The National Intelligencer And Washington Advertiser

RENNEL'S CAVE,
IN GLAMORGANSHIRE.

(From the Rev. Mr. Warner's second walk)

"Half way down hangs one who gathers Camphire."

Though the cliff do not present to the eye so formidable a descent as the famous one at Dover, in the animated description of our great dramatic bard, yet it is sufficiently deep to excite our wonder at the hazardous practice which is very common amongst the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages, at the proper season of the year. I mean the practice of gathering the crithmum maritimum, or rock samphire, which grows in great plenty along the ledges, and down the perpendicular sides of the cliff. Shakespeare, you may recollect, alludes to this mode of livelihood, and calls it as he well might, "a dreadful trade," for few avocations are attended with so much danger. The method is simply this: the samphire gatherer takes with him a stout rope, and an iron crow bar, and proceeds to the cliff. Fixing the latter firmly into the earth at the brow of the rock, and fastening the former with equal security to the bar, he takes the rope in his hand, and boldly drops over the head of the rock, lowering himself gradually till he reaches the crevices in which the samphire is found. Here he loads his basket or bag with the vegetable, and then ascends again to the top of the cliff, by means of the rope. Carelessness or casualty, in a calling so perilous as this, will sometimes produce terrible accidents. One was related to us which, though not terminating fatally, was so full of horror, that to use a vulgar but very expressive phrase, it made our blood run cold.

"A few years since, one of these adventurers went alone to the spot we are speaking of, to follow his accustomed trade. He fixed his crow bar, attached the cord to it, and descended the face of the rock. In the course of a few minutes he reached a ledge, which gradually retiring inwards stood some feet within perpendicular, and over which the brow of the cliff beetled consequently in the same proportion. But in gathering samphire, and attentive only to the object of profit, the rope suddenly dropped from his hand, and after a few oscillations, but all without his reach, became stationary at the distance of four or five feet from him. Nothing could exceed the horror of his situation; above was a rock of sixty or seventy feet in height whose projecting brow would defy every attempt of his to ascend it, and prevent every effort of others to render him assistance. Below was a perpendicular descent of a hundred feet, terminated by cragged rocks over which the surge was breaking with dreadful violence. Before him was the rope, his only hope of safety, his only means of return; but hanging at such a tantalizing distance, as baffled all expectation of his reaching it. Our adventurer was fortunately young, active, resolute; he therefore quickly determined what plan to adopt: collecting all his powers into one effort, and springing boldly from the ledge, he threw himself into the dreadful vacuum and dashed at the suspended rope. The desperate exertion was successful; he caught the cord, and in a short time was once more at the top of the rock."