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the Grwyney Valley towards the source, and towards Crickhowell, and also the 

 Honddu Valley towards Llanthony, thus opening out the Black Mountains to 

 their very centre — in short, it may be said of its situation with Thomson — 



Where the broken landscape, by degrees 

 Ascending, roughens into rigid hills ; 

 O'er which, the Cambrian Mountains, like fair clouds 

 That skirt the blue horizon, dusky rise. 



— Spring. 



Here a whole string of well-known names could be given, but sooth to say a strong 

 wind and heavy rain set in, and the mountainous outline could only be seen in 

 a deep mist. 



The Gaer Camp, however, was closely inspected. It is a very fine example 

 of a strongly fortified British camp. It is of a long oval shape divided into three 

 compartments, and altogether inclosing an area of four acres and a half. The 

 main entrance is approached by a sunken road from the west, it is on the southern 

 side, in the direction of the springs of water on the hill. It is strongly protected 

 by a double embankment and a twisting entrance. It is remarkable that here, as 

 at the Gaer ditches, above Chapel Lawn, four miles behind Coxwall Knoll, where 

 Caractacus was taken, the entrenchments are equally steep and bold, and at the 

 entrance they are made more wide, and hollowed out so as to receive defenders 

 who would protect the entrance at close quarters ; " bow-and-arrow pits " they 

 might be called, instead of rifle pits. The general character of both these en- 

 campments is closely similar in their size, their shape, and their defensive 

 arrangements. The lower camp here is the largest of the three, and one of its 

 inner ditches has been hollowed out for water. The only springs are on the 

 shoulder of the mountain, some 2C0 or 300 yards distant. This Gaer Camp forms 

 one of a line of British encampments in direct signal communication with Trevvyn 

 Camp to the east, and with the Camp above Crickhowell to the west ; and the 

 history of them all offers a fine scope for imaginative minds, for in themselves 

 they are prehistoric. Another point of modern import to be noticed is that the 

 division between the counties of Herefordshire and Monmouthshire runs through 

 the centre of the camp longitudinally. 



The Rev. H. B. D. Marshall, who had brought his barometer, made the 

 height of the shoulder of the Brynarw hill to be 684 feet above sea level ; at 

 Partricio Church, the height was 886 feet ; and the height of the cairn in the 

 upper portion of the Gaer Camp was 1,199 feet above sea level. 



The wind got stronger and stronger, and the rain became ice-like, so there 

 was nothing for it but to descend at once by the Rhiw-y-meirch, " the steep way 

 for the horses," vifhich was undoubtedly the original approach to the camp from 

 the east. The Pont Rhys Powell was crossed ; some fine specimens of Lycopcrdon 

 ccelatum, the rough Puffball, were gathered in the meadow beyond. The Croes 

 Llwyd was passed, and the hospitable attractions of Trewyn were resisted, in 

 favour of the comfortable inn at Pandy, where clothes could be dried, and the 

 outer weather forgotten. It rained more and more, and it became cold, and more 

 cold, until Hood's lines on a cold ungenial spring came to mind :— 



