92 ON THE WYE 



the river Dore." " Where ? " said I. " I see no 

 river ! " But there it was under my nose dis- 

 coloured by cattle above cooling their feet in 

 the drop of water to be found in it. Notwith- 

 standing this despicable beginning of things, 

 my young lady informant told me there were 

 plenty of trout lower down, especially in the 

 May Fly time. She herself, and her sister, and 

 her father, and her brother were all enthusiastic 

 anglers, and did wonders sometimes. " But, 

 mind you, it is a very difficult little river to 

 fish," said she; and I believe her. Presumably 

 it is from the legend of the " golden ring " that 

 the valley takes its pretty name. But I have a 

 distinct recollection of asking my father, as we 

 were riding up the hill, why it was called " The 

 Golden Valley." We stopped on the ridge. 

 " Look down there, my boy," said he, " at the 

 rich crops of wheat and barley and oats, and 

 the grand meadows ; it is because of the rich 

 quality of the land producing these fine crops 

 that this beautiful valley is called ' The 

 Golden.' " That is another interpretation of its 

 title ; it quite satisfied me then, and the glimpse 

 I have now had of it fully justifies the title. 

 But as I have said, the part I have seen to-day 



