446 WILD FLOWEBS OF 



bye with its smiling widow landlady I strongly recom- 

 mend), I held a consultation with a guide. He was 

 willing enough to convoy me to the summit only, but 

 when he heard that I wanted to climb the precipices 

 of Clogwyn du yr Arddu and Clogwyn y garnedd, and 

 search about for plants, he begged leave to decline 

 the honour of attending me, as he said the whole day 

 would be occupied while if it proved fine (a rarer 

 circumstance at Snowdon than red letters in the calen- 

 dar), he could take three journeys with different 

 parties from Llanberis in the same day. There was, 

 however, he told me, a sort of supernumerary guide, 

 who was fond of gathering plants, and probably he 

 might be induced to explore the crags with me. 



Next morning a brisk little Welchman, active as 

 the goat of his native mountains, with a tin box on 

 his back, on which was painted " William "Williams," 

 presented himself to my inspection, and said that he 

 was so fond of plants, that he would go with me any 

 where, as long as I pleased. My arrangements were 

 at once made, and we started. The day was fine, and 

 though the up-hill work was a little toilsome and 

 tedious, I experienced no inconvenience except from 

 a furious gust of wind on the more exposed parts of 

 the mountain. An exposure on the bleak acclivity 

 throughout the night, would, however, prove rather 

 serious, as has several times been experienced by 

 incautious tourists. Williams told me of an instance 

 that fell under his own cognizance. A gentleman 

 who formed one of *a party who had ascended to the 

 Snowdonian monarch, suddenly took it into his head 

 when on the summit, that he would proceed to Caer- 

 narvon, instead of returning back with his friends to 



