y 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 I saw 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.

"About fifty years ago," said I. "Once in October, in the year 1805, as
a small vessel of the Traeth was upon the Menai, sailing very slowly, the
weather being very calm, the people on board saw a strange creature like
an immense worm swimming after them. It soon overtook them, climbed on
board through the tiller-hole, and coiled itself on the deck under the
mast--the people at first were dreadfully frightened, but taking courage
they attacked it with an oar and drove it overboard; it followed the
vessel for some time, but a breeze springin