\"TworegularSaxon—hatingWelshwomen,\"saidI,philosophically;
\"justofthesamesortnodoubtasthosewhoplayedsuchpranksontheslainbodiesoftheEnglishsoldiers,afterthevictoryachievedbyGlendoweroverMortimerontheSevern’sside。\"
Iproceededinthedirectionindicated,windingroundthesideofthehill,thesamemountainwhichtheoldmanhadpointedouttomesometimebefore。Atlength,onmakingaturnIsawaveryloftymountaininthefardistancetothesouth—west,ahillrightbeforemetothesouth,and,onmyleft,ameadowoverhungbythesouthernhill,inthemiddleofwhichstoodahousefromwhichproceededaviolentbarkingofdogs。Iwouldfainhavemadeimmediatelyuptoitforthepurposeofinquiringmyway,butsawnomeansofdoingso,ahighprecipitousbanklyingbetweenitandme。Iwentforwardandascendedthesideofthehillbeforeme,andpresentlycametoapathrunningeastandwest。Ifolloweditalittlewaytowardstheeast。Iwasnowjustabovethehouse,andsawsomechildrenandsomedogsstandingbesideit。SuddenlyIfoundmyselfclosetoamanwhostoodinahollowpartoftheroad,fromwhichanarrowpathleddowntothehouse;adonkeywithpanniersstoodbesidehim。Hewasaboutfiftyyearsofage,withacarbuncledcountenance,highbutnarrowforehead,greyeyebrows,andsmall,malignantgreyeyes。Hehadawhitehat,withnarroweavesandthecrownpartlyknockedout,atornbluecoat,corduroybreeches,longstockingsandhighlows。Hewassuckingacuttypipe,butseemedunabletoextractanysmokefromit。Hehadalltheappearanceofavagabond,andofaratherdangerousvagabond。Inoddedtohim,andaskedhiminWelshthenameoftheplace。Heglaredatmemalignantly,then,takingthepipeoutofhismouth,saidthathedidnotknow,thathehadbeendownbelowtoinquireandlighthispipe,butcouldgetneitherlightnoranswerfromthechildren。I
askedhimwherehecamefrom,butheevadedthequestionbyaskingwhereIwasgoingto。
\"TothePontyGwrDrwg,\"saidI。
HethenaskedmeifIwasanEnglishman。
\"Ohyes,\"saidI,\"IamCarnSais;\"whereupon,withastrangemixtureinhisfaceofmalignityandcontempt,heansweredinEnglishthathedidn’tunderstandme。
\"Youunderstoodmeverywell,\"saidI,withoutchangingmylanguage,\"tillItoldyouIwasanEnglishman。Harkee,manwiththebrokenhat,youareoneofthebadWelshwhodon’tliketheEnglishtoknowthelanguage,lesttheyshoulddiscoveryourliesandrogueries。\"HeevidentlyunderstoodwhatIsaid,forhegnashedhisteeth,thoughhesaidnothing。\"Well,\"saidI,\"I
shallgodowntothosechildrenandinquirethenameofthehouse;\"
andIforthwithbegantodescendthepath,thefellowutteringacontemptuous\"humph\"behindme,asmuchastosay,\"Muchyou’llmakeoutdownthere。\"Isoonreachedthebottomandadvancedtowardsthehouse。Thedogshadallalongbeenbarkingviolently;
asIdrewneartothem,however,theyceased,andtwoofthelargestcameforwardwaggingtheirtails。\"Thedogswerenotbarkingatme,\"saidI,\"butatthatvagabondabove。\"Iwentuptothechildren;theywerefourinnumber,twoboysandtwogirls,allred—haired,buttolerablygood—looking。Theyhadneithershoesnorstockings。\"Whatisthenameofthishouse?\"saidItotheeldest,aboyaboutsevenyearsold。Helookedatme,butmadenoanswer。
