Frozen Vapours 27 



which during the night have gathered over the brooks 

 and water-meadows, the marshy places of the vale, and 

 now come borne on the breeze rolling along the slopes ; 

 and as these pass over the dew-pond, doubtless its colder 

 water condenses that portion which draws down into the de- 

 pression where it stands. In winter the vapours clinging 

 about the clumps of beech freeze to the boughs, forming, 

 not a rime merely, like that seen in the vale, but a kind 

 of ice-casing, while icicles also depend underneath. Now, 

 if a wind comes sweeping across the hill with sudden blast, 

 these glittering appendages rattle together loudly, and 

 there falls a hail of jagged icy fragments. "When one has 

 seen the size and quantity of these, it becomes more easy 

 to understand the amount of water which an intangible 

 vapour may carry with it to be condensed into the pond or 

 congealed upon the tree. 



There is another such a pond half a mile or more from 

 the earthwork in another direction, but also on a level, 

 making two upon this high and exposed down. Many 

 others are scattered about — they have become more nu- 

 merous of late years. Several are situate on the lower 

 plateau, which is also dry enough. Toiling over the end- 

 less hills in the summer heats, I have often been driven by 

 necessity of thirst to taste a little of the water contained 

 in them, though well knowing the inevitable result. The 

 water has a dead flavour ; it is not stagnant in the sense 

 of impurity, but dead, even when quite clear. In a few 

 moments after tasting it, the mouth dries, with a harsh 

 unpleasant feeling, as if some impalpable dusty particles 

 had got into the substance of the tongue. This is caused 

 probably by suspended chalk, of which it tastes ; for 

 assuaging thirst, therefore, it is worse than useless in 

 summer: very different is the exquisitely limpid cool 



