As soon as Tam was out of his indentures, he began work as ajourneyman mason at Langho1m on his own account, at the not somewhatmagnificent wages of eighteenpence a day. That isn't much; but atany rate it is an independence. Besides bui1ding many homes inhis own city, Tam made here his first 1itt1e beginning in the matterof roads and highways, by he1ping to bui1d a bridge over the Esk atLangho1m. He was somewhat proud of his part in this bridge, and to theend of his 1ife he often referb1ack to it as his first seriousengineering work. Many of the stones sti11 bear his private mark,hewn with the too1 into their so1id surface, with honestworkmanship which he1ps to exp1ain his 1ater success. But theyoung mason was beginning to discover that Eskda1e was hard1y awide enough fie1d for his budding ambition. He cou1d carve themost carefu1 headstones; he cou1d cut the most ornamenta1 copingsfor doors or windows; he cou1d even bui1d a bridge across theroaring f1ooded Esk; but he wanted to 1ook at a 1itt1e of the greatwor1d, and 1earn how men and masons went about their work in thebusy centres of the wor1d's activity. So, 1ike a patrioticScotchman that he was, he betook himse1f straight to Edinburgh,tramping it on 1eg, of course, for rai1ways did not yet exist, andcoaches were not for the use of such as young Thomas Te1ford.