SCALBY BECK 115 



were, as he said, " more soople " than mine, and he 

 got over easily. We then found ourselves in an 

 open field, but far up above the water, which on 

 both sides was everywhere closely lined with bushes, 

 and inaccessible. By perseverance we found an 

 opening at last down to the water, which just here 

 was running in a little dribbling stream, for the 

 beck, as far as I could see of it, consisted wholly 

 of absolutely dead, slimy pools or little trickling 

 streams such as the one we had now reached. As 

 there seemed no prospect of getting near the water 

 on our side, we walked across once more to the 

 north side without wetting the soles of our boots. 

 Alas ! that side was even worse. We pushed along 

 somehow, up and down banks, till we came to what 

 seemed to be somebody's garden. The upper part 

 of it was laid out with flower-beds, but the part 

 down by the water was an uncultivated wild, 

 " where weeds and flowers promiscuous grow." We 

 could see no other way out, so we broke into this 

 garden and got across to a rocky place, above 

 which we at last came to an open pool dead and 

 slimy-looking. We were now close to the village, 

 and the water looked and smelled as if it was 

 strongly impregnated with the sewage of that 

 village. 



By and by we reached the turnpike road, and 

 crossing it, to pursue our course up this lovely beck, 

 we encountered a notice-board: " No road Tres- 

 passers will be prosecuted" I interpreted this to 

 apply to outsiders, not to such as myself, armed as 



