JULY 265 



bundled out of the cart, two considerable holes were made in the 

 roadway, and the pony rose minus a vestige of hair on his knees. 

 These are, moreover, considerably cut, thus taking, in all proba- 

 bility, eight or ten pounds off his value, unless indeed he heals up 

 better than can be expected. It is a vexatious business, but 1 am 

 thankful that only the animal was hurt, and not the men. The 

 moral is that no young horse should be driven without knee-caps, 

 which, of course, on this unlucky occasion had been forgotten. 



July 8. — Yesterday we were able to make good progress with 

 the hay-carting, as the weather, though threatening, held out. 

 There was a fine stormy sunset, and, viewed from the high land 

 on the pit field. No. 23, the landscape looking towards Beccles was 

 singularly impressive. So dense and dark was the thunder-cloud 

 which hung above it that in its shadow the trees beneath looked 

 massive and almost black, their aspect, at once gloomy and mysteri- 

 ous, reminding me of sylvan scenes portrayed by Mr. Peppercorn 

 in his impressive pictures. In a hedgerow in the middle distance 

 also appeared a line of elder bushes, just now covered with masses 

 of white bloom, and the effect of the light falling on these from 

 beneath the edge of the cloud was most vivid and striking. 



To-day I went up the ladder to examine the condition of 

 the hayrick we are building in the Buildings stack-yard. Some of 

 the stuff which we have carted on to it from No. 1 1 was decidedly 

 ' dumpy,' that is, damp and heavy on the fork, a condition that 

 arises from insufficient making. Indeed, the hay on this piece is 

 so thick and fine that with the somewhat sunless weather which 

 we have experienced it is difficult to get it dry. I expected to 

 find the stack hot, and I was not disappointed, for under the tilt 

 the steam was rising steadily, while the surface of the hay looked 

 as though boiling water had been poured upon it. Indeed, when 

 I thrust my arm into the stuff as far as it would go, the tem- 

 perature was more than I could bear with comfort. Now it is a 

 good thing, and even necessary, that hay should heat to a certain 

 extent, for otherwise it would lack ' nose ' and flavour, l)ut once 



