One wonders how much the world has lost by Borrow’s neglect to incorporate the experiences of 1857 in a volume similar to Wild Wales, but there is no doubt that the impressions he gathered were brought to bear on that work, which was not published till 1862.
Once again, ten years later, Borrow made an expedition into Wales, though of this journey the sole evidence appears to be a note book, among the Borrow MS. scheduled by Dr. Knapp, [162] of a tour in Western Wales in April, 1867.
The following is the transcript of the 1857 note book as received from Dr. Knapp (except that several of his comments, chiefly orthographical and now superfluous, are dropped); of the insertions in square brackets, some are Dr. Knapp’s, some are our own; for the notes, we alone are responsible:—
[August 23rd, Laugharne].—Sunday morning. Brilliant day. Paid moderate bill for good accommodation. The landlady said she hoped she sh’ld see me there again. [163a] The bridge. Wooded dell. [163b] Took the hill route to Tenby, turning to the left. Beautiful scenery between the two high wooded banks, road rapidly descending.
The little place, Plasholt. [163c] The child of the Church of England whose mother was at church. Soon found myself on level land and a good road; denes [163d] and moory lands between me and the sea, bounded by high banks of sand. Wooded hills on my right with here and there a farm house upon them or at their foot. Dreadful heat—sought refuge in a meadow with a high hedge to the road. Pursued my way along the road for several miles—beautiful gentleman’s seat [163e] under the hill at a little way from the road. Came to a little farm house close by the road. The woman and cows—asked for water. The woman not civil till I had given her a penny. The Burrows—rabbits—view.
Pendeane [Pendine], “Head of the Denes”. The man, son of Cornish boatswain. The public house on the shore [163f]—company. The kind of flush farmer [164a] who had been to Australia and who said the Chinese got all the pretty girls—the lone village on the top of the hill [164b]—the church. The old woman of the Church of England reading her English Bible by the wayside. Over burning hills.
Marrows [Marros]. The English village. “Mr. Morgan holds another parish where he preaches in Welsh.” [164c] Presently very near view of the sea on my left, seemingly a bay. Coast stretching to the South—headlands to the East. [164d]
The English musicians, one of which [sic] was a harper, by the road side. Noble prospect of bay [164e] whilst descending the hill—the scene very much like Douglas Bay.
After descending hill, crossed a little foot bridge [164f] over a kind of pebble way, [164g] then on the sea shore and in Pembrokeshire. Discourse with men who sat on beach. Puzzled them by telling them that the name of the bridge, which it seems had no name, should be Pont y Terfyn.[164h] I observed that one of them, a young man, instantly jotted the words down in a book. They both spoke Welsh and were out of Carmarthenshire. Presently left shore and, after ascending and descending a hill or two by a circuitous route, soaked with perspiration and almost exhausted I reached Saundersfoot [164i]—Picton Arms. [164j] Kind good humoured honest woman who apologized for the indifferent accommodation of the house, by saying that S. was a country place and that they were Welsh.
[August] 24th, [Monday].—Breakfast. Burning morning. Bathed in the sea beyond the little pier, on sandy beach with rocks here and there—water shallow, tide going out—waded some way—then swam—dived at last in water between seven and eight foot—rock and sand at bottom, deep—strolled up hill after dressing—the shaft of deserted mine.