Hazelton: a Northumbrian Story

Front matter

HAZELTON: A NORTHUMBRIAN STORY. BY Dr. WM. MURRAY, K NEWCASTLE- UPON -TYNE, NEWCASTLE 0PON-TYNF. \ PRINTED BV J. M CARR, STEAM PRINTING WORKS, 21, LOW FIUAft STREET. 1895. I trust this sketch of the dialect, scenery, and country life of Northumberland may prove sufficiently interesting to North-Country Readers (who are always tolerant of " things racy of the soil ") to justify its publication. Although I may have casually referred to several well-known men, I can honestly say that, excepting, perhaps, Roger and Johnnie, I have never met even the prototypes of the prominent characters of my story, and I hope that none of their traits will be applied by my readers to supposed originals.

Chapter I

On a sultry evening in August, two men were wending their way along a road between Alwinton and Holystone, after a hard day's work on the moors which lie to the south of the Cheviots. The elder, a stalwart man of great height, addressed the younger whose perfect framework arrested the attention of all who saw him. " Aa warnt yor ganin' ti the games i' the north this autumn, Johnnie ?" " Aa dinna ken yet," replied the younger man ; " but if aa dee gan, aa mean ti hev a thraw wi' the hammer, and ti put the stane wi' them bare-kneed Scotchmen." HAZELTON *. " An' aa dinna doot but ye'll gi'e them a gliff, Johnnie, ma lad." With such interesting passages their conversation was maintained until they passed Harbottle, when the youger man dropped into his father's cottage, while the elder, having lighted his pipe, and gathered his setters and retriever to his heels, set out for Hazelton his more distant home.

Arrived at home, he settled his dogs for the night, and sought his couch, which consisted of a bed set into a recess or open closet in the thick wall of his cottage. At early dawn he was again on foot, to meet a guest from the Hall who wished for a day's fishing on the higher reaches of the Coquet where it issues from the southern slopes of the Cheviot range. The youth who met him was faultlessly dressed in sporting fashion which showed to advantage a figure in which agility and strength were combined. His style, A NORTHUMBRIAN STORY. features, dark hair, and sallow complexion, were characteristic of a type which is sometimes found in North Northumber land, in striking contrast with the fair haired Anglo-Saxons of these parts. They greeted, and the keeper gathered up the rods, waders, creel, and waterproofs, which had been brought to the rendezvous in a pony-cart.

Trudging over white ground, bog, and heather, they at last found them selves in a wild moorland valley traversed by a stream having the features of both mountain and lowland trouting water. " Will ye fish up or doon stream thi' day, O'** sor ( " Up stream with worm," said the young man. " The water is fine, and it is hardly time yet for the back-end fly-fishing." A stiff 11 -ft. rod was put up, and the angler* soon gave proof of his skill in fishing up stream with Stewart's tackle. The HAZELTON : rapidity with which the basket filled sur prised both of them. At last they reached a deep pool, when at the first cast a sudden check of the line and a big rush into the deep water of the pool indicated that a monster had been hooked. After a pro longed and severe struggle the victim was captured, and proved to be a two-pounder of great beauty: — the pure white under neath, merging into a rosy tint which ran into a band of gold studded with the brightest of red spots along the sides of the fish, and then into a bright brownish grey over his back which was speckled with black spots, gave him a loveliness rarely equalled in any creature.

As Lathbury felt somewhat exhausted by his exciting struggle, lunch was proposed and despatched without loss of time. The return journey commenced after adjusting a cast of flies instead of worm-tackle, and thus the tedium of the walk home was relieved by an oc- A NOKI HUMBRIAN STORY. 7 casional cast as they passed each tempting stream or pool. On the latter a stiff curl from the south-west gave the angler great advantage, and he landed several good trout before he reached the high road where the pony trap was waiting his return. As they drew near the road old Roger continued their conversation in a solemn vorce. " Aa was just thinkin' th' ould squire mun hae gaen aal wrang lately. He's spent aal the wife's money, an' selled aal her property, an' noo he's bund to shackle the ould Hazleton property wiv a mortgage to help him out o' some mess wi' the leases."

