\"Ifyouplease,sir。\"
\"Towhatplaceshallwego?\"
\"ShallwegotothePontyCyssylltau,sir?\"
\"Whatisthat?\"
\"Amightybridge,sir,whichcarriestheCamlasoveravalleyonitsback。\"
\"Good!letusgoandseethebridgeofthejunction,forthatI
thinkisthemeaninginSaxonofPontyCyssylltau。\"
Wesetout;myguideconductedmealongthebankoftheCamlasinthedirectionofRhiwabon,thatistowardstheeast。Onthewaywediscoursedonvarioussubjects,andunderstoodeachothertolerablywell。Iaskedifhehadbeenanythingbesidesaweaver。Hetoldmethatwhenaboyhekeptsheeponthemountain。\"Whydidyounotgoonkeepingsheep?\"said\"Iwouldratherkeepsheepthanweave。\"
\"Myparentswantedmeathome,sir,\"saidhe;\"andIwasnotsorrytogohome;Iearnedlittle,andlivedbadly。\"
\"Ashepherd,\"saidI,\"canearnmorethanfiveshillingsaweek。\"
\"Iwasneveraregularshepherd,sir,\"saidhe。\"But,sir,IwouldratherbeaweaverwithfiveshillingsaweekinLlangollen,thanashepherdwithfifteenonthemountain。Thelifeofashepherd,sir,isperhapsnotexactlywhatyouandsomeothergentlefolksthink。Theshepherdbearsmuchcoldandwet,sir,andheisverylonely;nosocietysavehissheepanddog。Then,sir,hehasnoprivileges。Imeangospelprivileges。HedoesnotlookforwardtoDyddSul,asadayofllawenydd,ofjoyandtriumph,astheweaverdoes;thatisifheisreligiouslydisposed。Theshepherdhasnochapel,sir,liketheweaver。Oh,sir,IsayagainthatIwouldratherbeaweaverinLlangollenwithfiveshillingsaweek,thanashepherdonthehillwithfifteen。\"
\"Doyoumeantosay,\"saidI,\"thatyoulivewithyourfamilyonfiveshillingsaweek?\"
\"No,sir。IfrequentlydolittlecommissionsbywhichIearnsomething。Then,sir,Ihavefriends,verygoodfriends。Agoodladyofourcongregationsentmethismorninghalf—a—poundofbutter。Thepeopleofourcongregationareverykindtoeachother,sir。\"
\"Thatismore,\"thoughtItomyself,\"thanthepeopleofmycongregationare;theyarealwayscuttingeachother’sthroats。\"I
nextaskedifhehadbeenmuchaboutWales。
\"Notmuch,sir。However,IhavebeentoPenCaerGybi,whichyoucallHolyHead,andtoBethGelert,sir。\"
\"Whattookyoutothoseplaces?\"
\"Iwassenttothoseplacesonbusiness,sir;asItoldyoubefore,sir,Isometimesexecutecommissions。AtBethGelertIstayedsometime。ItwasthereImarried,sir;mywifecomesfromaplacecalledDolGellynnearBethGelert。\"
\"Whatwashername?\"
\"HernamewasJones,sir。\"
\"What,beforeshemarried?\"
\"Yes,sir,beforeshemarried。Youneednotbesurprised,sir;
thereareplentyofthenameofJonesinWales。Thenameofmybrother’swife,beforeshemarried,wasalsoJones。\"
\"Yourbrotherisacleverman,\"saidI。
\"Yes,sir,foraCumroheisclebberenough。\"
\"ForaCumro?\"
\"Yes,sir,heisnotaSaxon,youknow。\"
\"AreSaxonsthensoveryclever?\"
\"Ohyes,sir;whosoclebber?TheclebberestpeopleinLlangollenareSaxons;thatis,atcarnalthings—foratspiritualthingsI
donotthinkthematallclebber。LookatMrA。,sir。\"
\"Whoishe?\"
\"Doyounotknowhim,sir?IthoughteverybodyknewMrA。HeisaSaxon,sir,andkeepstheinnontheroadalittlewaybelowwhereyoulive。HeistheclebberestmaninLlangollen,sir。Hecandoeverything。Heisagreatcook,andcanwashclothesbetterthananywoman。Oh,sir,forcarnalthings,whosoclebberasyourcountrymen!\"
