for the night is coming down. Farewell!

_Farmer_.--Farvel, Saxon gentleman!

CHAPTER XCII

Nocturnal Journey--Maes y Lynn--The Figure--Earl of Leicester--Twm Shone
Catti--The Farmer and Bull--Tom and the Farmer--The Cave--The Threat--Tom
a Justice--The Big Wigs--Tregaron.

It was dusk by the time I had regained the high-road by the village of
the Rhyd Fendigaid.

As I was yet eight miles from Tregaron, the place where I intended to
pass the night, I put on my best pace. In a little time I reached a
bridge over a stream which seemed to carry a considerable tribute to the
Teivi.

"What is the name of this bridge?" said I to a man riding in a cart, whom
I met almost immediately after I had crossed the bridge.

"Pont Vleer," methought he said, but as his voice was husky and
indistinct, very much like that of a person somewhat the worse for
liquor, I am by no means positive.

It was now very dusk, and by the time I had advanced about a mile farther
dark night settled down, which compelled me to abate my pace a little,
more especially as the road was by no means first-rate. I had come, to
the best of my computation, about four miles from the Rhyd Fendigaid when
the moon began partly to show itself, and presently by its glimmer I saw
some little way off on my right hand what appeared to be a large sheet of
water. I went on, and in about a minute saw two or three houses on the
left, which stood nearly opposite to the object which I had deemed to be
water, and which now appeared to be about fifty yards distant in a field
which was separated from the road by a slight hedge. Going up to the
principal house I knocked, and a woman making her appearance at the door,
I said:

"I beg pardon for troubling you, but I wish to know the name of this
place."

"Maes y Lynn--The Field of the Lake," said the woman.

"And what is the name of the lake?" said I.

"I do not know," said she; "but the place where it stands is called Maes
Llyn, as I said before."

"Is the lake deep?" said I.

"Very deep," said she.

"How deep?" said I.

"Over the tops of the houses," she replied.

"Any fish in the lake?"

"Oh yes! plenty."

"What fish?"

"Oh, there are llysowen, and the fish we call ysgetten."

"Eels and tench," said I; "anything else?"

"I do not know," said the woman; "folks say that there used to be queer
beast in the lake, water-cow used to come out at night and eat people's
clover in the fields."

"