Left to himself, seeing his brothers and sisters die around him, expecting soon to follow them, the boy grew up stern, hardy, and self-reliant.

He was by no means a bookworm.

He had learned to ride in the best mode, by falling off, and had acquired a passion for fishing which lasted as long as his life.

There were few better yachtsmen in England than Froude, and he could manage a boat as well as any sailor in his native county.

His religious education, as he always said himself, was thoroughly wholesome and sound, consisting of morality and the Bible.