There is a story I have heard or read somewhere about a dear good old clergyman, who, upon some special occasion, preached a good, sensible, old-fashioned sermon. Which his friends wished him to publish. He consented to do so. And prepared his manuscript for the press. Taking it, neatly written and carefully folded, to a pub- lisher, he addressed him thus : There are, sir, I under- stand, some fourteen thousand parishes in England. I wish you to publish my sermon; and, as I presume that at least one copy will be sold in each parish, in addition to the large number of copies required by my personal friends and acquaintance, to say nothing of the bishop and clergy in the diocese, you had better print, say, fifteen thousand ! " The estimable publisher smiled a polite and superior smile, and said he would be careful to produce a sufficient edition. Then the good old clergyman left his manuscript, and went away, quite satisfied. The sermon, 6 PREFACE. in due course, appeared in all the glories of new type and fair white paper. And at every house the good old clergy- man visited he was sure to see a copy. When, after a while, his account with the publisher came to be made up, the author was delighted to find that only two copies of the edition remained unsold. He modestly inquired, therefore, if the publisher thought a further supply would be needed. That worthy man, again smiling po- litely, informed him that he would not advise a further issue. The supply had been quite equal to the demand, and the result was a small profit. As, knowing something of his trade, he had limited the edition, not to fifteen thousand, but to five hundred ! There is a good deal of sense in some of these old- world stories. My vanity, whatever may be my ambition, is hardly so great as to lead me to suppose that this little Handbook will be extensively read out of Great Britain — and her colonies. Still, there are a good many people — English- speaking people — even in that limited space ; and for some of them, perhaps, or at least for such of them as care about Swimming, Skating, and Sleighing, there may be found herein a chapter, a passage, a sentence, or a phrase, not altogether without its practical value. Should it be so, I shall be satisfied, without risking inquiry as to the area over which the little book has travelled : content to feel, with the good old clergyman, that I have done my best, however inefficient that best may be. RAWDON CRAWLEY, Captain Unattached. Megatherium Club, August 1878. CONTENTS. SWIMMING. CHAP. PAGE I. Introductory... 9 II. Franklin's Advice to Swimmers i6 III. The Rationale of Swimming 21 IV. Practical Instructions ... 24 V. Plain Swimming - 29 VI. Side Swimming 38 VII. Swimming under Water ... . 42 VIII. Treading Water and other Swimming Feats 46 IX. Games in the Water 49 X. The Cramp : Swimming in Clothes 51 XI. Swimming in the Sea ... 53 XII. How to Teach Swimming • 55 XIII. Swimming Feats, Clubs, &c. ... 58 XIV. How to Save Life 65 XV. Concluding Remarks .. 74 CONTENTS. SKATING. CHAP. PAGE I. Introductory ... ... ... ... ... 77 II- The Generat Plan 80 III. The Practice 83 IV. The Results 102 SLIDING 107 RINKING. I. Introductory ... ... ... ... ... ill II. Skating upon Rollers — Rinkin:^ ... ... ... 114 III. Skating Rinks • 118 SLEIGPIING 121 SWIMMING. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTORY, SWIMMING, as an art or as an amusement, is strangely neglected. Every man and every boy should be able to swim, — for who knows how soon the art may be called into operation for the saving of life OUT-OF-WATER PRACTICE TO ACQUIRE SWIMMING MOTIONS. — your own, or that of another ? And if Swimming be useful and desirable for men and boys, why not also for women and girls ? It may seem strange that in a country like ours, surrounded by water, and no place distant more than seventy miles from the sea, so few of us should swim. Go in the summer season to any lO SWIMMING. watering-place you like, and for one bather who can swim you will see twenty who are content to paddle in the shallows, afraid to go a foot out of their depth. They have no distaste for the water, evidently — but they cannot swim ; and hence are in danger from every wave. This should not be. It has been pertinently said that of all the peoples of the world the Anglo- Saxon race have alone succeeded in making a friend and servant of the sea. They are the carriers over the wide ocean for all nations; the shipbuilders, the seamen, the only race which may be said to be as much at home on the water as on the land. And yet, strange to say, the majority of those who go down to the sea in ships are ignorant of the Art of Swimming. It was an Englishman who performed the tremendous feat of swimming the Enghsh Channel, a feat since attempted, and declared to be accomplished, by another Englishman ; but of the thousands who watched the departure of Matthew Webb from Dover pier, how many were there, think you, who could fear- lessly have swum a hundred yards ? There is really no difficulty in Swimming. It is almost as easy to float as to sink ; and a very little practical knowlege would prevent any man or boy from sinking. The one great requisite is confidence. That acquired, all the rest is easy. It may perhaps be' said that till quite lately the importance of Swimming was not fully and fairly esti- mated; that efforts in the establishment of pubHc swimming baths had not been sufficiently encouraged ; that on the part of timid parents there was a general disinclination to allow children free acccess to the INTRODUCTORY. II water. To a certain extent this might have been said truly enough ; but within the last few years a real and decided effort has been made to render the art popular, and to bring it within the reach of all. The London Swimming Club, which has its head- quarters in Bar- bican, the very centre of the old City, has made a strenuous and successful attempt to disabuse the public mind of some of the ancient fallacies about Swimming; and in order that none should have any excuse for ignorance of the art, it gives instructions free, gratis, for nothing.^' While I write this a letter reaches me from the honorary secretary of this excellent club, a letter so apt and so suggestive that I cannot do better than insert it here. Writing from the London Swimming Club, this gentleman says : — Now that the exodus has set in from the sea-side resorts, I would point out to those who have been envying the competent swimmer, that Swimming is an accomplishment more easily attained at this season of the year than at any other. The change in the weather in July so thinned the attendance at all metropolitan baths that any one who is really in earnest about learning to swim has only to take advantage of the slack season, and by a few nights' constant attendance at any bath attain a new and lasting pleasure, as well as a valuable aid in perfecting physical culture. Even should the attempt prove abortive, the clear tepid water and application of a rough towel will amply compensate for the outlay of a few coppers. It is a matter of great rejoicing to us to have to 12 SWIMMING. chronicle the rapid strides our cause is making. It is but ten years ago when a couple of champions and about a dozen more or less expert amateurs were all that could be found to make up an entertainment, whereas now the temptation of a couple of medals will ensure upwards of loo entries — all paying an entrance fee. ' The Lords and Commons Race ' proved that we have a plethora of amateurs who can not only swim five miles, but do it in good time (19 finishing within a quarter of an hour of the amateur champion), many of whom have since done 10, 15, and 20 miles for the honour of making a record; whilst CavilFs speedy long journeys are something to be proud of. Those who have paddled knee-deep waiting for a wave to wet them, by coming amongst other begin- ners will be sure to find some one even more awkward than themselves, and thus gain a little courage to persevere. I have often seen an athlete who could obtain a certificate in general competition at the Ger- man Gymnastic School shivering at the sea-side afraid to duck his head, whilst such a developed man would learn to swim in a few hours. At every bath there is an attendant who will teach Swimming as well as the shining lights of the profession. We are still willing to either instruct the beginners or improve those who have passed the beginner's stage, and our chairman is able to initiate even the expert in Ornamental Swim- ing. Unfortunately, because it is gratis, it is not appreciated. Those who come as enthusiasts, and do not swim at once, lose heart, and fail to show up again. Did any one ever learn Cricket, Billiards, or Skating in one lesson? Others cavil at the neigh- INTRODUCTORY. 13 bourhood in which our bath is situated, neglecting to observe the adaptability of the bath for tuition pur- poses, the immense body and clearness of the water, and the entire absence of hat-touching. Our bath attendant would look frightened if any one (especially the gratuitous ticket-holders) made a mistake and tipped him sixpence ; whereas, at the West-end, passing compliments as to the weather with the favoured pro- fessional is good for a shilling. Why all do not learn to swim I cannot conceive (the School Board Acts should have included this). Mothers would send for a doctor if their boys did not walk at the usual time. Why not see they are taught to swim ? Papa, if he cannot swim himself, can stand in the water and hold up his son's chin. How about the Registrar General's average of deaths from drowning? Over 2000 per annum. Bereaved parents ought to have some qualms of conscience. ^^In conclusion, let me say that any one (ladies ex- cepted) can have a gratuitous voucher by sending a stamped and directed envelope to our secretary." I have visited this swimming club, and found the arrangements all that can be desired. Any man or lad can here obtain all the practical instruction neces- sary to make him a fairly good swimmer. For the rest, he must depend on himself ; and here let me say, once for all, that as an ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory," so 077e real lesson in the water will teach mo7^e than any book can pretend to teach — my own not excepted. There is really no knack in Swimming. It is almost 14 SWIxMMING. as natural for a man as it is for a dog to swim. The one indispensable requisite is a confident belief that you cannot sink while you keep your hands under water and your legs the least in motion. How to do this effectually you wdll learn presently, though, I repeat, you cannot learn it efficiently without actual practice in a bath or other piece of water. There is, of course, no need to rashly dive head foremost at the first trial. You must begin- at the beginning, in this as in everything else ; and how to begin I will now endeavour to show. All animals swim without effort. They use the same, or almost the same, action in swimming as they do in walking or running. Man, however, has to use a kind of action in water impossible to him on land. This difficulty, says a clever writer, combined with the universal effect of an immersion on the breathing of those unused to it (allowing amply for all variety of endowment in what is called presence of mind), renders some previous familiarity with the water indis- pensable before any efforts of the learner can be effectually directed to his own support. Instances adduced of individuals swimming at their first attempt require much stronger testimony than we ever found to accompany the assertion. There is, we are aware, a very considerable difference in the time required by learners to obtain confidence in the water, arising more from mental than from physical variety in their organisation ; for we have known fine, aye, strong and daring swimmers, who used crutches when they walked; their lameness but adding zest to their enjoyment, INTRODUCTORY. 15 while, curved to the bending of the wave, they found repose and ease where thousands of strong fellows w^ould have found nothing but death. So much by- way of Introduction. Let us now proceed to show how you may begin your actual j^ractice. i6 SWIMMING. CHAPTER 11. franklin's advice to swimmers. The celebrated Dr. Franklin has left us a chapter on swimming which may well find a place here. I, however, omit from it that paragraph which states that it is impossible to open the eyes under water, by reason of the " pressure of the water on the eyelids." This mistake has been copied by so many writers that it has almost come to be taken as a fact. The truth is, how- ever, that there is no difficulty whatever iit opening and shutting the eyes tender water as ofte?t as you like. Try it, and be convinced. I also take the liberty of omit- ting a few concluding passages from the Philosopher's well-known advice, retaining only so much of it as is really necessary for the learner : — The only obstacle to improvement in this neces- sary and life-preserving art is fear ; and it is only by overcoming this timidity that you can expect to become a master of the following acquirements. It is very common for novices in the art of Swimming to make use of corks or bladders, to assist in keeping the body above water. Some have utterly condemned the use of them ; however, they may be of service for sup- porting the body while one is learning what is called the stroke, or that manner of drawing in and striking out the hands and feet that is necessary to produce franklin's advice to swimmers. 17 progressive motion. But you will be no swimmer till you can place confidence in the power of the water to support you ; I would, therefore, advise the acquiring that confidence in the first place ; especially as I have known several who, by a little practice necessary for that purpose, have insensibly acquired the stroke, taught as if it were by nature. The practice I mean is this : choosing a place where the water deepens gradually, walk coolly into it till it is up to your breast ; then turn round your face to the shore, and throw an egg into the Avater between you and the shore; it will sink to the bottom, and be easily seen there if the water be clear. It must lie in the water so deep that you cannot reach it to take it up but by diving for it. To encourage yourself, in order to do this, reflect that your progress will be from deep to shallow water, and that at any time you may, by bringing your legs under you and standing on the bottom, raise your head far above the water ; then plunge under it with your eyes open, throwing yourself toward the egg, and endeav- ouring, by the action of your hands and feet against the water, to get forward, till within reach of it. In this attempt you will find that the water buoys you up against your inclination ; that it is not so easy to sink as you imagine, and that you cannot, but by active force, get down to the egg. Thus you feel the power of water to support you, and learn to confide in that power; while your endeavours to overcome it, and reach the egg, teach you the manner of acting on the water with your feet and hands, which action is after- wards used in swimming to support your head higher above the water, or to go forward through it. 2 i8 SWIMMING. " I would the more earnestly press you to the trial of this method, because, though I think I shall satisfy you that your body is lighter than water, and that you might float in it a long time with your mouth free for breathing, if you would put yourself into a proper posture and would be still, and forbear struggling; yet, till you have obtained this experimental confi- dence in the water, I cannot depend upon your having the necessary presence of mind to recollect the posture, and the directions I gave you relating to it. The surprise may put all out of your mind. Though the legs, arms, and head of a human body, being solid parts, are specifically somewhat lieavier than fresh water, yet the trunk, particularly the upper part, from its hollowness, is so much lighter than water, as that the whole of the bod}^, taken alto- r^ether, is too light to sink wholly under water, but some part will remain above until the lungs become filled with water, which happens from drawing water to them instead of air, when a person, in a fright, attempts breathing while the mouth and nostrils are under water. The legs and arms are specifically lighter than salt water, and will be supported by it, so that a human body cannot sink in salt v/ater, though the lungs were filled as above, but from the greater specific gravity of the head. Therefore, a person throwing himself on Ihs back in salt water, and extending his arms, may easily lie so as to keep his mouth and nostrils free for breathing ; and, by a small motion of his hand, may })revent turning, if he should perceive any tendency to it. In fresh water, if a man throw himself on his back, franklin's advice to swimmers. 