Ashewasstandingbeforealongbuilding,throughtheopendoorofwhichasoundproceededlikethatofpreaching,Iaskedhimwhatplaceitwas,andwhatwasgoingoninit,andreceivedforanswerthatitwastheNationalSchool,andthattherewasaclergymanpreachinginit。IthenaskediftheclergymanwasoftheChurch,andonlearningthathewas,Iforthwithenteredthebuilding,whereinoneendofalongroomIsawayoungmaninawhitesurplicepreachingfromadesktoaboutthirtyorfortypeople,whowereseatedonbenchesbeforehim。Isatdownandlistened。Theyoungmanpreachedwithgreatzealandfluency。Thesermonwasaveryseasonableone,beingabouttheharvest,andinitthingstemporalandspiritualwereveryhappilyblended。ThepartofthesermonwhichIheard—IregrettedthatIdidnothearthewhole—
lastedaboutfive—and—twentyminutes:ahymnfollowed,andthenthecongregationbrokeup。Iinquiredthenameoftheyoungmanwhopreached,andwastoldthatitwasEdwards,andthathecamefromCaernarvon。ThenameoftheincumbentoftheparishwasThomas。
LeavingthevillageoftheharvestsermonIproceededonmywaywhichlaytothesouth—east。IwasnowdrawingnightothemountainousdistrictofEryri;anoblehillcalledMountEilioappearedbeforemetothenorth;animmensemountaincalledPenDrwsCoedlayoveragainstitonthesouth,justlikeacouchantelephantwithitsheadlowerthanthetopofitsback。AfteratimeIenteredamostbeautifulsunnyvalley,andpresentlycametoabridgeoverapleasantstreamrunninginthedirectionofthesouth。AsIstooduponthatbridgeIalmostfanciedmyselfinParadise;everythinglookedsobeautifulorgrand—green,sunnymeadowslayallaroundme,intersectedbythebrook,thewatersofwhichranwithtinklinglaughteroverashinglybottom。NobleEiliotothenorth;enormousPenDrwsCoedtothesouth;atallmountainfarbeyondthemtotheeast。\"Ineverwasinsuchalovelyspot!\"Icriedtomyselfinaperfectrapture。\"Oh,howgladIshouldbetolearnthenameofthisbridge,standingonwhichIhavehad’Heavenopenedtome,’asmyoldfriendstheSpaniardsusedtosay。\"ScarcelyhadIsaidthesewordswhenI
observedamanandawomancomingtowardsthebridgeinthedirectioninwhichIwasbound。Ihastenedtomeettheminthehopeofobtaininginformation。Theywerebothratheryoung,andwereprobablyacoupleofsweetheartstakingawalkorreturningfrommeeting。Thewomanwasafewstepsinadvanceoftheman;
seeingthatIwasabouttoaddressher,sheavertedherheadandquickenedhersteps,andbeforeIhadcompletedthequestion,whichIputtoherinWelsh,shehadboltedpastmescreaming\"AhDimSeasneg,\"andwasseveralyardsdistant。
Ithenaddressedmyselftothemanwhohadstopped,askinghimthenameofthebridge。
\"PontBettws,\"hereplied。
\"Andwhatmaybethenameoftheriver?\"saidI。
\"Afon—something,\"saidhe。
Andonmythankinghimhewentforwardtothewomanwhowaswaitingforhimbythebridge。
\"IsthatmanWelshorEnglish?\"Iheardhersaywhenhehadrejoinedher。
\"Idon’tknow,\"saidtheman—\"hewascivilenough;whywereyousuchafool?\"
\"Oh,IthoughthewouldspeaktomeinEnglish,\"saidthewoman,\"andthethoughtofthathorridEnglishputsmeintosuchaflutter;youknowIcan’tspeakawordofit。\"
TheyproceededontheirwayandIproceededonmine,andpresentlycomingtoalittleinnontheleftsideoftheway,attheentranceofavillage,Iwentin。
Arespectable—lookingmanandwomanwereseatedatteaatatableinanicecleankitchen。Isatdownonachairnearthetable,andcalledforale—thealewasbroughtmeinajug—Idranksome,putthejugonthetable,andbegantodiscoursewiththepeopleinWelsh。Ahandsomedogwasseatedontheground;suddenlyitlaidoneofitspawsonitsmaster’sknee。
