The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.

While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.