19 near the surface, he cannot long continue in that situation but by proper action of his hands on the water; if he use no such action, the legs and lower part of the body will gradually sink till he come into an upright position, in which he will continue sus- pended, the hollow of his breast keeping the head uppermost. ^'But if, in this erect position, the head be kept up- right above the shoulders, as when we stand on the ground, the immersion will, by the weight of that part of the head that is out of the water, reach above the mouth and nostrils, perhaps a little above the eyes, so that a man cannot long remain suspended in water, with his head in that position. The body continuing suspended as before, and upright, if the head be leaned quite back, so that the face look upward, all the back part of the head being under water, and its weight consequently in a great measure supported by it, the face will remain above water quite free for breathing, will rise an inch higher every inspiration, and sink as much every expiration, but never so low as that the water may come over the mouth. If, therefore, a person unacquainted with swimming, and falling accidentally into the water, could have presence of mind sufhcient to avoid struggling and plunging, and to let the body take this natural position, he might coutinue long safe from drowning, till, per- haps, help should come ; for, as to the clothes, their additional weight when immersed is very inconsiderable, the water supporting them ; though, when he comes out of the water he will find them very heavy indeed, 20 SWIMMING. But, as I said before, I would not advise you, or any one, to depend on having this presence of mind on such an occasion, but learn fairly to swim, as I wish all men were taught to do in their youth ; they would, on many occasions, be safer for having that skill ; and, on many more, the happier, as free from painful appre- hensions of danger, to say nothing of the enjoyment in so delightful and wholesome an exercise. Soldiers particularly should, methinks, all be taught to swim ; it might be of frequent use, either in surprising an enemy or saving themselves ; and if I had now boys to educate, I should prefer those schools (other things being equal) where an opportunity was afforded for acquiring so advantageous an art, which, once learned, is never forgotten." Better than the egg, which is likely to be crushed in the hand, is a smooth white stone. I fancy that most beginners would prefer the latter, as it may be used again and again, and, moreover, costs nothing. SWIMMING. 21 CHAPTER III. THE RATIONALE OF SWIMMING. Man does not swim instinctively ; but he can be soon taught to do so, and very little practice will give him confidence in the water. The first and most important requisite of the swimmer is confidence. Every lad should know that his body is specifically lighter than the water, and that it is really almost impossible for the body to sink if left to itself. Plain Swimming is a perfectly easy and simple operation. Keep your hands open, with the palms rather con- cave and the fingers close together, so that no water can pass through them. Now lean with your chest on the water, and as you throw your arms forward your body will assume a horizontal position, just beneath the surface. With slow and steady action let the legs follow the motion of your arms, or, rather, act simul- taneously with them. Then spread the hands so as to describe a half-circle, the elbows coming close to the body, and the hands to the chest. A few yards is all you will accomplish at first. If you feel any incon- venience by the water entering your mouth, close your lips, and it cannot get in. As you progress, the ma- nagement of the breath will cause you neither trouble nor anxiety. Notwithstanding what you may read in books on this matter, just keep up your head, hold your body straight, your limbs extended, and your breath 22 SWIMMING. will take care of itself. Slow and steady is the ni^e in learning; swiftness will be certain to come bv-and- by. Keep your head well up, and, in getting ready for each successive stroke, draw back the legs by a simul- taneous motion. Keep the feet wide apart, vv^ith the toes well turned out; and, as you send out the arms, kick the legs backwards and sideways to their full extent, keeping them separate till they have described as wide a circle as possible, the legs coming close together at the end of each stroke. Press against the water with the sole of the foot, and not with the toes, and you will make more easy and rapid progress. For you must recollect that, though the lim])id water divides easily enough as your hands and feet pass through it, a real resistance is offered by it to the body of the swimmer ; and it is on this resistance you must, to a certain extent, rely in propelhng } curself forward. Without this simultaneous action of the arms and legs it is impossible to become a good swimmer. In pro- pelling the body through the water it is of the utmost consequence to use the feet properly ; and to do so it is necessary so to turn the ankle-joint that, in drawing the leg up after the kick, the instep, or upper part of the foot, offers the smallest possible resistance to the water. This action of the ankle is exceedingly impor- tant, and is, indeed, one of the great secrets of good swimming. If the young swimmer be at all nervous, he should get assistance from a friend rather than from corks, ropes, or bladders. A good assistant to the tyro, how- ever, will be found in a heavy plank, on which he may THE RATIONALE OF SWIMMING. 23 rest his hands occasionally, and so sustain himself, or push it before him as he proceeds. There is no neces- sity for going out of your depth, for great depth of water is not necessary for ordinary Plain Swimming. 24 SWliMMlNG. CHAPTER IV. PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS. First of all let me tell you that Swimming cannot be taught on paper. No matter how clever the writer, all you can obtain from him is theory. But that is much, very much, when joined to real intelligent practice. It is hardly necessary, perhaps, to tell the learner that in choosing a bathing-place he should avoid deep ponds, reedy and weedy streams, and rapid rivers ; or that, in his first essay, he must equally avoid rashness and timidity. His best plan is to go with a friend, and take his first lesson without hurry or anxiety. A lad afraid of the water at his first attempt seldom becomes a good swimmer. Entering the Water. — The best plan in taking your first dip is to walk quietly into the bath till the water is about up to your waist. Then paddle about till you get thoroughly accustomed to what we may call the *'feel" of the water. This will give you confidence; and you will presently become aware of the fact that your body is lighter than the water it displaces, and that it has a constant tendency to lift you off your feet. The First Essay. — Now is the time to " take a duck in," so as to thoroughly immerse yourself. Rise with- out hurry or nervousness, and turn your face to the PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS. 25 shore. Bring your hands together, pahii to pahii, and then make your first stroke by spreading them outwards, and at the same moment throw the legs wide apart. In this way you will make your first stroke. An ex- cellent plan is for a friend or instructor to place his hand just under the pupil's chest. This gives him confidence. He will soon learn that he can sustain himself in the water without such assistance. Now commence striking out with arms and legs, the fingers close together and the legs alternately widen- ing and closing. The great secret of a good stroke, says Captain Matthew Webb, the hero of the Channel swim, is "to kick out the legs wide. And here let me observe that it is a popular fallacy to imagine the speed of the swimmer in any way depends upon the resistance of the water against the soles of the feet. I have often heard it observed, ^ Oh, that man would make a fine swimmer ; he has such large feet.' Now, in the movement of the legs, the flat of the foot never directly meets the water, except in the action known as * treading water.' The propelling power in swim- ming is caused by the legs being suddenly brought from a position in which they are placed wide apart into one in which they close together like the blades of a pair of scissors. In fact, the mechanical power here brought into play is that of the wedge. For instance, suppose a wedge of ice were suddenly pinched hard between the thumb and finger, it is evident that it would shoot off in the direction oppo- site to that in which the sharp edge points. Now, in bringing the legs suddenly together a wedge of water, so to speak, is forced backwards, and the resistance 26 SWIMMING. caused propels the body forward in an opposite direc- tion. When this point is well considered, the import- ance of drawing the legs well up will become manifest. Should any one stand and catch hold of a chair or a table, and draw one of his feet up, say, half a yard, and then kick, how feeble that kick would be. Should he, however, draw his foot up till it nearly touches his body, how powerful a kick can then be given ! The learner should, from the very first, continually keep this point in view. Too often a swimmer will be found whose stroke with his legs consists of a series of spasmodic jerks, probably four times quicker and with quite four times as much work as the powerful leg-stroke of a first-class performer. The beginner liaving practised moving his legs properly by catching hold of some object with his hands, he should next try a few strokes in which he uses his hands as well as his legs. Unfortunately he will here probably ex- perience a check. The moment he tries to move his hands he will find that his legs appear to refuse to obey his wishes. This is but natural. Let one sit on a chair, and try and move his right leg round one way and his right arm round the other. The difficulty of this will show the difficulty that the beginner in swim- ming feels in the water by making one movement with his legs and a difl'erent one with his arms. Patience and perseverance will, however, soon overcome this difficulty.'^ This advice of Captain Webb's is very sensible, and exactly touches the point of difficulty, namely, the independent, though nearly simultaneous, movement of legs and arms. Till that separate motion is PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS. 27 accomplished swimmer; but when once learned nothing seems easier or more than natural. He, how- ever, lays less stress than most swimmers on die pres- sure of the sole of the foot against the water. 1 am hardly prepared to disagree with so great a master* of the art, but I still retain my own opinion as to the value of the sole-force. Some clever writer (evidently not a practical swimer) has suggested that the beginner should imitate the motion of a frog. Can he? Let the clever writers who copy this instruction, try. They v/ill soon find that the action of the frog is not i^ossible, simply because their limbs and those of the reptile are differently formed I As already stated, a man when he swims spreads his legs wide apart, and then, in order to repeat the stroke, brings them close together : an altogether different method from that common to the frog. As you throw out your legs you naturally expel air from the lungs, and as you draw them up you take in air. By this means you keep the water from entering the mouth. It is not necessary, however, to say much on the management of the breath. The knowledge will come with practice, and cannot really be acquired in any other w^ay. In this, your First Essay, you will do little more than kick your legs and arms about, and perhaps make a stroke or two. In a few days, however, you will become bolder, and perhaps make three, four, or half- a-dozen strokes. Persevere, and you will succeed. A little assistance from a friend's hand occasionally, under the chin or the chest, will be useful perhaps ; but 28 SWIMMING. thoroughly accomplished no man can become an you will soon be able to dispense with it altogether. 1 have seen— as already observed— a floating plank or a rope from the bath-side, employed. Both are well adapted for timid beginners ; but, of all things, avoid the 2ise of corks or bladders. They may be very useful, certainly, on some occasions; but they are entirely useless in teaching a lad or a man to swim. SWIMMING. 