shepherds, who are as pleased to extend their hospitality as we are to accept it. They refer to the larger embankments as the 'giants' graves,' or the great wolf platforms as the shepherd's steps'; but they know nothing further about them, except that they existed beyond the memory of man.

A short distance beyond the garden of the shepherd's cottage may be seen the outlines of a great encircling earthen embankment and a ditch on its outer side. Within this enclosure the herds were driven for protection during the night. The circumference of this enclosure must be at least a mile and a half, and it surrounds a level tableland with steep sides to the downs on almost every side. On the north, however, the ground falls away gradually, and here on the northern side the embankment and ditch are pierced by sundry openings. Opposite each opening is a field with an old hedge growing on the top of a bank. It seemed to us as we looked down upon these fields divided by the banks that they may have been small grazing-grounds for the herds near home. There must have been times of danger when it would have been inadvisable to allow the herds to roam in the valleys even by day, and the necessity of securing small grazing-grounds near the encampment is apparent.

By the side of these small grazing-grounds a spur pitted with the sites of dwellings runs out from the great promontory. From the position of these dwellings it appeared as though the occupiers of this small outlying camp were the watchmen of the grazing-ground. Only by the alertness and watchfulness of the men could the cattle be protected, and every precaution appears to have been taken to save the herds from the wolves.

All these works exist on the eastern arc of the great amphitheatre, and the western arc is in sight, a mile away, on our left.

In the distance we have seen great furrows scoring the south side of the western arc known as Huish Hill, but, viewed as we saw them, we had no conception either of their extent or depth. The furrows certainly did not appear to have been constructed for any defensive purpose, and it was not for some time after we had been examining them on the spot that their true meaning dawned upon us.

То pass from the eastern arc to the western it is necessary to cross the road leading from Salisbury to Marlborough over Oare Hill. This road passes through a deep cutting, and, as we scrambled down one side and climbed up the opposite, we were immediately

struck by the fact that a second deep cutting was scored in the ground running parallel to the road.

At a little distance beyond this was yet another trench, perhaps twenty-five or thirty feet deep, with particularly steep sides. Proceeding along the edge of this trench in a south-westerly direction, we found that it branched off into two. Each branch curved down the hillside to the plains below.

These trenches, without any embankments on either side to account for excavated earth, are cattleways. Occasionally other cattleways cut obliquely across the great one, and we were considerably perplexed to find that these oblique cattleways were not more than about six or eight feet deep. If both were cattleways it appeared as though the cattle travelling along the shallow trenches would have to make a mighty leap across the great ravine in order to continue their journey along the trench by which they were travelling. Hence the perplexity, for there was no evidence to show that the herds had clambered down the steep sides of the deep ravine from the shallow trenches above. We were therefore determined to follow up one of the shallow trenches in order to seek a solution of the problem. Our bewilderment was increased when we found that the end of the trench, where it opened upon the tableland at the top, had been deliberately blocked, and that in other cases the shallow cattleways had been likewise blocked at points just before they reached the deep one.

We presently realised that, for some reason or another, it had been found necessary to divert the herds from their accustomed tracks which led down to the arena contained by the amphitheatre, and to conduct them into others which opened out upon the level grazing-grounds lying to the west.

Cattle had been herded here just as they had been on St. Martinsell Hill. It must have been found that these herds when they descended into the plains by the old or shallow cattleways mingled with the herds which belonged to the inhabitants of St. Martinsell Hill, and in order to avoid the continuance of this confusion it was obviously determined to block up the old cattleways, and construct new ones, which conducted the herds down to the plains in the opposite direction. This explanation completely accounts for what we had discovered, and if anyone cares to ramble over Huish Hill, bearing our solution of the difficulty in mind, he will find how carefully neolithic man took all the necessary steps to carry out the alteration.

Apart, however, from the solution of the difficulty, anyone must be very forcibly struck by the age-long custom that must have continued century after century of driving the herds over the same road.

Even if one accepts the view that man may in the first instance have indicated by a cutting in the ground the line he intended his herds to follow, and making allowance for the deepening of the cutting by the washings of the storms and rain, it still remains that the trampling feet century after century could alone satisfactorily account for the depth of something like twenty-five or thirty feet of the great trench.