"Roger, Roger, you mustn't say any thing about that to me. I'm a friend of the family, and a guest, and not supposed to know their private affairs." "Private affairs !" laughed Roger, "why the hyel (whole) countryside kens, as weel HAZELTON : as aa dee, aal aboot it ; an' there's not ane o' them lads up to much yit. They've nivor been eddicated ti de ony work, an' knaw nowt but shutin', fishin', an' huntin', an sic like things. The young leddy's the only ane o' the family wi' a heed on her shouthers, an' she's a reet un, aa can assure ye, sor." Whether the young lady would have thanked Roger for his praise does not tran spire, but had she been listening, she might have heard the last remark, for she sat in the pony-cart instead of the groom who was engaged elsewhere. With half an apology she explained this cause of her presence to her* father's guest whose countenance ex pressed just the faintest sense of surprise and satisfaction.

The young lady was dressed in a short jacket and skirt of tweed ; she was brogued and gaitered, and wore the daintiest, although home-made, *****> ' Tam-o'-Shanter. She was past the age of girlhood, square-shouldered and lithely formed and possessed a carriage of both strength and grace as she sat in the pony cart. Fair-haired, nay almost white-haired, with a keen and somewhat hard blue eye, she had a complexion which, though still fair and lovely, was somewhat altered by frequent exposure to keen blasts of moorland air. Every feature betokened a good nature and a free and easy temper combined with firmness and decision of character. The youth, Robert Lathbury, as he mounted the cart, hoped she had not waited long for him, and offered to drive. She at once declined his offer, and turned the conversation to the day's fishing, the state of the water, and the prospect of a good day on the moor.

Robert Lathbury did not care for shooting, and suggested that he might be allowed to fish next day. " If you had leave on the lower water, it would be worth all the shooting in the HAZELTON : world," said Effie, " and had I known you were so keen, I should have sent a note to my friend Georgina, and got you a day on a o-rand bit of water." " You are very kind to me, but I am quite content to whip these upper streams." " My father and I once caught five dozen averaging half a pound each in the lower waters of this stream, and the first I landed weighed over a pound," said Effie. " Do you really care much for thrs sport ?" said Robert. " Yes ; next to my home duties, it is my greatest pleasure." This latter remark somewhat astonished her friend, who had not met with this intense love of sport in a woman before.

Then she added, "It is not that I care for the mere killing of fish. I love them too much for that, and I can hardly bring myself to look on while Roger kills them, but the associations of river scenery and a sense of freedom, combined with the fine excitement of catching a rising trout, or luring a sulky one out of his lair, have a strange fascination for me." " Then you think it quite right to kill them in this way ? " " Yes, I have reasoned that out for my self." " How ?" " Well, I see that in the system of nature man was obliged to kill in order to live ; thus he developed those strong hunting in stincts which have preserved the race in the battle of existence ; and thus these creatures not only minister to man's wants as food, but they satisfy his instinctive cravings for healthy, natural excitement.

Moreover, I am convinced that the death we inflict in sport is far the least painful HAZELTON * form of death ; and I never take out one under ten inches, so that according to my code I allow them all to have a fair share of existence, for a ten inch trout must be at least three, if not four years old. After this age he is usually a cannibal living on smaller fish, and he is better out of the water." " You seem to take not only a keen but also a philosophical interest in the subject," said Lathbury. At any rate, my view of the subject satisfies all my scruples about the sport," said Effie. Robert Lathbury was somewhat disappointed in Effie. He had come there ta fish, but also with a lurking hope that he might find a girl, free from the trammels and fashions of town life, who could realise for him the ideal of womanhood which he had pictured to himself when weary of the busy life to which he had been accustomed.

