286 

 THE WANDERERS. 



An encampment of Gipsies was, a few days since, to be seen 

 near Knackersknowle, about a quarter of a mile from the village, 

 on the road leading thence to St. Budeaux. 



A stream of smoke stealing over a high hedge, the light-hearted 

 laugh of girls, and the prattling of children, induced us to climb 

 over a gate and introduce ourselves to the party of wanderers ; by 

 whom we were received with a cordial and unaffected welcome. 

 Three tents were pitched for the accommodation of the strollers at 

 night; each one resembling the cover of a small waggon, and fur- 

 nished inside with an ample resting place of straw and blankets, 

 together with manifold carpets, which assuredly were never 

 stitched together with the design of forming part of gipsy house- 

 hold stuff. A horse was near at hand, in the lane, tethered to a 

 tree, and luxuriating in an abundant feed of hay, which appeared 

 to have been recently taken, as a loan, from a neighbouring stack ; 

 and a most philosophical-looking jackass stood chewing the cud 

 of sweet and bitter fancy as he gazed, at a respectful distance, on 

 the crackling fire. A couple of dogs formed part of the group; 

 one, a faithful but ferocious looking beast, was chained to a hazel 

 stump; the other, which was wonderfully deficient in flesh, salu- 

 ted tlje intruders with many a magniloquent howl : but was 

 speedily awed into silence by a few unintelligible words from its 

 mistresses. 



In front of the principal tent was a fire, fed with brushwood; 

 over which was suspended on two slight stakes, simply but inge- 

 niously fixed, a large tin pot, in which a duck, a piece of mutton, 

 and a fragment of beef were jostling each other, and bobbing up 

 and down in glorious ebullition, as if they were highly delighted 

 with so much warmth on a chilly morning. The beef and mut- 

 ton might have been the proceeds of chiromancy, but the duck 

 was, without doubt, borrowed from some distant poultry house. 

 One of the young Egyptians was busied in peeling some fine 

 potatoes, yet encrusted with the moist earth in which they had 

 lately reposed ; a sturdy limbed young imp was busied in cutting 

 some of these into small pieces, which were introduced, with 

 some fragments of beef fat, into a cast iron pot, the seething of 

 which cast up a savour that would have created an appetite under 

 the ribs of a sick man. Another brunette had amalgamated some 

 pounds of flour, with a due modicum of beef suet and water, 

 until a rather comical looking paste was engendered ; a small 

 portion of this was wrapped round single, unpeeled, rosy-cheeked 

 apples, which were consigned, unlimitedly, to the same omniver- 

 ous cauldron. Cabbages too, and excellent in kind and quantity, 

 were undergoing ablution preparatory to immersion in the same 

 bath ; which in the course of an hour, must have been relished 

 by the providers far more keenly than ever yet was turtle or 

 ox- tail soup by a crimson gilled alderman. 



