WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 11 



turn to it before the break of day. John Hickson 

 and Neddy Hunt, two hangers-on at the black- 

 smith's shop, had seen this phantom more than 

 once, but they never durst approach it. Indeed, 

 every man and woman and child believed in this 

 centaur-spectre, and I am not quite sure if our 

 old master himself did not partly believe that 

 such a thing had occasionally been seen on very 

 dark nights. 



^'Tudhoe has no river, a misfortune 'valde de- 

 flendus/ In other respects the vicinity was charm- 

 ing; and it afforded an ample supply of woods 

 and hedgerow trees to insure a sufficient stock of 

 carrion crows, jackdaws, jays, magpies, brown 

 owls, kestrels, merlins, and sparrow-hawks, for 

 the benefit of natural history and my own instruc- 

 tion and amusement." 



In 1796 Waterton left Tudhoe School and went 

 to Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. It was a 

 country house of the picturesque style of King 

 James I., which had just been made over by Mr. 

 Weld of Lulworth to the Jesuits expelled from 

 Liege. The country round Stonyhurst is varied 

 by hills and streams, and there are mountains at 

 no great distance. 



"Whernside, Pendle Hill, and Ingleboro*, 

 Three higher hills you'll not find England thoro*," 



as they are described, with equal disregard of 

 exact mensuration and of rhythm, in a local rhyme 

 which Waterton learned. Curlew used to fly by 

 in flocks, and the country people had also a rhyme 

 about the curlew: — 



