Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-01-25


81 81 inspection of the castle as it
appeared from without. The
morning was fine, the air Of those hills
delicate and stimulating, and the sun
light struck the woods and valleys with
golden glory. Smoking cigarette
I strolled round the edifice, surveying
with admiring eyes the details Of the
lay between two solid drum towers,
very formidable to look on. The bat
Elements, which were extremely plain
and by no means perfect, the maehico
iations being worn into great chasms
here and there, stood two stories away
from the base of the castle, and three
II tie bottom of the moat be counted
Upon the one side of the irregular
square which the buildings made the
stonework, as / have said, had fallen
into disrepair, and, indeed, no rooms
We're habitable here. The detritus of
centuries had flowed over into the
courtyard and the stones were heaped
in solid accumulation and oyergrown
with masses of huge Irish ivy. The
southern face of the castle was, SO to
speak. but a hill of rock. 1t was at the
junction of the southern and western
walls that the keep stood, itself raised
some twenty feet above the level Of the
battIements and the termination of the
habitable portion of the fortress. The
moat, which was some ten feet deep,
was grown upon with grass, and its
and furze and divers wild creepers.
Completing my circuit of the castle,
struck upon a stream which ran il a
full body through the park and, reach
ing the verge of the woodland, Ieaped
suddenly into a torrent and scattered
into a waterfall down the steep face
of the hill While I was wandering
upon the margin, watching the tide and
swirl of the tiny eddies with lazy sat
| isfaction, encountered my host, who
greeted me courteously.
"You are admiring my little brook,
he said. Yes, it is pretty, but prettier
in the copses below, where think you
must have observed it yesterday Here
| it runs very gravely; below it is a noisy
vagabond. You see it has uses here"
sYou draw your water here?' ask
ed, fascinated with the primitive idea.
Not unusually he replied, "but
there is well within the CASTLE doubt
| less from the same springs. Yet the
brook rendered more important serv-
ice in my predecessors times.
1 looked at him inquiringly. He
smiled.
sLet me see" he resumed, IF I can
give you ocular proof. 1t should be
here He stopped and, dipping his
stick into the water, poked among the
pebbles of the stream. "Ah, here it isl
I think / have itY' He looked toward
the. castle, above the battlements of
which now famed the morning sun.
They rose some fifty yards away.
ssThere is a connection with thy moat
by-ns.tna1 Of q eon'ii'ihi 49, "a NJ:
Kesteyen.
/ uttered an exclamation Of delight
and vowed that must explore farther.
1 Asserting graciously, he led the way
toward the house and, letting himself
gently down the slipping bank, walked,
peering about him, along the bottom
Of the moat. .sYou will find it over
grown, no doubt he said. But your
eyes are better than mine. 1t is zen
years since I looked for il"
searched amid the trailing creepers
and presently discovered the mouth of
the conduit. It was of thick stone and
mortar and from its appearance must
have been of very ancient construction.
But the opening was cheked with earth
and grass and probably had been so
for centuries. | said as much to Mr..
Kesteyen.
No. he returned, Il think not. l
believe my predecessor in the tenancy
Of the castle had it opened some fifty
years ago, and flooded the moat for
! his own amusement. understand that
the experiment was quite successful
and entertained a party of guests, one
of whom he added dryly, sfell into
| the water and was only rescued with
some difficulty. But you shall make
better acquaintance with our neigh
| borhood after breakfast. / assure you,
Mr.. Greatorex, it is worth your study,
and this castle of mine is by no means
singular"
was quite at his disposal for a
stroll later in the morning and upon
that occasion got my first knowledge
of the topography of the Gwent, a
knowledge which, as you shaal hear,
was glad enough to profit by at a little
later period And here may set forth
| in a few words the character of that
country which was destined to be so
strangely connected with my fortunes.
The castle stood upon a little eminence
toward the higher parts of the hills
and looked down toward the east upon
long, broad valley as upon its special
domain. This valley, which was some
three miles long and little more than a
mile across, was inclosed by undulat-
| ing hills and enveloped in a dense