Irepeatedmyquestion;stilltherewasnoanswer,butmethoughtI
heardahumphoftriumphfromthehill。\"Don’tcrowquiteyet,oldchap,\"thoughtItomyself,andputtingmyhandintomypocket,I
tookoutapenny,andofferingittothechildsaid:\"Now,smallman,Pethywyenwyllehwn?\"Instantlytheboy’sfacebecameintelligent,andputtingoutafatlittlehand,hetooktheceiniogandsaidinanaudiblewhisper,\"WaenyBwlch。\"\"Iamallright,\"
saidItomyself;\"thatisoneofthenamesoftheplaceswhichtheoldostlersaidImustgothrough。\"ThenaddressingmyselftothechildIsaid:\"Where’syourfatherandmother?\"
\"Outonthehill,\"whisperedthechild。
\"What’syourfather?\"
\"Ashepherd。\"
\"Good,\"saidI。\"Nowcanyoutellmethewaytothebridgeoftheevilman?\"Butthefeaturesbecameblank,thefingerwasputtothemouth,andtheheadwashungdown。Thatquestionwasevidentlybeyondthechild’scapacity。\"Thankyou!\"saidI,andturningroundIregainedthepathonthetopofthebank。Thefellowandhisdonkeywerestillthere。\"Ihadnodifficulty,\"saidI,\"inobtaininginformation;theplace’snameisWaenyBwlch。ButoesgenochdimCumraeg—youhavenoWelsh。\"ThereuponIproceededalongthepathinthedirectionoftheeast。Forthwiththefellowsaidsomethingtohisanimal,andbothcamefollowingfastbehind。
Iquickenedmypace,butthefellowandhisbeastwerecloseinmyrear。PresentlyIcametoaplacewhereanotherpathbranchedofftothesouth。Istopped,lookedatit,andthenwenton,butscarcelyhaddonesowhenIheardanotherexulting\"humph\"behind。
\"Iamgoingwrong,\"saidItomyself;\"thatotherpathisthewaytotheDevil’sBridge,andthescampknowsitorhewouldnothavegrunted。\"ForthwithIfacedround,andbrushingpastthefellowwithoutawordturnedintotheotherpathandhurriedalongit。ByasideglancewhichIcastIcouldseehimstaringafterme;
presently,however,heutteredasoundverymuchlikeaWelshcurse,and,kickinghisbeast,proceededonhisway,andIsawnomoreofhim。InalittletimeIcametoasloughwhichcrossedthepath。Ididnotlikethelookofitatall,andtoavoiditventureduponsomegreenmossy—lookinggroundtotheleft,andhadscarcelydonesowhenIfoundmyselfimmersedtothekneesinabog。I,however,pushedforward,andwithsomedifficultygottothepathontheothersideoftheslough。Ifollowedthepath,andinabouthalf—an—hoursawwhatappearedtobehousesatadistance。
\"GodgrantthatImaybedrawingnearsomeinhabitedplace!\"saidI。
Thepathnowgrewverymiry,andtherewerepoolsofwateroneitherside。Imovedalongslowly。AtlengthIcametoaplacewheresomemenwerebusyinerectingakindofbuilding。Iwentuptothenearestandaskedhimthenameoftheplace。Hehadacrowbarinhishand,washalfnaked,hadawrymouthandonlyoneeye。Hemademenoanswer,butmowedandgibberedatme。
\"ForGod’ssake,\"saidI,\"don’tdoso,buttellmewhereIam!\"
Hestillutterednoword,butmowedandgibberedyetmorefrightfullythanbefore。AsIstoodstaringathimanothermancametomeandsaidinbrokenEnglish:\"Itisofnousespeakingtohim,sir,heisdeafanddumb。\"
\"Iamgladheisnoworse,\"saidI,\"forIreallythoughthewaspossessedwiththeevilone。Mygoodperson,canyoutellmethenameofthisplace?\"
\"EsgyrnHirion,sir,\"saidhe。
