MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 89 



was charmed to ecstacy. In moving forward, I 

 was often accompanied or directed to some 

 farmer's or grazier's house, by the herds or 

 drovers, whom I fell in with; and, in some of 

 these houses, I took up my abode, and often, by 

 the pressing solicitations of my host or hostess, 

 was prevailed upon to remain with them a day 

 or two. These kind these hospitable people I 

 have never forgotten. Often the mistress of the 

 house in these remote places, never having seen 

 any person from England, examined my dress 

 from head to foot, and in English which, it was 

 easy to discover, had been imperfectly taught her 

 made many enquiries respecting the country 

 from whence I came; while the herds, with their 

 bare knees, sat listening around, very seldom 

 knowing what we were talking about. These 

 herds, or some of the family, generally set or 

 directed me to the house of some other distant 

 grazier; and I met with the same kind and 

 warm reception throughout my wanderings I had 

 experienced at first. It sometimes" happened 

 that, by my having stopped too long on my way, 

 in admiration of the varied prospects I met with, 

 that I was benighted, and was obliged to take 

 shelter under some rocky projection, or to lay 

 myself down amongst the heather, till daylight. 

 In my traversings and wanderings, I called in 

 at all the houses on my way, whether situated 

 in the beautiful little valleys, in the glens, or on 

 the sides of heathery hills. In these places it 

 was common to see three houses, one added to 

 another. The first contained a young married 

 couple with their healthy-looking children; the 



next, or middle one, was occupied by the father 



M 



