Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery

tality-Mountain Village-Madoc-The Native

d by Pengwern Hall I turned up a lane in the direction of the south, with a brook on the right running amongst hazels, I presently arrived at a small farm-house standing on the left with a little yard before it. Seeing a woman at the door I ask

led, and I then said that I liked the Welsh very much, and was particularly fond of their language. He asked me whether I could read Welsh, and on my telling him I could, he said that if I would walk in he would show me a Welsh book. I went with him and his wife into a neat kind of kitchen, flagged with stone, where were several young people, their children. I spoke some Welsh to them which appeared to give them great satisfaction. The man went to a shelf and taking down a book put it into my hand. It was a Welsh book, and the title of it in Engli

ar his nam

" he r

may

," he a

termed the Bardd Coch, or red bard; he was an Anglesea man, and the friend of Lew

the man. "Jonathan Hughes was my grandfath

ago when I was a lad in England. I think I can repeat some of t

re in a corner he showed me an antique three-cornered arm-chair. "That chair," said he, "my grandsire won at Llangollen, at an Eisteddfod of Bards. Various b

ter a little more discourse shook the kind people by the hand and thanked them for their hospitality. As I was about to depart the man said that I should find the lane farther up very wet, and that I had better mount through a field at the back of the hous

vered with gorse and whin, and still proceeding upward reached a road, which I subsequently learned was the main road from Llangollen over the hill. I was not long in gaining the top

cended the road which was zigzag and steep, and at last arrived at the bottom of the valley, where there was a small hamlet. On the further side of the valley to the east was a steep hill on which were a few houses-at the foot of the hill was a brook crossed by an antique bridge of a single arch. I directed my course to the bridge, and after looking over the parapet for a minute or two upon the water below, which was shallow and noisy, ascended a road which led up the hill: a few scattered houses were on each side. I soo

gst the houses. As I returned, however, I saw a man standing at a door-he was a short figure, abou

said I; "what be the

is its name, for

d I; "it signifies in Eng

r; I see you

ou know Engl

n read English much bet

"I suppose the village i

bt it i

dge called the bridg

e Madoc bui

n of Owain Gwy

ut him-he was a great sailor, sir, and was the first to discover Tir y Gorllewin or America. Not many years ago his tomb was discovered

hose which were said to be found on

r sailing fa

wynedd law

nd had little

uth I loved the

n of Owain Gwynedd. Well, sir, those lines, or something

doubt,

r, that Madoc dis

much that his tomb was ever discovered with

c and his people are still to be found in a part of America sp

idea is a pretty one; therefore cher

, sir; there is none more

the river, which runs

eiriog

," said I; "

hear the nam

Ceiriog," said I; "the

ir; he was called the N

live her

towards the head of the valley,

inted with his

on Barbara Middleton; and likewise the piece on Oliver and his men

ou?" said I; "are you a s

ther; I am merely

t deal for a sho

shoemakers in Wales who

land," said I.

ny boots to mend or shoes, sir-

e in these pa

you are coming

u know tha

medical line, sir; you are now coming back to your own valley, where you will buy a property, and settle down, and try to recover your lang

ttle down here, I shall be ha

king woman, who met me in the passage, ushered me into a neat sanded kitchen, handed me a chair and inquired my command

"I have seen but two faces since I

d the good woman, "one would

ple from Llangollen occas

sity's sake; but very rare

th Teg ever p

lwyth T

come to have a dance on the gre

I do not know how long it i

never se

I believe there are pe

ever seen on the b

place where a tinker was drowned a few nights after-there came down a

prognosticate, I mea

die his candle is seen a few nig

er seen a co

was an exemplary young man, sir, and having a considerable gift of prayer, was intended for the ministry; but he fell sick, and shortly became very ill indeed. One evening when he was lying in this state, as I was returning home from milking, I saw a candle p

t what you saw was

what else sh

ated by any other mean

ockers, and by a supernat

the knockers, or th

ery moment to hear some one cry out, and tell her to come to her sister, but she heard no farther sound, neither voice nor stump of horse. She thought she had been deceived, so, without awakening her husband, she tried to go to sleep, but sleep she could not. The next night, at about the same time, she again heard a horse's feet come stump, stump, up to the door. She now waked her husband and told him to listen. He did so, and both heard the stumping. Presently, the stumping ceased, and then there was a loud "Hey!" as if somebody wished to wake them. "Hey!" said my father, and the

d paying for my ale, I