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diff --git a/7415-h/7415-h.htm b/7415-h/7415-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7b14fc8 --- /dev/null +++ b/7415-h/7415-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,10604 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<HTML> +<HEAD> +<TITLE>The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Shepherd's Life, by W. H. Hudson</TITLE> +<META HTTP-EQUIV="content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> +</HEAD> +<BODY> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Shepherd's Life, by W. H. Hudson + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most +other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of +the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at +www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have +to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. + +Title: A Shepherd's Life + +Author: W. H. Hudson + +Posting Date: February 12, 2015 [EBook #7415] +Release Date: February, 2005 +First Posted: April 26, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SHEPHERD'S LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by Eric Eldred, David Garcia, Charles Franks, and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + +</pre> + + + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><br> + <br> + + <h1> + A SHEPHERD'S LIFE + </h1> + <h2> + IMPRESSIONS OF THE SOUTH WILTSHIRE DOWNS + </h2> + <center> + <b>BY W. H. HUDSON</b> + </center> + <p> + + </p> + + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + NOTE + </h2> + <p> + I an obliged to Messrs. Longmans, Green, & Co. for + permission to make use of an article entitled "A Shepherd of + the Downs," which appeared in the October and November + numbers of <i>Longmans' Magazine</i> in 1902. With the + exception of that article, portions of which I have + incorporated in different chapters, the whole of the matter + contained in this work now appears for the first time. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CONTENTS + </h2> + <p> + Chapter. + </p> + <p> + I. <a href= + "#ch01">SALISBURY PLAIN</a> + </p> + <p> + II. <a href="#ch02">SALISBURY + AS I SEE IT</a> + </p> + <p> + III. <a href="#ch03">WINTERBOURNE + BISHOP</a> + </p> + <p> + IV. <a href="#ch04">A SHEPHERD + OF THE DOWNS</a> + </p> + <p> + V. <a href="#ch05">EARLY + MEMORIES</a> + </p> + <p> + VI. <a href="#ch06">SHEPHERD + ISAAC BAWCOMBE</a> + </p> + <p> + VII. <a href="#ch07">THE + DEER-STEALERS</a> + </p> + <p> + VIII. <a href="#ch08">SHEPHERDS AND + POACHING</a> + </p> + <p> + IX. <a href="#ch09">THE + SHEPHERD ON FOXES</a> + </p> + <p> + X. <a href="#ch10">BIRD + LIFE ON THE DOWNS</a> + </p> + <p> + XI. <a href="#ch11">STARLINGS + AND SHEEP-BELLS</a> + </p> + <p> + XII. <a href="#ch12">THE SHEPHERD + AND THE BIBLE</a> + </p> + <p> + XIII. <a href="#ch13">VALE OF THE + WYLYE</a> + </p> + <p> + XIV. <a href="#ch14">A SHEEP-DOG'S + LIFE</a> + </p> + <p> + XV. <a href="#ch15">THE + ELLERBYS OF DOVETON</a> + </p> + <p> + XVI. <a href="#ch16">OLD WILTSHIRE + DAYS</a> + </p> + <p> + XVII. <a href="#ch17">OLD WILTSHIRE DAYS + (<i>continued</i>)</a> + </p> + <p> + XVIII. <a href="#ch18">THE SHEPHERD'S RETURN</a> + </p> + <p> + XIX. <a href="#ch19">THE DARK PEOPLE + OF THE VILLAGE</a> + </p> + <p> + XX. <a href="#ch20">SOME + SHEEP-DOGS</a> + </p> + <p> + XXI. <a href="#ch21">THE SHEPHERD AS + NATURALIST</a> + </p> + <p> + XXII. <a href="#ch22">THE MASTER OF THE + VILLAGE</a> + </p> + <p> + XXIII. <a href="#ch23">ISAAC'S CHILDREN</a> + </p> + <p> + XXIV. <a href="#ch24">LIVING IN THE + PAST</a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h1> + A SHEPHERD'S LIFE + </h1><a name="ch01"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <h3> + SALISBURY PLAIN + </h3> + <blockquote> + Introductory remarks—Wiltshire little favoured by + tourists—Aspect of the downs—Bad + weather—Desolate aspect—The + bird-scarer—Fascination of the downs—The larger + Salisbury Plain—Effect of the military + occupation—A century's changes—Birds—Old + Wiltshire sheep—Sheep-horns in a well—Changes + wrought by cultivation—Rabbit-warrens on the + downs—Barrows obliterated by the plough and by rabbits + </blockquote> + <p> + Wiltshire looks large on the map of England, a great green + county, yet it never appears to be a favourite one to those + who go on rambles in the land. At all events I am unable to + bring to mind an instance of a lover of Wiltshire who was not + a native or a resident, or had not been to Marlborough and + loved the country on account of early associations. Nor can I + regard myself as an exception, since, owing to a certain kind + of adaptiveness in me, a sense of being at home wherever + grass grows, I am in a way a native too. Again, listen to any + half-dozen of your friends discussing the places they have + visited, or intend visiting, comparing notes about the + counties, towns, churches, castles, scenery—all that + draws them and satisfies their nature, and the chances are + that they will not even mention Wiltshire. They all know it + "in a way"; they have seen Salisbury Cathedral and + Stonehenge, which everybody must go to look at once in his + life; and they have also viewed the country from the windows + of a railroad carriage as they passed through on their flight + to Bath and to Wales with its mountains, and to the west + country, which many of us love best of all—Somerset, + Devon, and Cornwall. For there is nothing striking in + Wiltshire, at all events to those who love nature first; nor + mountains, nor sea, nor anything to compare with the places + they are hastening to, west or north. The downs! Yes, the + downs are there, full in sight of your window, in their + flowing forms resembling vast, pale green waves, wave beyond + wave, "in fluctuation fixed"; a fine country to walk on in + fine weather for all those who regard the mere exercise of + walking as sufficient pleasure. But to those who wish for + something more, these downs may be neglected, since, if downs + are wanted, there is the higher, nobler Sussex range within + an hour of London. There are others on whom the naked aspect + of the downs has a repelling effect. Like Gilpin they love + not an undecorated earth; and false and ridiculous as + Gilpin's taste may seem to me and to all those who love the + chalk, which "spoils everything" as Gilpin said, he certainly + expresses a feeling common to those who are unaccustomed to + the emptiness and silence of these great spaces. + </p> + <p> + As to walking on the downs, one remembers that the fine days + are not so many, even in the season when they are looked + for—they have certainly been few during this wet and + discomfortable one of 1909. It is indeed only on the chalk + hills that I ever feel disposed to quarrel with this English + climate, for all weathers are good to those who love the open + air, and have their special attractions. What a pleasure it + is to be out in rough weather in October when the equinoctial + gales are on, "the wind Euroclydon," to listen to its roaring + in the bending trees, to watch the dead leaves flying, the + pestilence-stricken multitudes, yellow and black and red, + whirled away in flight on flight before the volleying blast, + and to hear and see and feel the tempests of rain, the big + silver-grey drops that smite you like hail! And what pleasure + too, in the still grey November weather, the time of suspense + and melancholy before winter, a strange quietude, like a + sense of apprehension in nature! And so on through the + revolving year, in all places in all weathers, there is + pleasure in the open air, except on these chalk hills because + of their bleak nakedness. There the wind and driving rain are + not for but against you, and may overcome you with misery. + One feels their loneliness, monotony, and desolation on many + days, sometimes even when it is not wet, and I here recall an + amusing encounter with a bird-scarer during one of these + dreary spells. + </p> + <p> + It was in March, bitterly cold, with an east wind which had + been blowing many days, and overhead the sky was of a hard, + steely grey. I was cycling along the valley of the Ebble, and + finally leaving it pushed up a long steep slope and set off + over the high plain by a dusty road with the wind hard + against me. A more desolate scene than the one before me it + would be hard to imagine, for the land was all ploughed and + stretched away before me, an endless succession of vast grey + fields, divided by wire fences. On all that space there was + but one living thing in sight, a human form, a boy, far away + on the left side, standing in the middle of a big field with + something which looked like a gun in his hand. Immediately + after I saw him he, too, appeared to have caught sight of me, + for turning he set off running as fast as he could over the + ploughed ground towards the road, as if intending to speak to + me. The distance he would have to run was about a quarter of + a mile and I doubted that he would be there in time to catch + me, but he ran fast and the wind was against me, and he + arrived at the road just as I got to that point. There by the + side of the fence he stood, panting from his race, his + handsome face glowing with colour, a boy about twelve or + thirteen, with a fine strong figure, remarkably well dressed + for a bird-scarer. For that was what he was, and he carried a + queer, heavy-looking old gun. I got off my wheel and waited + for him to speak, but he was silent, and continued regarding + me with the smiling countenance of one well pleased with + himself. "Well?" I said, but there was no answer; he only + kept on smiling. + </p> + <p> + "What did you want?" I demanded impatiently. + </p> + <p> + "I didn't want anything." + </p> + <p> + "But you started running here as fast as you could the moment + you caught sight of me." + </p> + <p> + "Yes, I did." + </p> + <p> + "Well, what did you do it for—what was your object in + running here?" + </p> + <p> + "Just to see you pass," he answered. + </p> + <p> + It was a little ridiculous and vexed me at first, but by and + by when I left him, after some more conversation, I felt + rather pleased; for it was a new and somewhat flattering + experience to have any person run a long distance over a + ploughed field, burdened with a heavy gun, "just to see me + pass." + </p> + <p> + But it was not strange in the circumstances; his hours in + that grey, windy desolation must have seemed like days, and + it was a break in the monotony, a little joyful excitement in + getting to the road in time to see a passer-by more closely, + and for a few moments gave him a sense of human + companionship. I began even to feel a little sorry for him, + alone there in his high, dreary world, but presently thought + he was better off and better employed than most of his + fellows poring over miserable books in school, and I wished + we had a more rational system of education for the + agricultural districts, one which would not keep the children + shut up in a room during all the best hours of the day, when + to be out of doors, seeing, hearing, and doing, would fit + them so much better for the life-work before them. Squeers' + method was a wiser one. We think less of it than of the + delightful caricature, which makes Squeers "a joy for ever," + as Mr. Lang has said of Pecksniff. But Dickens was a + Londoner, and incapable of looking at this or any other + question from any other than the Londoner's standpoint. Can + you have a better system for the children of all England than + this one which will turn out the most perfect draper's + assistant in Oxford Street, or, to go higher, the most + efficient Mr. Guppy in a solicitor's office? It is true that + we have Nature's unconscious intelligence against us; that by + and by, when at the age of fourteen the boy is finally + released, she will set to work to undo the wrong by + discharging from his mind its accumulations of useless + knowledge as soon as he begins the work of life. But what a + waste of time and energy and money! One can only hope that + the slow intellect of the country will wake to this question + some day, that the countryman will say to the townsman, Go on + making your laws and systems of education for your own + children, who will live as you do indoors; while I shall + devise a different one for mine, one which will give them + hard muscles and teach them to raise the mutton and pork and + cultivate the potatoes and cabbages on which we all feed. + </p> + <p> + To return to the downs. Their very emptiness and desolation, + which frightens the stranger from them, only serves to make + them more fascinating to those who are intimate with and have + learned to love them. That dreary aspect brings to mind the + other one, when, on waking with the early sunlight in the + room, you look out on a blue sky, cloudless or with white + clouds. It may be fancy, or the effect of contrast, but it + has always seemed to me that just as the air is purer and + fresher on these chalk heights than on the earth below, and + as the water is of a more crystal purity, and the sky perhaps + bluer, so do all colours and all sounds have a purity and + vividness and intensity beyond that of other places. I see it + in the yellows of hawkweed, rock-rose, and + birds'-foot-trefoil, in the innumerable specks of brilliant + colour—blue and white and rose—of milk-wort and + squinancy-wort, and in the large flowers of the dwarf + thistle, glowing purple in its green setting; and I hear it + in every bird-sound, in the trivial songs of yellow-hammer + and corn-bunting, and of dunnock and wren and whitethroat. + </p> + <p> + The pleasure of walking on the downs is not, however, a + subject which concerns me now; it is one I have written about + in a former work, "Nature in Downland," descriptive of the + South Downs. The theme of the present work is the life, human + and other, of the South Wiltshire Downs, or of Salisbury + Plain. It is the part of Wiltshire which has most attracted + me. Most persons would say that the Marlborough Downs are + greater, more like the great Sussex range as it appears from + the Weald: but chance brought me farther south, and the + character and life of the village people when I came to know + them made this appear the best place to be in. + </p> + <p> + The Plain itself is not a precisely denned area, and may be + made to include as much or little as will suit the writer's + purpose. If you want a continuous plain, with no dividing + valley cutting through it, you must place it between the Avon + and Wylye Rivers, a distance about fifteen miles broad and as + many long, with the village of Tilshead in its centure; or, + if you don't mind the valleys, you can say it extends from + Downton and Tollard Royal south of Salisbury to the Pewsey + vale in the north, and from the Hampshire border on the east + side to Dorset and Somerset on the west, about twenty-five to + thirty miles each way. My own range is over this larger + Salisbury Plain, which includes the River Ebble, or Ebele, + with its numerous interesting villages, from Odstock and + Combe Bisset, near Salisbury and "the Chalks," to pretty + Alvediston near the Dorset line, and all those in the Nadder + valley, and westward to White Sheet Hill above Mere. You can + picture this high chalk country as an open hand, the left + hand, with Salisbury in the hollow of the palm, placed + nearest the wrist, and the five valleys which cut through it + as the five spread fingers, from the Bourne (the little + finger) succeeded by Avon, Wylye, and Nadder, to the Ebble, + which comes in lower down as the thumb and has its junction + with the main stream below Salisbury. + </p> + <p> + A very large portion of this high country is now in a + transitional state, that was once a sheep-walk and is now a + training ground for the army. Where the sheep are taken away + the turf loses the smooth, elastic character which makes it + better to walk on than the most perfect lawn. The sheep fed + closely, and everything that grew on the down—grasses, + clovers, and numerous small creeping herbs—had acquired + the habit of growing and flowering close to the ground, every + species and each individual plant striving, with the + unconscious intelligence that is in all growing things, to + hide its leaves and pushing sprays under the others, to + escape the nibbling teeth by keeping closer to the surface. + There are grasses and some herbs, the plantain among them, + which keep down very close but must throw up a tall stem to + flower and seed. Look at the plantain when its flowering time + comes; each particular plant growing with its leaves so close + down on the surface as to be safe from the busy, searching + mouths, then all at once throwing up tall, straight stems to + flower and ripen its seeds quickly. Watch a flock at this + time, and you will see a sheep walking about, rapidly + plucking the flowering spikes, cutting them from the stalk + with a sharp snap, taking them off at the rate of a dozen or + so in twenty seconds. But the sheep cannot be all over the + downs at the same time, and the time is short, myriads of + plants throwing up their stems at once, so that many escape, + and it has besides a deep perennial root so that the plant + keeps its own life though it may be unable to sow any seeds + for many seasons. So with other species which must send up a + tall flower stem; and by and by, the flowering over and the + seeds ripened or lost, the dead, scattered stems remain like + long hairs growing out of a close fur. The turf remains + unchanged; but take the sheep away and it is like the removal + of a pressure, or a danger: the plant recovers liberty and + confidence and casts off the old habit; it springs and + presses up to get the better of its fellows—to get all + the dew and rain and sunshine that it can—and the + result is a rough surface. + </p> + <p> + Another effect of the military occupation is the destruction + of the wild life of the Plain, but that is a matter I have + written about in my last book, "Afoot in England," in a + chapter on Stonehenge, and need not dwell on here. To the + lover of Salisbury Plain as it was, the sight of military + camps, with white tents or zinc houses, and of bodies of men + in khaki marching and drilling, and the sound of guns, now + informs him that he is in a district which has lost its + attraction, where nature has been dispossessed. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, there is a corresponding change going on in the + human life of the district. Let anyone describe it as he + thinks best, as an improvement or a deterioration, it is a + great change nevertheless, which in my case and probably that + of many others is as disagreeable to contemplate as that + which we are beginning to see in the down, which was once a + sheep-walk and is so no longer. On this account I have ceased + to frequent that portion of the Plain where the War Office is + in possession of the land, and to keep to the southern side + in my rambles, out of sight and hearing of the "white-tented + camps" and mimic warfare. Here is Salisbury Plain as it has + been these thousand years past, or ever since sheep were + pastured here more than in any other district in England, and + that may well date even more than ten centuries back. + </p> + <p> + Undoubtedly changes have taken place even here, some very + great, chiefly during the last, or from the late eighteenth + century. Changes both in the land and the animal life, wild + and domestic. Of the losses in wild bird life there will be + something to say in another chapter; they relate chiefly to + the extermination of the finest species, the big bird, + especially the soaring bird, which is now gone out of all + this wide Wiltshire sky. As a naturalist I must also lament + the loss of the old Wiltshire breed of sheep, although so + long gone. Once it was the only breed known in Wilts, and + extended over the entire county; it was a big animal, the + largest of the fine-woolled sheep in England, but for looks + it certainly compared badly with modern downland breeds and + possessed, it was said, all the points which the breeder, or + improver, was against. Thus, its head was big and clumsy, + with a round nose, its legs were long and thick, its belly + without wool, and both sexes were horned. Horns, even in a + ram, are an abomination to the modern sheep-farmer in + Southern England. Finally, it was hard to fatten. On the + other hand it was a sheep which had been from of old on the + bare open downs and was modified to suit the conditions, the + scanty feed, the bleak, bare country, and the long distances + it had to travel to and from the pasture ground. It was a + strong, healthy, intelligent animal, in appearance and + character like the old original breed of sheep on the pampas + of South America, which I knew as a boy, a coarse-woolled + sheep with naked belly, tall and hardy, a greatly modified + variety of the sheep introduced by the Spanish colonist three + centuries ago. At all events the old Wiltshire sheep had its + merits, and when the Southdown breed was introduced during + the late eighteenth century the farmer viewed it with + disfavour; they liked their old native animal, and did not + want to lose it. But it had to go in time, just as in later + times the Southdown had to go when the Hampshire Down took + its place—the breed which is now universal, in South + Wilts at all events. + </p> + <p> + A solitary flock of the pure-bred old Wiltshire sheep existed + in the county as late as 1840, but the breed has now so + entirely disappeared from the country that you find many + shepherds who have never even heard of it. Not many days ago + I met with a curious instance of this ignorance of the past. + I was talking to a shepherd, a fine intelligent fellow, + keenly interested in the subjects of sheep and sheep-dogs, on + the high down above the village of Broad Chalk on the Ebble, + and he told me that his dog was of mixed breed, but on its + mother's side came from a Welsh sheep-dog, that his father + had always had the Welsh dog, once common in Wiltshire, and + he wondered why it had gone out as it was so good an animal. + This led me to say something about the old sheep having gone + out too, and as he had never heard of the old breed I + described the animal to him. + </p> + <p> + What I told him, he said, explained something which had been + a puzzle to him for some years. There was a deep hollow in + the down near the spot where we were standing, and at the + bottom he said there was an old well which had been used in + former times to water the sheep, but masses of earth had + fallen down from the sides, and in that condition it had + remained for no one knew how long—perhaps fifty, + perhaps a hundred years. Some years ago it came into his + master's head to have this old well cleaned out, and this was + done with a good deal of labour, the sides having first been + boarded over to make it safe for the workmen below. At the + bottom of the well a vast store of rams' horns was discovered + and brought out; and it was a mystery to the fanner and the + men how so large a number of sheep's horns had been got + together; for rams are few and do not die often, and here + there were hundreds of horns. He understood it now, for if + all the sheep, ewes as well as rams, were horned in the old + breed, a collection like this might easily have been made. + </p> + <p> + The greatest change of the last hundred years is no doubt + that which the plough has wrought in the aspect of the downs. + There is a certain pleasure to the eye in the wide fields of + golden corn, especially of wheat, in July and August; but a + ploughed down is a down made ugly, and it strikes one as a + mistake, even from a purely economic point of view, that this + old rich turf, the slow product of centuries, should be + ruined for ever as sheep-pasture when so great an extent of + uncultivated land exists elsewhere, especially the heavy + clays of the Midlands, better suited for corn. The effect of + breaking up the turf on the high downs is often disastrous; + the thin soil which was preserved by the close, hard turf is + blown or washed away, and the soil becomes poorer year by + year, in spite of dressing, until it is hardly worth + cultivating. Clover may be grown on it but it continues to + deteriorate; or the tenant or landlord may turn it into a + rabbit-warren, the most fatal policy of all. How hideous they + are—those great stretches of downland, enclosed in big + wire fences and rabbit netting, with little but wiry weeds, + moss, and lichen growing on them, the earth dug up everywhere + by the disorderly little beasts! For a while there is a + profit—"it will serve me my time," the owner + says—but the end is utter barrenness. + </p> + <p> + One must lament, too, the destruction of the ancient + earth-works, especially of the barrows, which is going on all + over the downs, most rapidly where the land is broken up by + the plough. One wonders if the ever-increasing curiosity of + our day with regard to the history of the human race in the + land continues to grow, what our descendants of the next half + of the century, to go no farther, will say of us and our + incredible carelessness in the matter! So small a matter to + us, but one which will, perhaps, be immensely important to + them! It is, perhaps, better for our peace that we do not + know; it would not be pleasant to have our children's and + children's children's contemptuous expressions sounding in + our prophetic ears. Perhaps we have no right to complain of + the obliteration of these memorials of antiquity by the + plough; the living are more than the dead, and in this case + it may be said that we are only following the Artemisian + example in consuming (in our daily bread) minute portions of + the ashes of our old relations, albeit untearfully, with a + cheerful countenance. Still one cannot but experience a shock + on seeing the plough driven through an ancient, smooth turf, + curiously marked with barrows, lynchetts, and other + mysterious mounds and depressions, where sheep have been + pastured for a thousand years, without obscuring these chance + hieroglyphs scored by men on the surface of the hills. + </p> + <p> + It is not, however, only on the cultivated ground that the + destruction is going on; the rabbit, too, is an active agent + in demolishing the barrows and other earth-works. He burrows + into the mound and throws out bushels of chalk and clay, + which is soon washed down by the rains; he tunnels it through + and through and sometimes makes it his village; then one day + the farmer or keeper, who is not an archaeologist, comes + along and puts his ferrets into the holes, and one of them, + after drinking his fill of blood, falls asleep by the side of + his victim, and the keeper sets to work with pick and shovel + to dig him out, and demolishes half the barrow to recover his + vile little beast. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch02"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER II + </h2> + <h3> + SALISBURY AS I SEE IT + </h3> + <blockquote> + The Salisbury of the villager—The cathedral from the + meadows—Walks to Wilton and Old Sarum—The spire + and a rainbow—Charm of Old Sarum—The + devastation—Salisbury from Old Sarum—Leland's + description—Salisbury and the village + mind—Market-day—The infirmary—The + cathedral—The lesson of a child's desire—In the + streets again—An Apollo of the downs + </blockquote> + <p> + To the dwellers on the Plain, Salisbury itself is an + exceedingly important place—the most important in the + world. For if they have seen a greater—London, let us + say—it has left but a confused, a phantasmagoric image + on the mind, an impression of endless thoroughfares and of + innumerable people all apparently in a desperate hurry to do + something, yet doing nothing; a labyrinth of streets and + wilderness of houses, swarming with beings who have no + definite object and no more to do with realities than so many + lunatics, and are unconfined because they are so numerous + that all the asylums in the world could not contain them. But + of Salisbury they have a very clear image: inexpressibly rich + as it is in sights, in wonders, full of people—hundreds + of people in the streets and market-place—they can take + it all in and know its meaning. Every man and woman, of all + classes, in all that concourse, is there for some definite + purpose which they can guess and understand; and the busy + street and market, and red houses and soaring spire, are all + one, and part and parcel too of their own lives in their own + distant little village by the Avon or Wylye, or anywhere on + the Plain. And that soaring spire which, rising so high above + the red town, first catches the eye, the one object which + gives unity and distinction to the whole picture, is not more + distinct in the mind than the entire Salisbury with its + manifold interests and activities. + </p> + <p> + There is nothing in the architecture of England more + beautiful than that same spire. I have seen it many times, + far and near, from all points of view, and am never in or + near the place but I go to some spot where I look at and + enjoy the sight; but I will speak here of the two best points + of view. + </p> + <p> + The nearest, which is the artist's favourite point, is from + the meadows; there, from the waterside, you have the + cathedral not too far away nor too near for a picture, + whether on canvas or in the mind, standing amidst its great + old trees, with nothing but the moist green meadows and the + river between. One evening, during the late summer of this + wettest season, when the rain was beginning to cease, I went + out this way for my stroll, the pleasantest if not the only + "walk" there is in Salisbury. It is true, there are two + others: one to Wilton by its long, shady avenue; the other to + Old Sarum; but these are now motor-roads, and until the + loathed hooting and dusting engines are thrust away into + roads of their own there is little pleasure in them for the + man on foot. The rain ceased, but the sky was still stormy, + with a great blackness beyond the cathedral and still other + black clouds coming up from the west behind me. Then the sun, + near its setting, broke out, sending a flame of orange colour + through the dark masses around it, and at the same time + flinging a magnificent rainbow on that black cloud against + which the immense spire stood wet with rain and flushed with + light, so that it looked like a spire built of a stone + impregnated with silver. Never had Nature so glorified man's + work! It was indeed a marvellous thing to see, an effect so + rare that in all the years I had known Salisbury, and the + many times I had taken that stroll in all weathers, it was my + first experience of such a thing. How lucky, then, was + Constable to have seen it, when he set himself to paint his + famous picture! And how brave he was and even wise to have + attempted such a subject, one which, I am informed by artists + with the brush, only a madman would undertake, however great + a genius he might be. It was impossible, we know, even to a + Constable, but we admire his failure nevertheless, even as we + admire Turner's many failures; but when we go back to Nature + we are only too glad to forget all about the picture. + </p> + <p> + The view from the meadows will not, in the future, I fear, + seem so interesting to me; I shall miss the rainbow, and + shall never see again except in that treasured image the + great spire as Constable saw and tried to paint it. In like + manner, though for a different reason, my future visits to + Old Sarum will no longer give me the same pleasure + experienced on former occasions. + </p> + <p> + Old Sarum stands over the Avon, a mile and a half from + Salisbury; a round chalk hill about 300 feet high, in its + round shape and isolation resembling a stupendous tumulus in + which the giants of antiquity were buried, its steeply + sloping, green sides ringed about with vast, concentric + earth-works and ditches, the work of the "old people," as + they say on the Plain, when referring to the ancient Britons, + but how ancient, whether invading Celts or + Aborigines—the true Britons, who possessed the land + from neolithic times—even the anthropologists, the wise + men of to-day, are unable to tell us. Later, it was a Roman + station, one of the most important, and in after ages a great + Norman castle and cathedral city, until early in the + thirteenth century, when the old church was pulled down and a + new and better one to last for ever was built in the green + plain by many running waters. Church and people gone, the + castle fell into ruin, though some believe it existed down to + the fifteenth century; but from that time onwards the site + has been a place of historical memories and a wilderness. + Nature had made it a sweet and beautiful spot; the earth over + the old buried ruins was covered with an elastic turf, + jewelled with the bright little flowers of the chalk, the + ramparts and ditches being all overgrown with a dense thicket + of thorn, holly, elder, bramble, and ash, tangled up with + ivy, briony, and traveller's-joy. Once only during the last + five or six centuries some slight excavations were made when, + in 1834, as the result of an excessively dry summer, the + lines of the cathedral foundations were discernible on the + surface. But it will no longer be the place it was, the + Society of Antiquaries having received permission from the + Dean and Chapter of Salisbury to work their sweet will on the + site. That ancient, beautiful carcass, which had long made + their mouths water, on which they have now fallen like a pack + of hungry hyenas to tear off the old hide of green turf and + burrow down to open to the light or drag out the deep, stony + framework. The beautiful surrounding thickets, too, must go, + they tell me, since you cannot turn the hill inside out + without destroying the trees and bushes that crown it. What + person who has known it and has often sought that spot for + the sake of its ancient associations, and of the sweet solace + they have found in the solitude, or for the noble view of the + sacred city from its summit, will not deplore this fatal + amiability of the authorities, this weak desire to please + every one and inability to say no to such a proposal! + </p> + <p> + But let me now return to the object which brings me to this + spot; it was not to lament the loss of the beautiful, which + cannot be preserved in our age—even this best one of + all which Salisbury possessed cannot be preserved—but + to look at Salisbury from this point of view. It is not as + from "the meadows" a view of the cathedral only, but of the + whole town, amidst its circle of vast green downs. It has a + beautiful aspect from that point: a red-brick and red-tiled + town, set low on that circumscribed space, whose soft, + brilliant green is in lovely contrast with the paler hue of + the downs beyond, the perennial moist green of its + water-meadows. For many swift, clear currents flow around and + through Salisbury, and doubtless in former days there were + many more channels in the town itself. Leland's description + is worth quoting: "There be many fair streates in the Cite + Saresbyri, and especially the High Streate and Castle + Streate.... Al the Streates in a maner, in New Saresbyri, + hath little streamlettes and arms derivyd out of Avon that + runneth through them. The site of the very town of Saresbyri + and much ground thereabout is playne and low, and as a pan or + receyvor of most part of the waters of Wiltshire." + </p> + <p> + On this scene, this red town with the great spire, set down + among water-meadows, encircled by paler green chalk hills, I + look from the top of the inner and highest rampart or + earth-work; or going a little distance down sit at ease on + the turf to gaze at it by the hour. Nor could a sweeter + resting-place be found, especially at the time of ripe + elder-berries, when the thickets are purple with their + clusters and the starlings come in flocks to feed on them, + and feeding keep up a perpetual, low musical jangle about me. + </p> + <p> + It is not, however, of "New Saresbyri" as seen by the + tourist, with a mind full of history, archaeology, and the + aesthetic delight in cathedrals, that I desire to write, but + of Salisbury as it appears to the dweller on the Plain. For + Salisbury is the capital of the Plain, the head and heart of + all those villages, too many to count, scattered far and wide + over the surrounding country. It is the villager's own + peculiar city, and even as the spot it stands upon is the + "pan or receyvor of most part of the waters of Wiltshire," so + is it the receyvor of all he accomplishes in his laborious + life, and thitherward flow all his thoughts and ambitions. + Perhaps it is not so difficult for me as it would be for most + persons who are not natives to identify myself with him and + see it as he sees it. That greater place we have been in, + that mighty, monstrous London, is ever present to the mind + and is like a mist before the sight when we look at other + places; but for me there is no such mist, no image so immense + and persistent as to cover and obscure all others, and no + such mental habit as that of regarding people as a mere + crowd, a mass, a monstrous organism, in and on which each + individual is but a cell, a scale. This feeling troubles and + confuses my mind when I am in London, where we live "too + thick"; but quitting it I am absolutely free; it has not + entered my soul and coloured me with its colour or shut me + out from those who have never known it, even of the simplest + dwellers on the soil who, to our sophisticated minds, may + seem like beings of another species. This is my + happiness—to feel, in all places, that I am one with + them. To say, for instance, that I am going to Salisbury + to-morrow, and catch the gleam in the children's eye and + watch them, furtively watching me, whisper to one another + that there will be something for them, too, on the morrow. To + set out betimes and overtake the early carriers' carts on the + road, each with its little cargo of packages and women with + baskets and an old man or two, to recognize acquaintances + among those who sit in front, and as I go on overtaking and + passing carriers and the half-gipsy, little "general dealer" + in his dirty, ramshackle, little cart drawn by a rough, + fast-trotting pony, all of us intent on business and + pleasure, bound for Salisbury—the great market and + emporium and place of all delights for all the great Plain. I + remember that on my very last expedition, when I had come + twelve miles in the rain and was standing at a street corner, + wet to the skin, waiting for my carrier, a man in a hurry + said to me, "I say, just keep an eye on my cart for a minute + or two while I run round to see somebody. I've got some fowls + in it, and if you see anyone come poking round just ask them + what they want—you can't trust every one. I'll be back + in a minute." And he was gone, and I was very pleased to + watch his cart and fowls till he came back. + </p> + <p> + Business is business and must be attended to, in fair or foul + weather, but for business with pleasure we prefer it fine on + market-day. The one great and chief pleasure, in which all + participate, is just to be there, to be in the crowd—a + joyful occasion which gives a festive look to every face. The + mere sight of it exhilarates like wine. The numbers—the + people and the animals! The carriers' carts drawn up in rows + on rows—carriers from a hundred little villages on the + Bourne, the Avon, the Wylye, the Nadder, the Ebble, and from + all over the Plain, each bringing its little contingent. + Hundreds and hundreds more coming by train; you see them + pouring down Fisherton Street in a continuous procession, all + hurrying market-wards. And what a lively scene the market + presents now, full of cattle and sheep and pigs and crowds of + people standing round the shouting auctioneers! And horses, + too, the beribboned hacks, and ponderous draught horses with + manes and tails decorated with golden straw, thundering over + the stone pavement as they are trotted up and down! And what + a profusion of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, and all + kinds of provisions on the stalls, where women with baskets + on their arms are jostling and bargaining! The Corn Exchange + is like a huge beehive, humming with the noise of talk, full + of brown-faced farmers in their riding and driving clothes + and leggings, standing in knots or thrusting their hands into + sacks of oats and barley. You would think that all the + farmers from all the Plain were congregated there. There is a + joyful contagion in it all. Even the depressed young lover, + the forlornest of beings, repairs his wasted spirits and + takes heart again. Why, if I've seen a girl with a pretty + face to-day I've seen a hundred—and more. And she + thinks they be so few she can treat me like that and barely + give me a pleasant word in a month! Let her come to Salisbury + and see how many there be! + </p> + <p> + And so with every one in that vast assemblage—vast to + the dweller in the Plain. Each one is present as it were in + two places, since each has in his or her heart the constant + image of home—the little, peaceful village in the + remote valley; of father and mother and neighbours and + children, in school just now, or at play, or home to + dinner—home cares and concerns and the business in + Salisbury. The selling and buying; friends and relations to + visit or to meet in the market-place, and—how + often!—the sick one to be seen at the Infirmary. This + home of the injured and ailing, which is in the mind of so + many of the people gathered together, is indeed the cord that + draws and binds the city and the village closest together and + makes the two like one. + </p> + <p> + That great, comely building of warm, red brick in Fisherton + Street, set well back so that you can see it as a whole, + behind its cedar and beech-trees—how familiar it is to + the villagers! In numberless humble homes, in hundreds of + villages of the Plain, and all over the surrounding country, + the "Infirmary" is a name of the deepest meaning, and a place + of many gad and tender and beautiful associations. I heard it + spoken of in a manner which surprised me at first, for I know + some of the London poor and am accustomed to their attitude + towards the metropolitan hospitals. The Londoner uses them + very freely; they have come to be as necessary to him as the + grocer's shop and the public-house, but for all the benefits + he receives from them he has no faintest sense of gratitude, + and it is my experience that if you speak to him of this he + is roused to anger and demands, "What are they for?" So far + is he from having any thankful thoughts for all that has been + given him for nothing and done for him and for his, if he has + anything to say at all on the matter it is to find fault with + the hospitals and cast blame on them for not having healed + him more quickly or thoroughly. + </p> + <p> + This country town hospital and infirmary is differently + regarded by the villagers of the Plain. It is curious to find + how many among them are personally acquainted with it; + perhaps it is not easy for anyone, even in this most healthy + district, to get through life without sickness, and all are + liable to accidents. The injured or afflicted youth, taken + straight from his rough, hard life and poor cottage, wonders + at the place he finds himself in—the wide, clean, airy + room and white, easy bed, the care and skill of the doctors, + the tender nursing by women, and comforts and luxuries, all + without payment, but given as it seems to him out of pure + divine love and compassion—all this comes to him as + something strange, almost incredible. He suffers much + perhaps, but can bear pain stoically and forget it when it is + past, but the loving kindness he has experienced is + remembered. + </p> + <p> + That is one of the very great things Salisbury has for the + villagers, and there are many more which may not be spoken + of, since we do not want to lose sight of the wood on account + of the trees; only one must be mentioned for a special + reason, and that is the cathedral. The villager is extremely + familiar with it as he sees it from the market and the street + and from a distance, from all the roads which lead him to + Salisbury. Seeing it he sees everything beneath it—all + the familiar places and objects, all the streets—High + and Castle and Crane Streets, and many others, including + Endless Street, which reminds one of Sydney Smith's last + flicker of fun before that candle went out; and the "White + Hart" and the "Angel" and "Old George," and the humbler + "Goat" and "Green Man" and "Shoulder of Mutton," with many + besides; and the great, red building with its cedar-tree, and + the knot of men and boys standing on the bridge gazing down + on the trout in the swift river below; and the market-place + and its busy crowds—all the familiar sights and scenes + that come under the spire like a flock of sheep on a burning + day in summer, grouped about a great tree growing in the + pasture-land. But he is not familiar with the interior of the + great fane; it fails to draw him, doubtless because he has no + time in his busy, practical life for the cultivation of the + aesthetic faculties. There is a crust over that part of his + mind; but it need not always and ever be so; the crust is not + on the mind of the child. + </p> + <p> + Before a stall in the market-place a child is standing with + her mother—a commonplace-looking, little girl of about + twelve, blue-eyed, light-haired, with thin arms and legs, + dressed, poorly enough, for her holiday. The mother, + stoutish, in her best but much-worn black gown and a brown + straw, out-of-shape hat, decorated with bits of ribbon and a + few soiled and frayed artificial flowers. Probably she is the + wife of a labourer who works hard to keep himself and family + on fourteen shillings a week; and she, too, shows, in her + hard hands and sunburnt face, with little wrinkles appearing, + that she is a hard worker; but she is very jolly, for she is + in Salisbury on market-day, in fine weather, with several + shillings in her purse—a shilling for the fares, and + perhaps eightpence for refreshments, and the rest to be + expended in necessaries for the house. And now to increase + the pleasure of the day she has unexpectedly run against a + friend! There they stand, the two friends, basket on arm, + right in the midst of the jostling crowd, talking in their + loud, tinny voices at a tremendous rate; while the girl, with + a half-eager, half-listless expression, stands by with her + hand on her mother's dress, and every time there is a + second's pause in the eager talk she gives a little tug at + the gown and ejaculates "Mother!" The woman impatiently + shakes off the hand and says sharply, "What now, Marty! Can't + 'ee let me say just a word without bothering!" and on the + talk runs again; then another tug and "Mother!" and then, + "You promised, mother," and by and by, "Mother, you said + you'd take me to the cathedral next time." + </p> + <p> + Having heard so much I wanted to hear more, and addressing + the woman I asked her why her child wanted to go. She + answered me with a good-humoured laugh, "'Tis all because she + heard 'em talking about it last winter, and she'd never been, + and I says to her, 'Never you mind, Marty, I'll take you + there the next time I go to Salisbury.'" + </p> + <p> + "And she's never forgot it," said the other woman. + </p> + <p> + "Not she—Marty ain't one to forget." + </p> + <p> + "And you been four times, mother," put in the girl. + </p> + <p> + "Have I now! Well, 'tis too late now—half-past two, and + we must be't' Goat' at four." + </p> + <p> + "Oh, mother, you promised!" + </p> + <p> + "Well, then, come along, you worriting child, and let's have + it over or you'll give me no peace"; and away they went. And + I would have followed to know the result if it had been in my + power to look into that young brain and see the thoughts and + feelings there as the crystal-gazer sees things in a crystal. + In a vague way, with some very early memories to help me, I + can imagine it—the shock of pleased wonder at the sight + of that immense interior, that far-extending nave with + pillars that stand like the tall trunks of pines and beeches, + and at the end the light screen which allows the eye to + travel on through the rich choir, to see, with fresh wonder + and delight, high up and far off, that glory of coloured + glass as of a window half-open to an unimaginable place + beyond—a heavenly cathedral to which all this is but a + dim porch or passage! + </p> + <p> + We do not properly appreciate the educational value of such + early experiences; and I use that dismal word not because it + is perfectly right or for want of a better one, but because + it is in everybody's mouth and understood by all. For all I + know to the contrary, village schools may be bundled in and + out of the cathedral from time to time, but that is not the + right way, seeing that the child's mind is not the + crowd-of-children's mind. But I can imagine that when we have + a wiser, better system of education in the villages, in which + books will not be everything, and to be shut up six or seven + hours every day to prevent the children from learning the + things that matter most—I can imagine at such a time + that the schoolmaster or mistress will say to the village + woman, "I hear you are going to Salisbury to-morrow, or next + Tuesday, and I want you to take Janie or little Dan or Peter, + and leave him for an hour to play about on the cathedral + green and watch the daws flying round the spire, and take a + peep inside while you are doing your marketing." + </p> + <p> + Back from the cathedral once more, from the infirmary, and + from shops and refreshment-houses, out in the sun among the + busy people, let us delay a little longer for the sake of our + last scene. + </p> + <p> + It was past noon on a hot, brilliant day in August, and that + splendid weather had brought in more people than I had ever + before seen congregated in Salisbury, and never had the + people seemed so talkative and merry and full of life as on + that day. I was standing at a busy spot by a row of carriers' + carts drawn up at the side of the pavement, just where there + are three public-houses close together, when I caught sight + of a young man of about twenty-two or twenty-three, a + shepherd in a grey suit and thick, iron-shod, old boots and + brown leggings, with a soft felt hat thrust jauntily on the + back of his head, coming along towards me with that + half-slouching, half-swinging gait peculiar to the men of the + downs, especially when they are in the town on pleasure bent. + Decidedly he was there on pleasure and had been indulging in + a glass or two of beer (perhaps three) and was very happy, + trolling out a song in a pleasant, musical voice as he swung + along, taking no notice of the people stopping and turning + round to stare after him, or of those of his own party who + were following and trying to keep up with him, calling to him + all the time to stop, to wait, to go slow, and give them a + chance. There were seven following him: a stout, middle-aged + woman, then a grey-haired old woman and two girls, and last a + youngish, married woman with a small boy by the hand; and the + stout woman, with a red, laughing face, cried out, "Oh, Dave, + do stop, can't 'ee! Where be going so fast, man—don't + 'ee see we can't keep up with 'ee?" But he would not stop nor + listen. It was his day out, his great day in Salisbury, a + very rare occasion, and he was very happy. Then she would + turn back to the others and cry, "'Tisn't no use, he won't + bide for us—did 'ee ever see such a boy!" and laughing + and perspiring she would start on after him again. + </p> + <p> + Now this incident would have been too trivial to relate had + it not been for the appearance of the man himself—his + powerful and perfect physique and marvellously handsome + face—such a face as the old Greek sculptors have left + to the world to be universally regarded and admired for all + time as the most perfect. I do not think that this was my + feeling only; I imagine that the others in that street who + were standing still and staring after him had something of + the same sense of surprise and admiration he excited in me. + Just then it happened that there was a great commotion + outside one of the public-houses, where a considerable party + of gipsies in their little carts had drawn up, and were all + engaged in a violent, confused altercation. Probably they, or + one of them, had just disposed of a couple of stolen ducks, + or a sheepskin, or a few rabbits, and they were quarrelling + over the division of the spoil. At all events they were + violently excited, scowling at each other and one or two in a + dancing rage, and had collected a crowd of amused lookers-on; + but when the young man came singing by they all turned to + stare at him. + </p> + <p> + As he came on I placed myself directly in his path and stared + straight into his eyes—grey eyes and very beautiful; + but he refused to see me; he stared through me like an animal + when you try to catch its eyes, and went by still trolling + out his song, with all the others streaming after him. