MAY 121 



clerk. Then, metamorphosed into porter, he attends 

 to the baggage of rare passengers, sounds his whistle, 

 and presto! is once more guard as the train moves 

 off. But to arrive at Hardknot pleasantly, the tourist 

 will do better to let himself be driven, or ride his 

 bicycle along the road which, following the brawling 

 Esk, threading the oak copse, and, being indeed of 

 greater excellence than many more frequented high- 

 ways, is altogether a path of pleasantness. He may 

 turn off near Randall Holm to inspect the Roman tile- 

 works at the foot of Muncaster Fell ; and then, pushing 

 on to the farm of Butter-Eldkeld, about twelve miles 

 from Ravenglass, he comes in full view of Sea Fell. At 

 this point the road, hitherto thoroughly well-behaved, 

 in spite of occasional mildly subalpine propensities, 

 suddenly loses all self-respect, and flings itself in impos- 

 sible gradients full on the face of Hardknot Pass. This 

 was of old the pack-horse way between Kendal (Con- 

 cangium of the Itinerary), the principal wool-market of 

 the north-west, and Ravenglass, its principal seaport. 



Guarding the highest point of the pass lies Hardknot 

 Camp, on the bare flank of the fell, about four hundred 

 feet above Butter-Eldkeld, and seven hundred above 

 the sea. It is a Roman camp of orthodox design, con- 

 sisting of a square enclosure measuring rather more 

 than one hundred paces on the face, surrounded by a 

 massive rampart of roughly-hewn stone, and protected, 

 save where the ground is precipitous, by a deep foss. 

 The four gateways occupy their usual positions in the 

 centre of each face ; and these, as well as the massive 



