The Inn at Bangor - Port Dyn Norwig - Sea Serpent - Thoroughly Welsh Place - Blessing of Health.
I WENT to the same inn at Bangor at which I had been before. It was Saturday night and the house was thronged with people who had arrived by train from Manchester and Liverpool, with the intention of passing the Sunday in the Welsh town. I took tea in an immense dining or ball-room, which was, however, so crowded with guests that its walls literally sweated. Amidst the multitude I felt quite solitary - my beloved ones had departed for Llangollen, and there was no one with whom I could exchange a thought or a word of kindness. I addressed several individuals, and in every instance repented; from some I got no answers, from others what was worse than no answers at all - in every countenance near me suspicion, brutality, or conceit, was most legibly imprinted - I was not amongst Welsh, but the scum of manufacturing England.
Every bed in the house was engaged - the people of the house, however, provided me a bed at a place which they called the cottage, on the side of a hill in the outskirts of the town. There I passed the night comfortably enough. At about eight in the morning I arose, returned to the inn, breakfasted, and departed for Beth Gelert by way of Caernarvon.
It was Sunday, and I had originally intended to pass the day at Bangor, and to attend divine service twice at the Cathedral, but Ifound myself so very uncomfortable, owing to the crowd of interlopers, that I determined to proceed on my journey without delay; ****** up my mind, however, to enter the first church Ishould meet in which service was being performed; for it is really not good to travel on the Sunday without going into a place of worship.
The day was sunny and fiercely hot, as all the days had lately been. In about an hour I arrived at Port Dyn Norwig: it stood on the right side of the road. The name of this place, which I had heard from the coachman who drove my family and me to Caernarvon and Llanberis a few days before, had excited my curiosity with respect to it, as it signifies the Port of the Norway man, so I now turned aside to examine it. "No doubt," said I to myself, "the place derives its name from the piratical Danes and Norse having resorted to it in the old time." Port Dyn Norwig seems to consist of a creek, a staithe, and about a hundred houses: a few small vessels were lying at the staithe. I stood about ten minutes upon it staring about, and then feeling rather oppressed by the heat of the sun, I bent my way to a small house which bore a sign, and from which a loud noise of voices proceeded. "Have you good ale?" said I in English to a good-looking buxom dame of about forty, whom Isaw in the passage.
She looked at me but returned no answer.
"Oes genoch cwrw da?" said I.
"Oes!" she replied with a smile, and opening the door of a room on the left-hand bade me walk in.
I entered the room; six or seven men, seemingly sea-faring people, were seated drinking and talking vociferously in Welsh. Their conversation was about the sea-serpent: some believed in the existence of such a thing, others did not. After a little time one said, "Let us ask this gentleman for his opinion.""And what would be the use of asking him?" said another, "we have only Cumraeg, and he has only Saesneg.""I have a little broken Cumraeg, at the service of this good company," said I. "With respect to the snake of the sea I beg leave to say that I believe in the existence of such a creature;and am surprised that any people in these parts should not believe in it: why, the sea-serpent has been seen in these parts.""When was that, Gwr Boneddig?" said one of the company.