a blacksmith
who was quite ignorant of even the existence of my pig, to 'come and
ring a pig.' The stye being under a building, he had to enter it at
a low door, which was some distance from the sow's yard, where she
was feeding. He entered, shutting the door to keep the pig in, and
thinking his subject was an ordinary one and that assistants were
following him to hold the cord, etc. He had not been gone a minute,
before I heard the greatest 'rum-ti-tum' at the door, and cries of
'For goodness' sake, sir, let me out! let me out! I never saw such a
beast in all my life!' and out came the poor blacksmith pale with
fright, but all the consolation he got was a jolly good laugh at his
own expense."

All English cricket owes a debt to Guildford. It is in the annals of
Guildford that there occurs the first known mention of the game of
"crickett." In 1598 there was a dispute over the rights of a plot of
land near the north town ditch, and "John Derrick, gent., one of the
Queen's Majestie's coroners of the county of Surrey, aged fifty-nine"
was called to give evidence. He stated that he had known the land for
fifty years and more, and that when he was a boy at the Free School at
Guildford he and his fellows "did runne and plaie there at crickett and
other plaies." The evidence is interesting, because he is not asked for
an explanation. Everybody at that date evidently knew at once what
cricket meant. Besides being a cricket ground, the land was used for
baiting bears.

CHAPTER VIII

SHALFORD AND WONERSH

Shalford and its Stocks.--The Common.--Vanity Fair.--The Court of
Dusty-Feet.--Unstead in floodwater.--Dog Smith.--Bramley
Mill.--Wonersh, Ignorsh, Ognersh.--A village well cared for.--A
Grisly Barometer.--Tangley Manor.

Eight highroads converge on Guildford, and these are fed, of course, by
many minor roads. Besides the roads, five lines of railways run into and
leave the town, so that it is eminently possible, from Guildford, to do
either of two things, to take a walk in a ring and return to the town by
another road, or, what is perhaps a little more luxurious, but enables
you to cover more country, you can walk in almost any direction, and at
the end of the day take a train back to the town. The highroad runs
north to Woking and Horsell; north-east the Ripley road goes by Cobham
to Kingston and London; eastwards, under Merrow Downs, you can walk by
C