IN THE NEW FOREST 57 



pioneer we soon found a road which brought us 

 up to Bolderwood Lodge, which is occupied by 

 one of the Forest keepers. There we put up our 

 horses, and the first thing we did was to sit our- 

 selves down on the grass under the greenwood 

 trees and partake of the good things the fairies 

 had provided for us and were happy. Then 

 the keeper's very pretty little daughter of seven, 

 whose name is Gladys, volunteered to be our 

 guide. She tripped and danced before us to 

 show us the residence of the two great monarchs 

 of the Forest, two celebrated old oaks, well 

 known as the King and Queen. Ted, the family 

 photographer, said he was sick of family groups, 

 and vowed he would take no more, but he was 

 finally coaxed into arranging the lot of us under 

 the shade of Her Majesty the Queen, while the 

 King, a few yards away, smiled upon us benignly; 

 some of the boys had climbed up to the vener- 

 able fork, and their toes only will appear in 

 Ted's picture, if it ever comes out, which is 

 doubtful, as the group was rather unruly, and 

 the sun had just hidden himself behind a mass 

 of dark clouds. If there are any spots in the 

 New Forest more picturesque than this which 

 surrounds Bolderwood Lodge they must be very 

 lovely, for there are the finest oaks and grand 

 old beeches. I came upon a jolly old yew tree 

 that might have been a fine young stripling when 

 William Rufus hunted there. It measured seven 



