SLATE QUAKRYMEN. 183 



this spot in the ancient border-wars — carried a 

 greater weight, or did more wonders in a day than 

 these fine fellows. The best slate of Honister Crag 

 is found near the top : and there, many hundred 

 feet aloft, may be seen, by good eyes, the slate- 

 built hovels of some of the quarrymen, while others 

 ascend and descend many times between morning 

 and night. Now the men come leaping .down with 

 their trucks at a speed which appears appalling to 

 strangers. Formerly, the slate was brought down 

 on hurdles, on men's backs : and the practice is still 

 continued in some remote quarries, where the ex- 

 pense of conveyance by carts w T ould be too great, 

 or the roads do not admit of it. About forty years 

 ago there was a man named Joseph Clark at Honis- 

 ter, who made seventeen journeys, (including seven- 

 teen miles of climbing up and scrambling down,) 

 in one day, bringing down 10,880 pounds of slate. 

 In ascending, he carried the hurdle, weighing 

 eighty pounds ; and in descending, he brought 

 each time 610 pounds of slate. At another time he 

 carried, in three successive journeys, 1,280 pounds 

 each time. His greatest day's work was bringing 

 11,771 pounds; in how many journeys it is not 

 remembered, but in fewer than seventeen. He 

 lived at Stonethwaite, three miles from his place 

 of work. His toils did not appear to injure him : 

 and he declared that he suffered only from thirst. 

 It was believed in his day that there was scarcely 

 another man in the kingdom capable of sustaining 

 such labour for a course of years. 



In some places where the slate is closely com- 

 pacted, and presents endways and perpendicular 

 surface, the quarryman sets about his work as if he 



