ce. The engines, "Countess Vane" and "Talerddig," drew a train
of 1,500 passengers, who had marched in procession to the Machynlleth
Station, up the long incline, over the Talerddig summit and down to
Newtown and back. At the intermediate stations, Cemmes Road,
Llanbrynmair, Carno, Pontdolgoch and Caersws, it was hailed with
vociferous applause as it sped on its way, and as Newtown was approached
the travellers found themselves passing under triumphal arches, to the
clang of church bells and the blare of bands. On the leading engine rode
the young Marquis of Blandford playing "See the Conquering Here Comes" on
the cornet-a-piston, Mr. George Owen, Mr. Davies and Mr. Webb. Earl Vane
was in the train and received a public welcome at the station. Then the
inevitable speeches. The return train was still longer and took two
hours to reach Machynlleth, where the jubilations were renewed, and
Countess Vane, to whom Mr. Davies presented a silver spade in honour of
the previous ceremony of sod cutting, declared the line open. More
speeches, luncheon, toasts and processioning _ab lib_ and "so home."

The time, however, had come for a memorable parting. From the
consummation of this project Mr. David Davies's connection with the
Cambrian, as one of its contractors, was to cease. He had saved it from
early death, and guided the infant through its difficult teething time,
while at the same time he was employed in building other railways, which,
later, were to become closely linked with its fuller life. Among these
was the Mid-Wales, to become amalgamated with the Cambrian in 1904, the
Brecon and Merthyr, over four miles of whose metals, from Talyllyn
Junction to Brecon, Cambrian trains were from that date to run, and the
Manchester and Milford, which formed a junction with the Cambrian at
Aberystwyth. But so far as the Cambrian itself is concerned Mr. Davies's
future association was to be that of a director, an office, in its turn,
dramatically terminated amidst fresh thunder clouds which had not yet
appeared above the horizon.

II.

Mr. Savin, as we have seen, had, during these later stages of progress
with the making of the line from Newtown, been busily engaged still
nearer the coast. A company with an ambitious name and a not less
ambitious aim had been formed to build a railway from Aberystwyth to
Machynlleth and along the shores of Merionethshire to Portmadoc, the port
of shipment of the Festiniog slate tra