i8 2 ROUND THE GREAT WHITE HORSE 



Now the trunk of the elm was large, and the lower 

 branches had been carefully trimmed, so that there 

 was nothing for it but " swarming " a tiring exertion 

 in any costume, and made worse in this case by one's 

 heavy shooting boots. The tallest of the party, who 

 was rather an expert at tree climbing, made the sacrifice, 

 and, after a desperate effort, perched himself among 

 the branches, some fifteen feet from the ground. But 

 when he had reached the tree top, so far as that was 

 possible for a man of his weight, the kite was still 

 out of reach, so nicely was it balanced on the outer 

 branches. We then sent for a ladder and a saw, and 

 an active young labourer, who brought both, clambered 

 up into the tree, and sawed the main branch, on which 

 the kite was hung. But, as I waited, with our Etonian, 

 at the foot, I suddenly saw an expression of alarm 

 in the face of the latter, and, looking up, beheld the 

 lad, who found sawing rather a slow job, " laying out," 

 as the sailors say, along the half-cut limb to try and 

 reach the kite. This was too exciting for our nerves, 

 so we ordered him back, and, after a few minutes' 

 vigorous sawing, the branch and kite came down 

 together, without damage to the former. 



Most people will agree that so far we had had our 

 share of ill-luck. The hitch in the tree cost us an 

 hour's delay. We had not started till eleven, and 

 thus it was twelve o'clock before we could get under 

 way again ; worse than this, the tiring climb put one 

 of the party off his shooting, and the fuss occasioned 

 by the whole incident upset us all. 



