首页 >出版文学> Wild Wales>第6章

第6章

  "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。"