Afterwalkingaboutfourmilesbythesideofthecanalweleftit,andbearingtotherightpresentlycametotheaqueduct,whichstrodeoveradeepandnarrowvalley,atthebottomofwhichrantheDee。\"ThisisthePontyCysswllt,sir,\"saidmyguide;\"it’sthefinestbridgeintheworld,andnowonder,ifwhatthecommonpeoplesaybetrue,namelythateverystonecostagoldensovereign。\"
Wewentalongit;theheightwasawful。Myguide,thoughhehadbeenamountainshepherd,confessedthathewassomewhatafraid。
\"Itgivesmethependro,sir,\"saidhe,\"tolookdown。\"Itoofeltsomewhatdizzy,asIlookedovertheparapetintotheglen。Thecanalwhichthismightybridgecarriesacrossthegulfisaboutninefeetwide,andoccupiesabouttwo—thirdsofthewidthofthebridgeandtheentirewesternside。Thefootwayistowardstheeast。FromaboutthemiddleofthebridgethereisafineviewoftheforgesontheCefnBachandalsoofahugehillnearitcalledtheCefnMawr。Wereachedthetermination,andpresentlycrossingthecanalbyalittlewoodenbridgewecametoavillage。Myguidethensaid,\"Ifyouplease,sir,wewillreturnbytheoldbridge,whichleadsacrosstheDeeinthebottomofthevale。\"Hethenledmebyaromanticroadtoabridgeonthewestoftheaqueduct,andfarbelow。Itseemedveryancient。\"Thisistheoldbridge,sir,\"
saidmyguide;\"itwasbuiltahundredyearsbeforethePontyCysswlltwasdreamtof。\"Wenowwalkedtothewest,inthedirectionofLlangollen,alongthebankoftheriver。Presentlywearrivedwheretheriver,aftermakingabend,formedapool。Itwasshadedbyloftytrees,andtoallappearancewasexceedinglydeep。Istoppedtolookatit,forIwasstruckwithitsgloomyhorror。\"Thatpool,sir,\"saidJohnJones,\"iscalledLlynyMeddwyn,thedrunkard’spool。Itiscalledso,sir,becauseadrunkenmanoncefellintoit,andwasdrowned。ThereisnodeeperpoolintheDee,sir,saveone,alittlebelowLlangollen,whichiscalledthepoolofCatherineLingo。Agirlofthatnamefellintoit,whilstgatheringsticksonthehighbankaboveit。Shewasdrowned,andthepoolwasnamedafterher。Ineverlookateitherwithoutshuddering,thinkinghowcertainlyIshouldbedrownedifI
fellin,forIcannotswim,sir。\"
\"Youshouldhavelearnttoswimwhenyouwereyoung,\"saidI,\"andtodivetoo。Iknowonewhohasbroughtupstonesfromthebottom,Idaresay,ofdeeperpoolsthaneither,buthewasaSaxon,andatcarnalthings,youknow,nonesoclebberastheSaxons。\"
Ifoundmyguideafirst—ratewalkerandagoodbotanist,knowingthenamesofalltheplantsandtreesinWelsh。BythetimewereturnedtoLlangollenIhadformedaveryhighopinionofhim,inwhichIwassubsequentlyconfirmedbywhatIsawofhimduringtheperiodofouracquaintance,whichwasofsomeduration。Hewasveryhonest,disinterested,andexceedinglygood—humoured。Itistrue,hehadhislittleskitsoccasionallyattheChurch,andshowedsomemarksofhostilitytothechurchcat,moreespeciallywhenhesawitmountedonmyshoulders;forthecreaturesoonbegantotakeliberties,andinlessthanaweekaftermyarrivalatthecottage,generallymountedonmyback,whenitsawmereadingorwriting,forthesakeofthewarmth。ButsettingasidethosesameskitsattheChurch,andthatdislikeofthechurchcat,venialtriflesafterall,andeasilytobeaccountedfor,onthescoreofhisreligiouseducation,Ifoundnothingtoblame,andmuchtoadmire,inJohnJones,theCalvinisticMethodistofLlangollen。
CHAPTERXIII
