第32章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Wild Wales",免费读到尾

  HisalefromShrewsburytownhebrings;

  Hisusquebaughisdrinkforkings;

  Braggethekeeps,breadwhiteoflook,And,blessthemark!abustlingcook。

  Hismansionistheminstrels’home,You’llfindthemtherewhene’eryoucomeOfallhersexhiswife’sthebest;

  ThehouseholdthroughhercareisblestShe’sscionofaknightlytree,She’sdignified,she’skindandfree。

  Hisbairnsapproachme,pairbypair,Owhatanestofchieftainsfair!

  HeredifficultitistocatchAsightofeitherboltorlatch;

  Theporter’splaceherenonewillfill;

  Herlargessshallbelavish’dstill,Andne’ershallthirstorhungerrudeInSycharthventuretointrude。

  Anobleleader,Cambria’sknight,Thelakepossesses,hisbyright,Andmidstthatazurewaterplac’d,Thecastle,byeachpleasuregrac’d。

  AndwhenIhadfinishedrepeatingtheselinesIsaid,\"Howmuchmorehappy,innocent,andholy,IwasinthedaysofmyboyhoodwhenItranslateIolo’sodethanIamatthepresenttime!\"ThencoveringmyfacewithmyhandsIweptlikeachild。

  CHAPTERLXVII

  CupofCoffee—Gwen—BluffoldFellow—ARabbleRout—AllfromWrexham。

  AFTERawhileIarosefrommyseatanddescendingthehillreturnedtothehouseofmyhonestfriends,whomIfoundsittingbytheirfireasIhadfirstseenthem。

  \"Well,\"saidtheman,\"didyoubringbackOwenGlendower?\"

  \"Notonlyhim,\"saidI,\"buthishouse,family,andallrelatingtohim。\"

  \"Bywhatmeans?\"saidtheman。

  \"Bymeansofasongmadealongtimeago,whichdescribesSycharthasitwasinhistime,andhismanneroflivingthere。\"

  PresentlyGwen,whohadbeenpreparingcoffeeinexpectationofmyreturn,pouredoutacupful,whichshepresentedtome,atthesametimehandingmesomewhitesugarinabasin。

  Itookthecoffee,helpedmyselftosomesugar,andreturnedherthanksinherownlanguage。

  \"Ah,\"saidtheman,inWelsh,\"IseeyouareaCumro。GwenandI

  havebeenwonderingwhetheryouwereWelshorEnglish;butIseeyouareoneofourselves。\"

  \"No,\"saidIinthesamelanguage,\"IamanEnglishman,borninapartofEnglandthefarthestofanyfromWales。Infact,IamaCarnSais。\"

  \"AndhowcameyoutospeakWelsh?\"saidtheman。

  \"ItookitintomyheadtolearnitwhenIwasaboy,\"saidI。

  \"Englishmensometimesdostrangethings。\"

  \"SoIhaveheard,\"saidtheman,\"butIneverheardbeforeofanEnglishmanlearningWelsh。\"

  Iproceededtodrinkmycoffee,andhavingfinishedit,andhadalittlemorediscourseIgotup,andhavinggivenGwenapieceofsilver,whichshereceivedwithasmileandacurtsey,IsaidI

  mustnowbegoing,\"Won’tyoutakeanothercup?\"saidGwen,\"youarewelcome。\"

  \"No,thankyou,\"saidI,\"Ihavehadenough。\"

  \"Whereareyougoing?\"saidthemaninEnglish。

  \"ToLlanRhyadr,\"saidI,\"fromwhichIcamethismorning。\"

  \"Whichwaydidyoucome?\"saidtheman。

  \"ByLlanGedwin,\"Ireplied,\"andoverthehill。Isthereanotherway?\"

  \"Thereis,\"saidtheman,\"byLlanSilin。\"

  \"LlanSilin!\"saidI;\"isnotthattheplacewhereHuwMorrisisburied?\"

  \"Itis,\"saidtheman。

  \"IwillreturnbyLlanSilin,\"saidI,\"andinpassingthroughpayavisittothetombofthegreatpoet。IsLlanSilinfaroff?\"

  \"Abouthalfamile,\"saidtheman。\"Gooverthebridge,turntotheright,andyouwillbetherepresently。\"

