Chapter 43

The next day James phoned early. "The weather looks good for today, so how about taking the horses out for a little canter today?"

"A ride yes." replied Abby, "but canter no. It would be good to be out for a while and I have got nothing on today," she heard James laugh and forestalled his comment, "James behave! I am sure you were just about to make a comment about Lady Godiva."

"I wasn't actually, but now you mention it..." Abby stopped any further comment.

"It will be great to ride, where shall we go?"

"I thought we could go up the valley on the northern side, that way we will get the Sun in the morning, and come back down the old track, when the Sun is in the South West. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me, I'll go and get some warm clothes on. Oh and I'll ask Mary if she can put together a packed lunch. Shall I come up to Lyney House?"

"Yes, that would be best. I'll go and get the horses saddled ready, what do you think, about an hour?"

"Good thinking, I wouldn't want to put Mary under pressure."

Mary had no trouble about producing her usual picnic lunch for four or five people. Abby had to remind her that if she were to eat her fair share, then she would not require much in the way of an evening meal. Mary demurred.

"It's a nice day, but with a little chill in the air, you will be quite hungry later. Now there's soup in this flask, and coffee in the red one. I have put cold beef with mustard in the rolls, and there's a couple of Pork Pies as well, I didn't think you would be wanting any salad today."

The nerves that Abby experienced the first time she rode Jason were long gone. With less fear and greater confidence Abby could enjoy the ride and the scenery and James' company without reservation. They had taken the road that lead up the hill behind Lyney House, and after about a mile turned off onto a bridle path that followed the contours of the valley. At first they rode through a wooded area, with very little view to be seen, but gradually the trees thinned and a watery Sun burst through the foliage. There was little warmth in the light, and Abby was relieved that she had put on warmer clothing, even so James had insisted she wore one of his Fleece jackets, apologising that it was not too clean. Abby had no problems with that, she believed she could smell him on the jacket and that pleased her. James explained that this Bridle path was originally the drover's road, by which cattle were herded to Paverton.

"Why didn't they use the road?"

"This was before the bridges were built, so there were two or three fords, on the lower track, they became impassable when the river was running high, and so this was the way they used. It did go back all the way to South Molton as well."

"All the way from Paverton to South Molton?"

"Yes, but higher up the valley the road now uses this route. You know where the road crosses the river higher up?"

"Yes."

"That is where the road was laid over the old Drovers path. In the other direction you can follow the path as far as the River Bray, but beyond that it has disappeared." Abby nodded. It no longer amazed her how the old and the new became synonymous here.

"Do we see the old Railway from this side?"

"Yes we will. In fact we can ride along the track bed for about two miles, instead of the Bridle path."

"I would like that." James now had the little smile on his face.

"Of course two hundred years ago the Smugglers would use this path.

"Smugglers!" Abby thought James was making it up. "But we are miles from the Sea."

"We are, but smuggling was no good unless you could get the contraband to market. It also made sense to get the stuff away from the coastal areas, where the Revenue men would be most active. There would have been lots of places where the contraband could be hidden. I believe that one of my forebear's, William Comberford may have known more about the business than he ought to."

"Ah, why am I not surprised that the Comberford's would be involved somewhere." James looked over to her with the grin on his face.

"Now don't be too quick to condemn, remember he may be one of your forebear's as well." Abby had to laugh; he had caught her neatly in a trap.

"I thought that Smugglers landed on the South Coast. Being nearer to France."

"They did in the main, but with the profit to be made, particularly on stuff like Silk, it was worth the haul round Lands End. The smugglers would not do that journey themselves, but would meet the ships out in the channel and transfer the load."

"Risky, I would have thought."

"Yes, but they couldn't be seen out there in the channel and it lessened the risk as they could bring their contraband in to small coves; of which there were many; where the bigger ships could not go. The Revenue men could not cover all of them and the Smugglers had good intelligence from the locals as to where the Revenue men were. The Smugglers were locals, the Revenue men weren't. All they were doing is what you did in the City. Take a risk to make lots of money." Abby smiled broadly.

"Yes, but what I was doing was legal."

James shrugged his shoulders. "It's a funny thing when you think about it, we change our laws over a period of time, and many things that were illegal three or four hundred years ago, are acceptable and legal now. The smugglers were free enterprise blokes; they bought wines and spirits in France and sold them over here. Now they would just take a white Van over and come back on the Tunnel train. Same enterprise, different transport."

"Just a little problem of the duty to be paid?"

"How many people go on package holidays and come back with stuff in excess of the allowance yet don't declare it, cigarettes, perfume or booze. Same crime, except two hundred years ago you could be hanged for it. Now it's just confiscation and a fine." Abby gave that thought, he was right of course, although she would not tell him so, she had done just that, walked through the Green Channel with an excess of Perfume in her bags. She giggled. James looked to see what had amused her. She explained.