300 THE EXETER ROAD 



hence tlic placing of this brick and stone cokimn 

 here, surmounted by a cross, and plentifully inscribed 

 with texts. The story of his and his friends' death is 

 set forth as liavino- been ' in veno-eance for wrongs 

 suffered at the hands of Europeans by savage men 

 whoni he loved and for whose sake he gave up home 

 and country and friends dearer than his life.' 



This memorial also serves the turn of finger-post, 

 for directions are carved on its four sides ; and very 

 necessary too, for where two roads go to Exeter, the 

 one by Ottery St. Mary some two miles longer than 

 the other, the passing rustic is not wholly to be 

 depended upon for clear and concise information. 

 Cobbett in his day found that exasperating direction 

 of the rustics to the inquiring wayfarer, to ' keep 

 straight on,' just as great a delusion as the tourist 

 now discovers it to be. The formula, according to 

 him, was a little different in his time, being 'keep 

 rigid on.' 



' Aye,' says he, ' Init in ten minutes, perhaps, you 

 come to a Y oi" a T, or to a X. A fellow once 

 told me, in my way from Chertsey to Guildford, 

 " keep right on, you can't miss your way." I was in 

 the perpendicular part of the T, and the top part 

 was only a few yards from me. " Right on,'' said I, 

 " what, over that hank into the wheat ? " — " No, no," 

 said he, " I mean tliat road, to be sure," pointing to 

 the road that went off to the left.' 



Here a branch of the river Otter crosses the road 

 in the wooded dell of Fenny Bridges, and in the 

 course of another mile, on the banks of another 

 stream, stands the ' Fair Mile Inn,' the last stage into 