  Ishookthehonestcouplebythehandandbadethemfarewell。Themanputonhishatandwentwithmeafewyardsfromthedoor,andthenproceededtowardsthefactory。Ipassedoverthebridge,underwhichwasastreamlet,whichalittlebelowthebridgereceivedthebrookwhichonceturnedOwenGlendower’scorn—mill。I

  soonreachedLlanSilin,avillageortownlet,havingsomehighhillsatashortdistancetothewestward,whichformpartoftheBerwyn。

  Ienteredthekitchenofanold—fashionedpublic—house,andsittingdownbyatabletoldthelandlord,ared—nosedelderlyman,whocamebowinguptome,tobringmeapintofale。Thelandlordbowedanddeparted。Abluff—lookingoldfellow,somewhatunderthemiddlesize,satjustoppositetomeatthetable。Hewasdressedinawhitefriezecoat,andhadasmallhatonhisheadsetratherconsequentiallyononeside。Beforehimonthetablestoodajugofale,betweenwhichandhimlayalargecrabstick。Threeorfourotherpeoplestoodorsatindifferentpartsoftheroom。

  Presentlythelandlordreturnedwiththeale。

  \"Isupposeyoucomeonsessionsbusiness,sir?\"saidhe,asheplaceditdownbeforeme。

  \"Arethesessionsbeingheldhereto—day?\"saidI。

  \"Theyare,\"saidthelandlord,\"andthereisplentyofbusiness;

  twobadcasesofpoaching,SirWatkin’skeepersareupatcourtandhopetoconvict。\"

  \"Iamnotcomeonsessionsbusiness,\"saidI;\"Iammerelystrollingalittleabouttoseethecountry。\"

  \"HeiscomefromSouthWales,\"saidtheoldfellowinthefriezecoat,tothelandlord,\"inordertoseewhatkindofcountrythenorthis。Wellatanyratehehasseenabettercountrythanhisown。\"

  \"HowdoyouknowthatIcomefromSouthWales?\"saidI。

  \"ByyourEnglish,\"saidtheoldfellow;\"anybodymayknowyouareSouthWelshbyyourEnglish;itissocursedlybad。Butlet’shearyouspeakalittleWelsh;thenIshallbecertainastowhoyouare。\"

  Ididashebademe,sayingafewwordsinWelsh。

  \"There’sWelsh,\"saidtheoldfellow,\"whobutaSouthWelshmanwouldtalkWelshinthatmanner?It’snearlyasbadasyourEnglish。\"

  IaskedhimifhehadeverbeeninSouthWales。

  \"Yes,\"saidhe;\"andabadcountryIfoundit;justlikethepeople。\"

  \"IfyoutakemeforaSouthWelshman,\"saidI,\"yououghttospeakcivillybothoftheSouthWelshandtheircountry。\"

  \"Iammerelypayingtitfortat,\"saidtheoldfellow。\"WhenIwasinSouthWalesyourpeoplelaughedatmyfolksandcountry,sowhenImeetoneofthemhereIservehimoutasIwasservedoutthere。\"

  Imadenoreplytohim,butaddressingmyselftothelandlordinquiredwhetherHuwMorriswasnotburiedinLlanSilinchurchyard。Herepliedintheaffirmative。

  \"Ishouldliketoseehistomb,\"saidI。

  \"Well,sir,\"saidthelandlord,\"Ishallbehappytoshowittoyouwheneveryouplease。\"

  Hereagaintheoldfellowputinhisword。

  \"YouneverhadaprydyddlikeHuwMorrisinSouthWales,\"saidhe;

  \"norTwmo’rNanteither。\"

  \"SouthWaleshasproducedgoodpoets,\"saidI。

  \"No,ithasn’t,\"saidtheoldfellow;\"itneverproducedone。Ifithad,youwouldn’thaveneededtocomeheretoseethegraveofapoet;youwouldhavefoundoneathome。\"

