24 DOVE DALE REVISITED 



light as a feather almost, it presents no impedi- 

 ment in fishing, and this day certainly tested its 

 impenetrability. I wore it all day in a steady 

 downpour, and I finished up as dry as when I 

 went out in the morning. 



Mine host accompanied me this day up the 

 Dale. The Master had preceded us; he had 

 the key of the iron gate, and when he got 

 through he carefully locked it, to keep out ex- 

 cursionists, as he said, and put the key in his 

 pocket. He assumed that we had a duplicate 

 key, which we had not. What could we do ? 

 Here we had to face that iron gate again, as I 

 had done in the olden time. My friend, a giant 

 in strength, strove with all his might to lift that 

 great iron gate off its hinges, but it was not to 

 be done. There was nothing for it but to climb 

 over or to wade round the end of the wall in 

 water almost up to my chin. To climb over the 

 gate itself is impossible, but on the left of it and 

 between it and the precipitous rock is a stone 

 wall (as seen in the picture), and it is surmounted 

 by a frieze of iron spikes six inches long. 

 " Stone walls do not a prison make " for such 

 adventurers as we are, nor are we inclined to 

 regard iron bars as a cage. The landlord 



