198 WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



represented, chests of tea did. They had three 

 remedies in that damp land for all diseases, 

 broken bones excepted these last cases were 

 very rare. If people fell at times, the ground 

 was soft and they did not come to harm. There 

 was "ager-mixter," in plain words hollands gin, 

 or brandy ; " how-do-we " (eau de vie] this was 

 to keep the damp out when they had night work 

 on hand. Hollands ? well, when it was thought 

 necessary, and that was pretty frequent. Spirits 

 and water, hot water, not cold some of our water 

 needed boiling, and at times straining a bit. But 

 the laudanum bottle, and it was not a small one, 

 was the sheet-anchor for them. Twenty to almost 

 any amount of drops on a piece of loaf sugar, this 

 being kept for that special purpose, was good in 

 their opinion for all inward pain. After a time this 

 would create in some a vicious craving, and they 

 would take it in the same way that people take any 

 ordinary dram, and then it did not make them 

 sleepy. 



For rheumatism they used goose - grease and 

 hartshorn, well rubbed in with plenty of elbow- 

 grease. They were a hardy lot, and it was needful 

 that they should have been, some of their so-called 

 remedies would kill ordinary people. I have had 

 them applied to myself once or twice, but never 

 again shall I share in the fearful joy of marsh-land 

 specifics. 



The coytnen, both fen-men and marsh-men, were 

 contented and happy in their own grave fashion, 