29 CHAPTER V. PLAIN SWIMMING. Having acquired the theory and conquered the prac- tice of the swimming-stroke, you will naturally want to do more. But there is no royal road to success in this or in any other art. You must begin at the be- ginning, and go through all the necessary steps before you can hope to arrive at anything like passably ^'good form," much less excellence. You can make the stroke fairly well, let us say, and after a few days' or weeks^ practice be able to cross from side to side, or even from end to end, of the bath. Now, what a lad has first to learn is a strong steady stroke. This w^ill be best accomplished by means of the chest stroke. The swimmer throws himself upon the water and leans on it, as it were, with his chest, at the same time keeping his feet wide apart and as near the surface as he can without actually allowing them to be above water. The hands should be open, of course, but the fingers and thumb should all be close to each other so as to hold the water, much in the way the blade of the oar holds it in the act of rowing. Simi- larly to the feathering of the oar, the hands are tossed sideways, and so encounter the least possible resist- ance from the water. The whole body should be kept 30 SWIMMING. as flat and straight as possible, and the strokes taken without hurry or splash. Of course there are many who will never become swimmers, try as hard as they may. I have seen many a mature-looking individual hopping about with one leg at the bottom while making frantic movements with his arms, and never accomplishing a single stroke. Such people never get over the initial step, never r-JSITTON PREVIOUS TO STRIKING. thoroughly conquer the notion that the body will float, if only it is not prevented by the obstinacy or stupidity of the mind to which it belongs. Perhaps the easiest way of supporting the body in the water is to Jloaf, or to swivi^ on the hack. Easy, that is, after the method is once acquired. ''The water washing over my face," says a friend, describing the operation, '' somewhat frightened me at first; and I floundered about a good deal, waving my arms and filling my mouth with water. But I soon overcame my difficulty. Standing with my face to the bank, 1 drew up my legs, and placing them against it, pushed myself off into the stream, keeping my arms PLAIN SWIMMING. 31 close to my sides, as advised by some experts. The more common way, however, is to throw the arms be- hind the head, wide apart. Both plans are practised by swimmers. The position once gained, I found the slightest motion of the hands was sufficient to keep me afloat, and soon after that no exertion whatever was required. ^'It is easier to float in salt water than in fresh, but FLOATING. the beginner should keep his head to the billows so as to rise and fall with them, otherwise the water may wash in a disagreeable manner over the face, as it did over mine. In fresh water it is not so easy to float ; rather more exertion is required." In Swimming on the Back tlie position is the same as that in floating, except that the arms need not be stretched out. Keep the toes well turned out and the hands perfectly still and close to the sides, and you will 32 SWIMMING. find that you will not sink, though the water will come half over your face. There is another way of swimming on the back, namely, by moving the hands somewhat after the manner in which a fish uses its fins, — just slowly and regularly by the side of the body. A third method is by alternately raising and depressing the hands so as to form a sort of half circle. Swimming on the back is generally effected by the feet alone. The body is extended at full length on the water, with the hands close to the sides and the face SWIMMING ON THE BACK. just above the surface. The legs are to be drawn up and spread apart as in ordinary breast swdmming, but they must be kept well under, or the swimmer wull have a tendency to sink. Floating is not by any means difficult if you can lie on your back without struggling. Keep your body as straight as you can, your chest well up, your hands stretched back over your head, and the feet wide apart. Very little movement of the limbs will keep PLAIN SWIMMING. 33 the body on the top of the water, with just the face, the chest, and the tops ot the knees above. Being able to float a little and make a few strokes, you will by this time make the plunge without fear. Dr. Franklin's notice about diving and plunging DIVING. can hardly be followed till the swimmer is somewhat proficient. Begin with the simple plunges, and you will, by-and-by, be able to make the grand dive, or header, from almost any height you choose. The Plunge is a safe and effectual way of entering the water, though at first it is just a little starding. 3 34 SWIMMING. If, however, you bend too fonvard, you will probably turn a somersault. When you are m the water, straighten the limbs, and you will directly rise to the surface. A better style of entering the water is — The Dive. — This you take from the bank, or the diving-board, as a kind of flying jump, which the artist has better described with his pencil than I can with my pen (see page 33). Courage and presence of mind are the requisites for this feat. In diving, the arms should be extended in front, with the palms of the hands together. If the water be deep, the arms and hands must be kept in the same position until the required depth is reached. Then the hands should be turned in an upward direction, and the swimmer will rise instantly. When plunging, however, eth, Lambeth Baths. — Crawford, Lambeth Baths. dondon, City of London, J. G. Elliott, City of London Barbican. Baths. No7fh London, 'NoYih. 'London, J. Whittle, 4, South Street, Pentonville. Southampton Street, Penton- ville, W. Regent, King Street, Camden C. A. Challenger, 27, Lad- Town, broke Grove Road, Netting Hill, W. South-East London, Victoria Mr. Waters, Captain. Baths, Peckham. South London, Addington Sq. E. Cocksedge, 8, Boyson Road, Walworth. St. Pancras, King Street, H. Chetham, King Street Camden Town. Baths. Serpentine, Serpentine. J. Collard, 13, Cranbourne Street, W.C. Victoria Park, Victoria Park T. H. Prestage, 531, Hackney Lake. Road, E. West London, Endell Street, W. Gillett, Endell Street Baths. Bloomsbury. Zephyr, City Road Baths. N. W. Doble, City Road Baths E.G. Provincial Stviniming Clubs. Name of Club and Baths. Secretary's Name and Address. Brighton, the Sea, summer; H. Martin, jun., 153, North King's Road Baths, winter. Street, Brighton. Everton Association, Margaret J. Tennant, Margaret vStreet Street Bath, Everton. Bath, Everton, Liverpool. 62 SWIMMING. Frovhiczal Swimming Clubs — -contiimed. Name of Club and Baths, Secretary's Name and Address, Z^'^'^/j", Wellington Street Baths. N. Aspey, Wellington Street Baths, Leeds. Navcastle, Northumberland St., T. Benson, Northumberland Baths. Baths, Newcastle. Sheffield^ The Baths, J. Clarke, Sheffield Baths. A REAL FEAT OF SWIMMING. As a fitting ending to this part of our swimming . gossip I may give the following, from Cheever's Island World in the Pacific : " It was on the same track by which we have thus gained safely our island home that a swimming feat was performed a few years ago by a native woman in peril, which surpasses all other achievements of the kind on record. When about midway between the outmost points of Hawaai and Kahoolawe, or thirty miles from land on either side, a small island vessel, poorly managed and leaky (as they generally are), suddenly shifted cargo in a strong wind, plunged bows under, and went down, there being on board between thirty and forty persons, and a part of them in the cabin. This was just after dinner on Sunday. The natives who happened to be on deck were at once all together in the waves, with no means of escape but their skill in swimming. A man by the name of Mauae, who had conducted the Sabbath service with the people, now called them round him in the water, and implored help. Then, as a strong current was setting to the north, making it impossible for them to get to Hawaii, whither they were bound, they all made, in different ways, for Maui and Kahoolawe. ^^ The captain of the schooner, a foreigner, bein^ SWIMMING FEATS, CLUBS, ETC. 63 unable to swim, was put by his Hawaiian wife on an oar, and they two struck out together for the distant shore ; but on Monday morning, having survived the first night, the captain died ; and in the afternoon of the same day his wife landed on Kahoolawe. A floating hatchway from the wreck gave a chance for life to a strong young man and his brother ; but the latter perished before the daylight of Monday, while the elder reached the island in safety by eight or nine o'clock. A feeble boy, without any support, swam the same distance of nearly thirty miles, and arrived safe to land before any of the others. Mauae and his wife had each secured a covered bucket for a buoy, and three young men kept them company till evening; but all disappeared one after another during the night, either by exhaustion, or getting bewildered and turn- ing another way, or by becoming the prey of sharks. Monday morning the faithful pair were found alone ; and the wife's bucket coming to pieces, she swam without anything till the afternoon, when Mauae became too weak to go on. The wife stopped and lomilomied him (a kind of shampooing common here), so that he was able to sv/im again until Kahoolawe was in full view. Soon, however, Mauae grew so weary that he could not even hold to the bucket ; and his faithful wife, taking it from him, bade him cling to the long hair of her head, while she still hopefully held on, gradually nearing the shore. Her husband's hands, however, soon slipped from her hair — too weak to keep their hold ; and she tried in vain to rouse him to further effort. She endeavoured, accx)rd- ing to the native expression, to hoolana kona manao^ 'to make his hope swim,' to inspire him with con 64 SWIMMING. fidence by pointing to the land, and telling him to pray ; but he could only utter a few broken petitions. Putting his arms, therefore, around her own neck, she held them fast with one hand, and still swam vigorously with the other until near nightfall, when herself, and her now lifeless burden, were within a quarter of a mile from the shore. She had now to contend with the raging surf, and finding the body of her husband, which she had borne so long, stone-dead, she reluct- antly cast it off, and shortly after reached the land. " But there she was hardly better off than at sea, for long exposure to the brine had so blinded her eyes, that it was some time before she could see ; her strength was too much spent to travel, and the spot on which she landed was barren lava, on the opposite side of the island to any settlement. Food and water she must find, or die. Providentially she obtained the latter in a rain that had recently fallen, and that was standing for her in the cups of the rocks. Monday night, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday came and went without relief, while she crept on gradually as she could towards the inhabited part of the island. At last, on Friday morning, when her manaolana^ her swimming hope, that had held its head so long above the waves, was fast sinking with her failing strength, she discovered a water-melon vine in fruit. Eating one, *her eyes were enlightened,' like Jonathan's, by the honey ; soon after she was found by a party of fishermen, by them cared for and conducted to their village, and the next day transported by canoe to Lahaina, whence the foundered schooner had sailed just one week before." SWIMMING. 65 CHAPTER XIV. HOW TO SAVE LIFE. In the cause of humanity the good swimmer may prove himself a hero. One of the very first requisites for the swimmer who wishes to save his own Hfe or that of another is to know how to float j though, as you know, floating is by no means swimming. Remember that the water will support the body if only you place yourself in the proper position. Many persons are drowned by not attending to a few simple and easily acquired rules. Exertion in the water is not requisite to preserve the body from sinking ; all you have to do is to lie on your back and keep your face above the sicrface^ without attempting to imitate the action of the swimmer. Keep your hafids imder the zuater. As the weaves pass over you, take advantage of the interval to renew the air in your chest. Keep the lungs as full of air as possible. Now these rules, fully carried out, will at any rate prevent you from sinking. For you must recollect that the keeping the lungs full of air is as good as tying a bladder round your neck or placing corks behind your shoulders. Remember also that the act of raising your hands above the surface, and strug- gling about, causes you to sink, while, by keeping them below, you can float till succour arrives. The water in your ears will not hurt you, though it may causj 5 66 SWIMMING. a humming somid in your head. Nor is it necessary to close the eyes ; for the water will not hurt them, beyond, perhaps, a slight tingling sensation. Endeavour by all means to preserve your presence of mind, and do not give way to terror or fright. So much for your own safety. But in cases where it is necessary to save the life of a comrade or other person in danger of drowning, a different system must be pursued. The first and most important object is to bring your friend ashore. This is sometimes diffi- cult, as drowning persons are very apt to grasp at and cling to you. Shakespeare tells us that drowning men catch at straws. Therefore beware of that catch, as it is very dangerous, both to the drowning man and to the rescuer. When you reach the person in danger, go carefully behind him, without letting him cling to or hold you. Then support his head with your hand under his chin, or your elbow under his arm. BiU at all hazards bring hi?n asJiore as quickly as possible^ either above or below the water. Keep your man at arm's length, and if possible approach him from behind, so as to prevent him clutching or clinging to you. Then push him before you to shore. A very slight exertion will suffice to keep him from sinking. cases where the person is iiisensible^ any means of bringing him quickly ashore may be taken. Raise his head above the surface, and either push him before you, or support him with one arm while you swim with the other, or tread water, or swim on your back ; but, in any case, use despatch. While you display courage, beware of rashness. HOW TO SAVE LIFE. 67 RESTORATION OF THE APPARENTLY DROWNED. The following rules are those adopted by the Royal Humane Society, and largely circulated by means of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. They are admitted by all to be the best that can be adopted • — On bringing the lifeless body ashore, send for medi- cal assistance, blankets, and dry clothing; but proceed to treat the patient instantly on the spot, in the open air, with the face downwards, whether on shore or afloat ; exposing the face, neck, and chest to the wind, except in severe weather, and removing all tight clothing from the neck and chest, especially the braces. The points to be aimed at are, first and immediately the Restoration of Breathing ; and, secondly, after breathing is restored, the Promotion of Warmth AND Circulation. The efforts to restore breathing must be commenced immediately and energetically, and persevered in for one or two hours, or until a medical man has pro- nounced that life is extinct. Efforts to promote warmth and circulation, beyond removing the wet clothes and drying the skin, must not be made until the first appearance of natural breathing. For if circulation of the blood be induced before breathing has recommenced, the restoration to life will be endangered. Two methods are recommended — one by Dr. Mar- shall Hall, the other by Dr. Silvester. Dr. Hall's Method. To Restore Breathing. — First, you will need to clear 6g swiMminc. the throat. Place the patient on the floor or ground, with the face downward, and one of the arms under the forehead, in which position all fluids will more readily escape by the mouth, and the tongue itself will fall forward, leaving the entrance into the wind- pipe free. Assist this operation by wiping and cleans- ing the mouth. INSPIRATION — DR. HALL's METHOD. It satisfactory breathing commence, use the treat- ment described below to promote warmth. If there be slight breathing, or no breathing, or if the breath- ing fail, then, — To Excite Breathings turn the patient well and instantly on the side, supporting the head, and — Excite the nostrils with snufl", hartshorn, or smell- ing salts, or tickle the throat with a feather, &c., if they are at hand. Rub the chest and face warm, and dash cold water, or cold and hot water alternately, on them. If there be no success, lose not a moment, but instantly, — To Imitate Breathings replace the patient on the HOW TO SAVE LIFE. 69 face, raising and supporting the chest well on a folded coat or other article of dress. Turn the body very gently on the side and a little beyond, and then briskly on the face, back again ; repeating these measures cautiously, efficiently, and perseveringly about fifteen times in a minute, or once every four or five seconds, occasionally varying the side. By placing the patient on the chesty the zveight of the body forces the air out ; ivhen timied on the side this f)ress2ire is removed^ and air enters the chest. EXPIRATION — DR. HALL'S METHOD. On each occasion that the body is replaced on the face make uniform but efficient pressure, with brisk movement, on the back between and below the shoulder-blades or bones on each side, removing the pressure immediately before turning the body on the side. During the whole of the operations let one person attend solely to the movements of the head, and of the arm placed under it. The first measure increases the expiration^ the second co7nmences iiispiration. 