WEST OF THE ADUR 227 



of immense barrows. Tradition tells that at this spot 

 a great battle was fought by the men of Chichester 

 against the Danes about eleven centuries ago, and that 

 the slain sea-kings were buried in the mounds on the 

 hill, hence the name of Kingly Vale or Bottom. The 

 belief is that many of these yew trees are two thousand 

 years old. In one part of the wood, on the right hand 

 as you go up from the vale, there is no undergrowth, 

 and in this part you may walk freely among the dark 

 religious trees with trunks like huge rudely-fashioned 

 pillars of red and purple ironstone. One has here the 

 sensation of being in a vast cathedral ; not like that 

 of Chichester, but older and infinitely vaster, fuller of 

 light and gloom and mystery, and more wonderful in 

 its associations. Coming from this sacred dim interior, 

 I have found on its threshold a tree the like of which 

 is hardly to be seen in England. This is a large and 

 very perfect yew with horizontal branches of great 

 length, the lowest of which come down to the ground 

 on all sides, and are interwoven with and form part 

 of an immense and most beautiful tangle of juniper, 

 thorn, bramble, and briar, grown through and over- 

 grown and bound together with honeysuckle and 

 deep green ivy and light green traveller's joy, the 

 last hoary-silver with its profusion of downy dry seed- 

 feathers. I had measured the trunks of other trees, 

 but the girth of this could not be taken unless a 

 man went down on his belly and drew himself snake- 

 wise through the protecting natural hedge. May no 



