THE WAVENEY VALLEY 213 



which the river passes, that were one to follow his own 

 inclinations he would, most assuredly, get into trouble sooner 

 or later, without gaining sufficient recompense for the risks 

 incurred. 



On the return journey to Beccles we could not resist 

 lingering another night at Geldeston Lock, where at times 

 one hears many an anecdote pertaining to the district and 

 well flavoured with local colouring. On this occasion an 

 intelligent gamekeeper, evidently a recent comer to the 

 parish, treated our crew to a discourse dealing with the hire 

 of shooting rights over parish lands. 



' The Parish No-man's land " he designated it, and as 

 his remarks were by no means devoid of interest, they are 

 now (without his permission) reproduced as nearly in accord- 

 ance with his own wording as a roughly-written diary and 

 a vivid memory will permit. 



A BROADLAND POOR'S MARSH 



Few indeed are the parishes of Broadland that have no 

 poor's marsh. In these days of local government the parish 

 councillors are eloquent and declaim upon the gross iniquities 

 of their predecessors, who have (so they affirm), for genera- 

 tions, allowed the parson and the squire to pitch away the 

 rights of the poor working man, and allowed the poor's lands 

 to run to rack and ruin, if indeed they can be located at all. 

 With the poor's marshes in the various parishes it is just 

 the same. The arrogant bootmaker, suddenly lifted from the 

 obscurity of the cobbler's bench to the shining light of the 

 chairmanship of the P. C., thumps his darkened list upon the 

 table in order the more to emphasise his remarks, and asks, in 

 stentorian tones of his colleagues of that most self-esteemed 

 body " If they consider it right ? If the laws of justice 

 have not been violated ? If their birthright has not been 

 frittered away and stolen from them by the wicked man of 

 the parish (viz., the squire), who has dared to store up 

 money. That man " (he proclaims) " has for years hired the 



