Search -
The Boy's Country-book: Being the Real Life of a Country Boy
The Boy's Countrybook Being the Real Life of a Country Boy Author:William Howitt Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. IN WHICH I AND PETER SCROGGINS BECOME TRAVELLERS, AND JOURNEY INTO THE PEAK. The time came for me to extend my rides beyond the collierie... more »s. On my grey pony, Peter Scroggins, I first accompanied my father to his mines in the Peak,—that land of mountains and of many wonders. The heauty of the country was always delightful to me. Even as I strolled about birds'-nesting, the freshness of early morning, the sun coming up the sky, filling it with all lovely colours and with heavenly cheerfulness; the bright dewdropshanging on every bush, and scattered glitteringly over the young grass; the sweet odour of leaves and flowers; the violets, primroses, and cowslips coming out in their own time,—filled me with a speechless joy. The aspect of dark woods and waters, the tall trees with their deep sighing sound; the cries and appearance of all sorts of birds and little wild ;utiniils; these were the things that kindled my imagination, and led me often many miles from home. But when I got into the Peak, I could not sleep for joy and wonder. Such mighty towering rocks, crowned with hanging thickets and woods! such clear, swift rivers rushing along beneath them! such wild high hills, and far- stretching uplands! such mighty ranges, as it appeared to me, of dark forests!—I was never tired of gazing on them. At one time we came upon an old hall, grey with age, amid its old, old trees. Then we turned aside into a winding road, and seemed at once to come into a new land. Here lay a sweet village, built in a hollow, all surrounded by high rocks, from the top of which hung wild drooping boughs and plants. The houses all appeared so neat and clean, the church so beautiful, surrounded by its lime trees; the parsonage, with its little front garden-walks all formed of the small white ...« less