70 SWIMMING. The result is respiration, or natural breathing ; and, if not too late, life. Whilst the above operations are being proceeded with, dry the hands and feet ; and as soon as dry clothing or blankets can be procured, strip the body, and cover or gradually reclothe it, but taking care not to interfere with the efforts to restore breath. ]D7\ Silvestei'^s Method. Should the measures adopted not prove successful in the course of from two to five minutes, then pro- INSPIRATION — DR. SILVESTER'S METHOD. ceed according to the following plan, which is that recommended by Dr. Silvester : — Place the patient on the back, on a flat surface, inclined a little upward from the feet ; raise and sup- port the head and shoulders on a small firm cushion, HOW TO SAVE LIFE, n or folded article of dress, placed under the shoulder- blades. Draw forward the patient's tongue, and keep it pro- jecting beyond the lips. An elastic band over the tongue and under the chin will answer this purpose, or a piece of string or tape may be tied round them ; or, by raising the lower jaw, the teeth may be made to retain the tongue in that position. Remove all tight clothing from about the neck and chest. EXPIRATION — DR. SILVESTER'S METHOD. To Imitaie the Movement of Breathi?ig, — Standing at the patient's head, grasp the arms just above the elbows, draw them gently and steadily upwards above the head, and keep them stretched upwards for two seconds. By this means air is drawn into the lungs. Then turn down the patienf s arms, and press them gently and firmly for two seconds against the sides 72 SWIMMING. of the chest. By this means air is pressed out of the In Jigs. Repeat these measures alternately, deliberately, and persevermgly, about fifteen times in a minute, until a 3pontaneous effort to respire is perceived, immediately upon which cease to imitate the movements of breath- ing, and proceed to induce circulation and warmth. TREATMENT AFTER NATURAL BREATHING HAS BEEN RESTORED. Commence rubbing the limbs upwards with firm grasping pressure and energy, using dry handkerchiefs, flannels, &c. By this ineans the blood is propelled along the veins towards the heart. The friction must be continued under the blanket or over the dry clothing. Promote the warmth of the body by the application of hot flannels, bottles or bladders of hot water, heated bricks, &c, to the pit of the stomach, the arm- pits, between the thighs, and to the soles of the feet. If the patient has been carried to a house after respiration has been restored, be careful to let the air play freely about the room. On the restoration of life, a teaspoonful of warm water should be given ; and then, if the power of swallowing has returned, small quantities of wine, warm brandy-and-water, or coffee, should be adminis- tered. The patient should be kept in bed, and a disposition to sleep encouraged. The above treatment should be persevered in for ome hours. It is an erroneous opinion that persons HOW TO SAVE LIFE. 73 are irrecoverable because life does not soon make its appearance, some having been restored after many hours' seeming lifelessness. Prevent unnecessary crowding of persons round the body, especially if in an apartment. Avoid rough usage, and do not allow the body to remain on the back unless the tongue is secured. Under no circumstance hold the body up by the feet. On no account place the body in a warm bath, un- less under medical direction, and even then it should only be employed as a momentary excitant. Appearances which generally accompany Death, — Breathing and the heart's action cease entirely ; the eyehds are geaerally half-closed, the pupils dilated, the jaws clenched, the fingers semi-contracted, the tongue approaches to the under edges of the lips, and these, as well as the nostrils, are covered with a frothy mucus. Coldness and pallor of surface increase. How many valuable lives have been saved by the timely assistance rendered by the strong swimmer ! How many a goodly vessel, with all her priceless freight of human hopes and happiness, her wealth of commerce^ and her power of might and civilisation, has settled down in sight of home, and broken up upon the hidden rocks, when the lives of the crew and passengers have been saved by the daring swim- mer, who, with nervous arm and fearless spirit, has carried the rope to land, and made a communication between ship and shore ! 74 SWIMMING. CHAPTER XV. CONCLUDING REMARKS. One great recommendation of Swimming is the clean- liness it enforces. Nothing so conduces to health as keeping open the pores of the skin. Swimming does this effectually. Cold water is an excellent tonic. The first plunge brings a grand reactionary feeling. The body is all in a glow, and a feeling of pleasure immediately succeeds. If you are cold in the water, and don't feel the glow, you may be sure that you are not in thoroughly good health, and therefore must not bathe, — at any rate, not for any length of time. Directly you feel a chill, come out, and give your- self a good rubbing with a rough towel. Sea-bathing is more stimulating than fresh water swimming ; but, whether in fresh or salt water, the exercise is a fine one. Don't be content to simply " swim a little." Beware of weeds and floating grass. Be careful in walking on shingle that you do not wound the feet. Look well for any signs of quicksand; and do not bathe on a strange shore without an attendant. Do not stay too long in the water, nor allow the hot sun to pour down on your unprotected back or head. Above all, do not imagine that when you have read my book you have done anything more than prepared yourself somewhat more effectually than usual to receive your first practical lesson from a competent swimming master. And now, Vale I SKATING: ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE. SKATING. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. IT would be very difficult, nay, impossible, to say who invented Skating. The art, if not quite as ancient as civilisation itself, is at any rate so old that the memory of man goeth not to the contrary. It seems certain, however, that whosoever invented it, Skating must have come from the North. The Greeks and the Romans knew nothing of the art, and equally ignorant must have been the Egyptians. We must go to the Scandinavian legends for our history ; and in an Icelandic JSdda of the eleventh or twelfth century we find mention of a certain Norwegian hero, cele- brated for his beauty, his valour, and his skates ; a man who could dispute the prize with any of the courtiers, and alike in love and skating came off victorious ! The etymology of the word distinctly points to its Northern origin : Swedish, skidor ; Ice- landic, skid; Dutch, schaat ; Anglo-Saxon, sceadda, whence scate, skate. We are told by Olaus Magnus that the Icelanders tied the shank bones of deer or sheep to their feet for 78 SKATING. skates. But of the positive history of Skating, little or nothing is known. Even the period of its introduc- tion into England is entirely guesswork. Traces of it are found in the documents of the earliest centuries of the Christian era ; and, according to Fitzstephen and other historians, it was a customary sport in the winter for young Englishmen in the reign of the First William. Later on we find mention of the London apprentices disporting themselves on the Thames with v/ooden skates and long poles to guide their faltering steps. Another states that they tied the leg-bones of certain birds and animals beneath the soles of their shoes, and then, taking a pole shod with iron, pushed themselves forward with the celerity of a bird flying through the air, or an arrow shot from a bow." And then he adds that occasionally two or more played a sort of tournament game upon the ice — meeting, elevating their poles, and striking against each other, so that seldom a bout of this kind came about with- out some bodily hurt; for ^^even after their fall they were carried by the force of the blow to some distance from each other;'' and "whatever part of the head came upon the ice was sure to be laid bare." It is probable that Skating as now practised was was first introduced into this country from Holland, or the Low Countries, as the Netherlands w^ere then called; for from the earliest times a considerable trade was carried on between the Dutch and English merchants. Of all our winter sports and pastimes not one is more invigorating, more healthy, and more popular than Skating. In the practice of it every muscle of INTRODUCTORY. 79 the human frame is brought into active play and strengthened ; the kmgs are inflated with the purest oxygen ; the brain is cleared of the accumulation of any quantity of mental cobwebs ; the blood warmed, and the spirits cheered by the keen enjoyment in a bracing, frosty atmosphere of this most exhilarating exercise. Owing to our climate it is not in England that Skat- ing has been brought into such general vogue as in countries where the winters are so much more severe. In Holland, for instance. Skating has arrived at a great state of perfection, men, women, and children being adepts in the art, the numerous canals affording free scope for its practice, and in winter serving as roads, on which the peasantry carry their provisions, gliding along at an almost incredible pace. Frozen canals may almost be considered a^ the highways for the Dutch of all classes. So SKATING. CHAPTER 11. THE GENERAL PLAN. In learning to Skate, the beginner should, before venturing upon the ice, be able to fasten on his skates with precision, care, and firmness. In Skating, confi- dence is everything, and to obtain this, in his first at- tempt he had better take the hand of some friend, or (if he must) provide himself with a short stick to pre- serve his equilibrium. Avoid throwing your arms about, only slightly elevating them with each alternate movement of the legs. In commencing what is termed the ordinary run, the left foot should be firmly placed with the inner edge of the skate upon the ice ; then throwing out the right with some little force, until its outer edge touches the ice, keeping the right shoulder forward, and the body balanced upon the right leg as long as convenient ; then perform the same manoeuvre with the left leg, and thus, alternately changing the feet, continue to advance. When desirous of stopping, the two feet should be brought together, and the impetus allowed to subside by degrees. If, however, circumstances render it necessary that the skater should halt abruptly, he should press the heels of the skates upon the ice, being careful at the same time that in so doing he does not overbalance himself, and fall backwards — a transition much more easy than agreeable. He may likewise, if he prefer it, bring his THE GENERAL PLAN. 8i career to a close by turning sharply to the right or left. This much having been attained, the skater will be- come bolder, and possess complete control over the balance of his body, and be enabled with practice to proceed to the attainment of those graceful feats which are performed with the skates; but we think he will sooner acquire facility in the art by imitating and taking advice from his more proficient companion than he possibly could by an explanation, however plain, on paper. As it is always easier to prevent mischief than to counteract its effects when done, never venture upon the ice without being well assured of its capability of bearing. If, however, you should happen to be de- ceived, and fall upon a piece of weak or rotten ice, and be unable to extricate yourself, the better plan is to crawl on all fours to a place where the ice is some- what firmer. Upon falling into a hole, throw your arms out on each side of you upon the surface, and so support yourself, if possible, by treading the water, until assistance can be procured. The whole theory is comprised in a single canon, and any one who will adhere to it steadily will be able to skate on the outside edge forwards and backwards in a fortnight. It is simply to begin by walking on the ice, crossing the feet at each step ; and they should practise it also who can only run forward on the inside edge, if they wish to become proficient. Walk any ten paces for- wards, crossing one foot behind the other at every pace. You will get a fall or two at first, but in a few 6 82 SKATING. lessons you will find you can do it without them, As soon as this is accomplished with moderate facility, still adhering to the crossing the feet, which is the whole secret, let the foot follow the skate, and you will find that you are, insensibly, as it were, rolling both backwards and forwards on the outside edge. It is a simple truth, and is a mechanical certainty that the leg once crossed, the skate on each foot can only rest on the outside edge, and the balance of the body in that position has been learned. A great writer has said, " Skates, which are wings on the ice, are fetters on the ground." He has also said, Learn to skate, and the ice will give you a graceful, sweet, and poetic motion.'' "Graceful, sweet, and poetic" — that is just what skating is to all who learn to do anything beyond the mere racing to and fro and playing "hockey'' on the ice, where the game is rather out of place. To boys who begin early, and have the advantage of a little practical advice and the oppor- tunity of seeing clever and good skaters, all the figures given are attainable at the cost of a few falls and a good deal of practice. The practical advice I here give. Skating is now so general that most of my readers may, during a frost, see 8's cut and 3's made .by the dozen. SKATING. S3 CHAPTER III. THE PRACTICE. To be a thorough proficient in the art of Skating, the first lessons should have been learned when young. On the other hand, no youth can skate so skilfully as one of maturer years, and a fair amount of dexterity may be acquired by any adult. The first gx^dX essential is pluck, and a good- tempered indifference to a few probable preliminary tumbles must be possessed by those who are desirous of excelling. The second is a pair of skates. And here a few words must be said about dress. The boot comes first. It should be unquestionably a ^' lace-up," with stout upper leathers, made for rather tight lacing, to form a good support for the ankles. The soles should not be too thick, and the heel not much thicker than the sole : for too high a heel throws the skater too much out of the perpendicular. It is also an ad- vantage to be fairly near the ice. As regards the rest of the costume, it should be as tight-fitting as will allow free play to the limbs, with no coat- tails flowing behind or impeding your movements. A stout suit with short jacket is the best and most graceful. Nothing of a hard nature, not even a latch-key, should be carried in any of the pockets ; and then a tumble cannot be very serious. 