  Ashesaidthesewordshegotup,tookhisstick,andseemedabouttodepart。Justtheninburstarabbleroutofgame—keepersandriver—watcherswhohadcomefromthepettysessions,andwereinhighglee,thetwopoacherswhomthelandlordhadmentionedhavingbeenconvictedandheavilyfined。Twoorthreeofthemwereparticularlyboisterous,runningagainstsomeoftheguestswhoweresittingorstandinginthekitchen,andpushingthelandlordabout,cryingatthesametimethattheywouldstandbySirWatkintothelast,andwouldneverseehimplundered。Oneofthem,afellowofaboutthirty,inahairycap,blackcoat,dirtyyellowbreeches,anddirtywhitetop—boots,whowasthemostobstreperousofthemall,atlastcameuptotheoldchapwhodislikedSouthWelshmenandtriedtoknockoffhishat,swearingthathewouldstandbySirWatkin;he,however,metaTartar。TheenemyoftheSouthWelsh,likeallcrustypeople,hadlotsofmettle,andwiththestickwhichheheldinhishandforthwithaimedablowatthefellow’spoll,which,hadhenotjumpedback,wouldprobablyhavebrokenit。

  \"Iwillnotbeinsultedbyyou,youvagabond,\"saidtheoldchap,\"norbySirWatkineither;goandtellhimso。\"

  Thefellowlookedsheepish,andturningawayproceededtotakelibertieswithotherpeoplelessdangeroustomeddlewiththanoldcrabstick。He,however,soondesisted,andsatdownevidentlydisconcerted。

  \"WereyoueverworsetreatedinSouthWalesbythepeopletherethanyouhavebeenherebyyourowncountrymen?\"saidItotheoldfellow。

  \"Mycountrymen?\"saidhe;\"thisscampisnocountrymanofmine;norisoneofthewholekit。TheyareallfromWrexham,amixtureofbrokenhousekeepersandfellowstoostupidtolearnatrade;asetofscampsfitfornothingintheworldbuttoswearbodilyagainsthonestmen。TheysaytheywillstandupforSirWatkin,andsotheywill,butonlyinaboxintheCourttogivefalseevidence。

  Theywon’tfightforhimonthebanksoftheriver。Countrymenofmine,indeed!theyarenocountrymenofmine;theyarefromWrexham,wherethepeoplespeakneitherEnglishnorWelsh,notevenSouthWelshasyoudo。\"

  Thengivingakindofflourishwithhisstickhedeparted。

  CHAPTERLXVIII

  LlanSilinChurch—TombofHuwMorris—BarbaraandRichard—

  WelshCountryClergyman—TheSwearingLad—Anglo—SaxonDevils。

  HAVINGdiscussedmyaleIaskedthelandlordifhewouldshowmethegraveofHuwMorris。\"Withpleasure,sir,\"saidhe;\"prayfollowme。\"Heledmetothechurchyard,inwhichseveralenormousyewtreeswerestanding,probablyofanantiquitywhichreachedasfarbackasthedaysofHenrytheEighth,whentheyewbowwasstillthefavouriteweaponofthemenofBritain。Thechurchfrontsthesouth,theporticobeinginthatdirection。Thebodyofthesacrededificeisancient,butthesteeplewhichbearsagildedcockonitstopismodern。Theinnkeeperledmedirectlyuptothesouthernwall,thenpointingtoabroaddiscolouredslab,whichlayonthegroundjustoutsidethewall,aboutmidwaybetweentheporticoandtheorielend,hesaid:

  \"UnderneaththisstoneliesHuwMorris,sir。\"ForthwithtakingoffmyhatIwentdownonmykneesandkissedthecoldslabcoveringthecoldremainsofthemightyHuw,andthen,stillonmyknees,proceededtoexamineitattentively。Itiscoveredoverwithlettersthreepartsdefaced。AllIcouldmakeoutoftheinscriptionwasthedateofthepoet’sdeath,1709。\"Agreatgenius,averygreatgenius,sir,\"saidtheinn—keeper,afterIhadgotonmyfeetandputonmyhat。

  \"Hewasindeed,\"saidI;\"areyouacquaintedwithhispoetry?\"

  \"Ohyes,\"saidtheinnkeeper,andthenrepeatedthefourlinescomposedbythepoetshortlybeforehisdeath,whichIhadheardtheintoxicatedstonemasonrepeatinthepublic—houseofthePandy,thedayIwenttovisitthepoet’sresidencewithJohnJones。