\"EsgyrnHirion,\"saidItomyself;\"Esgyrnmeans’bones,’andHirionmeans’long。’IamdoubtlessattheplacewhichtheoldostlercalledLongBones。Ishouldn’twonderifIgettotheDevil’sBridgeto—nightafterall。\"Ithenaskedthemanifhecouldtellmethewaytothebridgeoftheevilman,butheshookhisheadandsaidthathehadneverheardofsuchaplace,adding,however,thathewouldgowithmetooneoftheoverseers,whocouldperhapsdirectme。Hethenproceededtowardsarowofbuildings,whichwere,infact,thoseobjectswhichIhadguessedtobehousesinthedistance。Heledmetoacornerhouse,atthedoorofwhichstoodamiddle—agedman,dressedinagreycoat,andsayingtome,\"Thispersonisanoverseer,\"returnedtohislabour。
Iwentuptotheman,and,salutinghiminEnglish,askedwhetherhecoulddirectmetotheDevil’sBridge,orrathertoPontErwyd。
\"Itwouldbeofnousedirectingyou,sir,\"saidhe,\"forwithallthedirectionsintheworlditwouldbeimpossibleforyoutofindtheway。Youwouldnothaveleftthesepremisesfiveminutesbeforeyouwouldbeinamazewithoutknowingwhichwaytoturn。
Wheredoyoucomefrom?\"
\"FromMachynlleth,\"Ireplied。
\"FromMachynlleth!\"saidhe。\"Well,Ionlywonderyouevergothere,butitwouldbemadnesstogofartheralone。\"
\"Well,\"saidI,\"canIobtainaguide?\"
\"Ireallydon’tknow,\"saidhe;\"Iamafraidallthemenareengaged。\"
Aswewerespeakingayoungmanmadehisappearanceatthedoorfromtheinteriorofthehouse。Hewasdressedinabrownshortcoat,hadaglazedhatonhishead,andhadapalebutveryintelligentcountenance。
\"Whatisthematter?\"saidhetotheotherman。
\"Thisgentleman,\"repliedthelatter,\"isgoingtoPontErwyd,andwantsaguide。\"
\"Well,\"saidtheyoungman,\"wemustfindhimone。Itwillneverdotolethimgobyhimself。\"
\"Ifyoucanfindmeaguide,\"saidI,\"Ishallbehappytopayhimforhistrouble。\"
\"Oh,youcandoasyoupleaseaboutthat,\"saidtheyoungman;
\"but,payornot,wewouldneversufferyoutoleavethisplacewithoutaguide,andasmuchforourownsakeasyours;forthedirectorsoftheCompanywouldneverforgiveusiftheyheardwehadsufferedagentlemantoleavethesepremiseswithoutaguide,moreespeciallyifhewerelost,asitisahundredtooneyouwouldbeifyouwentbyyourself。\"
\"Pray,\"saidI,\"whatCompanyisthis,thedirectorsofwhicharesosolicitousaboutthesafetyofstrangers?\"
\"ThePotosiMiningCompany,\"saidhe,\"therichestinallWales。
Butpraywalkinandsitdown,foryoumustbetired。\"
CHAPTERLXXXI
TheMiningComptingRoom—NativeofAberystwyth—StoryofaBloodhound—TheYoungGirls—TheMiner’sTale—GwenFrwd—TheTerfyn。
IFOLLOWEDtheyoungmanwiththeglazedhatintoaroom,theothermanfollowingbehindme。Heoftheglazedhatmademesitdownbeforeaturffire,apologisingforitssmokingverymuch。Theroomseemedhalfcompting—room,halfapartment。Therewasawoodendeskwithaledgeruponitbythewindow,whichlookedtothewest,andacampbedsteadextendedfromthesouthernwallnearlyuptothedesk。AfterIhadsatforaboutaminute,theyoungmanaskedmeifIwouldtakeanyrefreshment。Ithankedhimforhiskindoffer,whichIdeclined,saying,however,thatifhewouldobtainmeaguideIshouldfeelmuchobliged。Heturnedtotheothermanandtoldhimtogoandinquirewhethertherewasanyonewhowouldbewillingtogo。Theothernodded,andforthwithwentout。
