English breed. I found there the spirit of the
wander-lust which has lured Albion s sons across
the zones; and I found there the colossal unreck-
oning which has tricked the English into foolish
squabblings and preposterous fights, and the dogged-
ness and stubbornness which have brought them
blindly through to empire and greatness; and like
wise I found that vast, incomprehensible patience
which has enabled the home population to endure
under the burden of it all, to toil without complaint
through the weary years, and docilely to yield the
best ofjts sons to fight and colonize to the ends of
the earth.

Thomas Mugridge was seventy-one years old and
a little man. It was because he was little that he
had not gone for a soldier. He had remained at
home and worked. His first recollections were
connected with work. He knew nothing else but
work. He had worked all his days, and at seventy-
one he still worked. Each morning saw him up
with the lark and afield, a day laborer, for as such
he had been born. Mrs. Mugridge was seventy-
three. From seven years of age she had worked
in the fields, doing a boy s work at first, and later,
a man s. She still worked, keeping the house
shining, washing, boiling, and baking, and, with my
advent, cooking for me and shaming me by making
my bed. At the end of threescore years and more

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p180 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p181w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p182

v?