" An Amazon," thought he, " fearfully strong-minded and somewhat hard-hearted, too ! This will never do for me ! " And thus his idol fell at his feet. She, utterly heedless of the effect of her words, touched on other varieties of sport with such zest as to alarm her* friend still more. He therefore changed the subject, and asked her what her home duties consisted r* or. " Keeping my father and brothers in order, chiefly," said Effie, " and ruling a host of servants in and out of the house ; for every grievance is brought to me and I must adjust it, or we should have all the servants quarrelling or leaving us. Then there are the sick to visit, the schools to look after, and the church choir to train." " Does this all fall upon you ?" HAZELTON : " Yes, and a thousand other things." This side of her character was a great relief to Lathbury's mind, and he thought that after all she might be a true and noble woman with high objects and aims in life.

He therefore asked : " Then you enjoy your life up here ?" " Yes, immensely," said Effie, " I not only enjoy my work and my pleasures, but the contemplation of the system of nature, its beauties and its wonders, has a great charm for me." Still more interested and perplexed Lath bury ventured to ask if her pleasures of contemplation were not sometimes spoiled by the darker aspect which Nature often presents ? " Yes, there are some very painful problems suggested by the sufferings we witness, but I have a sovereign remedy for all our troubles to fall back upon, and I think it throws a flood of light this dark side of life." But here comes my father, and we must dismiss these subjects, for they are quite foreign to his mind." At a turn in the carriage-drive, the Squire, as he was called by common con sent, stood awaiting their approach.

He was a tall and somewhat portly man, about sixty years of age. His features were handsome, his expression was good-natured, and there was much shrewdness and pene tration in his sharp and kindly glance. His soft and flowing locks, now nearly white, gave him a patriarchal and benevo lent aspect, but he was without any other sign of the loss of his youth. " Well, Effie, how has Robert succeeded to-day ? " " Fairly well, father. Look into his basket!" Whereupon the Squire looked over the trout, and congratulated Robert on his success. HAZELTON:

Chapter II

When the family met at dinner, plans for the morrow were fully discussed. The Squire was very anxious to have a big grouse drive, and the boys were eager as it was to be the first drive of the season, but Lathbury did not join in their enthu siasm, and at last declared he preferred another day's fishing, at the same time casting an appealing look on Effie, who came to the rescue by declaring herself willing to join him. With jeers from the boys and ill-disguised regret from the Squire, Effie and Lathbury were left to do as they liked best. Lest this should appear a somewhat unconventional arrangement, it may be explained that, although not related to each other, there was a close family connection between Effie and Robert, for Lathbury's father had recently married the Squire's sister, and thus a sort of cousin ship was established between the two families.

The Squire remained silent for some moments after acceding to these plans, and then observed : " But who will act gillie for you young people ? We shall need Roger and Johnnie to organise the boys who will beat for us." Effie at once replied : " We can always command Wattie, and he is a host in himself." " Ah, yes, he will do quite well, and I will send a message to him at once." After sundry pipes in a far-off smoking room, the men retired for the night, and were astir early the next day. Breakfast over, they gathered at the porch of the mansion, and found two guns already in evidence. One of these, Mr. Ingo, of Twidale, a very tall, dark-haired man, with a long beard, grey eyes, a small head, and a sinister expression, made very effusive HAZELTON : expressions of regret at the absence of Effie from their day's sport, and at the same time he looked askance at Lathbury, to whose influence he ascribed this unfortunate departure from the usual arrangements.

The second gun, Squire Wandylaw, was a broad shouldered, fair-haired man, who seemed to be careless of everything except the day's sport The party soon shouldered arms and moved off with a numerous array of beaters carrying small scarlet and white flags, keepers, and retrievers. As they left, Ingo cast a jealous eye on Lathbury, and a reproachful glance on Effie, but both were lost on these happy anglers. In a few moments Wattie appeared, not dressed as a gamekeeper, but in trousers, round hat, and a black coat. As Wattie was approaching, Roger came back to them ; he was scarcely in his best humour with Lathbury, and yet wishful to please the " young leddy." " Here cums Wattie, he knaws a' aboot fishin', but mind ye, he's an awfu' lang winded chep, an' ye munna believe a' he tells ye." At this moment Wattie came forward and saluted the party, declaring himself ready to start forthwith.

