My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

138 MY LIFEas a memorial of a Roman soldier who died near theplace.One of our most memorable excursions was inJune, 1846, when I and my brother spent the nightin the water-cave. I wanted to go again to the topof the Beacons to see if I could find any rare beetlesthere, and also to show my brother the waterfalls andother beauties of the upper valley. Starting after anearly breakfast we walked to Pont-nedd-fychan, andthen turned up the western branch to the RockingStone, a large boulder of millstone-grit resting on anearly level surface, but which by a succession ofpushes with one hand can be made to rock considerably.It was here I obtained one of the most beautifulBritish beetles, Trichms fasciatus, the only time Iever captured it. We then went on to the Gladys andEinon Gam falls ; then, turning back, followed up theriver Nedd for some miles, crossed over to the cavern,and then on to Ystrad-fellte, where we had supperand spent the night, having walked leisurely abouteighteen or twenty miles.The next morning early we proceeded up thevalley to the highest farm on the Dringarth, thenstruck across the mountain to the road from Hirwainto Brecon, which we followed to the bridgeover theTaff, and then turned off towards the Beacons, theweather being perfect. It was a delightful walk, ona gradual slope of fifteen hundred feet in a mile anda half, with a little steeper bit at the end, and thesmall overhanging cap of peat at the summit, asalready described. I searched over it for beetles,which were, however, v^ry scarce, and we then walkeda little way down thesouthern slope to where a tinyspring trickles out—the highest source of the riverTaff—and there, lying on the soft mountain turf,