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch03"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER III + </h2> + <h3> + WINTERBOURNE BISHOP + </h3> + <blockquote> + A favourite village—Isolated situation—Appearance + of the village—Hedge-fruit—The + winterbourne—Human interest—The home + feeling—Man in harmony with nature—Human bones + thrown out by a rabbit—A spot unspoiled and unchanged + </blockquote> + <p> + Of the few widely separated villages, hidden away among the + lonely downs in the large, blank spaces between the rivers, + the one I love best is Winterbourne Bishop. Yet of the entire + number—I know them all intimately—I daresay it + would be pronounced by most persons the least attractive. It + has less shade from trees in summer and is more exposed in + winter to the bleak winds of this high country, from + whichever quarter they may blow. Placed high itself on a + wide, unwooded valley or depression, with the low, sloping + downs at some distance away, the village is about as cold a + place to pass a winter in as one could find in this district. + And, it may be added, the most inconvenient to live in at any + time, the nearest town, or the easiest to get to, being + Salisbury, twelve miles distant by a hilly road. The only + means of getting to that great centre of life which the + inhabitants possess is by the carrier's cart, which makes the + weary four-hours' journey once a week, on market-day. + Naturally, not many of them see that place of delights + oftener than once a year, and some but once in five or more + years. + </p> + <p> + Then, as to the village itself, when you have got down into + its one long, rather winding street, or road. This has a + green bank, five or six feet high, on either side, on which + stand the cottages, mostly facing the road. Real houses there + are none—buildings worthy of being called houses in + these great days—unless the three small farm-houses are + considered better than cottages, and the rather mean-looking + rectory—the rector, poor man, is very poor. Just in the + middle part, where the church stands in its green churchyard, + the shadiest spot in the village, a few of the cottages are + close together, almost touching, then farther apart, twenty + yards or so, then farther still, forty or fifty yards. They + are small, old cottages; a few have seventeenth-century dates + cut on stone tablets on their fronts, but the undated ones + look equally old; some thatched, others tiled, but none + particularly attractive. Certainly they are without the added + charm of a green drapery—creeper or ivy rose, clematis, + and honeysuckle; and they are also mostly without the + cottage-garden flowers, unprofitably gay like the blossoming + furze, but dear to the soul: the flowers we find in so many + of the villages along the rivers, especially in those of the + Wylye valley to be described in a later chapter. + </p> + <p> + The trees, I have said, are few, though the churchyard is + shady, where you can refresh yourself beneath its ancient + beeches and its one wide-branching yew, or sit on a tomb in + the sun when you wish for warmth and brightness. The trees + growing by or near the street are mostly ash or beech, with a + pine or two, old but not large; and there are small or dwarf + yew-, holly-, and thorn-trees. Very little fruit is grown; + two or three to half a dozen apple- and damson-trees are + called an orchard, and one is sorry for the children. But in + late summer and autumn they get their fruit from the hedges. + These run up towards the downs on either side of the village, + at right angles with its street; long, unkept hedges, + beautiful with scarlet haws and traveller's-joy, rich in + bramble and elder berries and purple sloes and nuts—a + thousand times more nuts than the little dormice require for + their own modest wants. + </p> + <p> + Finally, to go back to its disadvantages, the village is + waterless; at all events in summer, when water is most + wanted. Water is such a blessing and joy in a village—a + joy for ever when it flows throughout the year, as at Nether + Stowey and Winsford and Bourton-on-the-Water, to mention but + three of all those happy villages in the land which are known + to most of us! What man on coming to such places and watching + the rushing, sparkling, foaming torrent by day and listening + to its splashing, gurgling sounds by night, does not resolve + that he will live in no village that has not a perennial + stream in it! This unblessed, high and dry village has + nothing but the winter bourne which gives it its name; a sort + of surname common to a score or two of villages in Wiltshire, + Dorset, Somerset, and Hants. Here the bed of the stream lies + by the bank on one side of the village street, and when the + autumn and early winter rains have fallen abundantly, the + hidden reservoirs within the chalk hills are filled to + overflowing; then the water finds its way out and fills the + dry old channel and sometimes turns the whole street into a + rushing river, to the immense joy of the village children. + They are like ducks, hatched and reared at some upland farm + where there was not even a muddy pool to dibble in. For a + season (the wet one) the village women have water at their + own doors and can go out and dip pails in it as often as they + want. When spring comes it is still flowing merrily, trying + to make you believe that it is going to flow for ever; + beautiful, green water-loving plants and grasses spring up + and flourish along the roadside, and you may see comfrey and + water forget-me-not in flower. Pools, too, have been formed + in some deep, hollow places; they are fringed with tall + grasses, whitened over with bloom of water-crowfoot, and poa + grass grows up from the bottom to spread its green tresses + over the surface. Better still, by and by a couple of stray + moorhens make their appearance in the pool—strange + birds, coloured glossy olive-brown, slashed with white, with + splendid scarlet and yellow beaks! If by some strange chance + a shining blue kingfisher were to appear it could not create + a greater excitement. So much attention do they receive that + the poor strangers have no peace of their lives. It is a + happy time for the children, and a good time for the busy + housewife, who has all the water she wants for cooking and + washing and cleaning—she may now dash as many pailfuls + over her brick floors as she likes. Then the clear, swift + current begins to diminish, and scarcely have you had time to + notice the change than it is altogether gone! The women must + go back to the well and let the bucket down, and laboriously + turn and turn the handle of the windlass till it mounts to + the top again. The pretty moist, green herbage, the graceful + grasses, quickly wither away; dust and straws and rubbish + from the road lie in the dry channel, and by and by it is + filled with a summer growth of dock and loveless nettles + which no child may touch with impunity. + </p> + <p> + No, I cannot think that any person for whom it had no + association, no secret interest, would, after looking at this + village with its dried-up winterbourne, care to make his home + in it. And no person, I imagine, wants to see it; for it has + no special attraction and is away from any road, at a + distance from everywhere. I knew a great many villages in + Salisbury Plain, and was always adding to their number, but + there was no intention of visiting this one. Perhaps there is + not a village on the Plain, or anywhere in Wiltshire for that + matter, which sees fewer strangers. Then I fell in with the + old shepherd whose life will be related in the succeeding + chapters, and who, away from his native place, had no story + about his past life and the lives of those he had + known—no thought in his mind, I might almost say, which + was not connected with the village of Winterbourne Bishop. + And many of his anecdotes and reflections proved so + interesting that I fell into the habit of putting them down + in my notebook; until in the end the place itself, where he + had followed his "homely trade" so long, seeing and feeling + so much, drew me to it. I knew there was "nothing to see" in + it, that it was without the usual attractions; that there + was, in fact, nothing but the human interest, but that was + enough. So I came to it to satisfy an idle + curiosity—just to see how it would accord with the + mental picture produced by his description of it. I came, I + may say, prepared to like the place for the sole but + sufficient reason that it had been his home. Had it not been + for this feeling he had produced in me I should not, I + imagine, have cared to stay long in it. As it was, I did + stay, then came again and found that it was growing on me. I + wondered why; for the mere interest in the old shepherd's + life memories did not seem enough to account for this + deepening attachment. It began to seem to me that I liked it + more and more because of its very barrenness—the entire + absence of all the features which make a place attractive, + noble scenery, woods, and waters; deer parks and old houses, + Tudor, Elizabethan, Jacobean, stately and beautiful, full of + art treasures; ancient monuments and historical associations. + There were none of these things; there was nothing here but + that wide, vacant expanse, very thinly populated with humble, + rural folk—farmers, shepherds, labourers—living + in very humble houses. England is so full of riches in + ancient monuments and grand and interesting and lovely + buildings and objects and scenes, that it is perhaps too + rich. For we may get into the habit of looking for such + things, expecting them at every turn, every mile of the way. + </p> + <p> + I found it a relief, at Winterbourne Bishop, to be in a + country which had nothing to draw a man out of a town. A + wide, empty land, with nothing on it to look at but a + furze-bush; or when I had gained the summit of the down, and + to get a little higher still stood on the top of one of its + many barrows, a sight of the distant village, its low, grey + or reddish-brown cottages half hidden among its few trees, + the square, stone tower of its little church looking at a + distance no taller than a milestone. That emptiness seemed + good for both mind and body: I could spend long hours idly + sauntering or sitting or lying on the turf, thinking of + nothing, or only of one thing—that it was a relief to + have no thought about anything. + </p> + <p> + But no, something was secretly saying to me all the time, + that it was more than what I have said which continued to + draw me to this vacant place—more than the mere relief + experienced on coming back to nature and solitude, and the + freedom of a wide earth and sky. I was not fully conscious of + what the something more was until after repeated visits. On + each occasion it was a pleasure to leave Salisbury behind and + set out on that long, hilly road, and the feeling would keep + with me all the journey, even in bad weather, sultry or cold, + or with the wind hard against me, blowing the white chalk + dust into my eyes. From the time I left the turnpike to go + the last two and a half to three miles by the side-road I + would gaze eagerly ahead for a sight of my destination long + before it could possibly be seen; until, on gaining the + summit of a low, intervening down, the wished scene would be + disclosed—the vale-like, wide depression, with its line + of trees, blue-green in the distance, flecks of red and grey + colour of the houses among them—and at that sight there + would come a sense of elation, like that of coming home. + </p> + <p> + This in fact was the secret! This empty place was, in its + aspect, despite the difference in configuration between down + and undulating plain, more like the home of my early years + than any other place known to me in the country. I can note + many differences, but they do not deprive me of this home + feeling; it is the likenesses that hold me, the spirit of the + place, one which is not a desert with the desert's melancholy + or sense of desolation, but inhabited, although thinly and by + humble-minded men whose work and dwellings are unobtrusive. + The final effect of this wide, green space with signs of + human life and labour on it, and sight of animals—sheep + and cattle—at various distances, is that we are not + aliens here, intruders or invaders on the earth, living in it + but apart, perhaps hating and spoiling it, but with the other + animals are children of Nature, like them living and seeking + our subsistence under her sky, familiar with her sun and wind + and rain. + </p> + <p> + If some ostentatious person had come to this strangely quiet + spot and raised a staring, big house, the sight of it in the + landscape would have made it impossible to have such a + feeling as I have described—this sense of man's harmony + and oneness with nature. From how much of England has this + expression which nature has for the spirit, which is so much + more to us than beauty of scenery, been blotted out! This + quiet spot in Wiltshire has been inhabited from of old, how + far back in time the barrows raised by an ancient, barbarous + people are there to tell us, and to show us how long it is + possible for the race of men, in all stages of culture, to + exist on the earth without spoiling it. + </p> + <p> + One afternoon when walking on Bishop Down I noticed at a + distance of a hundred yards or more that a rabbit had started + making a burrow in a new place and had thrown out a vast + quantity of earth. Going to the spot to see what kind of + chalk or soil he was digging so deeply in, I found that he + had thrown out a human thigh-bone and a rib or two. They were + of a reddish-white colour and had been embedded in a hard + mixture of chalk and red earth. The following day I went + again, and there were more bones, and every day after that + the number increased until it seemed to me that he had + brought out the entire skeleton, minus the skull, which I had + been curious to see. Then the bones disappeared. The man who + looked after the game had seen them, and recognizing that + they were human remains had judiciously taken them away to + destroy or stow them away in some safe place. For if the + village constable had discovered them, or heard of their + presence, he would perhaps have made a fuss and even thought + it necessary to communicate with the coroner of the district. + Such things occasionally happen, even in Wiltshire where the + chalk hills are full of the bones of dead men, and a solemn + Crowner's quest is held on the remains of a Saxon or Dane or + an ancient Briton. When some important person—a Sir + Richard Colt Hoare, for example, who dug up 379 barrows in + Wiltshire, or a General Pitt Rivers throws out human remains + nobody minds, but if an unauthorized rabbit kicks out a lot + of bones the matter should be inquired into. + </p> + <p> + But the man whose bones had been thus thrown out into the + sunlight after lying so long at that spot, which commanded a + view of the distant, little village looking so small in that + immense, green space—who and what was he, and how long + ago did he live on the earth—at Winterbourne Bishop, + let us say? There were two barrows in that part of the down, + but quite a stone's-throw away from the spot where the rabbit + was working, so that he may not have been one of the people + of that period. Still, it is probable that he was buried a + very long time ago, centuries back, perhaps a thousand years, + perhaps longer, and by chance there was a slope there which + prevented the water from percolating, and the soil in which + he had been deposited, under that close-knit turf which + looked as if it had never been disturbed, was one in which + bones might keep uncrumbled for ever. + </p> + <p> + The thought that occurred to me at the time was that if the + man himself had come back to life after so long a period, to + stand once more on that down surveying the scene, he would + have noticed little change in it, certainly nothing of a + startling description. The village itself, looking so small + at that distance, in the centre of the vast depression, would + probably not be strange to him. It was doubtless there as far + back as history goes and probably still farther back in time. + For at that point, just where the winterbourne gushes out + from the low hills, is the spot man would naturally select to + make his home. And he would see no mansion or big building, + no puff of white steam and sight of a long, black train + creeping over the earth, nor any other strange thing. It + would appear to him even as he knew it before he fell + asleep—the same familiar scene, with furze and bramble + and bracken on the slope, the wide expanse with sheep and + cattle grazing in the distance, and the dark green of trees + in the hollows, and fold on fold of the low down beyond, + stretching away to the dim, farthest horizon. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch04"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV + </h2> + <h3> + A SHEPHERD OF THE DOWNS + </h3> + <blockquote> + Caleb Bawcombe—An old shepherd's love of his + home—Fifty years' shepherding—Bawcombe's singular + appearance—A tale of a titlark—Caleb Bawcombe's + father—Father and son—A grateful sportsman and + Isaac Bawcombe's pension—Death following death in old + married couples—In a village churchyard—A + farm-labourer's gravestone and his story + </blockquote> + <p> + It is now several years since I first met Caleb Bawcombe, a + shepherd of the South Wiltshire Downs, but already old and + infirm and past work. I met him at a distance from his native + village, and it was only after I had known him a long time + and had spent many afternoons and evenings in his company, + listening to his anecdotes of his shepherding days, that I + went to see his own old home for myself—the village of + Winterbourne Bishop already described, to find it a place + after my own heart. But as I have said, if I had never known + Caleb and heard so much from him about his own life and the + lives of many of his fellow-villagers, I should probably + never have seen this village. + </p> + <p> + One of his memories was of an old shepherd named John, whose + acquaintance he made when a very young man—John being + at that time seventy-eight years old—on the + Winterbourne Bishop farm, where he had served for an unbroken + period of close on sixty years. Though so aged he was still + head shepherd, and he continued to hold that place seven + years longer—until his master, who had taken over old + John with the place, finally gave up the farm and farming at + the same time. He, too, was getting past work and wished to + spend his declining years in his native village in an + adjoining parish, where he owned some house and cottage + property. And now what was to become of the old shepherd, + since the new tenant had brought his own men with + him?—and he, moreover, considered that John, at + eighty-five, was too old to tend a flock on the hills, even + of tegs. His old master, anxious to help him, tried to get + him some employment in the village where he wished to stay; + and failing in this, he at last offered him a cottage rent + free in the village where he was going to live himself, and, + in addition, twelve shillings a week for the rest of his + life. It was in those days an exceedingly generous offer, but + John refused it. "Master," he said, "I be going to stay in my + own native village, and if I can't make a living the + parish'll have to keep I; but keep or not keep, here I be and + here I be going to stay, where I were borned." + </p> + <p> + From this position the stubborn old man refused to be moved, + and there at Winterbourne Bishop his master had to leave him, + although not without having first made him a sufficient + provision. + </p> + <p> + The way in which my old friend, Caleb Bawcombe, told the + story plainly revealed his own feeling in the matter. He + understood and had the keenest sympathy with old John, dead + now over half a century; or rather, let us say, resting very + peacefully in that green spot under the old grey tower of + Winterbourne Bishop church where as a small boy he had played + among the old gravestones as far back in time as the middle + of the eighteenth century. But old John had long survived + wife and children, and having no one but himself to think of + was at liberty to end his days where he pleased. Not so with + Caleb, for, although his undying passion for home and his + love of the shepherd's calling were as great as John's, he + was not so free, and he was compelled at last to leave his + native downs, which he may never see again, to settle for the + remainder of his days in another part of the country. + </p> + <p> + Early in life he "caught a chill" through long exposure to + wet and cold in winter; this brought on rheumatic fever and a + malady of the thigh, which finally affected the whole limb + and made him lame for life. Thus handicapped he had continued + as shepherd for close on fifty years, during which time his + sons and daughters had grown up, married, and gone away, + mostly to a considerable distance, leaving their aged parents + alone once more. Then the wife, who was a strong woman and of + an enterprising temper, found an opening for herself at a + distance from home where she could start a little business. + Caleb indignantly refused to give up shepherding in his place + to take part in so unheard-of an adventure; but after a year + or more of life in his lonely hut among the hills and cold, + empty cottage in the village, he at length tore himself away + from that beloved spot and set forth on the longest journey + of his life—about forty-five miles—to join her + and help in the work of her new home. Here a few years later + I found him, aged seventy-two, but owing to his increasing + infirmities looking considerably more. When he considered + that his father, a shepherd before him on those same + Wiltshire Downs, lived to eighty-six, and his mother to + eighty-four, and that both were vigorous and led active lives + almost to the end, he thought it strange that his own work + should be so soon done. For in heart and mind he was still + young; he did not want to rest yet. + </p> + <p> + Since that first meeting nine years have passed, and as he is + actually better in health to-day than he was then, there is + good reason to hope that his staying power will equal that of + his father. + </p> + <p> + I was at first struck with the singularity of Caleb's + appearance, and later by the expression of his eyes. A very + tall, big-boned, lean, round-shouldered man, he was uncouth + almost to the verge of grotesqueness, and walked painfully + with the aid of a stick, dragging his shrunken and shortened + bad leg. His head was long and narrow, and his high forehead, + long nose, long chin, and long, coarse, grey whiskers, worn + like a beard on his throat, produced a goat-like effect. This + was heightened by the ears and eyes. The big ears stood out + from his head, and owing to a peculiar bend or curl in the + membrane at the top they looked at certain angles almost + pointed. The hazel eyes were wonderfully clear, but that + quality was less remarkable than the unhuman intelligence in + them—fawn-like eyes that gazed steadily at you as one + may gaze through the window, open back and front, of a house + at the landscape beyond. This peculiarity was a little + disconcerting at first, when, after making his acquaintance + out of doors, I went in uninvited and sat down with him at + his own fireside. The busy old wife talked of this and that, + and hinted as politely as she knew how that I was in her way. + To her practical, peasant mind there was no sense in my being + there. "He be a stranger to we, and we be strangers to he." + Caleb was silent, and his clear eyes showed neither annoyance + nor pleasure but only their native, wild alertness, but the + caste feeling is always less strong in the hill shepherd than + in other men who are on the land; in some cases it will + vanish at a touch, and it was so in this one. A canary in a + cage hanging in the kitchen served to introduce the subject + of birds captive and birds free. I said that I liked the + little yellow bird, and was not vexed to see him in a cage, + since he was cage-born; but I considered that those who + caught wild birds and kept them prisoners did not properly + understand things. This happened to be Caleb's view. He had a + curiously tender feeling about the little wild birds, and one + amusing incident of his boyhood which he remembered came out + during our talk. He was out on the down one summer day in + charge of his father's flock, when two boys of the village on + a ramble in the hills came and sat down on the turf by his + side. One of them had a titlark, or meadow pipit, which he + had just caught, in his hand, and there was a hot argument as + to which of the two was the lawful owner of the poor little + captive. The facts were as follows. One of the boys having + found the nest became possessed with the desire to get the + bird. His companion at once offered to catch it for him, and + together they withdrew to a distance and sat down and waited + until the bird returned to sit on the eggs. Then the young + birdcatcher returned to the spot, and creeping quietly up to + within five or six feet of the nest threw his hat so that it + fell over the sitting titlark; but after having thus secured + it he refused to give it up. The dispute waxed hotter as they + sat there, and at last when it got to the point of threats of + cuffs on the ear and slaps on the face they agreed to fight + it out, the victor to have the titlark. The bird was then put + under a hat for safety on the smooth turf a few feet away, + and the boys proceeded to take off their jackets and roll up + their shirt-sleeves, after which they faced one another, and + were just about to begin when Caleb, thrusting out his crook, + turned the hat over and away flew the titlark. + </p> + <p> + The boys, deprived of their bird and of an excuse for a + fight, would gladly have discharged their fury on Caleb, but + they durst not, seeing that his dog was lying at his side; + they could only threaten and abuse him, call him bad names, + and finally put on their coats and walk off. + </p> + <p> + That pretty little tale of a titlark was but the first of a + long succession of memories of his early years, with half a + century of shepherding life on the downs, which came out + during our talks on many autumn and winter evenings as we sat + by his kitchen fire. The earlier of these memories were + always the best to me, because they took one back sixty years + or more, to a time when there was more wildness in the earth + than now, and a nobler wild animal life. Even more + interesting were some of the memories of his father, Isaac + Bawcombe, whose time went back to the early years of the + nineteenth century. Caleb cherished an admiration and + reverence for his father's memory which were almost a + worship, and he loved to describe him as he appeared in his + old age, when upwards of eighty. He was erect and tall, + standing six feet two in height, well proportioned, with a + clean-shaved, florid face, clear, dark eyes, and silver-white + hair; and at this later period of his life he always wore the + dress of an old order of pensioners to which he had been + admitted—a soft, broad, white felt hat, thick boots and + brown leather leggings, and a long, grey cloth overcoat with + red collar and brass buttons. + </p> + <p> + According to Caleb, he must have been an exceedingly fine + specimen of a man, both physically and morally. Born in 1800, + he began following a flock as a boy, and continued as + shepherd on the same farm until he was sixty, never rising to + more than seven shillings a week and nothing found, since he + lived in the cottage where he was born and which he inherited + from his father. That a man of his fine powers, a + head-shepherd on a large hill-farm, should have had no better + pay than that down to the year 1860, after nearly half a + century of work in one place, seems almost incredible. Even + his sons, as they grew up to man's estate, advised him to ask + for an increase, but he would not. Seven shillings a week he + had always had; and that small sum, with something his wife + earned by making highly finished smock-frocks, had been + sufficient to keep them all in a decent way; and his sons + were now all earning their own living. But Caleb got married, + and resolved to leave the old farm at Bishop to take a better + place at a distance from home, at Warminster, which had been + offered him. He would there have a cottage to live in, nine + shillings a week, and a sack of barley for his dog. At that + time the shepherd had to keep his own dog—no small + expense to him when his wages were no more than six to eight + shillings a week. But Caleb was his father's favourite son, + and the old man could not endure the thought of losing sight + of him; and at last, finding that he could not persuade him + not to leave the old home, he became angry, and told him that + if he went away to Warminster for the sake of the higher + wages and barley for the dog he would disown him! This was a + serious matter to Caleb, in spite of the fact that a shepherd + has no money to leave to his children when he passes away. He + went nevertheless, for, though he loved and reverenced his + father, he had a young wife who pulled the other way; and he + was absent for years, and when he returned the old man's + heart had softened, so that he was glad to welcome him back + to the old home. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile at that humble cottage at Winterbourne Bishop great + things had happened; old Isaac was no longer shepherding on + the downs, but living very comfortably in his own cottage in + the village. The change came about in this way. + </p> + <p> + The downland shepherds, Caleb said, were as a rule clever + poachers; and it is really not surprising, when one considers + the temptation to a man with a wife and several hungry + children, besides himself and a dog, to feed out of about + seven shillings a week. But old Bawcombe was an exception: he + would take no game, furred or feathered, nor, if he could + prevent it, allow another to take anything from the land fed + by his flock. Caleb and his brothers, when as boys and youths + they began their shepherding, sometimes caught a rabbit, or + their dog caught and killed one without their encouragement; + but, however the thing came into their hands, they could not + take it home on account of their father. Now it happened that + an elderly gentleman who had the shooting was a keen + sportsman, and that in several successive years he found a + wonderful difference in the amount of game at one spot among + the hills and in all the rest of his hill property. The only + explanation the keeper could give was that Isaac Bawcombe + tended his flock on that down where rabbits, hares, and + partridges were so plentiful. One autumn day the gentleman + was shooting over that down, and seeing a big man in a + smock-frock standing motionless, crook in hand, regarding + him, he called out to his keeper, who was with him, "Who is + that big man?" and was told that it was Shepherd Bawcombe. + The old gentleman pulled some money out of his pocket and + said, "Give him this half-crown, and thank him for the good + sport I've had to-day." But after the coin had been given the + giver still remained standing there, thinking, perhaps, that + he had not yet sufficiently rewarded the man; and at last, + before turning away, he shouted, "Bawcombe, that's not all. + You'll get something more by and by." + </p> + <p> + Isaac had not long to wait for the something more, and it + turned out not to be the hare or brace of birds he had half + expected. It happened that the sportsman was one of the + trustees of an ancient charity which provided for six of the + most deserving old men of the parish of Bishop; now, one of + the six had recently died, and on this gentleman's + recommendation Bawcombe had been elected to fill the vacant + place. The letter from Salisbury informing him of his + election and commanding his presence in that city filled him + with astonishment; for, though he was sixty years old and the + father of three sons now out in the world, he could not yet + regard himself as an old man, for he had never known a day's + illness, nor an ache, and was famed in all that neighbourhood + for his great physical strength and endurance. And now, with + his own cottage to live in, eight shillings a week, and his + pensioners' garments, with certain other benefits, and a + shilling a day besides which his old master paid him for some + services at the farm-house in the village, Isaac found + himself very well off indeed, and he enjoyed his prosperous + state for twenty-six years. Then, in 1886, his old wife fell + ill and died, and no sooner was she in her grave than he, + too, began to droop; and soon, before the year was out, he + followed her, because, as the neighbours said, they had + always been a loving pair and one could not 'bide without the + other. + </p> + <p> + This chapter has already had its proper ending and there was + no intention of adding to it, but now for a special reason, + which I trust the reader will pardon when he hears it, I must + go on to say something about that strange phenomenon of death + succeeding death in old married couples, one dying for no + other reason than that the other has died. For it is our + instinct to hold fast to life, and the older a man gets if he + be sane the more he becomes like a newborn child in the + impulse to grip tightly. A strange and a rare thing among + people generally (the people we know), it is nevertheless + quite common among persons of the labouring class in the + rural districts. I have sometimes marvelled at the number of + such cases to be met with in the villages; but when one comes + to think about it one ceases to wonder that it should be so. + For the labourer on the land goes on from boyhood to the end + of life in the same everlasting round, the changes from task + to task, according to the seasons, being no greater than in + the case of the animals that alter their actions and habits + to suit the varying conditions of the year. March and August + and December, and every month, will bring about the changes + in the atmosphere and earth and vegetation and in the + animals, which have been from of old, which he knows how to + meet, and the old, familiar task, lambing-time, + shearing-time, root and seed crops hoeing, haymaking, + harvesting. It is a life of the extremest simplicity, without + all those interests outside the home and the daily task, the + innumerable distractions, common to all persons in other + classes and to the workmen in towns as well. Incidentally it + may be said that it is also the healthiest, that, speaking + generally, the agricultural labourer is the healthiest and + sanest man in the land, if not also the happiest, as some + believe. + </p> + <p> + It is this life of simple, unchanging actions and of habits + that are like instincts, of hard labour in sun and wind and + rain from day to day, with its weekly break and rest, and of + but few comforts and no luxuries, which serves to bind man + and wife so closely. And the longer their life goes on + together the closer and more unbreakable the union grows. + They are growing old: old friends and companions have died or + left them; their children have married and gone away and have + their own families and affairs, so that the old folks at home + are little remembered, and to all others they have become of + little consequence in the world. But they do not know it, for + they are together, cherishing the same memories, speaking of + the same old, familiar things, and their lost friends and + companions, their absent, perhaps estranged, children, are + with them still in mind as in the old days. The past is with + them more than the present, to give an undying interest to + life; for they share it, and it is only when one goes, when + the old wife gets the tea ready and goes mechanically to the + door to gaze out, knowing that her tired man will come in no + more to take his customary place and listen to all the things + she has stored up in her mind during the day to tell him; and + when the tired labourer comes in at dusk to find no old wife + waiting to give him his tea and talk to him while he + refreshes himself, he all at once realizes his position; he + finds himself cut off from the entire world, from all of his + kind. Where are they all? The enduring sympathy of that one + soul that was with him till now had kept him in touch with + life, had made it seem unchanged and unchangeable, and with + that soul has vanished the old, sweet illusion as well as all + ties, all common, human affection. He is desolate, indeed, + alone in a desert world, and it is not strange that in many + and many a case, even in that of a man still strong, + untouched by disease and good for another decade or two, the + loss, the awful solitude, has proved too much for him. + </p> + <p> + Such cases, I have said, are common, but they are not + recorded, though it is possible with labour to pick them out + in the church registers; but in the churchyards you do not + find them, since the farm-labourer has only a green mound to + mark the spot where he lies. Nevertheless, he is sometimes + honoured with a gravestone, and last August I came by chance + on one on which was recorded a case like that of Isaac + Bawcombe and his life-mate. + </p> + <p> + The churchyard is in one of the prettiest and most secluded + villages in the downland country described in this book. The + church is ancient and beautiful and interesting in many ways, + and the churchyard, too, is one of the most interesting I + know, a beautiful, green, tree-shaded spot, with an + extraordinary number of tombs and gravestones, many of them + dated in the eighteenth and seventeenth centuries, inscribed + with names of families which have long died out. + </p> + <p> + I went on that afternoon to pass an hour in the churchyard, + and finding an old man in labourer's clothes resting on a + tomb, I sat down and entered into conversation with him. He + was seventy-nine, he told me, and past work, and he had three + shillings a week from the parish; but he was very deaf and it + fatigued me to talk to him, and seeing the church open I went + in. On previous visits I had had a good deal of trouble to + get the key, and to find it open now was a pleasant surprise. + An old woman was there dusting the seats, and by and by, + while I was talking with her, the old labourer came stumping + in with his ponderous, iron-shod boots and without taking off + his old, rusty hat, and began shouting at the church-cleaner + about a pair of trousers he had given her to mend, which he + wanted badly. Leaving them to their arguing I went out and + began studying the inscriptions on the stones, so hard to + make out in some instances; the old man followed and went his + way; then the church-cleaner came out to where I was + standing. "A tiresome old man!" she said. "He's that deaf he + has to shout to hear himself speak, then you've got to shout + back—and all about his old trousers!" + </p> + <p> + "I suppose he wants them," I returned, "and you promised to + do them, so he has some reason for going at you about it." + </p> + <p> + "Oh no, he hasn't," she replied. "The girl brought them for + me to mend, and I said, 'Leave them and I'll do them when + I've time'—how did I know he wanted them in a hurry? A + troublesome old man!" + </p> + <p> + By and by, taking a pair of spectacles out of her pocket, she + put them on, and going down on her knees she began + industriously picking the old, brown, dead moss out of the + lettering on one side of the tomb. "I'd like to know what it + says on this stone," she said. + </p> + <p> + "Well, you can read it for yourself, now you've got your + glasses on." + </p> + <p> + "I can't read. You see, I'm old—seventy-six years, and + when I were little we were very poor and I couldn't get no + schooling. I've got these glasses to do my sewing, and only + put them on to get this stuff out so's you could read it. I'd + like to hear you read it." + </p> + <p> + I began to get interested in the old dame who talked to me so + freely. She was small and weak-looking, and appeared very + thin in her limp, old, faded gown; she had a meek, patient + expression on her face, and her voice, too, like her face, + expressed weariness and resignation. + </p> + <p> + "But if you have always lived here you must know what is said + on this stone?" + </p> + <p> + "No, I don't; nobody never read it to me, and I couldn't read + it because I wasn't taught to read. But I'd like to hear you + read it." + </p> + <p> + It was a long inscription to a person named Ash, gentleman, + of this parish, who departed this life over a century ago, + and was a man of a noble and generous disposition, good as a + husband, a father, a friend, and charitable to the poor. + Under all were some lines of verse, scarcely legible in spite + of the trouble she had taken to remove the old moss from the + letters. + </p> + <p> + She listened with profound interest, then said, "I never + heard all that before; I didn't know the name, though I've + known this stone since I was a child. I used to climb on to + it then. Can you read me another?" + </p> + <p> + I read her another and several more, then came to one which + she said she knew—every word of it, for this was the + grave of the sweetest, kindest woman that ever lived. Oh, how + good this dear woman had been to her in her young married + life more'n fifty years ago! If that dear lady had only lived + it would not have been so hard for her when her trouble come! + </p> + <p> + "And what was your trouble?" + </p> + <p> + "It was the loss of my poor man. He was such a good man, a + thatcher; and he fell from a rick and injured his spine, and + he died, poor fellow, and left me with our five little + children." Then, having told me her own tragedy, to my + surprise she brightened up and begged me to read other + inscriptions to her. + </p> + <p> + I went on reading, and presently she said, "No, that's wrong. + There wasn't ever a Lampard in this parish. That I know." + </p> + <p> + "You don't know! There certainly was a Lampard or it would + not be stated here, cut in deep letters on this stone." + </p> + <p> + "No, there wasn't a Lampard. I've never known such a name and + I've lived here all my life." + </p> + <p> + "But there were people living here before you came on the + scene. He died a long time ago, this Lampard—in 1714, + it says. And you are only seventy-six, you tell me; that is + to say, you were born in 1835, and that would be one hundred + and twenty-one years after he died." + </p> + <p> + "That's a long time! It must be very old, this stone. And the + church too. I've heard say it was once a Roman Catholic + church. Is that true?" + </p> + <p> + "Why, of course it's true—all the old churches were, + and we were all of that faith until a King of England had a + quarrel with the Pope and determined he would be Pope himself + as well as king in his own country. So he turned all the + priests and monks out, and took their property and churches + and had his own men put in. That was Henry VIII." + </p> + <p> + "I've heard something about that king and his wives. But + about Lampard, it do seem strange I've never heard that name + before." + </p> + <p> + "Not strange at all; it was a common name in this part of + Wiltshire in former days; you find it in dozens of + churchyards, but you'll find very few Lampards living in the + villages. Why, I could tell you a dozen or twenty surnames, + some queer, funny names, that were common in these parts not + more than a century ago which seem to have quite died out." + </p> + <p> + "I should like to hear some of them if you'll tell me." + </p> + <p> + "Let me think a moment: there was Thorr, Pizzie, Gee, Every, + Pottle, Kiddle, Toomer, Shergold, and—" + </p> + <p> + Here she interrupted to say that she knew three of the names + I had mentioned. Then, pointing to a small, upright + gravestone about twenty feet away, she added, "And there's + one." + </p> + <p> + "Very well," I said, "but don't keep putting me + out—I've got more names in my mind to tell you. + Maidment, Marchmont, Velvin, Burpitt, Winzur, Rideout, + Cullurne." + </p> + <p> + Of these she only knew one—Rideout. + </p> + <p> + Then I went over to the stone she had pointed to and read the + inscription to John Toomer and his wife Rebecca. She died + first, in March 1877, aged 72; he in July the same year, aged + 75. + </p> + <p> + "You knew them, I suppose?" + </p> + <p> + "Yes, they belonged here, both of them." + </p> + <p> + "Tell me about them." + </p> + <p> + "There's nothing to tell; he was only a labourer and worked + on the same farm all his life." + </p> + <p> + "Who put a stone over them—their children?" + </p> + <p> + "No, they're all poor and live away. I think it was a lady + who lived here; she'd been good to them, and she came and + stood here when they put old John in the ground." + </p> + <p> + "But I want to hear more." + </p> + <p> + "There's no more, I've said; he was a labourer, and after she + died he died." + </p> + <p> + "Yes? go on." + </p> + <p> + "How can I go on? There's no more. I knew them so well; they + lived in the little thatched cottage over there, where the + Millards live now." + </p> + <p> + "Did they fall ill at the same time?" + </p> + <p> + "Oh no, he was as well as could be, still at work, till she + died, then he went on in a strange way. He would come in of + an evening and call his wife. 'Mother! Mother, where are + you?' you'd hear him call, 'Mother, be you upstairs? Mother, + ain't you coming down for a bit of bread and cheese before + you go to bed?' And then in a little while he just died." + </p> + <p> + "And you said there was nothing to tell!" + </p> + <p> + "No, there wasn't anything. He was just one of us, a labourer + on the farm." + </p> + <p> + I then gave her something, and to my surprise after taking it + she made me an elaborate curtsy. It rather upset me, for I + had thought we had got on very well together and were quite + free and easy in our talk, very much on a level. But she was + not done with me yet. She followed to the gate, and holding + out her open hand with that small gift in it, she said in a + pathetic voice, "Did you think, sir, I was expecting this? I + had no such thought and didn't want it." + </p> + <p> + And I had no thought of saying or writing a word about her. + But since that day she has haunted me—she and her old + John Toomer, and it has just now occurred to me that by + putting her in my book I may be able to get her out of my + mind. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch05"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER V + </h2> + <h3> + EARLY MEMORIES + </h3> + <blockquote> + A child shepherd—Isaac and his + children—Shepherding in boyhood—Two notable + sheep-dogs—Jack, the adder-killer—Sitting on an + adder—Rough and the drovers—The Salisbury + coach—A sheep-dog suckling a lamb + </blockquote> + <p> + Caleb's shepherding began in childhood; at all events he had + his first experience of it at that time. Many an old + shepherd, whose father was shepherd before him, has told me + that he began to go with the flock very early in life, when + he was no more than ten to twelve years of age. Caleb + remembered being put in charge of his father's flock at the + tender age of six. It was a new and wonderful experience, and + made so vivid and lasting an impression on his mind that now, + when he is past eighty, he speaks of it very feelingly as of + something which happened yesterday. + </p> + <p> + It was harvesting time, and Isaac, who was a good reaper, was + wanted in the field, but he could find no one, not even a + boy, to take charge of his flock in the meantime, and so to + be able to reap and keep an eye on the flock at the same time + he brought his sheep down to the part of the down adjoining + the field. It was on his "liberty," or that part of the down + where he was entitled to have his flock. He then took his + very small boy, Caleb, and placing him with the sheep told + him they were now in his charge; that he was not to lose + sight of them, and at the same time not to run about among + the furze-bushes for fear of treading on an adder. By and by + the sheep began straying off among the furze-bushes, and no + sooner would they disappear from sight than he imagined they + were lost for ever, or would be unless he quickly found them, + and to find them he had to run about among the bushes with + the terror of adders in his mind, and the two troubles + together kept him crying with misery all the time. Then, at + intervals, Isaac would leave his reaping and come to see how + he was getting on, and the tears would vanish from his eyes, + and he would feel very brave again, and to his father's + question he would reply that he was getting on very well. + </p> + <p> + Finally his father came and took him to the field, to his + great relief; but he did not carry him in his arms; he strode + along at his usual pace and let the little fellow run after + him, stumbling and falling and picking himself up again and + running on. And by and by one of the women in the field cried + out, "Be you not ashamed, Isaac, to go that pace and not bide + for the little child! I do b'lieve he's no more'n seven + year—poor mite!" + </p> + <p> + "No more'n six," answered Isaac proudly, with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + But though not soft or tender with his children he was very + fond of them, and when he came home early in the evening he + would get them round him and talk to them, and sing old songs + and ballads he had learnt in his young years—"Down in + the Village," "The Days of Queen Elizabeth," "The + Blacksmith," "The Gown of Green," "The Dawning of the Day," + and many others, which Caleb in the end got by heart and used + to sing, too, when he was grown up. + </p> + <p> + Caleb was about nine when he began to help regularly with the + flock; that was in the summer-time, when the flock was put + every day on the down and when Isaac's services were required + for the haymaking and later for harvesting and other work. + His best memories of this period relate to his mother and to + two sheepdogs, Jack at first and afterwards Rough, both + animals of original character. Jack was a great favourite of + his master, who considered him a "tarrable good dog." He was + rather short-haired, like the old Welsh sheepdog once common + in Wiltshire, but entirely black instead of the usual + colour—blue with a sprinkling of black spots. This dog + had an intense hatred of adders and never failed to kill + every one he discovered. At the same time he knew that they + were dangerous enemies to tackle, and on catching sight of + one his hair would instantly bristle up, and he would stand + as if paralysed for some moments, glaring at it and gnashing + his teeth, then springing like a cat upon it he would seize + it in his mouth, only to hurl it from him to a distance. This + action he would repeat until the adder was dead, and Isaac + would then put it under a furze-bush to take it home and hang + it on a certain gate. The farmer, too, like the dog, hated + adders, and paid his shepherd sixpence for every one his dog + killed. + </p> + <p> + One day Caleb, with one of his brothers, was out with the + flock, amusing themselves in their usual way on the turf with + nine morris-men and the shepherd's puzzle, when all at once + their mother appeared unexpectedly on the scene. It was her + custom, when the boys were sent out with the flock, to make + expeditions to the down just to see what they were up to; and + hiding her approach by keeping to a hedge-side or by means of + the furze-bushes, she would sometimes come upon them with + disconcerting suddenness. On this occasion just where the + boys had been playing there was a low, stout furze-bush, so + dense and flat-topped that one could use it as a seat, and + his mother taking off and folding her shawl placed it on the + bush, and sat down on it to rest herself after her long walk. + "I can see her now," said Caleb, "sitting on that furze-bush, + in her smock and leggings, with a big hat like a man's on her + head—for that's how she dressed." But in a few moments + she jumped up, crying out that she felt a snake under her, + and snatched off the shawl, and there, sure enough, out of + the middle of the flat bush-top appeared the head of an + adder, flicking out its tongue. The dog, too, saw it, dashed + at the bush, forcing his muzzle and head into the middle of + it, seized the serpent by its body and plucked it out and + threw it from him, only to follow it up and kill it in the + usual way. + </p> + <p> + Rough was a large, shaggy, grey-blue bobtail bitch with a + white collar. She was a clever, good all-round dog, but had + originally been trained for the road, and one of the + shepherd's stories about her relates of her intelligence in + her own special line—the driving of sheep. + </p> + <p> + One day he and his smaller brother were in charge of the + flock on the down, and were on the side where it dips down to + the turnpike-road about a mile and a half from the village, + where a large flock, driven by two men and two dogs, came by. + They were going to the Britford sheep-fair and were behind + time; Isaac had started at daylight that morning with sheep + for the same fair, and that was the reason of the boys being + with the flock. As the flock on the down was feeding quietly + the boys determined to go to the road to watch the sheep and + men pass, and arriving at the roadside they saw that the dogs + were too tired to work and the men were getting on with great + difficulty. One of them, looking intently at Rough, asked if + she would work. "Oh, yes, she'll work," said the boy proudly, + and calling Rough he pointed to the flock moving very slowly + along the road and over the turf on either side of it. Rough + knew what was wanted; she had been looking on and had taken + the situation in with her professional eye; away she dashed, + and running up and down, first on one side then on the other, + quickly put the whole flock, numbering 800, into the road and + gave them a good start. + </p> + <p> + "Why, she be a road dog!" exclaimed the drover delightedly. + "She's better for me on the road than for you on the down; + I'll buy her of you." + </p> + <p> + "No, I mustn't sell her," said Caleb. + </p> + <p> + "Look here, boy," said the other, "I'll give 'ee a sovran and + this young dog, an' he'll be a good one with a little more + training." + </p> + <p> + "No, I mustn't," said Caleb, distressed at the other's + persistence. + </p> + <p> + "Well, will you come a little way on the road with us?" asked + the drover. + </p> + <p> + This the boys agreed to and went on for about a quarter of a + mile, when all at once the Salisbury coach appeared on the + road, coming to meet them. This new trouble was pointed out + to Rough, and at once when her little master had given the + order she dashed barking into the midst of the mass of sheep + and drove them furiously to the side from end to end of the + extended flock, making a clear passage for the coach, which + was not delayed a minute. And no sooner was the coach gone + than the sheep were put back into the road. + </p> + <p> + Then the drover pulled out his sovereign once more and tried + to make the boy take it. + </p> + <p> + "I mustn't," he repeated, almost in tears. "What would father + say?" + </p> + <p> + "Say! He won't say nothing. He'll think you've done well." + </p> + <p> + But Caleb thought that perhaps his father would say + something, and when he remembered certain whippings he had + experienced in the past he had an uncomfortable sensation + about his back. "No, I mustn't," was all he could say, and + then the drovers with a laugh went on with their sheep. + </p> + <p> + When Isaac came home and the adventure was told to him he + laughed and said that he meant to sell Rough some day. He + used to say this occasionally to tease his wife because of + the dog's intense devotion to her; and she, being without a + sense of humour and half thinking that he meant it, would get + up out of her seat and solemnly declare that if he ever sold + Rough she would never again go out to the down to see what + the boys were up to. + </p> + <p> + One day she visited the boys when they had the flock near the + turnpike, and seating herself on the turf a few yards from + the road got out her work and began sewing. Presently they + spied a big, singular-looking man coming at a swinging pace + along the road. He was in shirt-sleeves, barefooted, and wore + a straw hat without a rim. Rough eyed the strange being's + approach with suspicion, and going to her mistress placed + herself at her side. The man came up and sat down at a + distance of three or four yards from the group, and Rough, + looking dangerous, started up and put her forepaws on her + mistress's lap and began uttering a low growl. + </p> + <p> + "Will that dog bite, missus?" said the man. + </p> + <p> + "Maybe he will," said she. "I won't answer for he if you come + any nearer." + </p> + <p> + The two boys had been occupied cutting a faggot from a + furze-bush with a bill-hook, and now held a whispered + consultation as to what they would do if the man tried to + "hurt mother," and agreed that as soon as Rough had got her + teeth in his leg they would attack him about the head with + the bill-hook. They were not required to go into action; the + stranger could not long endure Rough's savage aspect, and + very soon he got up and resumed his travels. + </p> + <p> + The shepherd remembered another curious incident in Rough's + career. At one time when she had a litter of pups at home she + was yet compelled to be a great part of the day with the + flock of ewes as they could not do without her. The boys just + then were bringing up a motherless lamb by hand and they + would put it with the sheep, and to feed it during the day + were obliged to catch a ewe with milk. The lamb trotted at + Caleb's heels like a dog, and one day when it was hungry and + crying to be fed, when Rough happened to be sitting on her + haunches close by, it occurred to him that Rough's milk might + serve as well as a sheep's. The lamb was put to her and took + very kindly to its canine foster-mother, wriggling its tail + and pushing vigorously with its nose. Rough submitted + patiently to the trial, and the result was that the lamb + adopted the sheep-dog as its mother and sucked her milk + several times every day, to the great admiration of all who + witnessed it. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch06"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI + </h2> + <h3> + SHEPHERD ISAAC BAWCOMBE + </h3> + <blockquote> + A noble shepherd—A fighting village + blacksmith—Old Joe the collier—A story of his + strength—Donkeys poisoned by yew—The shepherd + without his sheep—How the shepherd killed a deer + </blockquote> + <p> + To me the most interesting of Caleb's old memories were those + relating to his father, partly on account of the man's fine + character, and partly because they went so far back, + beginning in the early years of the last century. + </p> + <p> + Altogether he must have been a very fine specimen of a man, + both physically and morally. In Caleb's mind he was + undoubtedly the first among men morally, but there were two + other men supposed to be his equals in bodily strength, one a + native of the village, the other a periodical visitor. The + first was Jarvis the blacksmith, a man of an immense chest + and big arms, one of Isaac's greatest friends, and very + good-tempered except when in his cups, for he did + occasionally get drunk, and then he quarrelled with anyone + and every one. + </p> + <p> + One afternoon he had made himself quite tipsy at the inn, and + when going home, swaying about and walking all over the road, + he all at once caught sight of the big shepherd coming + soberly on behind. No sooner did he see him than it occurred + to his wild and muddled mind that he had a quarrel with this + very man, Shepherd Isaac, a quarrel of so pressing a nature + that there was nothing to do but to fight it out there and + then. He planted himself before the shepherd and challenged + him to fight. Isaac smiled and said nothing. + </p> + <p> + "I'll fight thee about this," he repeated, and began tugging + at his coat, and after getting it off again made up to Isaac, + who still smiled and said no word. Then he pulled his + waistcoat off, and finally his shirt, and with nothing but + his boots and breeches on once more squared up to Isaac and + threw himself into his best fighting attitude. + </p> + <p> + "I doan't want to fight thee," said Isaac at length, "but I + be thinking 'twould be best to take thee home." And suddenly + dashing in he seized Jarvis round the waist with one arm, + grasped him round the legs with the other, and flung the big + man across his shoulder, and carried him off, struggling and + shouting, to his cottage. There at the door, pale and + distressed, stood the poor wife waiting for her lord, when + Isaac arrived, and going straight in dropped the smith down + on his own floor, and with the remark, "Here be your man," + walked off to his cottage and his tea. + </p> + <p> + The other powerful man was Old Joe the collier, who + flourished and was known in every village in the Salisbury + Plain district during the first thirty-five years of the last + century. I first heard of this once famous man from Caleb, + whose boyish imagination had been affected by his gigantic + figure, mighty voice, and his wandering life over all that + wide world of Salisbury Plain. Afterwards when I became + acquainted with a good many old men, aged from 75 to 90 and + upwards, I found that Old Joe's memory is still green in a + good many villages of the district, from the upper waters of + the Avon to the borders of Dorset. But it is only these + ancients who knew him that keep it green; by and by when they + are gone Old Joe and his neddies will be remembered no more. + </p> + <p> + In those days—down to about 1840, it was customary to + burn peat in the cottages, the first cost of which was about + four and sixpence the wagon-load—as much as I should + require to keep me warm for a month in winter; but the cost + of its conveyance to the villages of the Plain was about five + to six shillings per load, as it came from a considerable + distance, mostly from the New Forest. How the labourers at + that time, when they were paid seven or eight shillings a + week, could afford to buy fuel at such prices to bake their + rye bread and keep the frost out of their bones is a marvel + to us. Isaac was a good deal better off than most of the + villagers in this respect, as his master—for he never + had but one—allowed him the use of a wagon and the + driver's services for the conveyance of one load of peat each + year. The wagon-load of peat and another of faggots lasted + him the year with the furze obtained from his "liberty" on + the down. Coal at that time was only used by the blacksmiths + in the villages, and was conveyed in sacks on ponies or + donkeys, and of those who were engaged in this business the + best known was Old Joe. He appeared periodically in the + villages with his eight donkeys, or neddies as he called + them, with jingling bells on their headstalls and their + burdens of two sacks of small coal on each. In stature he was + a giant of about six feet three, very broad-chested, and + invariably wore a broad-brimmed hat, a slate-coloured + smock-frock, and blue worsted stockings to his knees. He + walked behind the donkeys, a very long staff in his hand, + shouting at them from time to time, and occasionally swinging + his long staff and bringing it down on the back of a donkey + who was not keeping up the pace. In this way he wandered from + village to village from end to end of the Plain, getting rid + of his small coal and loading his animals with scrap iron + which the blacksmiths would keep for him, and as he continued + his rounds for nearly forty years he was a familiar figure to + every inhabitant throughout the district. + </p> + <p> + There are some stories still told of his great strength, one + of which is worth giving. He was a man of iron constitution + and gave himself a hard life, and he was hard on his neddies, + but he had to feed them well, and this he often contrived to + do at some one else's expense. One night at a village on the + Wylye it was discovered that he had put his eight donkeys in + a meadow in which the grass was just ripe for mowing. The + enraged farmer took them to the village pound and locked them + up, but in the morning the donkeys and Joe with them had + vanished and the whole village wondered how he had done it. + The stone wall of the pound was four feet and a half high and + the iron gate was locked, yet he had lifted the donkeys up + and put them over and had loaded them and gone before anyone + was up. + </p> + <p> + Once Joe met with a very great misfortune. He arrived late at + a village, and finding there was good feed in the churchyard + and that everybody was in bed, he put his donkeys in and + stretched himself out among the gravestones to sleep. He had + no nerves and no imagination; and was tired, and slept very + soundly until it was light and time to put his neddies out + before any person came by and discovered that he had been + making free with the rector's grass. Glancing round he could + see no donkeys, and only when he stood up he found they had + not made their escape but were there all about him, lying + among the gravestones, stone dead every one! He had forgotten + that a churchyard was a dangerous place to put hungry animals + in. They had browsed on the luxuriant yew that grew there, + and this was the result. + </p> + <p> + In time he recovered from his loss and replaced his dead + neddies with others, and continued for many years longer on + his rounds. + </p> + <p> + To return to Isaac Bawcombe. He was born, we have seen, in + 1800, and began following a flock as a boy and continued as + shepherd on the same farm for a period of fifty-five years. + The care of sheep was the one all-absorbing occupation of his + life, and how much it was to him appears in this anecdote of + his state of mind when he was deprived of it for a time. The + flock was sold and Isaac was left without sheep, and with + little to do except to wait from Michaelmas to Candlemas, + when there would be sheep again at the farm. It was a long + time to Isaac, and he found his enforced holiday so tedious + that he made himself a nuisance to his wife in the house. + Forty times a day he would throw off his hat and sit down, + resolved to be happy at his own fireside, but after a few + minutes the desire to be up and doing would return, and up he + would get and out he would go again. One dark cloudy evening + a man from the farm put his head in at the door. "Isaac," he + said, "there be sheep for 'ee up't the farm—two hunderd + ewes and a hunderd more to come in dree days. Master, he sent + I to say you be wanted." And away the man went. + </p> + <p> + Isaac jumped up and hurried forth without taking his crook + from the corner and actually without putting on his hat! His + wife called out after him, and getting no response sent the + boy with his hat to overtake him. But the little fellow soon + returned with the hat—he could not overtake his father! + </p> + <p> + He was away three or four hours at the farm, then returned, + his hair very wet, his face beaming, and sat down with a + great sigh of pleasure. "Two hunderd ewes," he said, "and a + hunderd more to come—what d'you think of that?" + </p> + <p> + "Well, Isaac," said she, "I hope thee'll be happy now and let + I alone." + </p> + <p> + After all that had been told to me about the elder Bawcombe's + life and character, it came somewhat as a shock to learn that + at one period during his early manhood he had indulged in one + form of poaching—a sport which had a marvellous + fascination for the people of England in former times, but + was pretty well extinguished during the first quarter of the + last century. Deer he had taken; and the whole tale of the + deer-stealing, which was a common offence in that part of + Wiltshire down to about 1834, sounds strange at the present + day. + </p> + <p> + Large herds of deer were kept at that time at an estate a few + miles from Winterbourne Bishop, and it often happened that + many of the animals broke bounds and roamed singly and in + small bands over the hills. When deer were observed in the + open, certain of the villagers would settle on some plan of + action; watchers would be sent out not only to keep an eye on + the deer but on the keepers too. Much depended on the state + of the weather and the moon, as some light was necessary; + then, when the conditions were favourable and the keepers had + been watched to their cottages, the gang would go out for a + night's hunting. But it was a dangerous sport, as the keepers + also knew that deer were out of bounds, and they would form + some counter-plan, and one peculiarly nasty plan they had was + to go out about three or four o'clock in the morning and + secrete themselves somewhere close to the village to + intercept the poachers on their return. + </p> + <p> + Bawcombe, who never in his life associated with the village + idlers and frequenters of the alehouse, had no connexion with + these men. His expeditions were made alone on some dark, + unpromising night, when the regular poachers were in bed and + asleep. He would steal away after bedtime, or would go out + ostensibly to look after the sheep, and, if fortunate, would + return in the small hours with a deer on his back. Then, + helped by his mother, with whom he lived (for this was when + he was a young unmarried man, about 1820), he would quickly + skin and cut up the carcass, stow the meat away in some + secret place, and bury the head, hide, and offal deep in the + earth; and when morning came it would find Isaac out + following his flock as usual, with no trace of guilt or + fatigue in his rosy cheeks and clear, honest eyes. + </p> + <p> + This was a very astonishing story to hear from Caleb, but to + suspect him of inventing or of exaggerating was impossible to + anyone who knew him. And we have seen that Isaac Bawcombe was + an exceptional man—physically a kind of Alexander + Selkirk of the Wiltshire Downs. And he, moreover, had a dog + to help him—one as superior in speed and strength to + the ordinary sheep-dog as he himself was to the rack of his + fellow-men. It was only after much questioning on my part + that Caleb brought himself to tell me of these ancient + adventures, and finally to give a detailed account of how his + father came to take his first deer. It was in the depth of + winter—bitterly cold, with a strong north wind blowing + on the snow-covered downs—when one evening Isaac caught + sight of two deer out on his sheep-walk. In that part of + Wiltshire there is a famous monument of antiquity, a vast + mound-like wall, with a deep depression or fosse running at + its side. Now it happened that on the highest part of the + down, where the wall or mound was most exposed to the blast, + the snow had been blown clean off the top, and the deer were + feeding here on the short turf, keeping to the ridge, so + that, outlined against the sky, they had become visible to + Isaac at a great distance. + </p> + <p> + He saw and pondered. These deer, just now, while out of + bounds, were no man's property, and it would be no sin to + kill and eat one—if he could catch it!