When I came in sight of the men, working in scattered gangs that fine morning, there was, as might be expected, a visible difference between their motions and those of trained "navvies" engaged upon the same kind of labour.

There were also very great differences of age and physical condition amongst them--old men and consumptive-looking lads, hardly out of their teens.

They looked hard at me as I walked down the central line, but they were not anyway uncivil.

"What time is 't, maister ?" asked a middle-aged man, with gray hair, as he wiped his forehead.

"Hauve- past ten," said I."What time says he ?" inquired a feeble young fellow, who was resting upon his barrow.