84 SKATING. I once witnessed a very melancholy accident owing to the neglect of this caution. A young man who was skating near had a tumble. As it was no uncommon sight on the ice, little attention was paid to him at first, but presently a crowd collected, and it was found that the poor fellow was dying. He carried in the pocket of a long-tailed coat the gimlet he used in putting on his skates ; and when he fell, it pene- trated the base of his spine. Riflemen can acquire much of their skill in shoot- ing without going out of their own parlours, and in like manner the skater may learn much of his art at home. Prepare yourself for the ice by occasionally walking about the floor in your skates, and you will get the knack of standing upright in them. Having thus acquired command over the ankles, we will now suppose the learner to be for the first time on the ice in skates. He finds his feet slipping from under him in all directions. When he brings up one, the other slides away ; when he attempts to reach a certain point, he finds himself, with body bent, his arms and legs anywhere, a sickly smile upon his face, turning completely round, and looking in an opposite direction. Like Mr. Winkle. Do not attempt too much at first. Kindly decHne all offers of assistance, whether from the arm of friends or the loan of a stick; bring the feet once more together, turn the toes outward, keep the heels apart, and the ankles stiff. Try and stand up without slip- ping, and gently lift one foot, and very gently place it down again. In doing this the body must be well bent forward, — the bending forward gives the pro- THE practice:. 8s pelling force to the stroke. Perhaps, in setting the foot down you will be rather surprised at the impetus you have acquired. Now bring the other foot up, lift it, and place it down as gently as before. At this stage you may have your first tumble. It will not be so sudden but that you will know when it is going to occur. Make no frantic efforts to avoid it, but quietly fall forward on your hands and knees. The falling of a learner, owing to the slowness of his motion, may be made as harmless as the wilful falling on a lawn. When he has ceased to be a novice, he wdll have learned other modes of avoiding tumbles. Make a point of practising the left foot as much as the right. The best skates, and the only ones that are worth using, have steel welded to the iron, about the eighth of an inch deep, and extending the whole length of the iron. This steel casing should be so hard that it cannot be filed at all ; the edges should be sharp, and the surfaces quite square. The iron should be so shaped that not more than three or four inches wdll touch the ice ; the highest part should come just under the hollow of the foot. If the steel present a perfectly horizontal surface, so that the whole length from the heel to where it begins to turn up at the toe will touch the ice, it increases considerably the labour of striking, and is very disagreeable for figure-skating, while it really adds nothing to the safety of the skater, which is a plea sometimes made in favour of this description of skate. The best makers now, however, never so fashion the irons. At the heel end the iron should — for learners — be sharp, so that by digging it into the ice a skater can soon bring himself to a standstill. It is 86 SKATING. advantageous for the back strolves, when pronciency has been attamed, to have the heels rounded off as much as the toes. Some skate-makers make the toes in fantastic shapes, but these are all objectionable — worse, ia fact, than the old hook, which was appa- rently designed for the express purpose of catching in any bit of stick frozen into the ice, and throwing the skater down. The best form is the lightest w^alnut- shaped toe. The wood should be durable, but as light as may be. Short, sharp spikes should be placed in that part which will touch the sole of the boot. A good screw at the heel should always be found in skates. It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of all that relates to securing the skates. Nothing is more im- pleasant than loose and ''shifty" skates. In old- fashioned ones the metals used to terminate at the point where the screw w^as fixed. Every skater ought to be, and doubtless is, thankful to the London Skating Club for teaching skate-makers the simple plan now adopted of bridging over the screw and continuing the iron to the end of the heel. I should strongly re- commend my reader, in buying a pair, to see that they are so made. The skate is thus screwed "home." I always bore and tap the holes in my heels, taking care to have a small-enough gimlet, at home, so that I have only to clear aw^ay the snow or dirt when I reach the ice. This plan is advisable for many reasons. A single strap is quite sufficient, and if the spikes are pressed well into the sole the strap will not need drawing so unpleasantly tight, as, in their zeal to make skates fast, THE PRACTICE. 87 skaters sometimes draw them, cramping their feet. Heel straps are not necessary, and are discarded as clumsy appendages. A single long strap should be passed through the hole nearest the heel, the buckle being kept to the inside of the foot. The strap is then carried over the instep, passed through the skate again, and crossed over the foot to the buckle, to which it should be fastened at the side of the boot. Care should be taken to secure the over- length of strap. If it get under the iron on the ice, a fall is generally the result. By this simple method skates are rapidly and securely adjusted. Nothing is more disagreeable than having to spend a long time in inaction on the banks ; for the cold not only makes you uncomfortable, but, by destroying the free action of the blood, makes your first essay rather awk- ward. Another method of strapping the skate is that of having two short straps, one buckling over the in- step, the other over the toe ; but this is not so good as the simple plan just described. Sticks are very objectionable in skaters' hands, and are of very little or no use ; certainly, they are none at all to the learner. It has been said that the first arts to be acquired in skates are those of tumbling and getting up again. My personal experience, and that of the friends I have taught, bids me pronounce this all nonsense in the case of courageous boys. Middle- aged men and timid lads do fall about at first; but with the latter the falls are not violent, and the former ought to have learned earlier. Having put on your skates, go with a tolerable boldness on to the ice, and keep your feet close to- 88 SKATING. gether, being careful to lean forward ; if you do not, a fall will be inevitable, and you will go down on your back. I do not mean by a tolerable boldness anything like an attempt to rush along ; but this you will not be likely to try. Select a part of the pond or water on which you are Skating that you can have to yourself. Never be afraid that a .skater who is coming towards you, unless he is skating backwards, in which case you must get out of his way, is going to knock you down. He will not do anything of the kind, and in your hurry you are sure, as I have seen scores of people do, to fall down, and probably when he is close upon you and cannot avoid falling over your prostrate body. The black ice is harder than the rather rough white, and consequently not so favourable for a learner. The bottom of the skate is about a quarter of an inch broad, but this surface is only flat on the ice in sliding. It is on the edge that all the movements in Skating are performed. The inside edge is in a Hne with the great toe of each foot ; the outside with the little toe ; and the evolutions called the inside " and outside," refer to the edge of the skate on which it was made. Left inside forwards means a for- ward stroke made by the left foot on the inside edge, or cutting part of the skate. To learn to strike, lean slightly forward, throw the weight of your body on to the right foot, and push the left gently forward and outward, removing your weight to the foot making the stroke, and keeping the other as close as convenient, but allowing it to follow THE PRACTICE. 89 in a natural course. If the edge of the breadtli of the iron of the skate on the right foot scrapes at the ice, turn the toe inward ; if you do not, your legs will get wider and wider apart, till you fall. Repeat the stroke of the left foot some half-dozen times, putting rather more force upon each stroke. This will carry you, supposing the shore to have been one yard distant from your right foot when you started, about half-a-dozen yards out towards the middle of the pooh Then strike out with the right foot. Do not attempt to lift it from the ice at first, but simply push it out- wards, leaning slightly forward, and leaving the left foot to play the part which the right did originally. Six strokes of the same force as you took on the left foot will bring you back to the same position with regard to the bank as that from which you started? except that you will have come about eight or nine yards along. Repeat this kind of stroke for an hour. If you fall at all, it will be but lightly. In rising again, plant your feet near to each other. As you progress in these strokes, the method of Straightforward Skating will suggest itself. Control over the actions of the legs will come, you will feel the skate ''bite" the ice, and your good sense will prompt you to make an alternate stroke, now to the right, now to the left, the toe of each skate turning outward, but one stroke equalising the other, so that your progression is straight. Directly such an impulse comes, obey it. Strike freely, with as much boldness as you need; continue to lean forward; endeavour to lift your feet, each one in its turn, a little way off the ice, as you make the stroke, and, above all, try 90 SKATING. to Strike, however great or small the force used may be, equally on each foot. A very pleasurable motion will ensue ; and when you have learned to do this, you will have mastered the First Principle of Skating. Practise it steadily, increasing the power, not the rapidity, of the strokes, and throwing the weight of your body more and more on to the foot with which you are striking. This will add to its power, and produce a more rapid m.otion. Turning round is the easiest possible matter to any one who can Skate at all, but it is very difficult during the first hour or two spent on the ice. However, the only thing to do is to make the best of your oppor- tunities, and walk round until you have become suf- ficiently master of the strokes to cease to strike; and while the motion resulting from these continues, lean your body as much as possible to the side on which you wish to turn, when you will find yourself carried round. This is only a provisional method, many better ones offering themselves to more proficient skaters, but totally impracticable during the first stage. I recommend as much practice as possible, and as continuous as circumstances permit. Until you can Skate tolerably fast, striking out clearly with each foot, with precisely the same force on each one, and with the same time between each stroke, I should recom- mend you not to attempt anything else. I seldom go on any ice where there are many skaters but my eyes are offended by the sight of many who knock about a great deal, and all the while do not know how to Skate straightforward even decently. Either they make a stroke from the right foot and dab the left own without striking it i at all, or vice versa, or there THE PRACTICE. 91 is a glaring inequality in their stroke, or something of that kind. It is absurd to suppose such men will ever become good skaters, unless they go back and begin at the very beginning again; but, probably, they would be highly indignant if I told them so. Be careful you do not fall into their error, and to this end watch and take pattern of good skaters whenever you see them. In taking a stroke, the knee is bent as in walking, but it must be straightened the instant the skate reaches the ice and the balance is gained. In acquir- ing the power of walking in skates on the ice, it will be found that the novice has an impulse which prompts him to slide along forwards on the flat of both skates, as in common sliding. This is the next step, and should be encouraged, and the slide con- tinued as long as the learner has power to prolong it. During this sUding the feet are parallel ; but now let the toes be turned out, and with the left foot make a push on the inside edge of the skate. Keep the right foot just behind, both heels close together, the point of the hinder foot being turned slightly down, and not farther from the ice than is necessary just to clear it. Keep this up till you come to a standstill. Another result may be represented by the following diagram. DIAGRAM I. In all the diagrams that follow, the skater is assumed to be travelling from a to b. 92 SKATING. At the instant of making a stroke the whole weight of the body should be thrown on the skate ; the same also in making a turn or change; and the zvill should be likewise thrown into the required direction. Just as the left is ceasing to move, and it is abso- lutely necessary to use the other foot, bring the right from behind, and make a stroke again on the inside edge, lifting at the same time the left and trailing it behind as the right was just now. DIAGRAM II. Now we arrive at Inside Forwards. The feet being turned outwards, and the fore part of the left foot pressed into the ice, make a stroke with the right, throwing the body well forward into it. This gives a start which should be taken up by the right foot with a sliding action on the inside edge of the skate. Endeavour to balance the right foot en- tirely on it for a short time and distance, and then III.