—and it was + a season of bitter want. For many many days he had eaten his + barley bread, and on some days barley-flour dumplings, and + had been content with this poor fare; but now the sight of + these animals made him crave for meat with an intolerable + craving, and he determined to do something to satisfy it. + </p> + <p> + He went home and had his poor supper, and when it was dark + set forth again with his dog. He found the deer still feeding + on the mound. Stealing softly along among the furze-bushes, + he got the black line of the mound against the starry sky, + and by and by, as he moved along, the black figures of the + deer, with their heads down, came into view. He then doubled + back and, proceeding some distance, got down into the fosse + and stole forward to them again under the wall. His idea was + that on taking alarm they would immediately make for the + forest which was their home, and would probably pass near + him. They did not hear him until he was within sixty yards, + and then bounded down from the wall, over the dyke, and away, + but in almost opposite directions—one alone making for + the forest; and on this one the dog was set. Out he shot like + an arrow from the bow, and after him ran Isaac "as he had + never runned afore in all his life." For a short space deer + and dog in hot pursuit were visible on the snow, then the + darkness swallowed them up as they rushed down the slope; but + in less than half a minute a sound came back to Isaac, + flying, too, down the incline—the long, wailing cry of + a deer in distress. The dog had seized his quarry by one of + the front legs, a little above the hoof, and held it fast, + and they were struggling on the snow when Isaac came up and + flung himself upon his victim, then thrust his knife through + its windpipe "to stop its noise." Having killed it, he threw + it on his back and went home, not by the turnpike, nor by any + road or path, but over fields and through copses until he got + to the back of his mother's cottage. There was no door on + that side, but there was a window, and when he had rapped at + it and his mother opened it, without speaking a word he + thrust the dead deer through, then made his way round to the + front. + </p> + <p> + That was how he killed his first deer. How the others were + taken I do not know; I wish I did, since this one exploit of + a Wiltshire shepherd has more interest for me than I find in + fifty narratives of elephants slaughtered wholesale with + explosive bullets, written for the delight and astonishment + of the reading public by our most glorious Nimrods. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch07"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII + </h2> + <h3> + THE DEER-STEALERS + </h3> + <blockquote> + Deer-stealing on Salisbury Plain—The head-keeper + Harbutt—Strange story of a baby—Found as a + surname—John Barter the village carpenter—How the + keeper was fooled—A poaching attack planned—The + fight—Head-keeper and carpenter—The carpenter + hides his son—The arrest—Barter's sons forsake + the village + </blockquote> + <p> + There were other memories of deer-taking handed down to Caleb + by his parents, and the one best worth preserving relates to + the head-keeper of the preserves, or chase, and to a great + fight in which he was engaged with two brothers of the girl + who was afterwards to be Isaac's wife. + </p> + <p> + Here it may be necessary to explain that formerly the owner + of Cranbourne Chase, at that time Lord Rivers, claimed the + deer and the right to preserve and hunt deer over a + considerable extent of country outside of his own lands. On + the Wiltshire side these rights extended from Cranbourne + Chase over the South Wiltshire Downs to Salisbury, and the + whole territory, about thirty miles broad, was divided into + beats or walks, six or eight in number, each beat provided + with a keeper's lodge. This state of things continued to the + year 1834, when the chase was "disfranchised" by Act of + Parliament. + </p> + <p> + The incident I am going to relate occurred about 1815 or + perhaps two or three years later. The border of one of the + deer walks was at a spot known as Three Downs Place, two + miles and a half from Winterbourne Bishop. Here in a hollow + of the downs there was an extensive wood, and just within the + wood a large stone house, said to be centuries old but long + pulled down, called Rollston House, in which the head-keeper + lived with two under-keepers. He had a wife but no children, + and was a middle-aged, thick-set, very dark man, powerful and + vigilant, a "tarrable" hater and persecutor of poachers, + feared and hated by them in turn, and his name was Harbutt. + </p> + <p> + It happened that one morning, when he had unbarred the front + door to go out, he found a great difficulty in opening it, + caused by a heavy object having been fastened to the + door-handle. It proved to be a basket or box, in which a + well-nourished, nice-looking boy baby was sleeping, well + wrapped up and covered with a cloth. On the cloth a scrap of + paper was pinned with the following lines written on it: + </p> + <p> + Take me in and treat me well,<br> + For in this house my father dwell. + </p> + <p> + Harbutt read the lines and didn't even smile at the grammar; + on the contrary, he appeared very much upset, and was still + standing holding the paper, staring stupidly at it, when his + wife came on the scene. "What be this?" she exclaimed, and + looked first at the paper, then at him, then at the rosy + child fast asleep in its cradle; and instantly, with a great + cry, she fell on it and snatched it up in her arms, and + holding it clasped to her bosom, began lavishing caresses and + endearing expressions on it, tears of rapture in her eyes! + Not one word of inquiry or bitter, jealous reproach—all + that part of her was swallowed up and annihilated in the joy + of a woman who had been denied a child of her own to love and + nourish and worship. And now one had come to her and it + mattered little how. Two or three days later the infant was + baptized at the village church with the quaint name of Moses + Found. + </p> + <p> + Caleb was a little surprised at my thinking it a laughable + name. It was to his mind a singularly appropriate one; he + assured me it was not the only case he knew of in which the + surname Found had been bestowed on a child of unknown + parentage, and he told me the story of one of the Founds who + had gone to Salisbury as a boy and worked and saved and + eventually become quite a prosperous and important person. + There was really nothing funny in it. + </p> + <p> + The story of Moses Found had been told him by his old mother; + she, he remarked significantly, had good cause to remember + it. She was herself a native of the village, born two or + three years later than the mysterious Moses; her father, John + Barter by name was a carpenter and lived in an old, thatched + house which still exists and is very familiar to me. He had + five sons; then, after an interval of some years, a daughter + was born, who in due time was to be Isaac's wife. When she + was a little girl her brothers were all grown up or on the + verge of manhood, and Moses, too, was a young man—"the + spit of his father" people said, meaning the + head-keeper—and he was now one of Harbutt's + under-keepers. + </p> + <p> + About this time some of the more ardent spirits in the + village, not satisfied with an occasional hunt when a deer + broke out and roamed over the downs, took to poaching them in + the woods. One night, a hunt having been arranged, one of the + most daring of the men secreted himself close to the keeper's + house, and having watched the keepers go in and the lights + put out, he actually succeeded in fastening up the doors from + the outside with screws and pieces of wood without creating + an alarm. He then met his confederates at an agreed spot and + the hunting began, during which one deer was chased to the + house and actually pulled down and killed on the lawn. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the inmates were in a state of great excitement; + the under-keepers feared that a force it would be dangerous + to oppose had taken possession of the woods, while Harbutt + raved and roared like a maddened wild beast in a cage, and + put forth all his strength to pull the doors open. Finally he + smashed a window and leaped out, gun in hand, and calling the + others to follow rushed into the wood. But he was too late; + the hunt was over and the poachers had made good their + escape, taking the carcasses of two or three deer they had + succeeded in killing. + </p> + <p> + The keeper was not to be fooled in the same way a second + time, and before very long he had his revenge. A fresh raid + was planned, and on this occasion two of the five brothers + were in it, and there were four more, the blacksmith of + Winterbourne Bishop, their best man, two famous shearers, + father and son, from a neighbouring village, and a young farm + labourer. + </p> + <p> + They knew very well that with the head-keeper in his present + frame of mind it was a risky affair, and they made a solemn + compact that if caught they would stand by one another to the + end. And caught they were, and on this occasion the keepers + were four. + </p> + <p> + At the very beginning the blacksmith, their ablest man and + virtual leader, was knocked down senseless with a blow on his + head with the butt end of a gun. Immediately on seeing this + the two famous shearers took to their heels and the young + labourer followed their example. The brothers were left but + refused to be taken, although Harbutt roared at them in his + bull's voice that he would shoot them unless they + surrendered. They made light of his threats and fought + against the four, and eventually were separated. By and by + the younger of the two was driven into a brambly thicket + where his opponents imagined that it would be impossible for + him to escape. But he was a youth of indomitable spirit, + strong and agile as a wild cat; and returning blow for blow + he succeeded in tearing himself from them, then after a + running fight through the darkest part of the wood for a + distance of two or three hundred yards they at length lost + him or gave him up and went back to assist Harbutt and Moses + against the other man. Left to himself he got out of the wood + and made his way back to the village. It was long past + midnight when he turned up at his father's cottage, a + pitiable object covered with mud and blood, hatless, his + clothes torn to shreds, his face and whole body covered with + bruises and bleeding wounds. + </p> + <p> + The old man was in a great state of distress about his other + son, and early in the morning went to examine the ground + where the fight had been. It was only too easily found; the + sod was trampled down and branches broken as though a score + of men had been engaged. Then he found his eldest son's cap, + and a little farther away a sleeve of his coat; shreds and + rags were numerous on the bramble bushes, and by and by he + came on a pool of blood. "They've kill 'n!" he cried in + despair, "they've killed my poor boy!" and straight to + Rollston House he went to inquire, and was met by Harbutt + himself, who came out limping, one boot on, the other foot + bound up with rags, one arm in a sling and a cloth tied round + his head. He was told that his son was alive and safe indoors + and that he would be taken to Salisbury later in the day. + "His clothes be all torn to pieces," added the keeper. "You + can just go home at once and git him others before the + constable comes to take him." + </p> + <p> + "You've tored them to pieces yourself and you can git him + others," retorted the old man in a rage. + </p> + <p> + "Very well," said the keeper. "But bide a moment—I've + something more to say to you. When your son comes out of jail + in a year or so you tell him from me that if he'll just step + up this way I'll give him five shillings and as much beer as + he likes to drink. I never see'd a better fighter!" + </p> + <p> + It was a great compliment to his son, but the old men was + troubled in his mind. "What dost mean, keeper, by a year or + so?" he asked. + </p> + <p> + "When I said that," returned the other, with a grin, "I was + just thinking what 'twould be he deserves to git." + </p> + <p> + "And you'd agot your deserts, by God," cried the angry + father, "if that boy of mine hadn't a-been left alone to + fight ye!" + </p> + <p> + Harbutt regarded him with a smile of gratified malice. + </p> + <p> + "You can go home now," he said. "If you'd see your son you'll + find'n in Salisbury jail. Maybe you'll be wanting new locks + on your doors; you can git they in Salisbury too—you've + no blacksmith in your village now. No, your boy weren't alone + and you know that damned well." + </p> + <p> + "I know naught about that," he returned, and started to walk + home with a heavy heart. Until now he had been clinging to + the hope that the other son had not been identified in the + dark wood. And now what could he do to save one of the two + from hateful imprisonment? The boy was not in a fit condition + to make his escape; he could hardly get across the room and + could not sit or lie down without groaning. He could only try + to hide him in the cottage and pray that they would not + discover him. The cottage was in the middle of the village + and had but little ground to it, but there was a small, + boarded-up cavity or cell at one end of an attic, and it + might be possible to save him by putting him in there. Here, + then, in a bed placed for him on the floor, his bruised son + was obliged to lie, in the close, dark hole, for some days. + </p> + <p> + One day, about a week later, when he was recovering from his + hurts, he crawled out of his box and climbed down the narrow + stairs to the ground floor to see the light and breathe a + better air for a short time, and while down he was tempted to + take a peep at the street through the small, latticed window. + But he quickly withdrew his head and by and by said to his + father, "I'm feared Moses has seen me. Just now when I was at + the window he came by and looked up and see'd me with my head + all tied up, and I'm feared he knew 'twas I." + </p> + <p> + After that they could only wait in fear and trembling, and on + the next day quite early there came a loud rap at the door, + and on its being opened by the old man the constable and two + keepers appeared standing before him. + </p> + <p> + "I've come to take your son," said the constable. + </p> + <p> + The old man stepped back without a word and took down his gun + from its place on the wall, then spoke: "It you've got a + search-warrant you may come in; if you haven't got 'n I'll + blow the brains out of the first man that puts a foot inside + my door." + </p> + <p> + They hesitated a few moments then silently withdrew. After + consulting together the constable went off to the nearest + magistrate, leaving the two keepers to keep watch on the + house: Moses Found was one of them. Later in the day the + constable returned armed with a warrant and was thereupon + admitted, with the result that the poor youth was soon + discovered in his hiding-place and carried off. And that was + the last he saw of his home, his young sister crying bitterly + and his old father white and trembling with grief and + impotent rage. + </p> + <p> + A month or two later the two brothers were tried and + sentenced each to six months' imprisonment. They never came + home. On their release they went to Woolwich, where men were + wanted and the pay was good. And by and by the accounts they + sent home induced first one then the other brother to go and + join them, and the poor old father, who had been very proud + of his five sons, was left alone with his young + daughter—Isaac's destined wife. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch08"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII + </h2> + <h3> + SHEPHERDS AND POACHING + </h3> + <blockquote> + General remarks on poaching—Farmer, shepherd, and + dog—A sheep-dog that would not hunt—Taking a + partridge from a hawk—Old Gaarge and Young + Gaarge—Partridge-poaching—The shepherd robbed of + his rabbits—Wisdom of Shepherd + Gathergood—Hare-trapping on the down—Hare-taking + with a crook + </blockquote> + <p> + When Caleb was at length free from his father's tutelage, and + as an under-shepherd practically independent, he did not + follow Isaac's strict example with regard to wild animals, + good for the pot, which came by chance in his way; he even + allowed himself to go a little out of his way on occasion to + get them. + </p> + <p> + We know that about this matter the law of the land does not + square with the moral law as it is written in the heart of + the peasant. A wounded partridge or other bird which he finds + in his walks abroad or which comes by chance to him is his by + a natural right, and he will take and eat or dispose of it + without scruple. With rabbits he is very free—he + doesn't wait to find a distressed one with a stoat on its + track—stoats are not sufficiently abundant; and a hare, + too, may be picked up at any moment; only in this case he + must be very sure that no one is looking. Knowing the law, + and being perhaps a respectable, religious person, he is + anxious to abstain from all appearance of evil. This taking a + hare or rabbit or wounded partridge is in his mind a very + different thing from systematic poaching; but he is aware + that to the classes above him it is not so—the law has + made them one. It is a hard, arbitrary, unnatural law, made + by and for them, his betters, and outwardly he must conform + to it. Thus you will find the best of men among the shepherds + and labourers freely helping themselves to any wild creature + that falls in their way, yet sharing the game-preserver's + hatred of the real poacher. The village poacher as a rule is + an idle, dissolute fellow, and the sober, industrious, + righteous shepherd or ploughman or carter does not like to be + put on a level with such a person. But there is no escape + from the hard and fast rule in such things, and however open + and truthful he may be in everything else, in this one matter + he is obliged to practise a certain amount of deception. Here + is a case to serve as an illustration; I have only just heard + it, after putting together the material I had collected for + this chapter, in conversation with an old shepherd friend of + mine. + </p> + <p> + He is a fine old man who has followed a flock these fifty + years, and will, I have no doubt, carry his crook for yet + another ten. Not only is he a "good shepherd," in the sense + in which Caleb uses that phrase, with a more intimate + knowledge of sheep and all the ailments they are subject to + than I have found in any other, but he is also a truly + religious man, one that "walks with God." He told me this + story of a sheep-dog he owned when head-shepherd on a large + farm on the Dorsetshire border with a master whose chief + delight in life was in coursing hares. They abounded on his + land, and he naturally wanted the men employed on the farm to + regard them as sacred animals. One day he came out to the + shepherd to complain that some one had seen his dog hunting a + hare. + </p> + <p> + The shepherd indignantly asked who had said such a thing. + </p> + <p> + "Never mind about that," said the farmer. "Is it true?" + </p> + <p> + "It is a lie," said the shepherd. "My dog never hunts a hare + or anything else. 'Tis my belief the one that said that has + got a dog himself that hunts the hares and he wants to put + the blame on some one else." + </p> + <p> + "May be so," said the farmer, unconvinced. + </p> + <p> + Just then a hare made its appearance, coming across the field + directly towards them, and either because they never moved or + it did not smell them it came on and on, stopping at + intervals to sit for a minute or so on its haunches, then on + again until it was within forty yards of where they were + standing. The farmer watched it approach and at the same time + kept an eye on the dog sitting at their feet and watching the + hare too, very steadily. "Now, shepherd," said the farmer, + "don't you say one word to the dog and I'll see for myself." + Not a word did he say, and the hare came and sat for some + seconds near them, then limped away out of sight, and the dog + made not the slightest movement. "That's all right," said the + farmer, well pleased. "I know now 'twas a lie I heard about + your dog. I've seen for myself and I'll just keep a sharp eye + on the man that told me." + </p> + <p> + My comment on this story was that the farmer had displayed an + almost incredible ignorance of a sheepdog—and a + shepherd. "How would it have been if you had said, 'Catch + him, Bob,' or whatever his name was?" I asked. + </p> + <p> + He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and replied, "I do + b'lieve he'd ha' got 'n, but he'd never move till I told 'n." + </p> + <p> + It comes to this: the shepherd refuses to believe that by + taking a hare he is robbing any man of his property, and if + he is obliged to tell a lie to save himself from the + consequences he does not consider that it is a lie. + </p> + <p> + When he understood that I was on his side in this question, + he told me about a good sheep-dog he once possessed which he + had to get rid of because he would not take a hare! + </p> + <p> + A dog when broken is made to distinguish between the things + he must and must not do. He is "feelingly persuaded" by kind + words and caresses in one case and hard words and hard blows + in the other. He learns that if he hunts hares and rabbits it + will be very bad for him, and in due time, after some + suffering, he is able to overcome this strongest instinct of + a dog. He acquires an artificial conscience. Then, when his + education is finished, he must be made to understand that it + is not quite finished after all—that he must partially + unlearn one of the saddest of the lessons instilled in him. + He must hunt a hare or rabbit when told by his master to do + so. It is a compact between man and dog. Thus, they have got + a law which the dog has sworn to obey; but the man who made + it is above the law and can when he thinks proper command his + servant to break it. The dog, as a rule, takes it all in very + readily and often allows himself more liberty than his master + gives him; the most highly accomplished animal is one that, + like my shepherd's dog in the former instance, will not stir + till he is told. In the other case the poor brute could not + rise to the position; it was too complex for him, and when + ordered to catch a rabbit he could only put his tail between + his legs and look in a puzzled way at his master. "Why do you + tell me to do a thing for which I shall be thrashed?" + </p> + <p> + It was only after Caleb had known me some time, when we were + fast friends, that he talked with perfect freedom of these + things and told me of his own small, illicit takings without + excuse or explanation. + </p> + <p> + One day he saw a sparrowhawk dash down upon a running + partridge and struggle with it on the ground. It was in a + grass field, divided from the one he was walking in by a + large, unkept hedge without a gap in it to let him through. + Presently the hawk rose up with the partridge still violently + struggling in its talons, and flew over the hedge to Caleb's + side, but was no sooner over than it came down again and the + struggle went on once more on the ground. On Caleb running to + the spot the hawk flew off, leaving his prey behind. He had + grasped it in its sides, driving his sharp claws well in, and + the partridge, though unable to fly, was still alive. The + shepherd killed it and put it in his pocket, and enjoyed it + very much when he came to eat it. + </p> + <p> + From this case, a most innocent form of poaching, he went on + to relate how he had once been able to deprive a cunning + poacher and bad man, a human sparrowhawk, of his quarry. + </p> + <p> + There were two persons in the village, father and son, he + very heartily detested, known respectively as Old Gaarge and + Young Gaarge, inveterate poachers both. They were worse than + the real reprobate who haunted the public-house and did no + work and was not ashamed of his evil ways, for these two were + hypocrites and were outwardly sober, righteous men, who kept + themselves a little apart from their neighbours and were very + severe in their condemnation of other people's faults. + </p> + <p> + One Sunday morning Caleb was on his way to his ewes folded at + a distance from the village, walking by a hedgerow at the + foot of the down, when he heard a shot fired some way ahead, + and after a minute or two a second shot. This greatly excited + his curiosity and caused him to keep a sharp look-out in the + direction the sounds had come from, and by and by he caught + sight of a man walking towards him. It was Old Gaarge in his + long smock-frock, proceeding in a leisurely way towards the + village, but catching sight of the shepherd he turned aside + through a gap in the hedge and went off in another direction + to avoid meeting him. No doubt, thought Caleb, he has got his + gun in two pieces hidden under his smock. He went on until he + came to a small field of oats which had grown badly and had + only been half reaped, and here he discovered that Old Gaarge + had been lying in hiding to shoot at the partridges that came + to feed. He had been screened from the sight of the birds by + a couple of hurdles and some straw, and there were feathers + of the birds he had shot scattered about. He had finished his + Sunday morning's sport and was going back, a little too late + on this occasion as it turned out. + </p> + <p> + Caleb went on to his flock, but before getting to it his dog + discovered a dead partridge in the hedge; it had flown that + far and then dropped, and there was fresh blood on its + feathers. He put it in his pocket and carried it about most + of the day while with his sheep on the down. Late in the + afternoon he spied two magpies pecking at something out in + the middle of a field and went to see what they had found. It + was a second partridge which Old Gaarge had shot in the + morning and had lost, the bird having flown to some distance + before dropping. The magpies had probably found it already + dead, as it was cold; they had begun tearing the skin at the + neck and had opened it down to the breast-bone. Caleb took + this bird, too, and by and by, sitting down to examine it, he + thought he would try to mend the torn skin with the needle + and thread he always carried inside his cap. He succeeded in + stitching it neatly up, and putting back the feathers in + their place the rent was quite concealed. That evening he + took the two birds to a man in the village who made a + livelihood by collecting bones, rags, and things of that + kind; the man took the birds in his hand, held them up, felt + their weight, examined them carefully, and pronounced them to + be two good, fat birds, and agreed to pay two shillings for + them. + </p> + <p> + Such a man may be found in most villages; he calls himself a + "general dealer," and keeps a trap and pony—in some + cases he keeps the ale-house—and is a useful member of + the small, rural community—a sort of human + carrion-crow. + </p> + <p> + The two shillings were very welcome, but more than the money + was the pleasing thought that he had got the bird shot by the + hypocritical old poacher for his own profit. Caleb had good + cause to hate him. He, Caleb, was one of the shepherds who + had his master's permission to take rabbits on the land, and + having found his snares broken on many occasions he came to + the conclusion that they were visited in the night time by + some very cunning person who kept a watch on his movements. + One evening he set five snares in a turnip field and went + just before daylight next morning in a dense fog to visit + them. Every one was broken! He had just started on his way + back, feeling angry and much puzzled at such a thing, when + the fog all at once passed away and revealed the figures of + two men walking hurriedly off over the down. They were at a + considerable distance, but the light was now strong enough to + enable him to identify Old Gaarge and Young Gaarge. In a few + moments they vanished over the brow. Caleb was mad at being + deprived of his rabbits in this mean way, but pleased at the + same time in having discovered who the culprits were; but + what to do about it he did not know. + </p> + <p> + On the following day he was with his flock on the down and + found himself near another shepherd, also with his sheep, one + he knew very well, a quiet but knowing old man named Joseph + Gathergood. He was known to be a skilful rabbit-catcher, and + Caleb thought he would go over to him and tell him about how + he was being tricked by the two Gaarges and ask him what to + do in the matter. + </p> + <p> + The old man was very friendly and at once told him what to + do. "Don't you set no more snares by the hedges and in the + turmots," he said. "Set them out on the open down where no + one would go after rabbits and they'll not find the snares." + And this was how it had to be done. First he was to scrape + the ground with the heel of his boot until the fresh earth + could be seen through the broken turf; then he was to + sprinkle a little rabbit scent on the scraped spot, and plant + his snare. The scent and smell of the fresh earth combined + would draw the rabbits to the spot; they would go there to + scratch and would inevitably get caught if the snare was + properly placed. + </p> + <p> + Caleb tried this plan with one snare, and on the following + morning found that he had a rabbit. He set it again that + evening, then again, until he had caught five rabbits on five + consecutive nights, all with the same snare. That convinced + him that he had been taught a valuable lesson and that old + Gathergood was a very wise man about rabbits; and he was very + happy to think that he had got the better of his two sneaking + enemies. + </p> + <p> + But Shepherd Gathergood was just as wise about hares, and, as + in the other case, he took them out on the down in the most + open places. His success was due to his knowledge of the + hare's taste for blackthorn twigs. He would take a good, + strong blackthorn stem or shoot with twigs on it, and stick + it firmly down in the middle of a large grass field or on the + open down, and place the steel trap tied to the stick at a + distance of a foot or so from it, the trap concealed under + grass or moss and dead leaves. The smell of the blackthorn + would draw the hare to the spot, and he would move round and + round nibbling the twigs until caught. + </p> + <p> + Caleb never tried this plan, but was convinced that + Gathergood was right about it. + </p> + <p> + He told me of another shepherd who was clever at taking hares + in another way, and who was often chaffed by his + acquaintances on account of the extraordinary length of his + shepherd's crook. It was like a lance or pole, being twice + the usual length. But he had a use for it. This shepherd used + to make hares' forms on the downs in all suitable places, + forming them so cunningly that no one seeing them by chance + would have believed they were the work of human hands. The + hares certainly made use of them. When out with his flock he + would visit these forms, walking quietly past them at a + distance of twenty to thirty feet, his dog following at his + heels. On catching sight of a hare crouching in a form he + would drop a word, and the dog would instantly stand still + and remain fixed and motionless, while the shepherd went on + but in a circle so as gradually to approach the form. + Meanwhile the hare would keep his eyes fixed on the dog, + paying no attention to the man, until by and by the long + staff would be swung round and a blow descend on the poor, + silly head from the opposite side, and if the blow was not + powerful enough to stun or disable the hare, the dog would + have it before it got many yards from the cosy nest prepared + for its destruction. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch09"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX + </h2> + <h3> + THE SHEPHERD ON FOXES + </h3> + <blockquote> + A fox-trapping shepherd—Gamekeepers and foxes—Fox + and stoat—A gamekeeper off his guard—Pheasants + and foxes—Caleb kills a fox—A fox-hunting + sheep-dog—Two varieties of foxes—Rabbits playing + with little foxes—How to expel foxes—A playful + spirit in the fox—Fox-hunting a danger to sheep + </blockquote> + <p> + Caleb related that his friend Shepherd Gathergood was a great + fox-killer and, as with hares, he took them in a way of his + own. He said that the fox will always go to a heap of ashes + in any open place, and his plan was to place a steel trap + concealed among the ashes, made fast to a stick about three + feet high, firmly planted in the middle of the heap, with a + piece of strong-smelling cheese tied to the top. The two + attractions of an ash-heap and the smell of strong cheese was + more than any fox could resist. When he caught a fox he + killed and buried it on the down and said "nothing to nobody" + about it. He killed them to protect himself from their + depredations; foxes, like Old Gaarge and his son in Caleb's + case, went round at night to rob him of the rabbits he took + in his snares. + </p> + <p> + Caleb never blamed him for this; on the contrary, he greatly + admired him for his courage, seeing that if it had been found + out he would have been a marked man. It was perhaps + intelligence or cunning rather than courage; he did not + believe that he would be found out, and he never was; he told + Caleb of these things because he was sure of his man. Those + who were interested in the hunt never suspected him, and as + to gamekeepers, they hardly counted. He was helping them; no + one hates a fox more than they do. The farmer gets + compensation for damage, and the hen-wife is paid for her + stolen chickens by the hunt, The keeper is required to look + after the game, and at the same time to spare his chief + enemy, the fox. Indeed, the keeper's state of mind with + regard to foxes has always been a source of amusement to me, + and by long practice I am able to talk to him on that + delicate subject in a way to make him uncomfortable and + self-contradictory. There are various, quite innocent + questions which the student of wild life may put to a keeper + about foxes which have a disturbing effect on his brain. How + to expel foxes from a covert, for example; and here is + another: Is it true that the fox listens for the distressed + cries of a rabbit pursued by a stoat and that he will deprive + the stoat of his captive? Perhaps; Yes; No, I don't think so, + because one hunts by night, the other by day, he will answer, + but you see that the question troubles him. One keeper, off + his guard, promptly answered, "I've no doubt of it; I can + always bring a fox to me by imitating the cry of a rabbit + hunted by a stoat." But he did not say what his object was in + attracting the fox. + </p> + <p> + I say that the keeper was off his guard in this instance, + because the fiction that foxes were preserved on the estate + was kept up, though as a fact they were systematically + destroyed by the keepers. As the pheasant-breeding craze + appears to increase rather than diminish, notwithstanding the + disastrous effect it has had in alienating the people from + their lords and masters, the conflict of interest between + fox-hunter and pheasant-breeder will tend to become more and + more acute, and the probable end will be that fox-hunting + will have to go. A melancholy outlook to those who love the + country and old country sports, and who do not regard + pheasant-shooting as now followed as sport at all. It is a + delusion of the landlords that the country people think most + highly of the great pheasant-preserver who has two or three + big shoots in a season, during which vast numbers of birds + are slaughtered—every bird "costing a guinea," as the + saying is. It brings money into the country, he or his + apologist tells you, and provides employment for the village + poor in October and November, when there is little doing. He + does not know the truth of the matter. A certain number of + the poorer people of the village are employed as beaters for + the big shoots at a shilling a day or so, and occasionally a + labourer, going to or from his work, finds a pheasant's nest + and informs the keeper and receives some slight reward. If he + "keeps his eyes open" and shows himself anxious at all times + to serve the keeper he will sometimes get a rabbit for his + Sunday dinner. + </p> + <p> + This is not a sufficient return for the freedom to walk on + the land and in woods, which the villager possessed formerly, + even in his worst days of his oppression, a liberty which has + now been taken from him. The keeper is there now to prevent + him; he was there before, and from of old, but the pheasant + was not yet a sacred bird, and it didn't matter that a man + walked on the turf or picked up a few fallen sticks in a + wood. The keeper is there to tell him to keep to the road and + sometimes to ask him, even when he is on the road, what is he + looking over the hedge for. He slinks obediently away; he is + only a poor labourer with his living to get, and he cannot + afford to offend the man who stands between him and the lord + and the lord's tenant. And he is inarticulate; but the + insolence and injustice rankle in his heart, for he is not + altogether a helot in soul; and the result is that the + sedition-mongers, the Socialists, the furious denouncers of + all landlords, who are now quartering the country, and whose + vans I meet in the remotest villages, are listened to, and + their words—wild and whirling words they may + be—are sinking into the hearts of the agricultural + labourers of the new generation. + </p> + <p> + To return to foxes and gamekeepers. There are other estates + where the fiction of fox-preserving is kept up no longer, + where it is notorious that the landlord is devoted + exclusively to the gun and to pheasant-breeding. On one of + the big estates I am familiar with in Wiltshire the keepers + openly say they will not suffer a fox, and every villager + knows it and will give information of a fox to the keepers, + and looks to be rewarded with a rabbit. All this is + undoubtedly known to the lord of the manor; his servants are + only carrying out his own wishes, although he still + subscribes to the hunt and occasionally attends the meet. The + entire hunt may unite in cursing him, but they must do so + below their breath; it would have a disastrous effect to + spread it abroad that he is a persecutor of foxes. + </p> + <p> + Caleb disliked foxes, too, but not to the extent of killing + them. He did once actually kill one, when a young + under-shepherd, but it was accident rather than intention. + </p> + <p> + One day he found a small gap in a hedge, which had been made + or was being used by a hare, and, thinking to take it, he set + a trap at the spot, tying it securely to a root and covering + it over with dead leaves. On going to the place the next + morning he could see nothing until his feet were on the very + edge of the ditch, when with startling suddenness a big dog + fox sprang up at him with a savage snarl. It was caught by a + hind-leg, and had been lying concealed among the dead leaves + close under the bank. Caleb, angered at finding a fox when he + had looked for a hare, and at the attack the creature had + made on him, dealt it a blow on the head with his heavy + stick—just one blow given on the impulse of the moment, + but it killed the fox! He felt very bad at what he had done + and began to think of consequences. He took it from the trap + and hid it away under the dead leaves beneath the hedge some + yards from the gap, and then went to his work. During the day + one of the farm hands went out to speak to him. He was a + small, quiet old man, a discreet friend, and Caleb confided + to him what he had done. "Leave it to me," said his old + friend, and went back to the farm. In the afternoon Caleb was + standing on the top of the down looking towards the village, + when he spied at a great distance the old man coming out to + the hills, and by and by he could make out that he had a sack + on his back and a spade in his hand. When half-way up the + side of the hill he put his burden down and set to work + digging a deep pit. Into this he put the dead fox, and threw + in and trod down the earth, then carefully put back the turf + in its place, then, his task done, shouldered the spade and + departed. Caleb felt greatly relieved, for now the fox was + buried out on the downs, and no one would ever know that he + had wickedly killed it. + </p> + <p> + Subsequently he had other foxes caught in traps set for + hares, but was always able to release them. About one he had + the following story. The dog he had at that time, named Monk, + hated foxes as Jack hated adders, and would hunt them + savagely whenever he got a chance. One morning Caleb visited + a trap he had set in a gap in a hedge and found a fox in it. + The fox jumped up, snarling and displaying his teeth, ready + to fight for dear life, and it was hard to restrain Monk from + flying at him. So excited was he that only when his master + threatened him with his crook did he draw back and, sitting + on his haunches, left him to deal with the difficult business + in his own way. The difficulty was to open the steel trap + without putting himself in the way of a bite from those + "tarrable sharp teeth." After a good deal of manoeuvring he + managed to set the butt end of his crook on the handle of the + gin, and forcing it down until the iron teeth relaxed their + grip, the fox pulled his foot out, and darting away along the + hedge side vanished into the adjoining copse. Away went Monk + after him, in spite of his master's angry commands to him to + come back, and fox and dog disappeared almost together among + the trees. Sounds of yelping and of crashing through the + undergrowth came back fainter and fainter, and then there was + silence. Caleb waited at the spot full twenty minutes before + the disobedient dog came back, looking very pleased. He had + probably succeeded in overtaking and killing his enemy. + </p> + <p> + About that same Monk a sad story will have to be told in + another chapter. + </p> + <p> + When speaking of foxes Caleb always maintained that in his + part of the country there were two sorts: one small and very + red, the larger one of a lighter colour with some grey in it. + And it is possible that the hill foxes differed somewhat in + size and colour from those of the lower country. He related + that one year two vixens littered at one spot, a deep bottom + among the downs, so near together that when the cubs were big + enough to come out they mixed and played in company; the + vixens happened to be of the different sorts, and the + difference in colour appeared in the little ones as well. + </p> + <p> + Caleb was so taken with the pretty sight of all these little + foxes, neighbours and playmates, that he went evening after + evening to sit for an hour or longer watching them. One thing + he witnessed which will perhaps be disbelieved by those who + have not closely observed animals for themselves, and who + still hold to the fable that all wild creatures are born with + an inherited and instinctive knowledge and dread of their + enemies. Rabbits swarmed at that spot, and he observed that + when the old foxes were not about the young, half-grown + rabbits would freely mix and play with the little foxes. He + was so surprised at this, never having heard of such a thing, + that he told his master of it, and the farmer went with him + on a moonlight night and the two sat for a long time + together, and saw rabbits and foxes playing, pursuing one + another round and round, the rabbits when pursued often + turning very suddenly and jumping clean over their pursuer. + </p> + <p> + The rabbits at this place belonged to the tenant, and the + farmer, after enjoying the sight of the little ones playing + together, determined to get rid of the foxes in the usual way + by exploding a small quantity of gunpowder in the burrows. + Four old foxes with nine cubs were too many for him to have. + The powder was duly burned, and the very next day the foxes + had vanished. + </p> + <p> + In Berkshire I once met with that rare being, an intelligent + gamekeeper who took an interest in wild animals and knew from + observation a great deal about their habits. During an + after-supper talk, kept up till past midnight, we discussed + the subject of strange, erratic actions in animals, which in + some cases appear contrary to their own natures. He gave an + instance of such behaviour in a fox that had its earth at a + spot on the border of a wood where rabbits were abundant. One + evening he was at this spot, standing among the trees and + watching a number of rabbits feeding and gambolling on the + green turf, when the fox came trotting by and the rabbits + paid no attention. Suddenly he stopped and made a dart at a + rabbit; the rabbit ran from him a distance of twenty to + thirty yards, then suddenly turning round went for the fox + and chased it back some distance, after which the fox again + chased the rabbit, and so they went on, turn and turn about, + half a dozen times. It was evident, he said, that the fox had + no wish to catch and kill a rabbit, that it was nothing but + play on his part, and that the rabbits responded in the same + spirit, knowing that there was nothing to fear. + </p> + <p> + Another instance of this playful spirit of the fox with an + enemy, which I heard recently, is of a gentleman who was out + with his dog, a fox-terrier, for an evening walk in some + woods near his house. On his way back he discovered on coming + out of the woods that a fox was following him, at a distance + of about forty yards. When he stood still the fox sat down + and watched the dog. The dog appeared indifferent to its + presence until his master ordered him to go for the fox, + whereupon he charged him and drove him back to the edge of + the wood, but at that point the fox turned and chased the dog + right back to its master, then once more sat down and + appeared very much at his ease. Again the dog was encouraged + to go for him and hunted him again back to the wood, and was + then in turn chased back to its master, After several + repetitions of this performance, the gentleman went home, the + fox still following, and on going in closed the gate behind + him, leaving the fox outside, sitting in the road as if + waiting for him to come out again to have some more fun. + </p> + <p> + This incident serves to remind me of an experience I had one + evening in King's Copse, an immense wood of oak and pine in + the New Forest near Exbury. It was growing dark when I heard + on or close to the ground, some twenty to thirty yards before + me, a low, wailing cry, resembling the hunger-cry of the + young, long-eared owl. I began cautiously advancing, trying + to see it, but as I advanced the cry receded, as if the bird + was flitting from me. Now, just after I had begun following + the sound, a fox uttered his sudden, startlingly loud scream + about forty yards away on my right hand, and the next moment + a second fox screamed on my left, and from that time I was + accompanied, or shadowed, by the two foxes, always keeping + abreast of me, always at the same distance, one screaming and + the other replying about every half-minute. The distressful + bird-sound ceased, and I turned and went off in another + direction, to get out of the wood on the side nearest the + place where I was staying, the foxes keeping with me until I + was out. + </p> + <p> + What moved them to act in such a way is a mystery, but it was + perhaps play to them. + </p> + <p> + Another curious instance of foxes playing was related to me + by a gentleman at the little village of Inkpen, near the + Beacon, in Berkshire. He told me that when it happened, a + good many years ago, he sent an account of it to the "Field." + His gamekeeper took him one day "to see a strange thing," to + a spot in the woods where a fox had a litter of four cubs, + near a long, smooth, green slope. A little distance from the + edge of the slope three round swedes were lying on the turf. + "How do you think these swedes came here?" said the keeper, + and then proceeded to say that the old fox must have brought + them there from the field a long distance away, for her cubs + to play with. He had watched them of an evening, and wanted + his master to come and see too. Accordingly they went in the + evening, and hiding themselves among the bushes near waited + till the young foxes came out and began rolling the swedes + about and jumping at and tumbling over them. By and by one + rolled down the slope, and the young foxes went after it all + the way down, and then, when they had worried it + sufficiently, they returned to the top and played with + another swede until that was rolled down, then with the third + one in the same way. Every morning, the keeper said, the + swedes were found back on top of the ground, and he had no + doubt that they were taken up by the old fox again and left + there for her cubs to play with. + </p> + <p> + Caleb was not so eager after rabbits as Shepherd Gathergood, + but he disliked the fox for another reason. He considered + that the hunted fox was a great danger to sheep when the ewes + were heavy with lambs and when the chase brought the animal + near if not right into the flock. He had one dreadful memory + of a hunted fox trying to lose itself in his flock of + heavy-sided ewes and the hounds following it and driving the + poor sheep mad with terror. The result was that a large + number of lambs were cast before their time and many others + were poor, sickly things; many of the sheep also suffered in + health. He had no extra money from the lambs that year. He + received but a shilling (half a crown is often paid now) for + every lamb above the number of ewes, and as a rule received + from three to six pounds a year from this source. