As soon
as I arrived, therefore, I put on my yachting cap (white, with a
gold anchor embroidered in front), hired a boat and a small boy, and
directed him to row me immediately to one of the lightships. I spent
at least two hours on the river in company with that boy--a very
impudent little fellow,--but owing no doubt to his stupidity, I
failed to find a single vessel which could be fairly described as a
lightship. Finally the boy said they had all been sunk in yesterday's
great storm, and with that inadequate explanation I was forced to
content myself. But there is a mystery about this. Please explain it.
Secondly, I see placards and advertisements all over the place
announcing that "the Stewards Stand." Now this fairly beats me. Why
should the stewards stand? They are presumably men of a certain age,
some of them must be of a certain corpulence, and it seems to me
a refinement of cruelty that these faithful officials, of whom, I
believe, the respected Mayor of Henley is one, should be compelled
to refrain from seats during the whole of the Regatta. It may be
necessary for them to set an example of true British endurance to the
crowds who attend the Regatta, but in that case surely they ought to
be paid for the performance of their duties.
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