l ceremony, but in the presence of Mr. Piercy and Mr.
Savin, and "a few scores of persons who cheered lustily." We may hope
that even this mild demonstration did something to hearten the promoters
in their herculean task. For several miles along the shore the line had
to be protected against the assault of the high tides that periodically
sweep Cardigan Bay, and it was soon only too evident that ordinary
ramparts were no sure buttress against Atlantic rollers. More than once
the permanent way was washed by the waves and engineer and contractor,
viewing the dismal wreckage, must have felt that noble references to the
moral of Canute, however pungent, were not altogether inapropos.

There were toilers at this work, however, who had never heard of the
Danish King and bode not of what the maritime history of England might
teach. To them the arrival of the first trial train on the banks of the
Dysynni was more pertinently an occasion for "celebration," and sixty
pounds being quickly collected for the purpose, and as quickly spent,
rumour has it that, alas! the festivities ended for some in a few
reflective hours, we may hope profitably, if not too comfortably, spent
in the local lock-up.

But even when the Dysynni had been safely bridged,--not without anxious
days when piles refused to become embedded in the shingly bed of the
river--the troubles of the constructors were far from concluded. Beyond
Llwyngwril, to which the line was opened for traffic in November,
1863,--the engines and coaches had been brought by barge across the Dovey
from Ynyslas--there lay a still more formidable barrier to rapid
progress. For the cliffs hereabouts, which, with their steep declivity
down to the rock-strewn shore, left scarcely a foothold for the wandering
mountain sheep, were enough to daunt the heart of any but the most
courageous and determined engineer. Here, again, the problem rose as to
whether they should be tunnelled or the line carried along their sloping
edge, supported by sea-walls, as was the high road above. But the high
road itself shaved the edge of the precipice so closely that, it is
related, in the old coaching days, many people preferred leaving the
vehicle at the top of the hill to swinging down such a slope. Eventually
choice fell on the latter alternative, sailors being employed to assist
in the work by reason of their greater experience on such seagirt ledges!
It was, indeed, a hazardous venture; for the extr