GRAVESEND. 435 



pieces, as well as of lifting the baskets on to the women's 

 shoulders; but it often happens, nevertheless, that the 

 women also get helping to hack the chalk into small 

 pieces. Both the carls and all three women help to fill 

 the baskets with the bits of chalk, when the carls com- 

 monly screen the bits of chalk in the fiddle, and the 

 women throw them into the baskets. The women are 

 obliged, almost alone, to carry the baskets on their heads 

 and shoulders from the place whence the chalk is taken 

 to the lime-kilns. Likewise they are obliged to carry 

 coal-baskets from the place where they were filled to the 

 lime-kiln. The third of the three carls is constantly at 

 the lime-kiln, where he takes the chalk baskets from the 

 women's heads and shoulders, and throws the chalk into 

 the kiln. Similarly he throws the coals in their turn into 

 the kiln. In short, he performs all the duties which are 

 carried on at the lime-kiln itself, besides that he helps 

 [T. II. p. 86], when he has time, to break up the coal into 

 small bits, at boka sonder stenkalen, etc.* Every 

 woman always carries three baskets each time, namely, 

 she has a piece of board of about 8 inches broad, and about 

 i foot long, on which is a rope or band, one end of which 

 is fastened to one end of the piece of wood, and the 

 other to the other. This band is laid by a noose over 

 the upper part of the head, so that the piece of board 

 comes to lie across the shoulders, when one basket is set 

 to rest upon the piece of board, and the other two beside 

 it on the head, whilst the woman inclines her head a 

 little as she walks. On the head they have an old man's- 

 hat, and under the piece of wood and the band a bunch 

 of hay, that the piece of wood and the cord may not 

 injure the back. 



* Boka, see Glossary to Studies in Nidderdale, p. 240, s.v. ' Bukker,' 



also Stud, p. 28. 17- L-] ... 



2F 2 



