CHAP. XXVII.

DOLGELÈE TO MACHYNLLETH.

View of the Country around Dolgelle.-The Pool of the three Pebbles; and tradition respecting the enormous Giant Idris.-The Blue Lion, and Edward Jones.-Ascent to the Summit of Cader Idris.-Account of Idris.- Cascades.Llyn y Cae.-Prospect from the Summit of Cader Idris. -Cataract near the Blue Lion.-Machynlleth.—Mr. Aikin's Description of the Devil's Bridge, near Havod in Cardiganshire.

FROM the road leading to Machynlleth, and at the distance of about two miles, the town of Dolgelle is seen to greater advantage than from most other points of view. It appears in the midst of a vale replete with pastoral beauty. The wide river Mawddach in the distance, reflects its silvery whiteness in the bosom of high and dreary mountains. The intervening space exhibits luxuriant woods, meadows, and cornfields, intersected by the river Wnion, which serpentizes along the vale.

The road now passes over high and swampy moors, and for some miles the scenery is wild, dreary, and comfortless. The lofty Cader Idris, its summit obscured in clouds, formed the en

tire boundary of these wilds towards the south

west.

THE POOL OF THE THREE PEBBLES.

This is a small pool on the left of the road about five miles from Dolgelle. The Welsh call it Llyn Trigrainwyn. It has its name from the three huge fragments of rock that are seen by its side, which the traditions of the peasantry assert to have been what the giant Idris called three pebbles. This huge man, from whom the adjacent mountain had its name, was one day walking round his possessions in these mountains when, says tradition, he found something had fallen into his shoe that began to hurt his foot. He pulled it off, and threw out these three pebbles, after which he experienced no further inconvenience! One of these pebbles is about four and twenty feet long, eighteen broad, and twelve high.-So much for

tradition!

The pool is believed to be bottomless; but though this is not the case, its depth for so small a surface of water is uncommonly great, being, as I was informed, upwards of fifty fathoms.

I had not proceeded far beyond this pool, when I found the prospect become somewhat interesting. A pleasing vale now presented itself, which incloses a pool about a mile in length, called Llyn Mwyngil, The Lake of the Pleasant Retreat. This is bounded by hills.

1

THE BLUE LION.

As I was anxious to ascend Cader Idris, and, although the weather had become very unfavourable, as I should lose all opportunity of doing it if I proceeded any farther at present, I stopped at the Blue Lion, a small public house, a little beyond the pool of the Three Pebbles. It had begun to rain very hard a little before my arrival, and, as it was then late in the day, I determined to remain here all night, in the hope that before morning the weather might clear up. Not having yet dined, I enquired what I could have to eat, but found, as Dr. Johnson did at Glenelg, in the Highlands of Scotland, that," of the provisions, the negative catalogue was very copious." I could have no meat (except bad bacon,) no eggs, no wine, no` spirits. It was needless to inquire further into what I could not have, I therefore directed the good woman of the house to bring me any thing that was eatable. Bread and butter, and new ale, taken evidently from the tub in which it was fermenting, constituted therefore my principal fare at this cottage for two days.

The landlord of the Blue Lion, if I may dignify him with that appellation, is a schoolmaster, a guide, and a cutter of grave stones, and to his various other qualifications, he adds a very considerab e taste for-ale, as the following memoranda of my cheap living at this house will shew:

s. d.

Two dinners (N. B. bread and butter), 1 6

Tea, supper, and breakfast,
Ale,

-1 0

26

50

This man, whose name is Edward Jones, I found somewhat too talkative, particularly on the subject of his own qualifications. I obtained from him much of the news of the neighbourhood, but little information on which I could rely respecting the country.

This house is situated by the road side, immediately under Cader Idris, and is a very convenient place from whence travellers, coming from Machynlleth, may ascend that mountain. If it be not found inconvenient, on account of carriages or horses, they may pass over the summit, and down the other way to Dolgelle: this they would do in nearly as short a space of time as it would require to descend again to the Blue Lion.-The bed I slept in was not a very bad one, nor was I here, though in a smaller house, so pestered with fleas, as I had before been at Beddgelert.

ASCENT TO THE SUMMIT OF CADER IDRIS.

The morning proved more favourable than I expected; and although it was still cloudy, I was determined to venture on an excursion to the summit of the mountain, under the hopes that the weather might entirely clear up before I

arrived at the top. About nine o'clock, therefore, in company with my loquacious host, I commenced my expedition.

I have said that this mountain had its name from a person called Idris, supposed by tradition to have been an enormous giant. The old bardic writings, however, rather represent him great in mind than stature: in these he is said to have been a poet, an astronomer, and philosopher. He is supposed also to have been a prince of these parts; but the period is so remote, that little more than his name and talents are now to be ascertained. Cadair Idris, or the seat of Idris, is thought to imply that he had an observatory, or study, on the summit of the mountain. These suppositions, however, seem founded on a very insufficient basis.

There had been much rain during the night, in consequence of which the guide took me along the side of a rivulet, which flows from one of the hollows above, to see a small cataract. The torrent was thrown down the face of a steep rock in a white sheet of foam, thrice broken in its descent. It might perhaps be more properly denominated a cascade, for, although it was extremely pretty, it was on so small a scale, as to be devoid of much of the grandeur that is usual in waterfalls which boast any degree of picturesque beauty.-Above this, on the same stream, another still more small and contracted was pointed out to me. The height of the latter rock was not more than seven or eight yards, and the whole scene would have appeared very trifling, had it not been ornamented by three majestic oaks, whose branches, whilst they almost concealed the stream, added greatly to its beauty.