\"Youthink,then,\"saidI,\"thatIcouldnotfindthewaybymyself?\"
\"Iamsureofit,\"saidhe,\"foreventhepeoplebestacquaintedwiththecountryfrequentlylosetheirway。ButImusttellyou,thatifwedofindyouaguide,itwillprobablybeonewhohasnoEnglish。\"
\"Nevermind,\"saidI,\"IhaveenoughWelshtoholdacommondiscourse。\"
Afinegirlaboutfourteennowcamein,andbeganbustlingabout。
\"Whoisthisyounglady?\"saidI。
\"Thedaughterofacaptainofaneighbouringmine,\"saidhe;\"shefrequentlycomesherewithmessages,andisalwaysreadytodoaturnaboutthehouse,forsheisveryhandy。\"
\"HassheanyEnglish?\"saidI。
\"Notaword,\"hereplied。\"TheyoungpeopleofthesehillshavenoEnglish,excepttheygoabroadtolearnit。\"
\"Whathillsarethese?\"saidI。
\"PartofthePlynlimmonrange,\"saidhe。
\"Dearme,\"saidI,\"amInearPlynlimmon?\"
\"Notveryfarfromit,\"saidtheyoungman,\"andyouwillbenearerwhenyoureachPontErwyd。\"
\"Areyouanativeoftheseparts?\"saidI。
\"Iamnot,\"hereplied;\"IamanativeofAberystwyth,aplaceonthesea—coastaboutadozenmilesfromhere。\"
\"Thisseemstobeacold,bleakspot,\"saidI;\"isithealthy?\"
\"Ihavereasontosayso,\"saidhe;\"forIcameherefromAberystwythaboutfourmonthsagoveryunwell,andamnowperfectlyrecovered。IdonotbelievethereisahealthierspotinallWales。\"
Wehadsomefurtherdiscourse。ImentionedtohimtheadventurewhichIhadonthehillwiththefellowwiththedonkey。Theyoungmansaidthathehadnodoubtthathewassomeprowlingthief。
\"Thedogsoftheshepherd’shouse,\"saidI,\"didn’tseemtolikehim,anddogsgenerallyknowanevilcustomer。AlongtimeagoI
chancedtobeinaposada,orinn,atValladolidinSpain。Onehotsummer’safternoonIwasseatedinacorridorwhichranroundalargeopencourtinthemiddleoftheinn;afineyellow,three—
parts—grownbloodhoundwaslyingonthegroundbesidemewithwhomIhadbeenplaying,alittletimebefore。Iwasjustabouttofallasleep,whenIhearda’hem’attheoutwarddooroftheposada,whichwasalongwaybelowattheendofapassagewhichcommunicatedwiththecourt。Instantlythehoundstarteduponhislegs,andwithaloudyell,andwitheyesflashingfire,rannearlyroundthecorridor,downaflightofsteps,andthroughthepassagetothegate。Therewasthenadreadfulnoise,inwhichthecriesofahumanbeingandtheyellsofthehoundwereblended。I
forthwithstartedupandrandown,followedbyseveralotherguests,whocamerushingoutoftheirchambersroundthecorridor。
Atthegatewesawamanonthegroundandthehoundtryingtostranglehim。Itwaswiththegreatestdifficulty,andchieflythroughtheinterventionofthemasterofthedog,whohappenedtobepresent,thattheanimalcouldbemadetoquithishold。Theassailedpersonwasaverypowerfulman,buthadanevilcountenance,wasbadlydressed,andhadneitherhat,shoesnorstockings。Weraisedhimupandgavehimwine,whichhedrankgreedily,andpresently,withoutsayingaword,disappeared。Theguestssaidtheyhadnodoubtthathewasamurdererflyingfromjustice,andthatthedogbyhisinstinct,evenatadistance,knewhimtobesuch。Themastersaidthatitwasthefirsttimethatthedoghadeverattackedanyoneorshowntheslightestsymptomofferocity。Nottheleastsingularpartofthematterwas,thatthedogdidnotbelongtothehouse,buttooneoftheguestsfromadistantvillage;thecreaturethereforecouldnotconsideritselfthehouse’sguardian。\"