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch10"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER X + </h2> + <h3> + BIRD LIFE ON THE DOWNS + </h3> + <blockquote> + Great bustard—Stone curlew—Big hawks—Former + abundance of the raven—Dogs fed on carrion—Ravens + fighting—Ravens' breeding-places in Wilts—Great + Ridge Wood ravens—Field-fare breeding in + Wilts—Pewit—Mistle-thrush—Magpie and + turtledove—Gamekeepers and magpies—Rooks and + farmers—Starling, the shepherd's favourite + bird—Sparrowhawk and "brown thrush" + </blockquote> + <p> + Wiltshire, like other places in England, has long been + deprived of its most interesting birds—the species that + were best worth preserving. Its great bustard, once our + greatest bird—even greater than the golden and sea + eagles and the "giant crane" with its "trumpet sound" once + heard in the land—is now but a memory. Or a place name: + Bustard Inn, no longer an inn, is well known to the many + thousands who now go to the mimic wars on Salisbury Plain; + and there is a Trappist monastery in a village on the + southernmost border of the county, which was once called, and + is still known to old men as, "Bustard Farm." All that Caleb + Bawcombe knew of this grandest bird is what his father had + told him; and Isaac knew of it only from hearsay, although it + was still met with in South Wilts when he was a young man. + </p> + <p> + The stone curlew, our little bustard with the long wings, + big, yellow eyes, and wild voice, still frequents the + uncultivated downs, unhappily in diminishing numbers. For the + private collector's desire to possess British-taken birds' + eggs does not diminish; I doubt if more than one clutch in + ten escapes the searching eyes of the poor shepherds and + labourers who are hired to supply the cabinets. One pair + haunted a flinty spot at Winterbourne Bishop until a year or + two ago; at other points a few miles away I watched other + pairs during the summer of 1909, but in every instance their + eggs were taken. + </p> + <p> + The larger hawks and the raven, which bred in all the woods + and forests of Wiltshire, have, of course, been extirpated by + the gamekeepers. The biggest forest in the county now affords + no refuge to any hawk above the size of a kestrel. Savernake + is extensive enough, one would imagine, for condors to hide + in, but it is not so. A few years ago a buzzard made its + appearance there—just a common buzzard, and the entire + surrounding population went mad with excitement about it, and + every man who possessed a gun flew to the forest to join in + the hunt until the wretched bird, after being blazed at for + two or three days, was brought down. I heard of another case + at Fonthill Abbey. Nobody could say what this wandering hawk + was—it was very big, blue above with a white breast + barred with black—a "tarrable" fierce-looking bird with + fierce, yellow eyes. All the gamekeepers and several other + men with guns were in hot pursuit of it for several days, + until some one fatally wounded it, but it could not be found + where it was supposed to have fallen. A fortnight later its + carcass was discovered by an old shepherd, who told me the + story. It was not in a fit state to be preserved, but he + described it to me, and I have no doubt that it was a + goshawk. + </p> + <p> + The raven survived longer, and the Shepherd Bawcombe talks + about its abundance when he was a boy, seventy or more years + ago. His way of accounting for its numbers at that time and + its subsequent, somewhat rapid disappearance greatly + interested me. + </p> + <p> + We have seen his account of deer-stealing, by the villagers + in those brave, old, starvation days when Lord Rivers owned + the deer and hunting rights over a large part of Wiltshire, + extending from Cranborne Chase to Salisbury, and when even so + righteous a man as Isaac Bawcombe was tempted by hunger to + take an occasional deer, discovered out of bounds. At that + time, Caleb said, a good many dogs used for hunting the deer + were kept a few miles from Winterbourne Bishop and were fed + by the keepers in a very primitive manner. Old, worn-out + horses were bought and slaughtered for the dogs. A horse + would be killed and stripped of his hide somewhere away in + the woods, and left for the hounds to batten on its flesh, + tearing at and fighting over it like so many jackals. When + only partially consumed the carcass would become putrid; then + another horse would be killed and skinned at another spot + perhaps a mile away, and the pack would start feeding afresh + there. The result of so much carrion lying about was that + ravens were attracted in numbers to the place and were so + numerous as to be seen in scores together. Later, when the + deer-hunting sport declined in the neighbourhood, and dogs + were no longer fed on carrion, the birds decreased year by + year, and when Caleb was a boy of nine or ten their former + great abundance was but a memory. But he remembers that they + were still fairly common, and he had much to say about the + old belief that the raven "smells death," and when seen + hovering over a flock, uttering its croak, it is a sure sign + that a sheep is in a bad way and will shortly die. + </p> + <p> + One of his recollections of the bird may be given here. It + was one of those things seen in boyhood which had very deeply + impressed him. One fine day he was on the down with an elder + brother, when they heard the familiar croak and spied three + birds at a distance engaged in a fight in the air. Two of the + birds were in pursuit of the third, and rose alternately to + rush upon and strike at their victim from above. They were + coming down from a considerable height, and at last were + directly over the boys, not more than forty or fifty feet + from the ground; and the youngsters were amazed at their + fury, the loud, rushing sound of their wings, as of a + torrent, and of their deep, hoarse croaks and savage, barking + cries. Then they began to rise again, the hunted bird trying + to keep above his enemies, they in their turn striving to + rise higher still so as to rush down upon him from overhead; + and in this way they towered higher and higher, their barking + cries coming fainter and fainter back to earth, until the + boys, not to lose sight of them, cast themselves down flat on + their backs, and, continuing to gaze up, saw them at last no + bigger than three "leetle blackbirds." Then they vanished; + but the boys, still lying on their backs, kept their eyes + fixed on the same spot, and by and by first one black speck + reappeared, then a second, and they soon saw that two birds + were swiftly coming down to earth. They fell swiftly and + silently, and finally pitched upon the down not more than a + couple of hundred yards from the boys. The hunted bird had + evidently succeeded in throwing them off and escaping. + Probably it was one of their own young, for the ravens' habit + is when their young are fully grown to hunt them out of the + neighbourhood, or, when they cannot drive them off, to kill + them. + </p> + <p> + There is no doubt that the carrion did attract ravens in + numbers to this part of Wiltshire, but it is a fact that up + to that date—about 1830—the bird had many + well-known, old breeding-places in the county. The Rev. A. C. + Smith, in his "Birds of Wiltshire," names twenty-three + breeding-places, no fewer than nine of them on Salisbury + Plain; but at the date of the publication of his work, 1887, + only three of all these nesting-places were still in use: + South Tidworth, Wilton Park, and Compton Park, Compton + Chamberlain. Doubtless there were other ancient + breeding-places which the author had not heard of: one was at + the Great Ridge Wood, overlooking the Wylye valley, where + ravens bred down to about thirty-five or forty years ago. I + have found many old men in that neighbourhood who remember + the birds, and they tell that the raven tree was a great oak + which was cut down about sixty years ago, after which the + birds built their nest in another tree not far away. A London + friend of mine, who was born in the neighbourhood of the + Great Ridge Wood, remembers the ravens as one of the common + sights of the place when he was a boy. He tells of an unlucky + farmer in those parts whose sheep fell sick and died in + numbers, year after year, bringing him down to the brink of + ruin, and how his old head-shepherd would say, solemnly + shaking his head, "'Tis not strange—master, he shot a + raven." + </p> + <p> + There was no ravens' breeding-place very near Winterbourne + Bishop. Caleb had "never heared tell of a nestie"; but he had + once seen the nest of another species which is supposed never + to breed in this country. He was a small boy at the time, + when one day an old shepherd of the place going out from the + village saw Caleb, and calling to him said, "You're the boy + that likes birds; if you'll come with me, I'll show 'ee what + no man ever seed afore"; and Caleb, fired with curiosity, + followed him away to a distance from home, out from the + downs, into the woods and to a place where he had never been, + where there were bracken and heath with birch and thorn-trees + scattered about. On cautiously approaching a clump of birches + they saw a big, thrush-like bird fly out of a large nest + about ten feet from the ground, and settle on a tree close + by, where it was joined by its mate. The old man pointed out + that it was a felt or fieldfare, a thrush nearly as big as + the mistle-thrush but different in colour, and he said that + it was a bird that came to England in flocks in winter from + no man knows where, far off in the north, and always went + away before breeding-time. This was the only felt he had ever + seen breeding in this country, and he "didn't believe that no + man had ever seed such a thing before." He would not climb + the tree to see the eggs, or even go very near it, for fear + of disturbing the birds. + </p> + <p> + This man, Caleb said, was a great one for birds: he knew them + all, but seldom said anything about them; he watched and + found out a good deal about them just for his private + pleasure. + </p> + <p> + The characteristic species of this part of the down country, + comprising the parish of Winterbourne Bishop, are the pewit, + magpie, turtledove, mistle-thrush, and starling. The pewit is + universal on the hills, but will inevitably be driven away + from all that portion of Salisbury Plain used for military + purposes. The mistle-thrush becomes common in summer after + its early breeding season is ended, when the birds in small + flocks resort to the downs, where they continue until cold + weather drives them away to the shelter of the wooded, low + country. + </p> + <p> + In this neighbourhood there are thickets of thorn, holly, + bramble, and birch growing over hundreds of acres of down, + and here the hill-magpie, as it is called, has its chief + breeding-ground, and is so common that you can always get a + sight of at least twenty birds in an afternoon's walk. Here, + too, is the metropolis of the turtledove, and the low sound + of its crooning is heard all day in summer, the other most + common sound being that of magpies—their subdued, + conversational chatter and their solo-singing, the chant or + call which a bird will go on repeating for a hundred times. + The wonder is how the doves succeed in such a place in + hatching any couple of chalk-white eggs, placed on a small + platform of sticks, or of rearing any pair of young, + conspicuous in their blue skins and bright yellow down! + </p> + <p> + The keepers tell me they get even with these kill-birds later + in the year, when they take to roosting in the woods, a mile + away in the valley. The birds are waited for at some point + where they are accustomed to slip in at dark, and one keeper + told me that on one evening alone assisted by a friend he had + succeeded in shooting thirty birds. + </p> + <p> + On Winterbourne Bishop Down and round the village the magpies + are not persecuted, probably because the gamekeepers, the + professional bird-killers, have lost heart in this place. It + is a curious and rather pretty story. There is no squire, as + we have seen; the farmers have the rabbits, and for game the + shooting is let, or to let, by some one who claims to be lord + of the manor, who lives at a distance or abroad. At all + events he is not known personally to the people, and all they + know about the overlordship is that, whereas in years gone by + every villager had certain rights in the down—to cut + furze and keep a cow, or pony, or donkey, or half a dozen + sheep or goats—now they have none; but how and why and + when these rights were lost nobody knows. Naturally there is + no sympathy between the villagers and the keepers sent from a + distance to protect the game, so that the shooting may be let + to some other stranger. On the contrary, they religiously + destroy every nest they can find, with the result that there + are too few birds for anyone to take the shooting, and it + remains year after year unlet. + </p> + <p> + This unsettled state of things is all to the advantage of the + black and white bird with the ornamental tail, and he + flourishes accordingly and builds his big, thorny nests in + the roadside trees about the village. + </p> + <p> + The one big bird on these downs, as in so many other places + in England, is the rook, and let us humbly thank the gods who + own this green earth and all the creatures which inhabit it + that they have in their goodness left us this one. For it is + something to have a rook, although he is not a great bird + compared with the great ones lost—bustard and kite and + raven and goshawk, and many others. His abundance on the + cultivated downs is rather strange when one remembers the + outcry made against him in some parts on account of his + injurious habits; but here it appears the sentiment in his + favour is just as strong in the farmer, or in a good many + farmers, as in the great landlord. The biggest rookery I know + on Salisbury Plain is at a farm-house where the farmer owns + the land himself and cultivates about nine hundred acres. One + would imagine that he would keep his rooks down in these days + when a boy cannot be hired to scare the birds from the crops. + </p> + <p> + One day, near West Knoyle, I came upon a vast company of + rooks busily engaged on a ploughed field where everything + short of placing a bird-scarer on the ground had been done to + keep the birds off. A score of rooks had been shot and + suspended to long sticks planted about the field, and there + were three formidable-looking men of straw and rags with hats + on their heads and wooden guns under their arms. But the + rooks were there all the same; I counted seven at one spot, + prodding the earth close to the feet of one of the + scarecrows. I went into the field to see what they were + doing, and found that it was sown with vetches, just + beginning to come up, and the birds were digging the seed up. + </p> + <p> + Three months later, near the same spot, on Mere Down, I found + these birds feasting on the corn, when it had been long cut + but could not be carried on account of the wet weather. It + was a large field of fifty to sixty acres, and as I walked by + it the birds came flying leisurely over my head to settle + with loud cawings on the stocks. It was a magnificent + sight—the great, blue-black bird-forms on the golden + wheat, an animated group of three or four to half a dozen on + every stock, while others walked about the ground to pick up + the scattered grain, and others were flying over them, for + just then the sun was shining on the field and beyond it the + sky was blue. Never had I witnessed birds so manifestly + rejoicing at their good fortune, with happy, loud caw-caw. Or + rather haw-haw! what a harvest, what abundance! was there + ever a more perfect August and September! Rain, rain, by + night and in the morning; then sun and wind to dry our + feathers and make us glad, but never enough to dry the corn + to enable them to carry it and build it up in stacks where it + would be so much harder to get at. Could anything be better! + </p> + <p> + But the commonest bird, the one which vastly outnumbers all + the others I have named together, is the starling. It was + Caleb Bawcombe's favourite bird, and I believe it is regarded + with peculiar affection by all shepherds on the downs on + account of its constant association with sheep in the + pasture. The dog, the sheep, and the crowd of + starlings—these are the lonely man's companions during + his long days on the hills from April or May to November. And + what a wise bird he is, and how well he knows his friends and + his enemies! There was nothing more beautiful to see, Caleb + would say, than the behaviour of a flock of starlings when a + hawk was about. If it was a kestrel they took little or no + notice of it, but if a sparrowhawk made its appearance, + instantly the crowd of birds could be seen flying at furious + speed towards the nearest flock of sheep, and down into the + flock they would fall like a shower of stones and instantly + disappear from sight. There they would remain on the ground, + among the legs of the grazing sheep, until the hawk had gone + on his way and passed out of sight. + </p> + <p> + The sparrowhawk's victims are mostly made among the young + birds that flock together in summer and live apart from the + adults during the summer months after the breeding season is + over. + </p> + <p> + When I find a dead starling on the downs ranged over by + sparrowhawks, it is almost always a young bird—a "brown + thrush" as it used to be called by the old naturalists. You + may know that the slayer was a sparrowhawk by the appearance + of the bird, its body untouched, but the flesh picked neatly + from the neck and the head gone. That was swallowed whole, + after the beak had been cut off. You will find the beak lying + by the side of the body. In summertime, when birds are most + abundant, after the breeding season, the sparrowhawk is a + fastidious feeder. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch11"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI + </h2> + <h3> + STARLINGS AND SHEEP-BELLS + </h3> + <blockquote> + Starlings' singing—Native and borrowed + sounds—Imitations of sheep-bells—The shepherd on + sheep-bells—The bells for pleasure, not use—A dog + in charge of the flock—Shepherd calling his + sheep—Richard Warner of Bath—Ploughmen singing to + their oxen in Cornwall—A shepherd's loud singing + </blockquote> + <p> + The subject of starlings associating with sheep has served to + remind me of something I have often thought when listening to + their music. It happens that I am writing this chapter in a + small village on Salisbury Plain, the time being + mid-September 1909, and that just outside my door there is a + group of old elder-bushes laden just now with clusters of + ripe berries on which the starlings come to feed, filling the + room all day with that never-ending medley of sounds which is + their song. They sing in this way not only when they + sing—that is to say, when they make a serious business + of it, standing motionless and a-shiver on the tiles, wings + drooping and open beak pointing upwards, but also when they + are feasting on fruit—singing and talking and + swallowing elderberries between whiles to wet their whistles. + If the weather is not too cold you will hear this music + daily, wet or dry, all the year round. We may say that of all + singing birds they are most vocal, yet have no set song. I + doubt if they have more than half a dozen to a dozen sounds + or notes which are the same in every individual and their + very own. One of them is a clear, soft, musical whistle, + slightly inflected; another a kissing sound, usually repeated + two or three times or oftener, a somewhat percussive smack; + still another, a sharp, prolonged hissing or sibilant but at + the same time metallic note, compared by some one to the + sound produced by milking a cow into a tin pail—a very + good description. There are other lesser notes: a musical, + thrush-like chirp, repeated slowly, and sometimes rapidly + till it runs to a bubbling sound; also there is a horny + sound, which is perhaps produced by striking upon the edges + of the lower mandible with those of the upper. But it is + quite unlike the loud, hard noise made by the stork; the poor + stork being a dumb bird has made a sort of policeman's rattle + of his huge beak. These sounds do not follow each other; they + come from time to time, the intervals being filled up with + others in such endless variety, each bird producing its own + notes, that one can but suppose that they are imitations. We + know, in fact, that the starling is our greatest mimic, and + that he often succeeds in recognizable reproductions of + single notes, of phrases, and occasionally of entire songs, + as, for instance, that of the blackbird. But in listening to + him we are conscious of his imitations; even when at his best + he amuses rather than delights—he is not like the + mocking-bird. His common starling pipe cannot produce sounds + of pure and beautiful quality, like the blackbird's + "oboe-voice," to quote Davidson's apt phrase: he emits this + song in a strangely subdued tone, producing the effect of a + blackbird heard singing at a considerable distance. And so + with innumerable other notes, calls, and songs—they are + often to their originals what a man's voice heard on a + telephone is to his natural voice. He succeeds best, as a + rule, in imitations of the coarser, metallic sounds, and as + his medley abounds in a variety of little, measured, + tinkling, and clinking notes, as of tappings on a metal + plate, it has struck me at times that these are probably + borrowed from the sheep-bells of which the bird hears so much + in his feeding-grounds. It is, however, not necessary to + suppose that every starling gets these sounds directly from + the bells; the birds undoubtedly mimic one another, as is the + case with mocking-birds, and the young might easily acquire + this part of their song language from the old birds without + visiting the flocks in the pastures. + </p> + <p> + The sheep-bell, in its half-muffled strokes, as of a small + hammer tapping on an iron or copper plate, is, one would + imagine, a sound well within the starling's range, easily + imitated, therefore specially attractive to him. + </p> + <p> + But—to pass to another subject—what does the + shepherd himself think or feel about it; and why does he have + bells on his sheep? + </p> + <p> + He thinks a great deal of his bells. He pipes not like the + shepherd of fable or of the pastoral poets, nor plays upon + any musical instrument, and seldom sings, or even + whistles—that sorry substitute for song; he loves music + nevertheless, and gets it in his sheep-bells; and he likes it + in quantity. "How many bells have you got on your + sheep—it sounds as if you had a great many?" I asked of + a shepherd the other day, feeding his flock near Old Sarum, + and he replied, "Just forty, and I wish there were eighty." + Twenty-five or thirty is a more usual number, but only + because of their cost, for the shepherd has very little money + for bells or anything else. Another told me that he had "only + thirty," but he intended getting more. The sound cheers him; + it is not exactly monotonous, owing to the bells being of + various sizes and also greatly varying in thickness, so that + they produce different tones, from the sharp tinkle-tinkle of + the smallest to the sonorous klonk-klonk of the big, copper + bell. Then, too, they are differently agitated, some quietly + when the sheep are grazing with heads down, others rapidly as + the animal walks or trots on; and there are little bursts or + peals when a sheep shakes its head, all together producing a + kind of rude harmony—a music which, like that of + bagpipes or of chiming church-bells, heard from a distance, + is akin to natural music and accords with rural scenes. + </p> + <p> + As to use, there is little or none. A shepherd will sometimes + say, when questioned on the subject, that the bells tell him + just where the flock is or in which direction they are + travelling; but he knows better. The one who is not afraid to + confess the simple truth of the matter to a stranger will + tell you that he does not need the bells to tell him where + the sheep are or in which direction they are grazing. His + eyes are good enough for that. The bells are for his solace + or pleasure alone. It may be that the sheep like the tinkling + too—it is his belief that they do like it. A shepherd + said to me a few days ago: "It is lonesome with the flock on + the downs; more so in cold, wet weather, when you perhaps + don't see a person all day—on some days not even at a + distance, much less to speak to. The bells keep us from + feeling it too much. We know what we have them for, and the + more we have the better we like it. They are company to us." + </p> + <p> + Even in fair weather he seldom has anyone to speak to. A + visit from an idle man who will sit down and have a pipe and + talk with him is a day to be long remembered and even to date + events from. "'Twas the month—May, June, or + October—when the stranger came out to the down and + talked to I." + </p> + <p> + One day, in September, when sauntering over Mere Down, one of + the most extensive and loneliest-looking sheep-walks in South + Wilts—a vast, elevated plain or table-land, a portion + of which is known as White Sheet Hill—I passed three + flocks of sheep, all with many bells, and noticed that each + flock produced a distinctly different sound or effect, owing + doubtless to a different number of big and little bells in + each; and it struck me that any shepherd on a dark night, or + if taken blindfolded over the downs, would be able to + identify his own flock by the sound. At the last of the three + flocks a curious thing occurred. There was no shepherd with + it or anywhere in sight, but a dog was in charge; I found him + lying apparently asleep in a hollow, by the side of a stick + and an old sack. I called to him, but instead of jumping up + and coming to me, as he would have done if his master had + been there, he only raised his head, looked at me, then put + his nose down on his paws again. I am on duty—in sole + charge—and you must not speak to me, was what he said. + After walking a little distance on, I spied the shepherd with + a second dog at his heels, coming over the down straight to + the flock, and I stayed to watch. When still over a hundred + yards from the hollow the dog flew ahead, and the other + jumping up ran to meet him, and they stood together, wagging + their tails as if conversing. When the shepherd had got up to + them he stood and began uttering a curious call, a somewhat + musical cry in two notes, and instantly the sheep, now at a + considerable distance, stopped feeding and turned, then all + together began running towards him, and when within thirty + yards stood still, massed together, and all gazing at him. He + then uttered a different call, and turning walked away, the + dogs keeping with him and the sheep closely following. It was + late in the day, and he was going to fold them down at the + foot of the slope in some fields half a mile away. + </p> + <p> + As the scene I had witnessed appeared unusual I related it to + the very next shepherd I talked with. + </p> + <p> + "Oh, there was nothing in that," he said. "Of course the dog + was behind the flock." + </p> + <p> + I said, "No, the peculiar thing was that both dogs were with + their master, and the flock followed." + </p> + <p> + "Well, my sheep would do the same," he returned. "That is, + they'll do it if they know there's something good for + them—something they like in the fold. They are very + knowing." And other shepherds to whom I related the incident + said pretty much the same, but they apparently did not quite + like to hear that any shepherd could control his sheep with + his voice alone; their way of receiving the story confirmed + me in the belief that I had witnessed something unusual. + </p> + <p> + Before concluding this short chapter I will leave the subject + of the Wiltshire shepherd and his sheep to quote a remarkable + passage about men singing to their cattle in Cornwall, from a + work on that county by Richard Warner of Bath, once a + well-known and prolific writer of topographical and other + books. They are little known now, I fancy, but he was great + in his day, which lasted from about the middle of the + eighteenth to about the middle of the nineteenth + century—at all events, he died in 1857, aged + ninety-four. But he was not great at first, and finding when + nearing middle age that he was not prospering, he took to the + Church and had several livings, some of them running + concurrently, as was the fashion in those dark days. His + topographical work included Walks in Wales, in Somerset, in + Devon, Walks in many places, usually taken in a stage-coach + or on horseback, containing nothing worth remembering except + perhaps the one passage I have mentioned, which is as + follows:— + </p> + <p> + "We had scarcely entered Cornwall before our attention was + agreeably arrested by a practice connected with the + agriculture of the people, which to us was entirely novel. + The farmers judiciously employ the fine oxen of the country + in ploughing, and other processes of husbandry, to which the + strength of this useful animal can be employed"—the + Rev. Richard Warner is tedious, but let us be patient and see + what follows—"to which the strength of this useful + animal can be employed; and while the hinds are thus driving + their patient slaves along the furrows, they continually + cheer them with conversation, denoting approbation and + pleasure. This encouragement is conveyed to them in a sort of + chaunt, of very agreeable modulation, which, floating through + the air from different distances, produces a striking effect + both on the ear and imagination. The notes are few and + simple, and when delivered by a clear, melodious voice, have + something expressive of that tenderness and affection which + man naturally entertains for the companions of his labours, + in a <i>pastoral state</i> of society, when, feeling more + forcibly his dependence upon domesticated animals for + support, he gladly reciprocates with them kindness and + protection for comfort and subsistence. This wild melody was + to me, I confess, peculiarly affecting. It seemed to draw + more closely the link of friendship between man and the + humbler tribes of <i>fellow mortals</i>. It solaced my heart + with the appearance of humanity, in a world of violence and + in times of universal hostile rage; and it gladdened my fancy + with the contemplation of those days of heavenly harmony, + promised in the predictions of eternal truth, when man, freed + at length from prejudice and passion, shall seek his + happiness in cultivating the mild, the benevolent, and the + merciful sensibilities of his nature; and when the animal + world, catching the virtues of its lord and master, shall + soften into gentleness and love; when the wolf".... + </p> + <p> + And so on, clause after clause, with others to be added, + until the whole sentence becomes as long as a fishing-rod. + But apart from the fiddlededee, is the thing he states + believable? It is a charming picture, and one would like to + know more about that "chaunt," that "wild melody." The + passage aroused my curiosity when in Cornwall, as it had + appeared to me that in no part of England are the domestic + animals so little considered by their masters. The R.S.P.C.A. + is practically unknown there, and when watching the doings of + shepherds or drovers with their sheep the question has + occurred to me, What would my Wiltshire shepherd friends say + of such a scene if they had witnessed it? There is nothing in + print which I can find to confirm Warner's observations, and + if you inquire of very old men who have been all their lives + on the soil they will tell you that there has never been such + a custom in their time, nor have they ever heard of it as + existing formerly. Warner's Tour through Cornwall is dated + 1808. + </p> + <p> + I take it that he described a scene he actually witnessed, + and that he jumped to the conclusion that it was a common + custom for the ploughman to sing to his oxen. It is not + unusual to find a man anywhere singing to his oxen, or + horses, or sheep, if he has a voice and is fond of exercising + it. I remember that in a former book—"Nature in + Downland"—I described the sweet singing of a cow-boy + when tending his cows on a heath near Trotton, in West + Sussex; and here in Wiltshire it amused me to listen, at a + vast distance, to the robust singing of a shepherd while + following his flock on the great lonely downs above + Chitterne. He was a sort of Tamagno of the downs, with a + tremendous voice audible a mile away. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch12"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII + </h2> + <h3> + THE SHEPHERD AND THE BIBLE + </h3> + <blockquote> + Dan'l Burdon, the treasure-seeker—The shepherd's + feeling for the Bible—Effect of the pastoral + life—The shepherd's story of Isaac's boyhood—The + village on the Wylye + </blockquote> + <p> + One of the shepherd's early memories was of Dan'l Burdon, a + labourer on the farm where Isaac Bawcombe was head-shepherd. + He retained a vivid recollection of this person, who had a + profound gravity and was the most silent man in the parish. + He was always thinking about hidden treasure, and all his + spare time was spent in seeking for it. On a Sunday morning, + or in the evening after working hours, he would take a spade + or pick and go away over the hills on his endless search + after "something he could not find." He opened some of the + largest barrows, making trenches six to ten feet deep through + them, but found nothing to reward him. One day he took Caleb + with him, and they went to a part of the down where there + were certain depressions in the turf of a circular form and + six to seven feet in circumference. Burdon had observed these + basin-like depressions and had thought it possible they + marked the place where things of value had been buried in + long-past ages. To begin he cut the turf all round and + carefully removed it, then dug and found a thick layer of + flints. These removed, he came upon a deposit of ashes and + charred wood. And that was all. Burdon without a word set to + work to put it all back in its place again—ashes and + wood, and earth and flints—and having trod it firmly + down he carefully replaced the turf, then leaning on his + spade gazed silently at the spot for a space of several + minutes. At last he spoke. "Maybe, Caleb, you've beared tell + about what the Bible says of burnt sacrifice. Well now, I be + of opinion that it were here. They people the Bible says + about, they come up here to sacrifice on White Bustard Down, + and these be the places where they made their fires." + </p> + <p> + Then he shouldered his spade and started home, the boy + following. Caleb's comment was: "I didn't say nothing to un + because I were only a leetel boy and he were a old man; but I + knowed better than that all the time, because them people in + the Bible they was never in England at all, so how could they + sacrifice on White Bustard Down in Wiltsheer?" + </p> + <p> + It was no idle boast on his part. Caleb and his brothers had + been taught their letters when small, and the Bible was their + one book, which they read not only in the evenings at home + but out on the downs during the day when they were with the + flock. His extreme familiarity with the whole Scripture + narrative was a marvel to me; it was also strange, + considering how intelligent a man he was, that his lifelong + reading of that one book had made no change in his rude + "Wiltsheer" speech. + </p> + <p> + Apart from the feeling which old, religious country people, + who know nothing about the Higher Criticism, have for the + Bible, taken literally as the Word of God, there is that in + the old Scriptures which appeals in a special way to the + solitary man who feeds his flock on the downs. I remember + well in the days of my boyhood and youth, when living in a + purely pastoral country among a semi-civilized and very + simple people, how understandable and eloquent many of the + ancient stories were to me. The life, the outlook, the rude + customs, and the vivid faith in the Unseen, were much the + same in that different race in a far-distant age, in a remote + region of the earth, and in the people I mixed with in my own + home. That country has been changed now; it has been improved + and civilized and brought up to the European standard; I + remember it when it was as it had existed for upwards of two + centuries before it had caught the contagion. The people I + knew were the descendants of the Spanish colonists of the + seventeenth century, who had taken kindly to the life of the + plains, and had easily shed the traditions and ways of + thought of Europe and of towns. Their philosophy of life, + their ideals, their morality, were the result of the + conditions they existed in, and wholly unlike ours; and the + conditions were like those of the ancient people of which the + Bible tells us. Their very phraseology was strongly + reminiscent of that of the sacred writings, and their + character in the best specimens was like that of the men of + the far past who lived nearer to God, as we say, and + certainly nearer to nature than it is possible for us in this + artificial state. Among these sometimes grand old men who + were large landowners, rich in flocks and herds, these fine + old, dignified "natives," the substantial and leading men of + the district who could not spell their own names, there were + those who reminded you of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and + Esau and Joseph and his brethren, and even of David the + passionate psalmist, with perhaps a guitar for a harp. + </p> + <p> + No doubt the Scripture lessons read in the thousand churches + on every Sunday of the year are practically meaningless to + the hearers. These old men, with their sheep and goats and + wives, and their talk about God, are altogether out of our + ways of thought, in fact as far from us—as incredible + or unimaginable, we may say—as the neolithic men or the + inhabitants of another planet. They are of the order of + mythical heroes and the giants of antiquity. To read about + them is an ancient custom, but we do not listen. + </p> + <p> + Even to myself the memories of my young days came to be + regarded as very little more than mere imaginations, and I + almost ceased to believe in them until, after years of mixing + with modern men, mostly in towns, I fell in with the downland + shepherds, and discovered that even here, in densely + populated and ultra-civilized England, something of the + ancient spirit had survived. In Caleb, and a dozen old men + more or less like him, I seemed to find myself among the + people of the past, and sometimes they were so much like some + of the remembered, old, sober, and slow-minded herders of the + plains that I could not help saying to myself, Why, how this + man reminds me of Tio Isidoro, or of Don Pascual of the + "Three Poplar Trees," or of Marcos who would always have + three black sheep in a flock. And just as they reminded me of + these men I had actually known, so did they bring back the + older men of the Bible history—Abraham and Jacob and + the rest. + </p> + <p> + The point here is that these old Bible stories have a reality + and significance for the shepherd of the down country which + they have lost for modern minds; that they recognize their + own spiritual lineaments in these antique portraits, and that + all these strange events might have happened a few years ago + and not far away. + </p> + <p> + One day I said to Caleb Bawcombe that his knowledge of the + Bible, especially of the old part, was greater than that of + the other shepherds I knew on the downs, and I would like to + hear why it was so. This led to the telling of a fresh story + about his father's boyhood, which he had heard in later years + from his mother. Isaac was an only child and not the son of a + shepherd; his father was a rather worthless if not a wholly + bad man; he was idle and dissolute, and being remarkably + dexterous with his fists he was persuaded by certain sporting + persons to make a business of fighting—quite a common + thing in those days. He wanted nothing better, and spent the + greater part of the time in wandering about the country; the + money he made was spent away from home, mostly in drink, + while his wife was left to keep herself and child in the best + way she could at home or in the fields. By and by a poor + stranger came to the village in search of work and was + engaged for very little pay by a small farmer, for the + stranger confessed that he was without experience of farm + work of any description. The cheapest lodging he could find + was in the poor woman's cottage, and then Isaac's mother, who + pitied him because he was so poor and a stranger alone in the + world, a very silent, melancholy man, formed the opinion that + he had belonged to another rank in life. His speech and hands + and personal habits betrayed it. Undoubtedly he was a + gentleman; and then from something in his manner, his voice, + and his words whenever he addressed her, and his attention to + religion, she further concluded that he had been in the + Church; that, owing to some trouble or disaster, he had + abandoned his place in the world to live away from all who + had known him, as a labourer. + </p> + <p> + One day he spoke to her about Isaac; he said he had been + observing him and thought it a great pity that such a fine, + intelligent boy should be allowed to grow up without learning + his letters. She agreed that it was, but what could she do? + The village school was kept by an old woman, and though she + taught the children very little it had to be paid for, and + she could not afford it. He then offered to teach Isaac + himself and she gladly consented, and from that day he taught + Isaac for a couple of hours every evening until the boy was + able to read very well, after which they read the Bible + through together, the poor man explaining everything, + especially the historical parts, so clearly and beautifully, + with such an intimate knowledge of the countries and peoples + and customs of the remote East, that it was all more + interesting than a fairy tale. Finally he gave his copy of + the Bible to Isaac, and told him to carry it in his pocket + every day when he went out on the downs, and when he sat down + to take it out and read in it. For by this time Isaac, who + was now ten years old, had been engaged as a shepherd-boy to + his great happiness, for to be a shepherd was his ambition. + </p> + <p> + Then one day the stranger rolled up his few belongings in a + bundle and put them on a stick which he placed on his + shoulder, said good-bye, and went away, never to return, + taking his sad secret with him. + </p> + <p> + Isaac followed the stranger's counsel, and when he had sons + of his own made them do as he had done from early boyhood. + Caleb had never gone with his flock on the down without the + book, and had never passed a day without reading a portion. + </p> + <p> + The incidents and observations gathered in many talks with + the old shepherd, which I have woven into the foregoing + chapters, relate mainly to the earlier part of his life, up + to the time when, a married man and father of three small + children, he migrated to Warminster. There he was in, to him, + a strange land, far away from friends and home and the old + familiar surroundings, amid new scenes and new people, But + the few years he spent at that place had furnished him with + many interesting memories, some of which will be narrated in + the following chapters. + </p> + <p> + I have told in the account of Winterbourne Bishop how I first + went to that village just to see his native place, and later + I visited Doveton for no other reason than that he had lived + there, to find it one of the most charming of the numerous + pretty villages in the vale. I looked for the cottage in + which he had lived and thought it as perfect a home as a + quiet, contemplative man who loved nature could have had: a + small, thatched cottage, very old looking, perhaps + inconvenient to live in, but situated in the prettiest spot, + away from other houses, near and within sight of the old + church with old elms and beech-trees growing close to it, and + the land about it green meadow. The clear river, fringed with + a luxuriant growth of sedges, flag, and reeds, was less than + a stone's-throw away. + </p> + <p> + So much did I like the vale of the Wylye when I grew to know + it well that I wish to describe it fully in the chapter that + follows. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch13"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII + </h2> + <h3> + VALE OF THE WYLYE + </h3> + <blockquote> + Warminster—Vale of the Wylye—Counting the + villages—A lost church—Character of the + villages—Tytherington church—Story of the + dog—Lord Lovell—Monuments in + churches—Manor-houses—Knook—The + cottages—Yellow stonecrop—Cottage + gardens—Marigolds—Golden-rod—Wild flowers + of the water-side—Seeking for the characteristic + expression + </blockquote> + <p> + The prettily-named Wylye is a little river not above twenty + miles in length from its rise to Salisbury, where, after + mixing with the Nadder at Wilton, it joins the Avon. At or + near its source stands Warminster, a small, unimportant town + with a nobler-sounding name than any other in Wiltshire. + Trowbridge, Devizes, Marlborough, Salisbury, do not stir the + mind in the same degree; and as for Chippenham, Melksham, + Mere, Calne, and Corsham, these all are of no more account + than so many villages in comparison. Yet Warminster has no + associations—no place in our mental geography; at all + events one remembers nothing about it. Its name, which after + all may mean nothing more than the monastery on the + Were—one of the three streamlets which flow into the + Wylye at its source—is its only glory. It is not + surprising that Caleb Bawcombe invariably speaks of his + migration to, and of the time he passed at Warminster, when, + as a fact, he was not there at all, but at Doveton, a little + village on the Wylye a few miles below the town with the + great name. + </p> + <p> + It is a green valley—the greenness strikes one sharply + on account of the pale colour of the smooth, high downs on + either side—half a mile to a mile in width, its crystal + current showing like a bright serpent for a brief space in + the green, flat meadows, then vanishing again among the + trees. So many are the great shade trees, beeches and ashes + and elms, that from some points the valley has the appearance + of a continuous wood—a contiguity of shade. And the + wood hides the villages, at some points so effectually that + looking down from the hills you may not catch a glimpse of + one and imagine it to be a valley where no man dwells. As a + rule you do see something of human occupancy—the red or + yellow roofs of two or three cottages, a half-hidden grey + church tower, or column of blue smoke, but to see the + villages you must go down and look closely, and even so you + will find it difficult to count them all. I have tried, going + up and down the valley several times, walking or cycling, and + have never succeeded in getting the same number on two + occasions. There are certainly more then twenty, without + counting the hamlets, and the right number is probably + something between twenty-five and thirty, but I do not want + to find out by studying books and maps. I prefer to let the + matter remain unsettled so as to have the pleasure of + counting or trying to count them again at some future time. + But I doubt that I shall ever succeed. On one occasion I + caught sight of a quaint, pretty little church standing by + itself in the middle of a green meadow, where it looked very + solitary with no houses in sight and not even a cow grazing + near it. The river was between me and the church, so I went + up-stream, a mile and a half, to cross by the bridge, then + doubled back to look for the church, and couldn't find it! + Yet it was no illusory church; I have seen it again on two + occasions, but again from the other side of the river, and I + must certainly go back some day in search of that lost + church, where there may be effigies, brasses, sad, eloquent + inscriptions, and other memorials of ancient tragedies and + great families now extinct in the land. + </p> + <p> + This is perhaps one of the principal charms of the + Wylye—the sense of beautiful human things hidden from + sight among the masses of foliage. Yet another lies in the + character of the villages. Twenty-five or twenty-eight of + them in a space of twenty miles; yet the impression, left on + the mind is that these small centres of population are really + few and far between. For not only are they small, but of the + old, quiet, now almost obsolete type of village, so + unobtrusive as to affect the mind soothingly, like the sight + of trees and flowery banks and grazing cattle. The churches, + too, as is fit, are mostly small and ancient and beautiful, + half-hidden in their tree-shaded churchyards, rich in + associations which go back to a time when history fades into + myth and legend. Not all, however, are of this description; a + few are naked, dreary little buildings, and of these I will + mention one which, albeit ancient, has no monuments and no + burial-ground. This is the church of Tytherington, a small, + rustic village, which has for neighbours Codford St. Peter + one one side and Sutton Veny and Norton Bavant on the other. + To get into this church, where there was nothing but naked + walls to look at, I had to procure the key from the clerk, a + nearly blind old man of eighty. He told me that he was + shoemaker but could no longer see to make or mend shoes; that + as a boy he was a weak, sickly creature, and his father, a + farm bailiff, made him learn shoemaking because he was unfit + to work out of doors. "I remember this church," he said, + "when there was only one service each quarter," but, strange + to say, he forgot to tell me the story of the dog! "What, + didn't he tell you about the dog?" exclaimed everybody. There + was really nothing else to tell. + </p> + <p> + It happened about a hundred years ago that once, after the + quarterly service had been held, a dog was missed, a small + terrier owned by the young wife of a farmer of Tytherington + named Case. She was fond of her dog, and lamented its loss + for a little while, then forgot all about it. But after three + months, when the key was once more put into the rusty lock + and the door thrown open, there was the dog, a living + "skelington" it was said, dazed by the light of day, but + still able to walk! It was supposed that he had kept himself + alive by "licking the moisture from the walls." The walls, + they said, were dripping with wet and covered with a thick + growth of mould. I went back to interrogate the ancient + clerk, and he said that the dog died shortly after its + deliverance; Mrs. Case herself told him all about it. She was + an old woman then, but was always willing to relate the sad + story of her pet. + </p> + <p> + That picture of the starving dog coming out, a living + skeleton, from the wet, mouldy church, reminds us sharply of + the changed times we live in and of the days when the Church + was still sleeping very peacefully, not yet turning uneasily + in its bed before opening its eyes; and when a comfortable + rector of Codford thought it quite enough that the people of + Tytherington, a mile away, should have one service every + three months. + </p> + <p> + As a fact, the Tytherington dog interested me as much as the + story of the last Lord Lovell's self-incarceration in his own + house in the neighbouring little village of Upton Lovell. He + took refuge there from his enemies who were seeking his life, + and concealed himself so effectually that he was never seen + again. Centuries later, when excavations were made on the + site of the ruined mansion, a secret chamber was discovered, + containing a human skeleton seated in a chair at a table, on + which were books and papers crumbling into dust. + </p> + <p> + A volume might be filled with such strange and romantic + happenings in the little villages of the Wylye, and for the + natural man they have a lasting fascination; but they + invariably relate to great people of their day—warriors + and statesmen and landowners of old and noble lineage, the + smallest and meanest you will find being clothiers, or + merchants, who amassed large fortunes and built mansions for + themselves and almshouses for the aged poor, and, when dead, + had memorials placed to them in the churches. But of the + humble cottagers, the true people of the vale who were rooted + in the soil, and nourished and died like trees in the same + place—of these no memory exists. We only know that they + lived and laboured; that when they died, three or four a + year, three or four hundred in a century, they were buried in + the little shady churchyard, each with a green mound over him + to mark the spot. But in time these "mouldering heaps" + subsided, the bodies turned to dust, and another and yet + other generations were laid in the same place among the + forgotten dead, to be themselves in turn forgotten. Yet I + would rather know the histories of these humble, unremembered + lives than of the great ones of the vale who have left us a + memory. + </p> + <p> + It may be for this reason that I was little interested in the + manor-houses of the vale. They are plentiful enough, some + gone to decay or put to various uses; others still the homes + of luxury, beauty, culture: stately rooms, rich fabrics; + pictures, books, and manuscripts, gold and silver ware, china + and glass, expensive curios, suits of armour, ivory and + antlers, tiger-skins, stuffed goshawks and peacocks' + feathers. Houses, in some cases built centuries ago, standing + half-hidden in beautiful wooded grounds, isolated from the + village; and even as they thus stand apart, sacred from + intrusion, so the life that is in them does not mix with or + form part of the true native life. They are to the cottagers + of to-day what the Roman villas were to the native population + of some eighteen centuries ago. This will seem incredible to + some: to me, an untrammelled person, familiar in both hall + and cottage, the distance between them appears immense. + </p> + <p> + A reader well acquainted with the valley will probably laugh + to be told that the manor-house which most interested me was + that of Knook, a poor little village between Heytesbury and + Upton Lovell. Its ancient and towerless little church with + rough, grey walls is, if possible, even more desolate-looking + than that of Tytherington. In my hunt for the key to open it + I disturbed a quaint old man, another octogenarian, + picturesque in a vast white beard, who told me he was a + thatcher, or had been one before the evil days came when he + could work no more and was compelled to seek parish relief. + "You must go to the manor-house for the key," he told me. A + strange place in which to look for the key, and it was + stranger still to see the house, close to the church, and so + like it that but for the small cross on the roof of the + latter one could not have known which was the sacred + building. First a monks' house, it fell at the Reformation to + some greedy gentleman who made it his dwelling, and doubtless + in later times it was used as a farm-house. Now a house most + desolate, dirty, and neglected, with cracks in the walls + which threaten ruin, standing in a wilderness of weeds, + tenanted by a poor working-man whose wages are twelve + shillings a week, and his wife and eight small children. The + rent is eighteen-pence a week—probably the + lowest-rented manor-house in England, though it is not very + rare to find such places tenanted by labourers. + </p> + <p> + But let us look at the true cottages. There are, I imagine, + few places in England where the humble homes of the people + have so great a charm. Undoubtedly they are darker inside, + and not so convenient to live in as the modern box-shaped, + red-brick, slate-roofed cottages, which have spread a wave of + ugliness over the country; but they do not offend—they + please the eye. They are smaller than the modern-built + habitations; they are weathered and coloured by sun and wind + and rain and many lowly vegetable forms to a harmony with + nature. They appear related to the trees amid which they + stand, to the river and meadows, to the sloping downs at the + side, and to the sky and clouds over all. And, most + delightful feature, they stand among, and are wrapped in, + flowers as in a garment—rose and vine and creeper and + clematis. They are mostly thatched, but some have tiled + roofs, their deep, dark red clouded and stained with lichen + and moss; and these roofs, too, have their flowers in summer. + They are grown over with yellow stonecrop, that bright + cheerful flower that smiles down at you from the lowly roof + above the door, with such an inviting expression, so + delighted to see you no matter how poor and worthless a + person you may be or what mischief you may have been at, that + you begin to understand the significance of a strange + vernacular name of this + plant—Welcome-home-husband-though-never-so-drunk. + </p> + <p> + But its garden flowers, clustering and nestling round it, + amid which its feet are set—they are to me the best of + all flowers. These are the flowers we know and remember for + ever. The old, homely, cottage-garden blooms, so old that + they have entered the soul. The big house garden, or + gardener's garden, with everything growing in it I hate, but + these I love—fragrant gillyflower and pink and + clove-smelling carnation; wallflower, abundant periwinkle, + sweet-william, larkspur, love-in-a-mist, and + love-lies-bleeding, old-woman's-nightcap, and + kiss-me-John-at-the-garden-gate, some times called pansy. And + best of all and in greatest profusion, that flower of + flowers, the marigold. + </p> + <p> + How the townsman, town born and bred, regards this flower, I + do not know. He is, in spite of all the time I have spent in + his company, a comparative stranger to me—the one + living creature on the earth who does not greatly interest + me. Some over-populated planet in our system discovered a way + to relieve itself by discharging its superfluous millions on + our globe—a pale people with hurrying feet and eager, + restless minds, who live apart in monstrous, crowded camps, + like wood ants that go not out to forage for + themselves—six millions of them crowded together in one + camp alone! I have lived in these colonies, years and years, + never losing the sense of captivity, of exile, ever conscious + of my burden, taking no interest in the doings of that + innumerable multitude, its manifold interests, its ideals and + philosophy, its arts and pleasures. What, then, does it + matter how they regard this common orange-coloured flower + with a strong smell? For me it has an atmosphere, a sense or + suggestion of something immeasurably remote and very + beautiful—an event, a place, a dream perhaps, which has + left no distinct image, but only this feeling unlike all + others, imperishable, and not to be described except by the + one word Marigold. + </p> + <p> + But when my sight wanders away from the flower to others + blooming with it—to all those which I have named and to + the taller ones, so tall that they reach half-way up, and + some even quite up, to the eaves of the lowly houses they + stand against—hollyhocks and peonies and crystalline + white lilies with powdery gold inside, and the common + sunflower—I begin to perceive that they all possess + something of that same magical quality. + </p> + <p> + These taller blooms remind me that the evening primrose, long + naturalized in our hearts, is another common and very + delightful cottage-garden flower; also that here, on the + Wylye, there is yet another stranger from the same western + world which is fast winning our affections. This is the + golden-rod, grandly beautiful in its great, yellow, + plume-like tufts. But it is not quite right to call the tufts + yellow: they are green, thickly powdered with the minute + golden florets. There is no flower in England like it, and it + is a happiness to know that it promises to establish itself + with us as a wild flower. + </p> + <p> + Where the village lies low in the valley and the cottage is + near the water, there are wild blooms, too, which almost + rival those of the garden in beauty—water agrimony and + comfrey with ivory-white and dim purple blossoms, purple and + yellow loosestrife and gem-like, water forget-me-not; all + these mixed with reeds and sedges and water-grasses, forming + a fringe or border to the potato or cabbage patch, dividing + it from the stream. + </p> + <p> + But now I have exhausted the subject of the flowers, and + enumerated and dwelt upon the various other components of the + scene, it comes to me that I have not yet said the right + thing and given the Wylye its characteristic expression. In + considering the flowers we lose sight of the downs, and so in + occupying ourselves with the details we miss the general + effect. Let me then, once more, before concluding this + chapter, try to capture the secret of this little river. + </p> + <p> + There are other chalk streams in Wiltshire and Hampshire and + Dorset—swift crystal currents that play all summer long + with the floating poa grass fast held in their pebbly beds, + flowing through smooth downs, with small ancient churches in + their green villages, and pretty thatched cottages smothered + in flowers—which yet do not produce the same effect as + the Wylye. Not Avon for all its beauty, nor Itchen, nor Test. + Wherein, then, does the "Wylye bourne" differ from these + others, and what is its special attraction? It was only when + I set myself to think about it, to analyse the feeling in my + own mind, that I discovered the secret—that is, in my + own case, for of its effect on others I cannot say anything. + What I discovered was that the various elements of interest, + all of which may be found in other chalk-stream valleys, are + here concentrated, or comprised in a limited space, and seen + together produce a combined effect on the mind. It is the + narrowness of the valley and the nearness of the high downs + standing over it on either side, with, at some points, the + memorials of antiquity carved on their smooth surfaces, the + barrows and lynchetts or terraces, and the vast green + earth-works crowning their summit. Up here on the turf, even + with the lark singing his shrill music in the blue heavens, + you are with the prehistoric dead, yourself for the time one + of that innumerable, unsubstantial multitude, invisible in + the sun, so that the sheep travelling as they graze, and the + shepherd following them, pass through their ranks without + suspecting their presence. And from that elevation you look + down upon the life of to-day—the visible life, so brief + in the individual, which, like the swift silver stream + beneath, yet flows on continuously from age to age and for + ever. And even as you look down you hear, at that distance, + the bell of the little hidden church tower telling the hour + of noon, and quickly following, a shout of freedom and joy + from many shrill voices of children just released from + school. Woke to life by those sounds, and drawn down by them, + you may sit to rest or sun yourself on the stone table of a + tomb overgrown on its sides with moss, the two-century-old + inscription well-nigh obliterated, in the little grass-grown, + flowery churchyard which serves as village green and + playground in that small centre of life, where the living and + the dead exist in a neighbourly way together. For it is not + here as in towns, where the dead are away and out of mind and + the past cut off. And if after basking too long in the sun in + that tree-sheltered spot you go into the little church to + cool yourself, you will probably find in a dim corner not far + from the altar a stone effigy of one of an older time; a + knight in armour, perhaps a crusader with legs crossed, lying + on his back, dimly seen in the dim light, with perhaps a + coloured sunbeam on his upturned face. For this little church + where the villagers worship is very old; Norman on Saxon + foundations; and before they were ever laid there may have + been a temple to some ancient god at that spot, or a Roman + villa perhaps. For older than Saxon foundations are found in + the vale, and mosaic floors, still beautiful after lying + buried so long. + </p> + <p> + All this—the far-removed events and periods in + time—are not in the conscious mind when we are in the + vale or when we are looking down on it from above: the mind + is occupied with nothing but visible nature. Thus, when I am + sitting on the tomb, listening to the various sounds of life + about me, attentive to the flowers and bees and butterflies, + to man or woman or child taking a short cut through the + churchyard, exchanging a few words with them; or when I am by + the water close by, watching a little company of graylings, + their delicately-shaded, silver-grey scales distinctly seen + as they lie in the crystal current watching for flies; or + when I listen to the perpetual musical talk and song combined + of a family of green-finches in the alders or willows, my + mind is engaged with these things. But if one is familiar + with the vale; if one has looked with interest and been + deeply impressed with the signs and memorials of past life + and of antiquity everywhere present and forming part of the + scene, something of it and of all that it represents remains + in the subconscious mind to give a significance and feeling + to the scene, which affects us here more than in most places; + and that, I take it, is the special charm of this little + valley. