ty within,
and there are a thousand ewes on the hill. Farvel!"

"Dear me!" thought I to myself as I walked away; "that I should once in
my days have found shepherd life something as poets have represented it!"

I saw a mighty mountain at a considerable distance on the right, the same
I believe which I had noted some hours before. I inquired of my guide
whether it was Plynlimmon.

"Oh no!" said he, "that is Gaverse; Pumlimmon is to the left."

"Plynlimmon is a famed hill," said I; "I suppose it is very high."

"Yes!" said he, "it is high; but it is not famed because it is high, but
because the three grand rivers of the world issue from its breast, the
Hafren, the Rheidol, and the Gwy."

Night was now coming rapidly on, attended with a drizzling rain. I
inquired if we were far from Pont Erwyd. "About a mile," said my guide;
"we shall soon be there." We quickened our pace. After a little time he
asked me if I was going farther than Pont Erwyd.

"I am bound for the bridge of the evil man," said I; "but I daresay I
shall stop at Pont Erwyd to-night."

"You will do right," said he; "it is only three miles from Pont Erwyd to
the bridge of the evil man, but I think we shall have a stormy night."

"When I get to Pont Erwyd," said I, "how far shall I be from South
Wales?"

"From South Wales!" said he; "you are in South Wales now; you passed the
Terfyn of North Wales a quarter of an hour ago."

The rain now fell fast and there was so thick a mist that I could only
see a few yards before me. We descended into a valley, at the bottom of
which I heard a river roaring.

"That's the Rheidol," said my guide, "coming from Pumlimmon, swollen with
rain."

Without descending to the river, we turned aside up a hill, and, after
passing by a few huts, came to a large house, which my guide told me was
the inn of Pont Erwyd.

CHAPTER LXXXII

Consequential Landlord--Cheek--Darfel Gatherel--Dafydd Nanmor--Sheep
Farms--Wholesome Advice--The Old Postman--The Plant de Bat--The Robber's
Cavern.

My guide went to a side door, and opening it without ceremony went in. I
followed and found myself in a spacious and comfortable-looking kitchen:
a large fire blazed in a huge grate, on one side of which was a settle;
plenty of culinary utensils, both pewter and copper, hung around on the
walls, and several goodly rows of hams and sides of bacon were suspended
from the roof. There were several people present, some on the se