— INSIDE FORWARDS. bring up the left, which has been kept behind, in front, and strike again with the right, taking up the sliding motion with the left; and so on, balancing yourself in alternate strokes. Diagram iii. THE PRACTICE. 93 As soon as you feel you can progress in this manner with ease and confidence, try how long you can remain on either foot, and how far you can travel before placing the other down, bearing well on the inside edge of the skate, and keeping to as accurate a circular journey as possible. This is a capital balancing exer- cise, and should be practised on both feet till a com- plete circle on either one can be managed, as in Diagram iv., i and 3. DIAGRAM IV. — THE CIRCLE. When a circle on either foot can be accomplished, perform one with the right, and just as it is completed another with the left, and the result will be the first and easiest of the numerous 8's made in skating. In order to acquire confidence you should practise for speed by vigorous strokes, increasing the number of yards' interval between them. When you think you have gained sufficient velocity, finish out with the largest spiral you are capable of making on one foot only, keeping the other off the ice till its conclusion, which will gradually bring you to the centre, to a state of rest, and to a perfectly upright position. When travelling at full speed, should you want to stop your- self to avoid a hole or escape a collision, if your skates have square heels it is simply a matter of 94 SKATING. elevating the toes, and the sharp heels are imbedded in the ice ; but if the heels are rounded, stopping is accomplished by placing either foot at right angles before the other. Do it with confidence and you will be successful. To turn on both feet, which is very necessary to enable you to practise the backward movements, you should take a few strokes with each foot, and slide forward on both skates. Then in the act of sliding forward, by a sudden half-turn, either to the left or right, reverse the skates and the position of the body, pressing for a second or two on the toes, that the heels may be cleared of the ice ; you will then find yourself proceeding with the feet backwards till the impetus, which was gained by the forward motion, is exhausted. When you accomplish this, and are sliding back on both skates, turn the left slightly in, press the ice with the inside edge, and take up the sliding on the right alone, and continue it on as large a curve as you can make. Then put down the left and give a bold stroke from the inside of the right, which must be slightly turned, as in Diagram v. V. — INSIDE BACKWARDS. After a certain amount of practice you should be able to make two alternate circles, which will form the second of the 8's, the same as in Diagram iv. 2, only backwards. We now come to Oictside-Edge — the novice's am- THE PRACTICE. 95 bition and the proficient's first victory. Having gained, by numerous vigorous strokes, a good impetus, let both feet run parallel together. By leaning on one side or the other — say to the right — the outside edge of the right skate will be pressed upon, and the inside of the left. By pressing more and more upon the right and easing the left, you will be enabled presently to Hft up the left, and to travel for a little distance on the outside edge of the right, popping down the left the instant you require to steady yourself When you can do this, strike with each foot alternately on the outside edge, and the result will be, with the right foot Diagram i., with the left foot Diagram ii. By bolder striking and dwelling longer on each stroke, you will be able to describe by alternate circles the third 8, as in Diagram vi. VI. — THE FIGURE EIGHT. Oiitside-Backwards may be acquired from the direc- tions given for inside-backwards and outside-forwards. When you are sliding backwards press your whole weight on the outside edge of either skate, and gradu- ally lift up the other. With practice and nerve it will soon be picked up, and the fourth 8 will be acquired. Remember, in forward-skating the toe, in backward the heel, of the skate is to be pressed upon. The 96 SKATING. Cross, outside-forwards or backwards, is to be accom- plished by crossing the legs in the act of making a stroke ; of course, it takes place on the outside-edge. For forwards, while travelling slowly swing the right gently forward in front of the left, placing it down suitably to the curve to be described. Do it gently and unambitiously, and it will soon be picked up, and the completion of the circle on the alternate feet will form the fifth 8. The Cross- Backwards must be learned by the or- dinary outside-backwards of the left foot. Swing the right gently round the back, and cross the left, place it down, and make the stroke from the outside of the left ; travel on the outside-backwards of the right, and place it down in its turn. By sticking to it the curves will gradually get bigger, and the two alternate circles v/ill form another 8. The Roll^ generally so much admired by spectators, is taking an alternate outside stroke, and dwelling on either foot till a half-circle is completed. It is called the Roll on account of the marked inclination of the body, first to one side and then the other. See the following diagram. VII. — THE ROLL. In Serpentine Forwards^ the feet must be placed parallel. Without lifting either from the ice, turn both in the same direction, and giving the body with them, THE PRACTICE. 97 first to the right, then to the left, and so on; the skater progressing in a wavy line, as in Diagram viii. VIII. — THE SERPENTINE. For a beginner, a stroke or two is necessary for a start ; but by-and-by it will be found that a sufficient impetus can be gained without it. To acquire a good style, carefully notice and imitate good skaters. Should you ever be in danger through the probable breaking of the ice, lie flat down and stretch out the arms and legs so as to cover as large a surface as possible. If, neglecting these instructions, you never learn to Skate, do not, like Mr. Winkle, pretend that you are rather good at it; and when you have your skates on, and expectant friends are standing round, do not account for your failure as he did, by exclaiming, " Sam ! Sam ! the ice is very slippery ! " With a pleasant method of Skating, easy to learn, I may conclude my instructions. It is very useful and graceful. Ladies who Skate well always make use of it It is Skating Forwaj^d without any visible striking, and is done by an ingenious twist of the body, which 7 98 SKATING. throws the weight, now to the right, now to the left, the toes being turned simultaneously. By this means an easy winding progression, alike pleasant to execute and behold, is obtained. A well-practised skater will go at great speed in this way. Skating backwards is only a reversion of it, and for this reason it is very desirable to practise it. It is best learned by ceasing to strike, bringing the feet near to each other, and try- ing to keep up motion indefinitely. The speed attained at the time you cease to strike gives you an opportu- nity of getting into the knack, for it is one ; but, of course, the object is to start off at once in this way, and, by making the edges bite" the ice sharply, glide serpent-wise and easily along. The only reason why there are not more good skaters to be seen on every sheet of ice is, that many do not learn while they are young, and too many attempt fine Skating before they have mastered the plain strokes. Beware that you do not fall into a similar error. To avoid this, practise Plain Skating till you are thoroughly at home on the ice. Of all forms of out-door exercise Skating is, perhaps, the most wholesome and invigorating, as it is beyond all question the most graceful. Within the last twenty- five years it has become more popular than ever ; so popular, indeed, that its devotees have taken to prac- tise it in the height of summer, upon cunningly- wheeled sandals, which glide, with all the speed and deftness of Mercury's falaria, over an artificial rink of the smoothest asphalte. The old-fashioned iron, square at heel and with the prow curling up like the beak of a mediaeval galley, has been long discarded. THE PRACTICE. 99 The modern skate blade is rounded off at each end, and by its aid the accompUshed skater can go forward or backward at will, and execute perfect marvels of tracery upon the frozen surface. Some thirty years ago the only Skating in general use was the plain " inside edge," still practised in the Fen districts, and by which, in the course of a mile or tw^o, a really mar- vellous speed can be attained by a pov/erful man running upon keen blades over strong holding ice- But of late years we have not been above taking a lesson from our Canadian cousins, and Skating has practically become one of the fine arts ; while the pre- judice which forbade ladies from joining in the grace- ful and invigorating exercise is numbered with bygone superstitions. Quadrilles and cotillons are now prac- tised as vigorously upon the frozen lake as upon the pohshed floor of a ball-room. It is a pity, not only that there should be so few opportunities of enjoying so delightful a pastime, but also that its exercise, except under most favourable circumstances, should be attended by a certain amount of danger. At Oxford the winter season invariably floods the low- lying meadow land; and when a frost comes, the skater can cut his way for mile after mile over fine clear ice, with at most a couple of feet of water under him. But in London — and indeed, almost everywhere out of the Fen districts — the skater's only chance is upon rivers and canals, or upon large and deep sheets of water, such as the Serpentine, the water in Victoria Park, and the lake at the Crystal Palace. A river, or, indeed, any piece of water with a current in it, is dan- loo SKATING. gerous, the set of the stream tending to suck under the surface any one who falls through, and so to render re- covery difficult. But, apart altogether from this especial source of risk, it needs a very keen frost, and one that lasts for several days, to freeze a large expanse of water with sufficient firmness to bear the weight of two or three people in the same spot. In Hyde Park, during an early frost, a cordon of policemen are stationed round the Serpentine, with strict orders to take into immediate custody any person who, in defiance of regulations, might venture upon the ice. The precaution is a judicious one, no doubt. But if every available sheet of water is to be girt by a string of constables, the resources of Scotland Yard would be taxed beyond all b©unds. We have to take our ice as we can get it, and be thankful ; and, when we consider how very few days of good, old-fashioned frost come round with each winter, the only wonder is that Skating accidents should be so rare. None the less they are of sufficiently frequent occurrence to make it desirable that, in case of sudden emergency, a skater should have his wits about him and know what to do. The one golden rule is, we take it, that it is worse than folly for a man to attempt to pull his com- panion out of a hole in the ice, unless he has some- thing in the shape of raft or rope. On the other hand^ it is astonishing how small a raft or how weak a rope^ is sufficient to save life. A stout hope-pole, or even a bean-prop, will make, for a man who cannot swim, all the difference between floating and sinking ; and a thread that will hold a kite in a strong wind is enough to drag a man out of the water. When, then, a skater THE PRACTICE. lOI is luckless enough to break through, the first thing to be done is to rush off for ropes or cords to throw to him, and for anything in the way of " hencoop or spar by which he can be kept afloat till the rope comes. With a good coil of stout, but not clumsily thick cord, and a couple of barrels, or better still, a ladder at each quarter of a mile, any sheet of water is practically safe. 102 SKATING. CHAPTER IV. THE RESULTS. In the foregoing we have all that can be actually taught on paper. Having once acquired the ability of standing in the skates and making some sort of pro- gress, and having become thoroughly acquainted with the reasons for certain movements on the ice, all the rest is to be acquired by practice — and by practice alone. No man ever became a skater by reading. He must carry theory into practice j but there is no reason in the world why he should begin his practice without some knowledge of the theory of the art. Hence the value of competent instruction. From a story, by an American writer, called ^' The Silver Skates," I may here miake an extract, descriptive of the art as practised in Holland : — The skating season had commenced unusually early. The afternoon was so fine that men, women, and children, bent upon enjoying the holiday, had flocked to the grand canal from far and near. Saint Nicholas had evidently remembered the favourite pastime ; shining new skates were everywhere to be seen. Whole families were skimming their way to Haarlem, or Leyden, or the neighbouring villages. " The ice seemed fairly alive. We noticed the erect, easy carriage of the women, and their picturesque THE RESULTS. variety of costume. There were the latest fashions, fresh from Paris, floating past dingy moth-eaten gar- ments that had seen service through two generations ; coalscuttle bonnets perched over freckled faces, bright with holiday smiles ; stiff muslin caps, with wings at the sides, flapping beside cheeks rosy with health and contentment; furs, too, encircling the whitest of throats ; and scanty garments fluttering below faces ruddy with exercise ; in short, every quaint and comical mixture of costume that Holland could furnish seemed sent to enliven the scene. There were belles from Ley den, and fish-wives from the border villages; cheese-women from Gouda, and prim matrons from beautiful country seats on the Haarlemmer Meer. Grey headed skaters were con- stantly to be seen ; wrinkled old women, with baskets upon their heads ; and plump little toddlers on skates, clutching at their mothers' gowns. Some women carried their babes upon their backs, firmly secured with a bright shawl. The effect was pretty and grace- ful as they darted by, or sailed slowly past, now nodding to an acquaintance, now chirruping, and throwing soft baby-talk to the mufiled Httle ones they carried. Boys and girls were chasing each other, and hiding behind the one-horse sleds, that, loaded high with peat or timber, pursued their cautious way along the track marked out as ^ safe. ' Beautiful women were there, enjoyment sparkling in their quiet eyes. Sometimes a long file of young men, each grasping the coat of the one before him, flew by with electric speed ; and sometimes the ice 104 SKATING. creaked under the chair of some gorgeous old dowager, or rich burgomaster's lady, who, very red in the nose and very sharp in the eyes, looked like a scare-thaw invented by old Father Winter for the protection of his skating grounds. The chair would be heavy with footstoves and cushions, to say nothing of the old lady. Mounted upon shining runners it slid along, pushed by the sleepiest of servants, who, looking neither to the right nor the left, bent himself to his task, while she cast direful glances upon the screaming little urchins who invariably