n excellent view of the
hollow and the Rheidol fall. Shortly after I had dined, a fierce storm
of rain and wind came on. It lasted for an hour, and then everything
again became calm. Just before evening was closing in I took a stroll to
a village which stands a little way to the west of the inn. It consists
only of a few ruinous edifices, and is chiefly inhabited by miners and
their families. I saw no men, but plenty of women and children. Seeing
a knot of women and girls chatting I went up and addressed them. Some of
the girls were very good-looking; none of the party had any English; all
of them were very civil. I first talked to them about religion, and
found that, without a single exception, they were Calvinistic-Methodists.
I next talked to them about the Plant de Bat. They laughed heartily at
the first mention of their name, but seemed to know very little about
their history. After some twenty minutes' discourse I bade them
good-night and returned to my inn.

The night was very cold; the people of the house, however, made up for me
a roaring fire of turf, and I felt very comfortable. About ten o'clock I
went to bed, intending next morning to go and see Plynlimmon, which I had
left behind me on entering Cardiganshire. When the morning came,
however, I saw at once that I had entered upon a day by no means adapted
for excursions of any considerable length, for it rained terribly; but
this gave me very little concern; my time was my own, and I said to
myself: "If I can't go to-day I can perhaps go to-morrow." After
breakfast I passed some hours in a manner by no means disagreeable,
sometimes meditating before my turf fire, with my eyes fixed upon it, and
sometimes sitting by the window, with my eyes fixed upon the cascade of
the Rheidol, which was every moment becoming more magnificent. At length
about twelve o'clock, fearing that if I stayed within I should lose my
appetite for dinner, which has always been one of the greatest of my
enjoyments, I determined to go and see the Minister's Bridge which my
friend the old mining captain had spoken to me about. I knew that I
should get a wetting by doing so, for the weather still continued very
bad, but I don't care much for a wetting provided I have a good roof, a
good fire, and good fare to betake myself to afterwards.

So I set out. As I passed over the bridge of the Mynach River I looked
down over the eastern balustrade. The Bridge of the Evil One, whic