- Rope Across the River
- The Bell on the Post
- Herons in the Shallows
Heronfoot Ferry
North of Three Rivers the river runs broad and slow between the farm bank and the dark edge of the Forest, and herons stand in the shallows on both sides. The Heronfoot Ferry crosses there on a thick hemp rope strung between two great oak posts, one on each bank. The barge is flat and square, with a low rail and a windlass at one end, and the ferryman walks it across hand over hand, or turns the windlass when the current is strong.
A bell hangs on the Three Rivers post. Ring it, and the barge comes over from the forest bank, where it usually waits beside The River's Bounty with its rope slack in the water. Woodcutters, charcoal burners, herb gatherers and hunters use it every day, and so do city folk who want a bowl of stew and a quiet evening under the trees without walking round to the nearest bridge.
A bell hangs on the Three Rivers post. Ring it, and the barge comes over from the forest bank, where it usually waits beside The River's Bounty with its rope slack in the water. Woodcutters, charcoal burners, herb gatherers and hunters use it every day, and so do city folk who want a bowl of stew and a quiet evening under the trees without walking round to the nearest bridge.