acted as body-guard. As for the men, they were pictures of placid enjoy- ment. Some were attired in ordinary citizen's dress ; but many looked odd enough, with their short woollen coats, wide breeches, and big silver buckles. These seemed like little boys who had, by a miracle, sprung suddenly into manhood, and were forced to wear garments that their astonished mothers had altered in a hurry. Nearly all the men had pipes, as they passed us, whizzing and smoking like so many chimneys', the whole scene recaUing the lines of Thomson in his ' Ode to Winter,'— * Where the Rhine, Branched out in many a long canal, extends, From every province swarming, void of care, Batavia rushes forth ; and as they sweep On sounding skates a thousand different ways In circling poise, swift as the winds along The thin gay land is maddened all to joy.' " Snow, says my old friend the late John Wormald, is more endurable when there is ice strong enough for Skating. " To tell the honest truth, skating is not a THE RESULTS. sport at which the English excel. To be a good skater, a man should be unconsciously graceful, and sensitively alive to the rhythm of motion ; in other words, those who could abandon themselves to dancing without thinking of their attitudes would certainly skate well. All civilised people are more or less afflicted with self- consciousness ; but the fault is doubled in the Enghsh- man; he is conscious of his self-consciousness. Frenchmen and puppy dogs — we intend the highest piaise by this juxtaposition — are unconscious that they are conscious. Again, few EngHshmen can dance. Our lower orders, who — as any old ballad or song might show — were once a dancing race, have almost forgotten the art. It therefore follows that English- men, with rare exceptions, cannot skate. Of all people in the world we fancy that the Canadian French are the best skaters ; but even the square-built Dutch V7VWS skate better than slim and pretty English girls. For perfect skating it is essential that every movement of the body and limbs should be undulatory or rolling, and the British tendency is towards angles. The first aim of everybody who wishes to learn how to skate elegantly, should be to drop altogether the ^ striking out ' method. Nobody can be said to have mastered the elements of graceful skating who cannot do the outside edge backwards and forwards. There are, however, many ways of doing the outside edge, and we have seen people whose movements, though they considered themselves artists in figure cutting, w^ere likely to convey an idea that the First Book of Euclid had accidentally got mixed with the Third. English gentlemen are awkward enough, but the ordinary io6 SKATING. Englishman on skates is perhaps the most ungainly object under the sun. We shall never see good skat- ing universal till we have found some means of restoring our peasant population to innocence, gaiety, and gracefulness. Apart from all questions of agri- cultural unions and wages, we shall never do this as long as we permit our rivers to be polluted, our skies blackened, and our vegetation stunted by unnecessary smoke. It may seem a ' far cry ^ from the J>ose of a skater to the pollution of rivers ; but we firmly believe this bit of reasoning to be strictly consecutive, and demonstrably true.'^ SLIDING. WHEN a man has attained his majority, snow- balling begins to lose its zest, Cicero has not mentioned snow-balling amongst the pleasures of a green old age. It is true that Nestor himself would laugh, and even Dr. Kenealy might smile, at the sight of a lump of h elf-melted snow neatly planted between the ear and shirt-collar of an inoffensive pass- enger ; but, granting that such a jest is a perennial joy for every time of life, the middle-aged man cannot afford to risk his respectabihty on a remote chance, and is apt to reflect that aims are uncertain, and that his own neck may be the mark. And when snow- balling is outgrown, what is there left to do with snow ? Why, make slides with it for the boys I It is somewhat absurd to say anything about teach- ing a lad to Slide. Every boy knows how to do it without teaching. He takes a long run, increasing his speed as he goes, and slips steadily forward on the slide. He keeps his heels together as closely as he can, and gets safely to the end of the slide ; making, perhaps, what is called a postman's knock on his way. He learns to balance himself nicely as he goes, and really gets exercise and enjoyment in a simple manly fashion. If Sliding is good for boys, why not for men? io8 SLIDING. Depend upon it, there is real philosophy in Sliding ; and who shall say that these few lines may not induce some sturdy young fellows, who don't happen to possess skates, to practise the art, and improve it ? RINKING AND SLEIGHING. • RINKING. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTORY. SKATING ON WHEELS is by no means a new invention. Roller Skates were indeed used as long back as the year 1818, when they were invented, or introduced, in Paris, we are informed, by one Monsieur Petibled. For a while they were popular, and people were seen rolling along the smooth flagstones of the boulevards and the paths of public parks ; but the roller- skate was an awkward sort of thing, which needed frequent repair ; and so the rage declined in France almost as rapidly as it had risen. It was revived, however, a few years afterwards in England, by one Tyers, a Covent Garden fruiterer, who improved upon the plan, and made the little metal wheels of the skates roll more smoothly than before. A still further improvement was effected by Garcin, a Frenchman; and about the year 1846 Dumas and his wife made roller-skating the chief attrac- tion of a Porte St. Martin ballet. In 1849 appeared Meyerbeer's opera, ^^The Prophet," in the third act of which there is a skating scene. In this scene the roller- skate was so successfully adopted as to give the in- 112 RINKING. vention quite a new life. In the Baker Street Bazaar and at the Colosseum they set up rooms for summer skating; and in various parts of London and Paris the invention was much patronised. All these skates, however, had one great defect. The little rollers being set on a tire without provision for movement with the play of the foot, it was very hard work to skate with them ; and hence their practice was soon abandoned. In 1859 Mr. Woodward made a roller-skate of a better kind, with two centre wheels larger than the rest, and with india-rubber tires fixed to the wheels. It was on a pair of these that Jackson Haines, the American Champion Skater, went through his re- markable performances; but it was not till 1863 that the present form of roller-skates came into vogue. It is not necessary to relate the several steps by which the Plimpton Skate established itself; nor to describe how, after a while, Rinks and Rinking came into fashion, especially in England and America. The first public Rink opened in England was, in 1874, at the Corn Exchange, Brighton. From that time to this the art of Rinking has so prospered that every watering-place and important town has its public Rink. The Plimpton Skate, the subject of many an action at law, is thus described by its inventor : — " My inven- tion consists in constructing a skate so that the transverse rocking of the skater's foot will cause the rollers or runners to cramp or change their horizontal position, so as to run the skate straight, or in curves to the right and left, and at the same time the rollers INTRODUCTORY. or runners remain with their full bearing upon the floor or ice, to whatever degree they may be swung obHquely, while turning curves; thus enabling the skater to steer or guide the skate as desired, and to incline the body from the centre of gravity while turning curves." A subsequent improvement provided an "india-rubber buffer to regulate the convergence of the wheels, and capable of being tightened or loosened, when necessary, by means of a screw." The term Rink seems to have been universally adopted for the smooth surface on which roller-skating is practised. It is applied in Scotland to the pieces of ice on which is played the national game of Curling, and also to the wide fields or moors used for Golf; and probably comes directly from the Anglo- Saxon rinnan^ to run. Skating Rinks have been almost as various in style and pattern as the roller skates which run upon them. They have been, and are, made of various materials — asphalte, cement, marble, slate, wood, and real ice. The latter was introduced with some success by Mr. Gamgee in 1876; but it is generally admitted that asphalte and marble are best adapted for rollers. 8 114 RINKING. CHAPTER IL SKATING UPON ROLLERS — RINKING. Now it would appear that Rinking was precisely the same as Skating — that the inside edge, the outside edge, the Cross Roll, Dutch Roll, and the rest of them, were as applicable to the one as to the other. This, however, is not quite the case. First of all, the amateur has to acquire the proper balance of the body ; and, next, the proper swing of the legs. Re- member that, instead of standing on a steel edge, as on the ice-skate, you are upon four rollers, with a tendency always to go forward on the slightest move- ment of the body. The real secret is to acquire thorough command over this movement, and to pro- gress in any direction you choose. For the first essay the novice will do well to obtain the assistance of a friend. Soon, however, he will get sufficient confidence to run alone ; and in half-a-dozen lessons he will probably be able to make threes and eights without difficulty. Once being able to stand upright and firmly on the rollers, all the rest will come with practice. In most Rinks there is an instructor ; but, really, after the first essay, all the lessons given for Skating will apply, with certain reservations, to Rinking. The knees must be kept well forward and over the toes, as upon the position of them depends that of the body generally. The hands and arms act SKATING UPON ROLLERS — RINKING. II5 as guides and balances; generally, however, they should be kept at the sides. The head must be well set up, and inclined rather to the front than to the back. Be careful not to widen the stride too much, but let one foot follow closely upon the other; straight forward first, as curves show your progress in the art. Do not carry a stick. Do not exert your- self too much in your early trials. Never look at your feet, but keep the eyes open and your hands free, ready for any emergency. Inside and outside edge do not really exist — cer- tainly not to any extent — upon rollers, as they do upon skates ; but the swing to the right or the left will have a similar effect, even though you stand square upon the rollers. By this swing you obtain the impetus ; and, whether forward or backward, attention must be paid to the balance. Several are the movements common to the roller- skate. Mr. Anderson, a very fine rinker, gives the following direction for the cross-roll, a very pleasant means of skating : — Let the amateur, by means of common skating, attempt to move round in a circle. At first the circle may be of any dimensions ; as he improved, he can reduce it. As he lifts each foot for the succeeding stroke he is to cross in front one over the other, and set it down, then the other in front of that, and so on alternately, always dwelling as long as he can on whichever foot is nearest the inside of the circle, because that foot is working on the outside edge, and as briefly as possible on the other, which works on the inside edge. The foot that is behind must be kept behind whilst it to be set down. Then ii6 RINKING. it is to be brought forward, and the instant it is in front, down with it. Not for an instant must it be carried in the air in front. The Cross roll differs from the Dutch roll, inasmuch as the one leg is set down across and beyond the other, and •the push-off is direct from the outside. The Cross roll, though some- what difficult to learn, is a capital means of practice.'' Mr. Harwood, a practical roller-skater of the best school, says : — " It is by the combination of the four movements — backwards, forwards, inwards, and out- wards — that all the figures are rolled on the Rink. There now only remains the mode of turning. To turn on ice is easy enough : you simply twist round on the centre of the blade. To turn on rollers is a little more difficult. It is accomplished by a slight lift of the toe or heel, raising the fore or hind wheels and turning on the others." Without this lift it is impossible to turn on wheels. It is not necessary to further enlarge on the prac- tice, for the simple reason that it cannot be taught on paper, but must be acquired on the Rink itself I will not, therefore, say more about threes, and eights, and serpentine rolls. They must be learned on the skates themselves. I would, however, advise the novice to be patient and persevering, and not to despair if he finds himself progressing but slowly. Let it not be thought that roller-skating, whether the Rink be asphalte, slate, marble, or floor-cloth, is like ice-skating ; for it is not. Let it not be supposed that threes, and eights, and serpentine rolls, and spread eagles are to be made on wheels and blades by SKATING UPON ROLLERS — RINKING. tlj precisely the same methods ; for they are not. But that they are to be accomplished is quite certain ; though a dozen different styles will probably be adopted by a dozen different persons. The more you get accustomed to wheel-skating the more you will like it. Don't be afraid of a few falls. They don't hurt you if you prepare for them directly you feel them to be inevitable. Go down as gently as you can; and after a few falls, in a few weeks' practice, you will find roller-skating an admirable aid to exercise and a really delightful amusement. Il8 RINKING. CHAPTER III. SKATING RINKS. Rinks are now to be found at all the principal watering-places — at Brighton, Hastings, Scarboro/ Blackpool, Swansea, Ramsgate, Margate, Deal, Dover, and the rest ; at Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Derby, Canterbury, and other principal towns ; and also in Edinburgh and Dublin. In fact, Rinking, as an amusement, has become very popular, especially now that, the first fever having exhausted itself, rinkers experience less inconvenience from crowds and bad rinkers. London is well supplied with Rinks ; though at one time there seemed some danger of its being over- supplied. Capital Rinks exist at the Crystal and Alexandra palaces, at Bayswater, Brixton, Chelsea, Camberwell, Dalston, Greenwich, Hackney, Highbury, Islington, Kennington, Kensington, Kew, Mordake, Putney, Richmond, Shoreditch, Stratford, Vauxhall, and Wimbledon, with, perhaps, many others. Of them all, however, the most exclusive is that at Prince's, Hans Place, Chelsea. There congregate the rank and fashion of the metro- p olis ; and there the intelligent foreigner may moralise upon the folly of London upon Wheels. SLEIGHING. SLEIGHING, AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS ON THE ICE. THE winter in Canada, and those parts of the United States north of New York, lasts a much longer time than it does with us and is much more severe. The snow stands in