A Varied Country-side. 113 



from its junction with the Isis at Cassington. 

 This Evenlode is the next considerable stream 

 westward of the Cherwell, and just as the line of 

 the latter is followed by the Birmingham railway, 

 so the line to Worcester keeps closely to the 

 Evenlode for nearly twenty miles, only leaving 

 it at last in its cradle in the uplands of Worcester- 

 shire. Westward again of the Evenlode, the 

 Windrush comes down from the northern Cots- 

 wolds, to join the Isis at Witney, and further still 

 come Leach, and Coin, and others, bringing the 

 clear cold water in which trout delight, from the 

 abundant springs at Northleach and Andoversford. 

 But the Evenlode is not a Cotswold stream, 

 though trout may still be caught in it where 

 it has not been polluted ; it skirts for many miles 

 the north-eastern slope of the Cotswolds, which 

 may be seen from the train-windows closing in 

 the horizon all the way from Shipton-under- 

 Wychwood to Evesham and Worcester, but it 

 has the slow current and muddy bottom of a 

 lowland stream, and runs throughout its course 

 among water-meadows liable to flood. 



For the first few miles of its course it is little 



I 