" Ye'll be ganin by Billsmoor and the Fallowlees aa warnt," said Roger. " Aye, we'll come a short cut to the lake that way," replied Wattie. "Aye, aye!" said Roger, "that's reet. Dinna waak ower fast mind." They drove over the first part of their journey until they crossed the river, and struck the Grasslees Burn, up the valley of which they kept the high road. Lathbury was much impressed by the beauty of this Northumbrian pass between the watershed of the Rede and the Coquet. The timber and the character of the hills around were, HAZELTON * on a small scale, equal to anything he had seen in Scotland. With Simonside and Tosson on the south, and Headshope (Egupt) and High Shaw on the north-west, the vale lay secluded and embedded in its surroundings of broken rocks, heather-clad hills, and well-timbered banks.

Leaving the pony cart as they reached the lower end of an old deer park, Wattie led the way, ex plaining that there was still a small herd of fallow deer hidden in its recesses, and that this was known to few, if indeed, to any one except himself. As Wattie concluded a long-winded ac count of the deer and their habits, they came upon a mass of immense rocks in blocks from ten to twenty feet square, loosely tumbled together as if they had been rolled from the top of Tosson Hill and found a resting place here. Overgrown by beds of fern with coarse stems of considerable height, these rocks needed to be traversed with great care. Coming to the wildest part of them, Wattie stopped, and cried out : " Noo, tak care where ye're steppin', for this place is fu' o' snakes, and thor bite is varry dangerous and nasty for baith man and beast."

At this prospect Lathbury shuddered ; he hated and dreaded an adder intensely ; Effie, on the other hand, declared they wouldn't harm her ; * ' she had often encountered them, and they always ran away." '* Just aboot this time last week aa was stannin' i' this vera place wiv a gun i' me hand, and wis just liftin' it ti me shouther when aa spies forst yen, then twee, then three, then sower o' them baskin' o' thor rocks. So aa lays doon the gun, and wi' the heel o' me shoe scrunched the villains' heeds afore they knew aa was there, and if ye dinna believe what aa say, lyuk here, for the villains is lying deed here still." HAZELTON : Lathbury and Effie looked dovvn to the spot indicated by Wattie, and there were, without doubt, four dead adders. " Were you not terrified when you saw them ?" " Me flaid ! not me, for aa ken'd weel eneugh they were soond asleep, and aa've killed dozens i' this place ; tho' we ance had a nasty accident wiv a horse here.

The peer beast lay doon and an ether fund its way ti' th' inside of his thigh, and bit him there. He went aboot wiv a leg as thick as ma body for three months, and then we had to put him doon ester aal." The open way now lay before them until they reached a wild moorland " lough," to which Wattie drew their attention. " Yon's a grand seet, but it's gettin' rayther late i' the year. A month syne an' ye wad hae seen't alive wi' black-headed gulls, but they've maistly gaen ti the sea noo." Before them lay a tarn or ** lough," about a hundred yards in breadth and three hundred long. Even now it seemed to be alive with black-headed gulls — birds of great beauty and grace of movement. At a distance was heard the wild medley of sound so characteristic of the sea bird, and already in their alarm several came towards them.

It is a peculiarity of the gull's flight that he will appear to be flying to wards you when he is really stopping on his way, and is only dallying on the wing, till with a sudden swoop he is off to safer dis tance. Effie drew Lathbury's attention to this, and then she pointed out to him two or three pairs of wild duck (teal), which had doubtless nested on the shores of the lough. This was proved to be correct by the appearance of several flappers rising almost at their feet and fluttering into the open water. Lathbury felt at this moment that a gun might have added greatly to his HAZELTON * day's amusement. As they passed the west end of the Lough they saw hundreds of nests standing mostly on tufts of moss, and some of them still occupied by half-fledged birds, an unusual occurence so late in August.