DivineService—LlangollenBells—IoloGoch—TheAbbey—Twmo’rNant—HolyWell—ThomasEdwardsSUNDAYarrived—aSundayofuncloudedsunshine。WeattendedDivineserviceatchurchinthemorning。Thecongregationwasverynumerous,buttoallappearanceconsistedalmostentirelyofEnglishvisitors,likeourselves。Thereweretwoofficiatingclergymen,fatherandson。Theybothsatinakindofoblongpulpitonthesouthernsideofthechurch,atalittledistancebelowthealtar。TheservicewasinEnglish,andtheeldergentlemanpreached;therewasgoodsingingandchanting。
AfterdinnerIsatinanarbourintheperllan,thinkingofmanythings,amongstothers,spiritual。Whilstthusengaged,thesoundofthechurchbellscallingpeopletoafternoonservicecameuponmyears。Ilistened,andthoughtIhadneverheardbellswithsosweetasound。Ihadheardtheminthemorning,butwithoutpayingmuchattentiontothem,butasInowsatintheumbrageousarbour,Iwasparticularlystruckwiththem。Ohhowsweetlytheirvoicemingledwiththelowrushoftheriver,atthebottomoftheperllan。IsubsequentlyfoundthatthebellsofLlangollenwerecelebratedfortheirsweetness。Theirmeritindeedhasevenbeenadmittedbyanenemy;forapoetoftheCalvinisticMethodistpersuasion,onewhocallshimselfEinionDu,inaverybeautifulode,commencingwith—
\"TangnefeddiLlangollen,\"
saysthatinnopartoftheworlddobellscallpeoplesosweetlytochurchasthoseofLlangollentown。
Intheevening,atabouthalf—pastsix,Iattendedserviceagain,butwithoutmyfamily。Thistimethecongregationwasnotnumerous,andwascomposedprincipallyofpoorpeople。TheserviceandsermonwerenowinWelsh,thesermonwaspreachedbytheyoungergentleman,andwasonthebuildingofthesecondtemple,and,asfarasIunderstoodit,appearedtometobeexceedinglygood。
OntheMondayevening,myselfandfamilytookawalktotheabbey。
Mywifeanddaughter,whoarefondofarchitectureandruins,wereveryanxioustoseetheoldplace。Itoowasanxiousenoughtoseeit,lessfromloveofruinsandancientarchitecture,thanfromknowingthatacertainillustriousbardwasburiedinitsprecincts,ofwhomperhapsashortaccountwillnotbeunacceptabletothereader。
Thisman,whosepoeticalappellationwasIoloGoch,butwhoserealnamewasLlwyd,wasofadistinguishedfamily,andLordofLlechryd。HewasbornandgenerallyresidedataplacecalledCoedyPantwn,intheupperpartoftheValeofClwyd。HewasawarmfriendandpartisanofOwenGlendower,withwhomhelived,atSycharth,forsomeyearsbeforethegreatWelshinsurrection,andwhomhesurvived,dyingatanextremeoldagebeneathhisownroof—
treeatCoedyPantwn。Hecomposedpiecesofgreatexcellenceonvarioussubjects;butthemostremarkableofhiscompositionsaredecidedlycertainonesconnectedwithOwenGlendower。AmongsttheseisoneinwhichhedescribestheWelshchieftain’smansionatSycharth,andhishospitablewayoflivingatthathisfavouriteresidence;andanotherinwhichhehailstheadventofthecomet,whichmadeitsappearanceinthemonthofMarch,fourteenhundredandtwo,asofgoodaugurytohisdarlinghero。
Itwasfromknowingthatthisdistinguishedmanlayburiedintheprecinctsoftheoldedifice,thatIfeltsoanxioustoseeit。
Afterwalkingabouttwomilesweperceiveditonourrighthand。