the fields several feet deep, and all nature is clothed in a garment of white. In those districts where the railway is yet unknown, there is considerable difficulty in passing from place to place. The roads are obliterated, and the way from place to place is only found by the landmarks formed by the trees and the houses, with here and there a steeple peeping out about the dreary waste. In the towns few people are seen about, and it is not till a pretty hard frost has set in that the surface of the snow is hard enough to bear the passage of the Sleigh. Then, indeed, the scene is oftentimes a gay one. Out come the ladies and gentlemen, the girls in their ga}est costumes, their cavaliers in fur coats and jaunty hats, and away they go, over the hard, crisp snow, the horses prancing, the bells on their harness ringing merrily, and the bright moonlight shining over all ! But when the snow is too soft and yielding to carry the sleigh, a difi'erent mode of travelling is adopted. Then ladies and gentlemen put on their snow-shoes, 122 SLEIGHING. and, well wrapped up, pass over the whitened fields with ease and safety. These snow-shoes, copied from a device of the In- dians, are admirably adapted for this purpose. They are made of cane, with cords crossed from side to side, and look like exaggerated battledores. With these securely fastened to their feet, people can travel over the soft snow without fear of sinking ; and where the surface is a little frozen, they can skate along with ease and comfort. This kind of snow-skating is common enough in Canada, the United States, and also in the northern parts of Russia, where the snow sometimes falls very deep. The winter in Canada sets in early, and it is not unusual for deep falls of snow to render the roads and fields impassable even before the last autumn crops of apples and strawberries are quite gathered in. A friend v/rites us from a town about thirty miles from Quebec : — ■ We are having a cold wintry snap, the like of which is not remembered before so early as the last week in October. That venerable individual, the oldest inhabitant, after severely taxing his memory, does not recollect the like either. Snow fell two feet deep yesterday, and it has been trying to snow several times since. For several nights the frost has been quite sharp, making ice an inch thick on still water. We shall doubtless have good weather before winter in earnest sets in, but there are many symptoms of an early winter, and plenty of snow, and then will come the fun of sleighing and snow-shoe walking, of which I SLEIGHING. 123 have as yet had no experience, but which, from all accounts, must be exceedingly jolly." In Canada, Russia, Holland, and some parts of Sweden, it is the custom of the peasantry to travel for miles along the frozen rivers on skates and in sledges j and, as we have seen, across the country in snow- shoes. The wearing of these shoes might not be un- profitably introduced in England, and it only would want a good old-fashioned winter to make them popular. In crossing the soft, spongy bogs and morasses in Ireland, especially in moist springs and wet winters, some such contrivances are necessary for preventing the venturesome from sinking ; but nothing so thoroughly practical as the Canadian snow-shoes has been invented — a piece of fiat wood fixed to each foot being most generally in use by the peasantry for that purpose. In passing over thin or cracked ice, too, such shoes would be found exceedingly useful. Pos- sibly some of our ingenious friends may adopt, and improve upon, the idea. In Canada and the United States much art is occa- sionally displayed in the construction of the Sleigh, though when the snow fairly covers the earth anything that will travel on its hardened surface will do — a chair upon rockers, a box with sliders or runners, a regular carriage, with shafts for the trotting-horse and long iron sliders instead of wheels. Of late years Sleighing, especially in Scotland and the northern counties ot England, has come greatly into vogue. There is little, however, to tell of the mode or practice 124 SLEIGHING. of the pleasant recreation. The Sleigh may be pushed from behind by an active runner, or drawn from the front by a strong hardy pony or cob. When used on the ice it may carry a lady or two, and be propelled by a gallant skater. Any way, sleighing is a delightful sport. A home-made Sleigh may soon be contrived out of a couple of strong poles for runners, with a raised seat or largish box lashed over them. In the Arctic Expe- dition Sledges of hide and rope were used, and dogs, in the old Lapland fashion, dragged them over the frozen ground. All over British America Christmas is a season of joyous fun and recreation. Mr. White, a Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, gives a vivid account of the outdoor sports of the Canadians, in his interesting volume, Sketches from America." From it we make a few appropriate selections : — " Of the richer classes of Canada it is well known that a set of people more capable of enjoying them- selves does not exist. Yet few mere tourists have a chance of seeing them at their gayest. When the cold is most keen and the wind cuts like a knife — when the great Canadian river is turned into a mass of joined icebergs, and is no longer an easy highway from the lakes to the ocean — when the Grand Trunk Railway, that other highway of Canada, is blocked with snow, and its trains are breaking down with even more than their average regularity — when to try to SLEIGHING. 125 reach Canada means to be stuck half way, to be run into a snowdrift, to be bumped about, to be frozen and starved — if not to be coUided with, to have rails breaking under you, to be rolled down an embank- ment, and roasted alive at its foot — still to be, in divers ways, horribly tortured — when, in fact, nobody with the least self-respect will try to pass over to them, then Canadians make merry — then American freedom from social restraints, joined to English bodily hardi- hood and vigour, see what they can both do together to beguile the situation. In every large town the temple of jollity is the skating-rink. In summer this building looks merely an immense wooden shed, very dreary and uninviting. But in winter it is floored wdth smooth ice, and its walls are hung with flags and otherwise cunningly decorated, and it is brilliantly lit up at night and filled with gay company. " Besides skating and an extraordinary amount of dancing, the sleigh and ^ toboggin ' play a great part in the amusements of a Canadian winter. Boston is called the head-quarters of sleighing for the whole of the continent ; but, though the equipages may not be in such throngs, or so grand, anyv/here in Canada as on the famed ^Brighton Road' of Bostonians on a keen and clear winter afternoon, still sleighing in Canada is not only the chief means of locomotion for half of the year, but the foremost among occasions for sociability, the most successful of match-makers, the most characteristic amusement of the country. Nothing in a Canadian winter can roll upon w^heels ; everything glides upon runners, to the music of tinkhng bells." 126 SLEIGHING. What a Toboggin^' is must be explained. A Toboggin," says a late work upon Canada, by a Canadian, " is a light Indian sleigh, made of very thin wood, curled over in front, and used chiefly by pleasure parties in sliding down hill-sides covered with crusted but lightly packed snow.'' Sleighing of this sort is well known to be fashionable in Russia ; but in the Union, ^'Toboggining" is not recognised among the amusements of adults, except in parts of the north-eastern States (as, for instance. New Hampshire), quite close to the boundary of Canada. An amusement somewhat similar, however, is much cultivated on steeply-inclined streets in the towns of the northern States by little boys, — that, prone on trucks, with head up-propped, I.azy and curious, stare irreverent " at you, as they shoot past, nearly knocking you down, and rapidly sliding away on their small sleighs over the snow. To these youths the sport is known by the name of coasting ; " and as their little trucks in general hold only one boy apiece, it may be pre- sumed that swiftness of motion, and not sociability, is the charm of the pastime. In Canada a Toboggin is made to hold at least two persons, and as in the practice of the sport these two persons are usually of different sexes, some light is thus thrown upon the great esteem in which it is held by Canadians. The sitter in the back seat of the Toboggin steers with his hand. Any want of care or skill on his part is pretty sure to lead to an upset. However, as the sleigh is light, and the selected snow-bank probably not very SLEIGHING. 127 hard, such upsets are only occasions for more merri- ment, and sometimes do good service by calling forth the talent of some clever caricaturist. The cones of ice and snow which, fed by the constant spray-showers, grow up at the foot of the Falls of Montmorenci, make a famous Toboggin ground for Quebec. The larger of these cones sometimes becomes nearly a hun- dred feet high ; but there is a smaller, which all except the venturesome, prefer for toboggining. After they have toiled up the top, they entrust themselves to their miniature sleigh, and slide down at full speed, gaining a velocity which sometimes carries them, it is said, half a mile or more over the level ice surrounding the cone. Of the social effects of such a national pastime it is almost needless to speak. What could be more likely to break through formality, to make the acquaintance between two persons ripen into the most genial sympathy, than their facing in common the toils and the dangers of the Toboggin — the headlong rush downwards with its giddy excitement, the frequent upset and precipitation of both voyagers together down into the snow? When brought under this treatment, it is said that the shyest and most intractable young men have been known to turn matrimonial within a week. The Canadians are much more at home on the sleigh than the United States people. In fact, they are fonder of outdoor sports than our American Cousins, perhaps from the nearer relationship to the Old Country. As they ride rapidly along the surface of the frozen snow, the bells tinkle and the quiet of 128 SLEIGHING. the moonlit night is awakened by a sleigh song, some- thing perhaps like this : — Once more does Old Winter drive Summer away ; Once more the red Autumn must yield to his sway ; With chill icy fingers he wields his white wand, And Nature confesses him King of the Land. Then hurrah for Old Winter, glorious and grand ! Though his touch may be cold, he is King of the Land ! The King of the Land ! the King of the Land ! * ' The springs and the broolcs, that ran merry before, Now ice-bound and frozen can ripple no more. But, though Old Father Winter is bitter and cold, He shows us new charms while he buries the old.] Then hurrah for Old Winter, &c. "Then, Jolly Old Christmas, we'll not call him stern, But hail every season as best in its turn. Approaching, we'll hasten brave Winter to greet ; Departing, we'll trust that again we may meet. 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Containing the Memoir by Talfourd, with Notes and Illustrations, embodying the most recent information on the subject. In Six Volumes, cloth, price 42^. This edition contai?is a large member of Unpublished Letters, which have been placed at the disposal of the Editor, as %vell as many hitherto uncollected. It also comprises many writings of Lamb, in the shape of Criticisms, Essays y and Poetical Pieces^ not hitherto identified. Charles Lamb's Elia and Eliana. With Portraits. In One Vol. fcap. Svo, cloth, price 2j. 6d. London: WARD, LOCK ^ CO,, Salisbury S^are, EX. ILLUSTRATED POETICAL WORKS, " TJu power of English Literature is in its Foets** MOXON'S POPULAR POETS. Edited, with Critical Memoirs, by William Michael Rossetti. With Eight Illustrations Each. The press and the puhliCy alike in Great Britain and her Colonies, and in the United States, unite in their testimony to the immense superiority of Messrs. Moxon's Popular Poets over any other similar collections published by any other house. Their possession of the Copyright works of Coleridge, Hood, Keats, Shelley^ Wordsworth, and other great naiiojtal poets, places this series above -rivalry. 1. Byron's Poetical Works. 2. Longfellow's Poetical Works. Wordsworth's Poetical Works. Scott's Poetical Works. Shelley's Poetical Works. Moore's Poetical Works. Hood's Poetical Works. 8. Keats' Poetical Works. 9. Coleridge's Poetical Works. 10. Burns' Poetical Works. 11. Tupper's Proverbial Philosophy. The Four Series complete for the first time in One Vol., with Por- trait. 12. Milton's Poetical Works. 13. Campbell's Poetical Works. 14. Pope's Poetical Works. 15. Cowper's Poetical Works, 16. Humorous Poems. 17. American Poems. 18. Mrs. Hemans' Poetical Works. 19. Thomson's Poetical Works. 20. Miscellaneous Poems. [/« the Press, 21. Hood's Poetical Works. Second Series. 22. Whittier's Poetical Works. [_7ust added. 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The cofnpiete and continuing success of " Moxon's Poets" in the Popular Three and Sixpenny Series^ has induced the publishers to iss^ie a Library Edition, Printed on good paper, bound half-Roxburghe, or cloth gilt, gilt edges^ and con- taining Memoir by Rossetti, and Eight Illustrations, price 55. each. Tfie following can he had— Byron, Longfellow, Scott, Shelley, Hood, Keats, Burns, TuppER, Milton, Campbell, Cowper, Humorous, American, Hemans, Thomson. London: WARD, LOCK CO,, Salisbury Square, E,C. POETICAL WORKS. THOMAS HOOD'S WORKS. THE COMPLETE EDITION, The Complete Works of Thomas Hood. In lo Vols. Con- taining all the Writings of the Author of the "Song of the Shirt "(** Hood's Own" First and Second Series included). With all the Original Cuts by Cruikshank, Leech, Hood, &c. In lo Vols., cloth, price 50^. ; half-calf half- morocco, price 70^. Complete Edition of Hood's Poetical Works in Two Volumes. 1. Hood's Serious Poems. 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The design of this work is to provide a Consecutive History of Palestine, from the time of Abraham to that of the final Destrjictiojt of jferusalem tmder Titus. It also fumiisheSy in immediate association with the events recorded^ a Topographical Description of the Land. BUNYAN'S PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, from this World to that which is to Come. With a Memoir of the Author by H. W. Dulcken, Ph.D. With 100 page and othe^r Illustrations by Thomas Dalziel, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel. Presentation Edition, on thick toned paper, 4to, cloth gilt, gilt edges, price xos. 6d.; crown 8vo, cloth gilt, gilt edges, 3^. 6^/.; cloth gilt, 2^. 6d. Cheap Edition, cloth gilt, i^. 6d.; wrapper, is. This volume is full of chaste and beautiftd Engravings^ contains the entire texty is printed in clear type, and is elegantly bound. THE PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID; or, Three Years in the Holy City. Relating the Scenes in the Life of Jesus of Nazareth. ' By Rev. J. H. Ingraham. 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