Ihadscarcelyfinishedmytalewhentheothermancameinandsaidthathehadfoundaguide,ayoungmanfromPontErwyd,whowouldbegladofsuchanopportunitytogoandseehisparents,thathewasthendressinghimself,andwouldshortlymakehisappearance。
Inabouttwentyminuteshedidso。Hewasastoutyoungfellowwithacoarsebluecoat,andcoarsewhitefelthat;heheldastickinhishand。Thekindyoungbook—keepernowadvisedustosetoutwithoutdelay,asthedaywasdrawingtoacloseandthewaywaslong。Ishookhimbythehand,toldhimthatIshouldneverforgethiscivility,anddepartedwiththeguide。
Thefineyounggirl,whomIhavealreadymentioned,andanotherabouttwoyearsyounger,departedwithus。TheyweredressedinthegracefulfemaleattireofoldWales。
Weboretothesouthdownadescent,andcametosomemoory,quaggygroundintersectedwithwater—courses。Theagilityoftheyounggirlssurprisedme;theysprangoverthewater—courses,someofwhichwereatleastfourfeetwide,withtheeaseandalacrityoflawns。Afterashorttimewecametoaroad,which,however,wedidnotlongreapthebenefitof,asitonlyledtoamine。Seeingahouseonthetopofahill,Iaskedmyguidewhoseitwas。
\"Typowdr,\"saidhe,\"apowderhouse,\"bywhichIsupposedhemeantamagazineofpowderusedforblastinginthemines。HehadnotawordofEnglish……Iftheyounggirlswerenimblewiththeirfeet,theywerenotlesssowiththeirtongues,astheykeptupanincessantgabblewitheachotherandwiththeguide。Iunderstoodlittleofwhattheysaid,theirvolubilitypreventingmefromcatchingmorethanafewwords。Afterwehadgoneabouttwomilesandahalf,theydartedawaywithsurprisingswiftnessdownahilltowardsadistanthouse,where,asIlearnedfrommyguide,thefatheroftheeldestlived。Weascendedahill,passedbetweentwocraggyelevations,andthenwendedtothesouth—eastoverastrange,miryplace,inwhichIthoughtanyoneatnightnotacquaintedwitheveryinchofthewaywouldrunimminentriskofperishing。Ienteredintoconversationwithmyguide。AfteralittletimeheaskedmeifIwasaWelshman。Itoldhimno。
\"YoucouldteachmanyaWelshman,\"saidhe。
\"Whydoyouthinkso?\"saidI。
\"Becausemanyofyourwordsarequiteabovemycomprehension,\"saidhe。
\"Nogreatcompliment,\"thoughtItomyself;butputtingagoodfaceuponthematterItoldhimthatIknewagreatmanyoldWelshwords。
\"IsPotosianoldWelshword?\"saidhe。
\"No,\"saidI;\"itisthenameofamineintheDeheubarthofAmerica。\"
\"Isitaleadmine?\"
\"No!\"saidI,\"itisasilvermine。\"
\"Thenwhydotheycallourmine,whichisaleadmine,bythenameofasilvermine?\"
\"Becausetheywishtogivepeopletounderstand,\"saidI,\"thatitisveryrich—asrichinleadasPotosiinsilver。Potosiis,orwas,therichestsilvermineintheworld,andfromithascomeatleastonehalfofthesilverwhichweuseintheshapeofmoneyandotherthings。\"
\"Well,\"saidhe,\"Ihavefrequentlyasked,butcouldneverlearnbeforewhyourminewascalledPotosi。\"