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch14"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV + </h2> + <h3> + A SHEEP-DOG'S LIFE + </h3> + <blockquote> + Watch—His visits to a dew-pond—David and his dog + Monk—Watch goes to David's assistance—Caleb's new + master objects to his dog—Watch and the + corn-crake—Watch plays with rabbits and + guinea-pigs—Old Nance the rook-scarer—The lost + pair of spectacles—Watch in decline—Grey hairs in + animals—A grey mole—Last days of Watch—A + shepherd on old sheep-dogs + </blockquote> + <p> + Perhaps the most interesting of the many sheep-dog histories + the shepherd related was that of Watch, a dog he had at + Winterbourne Bishop for three years before he migrated to + Warminster. Watch, he said, was more "like a Christian," + otherwise a reasonable being, than any other dog he had + owned. He was exceedingly active, and in hot weather suffered + more from heat than most dogs. Now the only accessible water + when they were out on the down was in the mist-pond about a + quarter of a mile from his "liberty," as he called that + portion of the down on which he was entitled to pasture his + sheep. When Watch could stand his sufferings no longer, he + would run to his master, and sitting at his feet look up at + his face and emit a low, pleading whine. + </p> + <p> + "What be you wanting, Watch—a drink or a swim?" the + shepherd would say, and Watch, cocking up his ears, would + repeat the whine. + </p> + <p> + "Very well, go to the pond," Bawcombe would say, and off + Watch would rush, never pausing until he got to the water, + and dashing in he would swim round and round, lapping the + water as he bathed. + </p> + <p> + At the side of the pond there was a large, round + sarsen-stone, and invariably on coming out of his bath Watch + would jump upon it, and with his four feet drawn up close + together would turn round and round, surveying the country + from that elevation; then jumping down he would return in all + haste to his duties. + </p> + <p> + Another anecdote, which relates to the Winterbourne Bishop + period, is a somewhat painful one, and is partly about Monk, + the sheep-dog already described as a hunter of foxes, and his + tragic end. Caleb had worked him for a time, but when he came + into possession of Watch he gave Monk to his younger brother + David, who was under-shepherd on the same farm. + </p> + <p> + One morning Caleb was with the ewes in a field, when David, + who was in charge of the lambs two or three fields away, came + to him looking very strange—very much put out. + </p> + <p> + "What are you here for—what's wrong with 'ee?" demanded + Caleb. + </p> + <p> + "Nothing's wrong," returned the other. + </p> + <p> + "Where's Monk then?" asked Caleb. + </p> + <p> + "Dead," said David. + </p> + <p> + "Dead! How's he dead?" + </p> + <p> + "I killed'n. He wouldn't mind me and made me mad, and I up + with my stick and gave him one crack on the head and it + killed'n." + </p> + <p> + "You killed 'n!" exclaimed Caleb. "An' you come here an' tell + I nothing's wrong! Is that a right way to speak of such a + thing as that? What be you thinking of? And what be you going + to do with the lambs?" + </p> + <p> + "I'm just going back to them—I'm going to do without a + dog. I'm going to put them in the rape and they'll be all + right." + </p> + <p> + "What! put them in the rape and no dog to help 'ee?" cried + the other. "You are not doing things right, but master + mustn't pay for it. Take Watch to help 'ee—I must do + without'n this morning." + </p> + <p> + "No, I'll not take'n," he said, for he was angry because he + had done an evil thing and he would have no one, man or dog, + to help him. "I'll do better without a dog," he said, and + marched off. + </p> + <p> + Caleb cried after him: "If you won't have the dog don't let + the lambs suffer but do as I tell 'ee. Don't you let 'em bide + in the rape more 'n ten minutes; then chase them out, and let + 'em stand twenty minutes to half an hour; then let them in + another ten minutes and out again for twenty minutes, then + let them go back and feed in it quietly, for the danger 'll + be over. If you don't do as I tell 'ee you'll have many + blown." + </p> + <p> + David listened, then without a word went his way. But Caleb + was still much troubled in his mind. How would he get that + flock of hungry lambs out of the rape without a dog? And + presently he determined to send Watch, or try to send him, to + save the situation. David had been gone half an hour when he + called the dog, and pointing in the direction he had taken he + cried, "Dave wants 'ee—go to Dave." + </p> + <p> + Watch looked at him and listened, then bounded away, and + after running full speed about fifty yards stopped to look + back to make sure he was doing the right thing. "Go to Dave," + shouted Caleb once more; and away went Watch again, and + arriving at a very high gate at the end of the field dashed + at and tried two or three times to get over it, first by + jumping, then by climbing, and falling back each time. But by + and by he managed to force his way through the thick hedge + and was gone from sight. + </p> + <p> + When David came back that evening he was in a different mood, + and said that Watch had saved him from a great misfortune: he + could never have got the lambs out by himself, as they were + mad for the rape. For some days after this Watch served two + masters. Caleb would take him to his ewes, and after a while + would say, "Go—Dave wants 'ee," and away Watch would go + to the other shepherd and flock. + </p> + <p> + When Bawcombe had taken up his new place at Doveton, his + master, Mr. Ellerby, watched him for a while with sharp eyes, + but he was soon convinced that he had not made a mistake in + engaging a head-shepherd twenty-five miles away without + making the usual inquiries but merely on the strength of + something heard casually in conversation about this man. But + while more than satisfied with the man he remained suspicious + of the dog. "I'm afraid that dog of yours must hurt the + sheep," he would say, and he even advised him to change him + for one that worked in a quieter manner. Watch was too + excitable, too impetuous—he could not go after the + sheep in that violent way and grab them as he did without + injuring them with his teeth. + </p> + <p> + "He did never bite a sheep in his life," Bawcombe assured + him, and eventually he was able to convince his master that + Watch could make a great show of biting the sheep without + doing them the least hurt—that it was actually against + his nature to bite or injure anything. + </p> + <p> + One day in the late summer, when the corn had been cut but + not carried, Bawcombe was with his flock on the edge of a + newly reaped cornfield in a continuous, heavy rain, when he + spied his master coming to him. He was in a very light summer + suit and straw hat, and had no umbrella or other protection + from the pouring rain. "What be wrong with master to-day?" + said Bawcombe. "He's tarrably upset to be out like this in + such a rain in a straw hat and no coat." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Ellerby had by that time got into the habit when troubled + in his mind of going out to his shepherd to have a long talk + with him. Not a talk about his trouble—that was some + secret bitterness in his heart—but just about the sheep + and other ordinary topics, and the talk, Caleb said, would + seem to do him good. But this habit he had got into was + observed by others, and the farm-men would say, "Something's + wrong to-day—the master's gone off to the + head-shepherd." + </p> + <p> + When he came to where Bawcombe was standing, in a poor + shelter by the side of a fence, he at once started talking on + indifferent subjects, standing there quite unconcerned, as if + he didn't even know that it was raining, though his thin + clothes were wet through, and the water coming through his + straw hat was running in streaks down his face. By and by he + became interested in the dog's movements, playing about in + the rain among the stocks. "What has he got in his mouth?" he + asked presently. + </p> + <p> + "Come here, Watch," the shepherd called, and when Watch came + he bent down and took a corncrake from his mouth. He had + found the bird hiding in one of the stocks and had captured + without injuring it. + </p> + <p> + "Why, it's alive—the dog hasn't hurt it," said the + farmer, taking it in his hands to examine it. + </p> + <p> + "Watch never hurted any creature yet," said Bawcombe. He + caught things just for his own amusement, but never injured + them—he always let them go again. He would hunt mice in + the fields, and when he captured one he would play with it + like a cat, tossing it from him, then dashing after and + recapturing it. Finally, he would let it go. He played with + rabbits in the same way, and if you took a rabbit from him + and examined it you would find it quite uninjured. + </p> + <p> + The farmer said it was wonderful—he had never heard of + a case like it before; and talking of Watch he succeeded in + forgetting the trouble in his mind which had sent him out in + the rain in his thin clothes and straw hat, and he went away + in a cheerful mood. + </p> + <p> + Caleb probably forgot to mention during this conversation + with his master that in most cases when Watch captured a + rabbit he took it to his master and gave it into his hands, + as much as to say, Here is a very big sort of field-mouse I + have caught, rather difficult to manage—perhaps + <i>you</i> can do something with it? + </p> + <p> + The shepherd had many other stories about this curious + disposition of his dog. When he had been some months in his + new place his brother David followed him to the Wylye, having + obtained a place as shepherd on a farm adjoining Mr. + Ellerby's. His cottage was a little out of the village and + had some ground to it, with a nice lawn or green patch. David + was fond of keeping animal pets—birds in cages, and + rabbits and guinea-pigs in hutches, the last so tame that he + would release them on the grass to see them play with one + another. When Watch first saw these pets he was very much + attracted, and wanted to get to them, and after a good deal + of persuasion on the part of Caleb, David one day consented + to take them out and put them on the grass in the dog's + presence. They were a little alarmed at first, but in a + surprisingly short time made the discovery that this + particular dog was not their enemy but a playmate. He rolled + on the grass among them, and chased them round and round, and + sometimes caught and pretended to worry them, and they + appeared to think it very good fun. + </p> + <p> + "Watch," said Bawcombe, "in the fifteen years I had 'n, never + killed and never hurt a creature, no, not even a leetel + mouse, and when he caught anything 'twere only to play with + it." + </p> + <p> + Watch comes into a story of an old woman employed at the farm + at this period. She had been in the Warminster workhouse for + a short time, and had there heard that a daughter of a former + mistress in another part of the county had long been married + and was now the mistress of Doveton Farm, close by. Old Nance + thereupon obtained her release and trudged to Doveton, and + one very rough, cold day presented herself at the farm to beg + for something to do which would enable her to keep herself. + If there was nothing for her she must, she said, go back and + end her days in the Warminster workhouse. Mrs. Ellerby + remembered and pitied her, and going in to her husband begged + him earnestly to find some place on the farm for the forlorn + old creature. He did not see what could be done for her: they + already had one old woman on their hands, who mended sacks + and did a few other trifling things, but for another old + woman there would be nothing to do. Then he went in and had a + good long look at her, revolving the matter in his mind, + anxious to please his wife, and finally, he asked her if she + could scare the crows. He could think of nothing else. Of + course she could scare crows—it was the very thing for + her! Well, he said, she could go and look after the swedes; + the rooks had just taken a liking to them, and even if she + was not very active perhaps she would be able to keep them + off. + </p> + <p> + Old Nance got up to go and begin her duties at once. Then the + farmer, looking at her clothes, said he would give her + something more to protect her from the weather on such a + bleak day. He got her an old felt hat, a big old frieze + overcoat, and a pair of old leather leggings. When she had + put on these somewhat cumbrous things, and had tied her hat + firmly on with a strip of cloth, and fastened the coat at the + waist with a cord, she was told to go to the head-shepherd + and ask him to direct her to the field where the rooks were + troublesome. Then when she was setting out the farmer called + her back and gave her an ancient, rusty gun to scare the + birds. "It isn't loaded," he said, with a grim smile. "I + don't allow powder and shot, but if you'll point it at them + they'll fly fast enough." + </p> + <p> + Thus arrayed and armed she set forth, and Caleb seeing her + approach at a distance was amazed at her grotesque + appearance, and even more amazed still when she explained who + and what she was and asked him to direct her to the field of + swedes. + </p> + <p> + Some hours later the farmer came to him and asked him + casually if he had seen an old gallus-crow about. + </p> + <p> + "Well," replied the shepherd, "I seen an old woman in man's + coat and things, with an old gun, and I did tell she where to + bide." + </p> + <p> + "I think it will be rather cold for the old body in that + field," said the farmer. "I'd like you to get a couple of + padded hurdles and put them up for a shelter for her." + </p> + <p> + And in the shelter of the padded or thatched hurdles, by the + hedge-side, old Nance spent her days keeping guard over the + turnips, and afterwards something else was found for her to + do, and in the meanwhile she lodged in Caleb's cottage and + became like one of the family. She was fond of the children + and of the dog, and Watch became so much attached to her that + had it not been for his duties with the flock he would have + attended her all day in the fields to help her with the + crows. + </p> + <p> + Old Nance had two possessions she greatly prized—a book + and a pair of spectacles, and it was her custom to spend the + day sitting, spectacles on nose and book in hand, reading + among the turnips. Her spectacles were so "tarrable" good + that they suited all old eyes, and when this was discovered + they were in great request in the village, and every person + who wanted to do a bit of fine sewing or anything requiring + young vision in old eyes would borrow them for the purpose. + One day the old woman returned full of trouble from the + fields—she had lost her spectacles; she must, she + thought, have lent them to some one in the village on the + previous evening and then forgotten all about it. But no one + had them, and the mysterious loss of the spectacles was + discussed and lamented by everybody. A day or two later Caleb + came through the turnips on his way home, the dog at his + heels, and when he got to his cottage Watch came round and + placed himself square before his master and deposited the + lost spectacles at his feet. He had found them in the + turnip-field over a mile from home, and though but a dog he + remembered that he had seen them on people's noses and in + their hands, and knew that they must therefore be + valuable—not to himself, but to that larger and more + important kind of dog that goes about on its hind legs. + </p> + <p> + There is always a sad chapter in the life-history of a dog; + it is the last one, which tells of his decline; and it is + ever saddest in the case of the sheep-dog, because he has + lived closer to man and has served him every day of his life + with all his powers, all his intelligence, in the one useful + and necessary work he is fitted for or which we have found + for him to do. The hunting and the pet, or parasite, + dogs—the "dogs for sport and pleasure"—though one + in species with him are not like beings of the same order; + they are like professional athletes and performers, and smart + or fashionable people compared to those who do the work of + the world—who feed us and clothe us. We are accustomed + to speak of dogs generally as the servants and the friends of + man; it is only of the sheep-dog that this can be said with + absolute truth. Not only is he the faithful servant of the + solitary man who shepherds his flock, but the dog's + companionship is as much to him as that of a fellow-being + would be. + </p> + <p> + Before his long and strenuous life was finished. Watch, + originally jet-black without a spot, became quite grey, the + greyness being most marked on the head, which became at last + almost white. + </p> + <p> + It is undoubtedly the case that some animals, like men, turn + grey with age, and Watch when fifteen was relatively as old + as a man at sixty-five or seventy. But grey hairs do not + invariably come with age, even in our domestic animals, which + are more subject to this change than those in a state of + nature. But we are never so well able to judge of this in the + case of wild animals, as in most cases their lives end + prematurely. + </p> + <p> + The shepherd related a curious instance in a mole. He once + noticed mole-heaps of a peculiar kind in a field of sainfoin, + and it looked to him as if this mole worked in a way of his + own, quite unlike the others. The hills he threw up were a + good distance apart, and so large that you could fill a + bushel measure with the mould from any one of them. He + noticed that this mole went on burrowing every day in the + same manner; every morning there were new chains or ranges of + the huge mounds. The runs were very deep, as he found when + setting a mole-trap—over two feet beneath the surface. + He set his trap, filling the deep hole he had made with sods, + and on opening it next day he found his mole and was + astonished at its great size. He took no measurements, but it + was bigger, he affirmed, than he could have believed it + possible for a mole to be. And it was grey instead of black, + the grey hairs being so abundant on the head as to make it + almost white, as in the case of old Watch. He supposed that + it was a very old mole, that it was a more powerful digger + than most of its kind, and had perhaps escaped death so long + on account of its strength and of its habit of feeding deeper + in the earth than the others. + </p> + <p> + To return to Watch. His hearing and eyesight failed as he + grew older until he was practically blind and too deaf to + hear any word given in the ordinary way. But he continued + strong as ever on his legs, and his mind was not decayed, nor + was he in the least tired. On the contrary, he was always + eager to work, and as his blindness and deafness had made him + sharper in other ways he was still able to make himself + useful with the sheep. Whenever the hurdles were shifted to a + fresh place and the sheep had to be kept in a corner of the + enclosure until the new place was ready for them, it was old + Watch's duty to keep them from breaking away. He could not + see nor hear, but in some mysterious way he knew when they + tried to get out, even if it was but one. Possibly the slight + vibration of the ground informed him of the movement and the + direction as well. He would make a dash and drive the sheep + back, then run up and down before the flock until all was + quiet again. But at last it became painful to witness his + efforts, especially when the sheep were very restless, and + incessantly trying to break away; and Watch finding them so + hard to restrain would grow angry and rush at them with such + fury that he would come violently against the hurdles at one + side, then getting up, howling with pain, he would dash to + the other side, when he would strike the hurdles there and + cry out with pain once more. + </p> + <p> + It could not be allowed to go on; yet Watch could not endure + to be deprived of his work; if left at home he would spend + the time whining and moaning, praying to be allowed to go to + the flock, until at last his master with a very heavy heart + was compelled to have him put to death. + </p> + <p> + This is indeed almost invariably the end of a sheepdog; + however zealous and faithful he may have been, and however + much valued and loved, he must at last be put to death. I + related the story of this dog to a shepherd in the very + district where Watch had lived and served his master so + well—one who had been head-shepherd for upwards of + forty years at Imber Court, the principal farm at the small + downland village of Imber. He told me that during all his + shepherding years he had never owned a dog which had passed + out of his hands to another; every dog had been acquired as a + pup and trained by himself; and he had been very fond of his + dogs, but had always been compelled to have them shot in the + end. Not because he would have found them too great a burden + when they had become too old and their senses decayed, but + because it was painful to see them in their decline, + perpetually craving to be at their old work with the sheep, + incapable of doing it any longer, yet miserable if kept from + it. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch15"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV + </h2> + <h3> + THE ELLERBYS OF DOVETON + </h3> + <blockquote> + The Bawcombes at Doveton Farm—Caleb finds favour with + his master—Mrs. Ellerby and the shepherd's + wife—The passion of a childless wife—The + curse—A story of the "mob"—The attack on the + farm—A man transported for life—The hundred and + ninth Psalm—The end of the Ellerbys + </blockquote> + <p> + Caleb and his wife invariably spoke of their time at Doveton + Farm in a way which gave one the idea that they regarded it + as the most important period of their lives. It had deeply + impressed them, and doubtless it was a great change for them + to leave their native village for the first time in their + lives and go long miles from home among strangers to serve a + new master. Above everything they felt leaving the old father + who was angry with them, and had gone to the length of + disowning them for taking such a step. But there was + something besides all this which had served to give Doveton + an enduring place in their memories, and after many talks + with the old couple about their Warminster days I formed the + idea that it was more to them than any other place where they + had lived, because of a personal feeling they cherished for + their master and mistress there. + </p> + <p> + Hitherto Caleb had been in the service of men who were but a + little way removed in thought and feeling from those they + employed. They were mostly small men, born and bred in the + parish, some wholly self-made, with no interest or knowledge + of anything outside their own affairs, and almost as far + removed as the labourers themselves from the ranks above. The + Ellerbys were of another stamp, or a different class. If not + a gentleman, Mr. Ellerby was very like one and was accustomed + to associate with gentlemen. He was a farmer, descended from + a long line of farmers; but he owned his own land, and was an + educated and travelled man, considered wealthy for a farmer; + at all events he was able to keep his carriage and riding and + hunting horses in his stables, and he was regarded as the + best breeder of sheep in the district. He lived in a good + house, which with its pictures and books and beautiful + decorations and furniture appeared to their simple minds + extremely luxurious. This atmosphere was somewhat + disconcerting to them at first, for although he knew his own + value, priding himself on being a "good shepherd," Caleb had + up till now served with farmers who were in a sense on an + equality with him, and they understood him and he them. But + in a short time the feeling of strangeness vanished: + personally, as a fellow-man, his master soon grew to be more + to him than any farmer he had yet been with. And he saw a + good deal of his master. Mr. Ellerby cultivated his + acquaintance, and, as we have seen, got into the habit of + seeking him out and talking to him even when he was at a + distance out on the down with his flock. And Caleb could not + but see that in this respect he was preferred above the other + men employed on the farm—that he had "found favour" in + his master's eyes. + </p> + <p> + When he had told me that story about Watch and the + corn-crake, it stuck in my mind, and on the first opportunity + I went back to that subject to ask what it really was that + made his master act in such an extraordinary manner—to + go out on a pouring wet day in a summer suit and straw hat, + and walk a mile or two just to stand there in the rain + talking to him about nothing in particular. What secret + trouble had he—was it that his affairs were in a bad + way, or was he quarrelling with his wife? No, nothing of the + kind; it was a long story—this secret trouble of the + Ellerbys, and with his unconquerable reticence in regard to + other people's private affairs he would have passed it off + with a few general remarks. + </p> + <p> + But there was his old wife listening to us, and, woman-like, + eager to discuss such a subject, she would not let it pass. + She would tell it and would not be silenced by him: they were + all dead and gone—why should I not be told if I wanted + to hear it? And so with a word put in here and there by him + when she talked, and with a good many words interposed by her + when he took up the tale, they unfolded the story, which was + very long as they told it and must be given briefly here. + </p> + <p> + It happened that when the Bawcombes settled at Doveton, just + as Mr. Ellerby had taken to the shepherd, making a friend of + him, so Mrs. Ellerby took to the shepherd's wife, and fell + into the habit of paying frequent visits to her in her + cottage. She was a very handsome woman, of a somewhat stately + presence, dignified in manner, and she wore her abundant hair + in curls hanging on each side to her shoulders—a + fashion common at that time. From the first she appeared to + take a particular interest in the Bawcombes, and they could + not but notice that she was more gracious and friendly + towards them than to the others of their station on the farm. + The Bawcombes had three children then, aged six, four, and + two years respectively, all remarkably healthy, with rosy + cheeks and black eyes, and they were merry-tempered little + things. Mrs. Ellerby appeared much taken with the children; + praised their mother for always keeping them so clean and + nicely dressed, and wondered how she could manage it on their + small earnings. The carter and his wife lived in a cottage + close by, and they, too, had three little children, and next + to the carter's was the bailiff's cottage, and he, too, was + married and had children; but Mrs. Ellerby never went into + their cottages, and the shepherd and his wife concluded that + it was because in both cases the children were rather puny, + sickly-looking little things and were never very clean. The + carter's wife, too, was a slatternly woman. One day when Mrs. + Ellerby came in to see Mrs. Bawcombe the carter's wife was + just going out of the door, and Mrs. Ellerby appeared + displeased, and before leaving she said, "I hope, Mrs. + Bawcombe, you are not going to mix too freely with your + neighbours or let your children go too much with them and + fall into their ways." They also observed that when she + passed their neighbours' children in the lane she spoke no + word and appeared not to see them. Yet she was kind to them + too, and whenever she brought a big parcel of cakes, fruit, + and sweets for the children, which she often did, she would + tell the shepherd's wife to divide it into three lots, one + for her own children and the others for those of her two + neighbours. It was clear to see that Mrs. Ellerby had grown + fond of her children, especially of the eldest, the little + rosy-cheeked six-year-old boy. Sitting in the cottage she + would call him to her side and would hold his hand while + conversing with his mother; she would also bare the child's + arm just for the pleasure of rubbing it with her hand and + clasping it round with her fingers, and sometimes when + caressing the child in this way she would turn her face aside + to hide the tears that dropped from her eyes. + </p> + <p> + She had no child of her own—the one happiness which she + and her husband desired above all things. Six times in their + ten married years they had hoped and rejoiced, although with + fear and trembling, that their prayer would be answered, but + in vain—every child born to them came lifeless into the + world. "And so 'twould always be, for sure," said the + villagers, "because of the curse." + </p> + <p> + For it was a cause of wonder to the shepherd and his wife + that this couple, so strong and healthy, so noble-looking, so + anxious to have children, should have been so unfortunate, + and still the villagers repeated that it was the curse that + was on them. + </p> + <p> + This made the shepherd angry. "What be you saying about a + curse that is on them?—a good man and a good woman!" he + would exclaim, and taking up his crook go out and leave them + to their gossip. He would not ask them what they meant; he + refused to listen when they tried to tell him; but in the end + he could not help knowing, since the idea had become a fixed + one in the minds of all the villagers, and he could not keep + it out. "Look at them," the gossipers would say, "as fine a + couple as you ever saw, and no child; and look at his two + brothers, fine, big, strong, well-set-up men, both married to + fine healthy women, and never a child living to any of them. + And the sisters unmarried! 'Tis the curse and nothing else." + </p> + <p> + The curse had been uttered against Mr. Ellerby's father, who + was in his prime in the year 1831 at the time of the "mob," + when the introduction of labour-saving machinery in + agriculture sent the poor farm-labourers mad all over + England. Wheat was at a high price at that time, and the + farmers were exceedingly prosperous, but they paid no more + than seven shillings a week to their miserable labourers. And + if they were half-starved when there was work for all, when + the corn was reaped with sickles, what would their condition + be when reaping machines and other new implements of + husbandry came into use? They would not suffer it; they would + gather in bands everywhere and destroy the machinery, and + being united they would be irresistible; and so it came about + that there were risings or "mobs" all over the land. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Ellerby, the most prosperous and enterprising farmer in + the parish, had been the first to introduce the new methods. + He did not believe that the people would rise against him, + for he well knew that he was regarded as a just and kind man + and was even loved by his own labourers, but even if it had + not been so he would not have hesitated to carry out his + resolution, as he was a high-spirited man. But one day the + villagers got together and came unexpectedly to his barns, + where they set to work to destroy his new thrashing machine. + When he was told he rushed out and went in hot haste to the + scene, and as he drew near some person in the crowd threw a + heavy hammer at him, which struck him on the head and brought + him senseless to the ground. + </p> + <p> + He was not seriously injured, but when he recovered the work + of destruction had been done and the men had gone back to + their homes, and no one could say who had led them and who + had thrown the hammer. But by and by the police discovered + that the hammer was the property of a shoemaker in the + village, and he was arrested and charged with injuring with + intent to murder. Tried with many others from other villages + in the district at the Salisbury Assizes, he was found guilty + and sentenced to transportation for life. Yet the Doveton + shoemaker was known to every one as a quiet, inoffensive + young man, and to the last he protested his innocence, for + although he had gone with the others to the farm he had not + taken the hammer and was guiltless of having thrown it. + </p> + <p> + Two years after he had been sent away Mr. Ellerby received a + letter with an Australian postmark on it, but on opening it + found nothing but a long denunciatory passage from the Bible + enclosed, with no name or address. Mr. Ellerby was much + disturbed in his mind, and instead of burning the paper and + holding his peace, he kept it and spoke about it to this + person and that, and every one went to his Bible to find out + what message the poor shoemaker had sent, for it had been + discovered that it was the one hundred and ninth Psalm, or a + great portion of it, and this is what they read:— + </p> + <p> + "Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; + and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. + </p> + <p> + "Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off + the memory of them from the earth. + </p> + <p> + "Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted + the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in + heart. + </p> + <p> + "As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him; as he + delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. + </p> + <p> + "As he clothed himself with cursing like as with a garment, + so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into + his bones. + </p> + <p> + "Let it be unto him as a garment which covereth him, and for + a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. + </p> + <p> + "But do Thou for me, O God the Lord, for Thy name's sake. For + I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. + </p> + <p> + "I am come like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up + and down as the locust. + </p> + <p> + "My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of + fatness." + </p> + <p> + From that time the hundred and ninth Psalm became familiar to + the villagers, and there were probably not many who did not + get it by heart. There was no doubt in their minds of the + poor shoemaker's innocence. Every one knew that he was + incapable of hurting a fly. The crowd had gone into his shop + and swept him away with them—all were in it; and some + person seeing the hammer had taken it to help in smashing the + machinery. And Mr. Ellerby had known in his heart that he was + innocent, and if he had spoken a word for him in court he + would have got the benefit of the doubt and been discharged. + But no, he wanted to have his revenge on some one, and he + held his peace and allowed this poor fellow to be made the + victim. Then, when he died, and his eldest son succeeded him + at Doveton Farm, and he and the other sons got married, and + there were no children, or none born alive, they went back to + the Psalm again and read and re-read and quoted the words: + "Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation + following let their name be blotted out." Undoubtedly the + curse was on them! + </p> + <p> + Alas! it was; the curse was their belief in the curse, and + the dreadful effect of the knowledge of it on a woman's + mind—all the result of Mr. Ellerby the father's fatal + mistake in not having thrown the scrap of paper that came to + him from the other side of the world into the fire. All the + unhappiness of the "generation following" came about in this + way, and the family came to an end; for when the last of the + Ellerbys died at a great age there was not one person of the + name left in that part of Wiltshire. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch16"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI + </h2> + <h3> + OLD WILTSHIRE DAYS + </h3> + <blockquote> + Old memories—Hindon as a borough and as a + village—The Lamb Inn and its birds—The "mob" at + Hindon—The blind smuggler—Rawlings of Lower + Pertwood Farm—Reed, the thresher and + deer-stealer—He leaves a fortune—Devotion to + work—Old Father Time—Groveley Wood and the + people's rights—Grace Reed and the Earl of + Pembroke—An illusion of the very + aged—Sedan-chairs in Bath—Stick-gathering by the + poor—Game-preserving + </blockquote> + <p> + The incident of the unhappy young man who was transported to + Australia or Tasmania, which came out in the shepherd's + history of the Ellerby family, put it in my mind to look up + some of the very aged people of the downland villages, whose + memories could go back to the events of eighty years ago. I + found a few, "still lingering here," who were able to recall + that miserable and memorable year of 1830 and had witnessed + the doings of the "mobs." One was a woman, my old friend of + Fonthill Bishop, now aged ninety-four, who was in her teens + when the poor labourers, "a thousand strong," some say, armed + with cudgels, hammers, and axes, visited her village and + broke up the thrashing machines they found there. + </p> + <p> + Another person who remembered that time was an old but + remarkably well-preserved man of eighty-nine at Hindon, a + village a couple of miles distant from Fonthill Bishop. + Hindon is a delightful little village, so rustic and pretty + amidst its green, swelling downs, with great woods crowning + the heights beyond, that one can hardly credit the fact that + it was formerly an important market and session town and a + Parliamentary borough returning two members; also that it + boasted among other greatnesses thirteen public-houses. Now + it has two, and not flourishing in these tea- and + mineral-water drinking days. Naturally it was an exceeedingly + corrupt little borough, where free beer for all was the order + of the day for a period of four to six weeks before an + election, and where every householder with a vote looked to + receive twenty guineas from the candidate of his choice. It + is still remembered that when a householder in those days was + very hard up, owing, perhaps, to his too frequent visits to + the thirteen public-houses, he would go to some substantial + tradesman in the place and pledge his twenty guineas, due at + the next election! In due time, after the Reform Bill, it was + deprived of its glory, and later when the South-Western + Railway built their line from Salisbury to Yeovil and left + Hindon some miles away, making their station at Tisbury, it + fell into decay, dwindling to the small village it now is; + and its last state, sober and purified, is very much better + than the old. For although sober, it is contented and even + merry, and exhibits such a sweet friendliness toward the + stranger within its gates as to make him remember it with + pleasure and gratitude. + </p> + <p> + What a quiet little place Hindon has become, after its old + noisy period, the following little bird story will show. For + several weeks during the spring and summer of 1909 my home + was at the Lamb Inn, a famous posting-house of the great old + days, and we had three pairs of birds—throstle, pied + wagtail, and flycatcher—breeding in the ivy covering + the wall facing the village street, just over my window. I + watched them when building, incubating, feeding their young, + and bringing their young off. The villagers, too, were + interested in the sight, and sometimes a dozen or more men + and boys would gather and stand for half an hour watching the + birds flying in and out of their nests when feeding their + young. The last to come off were the flycatchers, on 18th + June. It was on the morning of the day I left, and one of the + little things flitted into the room where I was having my + breakfast. I succeeded in capturing it before the cats found + out, and put it back on the ivy. There were three young + birds; I had watched them from the time they hatched, and + when I returned a fortnight later, there were the three, + still being fed by their parents in the trees and on the + roof, their favourite perching-place being on the swinging + sign of the "Lamb." Whenever an old bird darted at and + captured a fly the three young would flutter round it like + three butterflies to get the fly. This continued until 18th + July, after which date I could not detect their feeding the + young, although the hunger-call was occasionally heard. + </p> + <p> + If the flycatcher takes a month to teach its young to catch + their own flies, it is not strange that it breeds but once in + the year. It is a delicate art the bird practises and takes + long to learn, but how different with the martin, which + dismisses its young in a few days and begins breeding again, + even to the third time! + </p> + <p> + These three broods over my window were not the only ones in + the place; there were at least twenty other pairs in the + garden and outhouses of the inn—sparrows, thrushes, + blackbirds, dunnocks, wrens, starlings, and swallows. Yet the + inn was in the very centre of the village, and being an inn + was the most frequented and noisiest spot. + </p> + <p> + To return to my old friend of eighty-nine. He was but a small + boy, attending the Hindon school, when the rioters appeared + on the scene, and he watched their entry from the schoolhouse + window. It was market-day, and the market was stopped by the + invaders, and the agricultural machines brought for sale and + exhibition were broken up. The picture that remains in his + mind is of a great excited crowd in which men and cattle and + sheep were mixed together in the wide street, which was the + market-place, and of shouting and noise of smashing + machinery, and finally of the mob pouring forth over the down + on its way to the next village, he and other little boys + following their march. + </p> + <p> + The smuggling trade flourished greatly at that period, and + there were receivers and distributors of smuggled wine, + spirits, and other commodities in every town and in very many + villages throughout the county in spite of its distance from + the sea-coast. One of his memories is of a blind man of the + village, or town as it was then, who was used as an assistant + in this business. He had lost his sight in childhood, one eye + having been destroyed by a ferret which got into his cradle; + then, when he was about six years old he was running across + the room one day with a fork it his hand when he stumbled, + and falling on the floor had the other eye pierced by the + prongs. But in spite of his blindness he became a good + worker, and could make a fence, reap, trim hedges, feed the + animals, and drive a horse as well as any man. His father had + a small farm and was a carrier as well, a quiet, sober, + industrious man who was never suspected by his neighbours of + being a smuggler, for he never left his house and work, but + from time to time he had little consignments of rum and + brandy in casks received on a dark night and carefully stowed + away in his manure heap and in a pit under the floor of his + pigsty. Then the blind son would drive his old mother in the + carrier's cart to Bath and call at a dozen or twenty private + houses, leaving parcels which had been already ordered and + paid for—a gallon of brandy at one, two or four gallons + of rum at another, and so on, until all was got rid of, and + on the following day they would return with goods to Hindon. + This quiet little business went on satisfactorily for some + years, during which the officers of the excise had stared a + thousand times with their eagle's eyes at the quaint old + woman in her poke bonnet and shawl, driven by a blind man + with a vacant face, and had suspected nothing, when a little + mistake was made and a jar of brandy delivered at a wrong + address. The recipient was an honest gentleman, and in his + anxiety to find the rightful owner of the brandy made + extensive inquiries in his neighbourhood, and eventually the + excisemen got wind of the affair, and on the very next visit + of the old woman and her son to Bath they were captured. + After an examination before a magistrate the son was + discharged on account of his blindness, but the cart and + horses, as well as the smuggled spirits, were confiscated, + and the poor blind man had to make his way on foot to Hindon. + </p> + <p> + Another of his recollections is of a family named Rawlings, + tenants of Lower Pertwood Farm, near Hindon, a lonely, + desolate-looking house hidden away in a deep hollow among the + high downs. The Farmer Rawlings of seventy or eighty years + ago was a man of singular ideas, and that he was permitted to + put them in practice shows that severe as was the law in + those days, and dreadful the punishments inflicted on + offenders, there was a kind of liberty which does not exist + now—the liberty a man had of doing just what he thought + proper in his own house. This Rawlings had a numerous family, + and some died at home and others lived to grow up and go out + into the world under strange names—Faith, Hope, and + Charity were three of his daughters, and Justice, Morality, + and Fortitude three of his sons. Now, for some reason + Rawlings objected to the burial of his dead in the churchyard + of the nearest village—Monkton Deverill, and the story + is that he quarrelled with the rector over the question of + the church bell being tolled for the funeral. He would have + no bell tolled, he swore, and the rector would bury no one + without the bell. Thereupon Rawlings had the coffined corpse + deposited on a table in an outhouse and the door made fast. + Later there was another death, then a third, and all three + were kept in the same place for several years, and although + it was known to the whole countryside no action was taken by + the local authorities. + </p> + <p> + My old informant says that he was often at the farm when he + was a young man, and he used to steal round to the "Dead + House," as it was called, to peep through a crack in the door + and see the three coffins resting on the table in the dim + interior. + </p> + <p> + Eventually the dead disappeared a little while before the + Rawlings gave up the farm, and it was supposed that the old + farmer had buried them in the night-time in one of the + neighbouring chalk-pits, but the spot has never been + discovered. + </p> + <p> + One of the stories of the old Wiltshire days I picked up was + from an old woman, aged eighty-seven, in the Wilton + workhouse. She has a vivid recollection of a labourer named + Reed, in Odstock, a village on the Ebble near Salisbury, a + stern, silent man, who was a marvel of strength and + endurance. The work in which he most delighted was precisely + that which most labourers hated, before threshing machines + came in despite the action of the "mobs"—threshing out + corn with the flail. From earliest dawn till after dark he + would sit or stand in a dim, dusty barn, monotonously + pounding away, without an interval to rest, and without + dinner, and with no food but a piece of bread and a pinch of + salt. Without the salt he would not eat the bread. An hour + after all others had ceased from work he would put on his + coat and trudge home to his wife and family. + </p> + <p> + The woman in the workhouse remembers that once, when Reed was + a very old man past work, he came to their cottage for + something, and while he stood waiting at the entrance, a + little boy ran in and asked his mother for a piece of bread + and butter with sugar on it. Old Reed glared at him, and + shaking his big stick, exclaimed, "I'd give you sugar with + this if you were my boy!" and so terrible did he look in his + anger at the luxury of the times, that the little boy burst + out crying and ran away! + </p> + <p> + What chiefly interested me about this old man was that he was + a deer-stealer of the days when that offence was common in + the country. It was not so great a crime as sheep-stealing, + for which men were hanged; taking a deer was punished with + nothing worse than hard labour, as a rule. But Reed was never + caught; he would labour his full time and steal away after + dark over the downs, to return in the small hours with a deer + on his back. It was not for his own consumption; he wanted + the money for which he sold it in Salisbury; and it is + probable that he was in league with other poachers, as it is + hard to believe that he could capture the animals + single-handed. + </p> + <p> + After his death it was found that old Reed had left a hundred + pounds to each of his two surviving daughters, and it was a + wonder to everybody how he had managed not only to bring up a + family and keep himself out of the workhouse to the end of + his long life, but to leave so large a sum of money. One can + only suppose that he was a rigid economist and never had a + week's illness, and that by abstaining from beer and tobacco + he was able to save a couple of shillings each week out of + his wages of seven or eight shillings; this, in forty years, + would make the two hundred pounds with something over. + </p> + <p> + It is not a very rare thing to find a farm-labourer like old + Reed of Odstock, with not only a strong preference for a + particular kind of work, but a love of it as compelling as + that of an artist for his art. Some friends of mine whom I + went to visit over the border in Dorset told me of an + enthusiast of this description who had recently died in the + village. "What a pity you did not come sooner," they said. + Alas! it is nearly always so; on first coming to stay at a + village one is told that it has but just lost its oldest and + most interesting inhabitant—a relic of the olden time. + </p> + <p> + This man had taken to the scythe as Reed had to the flail, + and was never happy unless he had a field to mow. He was a + very tall old man, so lean that he looked like a skeleton, + the bones covered with a skin as brown as old leather, and he + wore his thin grey hair and snow-white beard very long. He + rode on a white donkey, and was usually seen mounted + galloping down the village street, hatless, his old brown, + bare feet and legs drawn up to keep them from the ground, his + scythe over his shoulder. "Here comes old Father Time," they + would cry, as they called him, and run to the door to gaze + with ever fresh delight at the wonderful old man as he rushed + by, kicking and shouting at his donkey to make him go faster. + He was always in a hurry, hunting for work with furious zeal, + and when he got a field to mow so eager was he that he would + not sleep at home, even if it was close by, but would lie + down on the grass at the side of the field and start working + at dawn, between two and three o'clock, quite three hours + before the world woke up to its daily toil. + </p> + <p> + The name of Reed, the zealous thresher with the flail, serves + to remind me of yet another Reed, a woman who died a few + years ago aged ninety-four, and whose name should be + cherished in one of the downland villages. She was a native + of Barford St. Martin on the Nadder, one of two villages, the + other being Wishford, on the Wylye river, the inhabitants of + which have the right to go into Groveley Wood, an immense + forest on the Wilton estate, to obtain wood for burning, each + person being entitled to take home as much wood as he or she + can carry. The people of Wishford take green wood, but those + of Barford only dead, they having bartered their right at a + remote period to cut growing trees for a yearly sum of five + pounds, which the lord of the manor still pays to the + village, and, in addition, the right to take dead wood. + </p> + <p> + It will be readily understood that this right possessed by + the people of two villages, both situated within a mile of + the forest, has been a perpetual source of annoyance to the + noble owners in modern times, since the strict preservation + of game, especially of pheasants, has grown to be almost a + religion to the landowners. Now it came to pass that about + half a century or longer ago, the Pembroke of that time made + the happy discovery, as he imagined, that there was nothing + to show that the Barford people had any right to the dead + wood. They had been graciously allowed to take it, as was the + case all over the country at that time, and that was all. At + once he issued an edict prohibiting the taking of dead wood + from the forest by the villagers, and great as the loss was + to them they acquiesced; not a man of Barford St. Martin + dared to disobey the prohibition or raise his voice against + it. Grace Reed then determined to oppose the mighty earl, and + accompanied by four other women of the village boldly went to + the wood and gathered their sticks and brought them home. + They were summoned before the magistrates and fined, and on + their refusal to pay were sent to prison; but the very next + day they were liberated and told that a mistake had been + made, that the matter had been inquired into, and it had been + found that the people of Barford did really have the right + they had exercised so long to take dead wood from the forest. + </p> + <p> + As a result of the action of these women the right has not + been challenged since, and on my last visit to Barford, a few + days before writing this chapter, I saw three women coming + down from the forest with as much dead wood as they could + carry on their heads and backs. But how near they came to + losing their right! It was a bold, an unheard-of thing which + they did, and if there had not been a poor cottage woman with + the spirit to do it at the proper moment the right could + never have been revived. + </p> + <p> + Grace Reed's children's children are living at Barford now; + they say that to the very end of her long life she preserved + a very clear memory of the people and events of the village + in the old days early in the last century. They say, too, + that in recalling the far past, the old people and scenes + would present themselves so vividly to her mind that she + would speak of them as of recent things, and would say to + some one fifty years younger than herself, "Can't you + remember it? Surely you haven't forgotten it when 'twas the + talk of the village!" + </p> + <p> + It is a common illusion of the very aged, and I had an + amusing instance of it in my old Hindon friend when he gave + me his first impressions of Bath as he saw it about the year + 1835. What astonished him most were the sedan-chairs, for he + had never even heard of such a conveyance, but here in this + city of wonders you met them in every street. Then he added, + "But you've been to Bath and of course you've seen them, and + know all about it." + </p> + <p> + About firewood-gathering by the poor in woods and forests, my + old friend of Fonthill Bishop says that the people of the + villages adjacent to the Fonthill and Great Ridge Woods were + allowed to take as much dead wood as they wanted from those + places. She was accustomed to go to the Great Ridge Wood, + which was even wilder and more like a natural forest in those + days than it is now. It was fully two miles from her village, + a longish distance to carry a heavy load, and it was her + custom after getting the wood out to bind it firmly in a + large barrel-shaped bundle or faggot, as in that way she + could roll it down the smooth steep slopes of the down and so + get her burden home without so much groaning and sweating. + The great wood was then full of hazel-trees, and produced + such an abundance of nuts that from mid-July to September + people flocked to it for the nutting from all the country + round, coming even from Bath and Bristol to load their carts + with nuts in sacks for the market. Later, when the wood began + to be more strictly preserved for sporting purposes, the + rabbits were allowed to increase excessively, and during the + hard winters they attacked the hazel-trees, gnawing off the + bark, until this most useful and profitable wood the forest + produced—the scrubby oaks having little value—was + well-nigh extirpated. By and by pheasants as well as rabbits + were strictly preserved, and the firewood-gatherers were + excluded altogether. At present you find dead wood lying + about all over the place, abundantly as in any primitive + forest, where trees die of old age or disease, or are blown + down or broken off by the winds and are left to rot on the + ground, overgrown with ivy and brambles. But of all this dead + wood not a stick to boil a kettle may be taken by the + neighbouring poor lest the pheasants should be disturbed or a + rabbit be picked up. + </p> + <p> + Some more of the old dame's recollections will be given in + the next chapter, showing what the condition of the people + was in this district about the year 1830, when the poor + farm-labourers were driven by hunger and misery to revolt + against their masters—the farmers who were everywhere + breaking up the downs with the plough to sow more and still + more corn, who were growing very fat and paying higher and + higher rents to their fat landlords, while the wretched men + that drove the plough had hardly enough to satisfy their + hunger. