Year: 1869

A MORASS ADVENTURE.
In the latter part of last summer ,
scanty purse led me, in company witt
some relatives, to spend my holidays at


little village on the Welsh. coast, -ou
of the ordinary beat of tourists, bu


otherwise remarkable for nothing bnt it
general air of bleakness and sterility
The place was very quiet, and the lodging
were cheap and tolerably comfortable
These essentials being secured, we had Il


put up with the scenery, which was no


very attractive. A long low line of beach


surmounted by high ridge, leading OF
the one hand to the loot Of some bold iut


ting cliffs, and on the other losing itsel
in an estuary; behind this black ani


dreary looking bog, stretching three Oh


four miles inland, and intersected in every


direction by wide, artificial bitches, anc


deep, natural assures connecting the inky


pools. A small river flowing into the


estuary divides the bog, its course beine


marked by mounds of peat. cut from the


firmer ground which forms its banks


Branching out at right angles to the rive,


are other lines Of peat stacks, following


the course of the larger drains, which


herald the attempt to cultivate the dreary


waste.


This was the view beheld, as, standing
one evening on the top of the stony ridge,
l faced eastward. The sinking sun threw


my shadow far over the bog, distinctly
seen as it fell over the gilded rushes and
crimsoning pools. had been strolling
out with my gun, in the hope of adding
some specimens to my cabinet, and was
thinking of returning homewards, when
a lOng-legged heron slowly sailed high
overhead, in the direction of the river. /
watched the bird till it alighted near one
of tne peatstacks, and carefully noting the
spot, proceeded to careful stalk, hoping
to secure an acquisition. l contrived to
get within seventy yards of the heron,
and as there was no cover of any kind
nearer, lay down behind the last mound
had reached, and with finger on the trig-
ger, watched patiently in the hope that
my quarry would feed towards me. was
not disappointed: it gradually approached
some yards nearer my hiding place, and
then either caught sight or scent of me,
for it suddenly rose, but in so doing came
within range. Bang! went both barrels.
Uttering hoarsc croak, the heron flew
heavily away keeping close to the ground,
and evidently hard hit. I sprung up and
followed, jumping the bitches, and avoid
ing the soft ground as best could. Dur
ing one particularly long jump, lost
sight of the heron for moment; / caught
sight of it again just in time to see it fall
to the ground as softly as snowflake, and
lie still with its wings spread to their full
stretch. Between the bird and me, how
ever, there was crevasse wider than any
I had yet leaped, and dozen yards on the
other side lay the object of my pursuit.
The black Shiny sides of the ditch over
hung the water, which lay deep and still
some six or seven feet below, and few
yards to the right connected with large
pool, having equally high and muddy
banks. To the left was labyrinth of SIM
liar bitches. Some distance in front, a
broader and straighter crack in the fiat ex-
panse showed where the river lay. The
bank on which l stood was foot or two
higher than the opposite bank. l describe
the situation thus minutely in order to
make tie reader understand what after.
wards happened.


Not liking to lose the prize so nearly in
my grasp, l resolved to risk the jump.
Laying down the gun, and taking my coat
off, made the effort, and cleared the
ditch, only, however, by few inches. /
the heron, and smoothing its beau
tiful plunaage, but little injured by the shot,
threw it across to the bank from which l
had just come. Then, on looking around,
l found myself in sort of Guide sac. The
bit of firm ground on which stood was
an island, and the only way of escape was
the one by which had arrived. Having
to "take-Of" from lower level, it was
much harder to get back than it had been
to come; but as there was no alternative,
it had to be tried. / did not leap quite far
enough, and pitched with hands and knees
together against the edge There was no
to catch hold of, and after hang
ing on the balance for few moments,
vainly clutching at the mud, fell back
wards with a heavy splash into the water.


Fortunately, l am good swimmer, and
at first, while treading water, the ludicrous-
ness of the affair alone struck me; but
when began to see that it might be diff
cult to get up those Shiny, overhanging
banks, l must confess 1 felt rather fright
ened. 1t was impossible to get ont at the
spot where l had fallen in. I swan far





felt my feet touch the soft tenacious mud,
that gave no support, but was ten times
more dangerous than the water. The
water became shallower as struggled on,
but the muddy bottom refused to give me
a standing place, and the banks afforded
no hold for my hands. 1t at last became
80 shallow that had to turn on my back
to avoid kicking the mud as l swan, and
when in this position, 1 could push my
arms into it with almost as much ease as
could push them through the water;
but to draw them out again was far from
easy.


With horrid fear of being unable to ex-
tricate myself from the mud, and of slow
I made a Sudden dash back
into the deep water, and tried the other
bitches, only to be repulsed in the same
l swan round and round the
pool, seeking for an outlet, and beginning
to feel my boots and clothes very heavy.
Even now l involuntarily smiled at the
which suddenly occurred to
me between myself in this plight and
mouse swimming round a bucket of water;
but the thought that /, too, like it, might
be swimming for my life soon drove all
ludicrous thoughts out of my head.


Matters now began to look very serious,
when saw root or branch of some long
buried tree projecting out of the bank. l
caught hold of it; but it was not strong
enough to enable me to lift myself out of
the water. All that could do was to sup
port myself with my hands just sufficient
ly to keep my head above the surface. /
took this opportunity of kicking off my
boots.


Up to this time could scarcely realize
my position; but now the conviction be-
gan 10 dawn upon me that might never
again see the mother and sisters had left
in the cottage mile and a half away. l
looked up to the sky, in which the twilight
was fast giving place to the moonlight, and
across which the clouds were merrily
driving before the evening breeze and
then l looked at the black and Shiny walls
which hemmed me in, and felt as though
were about to scream with terror. From
my childhood, have always had horror
Of confinement of any kind. l have felt
strangely uncomfortable when have been
persuaded into exploring cave, or when
have been shown through prison. This
feeling felt now more strongly than the
fear of drowning. To die hemmed in by
those gloomy walls would be terrible.


To add to the weirdness, o hollow boom
ing sound, almost amounting to roar, ran
through the quivering bog, intensified to
ne, no doubt, by my imprisonment in the
heart Of the moss. This, though / had
never heard it before, I knew to be the
note of the bittern. During the night, it