The first of
all road walkers, was entitled to so bright a wreath of fame as the
Snowdon Ranger."
"Won't you walk in, sir?" said the elderly man.
"No, I thank you," said I, "I prefer sitting out here gazing on the
lake and the noble mountains."
"I wish you would, sir," said the elderly man, "and take a glass of
something; I will charge you nothing."
"Thank you," said I, "I am in want of nothing, and shall presently
start. Do many people ascend Snowdon from your house?"
"Not so many as I could wish," said the ranger; "people in general
prefer ascending Snowdon from that trumpery place Beth Gelert; but
those who do are fools - begging your honour's pardon. The place
to ascend Snowdon from is my house. The way from my house up
Snowdon is wonderful for the romantic scenery which it affords;
that from Beth Gelert can't be named in the same day with it for
scenery; moreover, from my house you may have the best guide in
Wales; whereas the guides of Beth Gelert - but I say nothing. If
your honour is bound for the Wyddfa, as I suppose you are, you had
better start from my house to-morrow under my guidance."
"I have already been up the Wyddfa from Llanberis," said I, "and am
now going through Beth Gelert to Llangollen, where my family are;
were I going up Snowdon again I should most certainly start from
your house under your guidance, and were I not in a hurry at
present, I would certainly take up my quarters here for a week, and
every day snake excursions with you into the recesses of Eryri. I
suppose you are acquainted with all the secrets of the hills?"
"Trust the old ranger for that, your honour. I would show your
honour the black lake in the frightful hollow in which the fishes
have monstrous heads and little bodies, the lake on which neither
swan, duck nor any kind of wildfowl was ever seen to light. Then I
would show your honour the fountain of the hopping creatures,
where, where - "
"Were you ever at that Wolf's crag, that Castell y Cidwm?" said I.
"Can't say I ever was, your honour. You see it lies so close by,
just across the lake, that - "
"You thought you could see it any day, and so never went," said I.
"Can you tell me whether there are any ruins upon it?"
"I can't, your honour."
"I shouldn't wonder," said I, "if in old times it was the
stronghold of some robber-chieftain; cidwm in the old Welsh is
frequently applied to a ferocious man. Castell Cidwm, I should
think, rather ought to be translated the robber's castle than the
wolf's rock. If I ever come into these parts again you and I will
visit it together, and see what kind of place it is. Now farewell!
It is getting late." I then departed.
"What a nice gentleman!" said the younger man, when I was a few
yards distant.
"I never saw a nicer gentleman," said the old ranger.
I sped along, Snowdon on my left, the lake on my right, and the tip
of a mountain peak right before me in the east. After a little
time I looked back; what a scene! The silver lake and the shadowy
mountain over its southern side looking now, methought, very much
like Gibraltar. I lingered and lingered, gazing and gazing, and at
last only by an effort tore myself away. The evening had now
become delightfully cool in this land of wonders. On I sped,
passing by two noisy brooks coming from Snowdon to pay tribute to
the lake. And now I had left the lake and the valley behind, and
was ascending a hill. As I gained its summit, up rose the moon to
cheer my way. In a little time, a wild stony gorge confronted me,
a stream ran down the gorge with hollow roar, a bridge lay across
it. I asked a figure whom I saw standing by the bridge the place's
name. "Rhyd du" - the black ford - I crossed the bridge. The
voice of the Methodist was yelling from a little chapel on my left.
I went to the door and listened: "When the sinner takes hold of
God, God takes hold of the sinner." The voice was frightfully
hoarse. I passed on: night fell fast around me, and the mountain
to the south-east, towards which I was tending, looked blackly
grand. And now I came to a milestone on which I read with
difficulty: "Three miles to Beth Gelert." The way for some time
had been upward, but now it was downward. I reached a torrent,
which coming from the north-west rushed under a bridge, over which
I passed. The torrent attended me on my right hand the whole way
to Beth Gelert. The descent now became very rapid. I passed a
pine wood on my left, and proceeded for more than two miles at a
tremendous rate. I then came to a wood - this wood was just above
Beth Gelert - proceeding in the direction of a black mountain, I
found myself amongst houses, at the bottom of a valley. I passed
over a bridge, and inquiring of some people whom I met the way to
the inn, was shown an edifice brilliantly lighted up, which I
entered.
CHAPTER XLV
Inn at Beth Gelert - Delectable Company - Lieutenant P-.
THE inn or hotel at Beth Gelert was a large and commodious
building, and was anything but thronged with company; what company,
however, there was, was disagreeable enough, perhaps more so than
that in which I had been the preceding evening, which was composed
of the scum of Manchester and Liverpool; the company amongst which
I now was, consisted of seven or eight individuals, two of them
were military puppies, one a tallish fellow, who though evidently
upwards of thirty, affected the airs of a languishing girl, and
would fain have made people believe that he was dying of ENNUI and
lassitude.