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch17"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII + </h2> + <h3> + OLD WILTSHIRE DAYS—<i>CONTINUED</i> + </h3> + <blockquote> + An old Wiltshire woman's memories—Her home—Work + on a farm—A little + bird-scarer—Housekeeping—The agricultural + labourers' rising—Villagers out of work—Relief + work—A game of ball with barley + bannocks—Sheep-stealing—A poor man + hanged—Temptations to steal—A sheep-stealing + shepherd—A sheep-stealing farmer—Story of + Ebenezer Garlick—A sheep-stealer at Chitterne—The + law and the judges—A "human devil" in a black + cap—How the revolting labourers were punished—A + last scene at Salisbury Court House—Inquest on a + murdered man—Policy of the farmers + </blockquote> + <p> + The story of her early life told by my old friend Joan, aged + ninety-four, will serve to give some idea of the extreme + poverty and hard suffering life of the agricultural labourers + during the thirties of last century, at a time when farmers + were exceedingly prosperous and landlords drawing high rents. + </p> + <p> + She was three years old when her mother died, after the birth + of a boy, the last of eleven children. There was a dame's + school in their little village of Fonthill Abbey, but the + poverty of the family would have made it impossible for Joan + to attend had it not been for an unselfish person residing + there, a Mr. King, who was anxious that every child should be + taught its letters. He paid for little Joan's schooling from + the age of four to eight; and now, in the evening of her + life, when she sits by the fire with her book, she blesses + the memory of the man, dead these seventy or eighty years, + who made this solace possible for her. + </p> + <p> + After the age of eight there could be no more school, for now + all the older children had gone out into the world to make + their own poor living, the boys to work on distant farms, the + girls to service or to be wives, and Joan was wanted at home + to keep house for her father, to do the washing, mending, + cleaning, cooking, and to be mother to her little brother as + well. + </p> + <p> + Her father was a ploughman, at seven shillings a week; but + when Joan was ten he met with a dreadful accident when + ploughing with a couple of young or intractable oxen; in + trying to stop them he got entangled in the ropes and one of + his legs badly broken by the plough. As a result it was six + months before he could leave his cottage. The overseer of the + parish, a prosperous farmer who had a large farm a couple of + miles away, came to inquire into the matter and see what was + to be done. His decision was that the man would receive three + shillings a week until able to start work again, and as that + would just serve to keep him, the children must go out to + work. Meanwhile, one of the married daughters had come to + look after her father in the cottage, and that set the little + ones free. + </p> + <p> + The overseer said he would give them work on his farm and pay + them a few pence apiece and give them their meals; so to his + farm they went, returning each evening home. That was her + first place, and from that time on she was a toiler, indoors + and out, but mainly in the fields, till she was past + eighty-five;—seventy-five years of hard work—then + less and less as her wonderful strength diminished, and her + sons and daughters were getting grey, until now at the age of + ninety-four she does very little—practically nothing. + </p> + <p> + In that first place she had a very hard master in the farmer + and overseer. He was known in all the neighbourhood as "Devil + Turner," and even at that time, when farmers had their men + under their heel as it were, he was noted for his savage + tyrannical disposition; also for a curious sardonic humour, + which displayed itself in the forms of punishment he + inflicted on the workmen who had the ill-luck to offend him. + The man had to take the punishment, however painful or + disgraceful, without a murmur, or go and starve. Every + morning thereafter Joan and her little brother, aged seven, + had to be up in time to get to the farm at five o'clock in + the morning, and if it was raining or snowing or bitterly + cold, so much the worse for them, but they had to be there, + for Devil Turner's bad temper was harder to bear than bad + weather. Joan was a girl of all work, in and out of doors, + and, in severe weather, when there was nothing else for her + to do, she would be sent into the fields to gather flints, + the coldest of all tasks for her little hands. + </p> + <p> + "But what could your little brother, a child of seven, do in + such a place?" I asked. + </p> + <p> + She laughed when she told me of her little brother's very + first day at the farm. The farmer was, for a devil, + considerate, and gave him something very light for a + beginning, which was to scare the birds from the ricks. "And + if they will come back you must catch them," he said, and + left the little fellow to obey the difficult command as he + could. The birds that worried him most were the fowls, for + however often he hunted them away they would come back again. + Eventually, he found some string, with which he made some + little loops fastened to sticks, and these he arranged on a + spot of ground he had cleared, scattering a few grains of + corn on it to attract the "birds." By this means he succeeded + in capturing three of the robbers, and when the farmer came + round at noon to see how he was getting on, the little fellow + showed him his captures. "These are not birds," said the + farmer, "they are fowls, and don't you trouble yourself any + more about them, but keep your eye on the sparrows and little + birds and rooks and jackdaws that come to pull the straws + out." + </p> + <p> + That was how he started; then from the ricks to bird-scaring + in the fields and to other tasks suited to one of his age, + not without much suffering and many tears. The worst + experience was the punishment of standing motionless for long + hours at a time on a chair placed out in the yard, full in + sight of the windows of the house, so that he could be seen + by the inmates; the hardest, the cruellest task that could be + imposed on him would come as a relief after this. Joan + suffered no punishment of that kind; she was very anxious to + please her master and worked hard; but she was an intelligent + and spirited child, and as the sole result of her best + efforts was that more and more work was put on her, she + revolted against such injustice, and eventually, tried beyond + endurance, she ran away home and refused to go back to the + farm any more. She found some work in the village; for now + her sister had to go back to her husband, and Joan had to + take her place and look after her father and the house as + well as earn something to supplement the three shillings a + week they had to live on. + </p> + <p> + After about nine months her father was up and out again and + went back to the plough; for just then a great deal of down + was being broken up and brought under cultivation on account + of the high price of wheat and good ploughmen were in + request. He was lame, the injured limb being now considerably + shorter than the other, and when ploughing he could only + manage to keep on his legs by walking with the longer one in + the furrow and the other on the higher ground. But after + struggling on for some months in this way, suffering much + pain and his strength declining, he met with a fresh accident + and was laid up once more in his cottage, and from that time + until his death he did no more farm work. Joan and her little + brother lived or slept at home and worked to keep themselves + and him. + </p> + <p> + Now in this, her own little story, and in her account of the + condition of the people at that time; also in the histories + of other old men and women whose memories go back as far as + hers, supplemented by a little reading in the newspapers of + that day, I can understand how it came about that these poor + labourers, poor, spiritless slaves as they had been made by + long years of extremest poverty and systematic oppression, + rose at last against their hard masters and smashed the + agricultural machines, and burnt ricks and broke into houses + to destroy and plunder their contents. It was a desperate, a + mad adventure—these gatherings of half-starved yokels, + armed with sticks and axes, and they were quickly put down + and punished in a way that even William the Bastard would not + have considered as too lenient. But oppression had made them + mad; the introduction of thrashing machines was but the last + straw, the culminating act of the hideous system followed by + landlords and their tenants—the former to get the + highest possible rent for his land, the other to get his + labour at the lowest possible rate. It was a compact between + landlord and tenant aimed against the labourer. It was not + merely the fact that the wages of a strong man were only + seven shillings a week at the outside, a sum barely + sufficient to keep him and his family from starvation and + rags (as a fact it was not enough, and but for a little + poaching and stealing he could not have lived), but it was + customary, especially on the small farms, to get rid of the + men after the harvest and leave them to exist the best way + they could during the bitter winter months. Thus every + village, as a rule, had its dozen or twenty or more men + thrown out each year—good steady men, with families + dependent on them; and besides these there were the aged and + weaklings and the lads who had not yet got a place. The + misery of these out-of-work labourers was extreme. They would + go to the woods and gather faggots of dead wood, which they + would try to sell in the villages; but there were few who + could afford to buy of them; and at night they would skulk + about the fields to rob a swede or two to satisfy the + cravings of hunger. + </p> + <p> + In some parishes the farmer overseers were allowed to give + relief work—out of the rates, it goes without + saying—to these unemployed men of the village who had + been discharged in October or November and would be wanted + again when the winter was over. They would be put to + flint-gathering in the fields, their wages being four + shillings a week. Some of the very old people of Winterbourne + Bishop, when speaking of the principal food of the labourers + at that time, the barley bannock and its exceeding toughness, + gave me an amusing account of a game of balls invented by the + flint-gatherers, just for the sake of a little fun during + their long weary day in the fields, especially in cold, + frosty weather. The men would take their dinners with them, + consisting of a few barley balls or cakes, in their coat + pockets, and at noon they would gather at one spot to enjoy + their meal, and seat themselves on the ground in a very wide + circle, the men about ten yards apart, then each one would + produce his bannocks and start throwing, aiming at some other + man's face; there were hits and misses and great excitement + and hilarity for twenty or thirty minutes, after which the + earth and gravel adhering to the balls would be wiped off, + and they would set themselves to the hard task of masticating + and swallowing the heavy stuff. + </p> + <p> + At sunset they would go home to a supper of more barley + bannocks, washed down with hot water flavoured with some + aromatic herb or weed, and then straight to bed to get warm, + for there was little firing. + </p> + <p> + It was not strange that sheep-stealing was one of the + commonest offences against the law at that time, in spite of + the dreadful penalty. Hunger made the people reckless. My old + friend Joan, and other old persons, have said to me that it + appeared in those days that the men were strangely + indifferent and did not seem to care whether they were hanged + or not. It is true they did not hang very many of + them—the judge, as a rule, after putting on his black + cap and ordering them to the gallows, would send in a + recommendation to mercy for most of them; but the mercy of + that time was like that of the wicked, exceedingly cruel. + Instead of swinging, it was transportation for life, or for + fourteen, and, at the very least, seven years. Those who have + read Clarke's terrible book "For the Term of His Natural + Life" know (in a way) what these poor Wiltshire labourers, + who in most cases were never more heard of by their wives and + children, were sent to endure in Australia and Tasmania. + </p> + <p> + And some were hanged; my friend Joan named some people she + knows in the neighbourhood who are the grandchildren of a + young man with a wife and family of small children who was + hanged at Salisbury. She had a vivid recollection of this + case because it had seemed so hard, the man having been + maddened by want when he took a sheep; also because when he + was hanged his poor young wife travelled to the place of + slaughter to beg for his body, and had it brought home and + buried decently in the village churchyard. + </p> + <p> + How great the temptation to steal sheep must have been, + anyone may know now by merely walking about among the fields + in this part of the country to see how the sheep are folded + and left by night unguarded, often at long distances from the + village, in distant fields and on the downs. Even in the + worst times it was never customary, never thought necessary, + to guard the flock by night. Many cases could be given to + show how easy it was to steal sheep. One quite recent, about + twenty years ago, is of a shepherd who was frequently sent + with sheep to the fairs, and who on his way to Wilton fair + with a flock one night turned aside to open a fold and let + out nineteen sheep. On arriving at the fair he took out the + stolen sheep and sold them to a butcher of his acquaintance + who sent them up to London. But he had taken too many from + one flock; they were quickly missed, and by some lucky chance + it was found out and the shepherd arrested. He was sentenced + to eight months' hard labour, and it came out during the + trial that this poor shepherd, whose wages were fourteen + shillings a week, had a sum of L400 to his credit in a + Salisbury bank! + </p> + <p> + Another case which dates far back is that of a farmer named + Day, who employed a shepherd or drover to take sheep to the + fairs and markets and steal sheep for him on the way. It is + said that he went on at this game for years before it was + discovered. Eventually master and man quarrelled and the + drover gave information, whereupon Day was arrested and + lodged in Fisherton Jail at Salisbury. Later he was sent to + take his trial at Devizes, on horseback, accompanied by two + constables. At the "Druid's Head," a public-house on the way, + the three travellers alighted for refreshments, and there Day + succeeded in giving them the slip, and jumping on a fast + horse, standing ready saddled for him, made his escape. + Farmer Day never returned to the Plain and was never heard of + again. + </p> + <p> + There is an element of humour in some of the sheep-stealing + stories of the old days. At one village where I often stayed, + I heard about a certain Ebenezer Garlick, who was commonly + called, in allusion no doubt to his surname, "Sweet Vi'lets." + He was a sober, hard-working man, an example to most, but + there was this against him, that he cherished a very close + friendship with a poor, disreputable, drunken loafer + nicknamed "Flittermouse," who spent most of his time hanging + about the old coaching inn at the place for the sake of tips. + Sweet Vi'lets was always giving coppers and sixpences to this + man, but one day they fell out when Flittermouse begged for a + shilling. He must, he said, have a shilling, he couldn't do + with less, and when the other refused he followed him, + demanding the money with abusive words, to everybody's + astonishment. Finally Sweet Vi'lets turned on him and told + him to go to the devil. Flittermouse in a rage went straight + to the constable and denounced his patron as a sheep-stealer. + He, Flittermouse, had been his servant and helper, and on the + very last occasion of stealing a sheep he had got rid of the + skin and offal by throwing them down an old disused well at + the top of the village street. To the well the constable went + with ropes and hooks, and succeeded in fishing up the remains + described, and he thereupon arrested Garlick and took him + before a magistrate, who committed him for trial. + Flittermouse was the only witness for the prosecution, and + the judge in his summing up said that, taking into + consideration Garlick's known character in the village as a + sober, diligent, honest man, it would be a little too much to + hang him on the unsupported testimony of a creature like + Flittermouse, who was half fool and half scoundrel. The jury, + pleased and very much surprised at being directed to let a + man off, obediently returned a verdict of Not Guilty, and + Sweet Vi'lets returned from Salisbury triumphant, to be + congratulated on his escape by all the villagers, who, + however, slyly winked and smiled at one another. + </p> + <p> + Of sheep-stealing stories I will relate one more—a case + which never came into court and was never discovered. It was + related to me by a middle-aged man, a shepherd of Warminster, + who had it from his father, a shepherd of Chitterne, one of + the lonely, isolated villages on Salisbury Plain, between the + Avon and the Wylye. His father had it from the person who + committed the crime and was anxious to tell it to some one, + and knew that the shepherd was his true friend, a silent, + safe man. He was a farm-labourer, named Shergold—one of + the South Wiltshire surnames very common in the early part of + last century, which now appear to be dying + out—described as a very big, powerful man, full of life + and energy. He had a wife and several young children to keep, + and the time was near mid-winter; Shergold was out of work, + having been discharged from the farm at the end of the + harvest; it was an exceptionally cold season and there was no + food and no firing in the house. + </p> + <p> + One evening in late December a drover arrived at Chitterne + with a flock of sheep which he was driving to Tilshead, + another downland village several miles away. He was anxious + to get to Tilshead that night and wanted a man to help him. + Shergold was on the spot and undertook to go with him for the + sum of fourpence. They set out when it was getting dark; the + sheep were put on the road, the drover going before the flock + and Shergold following at the tail. It was a cold, cloudy + night, threatening snow, and so dark that he could hardly + distinguish the dim forms of even the hindmost sheep, and by + and by the temptation to steal one assailed him. For how easy + it would be for him to do it! With his tremendous strength he + could kill and hide a sheep very quickly without making any + sound whatever to alarm the drover. He was very far ahead; + Shergold could judge the distance by the sound of his voice + when he uttered a call or shout from time to time, and by the + barking of the dog, as he flew up and down, first on one side + of the road, then on the other, to keep the flock well on it. + And he thought of what a sheep would be to him and to his + hungry ones at home until the temptation was too strong, and + suddenly lifting his big, heavy stick he brought it down with + such force on the head of a sheep as to drop it with its + skull crushed, dead as a stone. Hastily picking it up he ran + a few yards away, and placed it among the furze-bushes, + intending to take it home on his way back, and then returned + to the flock. + </p> + <p> + They arrived at Tilshead in the small hours, and after + receiving his fourpence he started for home, walking rapidly + and then running to be in time, but when he got back to where + the sheep was lying the dawn was coming, and he knew that + before he could get to Chitterne with that heavy burden on + his back people would be getting up in the village and he + would perhaps be seen. The only thing to do was to hide the + sheep and return for it on the following night. Accordingly + he carried it away a couple of hundred yards to a pit or + small hollow in the down full of bramble and furze-bushes, + and here he concealed it, covering it with a mass of dead + bracken and herbage, and left it. That afternoon the + long-threatening snow began to fall, and with snow on the + ground he dared not go to recover his sheep, since his + footprints would betray him; he must wait once more for the + snow to melt. But the snow fell all night, and what must his + feelings have been when he looked at it still falling in the + morning and knew that he could have gone for the sheep with + safety, since all traces would have been quickly obliterated! + </p> + <p> + Once more there was nothing to do but wait patiently for the + snow to cease falling and for the thaw. But how intolerable + it was; for the weather continued bitterly cold for many + days, and the whole country was white. During those hungry + days even that poor comfort of sleeping or dozing away the + time was denied him, for the danger of discovery was ever + present to his mind, and Shergold was not one of the callous + men who had become indifferent to their fate; it was his + first crime, and he loved his own life and his wife and + children, crying to him for food. And the food for them was + lying there on the down, close by, and he could not get it! + Roast mutton, boiled mutton—mutton in a dozen delicious + forms—the thought of it was as distressing, as + maddening, as that of the peril he was in. + </p> + <p> + It was a full fortnight before the wished thaw came; then + with fear and trembling he went for his sheep, only to find + that it had been pulled to pieces and the flesh devoured by + dogs and foxes! + </p> + <p> + From these memories of the old villagers I turn to the + newspapers of the day to make a few citations. + </p> + <p> + The law as it was did not distinguish between a case of the + kind just related, of the starving, sorely tempted Shergold, + and that of the systematic thief: sheep-stealing was a + capital offence and the man must hang, unless recommended to + mercy, and we know what was meant by "mercy" in those days. + That so barbarous a law existed within memory of people to be + found living in most villages appears almost incredible to + us; but despite the recommendations to "mercy" usual in a + large majority of cases, the law of that time was not more + horrible than the temper of the men who administered it. + There are good and bad among all, and in all professions, but + there is also a black spot in most, possibly in all hearts, + which may be developed to almost any extent, and change the + justest, wisest, most moral men into "human devils"—the + phrase invented by Canon Wilberforce in another connexion. In + reading the old reports and the expressions used by the + judges in their summings up and sentences, it is impossible + not to believe that the awful power they possessed, and its + constant exercise, had not only produced the inevitable + hardening effect, but had made them cruel in the true sense + of the word. Their pleasure in passing dreadful sentences was + very thinly disguised, indeed, by certain lofty conventional + phrases as to the necessity of upholding the law, morality, + and religion; they were, indeed, as familiar with the name of + the Deity as any ranter in a conventicle, and the "enormity + of the crime" was an expression as constantly used in the + case of the theft of a loaf of bread, or of an old coat left + hanging on a hedge, by some ill-clad, half-starved wretch, as + in cases of burglary, arson, rape, and murder. + </p> + <p> + It is surprising to find how very few the real crimes were in + those days, despite the misery of the people; that nearly all + the "crimes" for which men were sentenced to the gallows and + to transportation for life, or for long terms, were offences + which would now be sufficiently punished by a few weeks', or + even a few days', imprisonment. Thus in April 1825, I note + that Mr. Justice Park commented on the heavy appearance of + the calendar. It was not so much the number (170) of the + offenders that excited his concern as it was the nature of + the crimes with which they were charged. The worst crime in + this instance was sheep-stealing! + </p> + <p> + Again, this same Mr. Justice Park, at the Spring Assizes at + Salisbury 1827, said that though the calendar was a heavy + one, he was happy to find on looking at the depositions of + the principal cases, that they were not of a very serious + character. Nevertheless he passed sentence of death on + twenty-eight persons, among them being one for stealing half + a crown! + </p> + <p> + Of the twenty-eight all but three were eventually reprieved, + one of the fated three being a youth of nineteen, who was + charged with stealing a mare and pleaded guilty in spite of a + warning from the judge not to do so. This irritated the great + man who had the power of life and death in his hand. In + passing sentence the judge "expatiated on the prevalence of + the crime of horse-stealing and the necessity of making an + example. The enormity of Read's crime rendered him a proper + example, and he would therefore hold out no hope of mercy + towards him." As to the plea of guilty, he remarked that + nowadays too many persons pleaded guilty, deluded with the + hope that it would be taken into consideration and they would + escape the severer penalty. He was determined to put a stop + to that sort of thing; if Read had not pleaded guilty no + doubt some extenuating circumstance would have come up during + the trial and he would have saved his life. + </p> + <p> + There, if ever, spoke the "human devil" in a black cap! + </p> + <p> + I find another case of a sentence of transportation for life + on a youth of eighteen, named Edward Baker, for stealing a + pocket-handkerchief. Had he pleaded guilty it might have been + worse for him. + </p> + <p> + At the Salisbury Spring Assizes, 1830, Mr. Justice Gazalee, + addressing the grand jury, said that none of the crimes + appeared to be marked with circumstances of great moral + turpitude. The prisoners numbered one hundred and thirty; he + passed sentences of death on twenty-nine, life + transportations on five, fourteen years on five, seven years + on eleven, and various terms of hard labour on the others. + </p> + <p> + The severity of the magistrates at the quarter-sessions was + equally revolting. I notice in one case, where the leading + magistrate on the bench was a great local magnate, an M.P. + for Salisbury, etc., a poor fellow with the unfortunate name + of Moses Snook was charged with stealing a plank ten feet + long, the property of the aforesaid local magnate, M.P., + etc., and sentenced to fourteen years' transportation. + Sentenced by the man who owned the plank, worth perhaps a + shilling or two! + </p> + <p> + When such was the law of the land and the temper of those who + administered it—judges and magistrates or + landlords—what must the misery of the people have been + to cause them to rise in revolt against their masters! They + did nothing outrageous even in the height of their frenzy; + they smashed the thrashing machines, burnt some ricks, while + the maddest of them broke into a few houses and destroyed + their contents; but they injured no man; yet they knew what + they were facing—the gallows or transportation to the + penal settlements ready for their reception at the Antipodes. + It is a pity that the history of this rising of the + agricultural labourer, the most patient and submissive of + men, has never been written. Nothing, in fact, has ever been + said of it except from the point of view of landowners and + farmers, but there is ample material for a truer and a moving + narrative, not only in the brief reports in the papers of the + time, but also in the memories of many persons still living, + and of their children and children's children, preserved in + many a cottage throughout the south of England. + </p> + <p> + Hopeless as the revolt was and quickly suppressed, it had + served to alarm the landlords and their tenants, and taken in + conjunction with other outbreaks, notably at Bristol, it + produced a sense of anxiety in the mind of the country + generally. The feeling found a somewhat amusing expression in + the House of Commons, in a motion of Mr. Perceval, on 14th + February 1831. This was to move an address to His Majesty to + appoint a day for a general fast throughout the United + Kingdom. He said that "the state of the country called for a + measure like this—that it was a state of political and + religious disorganization—that the elements of the + Constitution were being hourly loosened—that in this + land there was no attachment, no control, no humility of + spirit, no mutual confidence between the poor man and the + rich, the employer and the employed; but fear and mistrust + and aversion, where, in the time of our fathers, there was + nothing but brotherly love and rejoicing before the Lord." + </p> + <p> + The House was cynical and smilingly put the matter by, but + the anxiety was manifested plainly enough in the treatment + meted out to the poor men who had been arrested and were + tried before the Special Commissions sent down to Salisbury, + Winchester, and other towns. No doubt it was a pleasant time + for the judges; at Salisbury thirty-four poor fellows were + sentenced to death; thirty-three to be transported for life, + ten for fourteen years, and so on. + </p> + <p> + And here is one last little scene about which the reports in + the newspapers of the time say nothing, but which I have from + one who witnessed and clearly remembers it, a woman of + ninety-five, whose whole life has been passed at a village + within sound of the Salisbury Cathedral bells. + </p> + <p> + It was when the trial was ended, when those who were found + guilty and had been sentenced were brought out of the + court-house to be taken back to prison, and from all over the + Plain and from all parts of Wiltshire their womenfolk had + come to learn their fate, and were gathered, a pale, anxious, + weeping crowd, outside the gates. The sentenced men came out + looking eagerly at the people until they recognized their own + and cried out to them to be of good cheer. "'Tis hanging for + me," one would say, "but there'll perhaps be a recommendation + to mercy, so don't you fret till you know." Then another: + "Don't go on so, old mother, 'tis only for life I'm sent." + And yet another: "Don't you cry, old girl, 'tis only fourteen + years I've got, and maybe I'll live to see you all again." + And so on, as they filed out past their weeping women on + their way to Fisherton Jail, to be taken thence to the + transports in Portsmouth and Plymouth harbours waiting to + convey their living freights to that hell on earth so far + from home. Not criminals but good, brave men were + these!—Wiltshiremen of that strong, enduring, patient + class, who not only as labourers on the land but on many a + hard-fought field in many parts of the world from of old down + to our war of a few years ago in Africa, have shown the stuff + that was in them! + </p> + <p> + But, alas! for the poor women who were left—for the old + mother who could never hope to see her boy again, and for the + wife and her children who waited and hoped against hope + through long toiling years, + </p> + <p> + And dreamed and started as they slept<br> + For joy that he was come, + </p> + <p> + but waking saw his face no more. Very few, so far as I can + make out, not more than one in five or six, ever returned. + </p> + <p> + This, it may be said, was only what they might have expected, + the law being what it was—just the ordinary thing. The + hideous part of the business was that, as an effect of the + alarm created in the minds of those who feared injury to + their property and loss of power to oppress the poor + labourers, there was money in plenty subscribed to hire + witnesses for the prosecution. It was necessary to strike + terror into the people. The smell of blood-money brought out + a number of scoundrels who for a few pounds were only too + ready to swear away the life of any man, and it was notorious + that numbers of poor fellows were condemned in this way. + </p> + <p> + One incident as to this point may be given in conclusion of + this chapter about old unhappy things. It relates not to one + of those who were sentenced to the gallows or to + transportation, but to an inquest and the treatment of the + dead. + </p> + <p> + I have spoken in the last chapter of the mob that visited + Hindon, Fonthill, and other villages. They ended their round + at Pytt House, near Tisbury, where they broke up the + machinery. On that occasion a body of yeomanry came on the + scene, but arrived only after the mob had accomplished its + purpose of breaking up the thrashing machines. When the + troops appeared the "rioters," as they were called, made off + into the woods and escaped; but before they fled one of them + had met his death. A number of persons from the farms and + villages around had gathered at the spot and were looking on, + when one, a farmer from the neighbouring village of Chilmark, + snatched a gun from a gamekeeper's hand and shot one of the + rioters, killing him dead. On 27th January 1831 an inquest + was held on the body, and some one was found to swear that + the man had been shot by one of the yeomanry, although it was + known to everybody that, when the man was shot, the troop had + not yet arrived on the scene. The man, this witness stated, + had attacked, or threatened, one of the soldiers with his + stick, and had been shot. This was sufficient for the + coroner; he instructed his jury to bring in a verdict of + "Justifiable homicide," which they obediently did. "This + verdict," the coroner then said, "entailed the same + consequences as an act of <i>felo-de-se</i>, and he felt that + he could not give a warrant for the burial of the deceased. + However painful the duty devolved on him in thus adding to + the sorrows of the surviving relations, the law appeared too + clear to him to admit of an alternative." + </p> + <p> + The coroner was just as eager as the judges to exhibit his + zeal for the gentry, who were being injured in their + interests by these disturbances; and though he could not hang + anybody, being only a coroner, he could at any rate kick the + one corpse brought before him. Doubtless the "surviving + relations," for whose sorrows he had expressed sympathy, + carried the poor murdered man off by night to hide him + somewhere in the earth. + </p> + <p> + After the law had been thus vindicated and all the business + done with, even to the corpse-kicking by the coroner, the + farmers were still anxious, and began to show it by holding + meetings and discussions on the condition of the labourers. + Everybody said that the men had been very properly punished; + but at the same time it was admitted that they had some + reason for their discontent, that, with bread so dear, it was + hardly possible for a man with a family to support himself on + seven shillings a week, and it was generally agreed to raise + the wages one shilling. But by and by when the anxiety had + quite died out, when it was found that the men were more + submissive than they had ever been, the lesson they had + received having sunk deep into their minds, they cut off the + extra shilling and wages were what they had been—seven + shillings a week for a hard-working seasoned labourer, with a + family to keep, and from four to six shillings for young + unmarried men and for women, even for those who did as much + work in the field as any man. + </p> + <p> + But there were no more risings. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch18"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII + </h2> + <h3> + THE SHEPHERD'S RETURN + </h3> + <blockquote> + Yarnborough Castle sheep-fair—Caleb leaves Doveton and + goes into Dorset—A land of strange happenings—He + is home-sick and returns to Winterbourne Bishop—Joseph, + his brother, leaves home—His meeting with Caleb's old + master—Settles in Dorset and is joined by his sister + Hannah—They marry and have children—I go to look + for them—Joseph Bawcombe in extreme old + age—Hannah in decline + </blockquote> + <p> + Caleb's shepherding period in Doveton came to a somewhat + sudden conclusion. It was nearing the end of August and he + was beginning to think about the sheep which would have to be + taken to the "Castle" sheep-fair on 5th October, and it + appeared strange to him that his master had so far said + nothing to him on the subject. By "Castle" he meant + Yarnborough Castle, the name of a vast prehistoric earthwork + on one of the high downs between Warminster and Amesbury. + There is no village there and no house near; it is nothing + but an immense circular wall and trench, inside of which the + fair is held. It was formerly one of the most important + sheep-fairs in the country, but for the last two or three + decades has been falling off and is now of little account. + When Bawcombe was shepherd at Doveton it was still great, and + when he first went there as Mr. Ellerby's head-shepherd he + found himself regarded as a person of considerable importance + at the Castle. Before setting out with the sheep he asked for + his master's instructions, and was told that when he got to + the ground he would be directed by the persons in charge to + the proper place. The Ellerbys, he said, had exhibited and + sold their sheep there for a period of eighty-eight years, + without missing a year, and always at the same spot. Every + person visiting the fair on business knew just where to find + the Ellerbys' sheep, and, he added with pride, they expected + them to be the best sheep at the Castle. + </p> + <p> + One day Mr. Ellerby came to have a talk with his shepherd, + and in reply to a remark of the latter about the October + sheep-fair he said that he would have no sheep to send. "No + sheep to send, master!" exclaimed Caleb in amazement. Then + Mr. Ellerby told him that he had taken a notion into his head + that he wanted to go abroad with his wife for a time, and + that some person had just made him so good an offer for all + his sheep that he was going to accept it, so that for the + first time in eighty-eight years there would be no sheep from + Doveton Farm at the Castle fair. When he came back he would + buy again; but if he could live away from the farm, he would + probably never come back—he would sell it. + </p> + <p> + Caleb went home with a heavy heart and told his wife. It + grieved her, too, because of her feeling for Mrs. Ellerby, + but in a little while she set herself to comfort him. "Why, + what's wrong about it?" she asked. "'Twill be more 'n three + months before the year's out, and master'll pay for all the + time sure, and we can go home to Bishop and bide a little + without work, and see if that father of yours has forgiven + 'ee for going away to Warminster." + </p> + <p> + So they comforted themselves, and were beginning to think + with pleasure of home when Mr. Ellerby informed his shepherd + that a friend of his, a good man though not a rich one, was + anxious to take him as head-shepherd, with good wages and a + good cottage rent free. The only drawback for the Bawcombes + was that it would take them still farther from home, for the + farm was in Dorset, although quite near the Wiltshire border. + </p> + <p> + Eventually they accepted the offer, and by the middle of + September were once more settled down in what was to them a + strange land. How strange it must have seemed to Caleb, how + far removed from home and all familiar things, when even to + this day, more than forty years later, he speaks of it as the + ordinary modern man might speak of a year's residence in + Uganda, Tierra del Fuego, or the Andaman Islands! It was a + foreign country, and the ways of the people were strange to + him, and it was a land of very strange things. One of the + strangest was an old ruined church in the neighbourhood of + the farm where he was shepherd. It was roofless, more than + half fallen down, and all the standing portion, with the + tower, overgrown with old ivy; the building itself stood in + the centre of a huge round earthwork and trench, with large + barrows on the ground outside the circle. Concerning this + church he had a wonderful story: its decay and ruin had come + about after the great bell in the tower had mysteriously + disappeared, stolen one stormy night, it was believed, by the + Devil himself. The stolen bell, it was discovered, had been + flung into a small river at a distance of some miles from the + church, and there in summer-time, when the water was low, it + could be distinctly seen lying half buried in the mud at the + bottom. But all the king's horses and all the king's men + couldn't pull it out; the Devil, who pulled the other way, + was strongest. Eventually some wise person said that a team + of white oxen would be able to pull it out, and after much + seeking the white oxen were obtained, and thick ropes were + tied to the sunken bell, and the cattle were goaded and + yelled at, and tugged and strained until the bell came up and + was finally drawn right up to the top of the steep, + cliff-like bank of the stream. Then one of the teamsters + shouted in triumph, "Now we've got out the bell, in spite of + all the devils in hell," and no sooner had he spoken the bold + words than the ropes parted, and back tumbled the bell to its + old place at the bottom of the river, where it remains to + this day. Caleb had once met a man in those parts who assured + him that he had seen the bell with his own eyes, lying nearly + buried in mud at the bottom of the stream. + </p> + <p> + The legend is not in the history of Dorset; a much more + prosaic account of the disappearance of the bell is there + given, in which the Devil took no part unless he was at the + back of the bad men who were concerned in the business. But + in this strange, remote country, outside of "Wiltsheer," + Bawcombe was in a region where anything might have happened, + where the very soil and pasture were unlike that of his + native country, and the mud adhered to his boots in a most + unaccountable way. It was almost uncanny. Doubtless he was + home-sick, for a month or two before the end of the year he + asked his master to look out for another shepherd. + </p> + <p> + This was a great disappointment to the farmer: he had gone a + distance from home to secure a good shepherd, and had hoped + to keep him permanently, and now after a single year he was + going to lose him. What did the shepherd want? He would do + anything to please him, and begged him to stay another year. + But no, his mind was set on going back to his own native + village and to his own people. And so when his long year was + ended he took his crook and set out over the hills and + valleys, followed by a cart containing his "sticks" and wife + and children. And at home with his old parents and his people + he was happy once more; in a short time he found a place as + head-shepherd, with a cottage in the village, and followed + his flock on the old familiar down, and everything again was + as it had been from the beginning of life and as he desired + it to be even to the end. + </p> + <p> + His return resulted incidentally in other changes and + migrations in the Bawcombe family. His elder brother Joseph, + unmarried still although his senior by about eight years, had + not got on well at home. He was a person of a peculiar + disposition, so silent with so fixed and unsmiling an + expression, that he gave the idea of a stolid, thick-skinned + man, but at bottom he was of a sensitive nature, and feeling + that his master did not treat him properly, he gave up his + place and was for a long time without one. He was singularly + attentive to all that fell from Caleb about his wide + wanderings and strange experiences, especially in the distant + Dorset country; and at length, about a year after his + brother's return, he announced his intention of going away + from his native place for good to seek his fortune in some + distant place where his services would perhaps be better + appreciated. When asked where he intended going, he answered + that he was going to look for a place in that part of Dorset + where Caleb had been shepherd for a year and had been so + highly thought of. + </p> + <p> + Now Joseph, being a single man, had no "sticks"; all his + possessions went into a bundle, which he carried tied to his + crook, and with his sheep-dog following at his heels he set + forth early one morning on the most important adventure of + his life. Then occurred an instance of what we call a + coincidence, but which the shepherd of the downs, nursed in + the old beliefs and traditions, prefers to regard as an act + of providence. + </p> + <p> + About noon he was trudging along in the turnpike road when he + was met by a farmer driving in a trap, who pulled up to speak + to him and asked him if he could say how far it was to + Winterbourne Bishop. Joseph replied that it was about + fourteen miles—he had left Bishop that morning. + </p> + <p> + Then the farmer asked him if he knew a man there named Caleb + Bawcombe, and if he had a place as shepherd there, as he was + now on his way to look for him and to try and persuade him to + go back to Dorset, where he had been his head-shepherd for + the space of a year. + </p> + <p> + Joseph said that Caleb had a place as head-shepherd on a farm + at Bishop, that he was satisfied with it, and was, moreover, + one that preferred to bide in his native place. + </p> + <p> + The farmer was disappointed, and the other added, "Maybe + you've heard Caleb speak of his elder brother Joseph—I + be he." + </p> + <p> + "What!" exclaimed the farmer. "You're Caleb's brother! Where + be going then?—to a new place?" + </p> + <p> + "I've got no place; I be going to look for a place in + Dorsetsheer." + </p> + <p> + "'Tis strange to hear you say that," exclaimed the farmer. He + was going, he said, to see Caleb, and if he would not or + could not go back to Dorset himself to ask him to recommend + some man of the village to him; for he was tired of the ways + of the shepherds of his own part of the country, and his + heart was set on getting a man from Caleb's village, where + shepherds understood sheep and knew their work. "Now look + here, shepherd," he continued, "if you'll engage yourself to + me for a year I'll go no farther, but take you right back + with me in the trap." + </p> + <p> + The shepherd was very glad to accept the offer; he devoutly + believed that in making it the farmer was but acting in + accordance with the will of a Power that was mindful of man + and kept watch on him, even on His poor servant Joseph, who + had left his home and people to be a stranger in a strange + land. + </p> + <p> + So well did servant and master agree that Joseph never had + occasion to look for another place; when his master died an + old man, his son succeeded him as tenant of the farm, and he + continued with the son until he was past work. Before his + first year was out, his younger sister, Hannah, came to live + with him and keep house, and eventually they both got + married, Joseph to a young woman of the place, and Hannah to + a small working farmer whose farm was about a mile from the + village. Children were born to both, and in time grew up, + Joseph's sons following their father's vocation, while + Hannah's were brought up to work on the farm. And some of + them, too, got married in time and had children of their own. + </p> + <p> + These are the main incidents in the lives of Joseph and + Hannah, related to me at different times by their brother; he + had followed their fortunes from a distance, sometimes + getting a message, or hearing of them incidentally, but he + did not see them. Joseph never returned to his native + village, and the visits of Hannah to her old home had been + few and had long ceased. But he cherished a deep enduring + affection for both; he was always anxiously waiting and + hoping for tidings of them, for Joseph was now a feeble old + man living with one of his sons, and Hannah, long a widow, + was in declining health, but still kept the farm, assisted by + one of her sons and two unmarried daughters. Though he had + not heard for a long time it never occurred to him to write, + nor did they ever write to him. + </p> + <p> + Then, when I was staying at Winterbourne Bishop and had the + intention of shortly paying a visit to Caleb, it occurred to + me one day to go into Dorset and look for these absent ones, + so as to be able to give him an account of their state. It + was not a long journey, and arrived at the village I soon + found a son of Joseph, a fine-looking man, who took me to his + cottage, where his wife led me into the old shepherd's room. + I found him very aged in appearance, with a grey face and + sunken cheeks, lying on his bed and breathing with + difficulty; but when I spoke to him of Caleb a light of joy + came into his eyes, and he raised himself on his pillows, and + questioned me eagerly about his brother's state and family, + and begged me to assure Caleb that he was still quite well, + although too feeble to get about much, and that his children + were taking good care of him. + </p> + <p> + From the old brother I went on to seek the young + sister—there was a difference of more than twenty years + in their respective ages—and found her at dinner in the + large old farm-house kitchen. At all events she was + presiding, the others present being her son, their hired + labourer, the farm boy, and two unmarried daughters. She + herself tasted no food. I joined them at their meal, and it + gladdened and saddened me at the same time to be with this + woman, for she was Caleb's sister, and was attractive in + herself, looking strangely young for her age, with beautiful + dark, soft eyes and but few white threads in her abundant + black hair. The attraction was also in her voice and speech + and manner; but, alas! there was that in her face which was + painful to witness—the signs of long suffering, of + nights that bring no refreshment, an expression in the eyes + of one that is looking anxiously out into the dim + distance—a vast unbounded prospect, but with clouds and + darkness resting on it. + </p> + <p> + It was not without a feeling of heaviness at the heart that I + said good-bye to her; nor was I surprised when, less than a + year later, Caleb received news of her death. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch19"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX + </h2> + <h3> + THE DARK PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGE + </h3> + <blockquote> + How the materials for this book were obtained—The + hedgehog-hunter—A gipsy taste—History of a + dark-skinned family—Hedgehog eaters—Half-bred and + true gipsies—Perfect health—Eating + carrion—Mysterious knowledge and faculties—The + three dark Wiltshire types—Story of another dark man of + the village—Account of Liddy—His + shepherding—A happy life with horses—Dies of a + broken heart—His daughter + </blockquote> + <p> + I have sometimes laughed to myself when thinking how a large + part of the material composing this book was collected. It + came to me in conversations, at intervals, during several + years, with the shepherd. In his long life in his native + village, a good deal of it spent on the quiet down, he had + seen many things it was or would be interesting to hear; the + things which had interested him, too, at the time, and had + fallen into oblivion, yet might be recovered. I discovered + that it was of little use to question him: the one valuable + recollection he possessed on any subject would, as a rule, + not be available when wanted; it would lie just beneath the + surface so to speak, and he would pass and repass over the + ground without seeing it. He would not know that it was + there; it would be like the acorn which a jay or squirrel has + hidden and forgotten all about, which he will nevertheless + recover some day if by chance something occurs to remind him + of it. The only method was to talk about the things he knew, + and when by chance he was reminded of some old experience or + some little observation or incident worth hearing, to make a + note of it, then wait patiently for something else. It was a + very slow process, but it is not unlike the one we practise + always with regard to wild nature. We are not in a hurry, but + are always watchful, with eyes and ears and mind open to what + may come; it is a mental habit, and when nothing comes we are + not disappointed—the act of watching has been a + sufficient pleasure: and when something does come we take it + joyfully as if it were a gift—a valuable object picked + up by chance in our walks. + </p> + <p> + When I turned into the shepherd's cottage, if it was in + winter and he was sitting by the fire, I would sit and smoke + with him, and if we were in a talking mood I would tell him + where I had been and what I had heard and seen, on the heath, + in the woods, in the village, or anywhere, on the chance of + its reminding him of something worth hearing in his past + life. + </p> + <p> + One Sunday morning, in the late summer, during one of my + visits to him, I was out walking in the woods and found a man + of the village, a farm labourer, with his small boy hunting + for hedgehogs. He had caught and killed two, which the boy + was carrying. He told me he was very fond of the flesh of + hedgehogs—"pigs," he called them for short; he said he + would not exchange one for a rabbit. He always spent his + holidays pig-hunting; he had no dog and didn't want one; he + found them himself, and his method was to look for the kind + of place in which they were accustomed to live—a thick + mass of bramble growing at the side of an old ditch as a + rule. He would force his way into it and, moving round and + round, trample down the roots and loose earth and dead leaves + with his heavy iron-shod boots until he broke into the nest + or cell of the spiny little beast hidden away under the bush. + </p> + <p> + He was a short, broad-faced man, with a brown skin, black + hair, and intensely black eyes. Talking with the shepherd + that evening I told him of the encounter, and remarked that + the man was probably a gipsy in blood, although a labourer, + living in the village and married to a woman with blue eyes + who belonged to the place. + </p> + <p> + This incident reminded him of a family, named Targett, in his + native village, consisting of four brothers and a sister. He + knew them first when he was a boy himself, but could not + remember their parents. "It seemed as if they didn't have + any," he said. The four brothers were very much alike: short, + with broad faces, black eyes and hair, and brown skins. They + were good workers, but somehow they were never treated by the + farmers like the other men. They were paid less + wages—as much as two to four shillings a week less per + man—and made to do things that others would not do, and + generally imposed upon. It was known to every employer of + labour in the place that they could be imposed upon; yet they + were not fools, and occasionally if their master went too far + in bullying and abusing them and compelling them to work + overtime every day, they would have sudden violent outbursts + of rage and go off without any pay at all. What became of + their sister he never knew: but none of the four brothers + ever married; they lived together always, and two died in the + village, the other two going to finish their lives in the + workhouse. + </p> + <p> + One of the curious things about these brothers was that they + had a passion for eating hedgehogs. They had it from boyhood, + and as boys used to go a distance from home and spend the day + hunting in hedges and thickets. When they captured a hedgehog + they would make a small fire in some sheltered spot and roast + it, and while it was roasting one of them would go to the + nearest cottage to beg for a pinch of salt, which was + generally given. + </p> + <p> + These, too, I said, must have been gipsies, at all events on + one side. Where there is a cross the gipsy strain is + generally strongest, although the children, if brought up in + the community, often remain in it all their lives; but they + are never quite of it. Their love of wildness and of eating + wild flesh remains in them, and it is also probable that + there is an instability of character, a restlessness, which + the small farmers who usually employ such men know and trade + on; the gipsy who takes to farm work must not look for the + same treatment as the big-framed, white-skinned man who is as + strong, enduring, and unchangeable as a draught horse or ox, + and constant as the sun itself. + </p> + <p> + The gipsy element is found in many if not most villages in + the south of England. I know one large scattered village + where it appears predominant—as dirty and + disorderly-looking a place as can be imagined, the ground + round every cottage resembling a gipsy camp, but worse owing + to its greater litter of old rags and rubbish strewn about. + But the people, like all gipsies, are not so poor as they + look, and most of the cottagers keep a trap and pony with + which they scour the country for many miles around in quest + of bones, rags, and bottles, and anything else they can buy + for a few pence, also anything they can "pick up" for + nothing. + </p> + <p> + This is almost the only kind of settled life which a man with + a good deal of gipsy blood in him can tolerate; it affords + some scope for his chaffering and predatory instincts and + satisfies the roving passion, which is not so strong in those + of mixed blood. But it is too respectable or humdrum a life + for the true, undegenerate gipsy. One wet evening in + September last I was prowling in a copse near Shrewton, + watching the birds, when I encountered a young gipsy and + recognized him as one of a gang of about a dozen I had met + several days before near Salisbury. They were on their way, + they had told me, to a village near Shaftesbury, where they + hoped to remain a week or so. + </p> + <p> + "What are you doing here?" I asked my gipsy. + </p> + <p> + He said he had been to Idmiston; he had been on his legs out + in the rain and wet to the skin since morning. He didn't mind + that much as the wet didn't hurt him and he was not tired; + but he had eight miles to walk yet over the downs to a + village on the Wylye where his people were staying. + </p> + <p> + I remarked that I had thought they were staying over + Shaftesbury way. + </p> + <p> + He then looked sharply at me. "Ah, yes," he said, "I remember + we met you and had some talk a fortnight ago. Yes, we went + there, but they wouldn't have us. They soon ordered us off. + They advised us to settle down if we wanted to stay anywhere. + Settle down! I'd rather be dead!" + </p> + <p> + There spoke the true gipsy; and they are mostly of that mind. + But what a mind it is for human beings in this climate! It is + in a year like this of 1909, when a long cold winter and a + miserable spring, with frosty nights lasting well into June, + was followed by a cold wet summer and a wet autumn, that we + can see properly what a mind and body is his—how + infinitely more perfect the correspondence between organism + and environment in his case than in ours, who have made our + own conditions, who have not only houses to live in, but a + vast army of sanitary inspectors, physicians and + bacteriologists to safeguard us from that wicked stepmother + who is anxious to get rid of us before our time! In all this + miserable year, during which I have met and conversed with + and visited many scores of gipsies, I have not found one who + was not in a cheerful frame of mind, even when he was under a + cloud with the police on his track; nor one with a cold, or + complaining of an ache in his bones, or of indigestion. + </p> + <p> + The subject of gipsies catching cold connects itself just now + in my mind with that of the gipsy's sense of humour. He has + that sense, and it makes him happy when he is reposing in the + bosom of his family and can give it free vent; but the + instant you appear on the scene its gracious outward signs + vanish like lightning and he is once more the sly, subtle + animal, watching you furtively, but with intensity. When you + have left him and he relaxes the humour will come back to + him; for it is a humour similar to that of some of the lower + animals, especially birds of the crow family, and of + primitive people, only more highly developed, and is + concerned mainly with the delight of trickery—with + getting the better of some one and the huge enjoyment + resulting from the process. + </p> + <p> + One morning, between nine and ten o'clock, during the + excessively cold spell near the end of November 1909, I paid + a visit to some gipsies I knew at their camp. The men had + already gone off for the day, but some of the women were + there—a young married woman, two big girls, and six or + seven children. It was a hard frost and their sleeping + accommodation was just as in the summer-time—bundles of + straw and old rugs placed in or against little half-open + canvas and rag shelters; but they all appeared remarkably + well, and some of the children were standing on the hard + frozen ground with bare feet. They assured me that they were + all well, that they hadn't caught colds and didn't mind the + cold. I remarked that I had thought the severe frost might + have proved too much for some of them in that high, + unsheltered spot in the downs, and that if I had found one of + the children down with a cold I should have given it a + sixpence to comfort it. "Oh," cried the young married woman, + "there's my poor six months' old baby half dead of a cold; + he's very bad, poor dear, and I'm in great trouble about + him." + </p> + <p> + "He is bad, the darling!" cried one of the big girls. "I'll + soon show you how bad he is!" and with that she dived into a + pile of straw and dragged out a huge fat sleeping baby. + Holding it up in her arms she begged me to look at it to see + how bad it was; the fat baby slowly opened its drowsy eyes + and blinked at the sun, but uttered no sound, for it was not + a crying baby, but was like a great fat retriever pup pulled + out of its warm bed. + </p> + <p> + How healthy they are is hardly known even to those who make a + special study of these aliens, who, albeit aliens, are yet + more native than any Englishman in the land. It is not merely + their indifference to wet and cold; more wonderful still is + their dog-like capacity of assimilating food which to us + would be deadly. This is indeed not a nice or pretty subject, + and I will give but one instance to illustrate my point; the + reader with a squeamish stomach may skip the ensuing + paragraph. + </p> + <p> + An old shepherd of Chitterne relates that a family, or gang, + of gipsies used to turn up from time to time at the village; + he generally saw them at lambing-time, when one of the heads + of the party with whom he was friendly would come round to + see what he had to give them. On one occasion his gipsy + friend appeared, and after some conversation on general + subjects, asked him if he had anything in his way. "No, + nothing this time," said the shepherd. "Lambing was over two + or three months ago and there's nothing left—no dead + lamb. I hung up a few cauls on a beam in the old shed, + thinking they would do for the dogs, but forgot them and they + went bad and then dried up." + </p> + <p> + "They'll do very well for us," said his friend. + </p> + <p> + "No, don't you take them!" cried the shepherd in alarm; "I + tell you they went bad months ago, and 'twould kill anyone to + eat such stuff. They've dried up now, and are dry and black + as old skin." + </p> + <p> + "That doesn't matter—we know how to make them all + right," said the gipsy. "Soaked with a little salt, then + boiled, they'll do very well." And off he carried them. + </p> + <p> + In reading the reports of the Assizes held at Salisbury from + the late eighteenth century down to about 1840, it surprised + me to find how rarely a gipsy appeared in that long, sad, + monotonous procession of "criminals" who passed before the + man sitting with his black cap on his head, and were sent to + the gallows or to the penal settlements for stealing sheep + and fowls and ducks or anything else. Yet the gipsies were + abundant then as now, living the same wild, lawless life, + quartering the country, and hanging round the villages to spy + out everything stealable. The man caught was almost + invariably the poor, slow-minded, heavy-footed agricultural + labourer; the light, quick-moving, cunning gipsy escaped. In + the "Salisbury Journal" for 1820 I find a communication on + this subject, in which the writer says that a common trick of + the gipsies was to dig a deep pit at their camp in which to + bury a stolen sheep, and on this spot they would make their + camp fire. If the sheep was not missed, or if no report of + its loss was made to the police, the thieves would soon be + able to dig it up and enjoy it; but if inquiries were made + they would have to wait until the affair had blown over. + </p> + <p> + It amused me to find, from an incident related to me by a + workman in a village where I was staying lately, that this + simple, ancient device is still practised by the gipsies. My + informant said that on going out at about four o'clock one + morning during the late summer he was surprised at seeing two + gipsies with a pony and cart at the spot where a party of + them had been encamped a fortnight before. He watched them, + himself unseen, and saw that they were digging a pit on the + spot where they had had their fire. They took out several + objects from the ground, but he was too far away to make out + what they were. They put them in the cart and covered them + over, then filled up the pit, trampled the earth well down, + and put the ashes and burnt sticks back in the same place, + after which they got into the cart and drove off. + </p> + <p> + Of course a man, even a nomad, must have some place to + conceal his treasures or belongings in, and the gipsy has no + cellar nor attic nor secret cupboard, and as for his van it + is about the last place in which he would bestow anything of + value or incriminating, for though he is always on the move, + he is, moving or sitting still, always under a cloud. The + ground is therefore the safest place to hide things in, + especially in a country like the Wiltshire Downs, though he + may use rocks and hollow trees in other districts. His habit + is that of the jay and magpie, and of the dog with a bone to + put by till it is wanted. Possibly the rural police have not + yet discovered this habit of the gipsy. Indeed, the contrast + in mind and locomotive powers between the gipsy and the + village policeman has often amused me; the former most like + the thievish jay, ever on mischief bent; the other, who has + his eye on him, is more like the portly Cochin-China fowl of + the farmyard, or the Muscovy duck, or stately gobbler. + </p> + <p> + To go back. When the buried sheep had to be kept too long + buried and was found "gone bad" when disinterred, I fancy it + made little difference to the diners. One remembers Thoreau's + pleasure at the spectacle of a crowd of vultures feasting