  \"DoyouknowanymoreofHuw’spoetry?\"saidI。

  \"No,\"saidtheinnkeeper。\"Thoselines,however,IhaveknowneversinceIwasachildandrepeatedthem,moreparticularlyoflatesinceagehascomeuponmeandIhavefeltthatIcannotlastlong。\"

  Itisveryoddhowfewoftheversesofgreatpoetsareinpeople’smouths。NotmorethanadozenofShakespear’slinesareinpeople’smouths:ofthoseofPopenotmorethanhalfthatnumber。

  OfAddison’spoetrytwoorthreelinesmaybeinpeople’smouths,thoughIneverheardonequoted,theonlylinewhichIeverheardquotedasAddison’snotbeinghisbutGarth’s:

  \"’Tisbestrepentinginacoachandsix。’

  WhilstoftheversesofHuwMorrisIneverknewanyonebutmyself,whoamnotaWelshman,whocouldrepeatalinebeyondthefourwhichIhavetwicehadoccasiontomention,andwhichseemtobegenerallyknowninNorthifnotinSouthWales。

  FromtheflagstoneIproceededtotheporticoandgazeduponitintensely。Itpresentednothingveryremarkable,butithadthegreatestinterestforme,forIrememberedhowmanytimesHuwMorrishadwalkedoutofthatporchattheheadofthecongregation,theclergymanyieldinghisownplacetotheinspiredbard。Iwouldfainhaveenteredthechurch,butthelandlordhadnotthekey,andtoldmethatheimaginedtherewouldbesomedifficultyinprocuringit。Iwasthereforeobligedtocontentmyselfwithpeepingthroughawindowintotheinterior,whichhadasolemnandvenerableaspect。

  \"Withinthere,\"saidItomyself,\"HuwMorris,thegreatestsongsteroftheseventeenthcentury,knelteverySundayduringthelatterthirtyyearsofhislife,afterwalkingfromPontyMeibionacrossthebleakandsavageBerwyn。WithintherewasmarriedBarbaraWynn,theRoseofMaelai,toRichardMiddleton,thehandsomecavalierofMaelor,andwithintheresheliesburied,evenasthesongsterwholamentedheruntimelydeathinimmortalverseliesburiedouthereinthegraveyard。Whatinterestingassociationshasthischurchforme,bothoutsideandin,butallconnectedwithHuw;forwhatshouldIhaveknownofBarbara,theRose,andgallantRichardbutforthepoemontheiraffectionateunionanduntimelyseparation,thedialoguebetweenthelivingandthedead,composedbyhumbleHuw,thefarmer’ssonofPontyyMeibion?\"

  AftergazingthroughthewindowtillmyeyeswateredIturnedtotheinnkeeper,andinquiredthewaytoLlanRhyadr。HavingreceivedfromhimthedesiredinformationIthankedhimforhiscivility,andsetoutonmyreturn。

  BeforeIcouldgetclearofthetownIsuddenlyencounteredmyfriendR—,thecleverlawyerandmagistrate’sclerkofLlangollen。

  \"Ilittleexpectedtoseeyouhere,\"saidhe。

  \"NorIyou,\"Ireplied。

  \"Icameinmyofficialcapacity,\"saidhe;\"thepettysessionshavebeenheldhereto—day。\"

  \"Iknowtheyhave,\"Ireplied;\"andthattwopoachershavebeenconvicted。IcamehereonmywaytoSouthWalestoseethegraveofHuwMorris,who,asyouknow,isburiedinthechurchyard。\"

  \"Haveyouseentheclergyman?\"saidR—。

  \"No,\"Ireplied。

  \"Thencomewithme,\"saidhe;\"Iamnowgoingtocalluponhim。I

  knowhewillberejoicedtomakeyouracquaintance。\"

  Heledmetotheclergyman’shouse,whichstoodatthesouth—westendofthevillagewithinagardenfencedwithanironpaling。Wefoundtheclergymaninanicecomfortableparlourorstudy,thesidesofwhichweredecoratedwithbooks。Hewasasharpclever—

  lookingman,ofaboutthemiddleage。Onmybeingintroducedtohimhewasverygladtoseeme,asmyfriendR—toldmehewouldbe。Heseemedtoknowallaboutme,eventhatIunderstoodWelsh。

