After London; Or, Wild England

by Richard Jefferies

  CHAPTER III

  MEN OF THE WOODS

  So far as this, all that I have stated has been clear, and there can beno doubt that what has been thus handed down from mouth to mouth is forthe most part correct. When I pass from trees and animals to men,however, the thing is different, for nothing is certain and everythingconfused. None of the accounts agree, nor can they be altogetherreconciled with present facts or with reasonable supposition; yet it isnot so long since but a few memories, added one to the other, can bridgethe time, and, though not many, there are some written notes still to befound. I must attribute the discrepancy to the wars and hatreds whichsprang up and divided the people, so that one would not listen to whatthe others wished to say, and the truth was lost.

  Besides which, in the conflagration which consumed the towns, most ofthe records were destroyed, and are no longer to be referred to. And itmay be that even when they were proceeding, the causes of the changewere not understood. Therefore, what I am now about to describe is notto be regarded as the ultimate truth, but as the nearest to which Icould attain after comparing the various traditions. Some say, then,that the first beginning of the change was because the sea silted up theentrances to the ancient ports, and stopped the vast commerce which wasonce carried on. It is certainly true that many of the ports are siltedup, and are now useless as such, but whether the silting up preceded thedisappearance of the population, or whether the disappearance of thepopulation, and the consequent neglect caused the silting, I cannotventure to positively assert.

  For there are signs that the level of the sea has sunk in some places,and signs that it has become higher in others, so that the judicioushistorian will simply state the facts, and refrain from colouring themwith his own theory as Silvester has done. Others again maintain thatthe supply of food from over the ocean suddenly stopping caused greatdisorders, and that the people crowded on board all the ships to escapestarvation, and sailed away, and were no more heard of.

  It has, too, been said that the earth, from some attractive powerexercised by the passage of an enormous dark body through space, becametilted or inclined to its orbit more than before, and that this, whileit lasted, altered the flow of the magnetic currents, which, in animperceptible manner, influence the minds of men. Hitherto the stream ofhuman life had directed itself to the westward, but when this reversalof magnetism occurred, a general desire arose to return to the east. Andthose whose business is theology have pointed out that the wickedness ofthose times surpassed understanding, and that a change and sweeping awayof the human evil that had accumulated was necessary, and was effectedby supernatural means. The relation of this must be left to them, sinceit is not the province of the philosopher to meddle with such matters.

  All that seems certain is, that when the event took place, the immensecrowds collected in cities were most affected, and that the richer andupper classes made use of their money to escape. Those left behind weremainly the lower and most ignorant, so far as the arts were concerned;those that dwelt in distant and outlying places; and those who lived byagriculture. These last at that date had fallen to such distress thatthey could not hire vessels to transport themselves. The exact number ofthose left behind cannot, of course, be told, but it is on record thatwhen the fields were first neglected (as I have already described), aman might ride a hundred miles and not meet another. They were not onlyfew, but scattered, and had not drawn together and formed towns as atpresent.

  Of what became of the vast multitudes that left the country, nothing hasever been heard, and no communication has been received from them. Forthis reason I cannot conceal my opinion that they must have sailedeither to the westward or to the southward where the greatest extent ofocean is understood to exist, and not to the eastward as Silvester wouldhave it in his work upon the "Unknown Orb", the dark body travelling inspace to which I have alluded. None of our vessels in the present daydare venture into those immense tracts of sea, nor, indeed, out of sightof land, unless they know they shall see it again so soon as they havereached and surmounted the ridge of the horizon. Had they only crossedto the mainland or continent again, we should most likely have heard oftheir passage across the countries there.

  It is true that ships rarely come over, and only to two ports, and thatthe men on them say (so far as can be understood) that their country isequally deserted now, and has likewise lost its population. But still,as men talk unto men, and we pass intelligence across great breadths ofland, it is almost certain that, had they travelled that way, some echoof their footsteps would yet sound back to us. Regarding this theory,therefore, as untenable, I put forward as a suggestion that the ancientsreally sailed to the west or to the south.