" Did ye iwor hear tell o' the pike o' this lough ?" said Wattie, " Aa nivvor seed him me'sel, but aad Bell the shippord hes seen him mair nor yence. He says he's as big as a sheep, but mind ye, aa believe thor's oney yen and nae mair. Aa wad like te catch him, but he winna luik at maw baits. Aa've tried him wi' paddocks, troots, rats, an' a' kinds o' things, an' a'm blissed if aa knaa what he leeves on barrin' the young gulls i' the summer." At the moment these words were uttered, a young gull was distinctly seen to be seized by some monster, and pulled flutter ing under the surface of the water. Lath bury was immensely excited at this event, and cross-questioned Wattie until they reached the opposing hill top. Effie here drew his attention to the splendid view over the lowlands of Northumberland, and pointed out in the forefront the Ottercaps, and Shaftoe and Rotheley Crags.

She explained to him that this was the line of Douglas's march when he made his famous raid before the battle of Otter burn, and quoted the lines : " Over Ottercap hill they cam in, And so dowyn by Rodely cragge, Upon Grene Leyton they lyghted dowyn, Styrande many a stagge." Lathbury was pleased to find in Effie such a fine appreciation of the natural beauty of the landscape and its historical associations. Still wending their way across the Fallow lees Burn by " Chatners and the Peth," they came in view of the lake, the first glimpse of which entranced Lathbury. It HAZELTON ' suggested a spot of silver embedded in emeralds, as its surrounding pine woods still preserved their bright green tints. As they wended their way across the moor the haymakers were at work on every patch of grass, and Lathbury was astonished to find hay-making so late in these parts ; but Effie explained that this was no unusual occurrence even in September, and again quoted from " The Battle of Otterburn " : " It fell about the Lammas tide, When muir-men win their hay."

By this time they had reached the lake, and and Wattie grew excited. " Lyuk shairp noo, an' up wi' your rods, an' aa'll gan seek the boat. There's a tarrible rise o' fish gannin on." Effie had her rod put up and her tackle in readiness long ere Lathbury had selected a cast of flies. She undertook to make up a cast for him while he put up his rod, and they began fishing with the same flies. The "Hawthorne" was the end fly, the " Coachman " was the " dropper," and the "Downlooker" was the middle fly. " Noo watch the rise o' the fly and foller them, for a've nee doubt the fish' ull just foller the fly commin off the bottom o' the lake aal doon the watter."* He was right. They caught sixteen be fore the south end of the lake was reached, but long ere they arrived there the rise of fly off the surface was over, and not a fish was seen to move.

Lathbury thought they might as well give it up, but Wattie thought differently. " Dinna ye see that as sune as the rise o' fly is ower, the fish aal gan under the busses at the side, owther for shelter frae the sun, • When the fly has reached the end of the pupa stage, and is about to become the imago, it rises from the bottom of the water and as soon as it dries on the surface it casts its last encasement and becomes the perfect fly. In lakes and ponds the fish feed on them freely, just as they rise to the top of the water, on which may be seen myriads of these casts or encasements. HAZELTON : or hidin', or to catch the fly droppin' off the busses ? Noo cast under thor birk trees as close to the edge as ye can." Lathbury gave place to Effie, as he knew he should "make a mess" of this cast.

She at once threw her line deftly under the branches, and in a moment a big rise and tremendous rush off the shallow, past the boat, and into the deep water, showed she had hooked a big fish. Wattie followed him into the deep water, and begged Effie to let him run a bit before she began to put strain on. " Noo keep rod end up, an' dinna win' up till he's a bit tired." So she played him for five minutes with a long line, and inch by inch brought him to close quarters, when another big rush showed that he was by no means played out. But a repetition of these manœuvres soon exhausted the fish, and Wattie netted him with immense glee, " Losh me ! but he's a fine 'un, the bonniest aa iwor saw tyen oot o' this watter !" When weighed by Lathbury's scale he just turned one pound twelve ounces. " Noo, sor, mind as ye come roond the corner.