on + the carrion of a dead horse; the fine healthy appetite and + boundless vigour of nature filled him with delight. But it is + not only some of the lower animals—dogs and vultures, + for instance—which possess this power and immunity from + the effects of poisons developed in putrid meat; the + Greenlanders and African savages, and many other peoples in + various parts of the world, have it as well. + </p> + <p> + Sometimes when sitting with gipsies at their wild hearth, I + have felt curious as to the contents of that black pot + simmering over the fire. No doubt it often contains strange + meats, but it would not have been etiquette to speak of such + a matter. It is like the pot on the fire of the Venezuela + savage into which he throws whatever he kills with his little + poisoned arrows or fishes out of the river. Probably my only + quarrel with them would be about the little fledgelings: it + angers me to see them beating the bushes in spring in search + of small nesties and the callow young that are in them. After + all, the gipsies could retort that my friends the jays and + magpies are at the same business in April and May. + </p> + <p> + It is just these habits of the gipsy which I have described, + shocking to the moralist and sanitarian and disgusting to the + person of delicate stomach, it may be, which please me, + rather than the romance and poetry which the scholar-gipsy + enthusiasts are fond of reading into him. He is to me a wild, + untameable animal of curious habits, and interests me as a + naturalist accordingly. It may be objected that being a + naturalist occupied with the appearance of things, I must + inevitably miss the one thing which others find. + </p> + <p> + In a talk I had with a gipsy a short time ago, he said to me: + "You know what the books say, and we don't. But we know other + things that are not in the books, and that's what we have. + It's ours, our own, and you can't know it." + </p> + <p> + It was well put; but I was not perhaps so entirely ignorant + as he imagined of the nature of that special knowledge, or + shall we say faculty, which he claimed. I take it to be + cunning—the cunning of a wild animal with a man's + brain—and a small, an infinitesimal, dose of something + else which eludes us. But that something else is not of a + spiritual nature: the gipsy has no such thing in him; the + soul growths are rooted in the social instinct, and are + developed in those in whom that instinct is strong. I think + that if we analyse that dose of something else, we will find + that it is still the animal's cunning, a special, a + sublimated cunning, the fine flower of his whole nature, and + that it has nothing mysterious in it. He is a parasite, but + free and as well able to exist free as the fox or jackal; but + the parasitism pays him well, and he has followed it so long + in his intercourse with social man that it has come to be + like an instinct, or secret knowledge, and is nothing more + than a marvellously keen penetration which reveals to him the + character and degree of credulity and other mental weaknesses + of his subject. + </p> + <p> + It is not so much the wind on the heath, brother, as the + fascination of lawlessness, which makes his life an + everlasting joy to him; to pit himself against gamekeeper, + farmer, policeman, and everybody else, and defeat them all, + to flourish like the parasitic fly on the honey in the hive + and escape the wrath of the bees. + </p> + <p> + I must now return from this long digression to my + conversation with the shepherd about the dark people of the + village. + </p> + <p> + There were, I continued, other black-eyed and black-haired + people in the villages who had no gipsy blood in their veins. + So far as I could make out there were dark people of three + originally distinct and widely different races in the + Wiltshire Downs. There was a good deal of mixed blood, no + doubt, and many dark persons could not be identified as + belonging to any particular race. Nevertheless three distinct + types could be traced among the dark people, and I took them + to be, first, the gipsy, rather short of stature, + brown-skinned, with broad face and high cheek-bones, like the + men we had just been speaking of. Secondly, the men and women + of white skins and good features, who had rather broad faces + and round heads, and were physically and mentally just as + good as the best blue-eyed people; these were probably the + descendants of the dark, broad-faced Wilsetas, who came over + at the time when the country was being overrun with the + English and other nations or tribes, and who colonized in + Wiltshire and gave it their name. The third type differed + widely from both the others. They were smallest in size and + had narrow heads and long or oval faces, and were very dark, + with brown skins; they also differed mentally from the + others, being of a more lively disposition and hotter temper. + The characters which distinguish the ancient British or + Iberian race appeared to predominate in persons of this type. + </p> + <p> + The shepherd said he didn't know much about "all that," but + he remembered that they once had a man in the village who was + like the last kind I had described. He was a labourer named + Tark, who had several sons, and when they were grown up there + was a last one born: he had to be the last because his mother + died when she gave him birth; and that last one was like his + father, small, very dark-skinned, with eyes like sloes, and + exceedingly lively and active. + </p> + <p> + Tark, himself, he said, was the liveliest, most amusing man + he had ever known, and the quickest to do things, whatever it + was he was asked to do, but he was not industrious and not + thrifty. The Tarks were always very poor. He had a good ear + for music and was a singer of the old songs—he seemed + to know them all. One of his performances was with a pair of + cymbals which he had made for himself out of some old metal + plates, and with these he used to play while dancing about, + clashing them in time, striking them on his head, his breast, + and legs. In these dances with the cymbals he would whirl and + leap about in an astonishing way, standing sometimes on his + hands, then on his feet, so that half the people in the + village used to gather at his cottage to watch his antics on + a summer evening. + </p> + <p> + One afternoon he was coming down the village street and saw + the blacksmith standing near his cottage looking up at a tall + fir-tree which grew there on his ground. "What be looking + at?" cried Tark. The blacksmith pointed to a branch, the + lowest branch of all, but about forty feet from the ground, + and said a chaffinch had his nest in it, about three feet + from the trunk, which his little son had set his heart on + having. He had promised to get it down for him, but there was + no long ladder and he didn't know how to get it. + </p> + <p> + Tark laughed and said that for half a gallon of beer he would + go up legs first and take the nest and bring it down in one + hand, which he would not use in climbing, and would come down + as he went up, head first. + </p> + <p> + "Do it, then," said the blacksmith, "and I'll stand the half + gallon." + </p> + <p> + Tark ran to the tree, and turning over and standing on his + hands, clasped the bole with his legs and then with his arms + and went up to the branch, when taking the nest and holding + it in one hand, he came down head first to the ground in + safety. + </p> + <p> + There were other anecdotes of his liveliness and agility. + Then followed the story of the youngest son, known as Liddy. + "I don't rightly know," said Caleb, "what the name was he was + given when they christened 'n; but he were always called + Liddy, and nobody knowed any other name for him." + </p> + <p> + Liddy's grown-up brothers all left home when he was a small + boy: one enlisted and was sent to India and never returned; + the other two went to America, so it was said. He was twelve + years old when his father died, and he had to shift for + himself; but he was no worse off on that account, as they had + always been very poor owing to poor Tark's love of beer. + Before long he got employed by a small working farmer who + kept a few cows and a pair of horses and used to buy wethers + to fatten them, and these the boy kept on the down. + </p> + <p> + Liddy was always a "leetel chap," and looked no more than + nine when twelve, so that he could do no heavy work; but he + was a very willing and active little fellow, with a sweet + temper, and so lively and full of fun as to be a favourite + with everybody in the village. The men would laugh at his + pranks, especially when he came from the fields on the old + plough horse and urged him to a gallop, sitting with his face + to the tail; and they would say that he was like his father, + and would never be much good except to make people laugh. But + the women had a tender feeling for him, because, although + motherless and very poor, he yet contrived to be always clean + and neat. He took the greatest care of his poor clothes, + washing and mending them himself. He also took an intense + interest in his wethers, and almost every day he would go to + Caleb, tending his flock on the down, to sit by him and ask a + hundred questions about sheep and their management. He looked + on Caleb, as head-shepherd on a good-sized farm, as the most + important and most fortunate person he knew, and was very + proud to have him as guide, philosopher, and friend. + </p> + <p> + Now it came to pass that once in a small lot of thirty or + forty wethers which the farmer had bought at a sheep-fair and + brought home it was discovered that one was a ewe—a ewe + that would perhaps at some future day have a lamb! Liddy was + greatly excited at the discovery; he went to Caleb and told + him about it, almost crying at the thought that his master + would get rid of it. For what use would it be to him? but + what a loss it would be! And at last, plucking up courage, he + went to the farmer and begged and prayed to be allowed to + keep the ewe, and the farmer laughed at him; but he was a + little touched at the boy's feeling, and at last consented. + Then Liddy was the happiest boy in the village, and whenever + he got the chance he would go out to Caleb on the down to + talk about and give him news of the one beloved ewe. And one + day, after about nineteen or twenty weeks, Caleb, out with + his flock, heard shouts at a distance, and, turning to look, + saw Liddy coming at great speed towards him, shouting out + some great news as he ran; but what it was Caleb could not + make out, even when the little fellow had come to him, for + his excitement made him incoherent. The ewe had lambed, and + there were twins—two strong healthy lambs, most + beautiful to see! Nothing so wonderful had ever happened in + his life before! And now he sought out his friend oftener + than ever, to talk of his beloved lambs, and to receive the + most minute directions about their care. Caleb, who is not a + laughing man, could not help laughing a little when he + recalled poor Liddy's enthusiasm. But that beautiful shining + chapter in the poor boy's life could not last, and when the + lambs were grown they were sold, and so were all the wethers, + then Liddy, not being wanted, had to find something else to + do. + </p> + <p> + I was too much interested in this story to let the subject + drop. What had been Liddy's after-life? Very uneventful: + there was, in fact, nothing in it, nor in him, except an + intense love for all things, especially animals; and nothing + happened to him until the end, for he has been dead now these + nine or ten years. In his next place he was engaged, first, + as carter's boy, and then under-carter, and all his love was + lavished on the horses. They were more to him than sheep, and + he could love them without pain, since they were not being + prepared for the butcher with his abhorred knife. Liddy's + love and knowledge of horses became known outside of his own + little circle, and he was offered and joyfully accepted a + place in the stables of a wealthy young gentleman farmer, who + kept a large establishment and was a hunting man. From + stable-boy he was eventually promoted to groom. Occasionally + he would reappear in his native place. His home was but a few + miles away, and when out exercising a horse he appeared to + find it a pleasure to trot down the old street, where as a + farmer's boy he used to make the village laugh at his antics. + But he was very much changed from the poor boy, who was often + hatless and barefooted, to the groom in his neat, + well-fitting black suit, mounted on a showy horse. + </p> + <p> + In this place he continued about thirty years, and was + married and had several children and was very happy, and then + came a great disaster. His employer having met with heavy + losses sold all his horses and got rid of his servants, and + Liddy had to go. This great change, and above all his grief + at the loss of his beloved horses, was more than he could + endure. He became melancholy and spent his days in silent + brooding, and by and by, to everybody's surprise, Liddy fell + ill, for he was in the prime of life and had always been + singularly healthy. Then to astonish people still more, he + died. What ailed him—what killed him? every one asked + of the doctor; and his answer was that he had no + disease—that nothing ailed him except a broken heart; + and that was what killed poor Liddy. + </p> + <p> + In conclusion I will relate a little incident which occurred + several months later, when I was again on a visit to my old + friend the shepherd. We were sitting together on a Sunday + evening, when his old wife looked out and said, "Lor, here be + Mrs. Taylor with her children coming in to see us." And Mrs. + Taylor soon appeared, wheeling her baby in a perambulator, + with two little girls following. She was a comely, round, + rosy little woman, with black hair, black eyes, and a + singularly sweet expression, and her three pretty little + children were like her. She stayed half an hour in pleasant + chat, then went her way down the road to her home. Who, I + asked, was Mrs. Taylor? + </p> + <p> + Bawcombe said that in a way she was a native of their old + village of Winterbourne Bishop: at least her father was. She + had married a man who had taken a farm near them, and after + having known her as a young girl they had been glad to have + her again as a neighbour. "She's a daughter of that Liddy I + told 'ee about some time ago," he said. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch20"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX + </h2> + <h3> + SOME SHEEP-DOGS + </h3> + <blockquote> + Breaking a sheep-dog—The shepherd buys a pup—His + training—He refuses to work—He chases a swallow + and is put to death—The shepherd's remorse—Bob, + the sheep-dog—How he was bitten by an + adder—Period of the dog's receptivity—Tramp, the + sheep-dog—Roaming lost about the country—A rage + of hunger—Sheep-killing dogs—Dogs running + wild—Anecdotes—A Russian sheep-dog—Caleb + parts with Tramp + </blockquote> + <p> + To Caleb the proper training of a dog was a matter of the + very first importance. A man, he considered, must have not + only a fair amount of intelligence, but also experience, and + an even temper, and a little sympathy as well, to sum up the + animal in hand—its special aptitudes, its limitations, + its disposition, and that something in addition, which he + called a "kink," and would probably have described as its + idiosyncrasy if he had known the word. There was as much + individual difference among dogs as there is in boys; but if + the breed was right, and you went the right way about it, you + could hardly fail to get a good servant. If a dog was not + properly broken, if its trainer had not made the most of it, + he was not a "good shepherd": he lacked the + intelligence—"understanding" was his word—or else + the knowledge or patience or persistence to do his part. It + was, however, possible for the best shepherd to make + mistakes, and one of the greatest to be made, which was not + uncommon, was to embark on the long and laborious business of + training an animal of mixed blood—a sheep-dog with a + taint of terrier, retriever, or some other unsuitable breed + in him. In discussing this subject with other shepherds I + generally found that those who were in perfect agreement with + Caleb on this point were men who were somewhat like him in + character, and who regarded their work with the sheep as so + important that it must be done thoroughly in every detail and + in the best way. One of the best shepherds I know, who is + sixty years old and has been on the same downland sheep-farm + all his life, assures me that he has never had and never + would have a dog which was trained by another. But the + shepherd of the ordinary kind says that he doesn't care much + about the animal's parentage, or that he doesn't trouble to + inquire into its pedigree: he breaks the animal, and finds + that he does pretty well, even when he has some strange blood + in him; finally, that all dogs have faults and you must put + up with them. Caleb would say of such a man that he was not a + "good shepherd." One of his saddest memories was of a dog + which he bought and broke without having made the necessary + inquiries about its parentage. + </p> + <p> + It happened that a shepherd of the village, who had taken a + place at a distant farm, was anxious to dispose of a litter + of pups before leaving, and he asked Caleb to have one. Caleb + refused. "My dog's old, I know," he said, "but I don't want a + pup now and I won't have 'n." + </p> + <p> + A day or two later the man came back and said he had kept one + of the best of the five for him—he had got rid of all + the others. "You can't do better," he persisted. "No," said + Caleb, "what I said I say again. I won't have 'n, I've no + money to buy a dog." + </p> + <p> + "Never mind about money," said the other. "You've got a bell + I like the sound of; give he to me and take the pup." And so + the exchange was made, a copper bell for a nice black pup + with a white collar; its mother, Bawcombe knew, was a good + sheep-dog, but about the other parent he made no inquiries. + </p> + <p> + On receiving the pup he was told that its name was Tory, and + he did not change it. It was always difficult, he explained, + to find a name for a dog—a name, that is to say, which + anyone would say was a proper name for a dog and not a + foolish name. One could think of a good many proper + names—Jack and Watch, and so on—but in each case + one would remember some dog which had been called by that + name, and it seemed to belong to that particular + well-remembered dog and to no other, and so in the end + because of this difficulty he allowed the name to remain. + </p> + <p> + The dog had not cost him much to buy, but as it was only a + few weeks old he had to keep it at his own cost for fully six + months before beginning the business of breaking it, which + would take from three to six months longer. A dog cannot be + put to work before he is quite half a year old unless he is + exceptionally vigorous. Sheep are timid creatures, but not + unintelligent, and they can distinguish between the seasoned + old sheep-dog, whose furious onset and bite they fear, and + the raw young recruit as easily as the rook can distinguish + between the man with a gun and the man of straw with a + broomstick under his arm. They will turn upon and attack the + young dog, and chase him away with his tail between his legs. + He will also work too furiously for his strength and then + collapse, with the result that he will make a cowardly + sheep-dog, or, as the shepherds say, "brokenhearted." + </p> + <p> + Another thing. He must be made to work at first with an old + sheep-dog, for though he has the impulse to fly about and do + something, he does not know what to do and does not + understand his master's gestures and commands. He must have + an object-lesson, he must see the motion and hear the word + and mark how the old dog flies to this or that point and what + he does. The word of command or the gesture thus becomes + associated in his mind with a particular action on his part. + But he must not be given too many object-lessons or he will + lose more than he will gain—a something which might + almost be described as a sense of individual responsibility. + That is to say, responsibility to the human master who + delegates his power to him. Instead of taking his power + directly from the man he takes it from the dog, and this + becomes a fixed habit so quickly that many shepherds say that + if you give more than from three to six lessons of this kind + to a young dog you will spoil him. He will need the + mastership of the other dog, and will thereafter always be at + a loss and work in an uncertain way. + </p> + <p> + A timid or unwilling young dog is often coupled with the old + dog two or three times, but this method has its dangers too, + as it may be too much for the young dog's strength, and give + him that "broken-heart" from which he will never recover; he + will never be a good sheep-dog. + </p> + <p> + To return to Tory. In due time he was trained and proved + quick to learn and willing to work, so that before long he + began to be useful and was much wanted with the sheep, as the + old dog was rapidly growing stiffer on his legs and harder of + hearing. + </p> + <p> + One day the lambs were put into a field which was half clover + and half rape, and it was necessary to keep them on the + clover. This the young dog could not or would not understand; + again and again he allowed the lambs to go to the rape, which + so angered Caleb that he threw his crook at him. Tory turned + and gave him a look, then came very quietly and placed + himself behind his master. From that moment he refused to + obey, and Bawcombe, after exhausting all his arts of + persuasion, gave it up and did as well as he could without + his assistance. + </p> + <p> + That evening after folding-time he by chance met a shepherd + he was well acquainted with and told him of the trouble he + was in over Tory. + </p> + <p> + "You tie him up for a week," said the shepherd, "and treat + him well till he forgets all about it, and he'll be the same + as he was before you offended him. He's just like old + Tom—he's got his father's temper." + </p> + <p> + "What's that you say?" exclaimed Bawcombe. "Be you saying + that Tory's old Tom's son? I'd never have taken him if I'd + known that. Tom's not pure-bred—he's got retriever's + blood." + </p> + <p> + "Well, 'tis known, and I could have told 'ee, if thee'd asked + me," said the shepherd. "But you do just as I tell 'ee, and + it'll be all right with the dog." + </p> + <p> + Tory was accordingly tied up at home and treated well and + spoken kindly to and patted on the head, so that there would + be no unpleasantness between master and servant, and if he + was an intelligent animal he would know that the crook had + been thrown not to hurt but merely to express disapproval of + his naughtiness. + </p> + <p> + Then came a busy day for the shepherd, when the lambs were + trimmed before being taken to the Wilton sheep-fair. There + was Bawcombe, his boy, the decrepit old dog, and Tory to do + the work, but when the time came to start Tory refused to do + anything. + </p> + <p> + When sent to turn the lambs he walked off to a distance of + about twenty yards, sat down and looked at his master. Caleb + hoped he would come round presently when he saw them all at + work, and so they did the best they could without him for a + time; but the old dog was stiffer and harder of hearing than + ever, and as they could not get on properly Caleb went at + intervals to Tory and tried to coax him to give them his + help; and every time he was spoken to he would get up and + come to his master, then when ordered to do something he + would walk off to the spot where he had chosen to be and + calmly sit down once more and look at them. Caleb was + becoming more and more incensed, but he would not show it to + the dog; he still hoped against hope; and then a curious + thing happened. A swallow came skimming along close to the + earth and passed within a yard of Tory, when up jumped the + dog and gave chase, darting across the field with such speed + that he kept very near the bird until it rose and passed over + the hedge at the farther side. The joyous chase over Tory + came back to his old place, and sitting on his haunches began + watching them again struggling with the lambs. It was more + than the shepherd could stand; he went deliberately up to the + dog, and taking him by the straw collar still on his neck + drew him quietly away to the hedge-side and bound him to a + bush, then getting a stout stick he came back and gave him + one blow on the head. So great was the blow that the dog made + not the slightest sound: he fell; his body quivered a moment + and his legs stretched out—he was quite dead. Bawcombe + then plucked an armful of bracken and threw it over his body + to cover it, and going back to the hurdles sent the boy home, + then spreading his cloak at the hedge-side, laid himself down + on it and covered his head. + </p> + <p> + An hour later the fanner appeared on the scene. "What are you + doing here, shepherd?" he demanded in surprise. "Not trimming + the lambs!" + </p> + <p> + Bawcombe, raising himself on his elbow, replied that he was + not trimming the lambs—that he would trim no lambs that + day. + </p> + <p> + "Oh, but we must get on with the trimming!" cried the farmer. + </p> + <p> + Bawcombe returned that the dog had put him out, and now the + dog was dead—he had killed him in his anger, and he + would trim no more lambs that day. He had said it and would + keep to what he had said. + </p> + <p> + Then the farmer got angry and said that the dog had a very + good nose and would have been useful to him to take rabbits. + </p> + <p> + "Master," said the other, "I got he when he were a pup and + broke 'n to help me with the sheep and not to catch rabbits; + and now I've killed 'n and he'll catch no rabbits." + </p> + <p> + The farmer knew his man, and swallowing his anger walked off + without another word. + </p> + <p> + Later on in the day he was severely blamed by a shepherd + friend who said that he could easily have sold the dog to one + of the drovers, who were always anxious to pick up a dog in + their village, and he would have had the money to repay him + for his trouble; to which Bawcombe returned, "If he wouldn't + work for I that broke 'n he wouldn't work for another. But + I'll never again break a dog that isn't pure-bred." + </p> + <p> + But though he justified himself he had suffered remorse for + what he had done; not only at the time, when he covered the + dead dog up with bracken and refused to work any more that + day, but the feeling had persisted all his life, and he could + not relate the incident without showing it very plainly. He + bitterly blamed himself for having taken the pup and for + spending long months in training him without having first + taken pains to inform himself that there was no bad blood in + him. And although the dog was perhaps unfit to live he had + finally killed him in anger. If it had not been for that + sudden impetuous chase after a swallow he would have borne + with him and considered afterwards what was to be done; but + that dash after the bird was more than he could stand; for it + looked as if Tory had done it purposely, in something of a + mocking spirit, to exhibit his wonderful activity and speed + to his master, sweating there at his task, and make him see + what he had lost in offending him. + </p> + <p> + The shepherd gave another instance of a mistake he once made + which caused him a good deal of pain. It was the case of a + dog named Bob which he owned when a young man. He was an + exceptionally small dog, but his quick intelligence made up + for lack of strength, and he was of a very lively + disposition, so that he was a good companion to a shepherd as + well as a good servant. + </p> + <p> + One summer day at noon Caleb was going to his flock in the + fields, walking by a hedge, when he noticed Bob sniffing + suspiciously at the roots of an old holly-tree growing on the + bank. It was a low but very old tree with a thick trunk, + rotten and hollow inside, the cavity being hidden with the + brushwood growing up from the roots. As he came abreast of + the tree, Bob looked up and emitted a low whine, that sound + which says so much when used by a dog to his master and which + his master does not always rightly understand. At all events + he did not do so in this case. It was August and the shooting + had begun, and Caleb jumped to the conclusion that a wounded + bird had crept into the hollow tree to hide, and so to Bob's + whine, which expressed fear and asked what he was to do, the + shepherd answered, "Get him." Bob dashed in, but quickly + recoiled, whining in a piteous way, and began rubbing his + face on his legs. Bawcombe in alarm jumped down and peered + into the hollow trunk and heard a slight rustling of dead + leaves, but saw nothing. His dog had been bitten by an adder, + and he at once returned to the village, bitterly blaming + himself for the mistake he had made and greatly fearing that + he would lose his dog. Arrived at the village his mother at + once went off to the down to inform Isaac of the trouble and + ask him what they were to do. Caleb had to wait some time, as + none of the villagers who gathered round could suggest a + remedy, and in the meantime Bob continued rubbing his cheek + against his foreleg, twitching and whining with pain; and + before long the face and head began to swell on one side, the + swelling extending to the nape and downwards to the throat. + Presently Isaac himself, full of concern, arrived on the + scene, having left his wife in charge of the flock, and at + the same time a man from a neighbouring village came riding + by and joined the group. The horseman got off and assisted + Caleb in holding the dog while Isaac made a number of + incisions with his knife in the swollen place and let out + some blood, after which they rubbed the wounds and all the + swollen part with an oil used for the purpose. The + composition of this oil was a secret: it was made by a man in + one of the downland villages and sold at eighteenpence a + small bottle; Isaac was a believer in its efficacy, and + always kept a bottle hidden away somewhere in his cottage. + </p> + <p> + Bob recovered in a few days, but the hair fell out from all + the part which had been swollen, and he was a curious-looking + dog with half his face and head naked until he got his fresh + coat, when it grew again. He was as good and active a dog as + ever, and lived to a good old age, but one result of the + poison he never got over: his bark had changed from a sharp + ringing sound to a low and hoarse one. "He always barked," + said the shepherd, "like a dog with a sore throat." + </p> + <p> + To go back to the subject of training a dog. Once you make a + beginning it must be carried through to a finish. You take + him at the age of six months, and the education must be + fairly complete when he is a year old. He is then lively, + impressionable, exceedingly adaptive; his intelligence at + that period is most like man's; but it would be a mistake to + think that it will continue so—that to what he learns + now in this wonderful half-year, other things may be added by + and by as opportunity arises. At a year he has practically + got to the end of his capacity to learn. He has lost his + human-like receptivity, but what he has been taught will + remain with him for the rest of his life. We can hardly say + that he remembers it; it is more like what is called + "inherited memory" or "lapsed intelligence." + </p> + <p> + All this is very important to a shepherd, and explains the + reason an old head-shepherd had for saying to me that he had + never had, and never would have, a dog he had not trained + himself. No two men follow precisely the same method in + training, and a dog transferred from his trainer to another + man is always a little at a loss; method, voice, gestures, + personality, are all different; his new master must study him + and in a way adapt himself to the dog. The dog is still more + at a loss when transferred from one kind of country to + another where the sheep are worked in a different manner, and + one instance Caleb gave me of this is worth relating. It was, + I thought, one of his best dog stories. + </p> + <p> + His dogs as a rule were bought as pups; occasionally he had + had to get a dog already trained, a painful necessity to a + shepherd, seeing that the pound or two it costs—the + price of an ordinary animal—is a big sum of money to + him. And once in his life he got an old trained sheep-dog for + nothing. He was young then, and acting as under-shepherd in + his native village, when the report came one day that a great + circus and menagerie which had been exhibiting in the west + was on its way to Salisbury, and would be coming past the + village about six o'clock on the following morning. The + turnpike was a little over a mile away, and thither Caleb + went with half a dozen other young men of the village at + about five o'clock to see the show pass, and sat on a gate + beside a wood to wait its coming. In due time the long + procession of horses and mounted men and women, and gorgeous + vans containing lions and tigers and other strange beasts, + came by, affording them great admiration and delight. When it + had gone on and the last van had disappeared at the turning + of the road, they got down from the gate and were about to + set out on their way back when a big, shaggy sheepdog came + out of the wood and running to the road began looking up and + down in a bewildered way. They had no doubt that he belonged + to the circus and had turned aside to hunt a rabbit in the + wood; then, thinking the animal would understand them, they + shouted to it and waved their arms in the direction the + procession had gone. But the dog became frightened, and + turning fled back into cover, and they saw no more of it. + </p> + <p> + Two or three days later it was rumoured that a strange dog + had been seen in the neighbourhood of Winterbourne Bishop, in + the fields; and women and children going to or coming from + outlying cottages and farms had encountered it, sometimes + appearing suddenly out of the furze-bushes and staring wildly + at them; or they would meet him in some deep lane between + hedges, and after standing still a moment eyeing them he + would turn and fly in terror from their strange faces. + Shepherds began to be alarmed for the safety of their sheep, + and there was a good deal of excitement and talk about the + strange dog. Two or three days later Caleb encountered it. He + was returning from his flock at the side of a large grass + field where four or five women were occupied cutting the + thistles, and the dog, which he immediately recognized as the + one he had seen at the turnpike, was following one of the + women about. She was greatly alarmed, and called to him, + "Come here, Caleb, for goodness' sake, and drive this big dog + away! He do look so desprit, I'm afeared of he." + </p> + <p> + "Don't you be feared," he shouted back. "He won't hurt 'ee; + he's starving—don't you see his bones sticking out? + He's asking to be fed." Then going a little nearer he called + to her to take hold of the dog by the neck and keep him while + he approached. He feared that the dog on seeing him coming + would rush away. After a little while she called the dog, but + when he went to her she shrank away from him and called out, + "No, I daren't touch he—he'll tear my hand off. I never + see'd such a desprit-looking beast!" + </p> + <p> + "'Tis hunger," repeated Caleb, and then very slowly and + cautiously he approached, the dog all the time eyeing him + suspiciously, ready to rush away on the slightest alarm. And + while approaching him he began to speak gently to him, then + coming to a stand stooped and patting his legs called the dog + to him. Presently he came, sinking his body lower as he + advanced and at last crawling, and when he arrived at the + shepherd's feet he turned himself over on his back—that + eloquent action which a dog uses when humbling himself before + and imploring mercy from one mightier than himself, man or + dog. + </p> + <p> + Caleb stooped, and after patting the dog gripped him firmly + by the neck and pulled him up, while with his free hand he + undid his leather belt to turn it into a dog's collar and + leash; then, the end of the strap in his hand, he said + "Come," and started home with the dog at his side. Arrived at + the cottage he got a bucket and mixed as much meal as would + make two good feeds, the dog all the time watching him with + his muscles twitching and the water running from his mouth. + The meal well mixed he emptied it out on the turf, and what + followed, he said, was an amazing thing to see: the dog + hurled himself down on the food and started devouring it as + if the mass of meal had been some living savage creature he + had captured and was frenziedly tearing to pieces. He turned + round and round, floundering on the earth, uttering strange + noises like half-choking growls and screams while gobbling + down the meal; then when he had devoured it all he began + tearing up and swallowing the turf for the sake of the little + wet meal still adhering to it. + </p> + <p> + Such rage of hunger Caleb had never seen, and it was painful + to him to think of what the dog had endured during those days + when it had been roaming foodless about the neighbourhood. + Yet it was among sheep all the time—scores of flocks + left folded by night at a distance from the village; one + would have imagined that the old wolf and wild-dog instinct + would have come to life in such circumstances, but the + instinct was to all appearance dead. + </p> + <p> + My belief is that the pure-bred sheep-dog is indeed the last + dog to revert to a state of nature; and that when + sheep-killing by night is traced to a sheep-dog, the animal + has a bad strain in him, of retriever, or cur, or + "rabbit-dog," as the shepherds call all terriers. When I was + a boy on the pampas sheep-killing dogs were common enough, + and they were always curs, or the common dog of the country, + a smooth-haired animal about the size of a coach-dog, red, or + black, or white. I recall one instance of sheep-killing being + traced to our own dogs—we had about six or eight just + then. A native neighbour, a few miles away, caught them at it + one morning; they escaped him in spite of his good horse, + with lasso and bolas also, but his sharp eyes saw them pretty + well in the dim light, and by and by he identified them, and + my father had to pay him for about thirty slain and badly + injured sheep; after which a gallows was erected and our + guardians ignominiously hanged. Here we shoot dogs; in some + countries the old custom of hanging them, which is perhaps + less painful, is still followed. + </p> + <p> + To go back to our story. From that time the stray dog was + Caleb's obedient and affectionate slave, always watching his + face and every gesture, and starting up at his slightest word + in readiness to do his bidding. When put with the flock he + turned out to be a useful sheep-dog, but unfortunately he had + not been trained on the Wiltshire Downs. It was plain to see + that the work was strange to him, that he had been taught in + a different school, and could never forget the old and + acquire a new method. But as to what conditions he had been + reared in or in what district or country no one could guess. + Every one said that he was a sheep-dog, but unlike any + sheep-dog they had ever seen; he was not Wiltshire, nor + Welsh, nor Sussex, nor Scotch, and they could say no more. + Whenever a shepherd saw him for the first time his attention + was immediately attracted, and he would stop to speak with + Caleb. "What sort of a dog do you call that?" he would say. + "I never see'd one just like 'n before." + </p> + <p> + At length one day when passing by a new building which some + workmen had been brought from a distance to erect in the + village, one of the men hailed Caleb and said, "Where did you + get that dog, mate?" + </p> + <p> + "Why do you ask me that?" said the shepherd. + </p> + <p> + "Because I know where he come from: he's a Rooshian, that's + what he is. I've see'd many just like him in the Crimea when + I was there. But I never see'd one before in England." + </p> + <p> + Caleb was quite ready to believe it, and was a little proud + at having a sheep-dog from that distant country. He said that + it also put something new into his mind. He didn't know + nothing about Russia before that, though he had been hearing + so much of our great war there and of all the people that had + been killed. Now he realized that Russia was a great country, + a land where there were hills and valleys and villages, where + there were flocks and herds, and shepherds and sheepdogs just + as in the Wiltshire Downs. He only wished that + Tramp—that was the name he had given his + dog—could have told him his history. + </p> + <p> + Tramp, in spite of being strange to the downs and the + downland sheep-dog's work, would probably have been kept by + Caleb to the end but for his ineradicable passion for hunting + rabbits. He did not neglect his duty, but he would slip away + too often, and eventually when a man who wanted a good dog + for rabbits one day offered Caleb fifteen shillings for + Tramp, he sold him, and as he was taken away to a distance by + his new master, he never saw him again. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch21"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI + </h2> + <h3> + THE SHEPHERD AS NATURALIST + </h3> + <blockquote> + General remarks—Great Ridge Wood—Encounter with a + roe-deer—A hare on a stump—A gamekeeper's + memory—Talk with a gipsy—A strange story of a + hedgehog—A gipsy on memory—The shepherd's feeling + for animals—Anecdote of a shrew—Anecdote of an + owl—Reflex effect of the gamekeeper's calling—We + remember best what we see emotionally + </blockquote> + <p> + It will appear to some of my readers that the interesting + facts about wild life, or rather about animal life, wild and + domestic, gathered in my talks with the old shepherd, do not + amount to much. If this is all there is to show after a long + life spent out of doors, or all that is best worth + preserving, it is a somewhat scanty harvest, they will say. + To me it appears a somewhat abundant one. We field + naturalists, who set down what we see and hear in a notebook, + lest we forget it, do not always bear in mind that it is + exceedingly rare for those who are not naturalists, whose + senses and minds are occupied with other things, to come upon + a new and interesting fact in animal life, or that these + chance observations are quickly forgotten. This was strongly + borne in upon me lately while staying in the village of + Hindon in the neighbourhood of the Great Ridge Wood, which + clothes the summit of the long high down overlooking the vale + of the Wylye. It is an immense wood, mostly of scrub or dwarf + oak, very dense in some parts, in others thin, with open, + barren patches, and like a wild forest, covering altogether + twelve or fourteen square miles—perhaps more. There are + no houses near, and no people in it except a few gamekeepers: + I spent long days in it without meeting a human being. It was + a joy to me to find such a spot in England, so wild and + solitary, and I was filled with pleasing anticipation of all + the wild life I should see in such a place, especially after + an experience I had on my second day in it. I was standing in + an open glade when a cock-pheasant uttered a cry of alarm, + and immediately afterwards, startled by the cry perhaps, a + roe-deer rushed out of the close thicket of oak and holly in + which it had been hiding, and ran past me at a very short + distance, giving me a good sight of this shyest of the large + wild animals still left to us. He looked very beautiful to + me, in that mouse-coloured coat which makes him invisible in + the deep shade in which he is accustomed to pass the daylight + hours in hiding, as he fled across the green open space in + the brilliant May sunshine. But he was only one, a chance + visitor, a wanderer from wood to wood about the land; and he + had been seen once, a month before my encounter with him, and + ever since then the keepers had been watching and waiting for + him, gun in hand, to send a charge of shot into his side. + </p> + <p> + That was the best and the only great thing I saw in the Great + Ridge Wood, for the curse of the pheasant is on it as on all + the woods and forests in Wiltshire, and all wild life + considered injurious to the semi-domestic bird, from the + sparrowhawk to the harrier and buzzard and goshawk, and from + the little mousing weasel to the badger; and all the wild + life that is only beautiful, or which delights us because of + its wildness, from the squirrel to the roe-deer, must be + included in the slaughter. + </p> + <p> + One very long summer day spent in roaming about in this + endless wood, always on the watch, had for sole result, so + far as anything out of the common goes, the spectacle of a + hare sitting on a stump. The hare started up at a distance of + over a hundred yards before me and rushed straight away at + first, then turned, and ran on my left so as to get round to + the side from which I had come. I stood still and watched him + as he moved swiftly over the ground, seeing him not as a hare + but as a dim brown object successively appearing, vanishing, + and reappearing, behind and between the brown tree-trunks, + until he had traced half a circle and was then suddenly lost + to sight. Thinking that he had come to a stand I put my + binocular on the spot where he had vanished, and saw him + sitting on an old oak stump about thirty inches long. It was + a round mossy stump, about eighteen inches in diameter, + standing in a bed of brown dead leaves, with the rough brown + trunks of other dwarf oak-trees on either side of it. The + animal was sitting motionless, in profile, its ears erect, + seeing me with one eye, and was like a carved figure of a + hare set on a pedestal, and had a very striking appearance. + </p> + <p> + As I had never seen such a thing before I thought it was + worth mentioning to a keeper I called to see at his lodge on + my way back in the evening. It had been a blank day, I told + him—a hare sitting on a stump being the only thing I + could remember to tell him. "Well," he said, "you've seen + something I've never seen in all the years I've been in these + woods. And yet, when you come to think of it, it's just what + one might expect a hare would do. The wood is full of old + stumps, and it seems only natural a hare should jump on to + one to get a better view of a man or animal at a distance + among the trees. But I never saw it." + </p> + <p> + What, then, had he seen worth remembering during his long + hours in the wood on that day, or the day before, or on any + day during the last thirty years since he had been policing + that wood, I asked him. He answered that he had seen many + strange things, but he was not now able to remember one to + tell me! He said, further, that the only things he remembered + were those that related to his business of guarding and + rearing the birds; all other things he observed in animals, + however remarkable they might seem to him at the moment, were + things that didn't matter and were quickly forgotten. + </p> + <p> + On the very next day I was out on the down with a gipsy, and + we got talking about wild animals. He was a middle-aged man + and a very perfect specimen of his race—not one of the + blue-eyed and red or light-haired bastard gipsies, but dark + as a Red Indian, with eyes like a hawk, and altogether a + hawk-like being, lean, wiry, alert, a perfectly wild man in a + tame, civilized land. The lean, mouse-coloured lurcher that + followed at his heels was perfect too, in his way—man + and dog appeared made for one another. When this man spoke of + his life, spent in roaming about the country, of his very + perfect health, and of his hatred of houses, the very + atmosphere of any indoor place producing a suffocating and + sickening effect on him, I envied him as I envy birds their + wings and as I can never envy men who live in mansions. His + was the wild, the real life, and it seemed to me that there + was no other worth living. + </p> + <p> + "You know," said he, in the course of our talk about wild + animals, "we are very fond of hedgehogs—we like them + better than rabbits." + </p> + <p> + "Well, so do I," was my remark. I am not quite sure that I + do, but that is what I told him. "But now you talk of + hedgehogs," I said, "it's funny to think that, common as the + animal is, it has some queer habits I can't find anything + about from gamekeepers and others I've talked to on the + subject, or from my own observation. Yet one would imagine + that we know all there is to be known about the little beast; + you'll find his history in a hundred books—perhaps in + five hundred. There's one book about our British animals so + big you'd hardly be able to lift its three volumes from the + ground with all your strength, in which its author has raked + together everything known about the hedgehog, but he doesn't + give me the information I want—just what I went to the + book to find. Now here's what a friend of mine once saw. He's + not a naturalist, nor a sportsman, nor a gamekeeper, and not + a gipsy; he doesn't observe animals or want to find out their + ways; he is a writer, occupied day and night with his + writing, sitting among books, yet he saw something which the + naturalists and gamekeepers haven't seen, so far as I know. + He was going home one moonlight night by a footpath through + the woods when he heard a very strange noise a little + distance ahead, a low whistling sound, very sharp, like the + continuous twittering of a little bird with a voice like a + bat, or a shrew, only softer, more musical. He went on very + cautiously, until he spied two hedgehogs standing on the path + facing each other, with their noses almost or quite touching. + He remained watching and listening to them for some moments, + then tried to go a little nearer and they ran away. + </p> + <p> + "Now I've asked about a dozen gamekeepers if they ever saw + such a thing, and all said they hadn't; they never heard + hedgehogs make that twittering sound, like a bird or a + singing mouse; they had only heard them scream like a rabbit + when in a trap. Now what do you say about it?" + </p> + <p> + "I've never seen anything like that," said the gipsy. "I only + know the hedgehog makes a little whistling sound when he + first comes out at night; I believe it is a sort of call they + have." + </p> + <p> + "But no doubt," I said, "you've seen other queer things in + hedgehogs and in other little animals which I should like to + hear." + </p> + <p> + Yes, he had, first and last, seen a good many queer things + both by day and night, in woods and other places, he replied, + and then continued: "But you see it's like this. We see + something and say, 'Now that's a very curious thing!' and + then we forget all about it. You see, we don't lay no store + by such things; we ain't scholards and don't know nothing + about what's said in books. We see something and say + <i>That's</i> something we never saw before and never heard + tell of, but maybe others have seen it and you can find it in + the books. So that's how 'tis, but if I hadn't forgotten them + I could have told you a lot of queer things." + </p> + <p> + That was all he could say, and few can say more. Caleb was + one of the few who could, and one wonders why it was so, + seeing that he was occupied with his own tasks in the fields + and on the down where wild life is least abundant and varied, + and that his opportunities were so few compared with those of + the gamekeeper. It was, I take it, because he had sympathy + for the creatures he observed, that their actions had stamped + themselves on his memory, because he had seen them + emotionally. We have seen how well he remembered the many + sheep-dogs he had owned, how vividly their various characters + are portrayed in his account of them. I have met with + shepherds who had little to tell about the dogs they had + possessed; they had regarded their dogs as useful servants + and nothing more as long as they lived, and when dead they + were forgotten. But Caleb had a feeling for his dogs which + made it impossible for him to forget them or to recall them + without that tenderness which accompanies the thought of + vanished human friends. In a lesser degree he had something + of this feeling for all animals, down even to the most minute + and unconsidered. I recall here one of his anecdotes of a + very small creature—a shrew, or over-runner, as he + called it. + </p> + <p> + One day when out with his flock a sudden storm of rain caused + him to seek for shelter in an old untrimmed hedge close by. + He crept into the ditch, full of old dead leaves beneath the + tangle of thorns and brambles, and setting his back against + the bank he thrust his legs out, and as he did so was + startled by an outburst of shrill little screams at his feet. + Looking down he spied a shrew standing on the dead leaves + close to his boot, screaming with all its might, its long + thin snout pointed upwards and its mouth wide open; and just + above it, two or three inches perhaps, hovered a small brown + butterfly. There for a few moments it continued hovering + while the shrew continued screaming; then the butterfly + flitted away and the shrew disappeared among the dead leaves. + </p> + <p> + Caleb laughed (a rare thing with him) when he narrated this + little incident, then remarked: "The over-runner was a-crying + 'cause he couldn't catch that leetel butterfly." + </p> + <p> + The shepherd's inference was wrong; he did not know—few + do—that the shrew has the singular habit, when + surprised on the surface and in danger, of remaining + motionless and uttering shrill cries. His foot, set down + close to it, had set it screaming; the small butterfly, no + doubt disturbed at the same moment, was there by chance. I + recall here another little story he related of a bird—a + long-eared owl. + </p> + <p> + One summer there was a great drought, and the rooks, unable + to get their usual food from the hard, sun-baked + pasture-lands, attacked the roots and would have pretty well + destroyed them if the farmer had not protected his swedes by + driving in stakes and running cotton-thread and twine from + stake to stake all over the field. This kept them off, just + as thread keeps the chaffinches from the seed-beds in small + gardens, and as it keeps the sparrows from the crocuses on + lawn and ornamental grounds. One day Caleb caught sight of an + odd-looking, brownish-grey object out in the middle of the + turnip-field, and as he looked it rose up two or three feet + into the air, then dropped back again, and this curious + movement was repeated at intervals of two or three minutes + until he went to see what the thing was. It turned out to be + a long-eared owl, with its foot accidentally caught by a + slack thread, which allowed the bird to rise a couple of feet + into the air; but every such attempt to escape ended in its + being pulled back to the ground again. It was so excessively + lean, so weightless in his hand, when he took it up after + disengaging its foot, that he thought it must have been + captive for the space of two or three days. The wonder was + that it had kept alive during those long midsummer days of + intolerable heat out there in the middle of the burning + field. Yet it was in very fine feather and beautiful to look + at with its long, black ear-tufts and round, orange-yellow + eyes, which would never lose their fiery lustre until glazed + in death. Caleb's first thought on seeing it closely was that + it would have been a prize to anyone who liked to have a + handsome bird stuffed in a glass case. Then raising it over + his head he allowed it to fly, whereupon it flew off a + distance of a dozen or fifteen yards and pitched among the + turnips, after which it ran a little space and rose again + with labour, but soon recovering strength it flew away over + the field and finally disappeared in the deep shade of the + copse beyond. + </p> + <p> + In relating these things the voice, the manner, the + expression in his eyes were more than the mere words, and + displayed the feeling which had caused these little incidents + to endure so long in his memory. + </p> + <p> + The gamekeeper cannot have this feeling: he may come to his + task with the liveliest interest in, even with sympathy for, + the wild creatures amidst which he will spend his life, but + it is all soon lost. His business in the woods is to kill, + and the reflex effect is to extinguish all interest in the + living animal—in its life and mind. It would, indeed, + be a wonderful thing if he could remember any singular action + or appearance of an animal which he had witnessed before + bringing his gun automatically to his shoulder. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch22"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII + </h2> + <h3> + THE MASTER OF THE VILLAGE + </h3> + <blockquote> + Moral effect of the great man—An orphaned + village—The masters of the village.