Journal of Proceedings. xxxiii
the intention was answered." The road was therefore not founded on a
Roman one, and the Gamp in early days was hidden away in the depths
of the Forest (using the word "Forest" in its legal sense, of a wild
unreclaimed tract of country). We are told that it was an instinct with
the Romana in the erection of their forts to attend closely to means of
rapid access and intercommunication. Where Roman Camps or settle-
ments have been, there are the remains of the Roman roads, straight,
useful, and ugly But the British loved to hide their Camps and Kraals
in the midst of the wild moorland, morass, or woodland of primeval
England, and cared for no better roads than mere forest-paths, curving
and straying as the oaks permitted, or as open glade or heath tempted—
bad roads, perhaps, but to this day charming and beautiful!
Although the occupation of watching the gradual and systematic
removal of the rampart was ofttimes felt to be somewhat monotonous and
tedious, yet the weather during the greater part of the time was so balmy,
and the fresh spring woods so cheerful and pleasant, that the members on
duty felt themselves amply repaid for their enforced sojournings in the
"house of the forest," with its pillared arches, shadowy aisles, and
arabesques of leaves and flowers. In the early mornings, especially, as
we rode down from Loughton at five o'clock to meet the workmen at the
Camp, the quiet beauties of the "merry green woods" sank deeply into our
minds; the sweet blossoming hawthorns bordering the Epping Road,
snowy white when, newly petaled, but flushing with a lovely pink as the
myriads of tiny roses hastened to decay, were surely never seen in greater
glory. Friends from time to time strolled over to watch our proceedings,
and to share our primitive meals at the "Wake Arms"; and our
entomologists took advantage of the sunshine to organise hunts in the
woods about the Camp, meeting with a fair amount of success. Once a
swarm of bees settled on a bush not far from the scene of operations, and
as it was "a swarm in May" and therefore worth "a load of hay," a
neighbouring cottager quickly hived the little emigrants with all the
accustomed ritual. A few fossils were obtained by breaking the flints so
abundantly turned up with the soil, and some of the nodules when broken
were remarkable for their banded and agate-like colours. Good herds of
the forest deer were espied more than once as we wended our way home
through the woodland rides in the gloaming of the June evenings, and on
the whole we agreed that, with fine weather, camp exploration in an
ancient forest was an employment by no means unenjoyable.
Our learned conductor deeming it necessary that the levels of the
ground in and around the Camp should be noted on the plan, two days
(July 20th and 28th) were given to this further work by Mr. D'Oyley,
assisted by Messrs. H. A. and W. Cole and our coachman. Captain
McKenzie very courteously allowed us the use of his surveying instruments,
Mr. D'Oyley's being then in service in another part of the country. As
intimated in the ' Transactions,' the results of this additional survey
are recorded on Plate III.