\"Down,Perro,\"saidhe。
\"Perro!\"saidI;\"whydoyoucallthedogPerro?\"
\"WecallhimPerro,\"saidtheman,\"becausehisnameisPerro。\"
\"Buthowcameyoutogivehimthatname?\"saidI。
\"Wedidnotgiveittohim,\"saidtheman—\"heborethatnamewhenhecameintoourhands;afarmergavehimtouswhenhewasveryyoung,andtoldushisnamewasPerro。\"
\"AndhowcamethefarmertocallhimPerro?\"saidI。
\"Idon’tknow,\"saidtheman—\"whydoyouask?\"
\"Perro,\"saidI,\"isaSpanishword,andsignifiesadogingeneral。IamrathersurprisedthatadoginthemountainsofWalesshouldbecalledbytheSpanishwordfordog。\"Ifellintoafitofmusing。\"HowSpanishwordsarediffused!WhereveryougoyouwillfindsomeSpanishwordorotherinuse。IhaveheardSpanishwordsusedbyRussianmujiksandTurkishfig—gatherers—I
havethisdayheardaSpanishwordinthemountainsofWales,andI
havenodoubtthatwereItogotoIcelandIshouldfindSpanishwordsusedthere。HowcanIdoubtit;whenIreflectthatmorethansixhundredyearsago,oneofthewordstodenoteabadwomanwasSpanish。IntheoldestofIcelandicdomesticSagas,Skarphedin,thesonofNialtheseer,calledHallgerdr,widowofGunnar,aputa—andthatwordsomaddenedHallgerdrthatsheneverrestedtillshehadbroughtabouthisdestruction。Now,whythispreferenceeverywhereforSpanishwordsoverthoseofeveryotherlanguage?IneverheardFrenchwordsorGermanwordsusedbyRussianmujiksandTurkishfig—gatherers。IquestionwhetherI
shouldfindanyinIcelandformingpartofthevernacular。I
certainlyneverfoundaFrenchorevenaGermanwordinanoldIcelandicSaga。WhythispartialityeverywhereforSpanishwords?
thequestionispuzzling;atanyrateitputsmeout—\"
\"Yes,itputsmeout!\"Iexclaimedaloud,strikingmyfistonthetablewithavehemencewhichcausedthegoodfolkstostarthalfupfromtheirseats。Beforetheycouldsayanything,however,avehicledroveuptothedoor,andamangettingoutcameintotheroom。Hehadaglazedhatonhishead,andwasdressedsomethingliketheguardofamail。Hetouchedhishattome,andcalledforaglassofwhiskey。IgavehimtheseleoftheeveningandenteredintoconversationwithhiminEnglish。InthecourseofdiscourseIlearnedthathewasthepostman,andwasgoinghisroundsinhiscart—hewasmorethanrespectfultome,hewasfawningandsycophantic。Thewhiskeywasbrought,andhestoodwiththeglassinhishand。SuddenlyhebeganspeakingWelshtothepeople;
before,however,hehadutteredtwosentencesthewomanliftedherhandwithanalarmedair,crying\"Hush!heunderstands。\"Thefellowwasturningmetoridicule。Iflungmyheadback,closedmyeyes,openedmymouthandlaughedaloud。Thefellowstoodaghast;
hishandtrembled,andhespiltthegreaterpartofthewhiskeyupontheground。AttheendofabouthalfaminuteIgotup,askedwhatIhadtopay,andonbeingtoldtwopence,Iputdownthemoney。ThengoinguptothemanIputmyrightforefingerveryneartohisnose,andsaid\"Dwyoiaithdwyowyneb,twolanguages,twofaces,friend!\"ThenafterleeringathimforamomentI
wishedthepeopleofthehousegood—eveninganddeparted。
