SCHOOL AND EARLY DAYS 



the garden-wall in Hampshire at the age of 9 years 

 and giving the carter the order to carry on as he 

 was yesterday. One of my jobs on leaving school 

 was to take charge of the threshing tackle. I 

 rather liked the work of driving the engine, it 

 certainly did not require so much expenditure of 

 muscle as some jobs ; besides, it did excite the 

 mechanical faculties, and that was useful knowledge 

 to get even on a farm in those days. 



Shall I ever forget that in February 1888 I was 

 taking a hand at lambing, or rather giving the 

 shepherd a hand ! It came on to snow pretty 

 early in the day and fell for hours, great drifts came 

 sweeping off the Downs and filled up the pen, and 

 what a time we had digging out the lambs, and what 

 a job we had to keep them alive. The old shepherd's 

 hut was wellnigh full by morning, and was I not 

 glad when morning came, for the wind howled 

 through the cracks of the old van with a vengeance. 

 What a winter ! The frost and snow held on until 

 late into March, and what trouble we had with 

 sore mouths in the lambs and bad teats with the 

 ewes. However, these troubles came to an end, 

 as they generally do, but they live green in the 

 memory. 



I cannot think that the late Rev. Pitt, Rector of 

 Liddington, ever forgot the day (February 14), 

 for he was taken over to Chiseldon in a dung- 

 cart to conduct a marriage service. No other 

 vehicle could surmount the drifts of snow. I am 

 not just clear in my memory whether he did actually 

 pick up the weather-bound bride at Badbury on 



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