304 WAYFARING NOTIONS 



was a pretty good day's work to thank modern 

 facilities in travel for, was it not ? On paper it is, 

 but the excellent going made it quite easy. It 

 shows what you can do. From East Sussex to 

 London, from London to Swindon, drive fifteen 

 miles out and back, rail to town, then to Leicester, 

 which is just on a hundred miles — all in sixteen 

 hours, with breaks of one hour, two hours, and 

 four hours. 



Given a good day for an outing in the country, 

 I know not many tramps where I can do myself 

 better than getting from Swindon over to the old 

 inn where four roads meet at Beckhampton — the 

 coaching-house, long turned into a residence, 

 where Sam Darling now lives, successor of a line 

 of trainers established there. A curious thing 

 for me is, in this connection, that at various times 

 I have approached Beckhampton five different 

 ways — viz., from Devizes, from Calne, from 

 Swindon, from Ogbourne, across the Manton 

 House and Fyfield gallops through Avebury the 

 ancient, and from Marlborough, on the 'ard 'igh 

 road — and every time had a jolly good drenching, 

 either on the out or return journey. On one 

 occasion I beat record, for, after having about 

 two hours of it on the outward journey, and then 

 a spell of remarkably fine weather, I was treated 

 for the third instalment to a dose which reminded 

 me of the Scriptural threat of whipping with 

 scorpions instead of whips. Such a turn of 

 lashing with hail as fell to my lot climbing the crest 

 of the long hill on the Marlborough- Wootton- 

 Basset road which comes out on the Devizes- 

 to-Swindon highway about seven miles from 

 the last-named town I never had before, and do 

 not want again. I could not hear the thunder- 