WalkingrapidlyontowardstheeastIsoondrewneartheterminationofthevalley。ThevalleyterminatesinadeepgorgeorpassbetweenMountEilio—whichby—the—byeispartofthechineofSnowdon—andPenDrwsCoed。Thelatter,thatcouchantelephantwithitsheadturnedtothenorth—east,seemsasifitwishedtobarthepasswithitstrunk;byitstrunkImeanakindofjaggyridgewhichdescendsdowntotheroad。Ienteredthegorge,passingnearalittlewaterfallwhichwithmuchnoiserunsdowntheprecipitoussideofMountEilio;presentlyIcametoalittlemillbythesideofabrookrunningtowardstheeast。Iaskedthemiller—woman,whowasstandingnearthemill,withherheadturnedtowardsthesettingsun,thenameofthemillandthestream。\"Themilliscalled’ThemilloftheriverofLakeCwellyn,’\"saidshe,\"andtheriveriscalledtheriverofLakeCwellyn。\"
\"Andwhoownstheland?\"saidI。
\"SirRichard,\"saidshe。\"ISirRichardywynperthynytir。MrWilliams,however,possessessomepartofMountEilio。\"
\"AndwhoisMrWilliams?\"saidI。
\"WhoisMrWilliams?\"saidthemiller’swife。\"Ho,ho!whatastrangeryoumustbetoaskmewhoisMrWilliams。\"
Ismiledandpassedon。Themillwasbelowtheleveloftheroad,anditswheelwasturnedbythewaterofalittleconduitsuppliedbythebrookatsomedistanceabovethemill。IhadobservedsimilarconduitsemployedforsimilarpurposesinCornwall。A
littlebelowthemillwasaweir,andalittlebelowtheweirtheriverranfrothingpasttheextremeendoftheelephant’ssnout。
FollowingthecourseoftheriverIatlastemergedwithitfromthepassintoavalleysurroundedbyenormousmountains。Extendingalongitfromwesttoeast,andoccupyingitsentiresouthernpartlayanoblongpieceofwater,intowhichthestreamletofthepassdischargeditself。Thiswasoneofthemanybeautifullakes,whichafewdaysbeforeIhadseenfromtheWyddfa。AsfortheWyddfaI
nowbeheldithighabovemeinthenorth—eastlookingverygrandindeed,shininglikeasilverhelmetwhilstcatchingthegloriesofthesettingsun。
Iproceededslowlyalongtheroad,thelakebelowmeonmyrighthand,whilsttheshelvysideofSnowdonroseabovemeontheleft。
Theeveningwascalmandstill,andnonoisecameuponmyearsavethesoundofacascadefallingintothelakefromablackmountain,whichfrownedaboveitonthesouth,andcastagloomyshadowfaroverit。
Thiscataractwasintheneighbourhoodofasingular—lookingrock,projectingabovethelakefromthemountain’sside。Iwanderedaconsiderablewaywithoutmeetingorseeingasinglehumanbeing。
AtlastwhenIhadnearlygainedtheeasternendofthevalleyI
sawtwomenseatedonthesideofthehill,onthevergeoftheroad,inthevicinityofahousewhichstoodalittlewayupthehill。ThelakeherewasmuchwiderthanIhadhithertoseenit,forthehugemountainonthesouthhadterminatedandthelakeexpandedconsiderablyinthatquarter,havinginsteadoftheblackmountainabeautifulhillbeyondit。
Iquickenedmystepsandsooncameuptothetwoindividuals。Onewasanelderlyman,dressedinasmockfrockandwithahairycaponhishead。Theotherwasmuchyounger,woreahat,andwasdressedinacoarsesuitofbluenearlynew,anddoubtlesshisSunday’sbest。Hewassmokingapipe。IgreetedtheminEnglishandsatdownnearthem。Theyrespondedinthesamelanguage,theyoungermanwithconsiderablecivilityandbriskness,theotherinatoneofvoicedenotingsomereserve。
\"MayIaskthenameofthislake?\"saidI,addressingmyselftotheyoungmanwhosatbetweenmeandtheelderlyone。
\"ItsnameisLlynCwellyn,sir,\"saidhe,takingthepipeoutofhismouth。\"Andafinelakeitis。\"
\"Plentyoffishinit?\"Idemanded。
\"Plenty,sir;plentyoftroutandpikeandchar。\"
\"Isitdeep?\"saidI。
\"Neartheshoreitisshallow,sir,butinthemiddleandneartheothersideitisdeep,sodeepthatnooneknowshowdeepitis。\"