In conclusion, we may say that we know of no more pleasant occupation, or healthier one, than to leave the high roads and strike inland and upland and trace out the works of neolithic man. It is safe to say that nowhere in the high lands of the downs can the explorer find himself without the evidence of the great earthworkers. When the eye has once become accustomed to their works, it is always possible unerringly to detect their labours. Sometimes it may be only the slightest indication on the surface of the soil; but at others it may be that neolithic man has hewn great gaps through the downs, like gigantic railway cuttings, and the course of the country lanes occasionally has its origin in a neolithic cattleway, or runs along one of the level wolf-platforms.

The hills and the plains speak eloquently of the prehistoric past to those who are willing to forget their own mode of life in the interpretation of the writing on the scroll which they spread before us.

'JARGE'S LITTLE 'OOMAN:

BY M. E. FRANCIS.

It was eight o'clock on a summer's morning, and Farmer Ellery's haymakers had duly assembled in his yard preparatory to setting forth for the field.

The long spell of fine weather appeared likely to break up at last, and if the hay in the forty-acre was to be carried that day, every hand was needed.

The farmer, mounted on his stout black horse, kept a sharp look-out as the folk came up, and those who were disposed to lag and to gossip quickened their pace as they took note of his expression. Several things had happened to put the master out of temper. One of the horses had suddenly gone lame, a wheel had come off the biggest waggon, and what was most provoking of all, though every pair of hands was wanted, as has been said, every pair of hands was not forthcoming.

Old John Robbins was down with his rheumatism again—and where was George Crumpler ?

Where's George Crumpler?' Farmer Ellery inquired aloud, taking a rapid and frowning survey of the groups who had surrounded horses and waggons.

'Be Jarge Crumpler here?' echoed an officious voice.

And then the answer came first from one side and then the other. 'I han't seen nothin' o' Jarge this marnin';' and 'He bain't here, sir-I d' 'low he bain't.'

The farmer tightened his reins with an ominous look.

'He's been at his tricks again, I suppose?'

While he was yet speaking a figure turned in at the gate and made its way quickly up to the 'maister'; the figure of a short thickset woman in a print dress and sunbonnet. Drawing near she uplifted a round, sunburnt face, and laid her hand tremulously upon the farmer's rein.

'Please ye, sir, I'm sorry to say my 'usband bain't so very well this marnin'.'

'Oh, isn't he?' retorted Ellery with a short angry laugh.

'He's been taking something that hasn't agreed with him, I suppose; it's happened once or twice before."

'He've had a fall,' the little woman nervously stammered.

'A fall, yes it's not the first time either. Cut his head open as usual, I suppose?'

The bystanders looked at each other, and a smothered 'Haw, haw!' sounded here and there.

'He fell into a ditch, once,' resumed Mr. Ellery, with stern 'Was it a ditch this time, or did he chance to knock

himself against a wall?'

'He tripped over a log of wood,' returned Mrs. Crumpler diffidently; and the laughter of the bystanders began afresh.

'Here you folks,' shouted the farmer, raising himself in his stirrups, what are you all idling about for? Because one man's an idle good-for-nothing chap, are you all to lose your time? I'm going to make an example of George Crumpler, and I'll make an example of everyone what thinks he can play the fool and treat me this way. Stand out of my way, Mrs. Crumpler-you know very well, and George knows very well, what he has to expect. I told him plain the last time he went drinking that if ever I lost another day's work through him I'd send him packing. So he needn't trouble himself to come here again. Let go of my rein.' But Mrs. Crumpler clutched it fast.

'Please ye, sir,' she said firmly, there's no occasion for ye to be at the loss of a day's work along o' Crumpler bein' laid-up-I be come to take his place.'

'What,' cried Ellery, 'you!'

'E-es, sir,' rejoined Mrs. Crumpler with a kind of modest assurance. I can work just so well as he. There's nothin' what he do do as I can't do if ye'll let me try.'

'Can ye drive a hayrake, then?' cried the farmer, with a laugh that was half-fierce and half-amused.

'Not a hayrake, no, sir,' rejoined the little woman after a moment's reflection; 'I shouldn't like for to undertake a hayrake-but a cart or a waggon-I d' 'low I could drive either o' them just so well as anybody. And I could use a hand-rake or I could toss up hay wi' a pitchfork.'

'Yes, you've got such fine long arms, haven't you?' rejoined Ellery, eyeing her diminutive proportions.

But Mrs. Crumpler was not discouraged: 'They mid be shart, sir, but they be terr'ble strong,' she returned; ' feel o' them.'