24 FISHING IN EDEN 



becks of this nefarious system having been practised 

 before, and I have no doubt our grandfathers and 

 great-grandfathers could have told tales about 

 them. 



Occasionally we made long expeditions by follow- 

 ing up the becks to their sources in the high fells. 

 We were easily turned aside by any odd adventure 

 that turned up on the way, such as a rabbit running 

 under stones, where we knew that by perseverance 

 and good scouting we could finally get him. 

 Ravens' and Hawks' nests used to be discovered in 

 the high crags round High Cup Ghyll, and many a 

 dangerous climb was taken to get at them. No harm 

 ever befell any of us, in spite of the precarious hold 

 of the limestone on the Pennines. Lads who had 

 been let down by a rope to a Jackdaw or other nest 

 in the cliffs were heroes. It was in this way that my 

 friend Richard Kearton, the well-known naturalist, 

 began his career in the neighbouring Swale Dale. 



In winter, when the river and becks were frozen, 

 we used to enjoy tracking otters and other animals 

 in the snow. Foraging by the river, in the woods, 

 and behind the dyke backs, the tracks of animals 

 never escaped our notice. When heated boyish 

 arguments would arise as to the genus of the track- 

 maker, if these could not be settled on the spot we 

 always knew to whom to refer them. 



