Turning round the northern side of the mighty Siabod I soon reached the village of Capel Curig, standing in a valley between two hills, the easternmost of which is the aforesaid Moel Siabod. Having walked now twenty miles in a broiling day I thought it high time to take some refreshment, and inquired the way to the inn. The inn, or rather the hotel, for it was a very magnificent edifice, stood at the entrance of a pass leading to Snowdon, on the southern side of the valley, in a totally different direction from the road leading to Bangor, to which place I was bound. There I dined in a grand saloon amidst a great deal of fashionable company, who, probably conceiving from my heated and dusty appearance that I was some poor fellow travelling on foot from motives of economy, surveyed me with looks of the most supercilious disdain, which, however, neither deprived me of my appetite nor operated uncomfortably on my feelings.
My dinner finished, I paid my bill, and having sauntered a little about the hotel garden, which is situated on the border of a small lake and from which, through the vista of the pass, Snowdon may be seen towering in majesty at the distance of about six miles, Istarted for Bangor, which is fourteen miles from Capel Curig.
The road to Bangor from Capel Curig is almost due west. An hour's walking brought me to a bleak moor, extending for a long way amidst wild sterile hills.
The first of a chain on the left, was a huge lumpy hill with a precipice towards the road probably three hundred feet high. When I had come nearly parallel with the commencement of this precipice, I saw on the left-hand side of the road two children looking over a low wall behind which at a little distance stood a wretched hovel.
On coming up I stopped and looked at them; they were a boy and girl; the first about twelve, the latter a year or two younger;both wretchedly dressed and looking very sickly.
"Have you any English?" said I, addressing the boy in Welsh.
"Dim gair," said the boy; "not a word; there is no Saesneg near here.""What is the name of this place?"
"The name of our house is Helyg."
"And what is the name of that hill?" said I, pointing to the hill of the precipice.
"Allt y Gog - the high place of the cuckoo.""Have you a father and mother?"
"We have."
"Are they in the house?"
"They are gone to Capel Curig."
"And they left you alone?"
"They did. With the cat and the trin-wire.""Do your father and mother make wire-work?""They do. They live by making it."
"What is the wire-work for?"
"It is for hedges to fence the fields with.""Do you help your father and mother?"
"We do; as far as we can."
"You both look unwell."
"We have lately had the cryd" (ague).
"Is there much cryd about here?"
"Plenty."
"Do you live well?"
"When we have bread we live well."
"If I give you a penny will you bring me some water?""We will, whether you give us a penny or not. Come, sister, let us go and fetch the gentleman water."They ran into the house and presently returned, the girl bearing a pan of water. After I had drunk I gave each of the children a penny, and received in return from each a diolch or thanks.
"Can either of you read?"
"Neither one nor the other."
"Can your father and mother read?"
"My father cannot, my mother can a little.""Are there books in the house?"
"There are not."
"No Bible?"
"There is no book at all."
"Do you go to church?"
"We do not."
"To chapel?"
"In fine weather."
"Are you happy?"
"When there is bread in the house and no cryd we are all happy.""Farewell to you, children."
"Farewell to you, gentleman!" exclaimed both.