—Elijah + Raven—Strange appearance and character—Elijah's + house—The owls—Two rooms in the + house—Elijah hardens with time—The village club + and its arbitrary secretary—Caleb dips the lambs and + falls ill—His claim on the club rejected—Elijah + in court + </blockquote> + <p> + In my roamings about the downs it is always a relief—a + positive pleasure in fact—to find myself in a village + which has no squire or other magnificent and munificent + person who dominates everybody and everything, and, if he + chooses to do so, plays providence in the community. I may + have no personal objection to him—he is sometimes + almost if not quite human; what I heartily dislike is the + effect of his position (that of a giant among pigmies) on the + lowly minds about him, and the servility, hypocrisy, and + parasitism which spring up and flourish in his wide shadow + whether he likes these moral weeds or not. As a rule he likes + them, since the poor devil has this in common with the rest + of us, that he likes to stand high in the general regard. But + how is he to know it unless he witnesses its outward + beautiful signs every day and every hour on every countenance + he looks upon? Better, to my mind, the severer conditions, + the poverty and unmerited sufferings which cannot be + relieved, with the greater manliness and self-dependence when + the people are left to work out their own destiny. On this + account I was pleased to make the discovery on my first visit + to Caleb's native village that there was no magnate, or other + big man, and no gentleman except the parson, who was not a + rich man. It was, so to speak, one of the orphaned villages + left to fend for itself and fight its own way in a hard + world, and had nobody even to give the customary blankets and + sack of coals to its old women. Nor was there any very big + farmer in the place, certainly no gentleman farmer; they were + mostly small men, some of them hardly to be distinguished in + speech and appearance from their hired labourers. + </p> + <p> + In these small isolated communities it is common to find men + who have succeeded in rising above the others and in + establishing a sort of mastery over them. They are not as a + rule much more intelligent than the others who are never able + to better themselves; the main difference is that they are + harder and more grasping and have more self-control. These + qualities tell eventually, and set a man a little apart, a + little higher than the others, and he gets the taste of + power, which reacts on him like the first taste of blood on + the big cat. Henceforward he has his ideal, his definite + goal, which is to get the upper hand—to be on top. He + may be, and generally is, an exceedingly unpleasant fellow to + have for a neighbour—mean, sordid, greedy, tyrannous, + even cruel, and he may be generally hated and despised as + well, but along with these feelings there will be a kind of + shamefaced respect and admiration for his courage in + following his own line in defiance of what others think and + feel. It is after all with man as with the social animals: he + must have a master—not a policeman, or magistrate, or a + vague, far-away, impersonal something called the authorities + or the government; but a head of the pack or herd, a being + like himself whom he knows and sees and hears and feels every + day. A real man, dressed in old familiar clothes, a + fellow-villager, who, wolf or dog-like, has fought his way to + the mastership. + </p> + <p> + There was a person of this kind at Winterbourne Bishop who + was often mentioned in Caleb's reminiscences, for he had left + a very strong impression on the shepherd's mind—as + strong, perhaps, though in a disagreeable way, as that of + Isaac his father, and of Mr. Ellerby of Doveton. For not only + was he a man of great force of character, but he was of + eccentric habits and of a somewhat grotesque appearance. The + curious name of this person was Elijah Raven. He was a native + of the village and lived till extreme old age in it, the last + of his family, in a small house inherited from his father, + situated about the centre of the village street. It was a + quaint, old, timbered house, little bigger than a cottage, + with a thatched roof, and behind it some outbuildings, a + small orchard, and a field of a dozen or fifteen acres. Here + he lived with one other person, an old man who did the + cooking and housework, but after this man died he lived + alone. Not only was he a bachelor, but he would never allow + any woman to come inside his house. Elijah's one idea was to + get the advantage of others—to make himself master in + the village. Beginning poor, he worked in a small, cautious, + peddling way at farming, taking a field or meadow or strip of + down here and there in the neighbourhood, keeping a few + sheep, a few cows, buying and selling and breeding horses. + The men he employed were those he could get at low + wages—poor labourers who were without a place and + wanted to fill up a vacant time, or men like the Targetts + described in a former chapter who could be imposed upon; also + gipsies who flitted about the country, working in a spasmodic + way when in the mood for the farmers who could tolerate them, + and who were paid about half the wages of an ordinary + labourer. If a poor man had to find money quickly, on account + of illness or some other cause, he could get it from Elijah + at once—not borrowed, since Elijah neither lent nor + gave—but he could sell him anything he + possessed—a horse or cow, or sheepdog, or a piece of + furniture; and if he had nothing to sell, Elijah would give + him something to do and pay him something for it. The great + thing was that Elijah had money which he was always willing + to circulate. At his unlamented death he left several + thousands of pounds, which went to a distant relation, and a + name which does not smell sweet, but is still remembered not + only at Winterbourne Bishop but at many other villages on + Salisbury Plain. + </p> + <p> + Elijah was short of stature, broad-shouldered, with an + abnormally big head and large dark eyes. They say that he + never cut his hair in his life. It was abundant and curly, + and grew to his shoulders, and when he was old and his great + mass of hair and beard became white it was said that he + resembled a gigantic white owl. Mothers frightened their + children into quiet by saying, "Elijah will get you if you + don't behave yourself." He knew and resented this, and though + he never noticed a child, he hated to have the little ones + staring in a half-terrified way at him. To seclude himself + more from the villagers he planted holly and yew bushes + before his house, and eventually the entire building was + hidden from sight by the dense evergreen thicket. The trees + were cut down after his death: they were gone when I first + visited the village and by chance found a lodging in the + house, and congratulated myself that I had got the quaintest, + old rambling rooms I had ever inhabited. I did not know that + I was in Elijah Raven's house, although his name had long + been familiar to me: it only came out one day when I asked my + landlady, who was a native, to tell me the history of the + place. She remembered how as a little girl, full of mischief + and greatly daring, she had sometimes climbed over the low + front wall to hide under the thick yew bushes and watch to + catch a sight of the owlish old man at his door or window. + </p> + <p> + For many years Elijah had two feathered tenants, a pair of + white owls—the birds he so much resembled. They + occupied a small garret at the end of his bedroom, having + access to it through a hole under the thatch. They bred there + in peace, and on summer evenings one of the common sights of + the village was Elijah's owls flying from the house behind + the evergreens and returning to it with mice in their talons. + At such seasons the threat to the unruly children would be + varied to "Old Elijah's owls will get you." Naturally, the + children grew up with the idea of the birds and the owlish + old man associated in their minds. + </p> + <p> + It was odd that the two very rooms which Elijah had occupied + during all those solitary years, the others being given over + to spiders and dust, should have been assigned to me when I + came to lodge in the house. The first, my sitting-room, was + so low that my hair touched the ceiling when I stood up my + full height; it had a brick floor and a wide old fireplace on + one side. Though so low-ceilinged it was very large and good + to be in when I returned from a long ramble on the downs, + sometimes wet and cold, to sit by a wood fire and warm + myself. At night when I climbed to my bedroom by means of the + narrow, crooked, worm-eaten staircase, with two difficult and + dangerous corners to get round, I would lie awake staring at + the small square patch of greyness in the black interior made + by the latticed window; and listening to the wind and rain + outside, would remember that the sordid, owlish old man had + slept there and stared nightly at that same grey patch in the + dark for very many years. If, I thought, that something of a + man which remains here below to haunt the scene of its past + life is more likely to exist and appear to mortal eyes in the + case of a person of strong individuality, then there is a + chance that I may be visited this night by Elijah Raven his + ghost. But his owlish countenance never appeared between me + and that patch of pale dim light; nor did I ever feel a + breath of cold unearthly air on me. + </p> + <p> + Elijah did not improve with time; the years that made him + long-haired, whiter, and more owl-like also made him more + penurious and grasping, and anxious to get the better of + every person about him. There was scarcely a poor person in + the village—not a field labourer nor shepherd nor + farmer's boy, nor any old woman he had employed, who did not + consider that they had suffered at his hands. The very + poorest could not escape; if he got some one to work for + fourpence a day he would find a reason to keep back a portion + of the small sum due to him. At the same time he wanted to be + well thought of, and at length an opportunity came to him to + figure as one who did not live wholly for himself but rather + as a person ready to go out of his way to help his + neighbours. + </p> + <p> + There had long existed a small benefit society or club in the + village to which most of the farm-hands in the parish + belonged, the members numbering about sixty or seventy. + Subscriptions were paid quarterly, but the rules were not + strict, and any member could take a week or a fortnight + longer to pay; when a member fell ill he received half the + amount of his wages a week from the funds in hand, and once a + year they had a dinner. The secretary was a labourer, and in + time he grew old and infirm and could not hold a pen in his + rheumaticky fingers, and a meeting was held to consider what + was to be done in the matter. It was not an easy one to + settle. There were few members capable of keeping the books + who would undertake the duty, as it was unpaid, and no one + among them well known and trusted by all the members. It was + then that Elijah Raven came to the rescue. He attended the + meeting, which he was allowed to do owing to his being a + person of importance—the only one of that description + in the village; and getting up on his legs he made the offer + to act as secretary himself. This came as a great surprise, + and the offer was at once and unanimously accepted, all + unpleasant feelings being forgotten, and for the first time + in his life Elijah heard himself praised as a disinterested + person, one it was good to have in the village. + </p> + <p> + Things went on very well for a time, and at the yearly dinner + of the club, a few months later, Elijah gave an account of + his stewardship, showing that the club had a surplus of two + hundred pounds. Shortly after this trouble began; Elijah, it + was said, was making use of his position as secretary for his + own private interests and to pay off old scores against those + he disliked. When a man came with his quarterly subscription + Elijah would perhaps remember that this person had refused to + work for him or that he had some quarrel with him, and if the + subscription was overdue he would refuse to take it; he would + tell the man that he was no longer a member, and he also + refused to give sick pay to any applicant whose last + subscription was still due, if he happened to be in Elijah's + black book. By and by he came into collision with Caleb, one + of the villagers against whom he cherished a special grudge, + and this small affair resulted in the dissolution of the + club. + </p> + <p> + At this time Caleb was head-shepherd at Bartle's Cross, a + large farm above a mile and a half from the village. One + excessively hot day in August he had to dip the lambs; it was + very hard work to drive them from the farm over a high down + to the stream a mile below the village, where there was a + dipping place, and he was tired and hot, and in a sweat when + he began the work. With his arms bared to the shoulders he + took and plunged his first lamb into the tank. When engaged + in dipping, he said, he always kept his mouth closed tightly + for fear of getting even a drop of the mixture in it, but on + this occasion it unfortunately happened that the man + assisting him spoke to him and he was compelled to reply, but + had no sooner opened his mouth to speak than the lamb made a + violent struggle in his arms and splashed the water over his + face and into his mouth. He got rid of it as quickly as he + could, but soon began to feel bad, and before the work was + over he had to sit down two or three times to rest. However, + he struggled on to the finish, then took the flock home and + went to his cottage. He could do no more. The farmer came to + see what the matter was, and found him in a fever, with face + and throat greatly swollen. "You look bad," he said; "you + must be off to the doctor." But it was five miles to the + village where the doctor lived, and Bawcombe replied that he + couldn't go. "I'm too bad—I couldn't go, master, if you + offered me money for it," he said. + </p> + <p> + Then the farmer mounted his horse and went himself, and the + doctor came. "No doubt," he said, "you've got some of the + poison into your system and took a chill at the same time." + The illness lasted six weeks, and then the shepherd resumed + work, although still feeling very shaky. By and by when the + opportunity came, he went to claim his sick pay—six + shillings a week for the six weeks, his wages being then + twelve shillings. Elijah flatly refused to pay him; his + subscription, he said, had been due for several weeks and he + had consequently forfeited his right to anything. In vain the + shepherd explained that he could not pay when lying ill at + home with no money in the house and receiving no pay from the + farmer. The old man remained obdurate, and with a very heavy + heart the shepherd came out and found three or four of the + villagers waiting in the road outside to hear the result of + the application. + </p> + <p> + They, too, were men who had been turned away from the club by + the arbitrary secretary. Caleb was telling them about his + interview when Elijah came out of the house and, leaning over + the front gate, began to listen. The shepherd then turned + towards him and said in a loud voice: "Mr. Elijah Raven, + don't you think this is a tarrible hard case! I've paid my + subscription every quarter for thirty years and never had + nothing from the fund except two weeks' pay when I were bad + some years ago. Now I've been bad six weeks, and my master + giv' me nothing for that time, and I've got the doctor to pay + and nothing to live on. What am I to do?" + </p> + <p> + Elijah stared at him in silence for some time, then spoke: "I + told you in there I wouldn't pay you one penny of the money + and I'll hold to what I said—in there I said it + indoors, and I say again that indoors I'll never pay + you—no, not one penny piece. But if I happen some day + to meet you out of doors then I'll pay you. Now go." + </p> + <p> + And go he did, very meekly, his wrath going down as he + trudged home; for after all he would have his money by and + by, although the hard old man would punish him for past + offences by making him wait for it. + </p> + <p> + A week or so went by, and then one day while passing through + the village he saw Elijah coming towards him, and said to + himself, Now I'll be paid! When the two men drew near + together he cried out cheerfully, "Good morning, Mr. Raven." + The other without a word and without a pause passed by on his + way, leaving the poor shepherd gazing crestfallen after him. + </p> + <p> + After all he would not get his money! The question was + discussed in the cottages, and by and by one of the villagers + who was not so poor as most of them, and went occasionally to + Salisbury, said he would ask an attorney's advice about the + matter. He would pay for the advice out of his own pocket; he + wanted to know if Elijah could lawfully do such things. + </p> + <p> + To the man's astonishment the attorney said that as the club + was not registered and the members had themselves made Elijah + their head he could do as he liked—no action would lie + against him. But if it was true and it could be proved that + he had spoken those words about paying the shepherd his money + if he met him out of doors, then he could be made to pay. He + also said he would take the case up and bring it into court + if a sum of five pounds was guaranteed to cover expenses in + case the decision went against them. + </p> + <p> + Poor Caleb, with twelve shillings a week to pay his debts and + live on, could guarantee nothing, but by and by when the + lawyer's opinion had been discussed at great length at the + inn and in all the cottages in the village, it was found that + several of Bawcombe's friends were willing to contribute + something towards a guarantee fund, and eventually the sum of + five pounds was raised and handed over to the person who had + seen the lawyer. + </p> + <p> + His first step was to send for Bawcombe, who had to get a day + off and journey in the carrier's cart one market-day to + Salisbury. The result was that action was taken, and in due + time the case came on. Elijah Raven was in court with two or + three of his friends—small working farmers who had some + interested motive in desiring to appear as his supporters. + He, too, had engaged a lawyer to conduct his case. The judge, + said Bawcombe, who had never seen one before, was a tarrible + stern-looking old man in his wig. The plaintiff's lawyer he + did open the case and he did talk and talk a lot, but + Elijah's counsel he did keep on interrupting him, and they + two argued and argued, but the judge he never said no word, + only he looked blacker and more tarrible stern. Then when the + talk did seem all over, Bawcombe, ignorant of the forms, got + up and said, "I beg your lordship's pardon, but may I speak?" + He didn't rightly remember afterwards what he called him, but + 'twere your lordship or your worship, he was sure. "Yes, + certainly, you are here to speak," said the judge, and + Bawcombe then gave an account of his interview with Elijah + and of the conversation outside the house. + </p> + <p> + Then up rose Elijah Raven, and in a loud voice exclaimed, + "Lord, Lord, what a sad thing it is to have to sit here and + listen to this man's lies!" + </p> + <p> + "Sit down, sir," thundered the judge; "sit down and hold your + tongue, or I shall have you removed." + </p> + <p> + Then Elijah's lawyer jumped up, and the judge told him he'd + better sit down too because he knowed who the liar was in + this case. "A brutal case!" he said, and that was the end, + and Bawcombe got his six weeks' sick pay and expenses, and + about three pounds besides, being his share of the society's + funds which Elijah had been advised to distribute to the + members. + </p> + <p> + And that was the end of the Winterbourne Bishop club, and + from that time it has continued without one. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch23"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII + </h2> + <h3> + ISAAC'S CHILDREN + </h3> + <blockquote> + Isaac Bawcombe's family—The youngest son—Caleb + goes to seek David at Wilton sheep-fair—Martha, the + eldest daughter—Her beauty—She marries Shepherd + Ierat—The name of Ierat—Story of Ellen + Ierat—The Ierats go to Somerset—Martha and the + lady of the manor—Martha's travels—Her mistress + dies—Return to Winterbourne Bishop—Shepherd + Ierat's end + </blockquote> + <p> + Caleb was one of five, the middle one, with a brother and + sister older and a brother and sister younger than + himself—a symmetrical family. I have already written + incidentally of the elder brother and the youngest sister, + and in this chapter will complete the history of Isaac's + children by giving an account of the eldest sister and + youngest brother. + </p> + <p> + The brother was David, the hot-tempered young shepherd who + killed his dog Monk, and who afterwards followed his brother + to Warminster. In spite of his temper and "want of sense" + Caleb was deeply attached to him, and when as an old man his + shepherding days were finished he followed his wife to their + new home, he grieved at being so far removed from his + favourite brother. For some time he managed to make the + journey to visit him once a year. Not to his home near + Warminster, but to Wilton, at the time of the great annual + sheep-fair held on 12th September. From his cottage he would + go by the carrier's cart to the nearest town, and thence by + rail with one or two changes by Salisbury to Wilton. + </p> + <p> + After I became acquainted with Caleb he was ill and not + likely to recover, and for over two years could not get + about. During all this time he spoke often to me of his + brother and wished he could see him. I wondered why he did + not write; but he would not, nor would the other. These + people of the older generation do not write to each other; + years are allowed to pass without tidings, and they wonder + and wish and talk of this and that absent member of the + family, trusting it is well with them, but to write a letter + never enters into their minds. + </p> + <p> + At last Caleb began to mend and determined to go again to + Wilton sheep-fair to look for his beloved brother; to + Warminster he could not go; it was too far. September the + 12th saw him once more at the old meeting-place, painfully + making his slow way to that part of the ground where Shepherd + David Bawcombe was accustomed to put his sheep. But he was + not there. "I be here too soon," said Caleb, and sat himself + patiently down to wait, but hours passed and David did not + appear, so he got up and made his way about the fair in + search of him, but couldn't find 'n. Returning to the old + spot he got into conversation with two young shepherds and + told them he was waiting for his brother who always put his + sheep in that part. "What be his name?" they asked, and when + he gave it they looked at one another and were silent. Then + one of them said, "Be you Shepherd Caleb Bawcombe?" and when + he had answered them the other said, "You'll not see your + brother at Wilton to-day. We've come from Doveton, and knew + he. You'll not see your brother no more. He be dead these two + years." + </p> + <p> + Caleb thanked them for telling him, and got up and went his + way very quietly, and got back that night to his cottage. He + was very tired, said his wife; he wouldn't eat and he + wouldn't talk. Many days passed and he still sat in his + corner and brooded, until the wife was angry and said she + never knowed a man make so great a trouble over losing a + brother. 'Twas not like losing a wife or a son, she said; but + he answered not a word, and it was many weeks before that + dreadful sadness began to wear off, and he could talk + cheerfully once more of his old life in the village. + </p> + <p> + Of the sister, Martha, there is much more to say; her life + was an eventful one as lives go in this quiet downland + country, and she was, moreover, distinguished above the + others of the family by her beauty and vivacity. I only knew + her when her age was over eighty, in her native village where + her life ended some time ago, but even at that age there was + something of her beauty left and a good deal of her charm. + She had a good figure still and was of a good height; and had + dark, fine eyes, clear, dark, unwrinkled skin, a finely + shaped face, and her grey hair, once black, was very + abundant. Her manner, too, was very engaging. At the age of + twenty-five she married a shepherd named Thomas Ierat—a + surname I had not heard before and which made me wonder where + were the Ierats in Wiltshire that in all my rambles among the + downland villages I had never come across them, not even in + the churchyards. Nobody knew—there were no Ierats + except Martha Ierat, the widow, of Winterbourne Bishop and + her son—nobody had ever heard of any other family of + the name. I began to doubt that there ever had been such a + name until quite recently when, on going over an old downland + village church, the rector took me out to show me "a strange + name" on a tablet let into the wall of the building outside. + The name was Ierat and the date the seventeenth century. He + had never seen the name excepting on that tablet. Who, then, + was Martha's husband? It was a queer story which she would + never have told me, but I had it from her brother and his + wife. + </p> + <p> + A generation before that of Martha, at a farm in the village + of Bower Chalk on the Ebble, there was a girl named Ellen + Ierat employed as a dairymaid. She was not a native of the + village, and if her parentage and place of birth were ever + known they have long passed out of memory. She was a + good-looking, nice-tempered girl, and was much liked by her + master and mistress, so that after she had been about two + years in their service it came as a great shock to find that + she was in the family way. The shock was all the greater when + the fresh discovery was made one day that another unmarried + woman in the house, who was also a valued servant, was in the + same condition. The two unhappy women had kept their secret + from every one except from each other until it could be kept + no longer, and they consulted together and determined to + confess it to their mistress and abide the consequences. + </p> + <p> + Who were the men? was the first question asked There was only + one—Robert Coombe, the shepherd, who lived at the + farm-house, a slow, silent, almost inarticulate man, with a + round head and flaxen hair; a bachelor of whom people were + accustomed to say that he would never marry because no woman + would have such a stolid, dull-witted fellow for a husband. + But he was a good shepherd and had been many years on the + farm, and it was altogether a terrible business. Forthwith + the farmer got out his horse and rode to the downs to have it + out with the unconscionable wretch who had brought that shame + and trouble on them. He found him sitting on the turf eating + his midday bread and bacon, with a can of cold tea at his + side, and getting off his horse he went up to him and damned + him for a scoundrel and abused him until he had no words + left, then told his shepherd that he must choose between the + two women and marry at once, so as to make an honest woman of + one of the two poor fools; either he must do that or quit the + farm forthwith. + </p> + <p> + Coombe heard in silence and without a change in his + countenance, masticating his food the while and washing it + down with an occasional draught from his can, until he had + finished his meal; then taking his crook he got up, and + remarking that he would "think of it" went after his flock. + </p> + <p> + The farmer rode back cursing him for a clod; and in the + evening Coombe, after folding his flock, came in to give his + decision, and said he had thought of it and would take Jane + to wife. She was a good deal older than Ellen and not so + good-looking, but she belonged to the village and her people + were there, and everybody knowed who Jane was, an' she was an + old servant an' would be wanted on the farm. Ellen was a + stranger among them, and being only a dairymaid was of less + account than the other one. + </p> + <p> + So it was settled, and on the following morning Ellen, the + rejected, was told to take up her traps and walk. + </p> + <p> + What was she to do in her condition, no longer to be + concealed, alone and friendless in the world? She thought of + Mrs. Poole, an elderly woman of Winterbourne Bishop, whose + children were grown up and away from home, who when staying + at Bower Chalk some months before had taken a great liking + for Ellen, and when parting with her had kissed her and said: + "My dear, I lived among strangers too when I were a girl and + had no one of my own, and know what 'tis." That was all; but + there was nobody else, and she resolved to go to Mrs. Poole, + and so laden with her few belongings she set out to walk the + long miles over the downs to Winterbourne Bishop where she + had never been. It was far to walk in hot August weather when + she went that sad journey, and she rested at intervals in the + hot shade of a furze-bush, haunted all day by the miserable + fear that the woman she sought, of whom she knew so little, + would probably harden her heart and close her door against + her. But the good woman took compassion on her and gave her + shelter in her poor cottage, and kept her till her child was + born, in spite of all the women's bitter tongues. And in the + village where she had found refuge she remained to the end of + her life, without a home of her own, but always in a room or + two with her boy in some poor person's cottage. Her life was + hard but not unpeaceful, and the old people, all dead and + gone now, remembered Ellen as a very quiet, staid woman who + worked hard for a living, sometimes at the wash-tub, but + mostly in the fields, haymaking and harvesting and at other + times weeding, or collecting flints, or with a spud or sickle + extirpating thistles in the pasture-land. She worked alone or + with other poor women, but with the men she had no + friendships; the sharpest women's eyes in the village could + see no fault in her in this respect; if it had not been so, + if she had talked pleasantly with them and smiled when + addressed by them, her life would have been made a burden to + her. She would have been often asked who her brat's father + was. The dreadful experience of that day, when she had been + cast out and was alone in the world, when, burdened with her + unborn child, she had walked over the downs in the hot August + weather, in anguish of apprehension, had sunk into her soul. + Her very nature was changed, and in a man's presence her + blood seemed frozen, and if spoken to she answered in + monosyllables with her eyes on the earth. This was noted, + with the result that all the village women were her good + friends; they never reminded her of her fall, and when she + died still young they grieved for her and befriended the + little orphan boy she had left on their hands. + </p> + <p> + He was then about eleven years old, and was a stout little + fellow with a round head and flaxen hair like his father; but + he was not so stolid and not like him in character; at all + events his old widow in speaking of him to me said that never + in all his life did he do one unkind or unjust thing. He came + from a long line of shepherds, and shepherding was perhaps + almost instinctive in him; from his earliest boyhood the + tremulous bleating of the sheep and half-muffled clink of the + copper bells and the sharp bark of the sheep-dog had a + strange attraction for him. He was always ready when a boy + was wanted to take charge of a flock during a temporary + absence of the shepherd, and eventually, when only about + fifteen, he was engaged as under-shepherd, and for the rest + of his life shepherding was his trade. + </p> + <p> + His marriage to Martha Bawcombe came as a surprise to the + village, for though no one had any fault to find with Tommy + Ierat there was a slur on him, and Martha, who was the finest + girl in the place, might, it was thought, have looked for + some one better. But Martha had always liked Tommy; they were + of the same age and had been playmates in their childhood; + growing up together their childish affection had turned to + love, and after they had waited some years and Tommy had a + cottage and seven shillings a week, Isaac and his wife gave + their consent and they were married. Still they felt hurt at + being discussed in this way by the villagers, so that when + Ierat was offered a place as shepherd at a distance from + home, where his family history was not known, he was glad to + take it and his wife to go with him, about a month after her + child was born. + </p> + <p> + The new place was in Somerset, thirty-five to forty miles + from their native village, and Ierat as shepherd at the + manor-house farm on a large estate would have better wages + than he had ever had before and a nice cottage to live in. + Martha was delighted with her new home—the cottage, the + entire village, the great park and mansion close by, all made + it seem like paradise to her. Better than everything was the + pleasant welcome she received from the villagers, who looked + in to make her acquaintance and seemed very much taken with + her appearance and nice, friendly manner. They were all eager + to tell her about the squire and his lady, who were young, + and of how great an interest they took in their people and + how much they did for them and how they were loved by + everybody on the estate. + </p> + <p> + It happens, oddly enough, that I became acquainted with this + same man, the squire, over fifty years after the events I am + relating, when he was past eighty. This acquaintance came + about by means of a letter he wrote me in reference to the + habits of a bird or some such small matter, a way in which I + have become acquainted with scores—perhaps I should say + hundreds—of persons in many parts of the country. He + was a very fine man, the head of an old and distinguished + county family; an ideal squire, and one of the few large + landowners I have had the happiness to meet who was not + devoted to that utterly selfish and degraded form of sport + which consists in the annual rearing and subsequent slaughter + of a host of pheasants. + </p> + <p> + Now when Martha was entertaining half a dozen of her new + neighbours who had come in to see her, and exhibited her baby + to them and then proceeded to suckle it, they looked at one + another and laughed, and one said, "Just you wait till the + lady at the mansion sees 'ee—she'll soon want 'ee to + nurse her little one." + </p> + <p> + What did they mean? They told her that the great lady was a + mother too, and had a little sickly baby and wanted a nurse + for it, but couldn't find a woman to please her. + </p> + <p> + Martha fired up at that. Did they imagine, she asked, that + any great lady in the world with all her gold could tempt her + to leave her own darling to nurse another woman's? She would + not do such a thing—she would rather leave the place + than submit to it. But she didn't believe it—they had + only said that to tease and frighten her! + </p> + <p> + They laughed again, looking admiringly at her as she stood + before them with sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks, and fine + full bust, and only answered, "Just you wait, my dear, till + she sees 'ee." + </p> + <p> + And very soon the lady did see her. The people at the manor + were strict in their religious observances, and it had been + impressed on Martha that she had better attend at morning + service on her first Sunday, and a girl was found by one of + her neighbours to look after the baby in the meantime. And so + when Sunday came she dressed herself in her best clothes and + went to church with the others. The service over, the squire + and his wife came out first and were standing in the path + exchanging greetings with their friends; then as the others + came out with Martha in the midst of the crowd the lady + turned and fixed her eyes on her, and suddenly stepping out + from the group she stopped Martha and said, "Who are + you?—I don't remember your face." + </p> + <p> + "No, ma'am," said Martha, blushing and curtsying. "I be the + new shepherd's wife at the manor-house farm—we've only + been here a few days." + </p> + <p> + The other then said she had heard of her and that she was + nursing her child, and she then told Martha to go to the + mansion that afternoon as she had something to say to her. + </p> + <p> + The poor young mother went in fear and trembling, trying to + stiffen herself against the expected blandishments. + </p> + <p> + Then followed the fateful interview. The lady was satisfied + that she had got hold of the right person at last—the + one in the world who would be able to save her precious + little one "from to die," the poor pining infant on whose + frail little life so much depended! She would feed it from + her full, healthy breasts and give it something of her own + abounding, splendid life. Martha's own baby would do very + well—there was nothing the matter with it, and it would + flourish on "the bottle" or anything else, no matter what. + All she had to do was to go back to her cottage and make the + necessary arrangements, then come to stay at the mansion. + </p> + <p> + Martha refused, and the other smiled; then Martha pleaded and + cried and said she would never never leave her own child, and + as all that had no effect she was angry, and it came into her + mind that if the lady would get angry too she would be + ordered out and all would be over. But the lady wouldn't get + angry, for when Martha stormed she grew more gentle and spoke + tenderly and sweetly, but would still have it her own way, + until the poor young mother could stand it no longer, and so + rushed away in a great state of agitation to tell her husband + and ask him to help her against her enemy. But Tommy took the + lady's side, and his young wife hated him for it, and was in + despair and ready to snatch up her child and run away from + them all, when all at once a carriage appeared at the + cottage, and the great lady herself, followed by a nurse with + the sickly baby in her arms, came in. She had come, she said + very gently, almost pleadingly, to ask Martha to feed her + child once, and Martha was flattered and pleased at the + request, and took and fondled the infant in her arms, then + gave it suck at her beautiful breast. And when she had fed + the child, acting very tenderly towards it like a mother, her + visitor suddenly burst into tears, and taking Martha in her + arms she kissed her and pleaded with her again until she + could resist no more; and it was settled that she was to live + at the mansion and come once every day to the village to feed + her own child from the breast. + </p> + <p> + Martha's connexion with the people at the mansion did not end + when she had safely reared the sickly child. The lady had + become attached to her and wanted to have her always, + although Martha could not act again as wet nurse, for she had + no more children herself. And by and by when her mistress + lost her health after the birth of a third child and was + ordered abroad, she took Martha with her, and she passed a + whole year with her on the Continent, residing in France and + Italy. They came home again, but as the lady continued to + decline in health she travelled again, still taking Martha + with her, and they visited India and other distant countries, + including the Holy Land; but travel and wealth and all that + the greatest physicians in the world could do for her, and + the tender care of a husband who worshipped her, availed not, + and she came home in the end to die; and Martha went back to + her Tommy and the boy, to be separated no more while their + lives lasted. + </p> + <p> + The great house was shut up and remained so for years. The + squire was the last man in England to shirk his duties as + landlord and to his people whom he loved, and who loved him + as few great landowners are loved in England, but his grief + was too great for even his great strength to bear up against, + and it was long feared by his friends that he would never + recover from his loss. But he was healed in time, and ten + years later married again and returned to his home, to live + there until nigh upon his ninetieth year. Long before this + the Ierats had returned to their native village. When I last + saw Martha, then in her eighty-second year, she gave me the + following account of her Tommy's end. + </p> + <p> + He continued shepherding up to the age of seventy-eight. One + Sunday, early in the afternoon, when she was ill with an + attack of influenza, he came home, and putting aside his + crook said, "I've done work." + </p> + <p> + "It's early," she replied, "but maybe you got the boy to mind + the sheep for you." + </p> + <p> + "I don't mean I've done work for the day," he returned. "I've + done for good—I'll not go with the flock no more." + </p> + <p> + "What be saying?" she cried in sudden alarm. "Be you feeling + bad—what be the matter?" + </p> + <p> + "No, I'm not bad," he said. "I'm perfectly well, but I've + done work;" and more than that he would not say. + </p> + <p> + She watched him anxiously but could see nothing wrong with + him; his appetite was good, he smoked his pipe, and was + cheerful. + </p> + <p> + Three days later she noticed that he had some difficulty in + pulling on a stocking when dressing in the morning, and went + to his assistance. He laughed and said, "Here's a funny + thing! You be ill and I be well, and you've got to help me + put on a stocking!" and he laughed again. + </p> + <p> + After dinner that day he said he wanted a drink and would + have a glass of beer. There was no beer in the house, and she + asked him if he would have a cup of tea. + </p> + <p> + "Oh, yes, that'll do very well," he said, and she made it for + him. + </p> + <p> + After drinking his cup of tea he got a footstool, and placing + it at her feet sat down on it and rested his head on her + knees; he remained a long time in this position so perfectly + still that she at length bent over and felt and examined his + face, only to discover that he was dead. + </p> + <p> + And that was the end of Tommy Ierat, the son of Ellen. He + died, she said, like a baby that has been fed and falls + asleep on its mother's breast. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ch24"><!--Marker--></a> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV + </h2> + <h3> + LIVING IN THE PAST + </h3> + <blockquote> + Evening talks—On the construction of + sheep-folds—Making hurdles—Devil's + guts—Character in sheep-dogs—Sally the spiteful + dog—Dyke the lost dog who returned—Strange + recovery of a lost dog—Badger the playful + dog—Badger shepherds the fowls—A ghost + story—A Sunday-evening talk—Parsons and + ministers—Noisy religion—The shepherd's love of + his calling—Mark Dick and the giddy + sheep—Conclusion + </blockquote> + <p> + During our frequent evening talks, often continued till a + late hour, it was borne in on Caleb Bawcombe that his + anecdotes of wild creatures interested me more than anything + else he had to tell; but in spite of this, or because he + could not always bear it in mind, the conversation almost + invariably drifted back to the old subject of sheep, of which + he was never tired. Even in his sleep he does not forget + them; his dreams, he says, are always about sheep; he is with + the flock, shifting the hurdles, or following it out on the + down. A troubled dream when he is ill or uneasy in his sleep + is invariably about some difficulty with the flock; it gets + out of his control, and the dog cannot understand him or + refuses to obey when everything depends on his instant + action. The subject was so much to him, so important above + all others, that he would not spare the listener even the + minutest details of the shepherd's life and work. His "hints + on the construction of sheep-folds" would have filled a + volume; and if any farmer had purchased the book he would not + have found the title a misleading one and that he had been + defrauded of his money. But with his singular fawn-like face + and clear eyes on his listener it was impossible to fall + asleep, or even to let the attention wander; and incidentally + even in his driest discourse there were little bright touches + which one would not willingly have missed. + </p> + <p> + About hurdles he explained that it was common for the + downland shepherds to repair the broken and worn-out ones + with the long woody stems of the bithywind from the hedges; + and when I asked what the plant was he described the wild + clematis or traveller's-joy; but those names he did not + know—to him the plant had always been known as + <i>bithywind</i> or else <i>Devil's guts</i>. It struck me + that bithywind might have come by the transposition of two + letters from withybind, as if one should say flutterby for + butterfly, or flagondry for dragonfly. Withybind is one of + the numerous vernacular names of the common convolvulus. + Lilybind is another. But what would old Gerarde, who invented + the pretty name of traveller's-joy for that ornament of the + wayside hedges, have said to such a name as Devil's guts? + </p> + <p> + There was, said Caleb, an old farmer in the parish of Bishop + who had a peculiar fondness for this plant, and if a shepherd + pulled any of it out of one of his hedges after leafing-time + he would be very much put out; he would shout at him, "Just + you leave my Devil's guts alone or I'll not keep you on the + farm." And the shepherds in revenge gave him the unpleasant + nickname of "Old Devil's Guts," by which he was known in that + part of the country. + </p> + <p> + As a rule, talk about sheep, or any subject connected with + sheep, would suggest something about sheepdogs individual + dogs he had known or possessed, and who always had their own + character and peculiarities, like human beings. They were + good and bad and indifferent; a really bad dog was a rarity; + but a fairly good dog might have some trick or vice or + weakness. There was Sally, for example, a stump-tail bitch, + as good a dog with sheep as he ever possessed, but you had to + consider her feelings. She would keenly resent any injustice + from her master. If he spoke too sharply to her, or rebuked + her unnecessarily for going a little out of her way just to + smell at a rabbit burrow, she would nurse her anger until an + opportunity came of inflicting a bite on some erring sheep. + Punishing her would have made matters worse: the only way was + to treat her as a reasonable being and never to speak to her + as a dog—a mere slave. + </p> + <p> + Dyke was another dog he remembered well. He belonged to old + Shepherd Matthew Titt, who was head-shepherd at a farm near + Warminster, adjacent to the one where Caleb worked. Old Mat + and his wife lived alone in their cottage out of the village, + all their children having long grown up and gone away to a + distance from home, and being so lonely "by their two selves" + they loved their dog just as others love their relations. But + Dyke deserved it, for he was a very good dog. One year Mat + was sent by his master with lambs to Weyhill, the little + village near Andover, where a great sheep-fair is held in + October every year. It was distant over thirty miles, but Mat + though old was a strong man still and greatly trusted by his + master. From this journey he returned with a sad heart, for + he had lost Dyke. He had disappeared one night while they + were at Weyhill. Old Mrs. Titt cried for him as she would + have cried for a lost son, and for many a long day they went + about with heavy hearts. + </p> + <p> + Just a year had gone by when one night the old woman was + roused from sleep by loud knocks on the window-pane of the + living-room below. "Mat! Mat!" she cried, shaking him + vigorously, "wake up—old Dyke has come back to us!" + "What be you talking about?" growled the old shepherd. "Lie + down and go to sleep—you've been dreaming." "'Tain't no + dream; 'tis Dyke—I know his knock," she cried, and + getting up she opened the window and put her head well out, + and there sure enough was Dyke, standing up against the wall + and gazing up at her, and knocking with his paw against the + window below. + </p> + <p> + Then Mat jumped up, and going together downstairs they + unbarred the door and embraced the dog with joy, and the rest + of the night was spent in feeding and caressing him, and + asking him a hundred questions, which he could only answer by + licking their hands and wagging his tail. + </p> + <p> + It was supposed that he had been stolen at the fair, probably + by one of the wild, little, lawless men called "general + dealers," who go flying about the country in a trap drawn by + a fast-trotting pony; that he had been thrown, muffled up, + into the cart and carried many a mile away, and sold to some + shepherd, and that he had lost his sense of direction. But + after serving a stranger a full year he had been taken with + sheep to Weyhill Fair once more, and once there he knew where + he was, and had remembered the road leading to his old home + and master, and making his escape had travelled the thirty + long miles back to Warminster. + </p> + <p> + The account of Dyke's return reminded me of an equally good + story of the recovery of a lost dog which I heard from a + shepherd on the Avon. He had been lost over a year, when one + day the shepherd, being out on the down with his flock, stood + watching two drovers travelling with a flock on the turnpike + road below, nearly a mile away, and by and by hearing one of + their dogs bark he knew at that distance that it was his dog. + "I haven't a doubt," he said to himself, "and if I know his + bark he'll know my whistle." With that he thrust two fingers + in his mouth and blew his shrillest and longest whistle, then + waited the result. Presently he spied a dog, still at a great + distance, coming swiftly towards him; it was his own dog, mad + with joy at finding his old master. + </p> + <p> + Did ever two friends, long sundered by unhappy chance, + recognize each other's voices at such a distance and so come + together once more! + </p> + <p> + Whether the drovers had seen him desert them or not, they did + not follow to recover him, nor did the shepherd go to them to + find out how they had got possession of him; it was enough + that he had got his dog back. + </p> + <p> + No doubt in this case the dog had recognized his old home + when taken by it, but he was in another man's hands now, and + the habits and discipline of a life made it impossible for + him to desert until that old, familiar, and imperative call + reached his ears and he could not disobey. + </p> + <p> + Then (to go on with Caleb's reminiscences) there was Badger, + owned by a farmer and worked for some years by + Caleb—the very best stump-tail he ever had to help him. + This dog differed from others in his vivacious temper and + ceaseless activity. When the sheep were feeding quietly and + there was little or nothing to do for hours at a time, he + would not lie down and go to sleep like any other sheep-dog, + but would spend his vacant time "amusing of hisself" on some + smooth slope where he could roll over and over; then run back + and roll over again and again, playing by himself just like a + child. Or he would chase a butterfly or scamper about over + the down hunting for large white flints, which he would bring + one by one and deposit them at his master's feet, pretending + they were something of value and greatly enjoying the game. + This dog, Caleb said, would make him laugh every day with his + games and capers. + </p> + <p> + When Badger got old his sight and hearing failed; yet when he + was very nearly blind and so deaf that he could not hear a + word of command, even when it was shouted out quite close to + him, he was still kept with the flock because he was so + intelligent and willing. But he was too old at last; it was + time for him to be put out of the way. The farmer, however, + who owned him, would not consent to have him shot, and so the + wistful old dog was ordered to keep at home at the + farm-house. Still he refused to be superannuated, and not + allowed to go to the flock he took to shepherding the fowls. + In the morning he would drive them out to their run and keep + them there in a flock, going round and round them by the + hour, and furiously hunting back the poor hens that tried to + steal off to lay their eggs in some secret place. This could + not be allowed, and so poor old Badger, who would have been + too miserable if tied up, had to be shot after all. + </p> + <p> + These were always his best stories—his recollections of + sheep-dogs, for of all creatures, sheep alone excepted, he + knew and loved them best. Yet for one whose life had been + spent in that small isolated village and on the bare down + about it, his range was pretty wide, and it even included one + memory of a visitor from the other world. Let him tell it in + his own words. + </p> + <p> + "Many say they don't believe there be such things as + ghosties. They niver see'd 'n. An' I don't say I believe or + disbelieve what I hear tell. I warn't there to see. I only + know what I see'd myself: but I don't say that it were a + ghostie or that it wasn't one. I was coming home late one + night from the sheep; 'twere close on 'leven o'clock, a very + quiet night, with moonsheen that made it a'most like day. + Near th' end of the village I come to the stepping-stones, as + we call 'n, where there be a gate and the road, an' just by + the road the four big white stones for people going from the + village to the copse an' the down on t'other side to step + over the water. In winter 'twas a stream there, but the water + it dried in summer, and now 'twere summer-time and there wur + no water. When I git there I see'd two women, both on 'em + tall, with black gowns on, an' big bonnets they used to wear; + an' they were standing face to face so close that the tops o' + their bonnets wur a'most touching together. Who be these + women out so late? says I to myself. Why, says I, they be + Mrs. Durk from up in the village an' Mrs. Gaarge Durk, the + keeper's wife down by the copse. Then I thought I know'd how + 'twas: Mrs. Gaarge, she'd a been to see Mrs. Durk in the + village, and Mrs. Durk she were coming out a leetel way with + her, so far as the stepping-stones, and they wur just having + a last leetel talk before saying Good night. But mind, I + hear'd no talking when I passed 'n. An' I'd hardly got past + 'n before I says, Why, what a fool be I! Mrs. Durk she be + dead a twelvemonth, an' I were in the churchyard and see'd + her buried myself. Whatever be I thinking of? That made me + stop and turn round to look at 'n agin. An' there they was + just as I see'd 'n at first—Mrs. Durk, who was dead a + twelvemonth, an' Mrs. Gaarge Durk from the copse, standing + there with their bonnets a'most touching together. An' I + couldn't hear nothing—no talking, they were so still as + two posties. Then something came over me like a tarrible + coldness in the blood and down my back, an' I were afraid, + and turning I runned faster than I ever runned in my life, + an' never stopped—not till I got to the cottage." + </p> + <p> + It was not a bad ghost story: but then such stories seldom + are when coming from those who have actually seen, or believe + they have seen, an immaterial being. Their principal charm is + in their infinite variety; you never find two real or true + ghost stories quite alike, and in this they differ from the + weary inventions of the fictionist. + </p> + <p> + But invariably the principal subject was sheep. + </p> + <p> + "I did always like sheep," said Caleb. "Some did say to me + that they couldn't abide shepherding because of the Sunday + work. But I always said, Someone must do it; they must have + food in winter and water in summer, and must be looked after, + and it can't be worse for me to do it." + </p> + <p> + It was on a Sunday afternoon, and the distant sound of the + church bells had set him talking on this subject. He told me + how once, after a long interval, he went to the Sunday + morning service in his native village, and the vicar preached + a sermon about true religion. Just going to church, he said, + did not make men religious. Out there on the downs there were + shepherds who seldom saw the inside of a church, who were + sober, righteous men and walked with God every day of their + lives. Caleb said that this seemed to touch his heart because + he knowed it was true. + </p> + <p> + When I asked him if he would not change the church for the + chapel, now he was ill and his vicar paid him no attention, + while the minister came often to see and talk to him, as I + had witnessed, he shook his head and said that he would never + change. He then added: "We always say that the chapel + ministers are good men: some say they be better than the + parsons; but all I've knowed—all them that have talked + to me—have said bad things of the Church, and that's + not true religion: I say that the Bible teaches different." + </p> + <p> + Caleb could not have had a very wide experience, and most of + us know Dissenting ministers who are wholly free from the + fault he pointed out; but in the purely rural districts, in + the small villages where the small men are found, it is + certainly common to hear unpleasant things said of the parish + priest by his Nonconformist rival; and should the parson have + some well-known fault or make a slip, the other is apt to + chuckle over it with a very manifest and most unchristian + delight. + </p> + <p> + The atmosphere on that Sunday afternoon was very still, and + by and by through the open window floated a strain of music; + it was from the brass band of the Salvationists who were + marching through the next village, about two miles away. We + listened, then Caleb remarked: "Somehow I never cared to go + with them Army people. Many say they've done a great good, + and I don't disbelieve it, but there was too much what I + call—NOISE; if, sir, you can understand what I mean." + </p> + <p> + I once heard the great Dr. Parker speak the word imagination, + or, as he pronounced it, im-madge-i-na-shun, with a volume of + sound which filled a large building and made the quality he + named seem the biggest thing in the universe. That in my + experience was his loftiest oratorical feat; but I think the + old shepherd rose to a greater height when, after a long + pause during which he filled his lungs with air, he brought + forth the tremendous word, dragging it out gratingly, so as + to illustrate the sense in the prolonged harsh sound. + </p> + <p> + To show him that I understood what he meant very well, I + explained the philosophy of the matter as follows: He was a + shepherd of the downs, who had lived always in a quiet + atmosphere, a noiseless world, and from lifelong custom had + become a lover of quiet. The Salvation Army was born in a + very different world, in East London—the dusty, busy, + crowded world of streets, where men wake at dawn to sounds + that are like the opening of hell's gates, and spend their + long strenuous days and their lives in that atmosphere + peopled with innumerable harsh noises, until they, too, + acquire the noisy habit, and come at last to think that if + they have anything to say to their fellows, anything to sell + or advise or recommend, from the smallest thing—from a + mackerel or a cabbage or a penn'orth of milk, to a newspaper + or a book or a picture or a religion—they must howl and + yell it out at every passer-by. And the human voice not being + sufficiently powerful, they provide themselves with bells and + gongs and cymbals and trumpets and drums to help them in + attracting the attention of the public. + </p> + <p> + He listened gravely to this outburst, and said he didn't know + exactly 'bout that, but agreed that it was very quiet on the + downs, and that he loved their quiet. "Fifty years," he said, + "I've been on the downs and fields, day and night, seven days + a week, and I've been told that it's a poor way to spend a + life, working seven days for ten or twelve, or at most + thirteen shillings. But I never seen it like that; I liked + it, and I always did my best. You see, sir, I took a pride in + it. I never left a place but I was asked to stay. When I left + it was because of something I didn't like. I couldn't never + abide cruelty to a dog or any beast. And I couldn't abide bad + language. If my master swore at the sheep or the dog I + wouldn't bide with he—no, not for a pound a week. I + liked my work, and I liked knowing things about sheep. Not + things in books, for I never had no books, but what I found + out with my own sense, if you can understand me. + </p> + <p> + "I remember, when I were young, a very old shepherd on the + farm; he had been more 'n forty years there, and he was + called Mark Dick. He told me that when he were a young man he + was once putting the sheep in the fold, and there was one + that was giddy—a young ewe. She was always a-turning + round and round and round, and when she got to the gate she + wouldn't go in but kept on a-turning and turning, until at + last he got angry and, lifting his crook, gave her a crack on + the head, and down she went, and he thought he'd killed her. + But in a little while up she jumps and trotted straight into + the fold, and from that time she were well. Next day he told + his master, and his master said, with a laugh, 'Well, now you + know what to do when you gits a giddy sheep.' Some time after + that Mark Dick he had another giddy one, and remembering what + his master had said, he swung his stick and gave her a big + crack on the skull, and down went the sheep, dead. He'd + killed it this time, sure enough. When he tells of this one + his master said, 'You've cured one and you've killed one; now + don't you try to cure no more,' he says. + </p> + <p> + "Well, some time after that I had a giddy one in my flock. + I'd been thinking of what Mark Dick had told me, so I caught + the ewe to see if I could find out anything. I were always a + tarrible one for examining sheep when they were ill. I found + this one had a swelling at the back of her head; it were like + a soft ball, bigger 'n a walnut. So I took my knife and + opened it, and out ran a lot of water, quite clear; and when + I let her go she ran quite straight, and got well. After that + I did cure other giddy sheep with my knife, but I found out + there were some I couldn't cure. They had no swelling, and + was giddy because they'd got a maggot on the brain or some + other trouble I couldn't find out." + </p> + <p> + Caleb could not have finished even this quiet Sunday + afternoon conversation, in the course of which we had risen + to lofty matters, without a return to his old favourite + subjects of sheep and his shepherding life on the downs. He + was long miles away from his beloved home now, lying on his + back, a disabled man who would never again follow a flock on + the hills nor listen to the sounds he loved best to + hear—the multitudinous tremulous bleatings of the + sheep, the tinklings of numerous bells, and crisp ringing + bark of his dog. But his heart was there still, and the + images of past scenes were more vivid in him than they can + ever be in the minds of those who live in towns and read + books. "I can see it now," was a favourite expression of his + when relating some incident in his past life. Whenever a + sudden light, a kind of smile, came into his eyes, I knew + that it was at some ancient memory, a touch of quaintness or + humour in some farmer or shepherd he had known in the + vanished time—his father, perhaps, or old John, or Mark + Dick, or Liddy, or Dan'l Burdon, the solemn seeker after + buried treasure. + </p> + <p> + After our long Sunday talk we were silent for a time, and + then he uttered these impressive words: "I don't say that I + want to have my life again, because 'twould be sinful. We + must take what is sent. But if 'twas offered to me and I was + told to choose my work, I'd say, Give me my Wiltsheer Downs + again and let me be a shepherd there all my life long." + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Shepherd's Life, by W. H. 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