IN THE NEW FOREST 
65 
rent, no taxes, no nuisance man sniffing at the drains, no organ- 
grinder to call at the door — with plenty of work and ready 
money coming in, constant change of scene, and a bank of good 
health to draw on, if our tinker is not a happy man, why then he 
ought to be one. Leaving the tinker behind, and getting further 
into the forest, the trees began to assume grander proportions, 
and -here at last is one of the monarchs — a grand old oak, 
mighty in trunk and gigantic in limb, arms as large as a medium- 
sized tree, and covering a space of ground large enough to 
shelter a small regiment of soldiers. From its apparent age this 
tree, by joining hands with its sire, might stretch back to the 
days of the Red King, when the forest was young, saplings 
abounded, and the giants of hereafter were slim youths wanting 
a few centuries to complete their growth. It being a warm 
afternoon, I lay down to rest under the shade of this brave old 
oak. I supposed I must have dozed, for I started up on hearing 
a slight noise overhead and something fall to the ground. On 
looking up I saw it was a squirrel in one of the branches. 
Being anxious to watch its movements, I remained perfectly 
still. After jumping airily about from one branch to another he 
approached near to where I was lying, and at last, curiosity 
getting the better of fear, he ventured on to the limb just over 
my head. I now feigned sleep, knowing that neither bird nor 
wild animal like being stared at. With ears erect and the 
brightest of black eyes he looked archly and wonderingly clever 
at me. He was so close I could have touched him with my 
stick. Finding there was nothing to dread he became quite 
fearless, and played about in the branches with the greatest 
abandon. Presently No. i squirrel was joined by No. 2 ; and 
then began a game of hide-and-seek. Round the limb over my 
head they madly raced one after the other, the tail of one dis- 
appearing just as the head of the other came in sight. 
They continued this game for some time, when they were 
joined by a third squirrel, and then the race round the arm of the 
tree was suspended and the three dispersed among the wide- 
spreading branches of the old tree, in which they appeared per- 
fectly at home, a dulce domum and playground in one. Squirrels, 
as a rule, are shy, and will cleverly hide themselves behind the 
trunk or limb of a tree, rearing themselves upright and keeping 
the long bushy tail in a line with the body, so that it does not 
show. As a rule, if you want to see anything by wood or 
stream, keep still, and in nine cases out of ten the creatures you 
are seeking will come to you. On more than one occasion I 
have had hares cross over my feet when standing perfectly still. 
Whilst lying under the oak I caught a glimpse of what appeared 
to be a deer, but so noiseless was its approach, and so gliding 
and stealthy its motion, it was gone like a shadow, and dis- 
appeared in the thicket before I could realise its activity. As 
the afternoon was now considerably advanced, I thought it time 
to regain the high road from which I had diverged, but I could 
