387 

 THE STATUTES.* COUNTRY SKETCHES. No. III. 



IT was betimes in the morning that we were on our way to the 

 beautiful village of Beckingham, in Lincolnshire. Part of our road 

 lay along the Delf-namper, a fine long lake, famous with us when 

 boys for its tall bull-rushes, water-flag flowers, wild ducks, and 

 water-hen nests. A greater part of its shining surface was covered 

 with tufted reeds ; with these we used to bedeck our hats, and march 

 away, proud as medal-bearing soldiers. 



On turning to the right, our course winded through beautiful 

 green fields, the only obstructions being a few rugged stiles, or rude 

 bridges, formed of fallen trees, that stretched across some gurgling 

 pebbly brook. Crab-trees towered above every long low hawthorn 

 hedge, laden with their green sour fruit, which rustic hands but 

 rarely gathered : the harvest-fields were now silent, save when the 

 sound of some distant gun rolled through the valleys : a few bean- 

 stoucks yet remained blackening in the sharp blue autumnal air : at 

 times a farmer might be seen galloping beneath the variegated trees, 

 from some dry stubble-field, and the clap of the far-off gate echoed 

 across the slumbering landscape. 



When we had gained a gradual ascent of rising hills, the eye was 

 at once struck with an extensive fertile valley, which spread far on 

 either hand, until it appeared to soften and mingle with the sur- 

 rounding sky. The old church-spire rose above its venerable elms, 

 where scores of noisy rooks were circling round, or sunning them- 

 selves on the elastic twigs that bore their fragile habitations. The 

 village was entirely sheltered from the bleak north wind by a lofty 

 ridge of wood-crowned hills, that stretched far away to the wild 

 wolds of Yorkshire. The Beck lay in the centre of its white- washed 

 cottages, like sleeping silver ; seldom, indeed, was its polished surface 

 disturbed after day-dawn, when the lark-roused ploughboy halted to 

 water his horses, as he went carolling up the flowery lanes, answered 

 by a thousand early-rising songsters, that were warbling on the sur- 

 rounding trees, and dew-spangled hawthorn hedges. 



As yet the orchard-trees were laden with fruit ; red-rinded winter 

 apples, and golden pippins, with hard bell-tongued pears, almost 

 buried beneath the kindled foliage of autumn. The farm-yards 

 were filled with stacks, nicely thatched, on which some straw-formed 

 outlandish figure veered round, amid the flutter of rags to scare away 

 the birds : clouds of hungry sparrows flew from the sides of the 

 immense ricks, when disturbed by a passing voice, to the roof of the 

 neighbouring barn, and then, with a loud chirp, flew back, and buried 

 their little forms in the full ripe corn. 



Groups of young men and women were parading up and down the 

 hedge-girded village street, some playing with quoits, others at pick- 

 and-hussle, wrestling, and single-stick j very few stood without a 



* Statutes a sort of meeting or fair, held annually in country villages, for the 

 purpose of hiring servants : the country people call it " Statice." 



