278 FIELD AND HEDGEROW. 



their horses to understand the usual words of command 

 backwards. If they were driving pack-horses along at 

 night with a load of brandy landed from a lugger, and 

 were met by the revenue men, who ordered them to stop 

 that the packs might be searched, the smugglers, like 

 good and loyal subjects, called ' Whoa ! whoa ! ' In- 

 stantly the horses set off at a tearing gallop, for they 

 understood ' Whoa ! ' as ' Gee-up ! ' 



By a farmer's door I found a tall branch of oak lying 

 against the porch. The bark was dry, and the leaves 

 were shrivelled, but the bough had been originally taken 

 green from the tree. These boughs are discovered 

 against the door on the morning of the 29th of May, and 

 are in memory of the escape of King Charles from his 

 enemies by hiding in an oak. The village ringers leave 

 them, and then go to the church and ring a peal, for 

 which they expect cider or small coin from each loyal 

 person honoured with an oak branch. Another custom, 

 infinitely more ancient, is that of singing to the apple 

 trees in early spring, so that the orchards may be in- 

 duced to bear a good crop. The singers come round 

 and visit each orchard ; they have a rhyme specially 

 for the purpose, part of the refrain of which is that a cup 

 of good cider cannot do any one harm — a hint which 

 brings out a canful. In strange contrast to these genial 

 customs, which accord so well with flowery fields, I 

 heard an instance of the coldest indifference. An old 

 couple lived for many years in a cottage ; at last the 

 wife died, and the husband, while the body was in the 

 house, had his meals on the coffin as a table, 



A hundred years since, before steam, the corn was 

 threshed out by the flail — a slow, and consequently 

 expensive process. Many efforts were made to thresh 

 quicker. Among others, wooden machines were put up 