  As, for the most part, those who were left behind were ignorant, rude,and unlettered, it consequently happened that many of the marvellousthings which the ancients did, and the secrets of their science, areknown to us by name only, and, indeed, hardly by name. It has happenedto us in our turn as it happened to the ancients. For they were awarethat in times before their own the art of making glass malleable hadbeen discovered, so that it could be beaten into shape like copper. Butthe manner in which it was accomplished was entirely unknown to them;the fact was on record, but the cause lost. So now we know that thosewho to us are the ancients had a way of making diamonds and preciousstones out of black and lustreless charcoal, a fact which approaches theincredible. Still, we do not doubt it, though we cannot imagine by whatmeans it was carried out.

  They also sent intelligence to the utmost parts of the earth along wireswhich were not tubular, but solid, and therefore could not transmitsound, and yet the person who received the message could hear andrecognise the voice of the sender a thousand miles away. With certainmachines worked by fire, they traversed the land swift as the swallowglides through the sky, but of these things not a relic remains to us.What metal-work or wheels or bars of iron were left, and might havegiven us a clue, were all broken up and melted down for use in otherways when metal became scarce.

  Mounds of earth are said to still exist in the woods, which originallyformed the roads for these machines, but they are now so low, and socovered with thickets, that nothing can be learnt from them; and,indeed, though I have heard of their existence, I have never seen one.Great holes were made through the very hills for the passage of the ironchariot, but they are now blocked by the falling roofs, nor dare any oneexplore such parts as may yet be open. Where are the wonderfulstructures with which the men of those days were lifted to the skies,rising above the clouds? These marvellous things are to us little morethan fables of the giants and of the old gods that walked upon theearth, which were fables even to those whom we call the ancients.

  Indeed, we have fuller knowledge of those extremely ancient times thanof the people who immediately preceded us, and the Romans and the Greeksare more familiar to us than the men who rode in the iron chariots andmounted to the skies. The reason why so many arts and sciences were lostwas because, as I have previously said, the most of those who were leftin the country were ignorant, rude, and unlettered. They had seen theiron chariots, but did not understand the method of their construction,and could not hand down the knowledge they did not themselves possess.The magic wires of intelligence passed through their villages, but theydid not know how to work them.

  The cunning artificers of the cities all departed, and everything fellquickly into barbarism; nor could it be wondered at, for the few andscattered people of those days had enough to do to preserve their lives.Communication between one place and another was absolutely cut off, andif one perchance did recollect something that might have been of use, hecould not confer with another who knew the other part, and thus betweenthem reconstruct the machine. In the second generation even thesedisjointed memories died out.

  At first it is supposed that those who remained behind existed upon thegrain in the warehouses, and what they could thresh by the flail fromthe crops left neglected in the fields. But as the provisions in thewarehouses were consumed or spoiled, they hun
ted the animals, latelytame and as yet but half wild. As these grew less in number anddifficult to overtake, they set to work again to till the ground, andcleared away small portions of the earth, encumbered already withbrambles and thistles. Some grew corn, and some took charge of sheep.Thus, in time, places far apart from each other were settled, and townswere built; towns, indeed, we call them to distinguish them from thechampaign, but they are not worthy of the name in comparison with themighty cities of old time.

  There are many that have not more than fifty houses in the enclosure,and perhaps no other station within a day's journey, and the largest arebut villages, reckoning by antiquity. For the most part they have theirown government, or had till recently, and thus there grew up manyprovinces and kingdoms in the compass of what was originally but one.Thus separated and divided, there came also to be many races where inthe first place was one people. Now, in briefly recounting the principaldivisions of men, I will commence with those who are everywhereconsidered the lowest. These are the Bushmen, who live wholly in thewoods.

  Even among the ancients, when every man, woman, and child could exercisethose arts which are now the special mark of nobility, _i.e._ readingand writing, there was a degraded class of persons who refused to availthemselves of the benefits of civilization. They obtained their food bybegging, wandering along the highways, crouching around fires which theylit in the open, clad in rags, and exhibiting countenances from whichevery trace of self-respect had disappeared. These were the ancestors ofthe present men of the bushes.

