Between the mouths of the Blackwater and the Colne, on the east coast of Essex, lies an extensive marshy tract veined and freckled in every part with water. It is a wide waste of debatable ground contested by sea and land, subject to incessant incursions from the former, but stubbornly maintained by the latter. At high tide the appearance is that of a vast surface of moss or Sargasso weed floating on the sea, with rents and patches of shining water traversing and dappling it in all directions. The creeks, some of considerable length and breadth, extend many miles inland, and are arteries whence branches out a fibrous tissue of smaller channels, flushed with water twice in the twenty-four hours. At noon-tides, and especially at the equinoxes, the sea asserts its royalty over this vast region, and overflows the whole, leaving standing out of the flood only the long island of Mersea, and the lesser islet, called the Ray. This latter is a hill of gravel rising from the heart of the Marshes, crowned with ancient thorntrees, and possessing, what is denied the mainland, an unfailing spring of purest water. At ebb, the Ray can only be reached from the old Roman causeway, called the Strood, over which runs the road from Colchester to Mersea Isle, connecting formerly the city of the Trinobantes with the station of the count of the Saxon shore. But even at ebb, the Ray is not approachable by land unless the sun or east wind has parched the ooze into brick; and then the way is long, tedious and tortuous, among bitter pools and over shining creeks. It was perhaps because this ridge of high ground was so inaccessible, so well protected by nature, that the ancient inhabitants had erected on it arath, or fortified camp of wooden logs, which left its name to the place long after the timber defences had rotted away.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Mehalah: A Story Of The Salt Marshes Sabine Baring-Gould Smith, Elder and Co., 1884

This English fiction presents the story of Mehala, a strong-willed woman, and starts with a strange description of the Ray where Mehalah and her frail mother live. With rent day coming close, their fierce landowner, Elijah Rebow, gives them a visit to remind them that now they owe their livelihood to him. He attempts to force Mehalah into submission, yet she openly fights him and insists on self-sufficiency and liberty. Mehalah is a major Victorian novel published in 1880 and is set in the isolated marshes of Mersea and the surrounding area. The prominent theme of the book is independence and imprisonment. The novel is filled with incredible imagery and strong characterization. The writing is skillful, gripping, vibrant, and weirdly funny in places. In addition to the dark main plot, there are foolish supporting characters to deliver comic relief. The story also acts as an interesting account of life at the time in this part of the country during that period. It sheds light on the poverty, struggles, and desolation of the people and landscape.