\"Whatisthename,\"saidI,\"ofthegreatblackmountainthereontheotherside?\"
\"ItiscalledMynyddMawrortheGreatMountain。Yonderrock,whichbulksoutfromit,downthelakeyonder,andwhichyoupassedasyoucamealong,iscalledCastellCidwm,whichmeansWolf’srockorcastle。\"
\"Didawolfeverlivethere?\"Idemanded。
\"Perhapsso,\"saidtheman,\"forIhaveheardsaythattherewerewolvesofoldinWales。\"
\"Andwhatisthenameofthebeautifulhillyonder,beforeusacrossthewater?\"
\"That,sir,iscalledCairnDrwsyCoed,\"saidtheman。
\"Thestoneheapofthegateofthewood,\"saidI。
\"AreyouWelsh,sir?\"saidtheman。
\"No,\"saidI,\"butIknowsomethingofthelanguageofWales。I
supposeyouliveinthathouse?\"
\"Notexactly,sir,myfather—in—lawherelivesinthathouse,andmywifewithhim。Iamaminer,andspendsixdaysintheweekatmymine,buteverySundayIcomehereandpassthedaywithmywifeandhim。\"
\"Andwhatprofessiondoeshefollow?\"saidI;\"isheafisherman?\"
\"Fisherman!\"saidtheelderlymancontemptuously,\"notI。IamtheSnowdonRanger。\"
\"Andwhatisthat?\"saidI。
Theelderlymantossedhisheadproudly,andmadenoreply。
\"Arangermeansaguide,sir,\"saidtheyoungerman;\"myfather—in—
lawisgenerallytermedtheSnowdonRangerbecauseheisatip—topguide,andhehasnamedthehouseafterhimtheSnowdonRanger。HeentertainsgentlemeninitwhoputthemselvesunderhisguidanceinordertoascendSnowdonandtoseethecountry。\"
\"Thereissomedifferenceinyourprofessions,\"said\"hedealsinheights,youindepths,both,however,arebreak—neckytrades。\"
\"Irunmoreriskfromgunpowderthananythingelse,\"saidtheyoungerman。\"Iamaslate—miner,andamcontinuallyblasting。I
have,however,hadmyfalls。Areyougoingfarto—night,sir?\"
\"IamgoingtoBethGelert,\"saidI。
\"Agoodsixmiles,sir,fromhere。DoyoucomefromCaernarvon?\"
\"Fartherthanthat,\"saidI。\"IcomefromBangor。\"
\"To—day,sir,andwalking?\"
\"To—day,andwalking。\"
\"Youmustberathertired,sir,youcamealongthevalleyveryslowly。\"
\"Iamnotintheslightestdegreetired,\"saidI;\"whenIstartfromhere,Ishallputonmybestpace,andsoongettoBethGelert。\"
\"Anybodycangetalongoverlevelground,\"saidtheoldman,laconically。
\"Notwithequalswiftness,\"saidI。\"Idoassureyou,friend,tobeabletomoveatagoodswingingpaceoverlevelgroundissomethingnottobesneezedat。Not,\"saidI,liftingupmyvoice,\"thatIwouldforamomentcomparewalkingonthelevelgroundtomountainranging,pacingalongtheroadtospringingupcragslikeamountaingoat,orassertthatevenPowellhimself,thefirstofallroadwalkers,wasentitledtosobrightawreathoffameastheSnowdonRanger。\"
\"Won’tyouwalkin,sir?\"saidtheelderlyman。
\"No,Ithankyou,\"saidI,\"Iprefersittingoutheregazingonthelakeandthenoblemountains。\"
\"Iwishyouwould,sir,\"saidtheelderlyman,\"andtakeaglassofsomething;Iwillchargeyounothing。\"
\"Thankyou,\"saidI,\"Iaminwantofnothing,andshallpresentlystart。DomanypeopleascendSnowdonfromyourhouse?\"
\"NotsomanyasIcouldwish,\"saidtheranger;\"peopleingeneralpreferascendingSnowdonfromthattrumperyplaceBethGelert;butthosewhodoarefools—beggingyourhonour’spardon。TheplacetoascendSnowdonfromismyhouse。ThewayfrommyhouseupSnowdoniswonderfulfortheromanticscenerywhichitaffords;
thatfromBethGelertcan’tbenamedinthesamedaywithitforscenery;moreover,frommyhouseyoumayhavethebestguideinWales;whereastheguidesofBethGelert—butIsaynothing。IfyourhonourisboundfortheWyddfa,asIsupposeyouare,youhadbetterstartfrommyhouseto—morrowundermyguidance。\"