  They took naturally to the neglected fields, and forming "camps" as theycall their tribes, or rather families, wandered to and fro, easilysubsisting upon roots and trapped game. So they live to this day, havingbecome extremely dexterous in snaring every species of bird and animal,and the fishes of the streams. These latter they sometimes poison with adrug or a plant (it is not known which), the knowledge of which has beenpreserved among them since the days of the ancients. The poison killsthe fishes, and brings them to the surface, when they can be collectedby hundreds, but does not injure them for eating.

  Like the black wood-dogs, the Bushmen often in fits of savage frenzydestroy thrice as much as they can devour, trapping deer in wickerworkhedges, or pitfalls, and cutting the miserable animals in pieces, formere thirst of blood. The oxen and cattle in the enclosures areoccasionally in the same manner fearfully mutilated by these wretches,sometimes for amusement, and sometimes in vengeance for injuries done tothem. Bushmen have no settled home, cultivate no kind of corn orvegetable, keep no animals, not even dogs, have no houses or huts, noboats or canoes, nothing that requires the least intelligence or energyto construct.

  Roaming to and fro without any apparent aim or object, or any particularroute, they fix their camp for a few days wherever it suits their fancy,and again move on, no man knows why or whither. It is this uncertaintyof movement which makes them so dangerous. To-day there may not be theleast sign of any within miles of an enclosure. In the night a "camp"may pass, slaughtering such cattle as may have remained without thepalisade, or killing the unfortunate shepherd who has not got within thewalls, and in the morning they may be nowhere to be seen, havingdisappeared like vermin. Face to face the Bushman is never to be feared;a whole "camp" or tribal family will scatter if a traveler stumbles intotheir midst. It is from behind a tree or under cover of night that hedeals his murderous blow.

  A "camp" may consist of ten or twenty individuals, sometimes, perhaps,of forty, or even fifty, of various ages, and is ruled by the eldest,who is also the parent. He is absolute master of his "camp", but has nopower or recognition beyond it, so that how many leaders there may beamong them it is not possible even to guess. Nor is the master known tothem as king, or duke, nor has he any title, but is simply the oldest orfounder of the family. The "camp" has no law, no established custom;events happen, and even the master cannot be said to reign. When hebecomes feeble, they simply leave him to die.

  They are depraved, and without shame, clad in sheep-skins chiefly, ifclad at all, or in such clothes as they have stolen. They have noceremonies whatever. The number of these "camps" must be considerable,and yet the Bushman is seldom seen, nor do we very often hear of theirdepredations, which is accounted for by the extent of country theywander over. It is in severe winters that the chief danger occurs; theythen suffer from hunger and cold, and are driven to the neighbourhood ofthe enclosures to steal. So dexterous are they in slipping through thebushes, and slinking among the reeds and osiers, that they will passwithin a few yards without discovering their presence, and the signs oftheir passage can be detected only by the experienced hunter, and notalways by him.

  It is observed that whatever mischief the Bushman commits, he never setsfire to any ricks or buildings; the reason is because his nature is toslink from the scene of his depredations, and flame at once attractspeople to the spot. Twice the occurrence of a remarkably severe winterhas caused the Bushmen to flock together and act in an approach toconcert in attacking the enclosures. The Bushmen of the north, who wereeven more savage and brutal, then came down, and were with difficultyrepulsed from the walled cities. In ordinary times we see very little ofthem. They are the thieves, the human vermin of the woods.

  Under the name of gipsies, those who are now often called Romany andZingari were well known to the ancients. Indeed, they boast that theirancestry goes back so much farther than the oldest we can claim, thatthe ancients themselves were but modern to them. Even in that age ofhighest civilization, which immediately preceded the present, they say(and there is no doubt of it) that they preserved the blood of theirrace pure and untainted, that they never dwelt under permanent roofs,nor bowed their knees to the prevalent religion. They remained apart,and still continue after civilization has disappeared, exactly the sameas they were before it commenced.

