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36 



CHRISTMAS NUMBER AND ALMANAC 



all the year round without a little bit of fair maid. They are 

 very good fresh also, but that is fitter for dinner. Mr. Tre- 

 gelly has set up a salting-liouse, and all the boats are his, so 

 we shall have a great pilchard trade here this year." 



But tlie tourists could not stay to feast on potato cakes, 

 and fruit, and cream, and to study the science of preserving 

 pilchards, so tliey &x.ed a day for proceeding on their journey, 

 their host selecting Wednesday for the start, because of it 

 being market day. What the Looe market could have to do 

 with their tour was a puzzle to them, but granny solved their 

 difficulty. 



" This is how it is, my dears;" she said; " Mr. Tregelly 

 wants to save you expense, so he will drive one of you as far 

 as Fowey in his land gig, and the lawyer from Fowey will 

 come to the market, and he will take the other with him. 

 You see land gigs are the lightest and most suitable carnages 

 for these hUly roads, but it is tiresome that they only cany 

 two." 



Poor Dove looked so nervous at the thought of a drive inth 

 a stranger, that Mauve at once proposed her as Mr. Tregelly's 

 companion, and herself awaited the convenience of the 

 strange lawyer. The summer sun was already low, when 

 Lawyer Black brought his " land gig" to the door. Dove 

 and her liost had started two hours before, and Mauve had 

 begun to fear that the lawyer had forgotten her. But no, the 

 gig came to the door, and Mauve took her place by the 

 stranger. Up hill they went and down hill ; it was not a 

 monotonous drive, for though the lawyer was not very con- 

 versational, the horse made himself very entertaining, always 

 jibbing up hill or dancing down hill. Then, though the 

 darkness cut oflf all sight of the lovely prospect, the glow- 

 worms lit their lamps in abundance, and made the hedge- 

 rows into ilhuninated pleasm'e grounds. Suddenly the driver 

 pulled up short, and Mauve only then noticed that they had 

 reached the bank of a mde river. Mr. Black put his hand to 

 his mouth and shouted, " Horse-boat, a-hoy ! " I'cpeating the 

 shout several times before handing his companion from the 

 gig. Soon the plash of oars was heard, the horse, carriage, 

 and passengers entered the boat, and the oarsmen began to 

 pull across. As the boat turned they saw the lights of Fowey 

 on the hill side opposite, and as the oars troubled the water 

 phosphorescent light glanced from the spray. 



At the house of Mr. Tregelly's brother the tourists were 

 hospitably received, and Mauve was warmly congratulated 

 upon her safe though tardy arrival. Mrs. Tregelly praised 

 her courage in venturing to travel with such a dangerous 

 horse, and promised her a safer excursion on the morrow. 

 She had been kindly planning a row up the river to Lost- 

 withiel, where a great variety of flowers were to be fonnd ; 

 she only regretted that, her husband being otherwise engaged, 

 she and her fourteen year old son must be the boatmen. 



The chance of getting flowers and a free passage was a 

 temptation not to be resisted, and Dove was charmed mth 

 the prospect. Mauve M-as less delighted, for her nerves, 

 though strong enough regarding strangers and horses, were 

 weak upon water, and she would have been happier with 

 more skilled boatmen. 



The morning dawned brightly, and after an early breakfast 

 they wished their kind host good-bye, and proceeded down 

 the garden steps to the boat which was moored there. It 

 was a rising tide, and the harliom' looked gay and picturesque 

 in the extreme. Many foreign vessels were there, merchant- 

 men principally from Norway, and the sing-song cry of the 

 sailors, as they performed their regular morning's work, 

 added to the general charm of the scene. Mrs. Tregelly and 

 George rowed bravely, and witli the tide in their favour soon 

 left the harbour behind, and lost sight of the blue sea, but 

 still the river was broad and deep. Up ran the tide, and up 

 darted the bonny boat, between the banks so richly wooded, 

 and by mansion and cottage, till the valley widened, and 'the 

 river narrowed, and they reached Lostmtliiel.; 



"It is not high tide, yet," said Mi-s. Tregelly, "so you have 

 plenty of time for botanising, and these salt marshes are good 

 hunting grounds for you. I have business in the town, but 

 I will return in two hom-s ; the half-tide will serve for our 

 return." 



