Crossing the bridge of Erwyd, we directed our course to the south-east.
"What young man is that?" said I, "who is following behind us?"
"The young man, sir, is my son John, and the dog with him is his dog Joe."
"And what may your name be, if I may take the liberty of asking?"
"Greaves, sir; John Greaves from the county of Durham."
"Ah! a capital county that," said I.
"You like the county, sir! G.o.d bless you! John!" said he in a loud voice, turning to the lad, "why don"t you offer to carry the gentleman"s knapsack?"
"Don"t let him trouble himself," said I. "As I was just now saying, a capital county is Durham county."
"You really had better let the boy carry your bag, sir."
"No!" said I; "I would rather carry it myself. I question upon the whole whether there is a better county in England."
"Is it long since your honour was in Durham county?"
"A good long time. A matter of forty years."
"Forty years! why that"s the life of a man. That"s longer than I have been out of the county myself. I suppose your honour can"t remember much about the county."
"O yes I can, I remember a good deal."
"Please your honour tell me what you remember about the county. It would do me good to hear it."
"Well, I remember it was a very fine county in more respects than one.
One part of it was full of big hills and mountains, where there were mines of coal and lead with mighty works with tall chimneys spouting out black smoke, and engines roaring and big wheels going round, some turned by steam, and others by what they called forces, that is brooks of water dashing down steep channels. Another part was a more level country with beautiful woods, happy-looking farmhouses, well-filled fields and rich glorious meadows, in which stood stately with brown sides and short horns the Durham ox."
"O dear, O dear!" said my companion. "Ah, I see your honour knows everything about Durham county. Forces! none but one who had been in Durham county would have used that word. I haven"t heard it for five-and-thirty years. Forces! there was a force close to my village. I wonder if your honour has ever been in Durham city."
"O yes! I have been there."
"Does your honour remember anything about Durham city?"
"O yes! I remember a good deal about it."
"Then, your honour, pray tell us what you remember about it-pray do!
perhaps it will do me good."
"Well, then, I remember that it was a fine old city standing on a hill with a river running under it, and that it had a fine old church, one of the finest in the whole of Britain; likewise a fine old castle; and last, not least, a capital old inn, where I got a capital dinner off roast Durham beef, and a capital gla.s.s of ale, which I believe was the cause of my being ever after fond of ale."
"Dear me! Ah, I see your honour knows all about Durham city. And now let me ask one question. How came your honour to Durham city and county?
I don"t think your honour is a Durham man, either of town or field."
"I am not; but when I was a little boy I pa.s.sed through Durham county with my mother and brother to a place called Scotland."
"Scotland! a queer country that, your honour!"
"So it is," said I; "a queerer country I never saw in all my life."
"And a queer set of people, your honour."
"So they are," said I; "a queerer set of people than the Scotch you would scarcely see in a summer"s day."
"The Durham folks, neither of town or field, have much reason to speak well of the Scotch, your honour."
"I dare say not," said I; "very few people have."
"And yet the Durham folks, your honour, generally contrived to give them as good as they brought."
"That they did," said I; "a pretty licking the Durham folks once gave the Scots under the walls of Durham city, after the scamps had been plundering the country for three weeks-a precious licking they gave them, slaying I don"t know how many thousands, and taking their king prisoner."
"So they did, your honour, and under the command of a woman too."
"Very true," said I; "Queen Philippa."
"Just so, your honour! the idea that your honour should know so much about Durham, both field and town!"
"Well," said I, "since I have told you so much about Durham, perhaps you will now tell me something about yourself. How did you come here?"