\"Youdidnotaskattherightquarter,\"saidI;\"theyoungmanwiththeglazedhatcouldhavetoldyouaswellasI。\"IinquiredwhytheplacewheretheminewasborethenameofEsgyrnHirionorLongBones。Hetoldmethathedidnotknow,butbelievedthatthebonesofacawrorgianthadbeenfoundthereinancienttimes。I
askedhimiftheminewasdeep。
\"Verydeep,\"hereplied。
\"Doyoulikethelifeofaminer?\"saidI。
\"Verymuch,\"saidhe,\"andshouldlikeitmore,butforthenoisesofthehill。\"
\"Doyoumeanthepowderblasts?\"saidI。
\"Ohno!\"saidhe,\"Icarenothingforthem;Imeanthenoisesmadebythespiritsofthehillinthemine。Sometimestheymakesuchnoisesasfrightenthepoorfellowwhoworksundergroundoutofhissenses。OnceonatimeIwasworkingbymyselfverydeepunderground,inalittlechambertowhichaverydeepshaftled。I
hadjusttakenupmylighttosurveymywork,whenallofasuddenIheardadreadfulrushingnoise,asifanimmensequantityofearthhadcometumblingdown。’OhGod!’saidI,andfellbackwards,lettingthelightfall,whichinstantlywentout。I
thoughtthewholeshafthadgivenway,andthatIwasburiedalive。
Ilayforseveralhourshalfstupefied,thinkingnowandthenwhatadreadfulthingitwastobeburiedalive。AtlengthIthoughtI
wouldgetup,gotothemouthoftheshaft,feelthemould,withwhichitwaschokedup,andthencomeback,liedown,anddie。SoIgotupandtotteredtothemouthoftheshaft,putoutmyhandandfelt—nothing;allwasclear。Iwentforward,andpresentlyfelttheladder。Nothinghadfallen;allwasjustthesameaswhenIcamedown。IwasdreadfullyafraidthatIshouldneverbeabletogetupinthedarkwithoutbreakingmyneck;however,Itried,andatlast,withagreatdealoftoilanddanger,gottoaplacewhereothermenwereworking。Thenoisewascausedbythespiritsofthehillinthehopeofdrivingthemineroutofhissenses。
Theyverynearlysucceeded。IshallneverforgethowIfeltwhenI
thoughtIwasburiedalive。Ifitwerenotforthosenoisesinthehill,thelifeofaminerwouldbequiteheavenbelow。\"
Wecametoacottagestandingunderahillock,downthesideofwhichtumbledastreamletclosebythenorthernsideofthebuilding。Thedoorwasopen,andinsideweretwoorthreefemalesandsomechildren。\"Haveyouanyenwyn?\"saidthelad,peepingin。
\"Ohyes!\"saidavoice—\"digon!digon!\"Presentlyabuxom,laughinggirlbroughtouttwodishesofbuttermilk,oneofwhichshehandedtomeandtheothertotheguide。Iaskedherthenameoftheplace。
\"GwenFrwd—the’FairRivulet,’\"saidshe。
\"Wholiveshere?\"
\"Ashepherd。\"
\"HaveyouanyEnglish?\"
\"Nagos!\"saidshe,burstingintoaloudlaugh。\"WhatshouldwedowithEnglishhere?\"AfterwehaddrunkthebuttermilkIofferedthegirlsomemoney,butshedrewbackherhandangrily,andsaid:\"Wedon’ttakemoneyfromtiredstrangersfortwodropsofbuttermilk;
there’splentywithin,andthereareathousandewesonthehill。
Farvel!\"
\"Dearme!\"thoughtItomyselfasIwalkedaway;\"thatIshouldonceinmydayshavefoundshepherdlifesomethingaspoetshaverepresentedit!\"
Isawamightymountainataconsiderabledistanceontheright,thesameIbelievewhichIhadnotedsomehoursbefore。IinquiredofmyguidewhetheritwasPlynlimmon。
