THE HOME OF THE WILD RED DEER. 3 



worthy of notice for three things. First, it forms the 

 eastern boundary of the red deer country ; secondly, 

 it forms the boundary between two races and two 

 dialects, for the Somersoetas never extended west of 

 the river and the great marshes which it drains, 

 while the Damnones, the men of Devon, were also 

 kept back by the same impassable tract of country ; 

 thirdly, it is one of the few rivers in the world up 

 which the water rushes with a distinct head or 

 " bore " at every tide. It is a most curious sight as 

 seen just below Bridgwater. The river bed is empty, 

 the mud alone visible — that mud which when baked 

 becomes Bath brick, and is sent all over the world, 

 adding no little to the prosperity of Bridgwater. The 

 boats and barges, all having a curious fan-like bow 

 and stern, lie on the mud. Suddenly one hears a 

 faint, rushing sound, and instantly every bargee is 

 alert, boat-hook in hand. Round the bend one can 

 see advancing a little brown ripple of water some few 

 inches in height, closely followed by a bigger wave 

 with a crest to it, varying in height from a foot to 

 three feet or more, exactly like a sea wave about to 

 break on the beach. But it never breaks — it rushes on 

 at a pace varying from three to seven miles an hour, 

 followed by a mass of water sloping steeply up from 

 behind the crest of the wave. Ere the wave has 

 passed a hundred yards the river, which a moment 

 ago was empty, is half full of tidal water, and the 

 boats and barges are rushing, jostling, and bumping 

 their way under Bridgwater Bridge on a strong 



B 2 



