CHAPTER VI 



PLUMPTON AND ITS COUNTRY 



Incredible as it may seem, nevertheless I do 

 assure my readers one and all that very many of 

 the (now old) boys who went to school at East- 

 bourne, Littlehampton, Worthing, Bognor, or 

 Brighton, before that spread itself so much, never 

 for a moment dreamt that anybody could put his 

 foot or any other part of him on the Downs and 

 say, ''This bit is mine, so you must keep off it." 

 Pretty nearly every condition favoured the belief 

 that they were public property. You might go 

 bird-nesting there without fear of interference, 

 and so you might disport yourself butterfly-catch- 

 ing to your heart's content. No one ever checked 

 you in that sort of hunting any more than they 

 did those who pursued their game with packs, 

 harriers, or fox-hounds. What is more, trainers 

 — I am not speaking of the day before yesterday, 

 you know — were given the run of gallops they 

 wished to use, the owners and farmers of the 

 land being quite pleased to have the gees exercised 

 where they could see them, more especially since 

 the stables made a market for hay and corn. 

 Very little land was then broken up on these hills. 

 (Speaking for myself, I wish a plough had never 



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