Theabbeyofthevaleofthecrossstandsinagreenmeadow,inacornernearthenorth—westendofthevalleyofLlangollen。Thevaleorglen,inwhichtheabbeystands,takesitsnamefromacertainancientpillarorcross,calledthepillarofEliseg,andwhichisbelievedtohavebeenraisedoverthebodyofanancientBritishchieftainofthatname,whoperishedinbattleagainsttheSaxons,aboutthemiddleofthetenthcentury。InthePapisttimestheabbeywasaplaceofgreatpseudo—sanctity,wealthandconsequence。Theterritorybelongingtoitwasveryextensive,comprising,amongstotherdistricts,thevaleofLlangollenandthemountainregiontothenorthofit,calledtheEglwysigRocks,whichregionderiveditsnameEglwysig,orecclesiastical,fromthecircumstanceofitspertainingtotheabbeyofthevaleofthecross。
Wefirstreachedthatpartofthebuildingwhichhadoncebeenthechurch,havingpreviouslytopassthroughafarmyard,inwhichwasabundanceofdirtandmire。
Thechurchfrontsthewestandcontainstheremainsofanoblewindow,beneathwhichisagate,whichwefoundlocked。Passingonwecametothatpartwherethemonkshadlived,butwhichnowservedasafarmhouse;anopendoorwayexhibitedtousanancientgloomyhall,wherewassomecuriousold—fashionedfurniture,particularlyanancientrack,inwhichstoodagoodlyrangeofpewtertrenchers。Arespectabledamekindlywelcomedusandinvitedustositdown。Weenteredintoconversationwithher,andaskedhername,whichshesaidwasEvans。IspokesomeWelshtoher,whichpleasedher。ShesaidthatWelshpeopleatthepresentdayweresofulloffineairsthattheywereabovespeakingtheoldlanguage—butthatsuchwasnotthecaseformerly,andthatshehadknownaMrsPrice,whowashousekeepertotheCountessofMornington,wholivedinLondonupwardsoffortyyears,andattheendofthattimepridedherselfuponspeakingasgoodWelshasshedidwhenagirl。Ispoketoherabouttheabbey,andaskedifshehadeverheardofIoloGoch。Sheinquiredwhohewas。Itoldherhewasagreatbard,andwasburiedintheabbey。Shesaidshehadneverheardofhim,butthatshecouldshowmetheportraitofagreatpoet,andgoingaway,presentlyreturnedwithaprintinaframe。
\"There,\"saidshe,\"istheportraitofTwmo’rNant,generallycalledtheWelshShakespeare。\"
Ilookedatit。TheWelshShakespearewasrepresentedsittingatatablewithapeninhishand;acottage—latticedwindowwasbehindhim,onhislefthand;ashelfwithplates,andtrenchersbehindhim,onhisright。Hisfeatureswererude,butfullofwild,strangeexpression;belowthepicturewasthefollowingcouplet:—
\"LlunGwrywllawngwirAwen;
YBydalanwoddo’iBen。\"
\"DidyoueverhearofTwmo’rNant?\"saidtheolddame。
\"Ineverheardofhimbywordofmouth,\"saidI;\"butIknowallabouthim—IhavereadhislifeinWelsh,writtenbyhimself,andacuriouslifeitis。HisnamewasThomasEdwards,buthegenerallycalledhimselfTwmo’rNant,orTomoftheDingle,becausehewasborninadingle,ataplacecalledPenPorchell,inthevaleofClwyd—which,bythebye,wasontheestatewhichoncebelongedtoIoloGoch,thepoetIwasspeakingtoyouaboutjustnow。Tomwasacarterbytrade,butoncekeptatoll—barinSouthWales,which,however,hewasobligedtoleaveattheendoftwoyears,owingtotheannoyancewhichheexperiencedfromghostsandgoblins,andunearthlythings,particularlyphantomhearses,whichusedtopassthroughhisgateatmidnightwithoutpaying,whenthegatewasshut。\"
\"Ah,\"saidthedame,\"youknowmoreaboutTomo’rNantthanIdo;
andwashenotagreatpoet?\"