There's a shaller bank there, wiv a grass bottom, and if there's a big un he's sartin to be there." Lathbury cast over this shallow, keeping well down in the boat lest the fish should see him. He was rewarded by an enormous splash and a furious lashing of the water as the fish ran out ten yards of line without leaving the surface, over which he rolled in the most lively fashion. " Haud him tight noo, and reel up, till aa pull the boat up," said Wattie, " and we'll hev him afore he gets his second wind." HAZELTON : As they drew near, the exhausted and no doubt breathless fish, lay on the surface, and was easily drawn within the reach of Wattie's net and landed. But not too soon had he been caught at this critical moment, as his fury in the landing net proved. When Lathbury held his head in one hand and tail in the other, his arms were twisted to and fro by the power of the fish.

He proved to be heavier than Effie's, and turned the scale of two pounds-and-a quarter. They were a pair of beauties. As it was now two o'clock they felt a strong craving for lunch, and Wattie rowed them to a sheltered and shady spot, where a substantial meal of potted salmon, and of sardines with biscuits, gave great satisfaction. A portion was given to Wattie, who seemed hardly to relish " them sardines," but was made quite happy by the offer of Lathbury's flask, from which he poured a glass of spirit, and drank it neat, proceeding to dilute it after it was " doon " by a copious draught from the lake. As no fish had been rising during the hour of lunch, they hardly cared to try again, especially as the time of day had arrived when a cold wind from the east generally blows for an hour or two.

As too often happens, this was accompanied by a damp mist which crept slowly over the lake, in which state of weather Wattie declared " fishin' was nee good." As Wattie was looking down the lake, he saw a heron drop down on the very spot where Lathbury had caught his big fish. " Luik at thon thief ! Mony a grand troot he's tyen oot o' this watter ! " An' mony a ane he's lost i'nt tee, for a've pickit up the deed anes wiv a hole as big as ma finger through thor shouthers, an' nowt but mistor Heronseugh could dee that ! Yonnor he's comin' wiv a greet troot iv his HAZELTON : pooch. Luik ! luik ! at the bag unner his neb ! He's off to Bolam Lake to feed the young birds ! " At this moment the huge bird came over head, clearly laden with his trophy, but he suddenly turned and rose with a sharp cry, when over him and under him swooped a pair of sparrow-hawks.

They turned bim, and circled him, and penned him most effectually, and it was evident the bird could not escape their importunity, when suddenly he disgorged the trout which fell into a thick fir tree, and ere it had time to touch the ground, had been seized by the talons of one of the sparrow-hawks. Unmolested now, the heron sailed away to " pastures (or waters) new," where he might be safe from these marauders, or robbers of his larder. " Eh ! man, that was awfu' fine. I wad'nt he' missed it for the world. " Wattie went off to look for the trout while Effie and Lathbury tried in vain to get another rise from the bank. Wattie returned with the back-bone of the fish, picked as bare as a skeleton. As the afternoon wore away, they began to feel they had had enough of the lake, and they determined to return by rail to Rothbury and drive home.

Lathbury at last found time and opportunity to devote himself to Effie. " I can now realise how strange a fasci nation this sport has for you." " Yes, it has, but I scarcely think it is likely to last with me," said Effie. " I begin to have cravings for something more." " Ah ! " said Lathbury, " you will find the proper study of mankind is man." You ought to throw yourself into the world and you would there find far more to interest you than this or any other sport." "I fear I should soon become dissatisfied," said Effie, " for I have not found 'the man HAZELTON : of the world' so interesting as you describe him." " Surely this verdict can be, and must be, reversed ere long, and I hope you will come to visit our city where I can introduce to your notice some very fine specimens of humanity.