\"Ohno!\"saidhe,\"thatisGaverse;Pumlimmonistotheleft。\"
\"Plynlimmonisafamedhill,\"saidI;\"Isupposeitisveryhigh。\"
\"Yes!\"saidhe,\"itishigh;butitisnotfamedbecauseitishigh,butbecausethethreegrandriversoftheworldissuefromitsbreast,theHafren,theRheidol,andtheGwy。\"
Nightwasnowcomingrapidlyon,attendedwithadrizzlingrain。I
inquiredifwewerefarfromPontErwyd。\"Aboutamile,\"saidmyguide;\"weshallsoonbethere。\"Wequickenedourpace。AfteralittletimeheaskedmeifIwasgoingfartherthanPontErwyd。
\"Iamboundforthebridgeoftheevilman,\"saidI;\"butIdaresayIshallstopatPontErwydto—night。\"
\"Youwilldoright,\"saidhe;\"itisonlythreemilesfromPontErwydtothebridgeoftheevilman,butIthinkweshallhaveastormynight。\"
\"WhenIgettoPontErwyd,\"saidI,\"howfarshallIbefromSouthWales?\"
\"FromSouthWales!\"saidhe;\"youareinSouthWalesnow;youpassedtheTerfynofNorthWalesaquarterofanhourago。\"
TherainnowfellfastandtherewassothickamistthatIcouldonlyseeafewyardsbeforeme。Wedescendedintoavalley,atthebottomofwhichIheardariverroaring。
\"That’stheRheidol,\"saidmyguide,\"comingfromPumlimmon,swollenwithrain。\"
Withoutdescendingtotheriver,weturnedasideupahill,and,afterpassingbyafewhuts,cametoalargehouse,whichmyguidetoldmewastheinnofPontErwyd。
CHAPTERLXXXII
ConsequentialLandlord—Cheek—DarfelGatherel—DafyddNanmor—
SheepFarms—WholesomeAdvice—TheOldPostman—ThePlantdeBat—TheRobber’sCavern。
MYguidewenttoasidedoor,andopeningitwithoutceremonywentin。Ifollowedandfoundmyselfinaspaciousandcomfortable—
lookingkitchen:alargefireblazedinahugegrate,ononesideofwhichwasasettle;plentyofculinaryutensils,bothpewterandcopper,hungaroundonthewalls,andseveralgoodlyrowsofhamsandsidesofbaconweresuspendedfromtheroof。Therewereseveralpeoplepresent,someonthesettleandothersonchairsinthevicinityofthefire。AsIadvanced,amanarosefromachairandcametowardsme。Hewasaboutthirty—fiveyearsofage,wellandstronglymade,withafreshcomplexion,ahawknose,andakeengreyeye。Heworetop—bootsandbreeches,ahalfjockeycoat,andhadaroundcapmadeoftheskinofsomeanimalonhishead。
\"Servant,sir!\"saidheinratherasharptone,andsurveyingmewithsomethingofasuperciliousair。
\"Yourmostobedienthumbleservant!\"saidI;\"Ipresumeyouarethelandlordofthishouse。\"
\"Landlord!\"saidhe,\"landlord!ItistrueIreceiveguestssometimesintomyhouse,butIdososolelywiththeviewofaccommodatingthem;Idonotdependuponinnkeepingforalivelihood。Ihiretheprincipalpartofthelandinthisneighbourhood。\"
\"Ifthatbethecase,\"saidI,\"IhadbettercontinuemywaytotheDevil’sBridge;Iamnotatalltired,andIbelieveitisnotveryfardistant。\"
\"Oh,asyouarehere,\"saidthefarmer—landlord,\"Ihopeyouwillstay。Ishouldbeverysorryifanygentlemanshouldleavemyhouseatnightaftercomingwithanintentionofstaying,moreespeciallyinanightlikethis。Martha!\"saidhe,turningtoafemalebetweenthirtyandforty—whoIsubsequentlylearnedwasthemistress—\"preparetheparlourinstantlyforthisgentleman,anddon’tfailtomakeupagoodfire。\"