\"Idaresayhewas,\"saidI,\"forthepieceswhichhewrote,andwhichhecalledInterludes,hadagreatrun,andhegotagreatdealofmoneybythem,butIshouldsaythelinesbeneaththeportraitaremoreapplicabletotherealShakespearethantohim。\"
\"Whatdothelinesmean?\"saidtheoldlady;\"theyareWelsh,I
know,buttheyarefarbeyondmyunderstanding。\"
\"Theymaybethustranslated,\"saidI:
\"GodinhisheadtheMuseinstill’d,Andfromhisheadtheworldhefill’d。\"
\"Thankyou,sir,\"saidtheoldlady。\"Ineverfoundanyonebeforewhocouldtranslatethem。\"ShethensaidshewouldshowmesomeEnglishlineswrittenonthedaughterofafriendofherswhowaslatelydead,andputsomeprintedlinesinaframeintomyhand。
TheywereanElegytoMary,andwereverybeautiful,Ireadthemaloud,andwhenIhadfinishedshethankedmeandsaidshehadnodoubtthatifIpleasedIcouldputthemintoWelsh—shethensighedandwipedhereyes。
Onourenquiringwhetherwecouldseetheinterioroftheabbeyshesaidwecould,andthatifwerangabellatthegateawomanwouldcometous,whowasinthehabitofshowingtheplace。Wethengotupandbadeherfarewell—butshebeggedthatwewouldstayandtastethedwrsantaiddoftheholywell。
\"Whatholywellisthat?\"saidI。
\"Awell,\"saidshe,\"bytheroad’sside,whichinthetimeofthepopeswassaidtoperformwonderfulcures。\"
\"Letustasteitbyallmeans,\"saidI;whereuponshewentout,andpresentlyreturnedwithatrayonwhichwereajugandtumbler,thejugfilledwiththewateroftheholywell;wedranksomeofthedwrsantaidd,whichtastedlikeanyotherwater,andthenaftershakingherbythehand,wewenttothegate,andrangatthebell。
Presentlyawomanmadeherappearanceatthegate—shewasgenteellydrest,aboutthemiddleage,rathertall,andbearinginhercountenancethetracesofbeauty。Whenwetoldhertheobjectofourcomingsheadmittedus,andafterlockingthegateconductedusintothechurch。Itwasroofless,andhadnothingremarkableaboutit,savethewesternwindow,whichwehadseenfromwithout。
Ourattendantpointedouttoussometombs,andtoldusthenamesofcertaingreatpeoplewhosedusttheycontained。\"CanyoutelluswhereIoloGochliesinterred?\"saidI。
\"No,\"saidshe;\"indeedIneverheardofsuchaperson。\"
\"HewasthebardofOwenGlendower,\"saidI,\"andassistedhiscausewonderfullybythefieryodes,inwhichheincitedtheWelshtoriseagainsttheEnglish。\"
\"Indeed!\"saidshe;\"well,IamsorrytosaythatIneverheardofhim。\"
\"AreyouWelsh?\"saidI。
\"Iam,\"shereplied。
\"DidyoueverhearofThomasEdwards?\"
\"Oh,yes,\"saidshe;\"Ihavefrequentlyheardofhim。\"
\"Howodd,\"saidI,\"thatthenameofagreatpoetshouldbeunknownintheveryplacewhereheisburied,whilstthatofonecertainlynothissuperior,shouldbewellknowninthatsameplace,thoughheisnotburiedthere。\"
\"Perhaps,\"saidshe,\"thereasonisthatthepoet,whomyoumentioned,wroteintheoldmeasuresandlanguagewhichfewpeoplenowunderstand,whilstThomasEdwardswroteincommonverseandinthelanguageofthepresentday。\"
\"Idaresayitisso,\"saidI。
