CHAPTER XXVIII 



Fishing The great flood Peat Cwic Craes Cwmffynon Ancient habita- 

 tions Flint implements Gold mines A Roman Road Buzzard's nest 

 Rush-lights Stone walls A black bull Stoats Hunting with 

 Lively Celtic imagination. 



June i $th. Walked up Cwm Cynllwyd to Tala, and fished 

 up the burn which joins the Twrch there, to near its source 

 on Aran. It is a very small stream, liable to be much over- 

 fished on its lower reaches, when flooded, but holds some 

 nice little mountain troutlets nevertheless, especially in the 

 higher part, and as my object was not so much sport as to 

 explore the head of the valley, I was very well content with 

 the dish of fish I was able to leave with Mr Griffith Evans 

 when Cwmffynon was reached. Only a single fly on the 

 finest of tackle was used, a far more deadly plan, on such 

 small streams, than if two or three are attached to the cast. 

 With a single fly, each likely spot can be tried with a nicety 

 otherwise unattainable ; and nothing is more exasperating, 

 when casting to the trout of a pool, than to have one of the 

 droppers seized by some officious, and undesired fingerling, 

 whose parting kick is generally enough to alarm all his 

 betters. The water here comes all off slate and igneous 

 rock, and is, in consequence, always very clear, and, on a 

 bright day, a fisherman has good excuse for congratulating 

 himself over each petty triumph. It was, therefore, with 

 no small satisfaction that two half-pounders were basketed 

 from the deep but narrow channel that runs beneath the 

 old pack-horse bridge near Nant-y-barcud ; and if it be pride 

 that prompts the recalling of such feats, the writer can only 

 crave indulgence. It was not with intent to tell of fishing 

 that the pen was taken up ; but when you have gone and 

 done likewise, oh kind and patient reader, you will be able 



to appreciate and pardon the digression ; and 



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