NIGHT WATCHING. 415 



his back, and attached his feet to a tree ; so I 

 left him until we came back, a period of three 

 hours. He had however, by that time, broken 

 loose and gone off. Now, what use to me 

 was a man like that ? Not a bit in the world, 

 he might just as well have been at home in 

 bed. Such are the fruits of drink ! 



I was out one night with Humphries, who 

 suffered from the same complaint, when I saw 

 a man netting in the field. Humphries was 

 lying by my side, but I could not rouse him 

 up anyhow, and I lost my man whilst trying 

 ineffectually to do so. 



I never took drink out with me at night ; 

 Humphries did not take it out in a bottle but 

 in his inside, and the man in the pit did the 

 same. I have seen the same sort of thing in 

 my father's woods, when I was a lad out at 

 night with his men. I always used to do 

 night watching on a cup of tea, and invariably 

 beat all my men at the work, for tea livens 

 you up and keeps you awake, whilst beer 

 deadens you and sends you to sleep. I never 

 allowed any smoking whilst watching, and did 



