PILGRIMS AT THE LAND'S END 313 



after thirteen hours in the train without a wink of 

 sleep he felt very tired ; but he was greatly dis- 

 appointed at not having got a seat in the first lot of 

 conveyances which were driving off loaded with his 

 fellow travellers to the Land's End, and feared that he 

 might miss seeing it after all. Among those who 

 had gathered round to hear what was said were two 

 old Penzance men and they laughed heartily. " Why," 

 said one, " I've been here within ten miles of the 

 Land's End all my life and have never seen it." 

 " I can say as much, and more," said the other ; 

 " I've never seen it and never want to see it." 

 " Perhaps," 1 remarked, " if you had been born five 

 hundred or five thousand miles away you would have 

 felt differently about it." The poor pale Lancastrian 

 looked pleased. " That's true ! " he exclaimed. " I've 

 always wanted to see the Land's End, and it's the 

 same with all of us : we've come to see it and for 

 nothing else." 



It was the literal truth, as I found by hanging about 

 and talking with these men from the north all that 

 day, watching them going and returning. But the 

 motor buses, char-a-bancs and other vehicles were not 

 enough to take them all, and when it came to three 

 o'clock and half-past three, and there was but time 

 left to go with all speed, look for a few brief minutes 

 at the rocks, and hasten back in time for the last train, 

 the poor fellows began offering five shillings per man 

 to be driven there and back, and then at the last some 

 offered ten shillings. But it was too late and they 

 could not be taken ! 



