236 MY LIFE 



minutes cried out to me, " I've got another species I never 

 gathered before," till I thought he would never tear himself 

 away ; and during several other visits to Wales in the Snow- 

 don and Cader Idris districts, and in the Vale of Neath, I do 

 not think he ever came upon a richer spot for his favourite 

 group of plants. 



The next day we took a much longer ramble along country 

 lanes, which gradually led us on to the ridge of the Berwyn 

 mountains, from 2500 to 2700 feet above sea level. At the 

 highest summit, where a circle of precipices descends to a little 

 tarn — Llyn-llyne-caws — my friend crept out along the face 

 of the rocks to get some rare mosses, till he made me quite 

 afraid for his safety. But he was very active and sure-footed, 

 and always managed to get what he wanted. On the high 

 peaty moors we found the creeping cloud-berry, and as we 

 had strolled slowly, searching everywhere for plants and en- 

 joying the scenery and the mountain air, it was late in the 

 afternoon before we came to a deep valley where there were 

 some houses, and as we had walked about eight or nine miles 

 over high mountains since we last saw a house, we determined 

 to go down and try to find a night's lodging. We were at- 

 tracted by glimpses of a waterfall up this valley, and therefore 

 made for the highest house we could see, a rather neat small 

 farmhouse. By the time we had reached it the sun had set, 

 and when we asked if we could have supper and lodging there, 

 we were told it was impossible, as some titled person, I forget 

 the name, was coming next day with some friends to shoot 

 there, and everything was got ready for him. However, we 

 told them we had walked over the mountains from Corwen 

 and were very tired, and if we went down to the village we 

 should have so much to walk back in the morning, that at 

 last they agreed. I quite forget what kind of accommodation 

 we had, but I rather think we slept on the floor. We had, how- 

 ever, a good supper, and breakfast next morning, when after 

 getting a view of the waterfall, which Mr. Mitten sketched, 

 we walked about three miles westward over a mountain ridge 

 to a good but very wild road, which led us back through the 

 village of Llandrillo to Corwen, a distance of about seventeen 