And now the search for flowers began in earnest, and the 

 tin case fiUed rapidly. First, there was the Sea Milkwort, 

 throwing up its small leafy spikes in scores at and beyond 



high tide mark (Glaux maritima) ; then the Brookweed 

 (Samolus valerandi), with its primrose-shaped white blos- 

 soms, egg-shaped leaves, and tall stems. The Thrift was 

 there, of course (Statice ai-meria), and its rose-coloured tufts 

 of blossom made the short turf quite gay. It was too early 

 for the flowers of the Sea Lavender (Statice limoniura), but 

 its fleshy leaves were there in abundance, as also those of the 

 Sea Aster (Atripolium), and the glaucous foliage of the 

 Shrubby Orache (Atriple.x portulacoidcs) puzzled them 

 greatly, for there was as yet no indication of the flower spikes. 

 The Sea Club rush (Scirjius maritimus), v.'ith its bracteated 

 panicle, was nearly in iierfection ; the many-stalkcd Spike 

 Rush (Eleocharis multicaulis), and the Reflexed Sweet-grasa 

 (Glyccria distaus), with its partially decmnbent stems and 

 stiff panicles. 



The time passed quickly to the botanists, as they wandered 

 about gathering these plants, and stowing them away in 

 their tin case ; and mIicu Mrs. Tregelly returned, she was 

 astonished to find that the}' had been in no anxiety about 

 her lengthened absence, nor had even eaten the luncheon 

 they had brought with them. 



" You must not eat it now," she said, " for the tide is 

 running out fast, and if we wait much longer there will not 

 be water enough for us to get along." 



Accordingly they started with all speed, and had much ado 

 to get the boat off, though George took to wading like an 

 experienced boatman. Once fairly off, they got along pretty 

 well for a mile or so, and the strangers hoped they were sure 

 of a speedy return to Fowey, and applied themselves to the 

 neglected sandwiches. But JIi's. Tregelly knew that the 

 maddy bottom was dangerously near, and she was by no 

 means surprised when the boat stuck fast. Their position 

 was not an enviable one. At high tide the river was a 

 quarter of a mile wide at that part, yet at half -tide there was 

 barely water to float a ])leasure-boat. The tide being more 

 than half turned now, there was the cheerful prosjiect of 

 waiting there for six hours, till the coming tide should bring 

 a fresh supply of water. George sprang out of the boat, and 

 succeeded in pushing it a little way, but it soon stuck faster 

 than ever. " It is of no use," he said ; " unless you can all 

 get out and jmsh, we must stay amongst this mud for the 

 next tide." 



Mrs. Tregelly was already engaged in divesting herself of 

 boots and stockings, and the two strangers followed her 

 example. In a few moments the four were fairly launched in 

 the mud, two hauling the boat and two pushing. By their 

 united efl'orts they made steady progress, and in half-au-hour 

 they had passed the mud-banks, and the water was becoming 

 inconveniently deep for ladies, albeit their skirts were ivell 

 looped up. They were very willing to get into the boat again, 

 and were doing so with alacrity, when a " halloo ! '' fi'om the 

 right bank revealed the unwelcome fiict that their tactics liad 

 been observed. Mr. Tregelly had been electioneering far 

 and wide, and liaving tu-ed out one horse, he had hired 

 another, and profited by its powers to make a detour to 

 within three miles of Lostwithiel. 



It was pleasant to regain the harbour, and know that their 

 adventure could have no worse result than that of subjecting 

 them to a little good-natured raillery from Mr. Tregelly, who 

 did not fail to remind them, on every possible occasion, of the 

 picturesque eflect of bootless feet. But first they rowed to 

 some romantic caves, where they had the pleasure of recog- 

 nising the dark green leaves of the rare Cyclamen, tliough 

 most of these had died away, and there was a show of coming 

 blossoms. 



The many anxieties connected with an impending con- 

 tested election for the county absorbed all Mr. Tregelly's 

 energies, and had already knocked up his own horses, and 

 those that coidd be hired in Fowey : so on the morrow he 

 started up the river in a boat, telling his wife he should be 

 back during the day in some vehicle or other — whatever he 

 might be able to hire at the hamlet to which he was bound. 

 Dove and Mauve went out .alone on to the clift's, for Mrs. 

 Tregelly was tired with yesterday's exertions. Upon the 

 cllfl^s they found the Awl-leaved Spm-rey (Spergula subulata), 

 the Hairy Sea Pearlworts (Sagina apetala and maritima"), 

 the Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima), the Sea Beet (Beta 

 maritima), the Sea Sandwort (Arenaria maritima), and the 

 far-famed Samphire (Crithmum maritimum). A little fiu-ther 



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