196 
recovered in part from our consterna- 
tion, and with some difficulty the turf- 
cutter was induced to treat us with 
another legend. 
“On the conclusion of the holy war, 
the founder of the house of Dynevor 
(who, by the bye, are godfathers to all 
the legends of the country) returned to 
his estate in Wales. Many surmises 
were circulated to his prejudice, and it 
was even affirmed that he had murdered 
his brother to gain possession of the title. 
His deportment, which strengthened the 
reports, was tinctured with deep gloom. 
He secluded himself by day, and at 
night, when the household. had retired 
to rest, strange noises were heard, pro- 
ceeding, as it appeared, from his apart- 
ment. His sole amusement was hunt- 
ing, in the pursuit of which he would 
absent himself for weeks from home. 
Engaged one day in his favourite occu- 
pation, accident brought him to Clynn 
y Van: night was approaching, and 
being spent with fatigue, he tied his 
horse to a tree, and retired to rest ina 
cavern beside the pool. At midnight he 
awoke, ‘The moon was up, and he dis- 
covered that he had been sleeping on a 
damp grave, while skulls and moulder- 
ing bones lay strewed in all directions 
around him. He rushed from the re- 
cess—a cold chill came over him—it 
was the slime that earthworms had left 
upon his face. At the mouth of the 
cave, a figure arrayed in black opposed 
him. He enquired the way home, and 
the stranger beckoned him. with his 
hand to follow. On reaching his gate, 
he turned to thank the guide, when the 
fleshless skeleton of his brother stood 
before him, The fratricide lived for 
years afterwards; but every night when 
the castle clock was on the stroke of 
twelve, a heavy footstep was heard 
pacing along the corridors, and the 
spirit of the murdered would appear 
before the eyes of its guilty kinsman. 
He, too, is long since numbered with 
the dead, but the spectre has been 
heard at times to shout from the cavern 
where he was slain, as if justice was 
still withheld.” 
It was now our turn to watch, and 
accordingly we prepared for the enter- 
prize.. The thunder-storm had long since 
ceased—the breeze was lulled, and the 
moon shone down in unclouded bril- 
liance. The night was ineffably de- 
licious, and the spirit of benevolence 
seemed abroad on the wings of the 
wind. Before us lay the legendary pool 
of Clynn y Van,slumbering in the moon- 
Adventures in Wales. 
(Oct. 1, 
light, like beauty on the lap of inno- 
cence; and to the right appeared the 
sepulchral cavern overrun with wild 
shrubs, and frowning in dreary horror. 
The naked crags that surrounded us on 
every side, resounded with the distant 
roar of mountain cataracts; and the 
villages beneath were tipped with the 
silver of the moon-beam that softened 
the more rugged features of the land- 
scape. It was an hour for meditation, 
and we felt its influence. The past 
rushed on our minds, with a long train 
of departed remembrances. We thought 
of the friends who were dead—of those 
who were far away—and felt that we 
might never meet again. We looked 
up to heaven ;—thestars shone bright— 
white fleecy clouds sailed across the deep 
blue of ether; we breathed more freely 
at the sight, we took cheerfulness unto 
our souls, as a handmaid, and felt that 
we were born heirs to a better world 
than this. In the course of our con- 
templation, the time appointed-for our 
watch had expired, and with no. little 
vivacity we resigned the post of honour 
to Morgan, while we renewed our chat 
with the turf-cutter, who had been en- 
joying a sound nap on the mantles 
which were spread beneath the tent. 
After a short interval, a sullen sound 
was heard, Robert instinctively grasped 
his cudgel—the peasant anathematized 
the “ White Lady,” and out we all 
rushed in disorder. There we found 
Morgan in a deep snore, with a check 
handkerchief tied under his chin, and his 
arms hanging idly by his side... A court 
martial was immediately held; the ar- 
ticles of war were conned over, and the 
culprit was condemned to a—bumper 
of salt and water. In vain he implored 
our clemency—in vain he told us that 
his dozing was the effect of eating trout 
from the inchanted pool, a recollection 
which alarmed his countryman, who did 
penance for every mouthful he had 
eaten. Equally vain was his resistance, 
although, in order to touch our feelings, 
he informed us that his great great 
grandfather Shenkin -ap-Rhyader-ap- 
Morgan-ap-Jenkins-ap-Jones, had: ap- 
peared to him in his sleep—had taxed 
him with the loss of the family wig, and - 
had promised to bring a whole legion. of — 
ancestors to haunt him, until the pre- 
cious relic was found. _We continued 
as inexorable as fate ; the saline draught 
was prepared, swallowed, and our ven- 
geance was appeased. 
Daylight was now breaking in, and 
the turf-cutter, who had acquired cou- 
rage 