  Weconversedonvarioussubjects:onthepoweroftheWelshlanguage;itsmutableletters;onHuwMorris,andlikewiseonale,withanexcellentglassofwhichheregaledme。Iwasmuchpleasedwithhim,andthoughthimacapitalspecimenoftheWelshcountryclergyman。HisnamewasWalterJones。

  Afterstayingabouthalf—an—hourItookleaveofthegoodkindman,whowishedmeallkindofhappiness,spiritualandtemporal,andsaidthatheshouldalwaysbehappytoseemeatLlanSilin。MyfriendR—walkedwithmealittlewayandthenbademefarewell。

  Itwasnowlateintheafternoon,theskywasgreyandgloomy,andakindofhalfwintrywindwasblowing。IntheforenoonIhadtravelledalongtheeasternsideofthevalley,whichIwillcallthatofLlanRhyadr,directingmycoursetothenorth,butIwasnowonthewesternsideofthevalley,journeyingtowardsthesouth。Inabouthalf—an—hourIfoundmyselfnearlyparallelwiththehighcragwhichIhadseenfromadistanceinthemorning。Itwasnowtotheeastofme。Itswesternfrontwasveryprecipitous,butonitsnorthernsideitwascultivatednearlytothesummit。

  AsIstoodlookingatitfromnearthetopofagentleacclivityaboywithateam,whomIhadpassedalittletimebefore,cameup。

  Hewaswhippinghishorses,whowerestraininguptheascent,andwasswearingatthemmostfrightfullyinEnglish。Iaddressedhiminthatlanguage,inquiringthenameofthecrag,butheansweredDimSaesneg,andthenagainfelltocursing;hishorsesinEnglish。

  Iallowedhimandhisteamtogettothetopoftheascent,andthenovertakinghim,IsaidinWelsh:\"WhatdoyoumeanbysayingyouhavenoEnglish?YouweretalkingEnglishjustnowtoyourhorses。\"

  \"Yes,\"saidthelad,\"IhaveEnglishenoughformyhorses,andthatisall。\"

  \"YouseemtohaveplentyofWelsh,\"saidI;\"whydon’tyouspeakWelshtoyourhorses?\"

  \"It’sofnousespeakingWelshtothem,\"saidtheboy;\"Welshisn’tstrongenough。\"

  \"Isn’tMynDiawltolerablystrong?\"saidI。

  \"Notstrongenoughforhorses,\"saidtheboy\"ifIweretosayMynDiawltomyhorses,orevenCasAndras,theywouldlaughatme。\"

  \"Dotheothercarters,\"saidI,\"usethesameEnglishtotheirhorseswhichyoudotoyours?\"

  \"Yes\"saidtheboy,\"they’llallusethesameEnglishwords;iftheydidn’tthehorseswouldn’tmindthem。\"

  \"Whatatriumph,\"thoughtI,\"fortheEnglishlanguagethattheWelshcartersareobligedtohaverecoursetoitsoathsandexecrationstomaketheirhorsesgeton!\"

  Isaidnothingmoretotheboyonthesubjectoflanguage,butagainaskedhimthenameofthecrag。\"ItiscalledCraigyGorllewin,\"saidhe。Ithankedhim,andsoonlefthimandhisteamfarbehind。

  Notwithstandingwhattheboysaidaboutthemilk—and—watercharacterofnativeWelshoaths,theWelshhavesomeverypungentexecrations,quiteasefficacious,Ishouldsay,tomakeahorsegetonasanyintheEnglishswearingvocabulary。Someoftheiroathsarecurious,beingconnectedwithheathentimesandDruidicalmythology;forexamplethatCasAndras,mentionedbytheboy,whichmeanshatefulenemyorhorribleAndras。AndrasorAndrastewasthefuryorDemigorgonoftheAncientCumry,towhomtheybuilttemplesandofferedsacrificesoutoffear。CuriousthatthesameoathshouldbeusedbytheChristianCumryofthepresentday,whichwasinvogueamongsttheirpaganancestorssomethreethousandyearsago。However,thesamethingisobservableamongstusChristianEnglish:wesaytheDusetakeyou!evenasourheathenSaxonforefathersdid,whoworshippedakindofDevilsocalled,andnamedadayoftheweekafterhim,whichnamewestillretaininourhebdomadalcalendarlikethoseofseveralotherAnglo—Saxondevils。Wealsosay:GotooldNick!andNickorNikkurwasasurnameofWoden,andalsothenameofaspiritwhichhauntedfordsandwasinthehabitofdrowningpassengers。

