Land and Water
House and garden are islanded by a flowing moat ; on one side by the natural course of a small river, on three sides by a channel dug by unknown hands not less than seven centuries ago. The river, thus called to disperse and overtax its resources, deposits mud ; and this, overlaying its gravelly bed, becomes a nursery for rushes. Throughout the winter the master of the house devotes his first labours of the day to lifting on to the garden-bank rushes and mud which will next year feed his potato crop. Thanks to a pair of waders and a long-handled rake, he finds here -a rhythmical job which, unlike tasks that demand the use of saw or edged tool, winter darkness does not hamper. Lifting .the mud, instead of pushing it downstream with the current, he feels himself a modest ally of those who are combating the world-wide menace of erosion. He is rewarded by an occasional treasure-trove of !wood for his evening fire, or by some illuminating fragment of crockery tossed into the river by forgotten inhabitants of the house. Even the roots of one of the displaced water grasses make an acceptable breakfast for the goose and gander.
Previous page
