156 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



during a very high wind, he was knocked down senseless 

 by a tile falling on his head, and, recovering conscious- 

 ness, found himself surrounded by a number of persons 

 who had come to his assistance. Picking himself up 

 and pointing to the tile at his feet which had knocked 

 him down, he solemnly remarked, "It comes from 

 above." At which the crowd laughed, for they were 

 a frivolous people in that town, and they asked him 

 where else it could come from? 



That little town of ancient memories and a cloud- 

 burst, with the villages around it, is a good place to be 

 in, but it could not keep me since I could not find there 

 what I had gone out to seek; so very soon I turned 

 eastward again, going by way of Poole, which I had 

 not seen for some years. There I met with a surprising 

 experience. There is a fine public park at Poole, with 

 extensive green spaces and a lake for boating — the 

 largest lake in any public park in England. At six 

 o'clock in the evening it was thronged with the towns- 

 people who had gathered at that place to recreate them- 

 selves after their day's work, and never have I seen 

 a people enjoy themselves more heartily, or one that 

 seemed more like a naturally joyous people. The great- 

 est crowd was round the bandstand, where hundreds of 

 people were resting on chairs or sitting and lying on 

 the grass, whilst others danced on the green or on the 

 large open-air dancing floors made for the purpose. 

 Further away youths and boys were running races and 

 playing ball on the lawns, whilst numbers of prettily- 

 dressed girls flitted up and down the paths on bicycles. 