"I had better begin from the beginning, your honour. I was born in Durham county close beside the Great Force, which no doubt your honour has seen. My father was a farmer and had a bit of a share in a mining concern. I was brought up from my childhood both to farming and mining work, but most to mining, because, do you see, I took most pleasure in it, being the more n.o.ble business of the two. Shortly after I had come to man"s estate my father died leaving me a decent little property, whereupon I forsook farming altogether and gave myself up, body, soul and capital, to mining, which at last I thoroughly understood in all its branches. Well, your honour, about five-and-thirty years ago, that was when I was about twenty-eight, a cry went through the north country that a great deal of money might be made by opening Wales, that is, by mining in Wales in the proper fashion, which means the north-country fashion, for there is no other fashion of mining good for much-there had long been mines in Wales, but they had always been worked in a poor, weak, languid manner, very different from that of the north country. So a company was formed, at the head of which were the Aldens, George and Thomas, for opening Wales, and they purchased certain mines in these districts, which they knew to be productive, and which might be made yet more so, and settling down here called themselves the Rheidol United. Well, after they had been here a little time they found themselves in want of a man to superintend their concerns, above all in the smelting department. So they thought of me, who was known to most of the mining gentry in the north country, and they made a proposal to me through George Alden, afterwards Sir George, to come here and superintend. I said no, at first, for I didn"t like the idea of leaving Durham county to come to such an outlandish place as Wales; howsomever, I at last allowed myself to be overpersuaded by George Alden, afterwards Sir George, and here I came with my wife and family, for I must tell your honour I had married a respectable young woman of Durham county, by whom I had two little ones-here I came and did my best for the service of the Rheidol United.
The company was terribly set to it for a long time, spending a mint of money and getting very poor returns. To my certain knowledge the two Aldens, George and Tom, spent between them thirty thousand pounds-the company, however, persevered, chiefly at the instigation of the Aldens, who were in the habit of saying "Never say die!" and at last got the better of all their difficulties and rolled in riches, and had the credit of being the first company that ever opened Wales, which they richly deserved, for I will uphold it that the Rheidol United, particularly the Aldens, George and Thomas, were the first people who really opened Wales.
In their service I have been for five-and-thirty years, and dare say shall continue so till I die. I have been tolerably comfortable, your honour, though I have had my griefs, the bitterest of which was the death of my wife, which happened about eight years after I came to this country. I thought I should have gone wild at first, your honour!
Having, however, always plenty to do, I at last got the better of my affliction. I continued single till my English family grew up and left me, when feeling myself rather lonely I married a decent young Welshwoman, by whom I had one son, the lad John, who is following behind with his dog Joe. And now your honour knows the whole story of John Greaves, miner from the county of Durham."
"And a most entertaining and instructive history it is," said I. "You have not told me, however, how you contrived to pick up Welsh: I heard you speaking it last night with the postman."
"Why, through my Welsh wife, your honour! Without her I don"t think I should ever have picked up the Welsh manner of discoursing-she is a good kind of woman, my Welsh wife, though-"
"The loss of your Durham wife must have been a great grief to you," said I.
"It was the bitterest grief, your honour, as I said before, that I ever had-my next worst I think was the death of a dear friend."
"Who was that?" said I.
"Who was it, your honour? why, the Duke of Newcastle."
"Dear me!" said I; "how came you to know him?"
"Why, your honour, he lived at a place not far from here, called Hafod, and so-"
"Hafod!" said I; "I have often heard of Hafod and its library; but I thought it belonged to an old Welsh family called Johnes."
"Well, so it did, your honour! but the family died away, and the estate was put up for sale, and purchased by the Duke, who built a fine house upon it, which he made his chief place of residence-the old family house, I must tell your honour, in which the library was had been destroyed by fire: well, he hadn"t been long settled there before he found me out and took wonderfully to me, discoursing with me and consulting me about his farming and improvements. Many is the pleasant chat and discourse I have had with his Grace for hours and hours together, for his Grace had not a bit of pride, at least he never showed any to me, though, perhaps, the reason of that was that we were both north-country people. Lord! I would have laid down my life for his Grace and have done anything but one which he once asked me to do: "Greaves," said the Duke to me one day, "I wish you would give up mining and become my steward." "Sorry I can"t oblige your Grace," said I; "but give up mining I cannot. I will at any time give your Grace all the advice I can about farming and such like, but give up mining I cannot: because why? I conceive mining to be the n.o.blest business in the "versal world." Whereupon his Grace laughed, and said he dare say I was right, and never mentioned the subject again."