[Chap.vti] BEDFORDSHIRE: SURVEYING 107 



My brother was a great smoker, and always had his pipe 

 after lunch (and often before breakfast), and, of course, the 

 chain-bearer smoked too. It therefore occurred to me that 

 I might as well learn the art, and for a few days tried a few 

 whiffs. Then, going a little too far, I had such a violent 

 attack of headache and vomiting that I was cured once and 

 for ever from any desire to smoke, and although I afterwards 

 lived for some years among Portuguese and Dutch, almost all 

 of whom are smokers, I never felt any inclination to try again. 



Three miles north of Barton was the small village of 

 Silsoe adjoining Wrest Park, the seat of Earl Cowper, whose 

 agent, Mr. Brown, was known to my brother, and had, I think, 

 obtained for him the parish survey we were engaged upon. 

 A young gentleman three or four years older than myself 

 who was, I think, a pupil of Mr. Brown's, was sent by him to 

 learn a little land-surveying with us, and was a pleasant com- 

 panion for me, especially as we were often left alone, when 

 my brother was called away on other business, sometimes for 

 a week at a time. Although the country north of Barton 

 was rather flat and uninteresting, to the south it was very 

 picturesque, as it was only about half a mile from the range 

 of the North Downs, which, though only rising about three 

 hundred feet above Barton, yet were very irregular, jutting 

 out into fine promontories or rounded knolls with very steep 

 sides and with valleys running up between them. The most 

 charming of these valleys was the nearest to us, opening 

 behind the church. It was narrow, with abundance of grass 

 and bushes on the sides of a rapid-flowing streamlet, which, 

 about a quarter of a mile further, had its source in a copious 

 spring gushing out from the foot of the chalk-hill. On the 

 west side of this valley the steep slope was thickly covered 

 with hazel and other bushes, as well as a good many trees, 

 forming a hanging wood full of wild flowers, and offering a 

 delightful shade in the heat of the afternoon. About a mile 

 to the east there was an extensive old British earthwork called 

 Ravensburgh Castle, beyond which was another wooded valley ; 

 between these was a tolerably level piece of upland where the 

 villagers played cricket in the summer. 



