474 Notes on Sport and Travel ix 



ing the twistings and turnings of the Httle stream, 

 and hanging lazily on the oak woods. All was 

 silent and sleeping as we passed through the village, 

 except the ' too-whoo ' of a dissipated owl on the 

 hill above us, and the chirping of the crickets in 

 the baker's shop. No, decidedly no ! — 

 ' Up in the morning's no for me, 

 Up in the morning early.' 



That is to say, not in wooded and comparatively 

 low-lying countries, or by river-sides. Neither beasts, 

 fishes, nor birds (barring ducks), are worth looking 

 after in the very early morning in such situations. 



Up among real mountains, or by the cliff- girt 

 sea, though even there not always, it is quite 

 another thing. Depend upon it, that for one 

 really beautiful dawn we have a dozen beautiful 

 eves. 



So through the mist and mire we plodded on, 

 drearily enough, past the great gray gast-haus at 

 this early hour fast asleep, — we might almost have 

 heard the kellncrs snoring — past the plashing 

 brunnen^ so gay and sparkling in the afternoon, 

 surrounded by seedy- looking old ladies supposed 

 to be princesses, and ancient warriors, riband-be- 

 decked, with white hair and jet black moustachios, 

 — now so steamy and sloppy, like the waste-pipe 

 of a commonplace factory-engine — past the broken- 

 down wall of the old schloss, through the dripping 

 wet belt of fir-trees, invariable companions of three 

 Cockney -German residoitzes out of every four, — 



