REAPING. 113 



At what a pace and how unresisting the upright 

 crop came down. It was a flat field of five acres, 

 beautifully clean, and the straw not laid at all. So 

 unsuspected and treacherous is the severance by 

 those lightning-swift knives, that there was, after all, 

 comparatively little seed shed upon the ground. 

 This being our second year at the work, we were well 

 practised, and so unremitting in our temperate haste, 

 that we not only kept the binders amply busy, but 

 by about sunset the machine had finished its part, 

 and the whole five acres were soon stuck up in 

 shocks. The waggons came. The stack-yard was, 

 unfortunately, some distance away, but by our 

 united energetic endeavours — for our blood was up 

 now, and our honour staked upon it — against eleven 

 P.M. the corn was all stacked and ready to be " run 

 over," as is technically said of the thin covering it is 

 advisable temporarily to lay upon the rick previous 

 to the regular thatching, which should be deferred 

 until the imprisoned sheaves have settled into shape. 

 In this case a light band of thatch, made by a machine 

 on wet days during the winter, and stored in rolls 

 suspended ready in the barn above the reach of rats, 

 was bound about the crown of the stack as a protec- 

 tion against possible rain ; for though the lightness 

 of the dew was lucky for our carrying, protracted so 

 far into the night, we could not but regard it as 

 ominous of a change of weather. The horsemen 

 took their teams meanwhile to the stable, where 

 they were indulged with a double feed. All finished 

 about the stack, the other men came soon and sat 

 down right joyous about by the saddle-room, to 