  NightcamequicklyuponmeafterIhadpassedtheswearinglad。

  However,IwasfortunateenoughtoreachLlanRhyadr,withouthavingexperiencedanydamageorimpedimentfromDiawl,Andras,Duse,orNick。

  CHAPTERLXIX

  ChurchofLlanRhyadr—TheClerk—TheTablet—Stone—FirstViewoftheCataract。

  THEnightwasbothwindyandrainyliketheprecedingone,butthemorningwhichfollowed,unlikethatofthedaybefore,wasdullandgloomy。AfterbreakfastIwalkedouttotakeanotherviewofthelittletown。AsIstoodlookingatthechurchamiddle—agedmanofaremarkablyintelligentcountenancecameupandaskedmeifI

  shouldliketoseetheinside。ItoldhimIshould,whereuponhesaidthathewastheclerkandwouldadmitmewithpleasure。

  Takingakeyoutofhispocketheunlockedthedoorofthechurchandwewentin。Theinsidewassombre,notsomuchowingtothegloominessofthedayastheheavinessofthearchitecture。Itpresentedsomethingintheformofacross。Isoonfoundtheclerkwhathiscountenancerepresentedhimtobe,ahighlyintelligentperson。Hisanswerstomyquestionswereingeneralreadyandsatisfactory。

  \"Thisseemsratheranancientedifice,\"saidI;\"whenwasitbuilt?\"

  \"Inthesixteenthcentury,\"saidtheclerk;\"inthedaysofHarryTudor。\"

  \"Haveanyremarkablemenbeenclergymenofthischurch?\"

  \"Several,sir;amongstitsvicarswasDoctorWilliamMorgan,thegreatSouthWelshman,theauthoroftheoldWelshversionoftheBible,whoflourishedinthetimeofQueenElizabeth。ThentherewasDoctorRobertSouth,aneminentdivine,who,thoughnotaWelshman,spokeandpreachedWelshbetterthanmanyofthenativeclergy。Thentherewasthelastvicar,WalterD—,agreatpreacherandwriter,whostyledhimselfinprintGwalterMechain。\"

  \"AreMorganandSouthburiedhere?\"saidI。

  \"Theyarenot,sir,\"saidtheclerk;\"theyhadbeentransferredtootherbeneficesbeforetheydied。\"

  IdidnotinquirewhetherWalterD—wasburiedthere,forofhimI

  hadneverheardbefore,butdemandedwhetherthechurchpossessedanyancientmonuments。

  \"Thisistheoldestwhichremains,sir,\"saidtheclerk,andhepointedwithhisfingertoatablet—stoneoveralittledarkpewontherightsideoftheorielwindow。Therewasaninscriptionuponit,butowingtothedarknessIcouldnotmakeoutaletter。Theclerk,however,readasfollows。

  1694。21Octr。

  HicSepultusEstSidneusBynner。

  \"DoyouunderstandLatin?\"saidItotheclerk。

  \"Idonot,sir;Ibelieve,however,thatthestoneistothememoryofoneBynner。\"

  \"ThatisnotaWelshname,\"saidI。

  \"Itisnot,sir,\"saidtheclerk。

  \"ItseemstoberadicallythesameasBonner,\"saidI,\"thenameofthehorriblePopishBishopofLondoninMary’stime。DoanypeopleofthenameofBynnerresideinthisneighbourhoodatpresent?\"

  \"None,sir,\"saidtheclerk;\"andiftheBynnersaredescendantsofBonner,itis,perhaps,wellthattherearenone。\"

  Imadetheclerk,whoappearedalmostfittobeaclergyman,asmallpresent,andreturnedtotheinn。AfterpayingmybillI

  flungmysatchelovermyshoulder,tookmyumbrellabythemiddleinmyrighthand,andsetofffortheRhyadr。

