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82   Life and Letters of Francis Galton

throw-back in his school work. Writing before the attack to his father on February 2, 1835, for his foils, he appears fairly cheerful

"I am very happy here, and we have everything almost we could wish. We do an immense deal of work but nevertheless I should like to fence as we should have quite 3 quarters of an hour to ourselves after fencing for an hour on half-holidays. All this week there have been only two boys. caned and none flogged they are in such capital order, but the rules are pretty strickt [sic!] and the Doctor does not allow us to make a mistake in our Grammar."

But this tone of commendation very soon ceased. Of the rest of this year we have no further records in letters, but we know that the summer vacation was spent at Castle House, Aberystwith-the second visit to that place ; that the mode was shooting-in which sea-gulls and water wagtails met their fate. Here too Dr Jeune was invited to come for a few days' change-not wholly to the satisfaction of Francisand the family learnt how a very clever man may be ignorant of everyday customs

One day in July the family was alarmed by hearing that a mad bull had got loose and was tearing round the town. He had tossed a small man onto the top of a fish-stall.

"We all went out in front of our house, which was enclosed and so quite safe, to watch. Just under our wall was a flight of six or eight steps, and some children were seated on them. The bull rushed by, clearing the whole steps, children and all, without hurting them, and rushed towards the sea, the men following him with pitchforks only made him worse, and he darted into the sea and swain away. The butcher not wishing to lose him got a boat and rowed after him. The poor beast thoroughly tired, allowed them to put a rope round him and tow him back, when he dropped down on the sands unable to stir. The butcher went to get something to put an end to him, when, on his return, the bull jumped up and charged him. Away scampered the man and it was some time before the bull was caught, I think he was shot at last for no one dared go near him. Francis drew a caricature of `All the Taffies put to flight by one John Bull,' and showed it to our Welsh cook, who was very angry with him. She had offended him by throwing away some rooks he had shot, instead of making them into a rook-pie, so he had taken this means of punishing her" (Mrs Wheler's Reminiscences, p. 192).

Returning home Darwin drove Francis back in a "dogcart outrigger." Thee servants went by coach, which was overturned at Bewdley


' Francis went to Aberystwith in May-probably to recuperate-and we find him on May 20, 30 and June 1 sending with brief letters to Dr Jeune long translations from Cicero, Greek exercises, translations of the Medea, Latin verses, etc., and asking the Doctor to forward his Donnegan, Ainsworth, and Lempriere. Clearly the terrible Doctor and his classical torments followed him into his Welsh holiday!


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