We soon arrived at the pretty little town of Dawlish, and perhaps it was
its unique appearance that gave us the impression that we had reached
another of the prettiest places we had visited. There we halted for
refreshments and for a hurried excursion in and about the town, as we
were anxious to reach Torquay before night, where we had decided to stay
until Monday morning. We walked towards the source of the water, which
comes down from the higher lands in a series of pretty little
waterfalls, spreading out occasionally into small lakes adorned at the
sides with plots of grass and beds of flowers. The name Dawlish, we
learned, came from two Cornish words meaning "deep stream," or, as some
have it, "Devil's Water"; and behind the town on Haldon Hill was the
"Devil's Punchbowl," from which descended the water that passed through
the town, but which is in much too pleasant a position, we thought, to
be associated with his satanic majesty.
[Illustration: THE CONGER ROCK, DAWLISH]
Modern Dawlish (though "Doflisc" appears in early charters) only dated
from the year 1810, when the course of a small stream was changed, and
the pretty waterfalls made; rustic bridges were placed over it and
houses built near the banks; this scheme, which was intended to make the
fortunes of the prospectors and of the inhabitants generally, was
completed at the beginning of November in that year.
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