\"IhavealreadybeenuptheWyddfafromLlanberis,\"saidI,\"andamnowgoingthroughBethGelerttoLlangollen,wheremyfamilyare;
wereIgoingupSnowdonagainIshouldmostcertainlystartfromyourhouseunderyourguidance,andwereInotinahurryatpresent,Iwouldcertainlytakeupmyquartershereforaweek,andeverydaysnakeexcursionswithyouintotherecessesofEryri。I
supposeyouareacquaintedwithallthesecretsofthehills?\"
\"Trusttheoldrangerforthat,yourhonour。Iwouldshowyourhonourtheblacklakeinthefrightfulhollowinwhichthefisheshavemonstrousheadsandlittlebodies,thelakeonwhichneitherswan,ducknoranykindofwildfowlwaseverseentolight。ThenI
wouldshowyourhonourthefountainofthehoppingcreatures,where,where—\"
\"WereyoueveratthatWolf’scrag,thatCastellyCidwm?\"saidI。
\"Can’tsayIeverwas,yourhonour。Youseeitliessocloseby,justacrossthelake,that—\"
\"Youthoughtyoucouldseeitanyday,andsoneverwent,\"saidI。
\"Canyoutellmewhetherthereareanyruinsuponit?\"
\"Ican’t,yourhonour。\"
\"Ishouldn’twonder,\"saidI,\"ifinoldtimesitwasthestrongholdofsomerobber—chieftain;cidwmintheoldWelshisfrequentlyappliedtoaferociousman。CastellCidwm,Ishouldthink,ratheroughttobetranslatedtherobber’scastlethanthewolf’srock。IfIevercomeintothesepartsagainyouandIwillvisitittogether,andseewhatkindofplaceitis。Nowfarewell!
Itisgettinglate。\"Ithendeparted。
\"Whatanicegentleman!\"saidtheyoungerman,whenIwasafewyardsdistant。
\"Ineversawanicergentleman,\"saidtheoldranger。
Ispedalong,Snowdononmyleft,thelakeonmyright,andthetipofamountainpeakrightbeforemeintheeast。AfteralittletimeIlookedback;whatascene!Thesilverlakeandtheshadowymountainoveritssouthernsidelookingnow,methought,verymuchlikeGibraltar。Ilingeredandlingered,gazingandgazing,andatlastonlybyanefforttoremyselfaway。Theeveninghadnowbecomedelightfullycoolinthislandofwonders。OnIsped,passingbytwonoisybrookscomingfromSnowdontopaytributetothelake。AndnowIhadleftthelakeandthevalleybehind,andwasascendingahill。AsIgaineditssummit,uprosethemoontocheermyway。Inalittletime,awildstonygorgeconfrontedme,astreamrandownthegorgewithhollowroar,abridgelayacrossit。IaskedafigurewhomIsawstandingbythebridgetheplace’sname。\"Rhyddu\"—theblackford—Icrossedthebridge。ThevoiceoftheMethodistwasyellingfromalittlechapelonmyleft。
Iwenttothedoorandlistened:\"WhenthesinnertakesholdofGod,Godtakesholdofthesinner。\"Thevoicewasfrightfullyhoarse。Ipassedon:nightfellfastaroundme,andthemountaintothesouth—east,towardswhichIwastending,lookedblacklygrand。AndnowIcametoamilestoneonwhichIreadwithdifficulty:\"ThreemilestoBethGelert。\"Thewayforsometimehadbeenupward,butnowitwasdownward。Ireachedatorrent,whichcomingfromthenorth—westrushedunderabridge,overwhichIpassed。ThetorrentattendedmeonmyrighthandthewholewaytoBethGelert。Thedescentnowbecameveryrapid。Ipassedapinewoodonmyleft,andproceededformorethantwomilesatatremendousrate。Ithencametoawood—thiswoodwasjustaboveBethGelert—proceedinginthedirectionofablackmountain,I
foundmyselfamongsthouses,atthebottomofavalley。Ipassedoverabridge,andinquiringofsomepeoplewhomImetthewaytotheinn,wasshownanedificebrilliantlylightedup,whichI