  Ienteredthenarrowglenatthewesternextremityofthetownandproceededbrisklyalong。Thescenerywasromanticallybeautiful;

  onmyleftwasthelittlebrook,thewatersofwhichrunthroughthetown;beyonditaloftyhill;onmyrightwasahillcoveredwithwoodfromthetoptothebottom。Ienjoyedthescene,andshouldhaveenjoyeditmorehadtherebeenalittlesunshinetogildit。

  Ipassedthroughasmallvillage,thenameofwhichIthinkwasCynmen,andpresentlyovertookamanandboy。ThemansalutedmeinEnglish,andIenteredintoconversationwithhiminthatlanguage。HetoldmethathecamefromLlanGedwin,andwasgoingtoaplacecalledGwernsomething,inordertofetchhomesomesheep。AfteratimeheaskedmewhereIwasgoing。

  \"IamgoingtoseethePistyllRhyadr,\"saidI

  Wehadthenjustcometothetopofarisingground。

  \"Yonder’sthePistyll!\"saidhe,pointingtothewest。

  Ilookedinthedirectionofhisfinger,andsawsomethingatagreatdistance,whichlookedlikeastripofgreylinenhangingoveracrag。

  \"Thatisthewaterfall,\"hecontinued,\"whichsomanyoftheSaxonscometosee。AndnowImustbidyougood—bye,master;formywaytotheGwernisontheright\"

  Thenfollowedbytheboyheturnedasideintoawildroadatthecornerofasavage,precipitousrock。

  CHAPTERLXX

  MountainScenery—TheRhyadr—WonderfulFeat。

  AFTERwalkingaboutamilewiththecataractalwaysinsight,I

  emergedfromtheglenintoanoblongvalleyextendingfromsouthtonorth,havingloftyhillsonallsides,especiallyonthewest,fromwhichdirectionthecataractcomes。Iadvancedacrossthevaletillwithinafurlongofthisobject,whenIwasstoppedbyadeephollowornethervaleintowhichthewatersofthecataracttumble。OnthesideofthishollowIsatdown,andgazeddownbeforemeandoneitherside。Thewatercomesspoutingoveracragofperhapstwohundredfeetinaltitudebetweentwohills,onesouth—eastandtheothernearlynorth。Thesouthernhilliswoodedfromthetop,nearlydowntowherethecataractburstsforth;andso,butnotsothickly,isthenorthernhill,whichbearsasingularresemblancetoahog’sback。Grovesofpineareonthelowerpartsofboth;infrontofagrovelowdownonthenorthernhillisasmallwhitehouseofapicturesqueappearance。Thewaterofthecataract,afterreachingthebottomoftheprecipice,rushesinanarrowbrookdownthevaleinthedirectionofLlanRhyadr。

  Tothenorth—east,betweenthehog—backedhillandanotherstrange—

  lookingmountain,isawildglen,fromwhichcomesabrooktoswellthewatersdischargedbytheRhyadr。Thesouth—westsideofthevaleissteep,andfromacleftofahillinthatquarteraslenderstreamrushingimpetuouslyjoinsthebrookoftheRhyadr,liketherillofthenorthernglen。TheprincipalobjectofthewholeisofcoursetheRhyadr。WhatshallIlikenitto?Iscarcelyknow,unlesstoanimmenseskeinofsilkagitatedanddisturbedbytempestuousblasts,ortothelongtailofagreycourseratfuriousspeed。Throughtheprofusionoflongsilverythreadsorhairs,orwhatlookedsuch,IcouldhereandthereseetheblacksidesofthecragdownwhichtheRhyadrprecipitateditselfwithsomethingbetweenaboomandaroar。

  AftersittingonthevergeofthehollowforaconsiderabletimeI

  gotup,anddirectedmycoursetowardsthehouseinfrontofthegrove。IturneddownthepathwhichbroughtmetothebrookwhichrunsfromthenorthernglenintothewatersdischargedbytheRhyadr,andcrossingitbystepping—stones,foundmyselfonthelowestspurofthehog—backedhill。Asteeppathledtowardsthehouse。AsIdrewneartwohandsomedogscamerushingtowelcomethestranger。ComingtoadooronthenorthernsideofthehouseI

  tapped,andahandsomegirlofaboutthirteenmakingherappearance,IinquiredinEnglishthenearestwaythewaterfall;

点击下载App,搜索"Wild Wales",免费读到尾