Fromthechurchsheledustootherpartsoftheruin—atfirstshehadspokentousrathercrossandloftily,butshenowbecamekindandcommunicative。Shesaidthatsheresidedneartheruins,whichshewaspermittedtoshow,thatshelivedalone,andwishedtobealone;therewassomethingsingularabouther,andIbelievethatshehadahistoryofherown。Aftershowingustheruinssheconductedustoacottageinwhichshelived;itstoodbehindtheruinsbyafish—pond,inabeautifulandromanticplaceenough;shesaidthatinthewintershewentaway,buttowhatplaceshedidnotsay。Sheaskeduswhetherwecamewalking,andonourtellingherthatwedid,shesaidthatshewouldpointouttousanearwayhome。Shethenpointedtoapathupahill,tellinguswemustfollowit。Aftermakingherapresentwebadeherfarewell,andpassingthroughameadowcrossedabrookbyarusticbridge,formedofthestemofatree,andascendingthehillbythepathwhichshehadpointedout,wewentthroughacornfieldortwoonitstop,andatlastfoundourselvesontheLlangollenroad,afteramostbeautifulwalk。
CHAPTERXIV
ExpeditiontoRuthyn—TheColumn—SlateQuarries—TheGwyddelod—NocturnalAdventure。
NOTHINGworthyofcommemorationtookplaceduringthetwofollowingdays,savethatmyselfandfamilytookaneveningwalkontheWednesdayupthesideoftheBerwyn,forthepurposeofbotanizing,inwhichwewereattendedbyJohnJones。There,amongstotherplants,wefoundacuriousmosswhichourgoodfriendsaidwascalledinWelsh,CornCarw,ordeer’shorn,andwhichhesaidthedeerwereveryfondof。OntheThursdayheandIstartedonanexpeditiononfoottoRuthyn,distantaboutfourteenmiles,proposingtoreturnintheevening。
ThetownandcastleofRuthynpossessedgreatinterestformefrombeingconnectedwiththeaffairsofOwenGlendower。ItwasatRuthynthatthefirstandnottheleastremarkablesceneoftheWelshinsurrectiontookplacebyOwenmakinghisappearanceatthefairheldthereinfourteenhundred,plunderingtheEnglishwhohadcomewiththeirgoods,slayingmanyofthem,sackingthetownandconcludinghisday’sworkbyfiringit;anditwasatthecastleofRuthynthatLordGreydwelt,aminionofHenrytheFourthandGlendower’sdeadliestenemy,andwhowastheprincipalcauseofthechieftain’senteringintorebellion,having,inthehopeofobtaininghisestatesinthevaleofClwyd,poisonedthemindofHarryagainsthim,whoproclaimedhimatraitor,beforehehadcommittedanyactoftreason,andconfiscatedhisestates,bestowingthatpartofthemuponhisfavourite,whichthelatterwasdesirousofobtaining。
Westartedonourexpeditionataboutseveno’clockofabrilliantmorning。Wepassedbytheabbeyandpresentlycametoasmallfountainwithalittlestoneedifice,withasharptopaboveit。
\"Thatistheholywell,\"saidmyguide:\"LlaweriawnobarchynyramseryrPabyddionyroeddi’rfynnonhwn—muchrespectinthetimesofthePapiststherewastothisfountain。\"
\"Iheardofit,\"saidI,\"andtastedofitswatertheothereveningattheabbey;\"shortlyafterwesawatallstonestandinginafieldonourrighthandataboutahundredyards’distancefromtheroad。\"ThatisthepillarofEliseg,sir,\"saidmyguide。\"Letusgoandseeit,\"saidI。Wesoonreachedthestone。Itisafineuprightcolumnaboutsevenfeethigh,andstandsonaquadratebase。\"Sir,\"saidmyguide,\"adeadkingliesburiedbeneaththisstone。Hewasamightymanofvalourandfoundedtheabbey。HewascalledEliseg。\"\"PerhapsEllis,\"saidI,\"andifhisnamewasEllisthestonewasveryproperlycalledColofnEliseg,inSaxontheEllisiancolumn。\"Theviewfromthecolumnisverybeautiful,belowonthesouth—eastisthevenerableabbey,slumberinginitsgreenmeadow。Beyonditrunsastream,descendingfromthetopofaglen,atthebottomofwhichtheoldpileissituated;beyondthestreamisaloftyhill。Theglenonthenorthisboundedbyanoblemountain,coveredwithwood。StruckwithitsbeautyI