entered。
CHAPTERXLV
InnatBethGelert—DelectableCompany—LieutenantP—。
THEinnorhotelatBethGelertwasalargeandcommodiousbuilding,andwasanythingbutthrongedwithcompany;whatcompany,however,therewas,wasdisagreeableenough,perhapsmoresothanthatinwhichIhadbeentheprecedingevening,whichwascomposedofthescumofManchesterandLiverpool;thecompanyamongstwhichInowwas,consistedofsevenoreightindividuals,twoofthemweremilitarypuppies,oneatallishfellow,whothoughevidentlyupwardsofthirty,affectedtheairsofalanguishinggirl,andwouldfainhavemadepeoplebelievethathewasdyingofENNUIandlassitude。Theotherwasashortspuddyfellow,withabroaduglyfaceandwithspectaclesonhisnose,whotalkedveryconsequentiallyabout\"theservice\"andallthat,butwhosetoneofvoicewascoarseandhismannerthatofanunder—bredperson;thentherewasanoldfellowaboutsixty—five,acivilian,witharedcarbuncledface;hewasfatherofthespuddymilitarypuppy,onwhomheoccasionallycasteyesofprideandalmostadoration,andwhosesayingshemuchapplauded,especiallycertainDOUBLES
ENTENDRES,tocallthembynoharsherterm,directedtoafatgirl,weighingsomefifteenstone,whoofficiatedinthecoffee—roomaswaiter。ThentherewasacreaturetodojusticetowhoseappearancewouldrequirethepencilofaHogarth。Hewasaboutfivefeetthreeinchesandaquarterhigh,andmighthaveweighed,alwaysprovidedastoneweighthadbeenattachedtohim,abouthalfasmuchasthefatgirl。Hiscountenancewascadaverousandwaseternallyagitatedbysomethingbetweenagrinandasimper。Hewasdressedinastyleofsuperfinegentility,andhisskeletonfingerswerebedizenedwithtawdryrings。Hisconversationwaschieflyabouthisbileandhissecretions,theefficacyoflicoriceinproducingacertaineffect,andtheexpediencyofchangingone’slinenatleastthreetimesaday;thoughhadhechangedhissix,I
shouldhavesaidthatthepurificationofthelastshirtwouldhavebeennosinecuretothelaundress。HisaccentwasdecidedlyScotch:hespokefamiliarlyofScottandoneortwootherScotchworthies,andmorethanonceinsinuatedthathewasamemberofParliament。WithrespecttotherestofthecompanyIsaynothing,andfortheverysufficientreasonthat,unliketheabovedescribedbatch,theydidnotseemdisposedtobeimpertinenttowardsme。
EagertogetoutofsuchsocietyIretiredearlytobed。AsIlefttheroomthediminutiveScotchindividualwasdescribingtotheoldsimpleton,whoonthegroundoftheother’sbeinga\"member,\"waslisteningtohimwithextremeattention,howhewaslabouringunderanaccessofbileowingtohishavinglefthislicoricesomewhereorother。Ipassedaquietnight,andinthemorningbreakfasted,paidmybill,anddeparted。AsIwentoutofthecoffee—roomthespuddy,broad—facedmilitarypuppywithspectacleswasvociferatingtothelanguishingmilitarypuppy,andtohisoldsimpletonofafather,whowaslisteningtohimwithhisusuallookofundisguisedadmiration,abouttheabsolutenecessityofkickingLieutenantP—
outofthearmyforhavingdisgraced\"theservice。\"PoorP—,whoseonlycrimewastryingtodefendhimselfwithfistandcandlestickfromthemanualattacksofhisbrutalmessmates。
CHAPTERXLVI
TheValleyofGelert—LegendoftheDog—MagnificentScenery—
TheKnicht—GoatsinWales—TheFrightfulCrag—TemperanceHouse—SmileandCurtsey。
