214 BROADLAND SPORT 



poor's marsh, and what for? Why, to allow the drains to 

 grow up and the marsh to be constantly under water, so 

 that he may shoot a few snipe for his amusement at odd 

 times. But now that the parish has its affairs in its own 

 hands the squire will be no longer able to hire the poor's 

 marsh for whatever sum he likes to pay. No ! He'll have to 

 pay a thumping big rent or the parish won't let him have it 

 at all, and the old women will no longer have to go to bed 

 to keep warm, as they will have their Christmas dole of coals 

 from the greatly increased rents produced." 



Such an oration is greeted with a storm of cheers, and 

 the enlightened and learned fellow-members of that almighty 

 body solemnly, and with one accord, answer, in deep, guttural 

 tones, " Down with slavery, tyranny and despots." And 

 they fall asleep whilst the despised vicar of the parish mildly 

 remonstrates and attempts to rebut slanderous insinuations 

 by a prolonged and detailed reference to the parish records 

 which hardly one of the council understands or believes if 

 he does. 



But to tell you about the poor's marsh of the parish I 

 belong to. It is an overgrown waste of swamp, reeds and 

 water. Its crop is used for litter and is sold by auction, realis- 

 ing but a few shillings. The sporting rights (snipe) are 

 similarly dealt with, but then as every member of the com- 

 munity who owns a gun, or who can borrow one from a 

 neighbour, claims the privilege of an equal right with the 

 lessee, which it is needless to say he (the lessee) strongly 

 resents, rows are frequent, and the shooting is not always 

 as good as one not-in-the-know would perhaps be led to 

 anticipate. 



Our poor's marsh (I will call it " ours " by way of designa- 

 tion) is located on an island surrounded by a dyke named the 

 hundred drain. It is semi-circular in shape, and there is 

 another piece of marshland jutting into it which a landowner 

 in our village is presumptuous enough to claim as his own ; 

 but that matters little, as whoever has, or who ever thinks he 

 has, the right to go over our poor's marsh always beats this 