  Since the change their numbers have greatly increased, and were they notalways at war with each other, it is possible that they might go far tosweep the house people from the land. But there are so many tribes, eachwith its king, queen, or duke, that their power is divided, and theirforce melts away. The ruler of the Bushman families is always a man, butamong the gipsies a woman, and even a young girl, often exercisessupreme authority, but must be of the sacred blood. These kings anddukes are absolute autocrats within their tribe, and can order by a nodthe destruction of those who offend them. Habits of simplest obediencebeing enjoined on the tribe from earliest childhood, such executions arerare, but the right to command them is not for a moment questioned.

  Of the sorcerers, and particularly the sorceresses, among them, all haveheard, and, indeed, the places where they dwell seem full of mystery andmagic. They live in tents, and though they constantly remove fromdistrict to district, one tribe never clashes with or crosses another,because all have their especial routes, upon which no intrusion is evermade. Some agriculture is practiced, and flocks and herds are kept, butthe work is entirely done by the women. The men are always on horseback,or sleeping in their tents.

  Each tribe has its central camping-place, to which they return atintervals after perhaps wandering for months, a certain number ofpersons being left at home to defend it. These camps are often situatedin inaccessible positions, and well protected by stockades. Theterritory which is acknowledged to belong to such a camp is extremelylimited; its mere environs only are considered the actual property ofthe tribe, and a second can pitch its tents with a few hundred yards.These stockades, in fact, are more like store-houses than residences;each is a mere rendezvous.

  The gipsies are everywhere, but their stockades are most numerous in thesouth, along the sides of the green hills and plains, and especiallyround Stonehenge, where, on the great open plains, among the hugeboulders, placed ages since in circles, they perform strange ceremoniesand incantations. They attack every traveller, and every caravan ortrain of waggons which they feel strong enough to master, but they donot murder the solitary sleeping hunter or shepherd like the Bushmen.They will, indeed, steal from him, but do not ki
ll, except in fight.Once, now and then, they have found their way into towns, when terriblemassacres have followed, for, when excited, the savage knows not how torestrain himself.

  Vengeance is their idol. If any community has injured or affronted them,they never cease endeavouring to retaliate, and will wipe it out in fireand blood generations afterwards. There are towns which have thus beensuddenly harried when the citizens had forgotten that any cause ofenmity existed. Vengeance is their religion and their social law, whichguides all their actions among themselves. It is for this reason thatthey are continually at war, duke with duke, and king with king. Adeadly feud, too, has set Bushman and gipsy at each other's throat, farbeyond the memory of man. The Romany looks on the Bushman as a dog, andslaughters him as such. In turn, the despised human dog slinks in thedarkness of the night into the Romany's tent, and stabs his daughter orhis wife, for such is the meanness and cowardice of the Bushman that hewould always rather kill a woman than a man.

  There is also a third class of men who are not true gipsies, but havesomething of their character, though the gipsies will not allow thatthey were originally half-breeds. Their habits are much the same, exceptthat they are foot men and rarely use horses, and are therefore calledthe foot gipsies. The gipsy horse is really a pony. Once only have theRomany combined to attack the house people, driven, like the Bushmen, byan exceedingly severe winter, against which they had no provision.

  But, then, instead of massing their forces and throwing theirirresistible numbers upon one city or territory, all they would agree todo was that, upon a certain day, each tribe should invade the landnearest to it. The result was that they were, though with trouble,repulsed. Until lately, no leader ventured to follow the gipsies totheir strongholds, for they were reputed invincible behind theirstockades. By infesting the woods and lying in ambush they renderedcommunication between city and city difficult and dangerous, except tobodies of armed men, and every waggon had to be defended by troops.

  The gipsies, as they roam, make little secret of their presence (unless,of course, intent upon mischief), but light their fires by day and nightfearlessly. The Bushmen never light a fire by day, lest the ascendingsmoke, which cannot be concealed, should betray their whereabouts. Theirfires are lit at night in hollows or places well surrounded withthickets, and, that the flame may not be seen, they will build screensof fir boughs or fern. When they have obtained a good supply of hot woodcoals, no more sticks are thrown on, but these are covered with turf,and thus kept in long enough for their purposes. Much of their meat theydevour raw, and thus do not need a fire so frequently as others.