BETHGELERTissituatedinavalleysurroundedbyhugehills,themostremarkableofwhichareMoelHebogandCerrigLlan;theformerfencesitonthesouth,andthelatter,whichisquiteblackandnearlyperpendicular,ontheeast。Asmallstreamrushesthroughthevalley,andsalliesforthbyapassatitssouth—easternend。
ThevalleyissaidbysometoderiveitsnameofBeddgelert,whichsignifiesthegraveofCelert,frombeingtheburial—placeofCelert,aBritishsaintofthesixthcentury,towhomLlangelerinCarmarthenshireisbelievedtohavebeenconsecrated,butthepopularandmostuniversallyreceivedtraditionisthatithasitsnamefrombeingtheresting—placeofafaithfuldogcalledCelertorGelert,killedbyhismaster,thewarlikeandcelebratedLlywelynabJorwerth,fromanunluckymisapprehension。Thoughthelegendisknowntomostpeople,Ishalltakethelibertyofrelatingit。
LlywelynduringhiscontestswiththeEnglishhadencampedwithafewfollowersinthevalley,andonedaydepartedwithhismenonanexpedition,leavinghisinfantsoninacradleinhistent,underthecareofhishoundGelert,aftergivingthechilditsfillofgoat’smilk。Whilsthewasabsentawolffromtheneighbouringmountains,inquestofprey,founditswayintothetent,andwasabouttodevourthechild,whenthewatchfuldoginterfered,andafteradesperateconflict,inwhichthetentwastorndown,succeededindestroyingthemonster。Llywelynreturningateveningfoundthetentontheground,andthedog,coveredwithblood,sittingbesideit。ImaginingthatthebloodwithwhichGelertwasbesmearedwasthatofhisownsondevouredbytheanimaltowhosecarehehadconfidedhim,Llywelyninaparoxysmofnaturalindignationforthwithtransfixedthefaithfulcreaturewithhisspear。Scarcely,however,hadhedonesowhenhisearswerestartledbythecryofachildfrombeneaththefallentent,andhastilyremovingthecanvashefoundthechildinitscradle,quiteuninjured,andthebodyofanenormouswolf,frightfullytornandmangled,lyingnear。Hisbreastwasnowfilledwithconflictingemotions,joyforthepreservationofhisson,andgriefforthefateofhisdog,towhomheforthwithhastened。Thepooranimalwasnotquitedead,butpresentlyexpired,intheactoflickinghismaster’shand。Llywelynmournedoverhimasoverabrother,buriedhimwithfuneralhonoursinthevalley,anderectedatomboverhimasoverahero。FromthattimethevalleywascalledBethGelert。
Suchisthelegend,which,whethertrueorfictitious,issingularlybeautifulandaffecting。
Thetomb,orwhatissaidtobethetomb,ofGelert,standsinabeautifulmeadowjustbelowtheprecipitoussideofCerrigLlan:
itconsistsofalargeslablyingonitsside,andtwouprightstones。Itisshadedbyaweepingwillow,andissurroundedbyahexagonalpaling。Whoisthereacquaintedwiththelegend,whetherhebelievesthatthedogliesbeneaththosestonesornot,canvisitthemwithoutexclaimingwithasigh,\"PoorGelert!\"
Afterwanderingaboutthevalleyforsometime,andseeingafewofitswonders,IinquiredmywayforFestiniog,andsetoffforthatplace。Thewaytoitisthroughthepassatthesouth—eastendofthevalley。ArrivedattheentranceofthepassIturnedroundtolookatthesceneryIwasleavingbehindme;theviewwhichpresenteditselftomyeyeswasverygrandandbeautiful。BeforemelaythemeadowofGelertwiththeriverflowingthroughittowardsthepass。BeyondthemeadowtheSnowdonrange;ontherightthemightyCerrigLlan;onthelefttheequallymighty,butnotquitesoprecipitous,Hebog。Truly,thevalleyofGelertisawondrousvalley—rivallingforgrandeurandbeautyanyvaleeitherintheAlpsorPyrenees。AfteralongandearnestviewIturnedroundagainandproceededonmyway。