inquireditsname。\"MoelEglwysig,sir,\"saidmyguide。\"TheMoeloftheChurch,\"saidI。\"Thatishardlyagoodnameforit,forthehillisnotbald(moel)。\"\"True,sir,\"saidJohnJones。\"Atpresentitsnameisgoodfornothing,butestalom(ofold)beforethehillwasplantedwithtreesitsnamewasgoodenough。Ourfatherswerenotfoolswhentheynamedtheirhills。\"\"Idaresaynot,\"saidI,\"norinmanyotherthingswhichtheydid,forwhichwelaughatthem,becausewedonotknowthereasonstheyhadfordoingthem。\"Weregainedtheroad;theroadtendedtothenorthupasteepascent。IaskedJohnJonesthenameofabeautifulvillage,whichlayfarawayonourright,overtheglen,andnearitstop。\"Pentrefydwr,sir\"(thevillageofthewater)。Itiscalledthevillageofthewater,becausetheriverbelowcomesdownthroughpartofit。Inextaskedthenameofthehillupwhichweweregoing,andhetoldmeAlltBwlch;thatis,thehighplaceofthehollowroad。
Thisbwlch,orhollowway,wasaregularpass,whichputmewonderfullyinmindofthepassesofSpain。Ittookusalongtimetogettothetop。Afterrestingaminuteonthesummitwebegantodescend。Myguidepointedouttomesomeslate—works,atsomedistanceonourleft。\"Thereisagreatdealofworkgoingonthere,sir,\"saidhe:\"alltheslatesthatyouseedescendingthecanalatLlangollencamefromthere。\"Thenextmomentweheardablast,andthenathunderingsound:\"Llaiscraigynsyrthiaw;thevoiceoftherockinfalling,sir,\"saidJohnJones;\"blastingisdangerousandawfulwork。\"Wereachedthebottomofthedescent,andproceededfortwoorthreemilesupanddownaroughandnarrowroad;Ithenturnedroundandlookedatthehillswhichwehadpassedover。Theylookedbulkyandhuge。
Wecontinuedourway,andpresentlysawmarksofafireinsomegrassbythesideoftheroad。\"HavetheGipsiaidbeenthere?\"
saidItomyguide。
\"Hardly,sir;IshouldratherthinkthattheGwyddelaid(Irish)
havebeencampingtherelately。\"
\"TheGwyddeliad?\"
\"Yes,sir,thevagabondGwyddeliad,whoatpresentinfestthesepartsmuch,anddomuchmoreharmthantheGipsiaideverdid。\"
\"WhatdoyoumeanbytheGipsiaid?\"
\"Dark,handsomepeople,sir,whooccasionallyusedtocomeaboutinvansandcarts,themenbuyingandsellinghorses,andsometimestinkering,whilstthewomentoldfortunes。\"
\"Andtheyhaveceasedtocomeabout?\"
\"Nearlyso,sir;IbelievetheyhavebeenfrightenedawaybytheGwyddelod。\"
\"WhatkindofpeoplearetheseGwyddelod?
\"Savage,brutishpeople,sir;ingeneralwithoutshoesandstockings,withcoarsefeaturesandheadsofhairlikemops。\"
\"Howdotheylive?\"
\"Thementinkeralittle,sir,butmorefrequentlyplunder。Thewomentellfortunes,andstealwhenevertheycan。\"
\"TheylivesomethingliketheGipsiaid。\"
\"Something,sir;butthehenGipsiaidweregentlefolksincomparison。\"
\"YouthinktheGipsiaidhavebeenfrightenedawaybytheGwyddelians?\"
\"Ido,sir;theGwyddelodmadetheirappearanceinthesepartsabouttwentyyearsago,andsincethentheGipsiaidhavebeenrarelyseen。\"
\"AretheseGwyddelodpoor?\"
\"Bynomeans,sir;theymakelargesumsbyplunderingandothermeans,withwhich,’tissaid,theyretireatlasttotheirowncountryorAmerica,wheretheybuylandandsettledown。\"