lower part,
that which rests upon the earth, is enlarged and is sometimes
strengthened with a sheep's bone. The Landese shepherd is provided with
a staff which he uses for numerous purposes, such as a point of support
for getting on to the stilts and as a crook for directing his flocks.
Again, being provided with a board, the staff constitutes a comfortable
seat adapted to the height of the stilts. Resting in this manner, the
shepherd seems to be upon a gigantic tripod. When he stops he knits or
he spins with the distaff thrust in his girdle. His usual costume
consists of a sort of jacket without sleeves, made of sheep skin, of
canvas gaiters, and of a drugget cloak. His head gear consists of a
beret or a large hat. This accouterment was formerly completed by a gun
to defend the flock against wolves, and a stove for preparing meals.

The aspect of the Landeses is doubtless most picturesque, but their
poverty is extreme. They are generally spare and sickly, they are poorly
fed and are preyed upon by fever. Mounted on their stilts, the shepherds
of Landes drive their flocks across the wastes, going through bushes,
brush and pools of water, and traversing marshes with safety, without
having to seek roads or beaten footpaths. Moreover, this elevation
permits them to easily watch their sheep, which are often scattered over
a wide surface. In the morning the shepherd, in order to get on his
stilts, mounts by a ladder or seats himself upon the sill of a window,
or else climbs upon the mantel of a large chimney. Even in a flat
country, being seated upon the ground, and having fixed his stilts, he
easily rises with the aid of his staff. To persons accustomed to walking
on foot, it is evident that locomotion upon stilts would be somewhat
appalling.

One may judge by what results from the fall of a pedestrian what danger
may result from a fall from a pair of stilts. But the shepherds of
Landes, accustomed from their childhood to this sort of exercise,
acquire an extraordinary freedom and skill therein. The _tchangue_ knows
very well how to preserve his equilibrium; he walks with great strides,
stands upright, runs with agility, or executes a few feats of true
acrobatism, such as picking up a pebble from the ground, plucking a
flower, simulating a fall and quickly rising, running on one foot, etc.

The speed that the stilt walkers attain is easily explained. Although
the angle of the legs at every step is less than that of ordina