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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fcb05e9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62150 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62150) diff --git a/old/62150-0.txt b/old/62150-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3684e22..0000000 --- a/old/62150-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6802 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danube, by F. D. Millet - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Danube - From the Black Forest to the Black Sea - -Author: F. D. Millet - -Illustrator: Alfred Parsons - -Release Date: May 16, 2020 [EBook #62150] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DANUBE *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - [Illustration: Alfred Parsons F. D. Millet] - - - - - THE DANUBE - - FROM THE BLACK FOREST - TO THE BLACK SEA - - BY - F. D. MILLET - AUTHOR OF “A CAPILLARY CRIME” ETC. - - ILLUSTRATED BY - THE AUTHOR AND ALFRED PARSONS - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE - - Copyright, 1892, by HARPER & BROTHERS. - - _All rights reserved._ - - “_Wenn ich dann zu Nacht alleine_ - _Dichtend in die Wellen schau’,_ - _Steigt beim blanken Mondenscheine_ - _Auf die schmucke Wasserfrau_ - _Aus der Donau_ - _Aus der schönen, blauen Donau._” - --BECK. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER I - -The Black Forest--The Brigach and the Brege--The Highest Sources -of the Danube--Journey thence from London--Villingen--Arrival at -Donaueschingen--The Canoes and Outfit--Arbitrary Source of the -Danube Page 1 - - -CHAPTER II - -The Start--Swans and Spectators--The First Weir and First -Luncheon--Society for the Preservation of the Banks of the -Danube--Tuttlingen and Max Schneckenburger--First Public Performance -at a Weir--First Night in Camp and a Spoiled Breakfast--Monastery of -Beuron and its Monks--Crags and Castles 15 - - -CHAPTER III - -Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern--Nuns at Riedlingen--Haymakers and -Haymaking--The Last Weir--A Vigorous Current--The Confluence of the -Iller and the Danube--Ulm and the Danube Rowing Club--Start from -Ulm--Appointment of Camp-finder 32 - - -CHAPTER IV - -Lauingen; Its Architecture and its People--Blenheim -and Höchstädt--Donauwörth--Lumber-rafts and our Narrow -Escape--Virtuous Vohburg--Roman Remains and one of the Scenes in -the “Niebelungenlied”--Weltenburg Abbey--The Befreiungshalle and -Kelheim--In Sight of Ratisbon 46 - - -CHAPTER V - -Ratisbon; Its Architecture and its People--The Walhalla--The Plain of -Straubing--A Summer Squall--A Typical Bavarian Farm-house--Visit to a -Local Freight Flat-boat--Rowing Clubs at Deggendorf and at Winzer 59 - - -CHAPTER VI - -Fourth of July at Passau--The Austrian Frontier--Through the Gorge in -Rainy Weather--A Curious Ferry--A Brief Halt at Linz and a Camp at the -Mouth of the Traun--Shooting the Rapids below Grein--Melk and the Pass -below 74 - - -CHAPTER VII - -Dürrenstein, the Dungeon of Richard Cœur de Lion--Ruins and -Sentiment--A Gem of River Scenery--Canalization of the River--The only -“Blue Danube”--Tulln and its Antiquities--Active River Commerce--Our -Raftsmen Friends 88 - - -CHAPTER VIII - -Vienna; Its History and Characteristics--The Lia Rowing Club--Our Stay -at Hainburg and Excursions in the Neighborhood--Theben, the Frontier -Town of Hungary--A Model Postmaster 102 - - -CHAPTER IX - -Pressburg and the River below--Monotony of Landscape and -our Introduction to Dust and Mud--Gran; Its Situation and -Attractions--Visegrád--Our Hospitable Reception--General Görgei--Our -Reluctant Parting--Approach to Budapest--The First Accident to the -Fleet--The Neptune Club--Gypsy Music 119 - - -CHAPTER X - -Budapest almost our Capua--The Bridges and Baths--The Great Hungarian -Plain--Cheery River Folk--Duna Földvár--A Surprise Picnic and a Severe -Storm--In the Heart of Hungary--Mohács and a Veteran of Two Wars--Tokay -and Patriotic Sentiments 133 - -CHAPTER XI - -The Franzens Canal between the Danube and the Theiss--A Heterogeneous -Population--Monostorszég and a Peasants’ Dance--Curious Types and -Costumes--A Spectacular Sunday--First Signs of Oriental Life 151 - - -CHAPTER XII - -A Watermelon Metropolis--Our Fleet taken for Torpedo-boats--A Gypsy -Queen--Peterwardein and Carlowitz--Busy Life on the Banks--In -Sight of Belgrade--Evening in Camp--The Servian Frontier--Semlin -and Belgrade--Oriental Characteristics and Modern Improvements--A -Sculptor’s Paradise--An Unexpected Encounter 164 - - -CHAPTER XIII - -Semendria and its Great Castle--Our Passports are Useless--Bazias -and the Entrance to the Carpathians--The Emperor’s Birthday on a -Gunboat--Castle of Golubáç--Drenkova and the First Rapids--Escape from -a Whirlpool and a Dash through the Cataracts 184 - - -CHAPTER XIV - -Improvements to Navigation--Rapids of the Jur--The Kasan -Defile--Remarkable River Scenery--Trajan’s Tablet and Old Roman -Roadway--Orsova and the Herkulesbad--Ada Kaleh, the Turkish -Settlement--The Iron Gates--The Danube and the Ister--Origin of the -Name of the Danube--We Lose our Admiral--The Iron Gates--Captured by -Roumanian Soldiers--Under Military Supervision 197 - - -CHAPTER XV - -We are Arrested in a Servian Militia Camp--Barbaric Soldiery and -Strange People--We Surrender to a Roumanian Picket--A Characteristic -Servian Village--The Frontier of Bulgaria 211 - - -CHAPTER XVI - -Kalafat and Widdin--A Gale out of a Clear Sky--Bulgarian -Fishermen--Widdin and its People--Quaint Turkish Sailing Craft--The -River Landscape and the Bulgarian Villages--Custom-house -Annoyances--Our Passports save us 230 - -CHAPTER XVII - -A Grazing Country--Wild-fowl in Abundance--Nicopolis and the First -Reminder of the War of 1877-78--Exodus of Turks at Sistova--Trip -to Plevna--Echoes of the War--Rustchuk and Silistria--Monotony and -Mud 247 - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -Squally Weather and Head-winds--The Dobrudscha--Trajan’s Great -Wall--Our Camp is Besieged, but Peace is soon Declared--A Roumanian -Village--Braila and Galatz--A Tribe of Gypsies 267 - - -CHAPTER XIX - -The Danube Delta--The European Commission and its Work--Sulina, a Town -on English Soil--We Enter the Territory of the Czar--The River divides -and the Delta begins 280 - - -CHAPTER XX - -We Fraternize with Russian Soldiers--A Night at a Picket -Station--Custom-house Formalities at Ismail--We Encounter the Police--A -Desolate Land--We Camp in the Mud--Kilia--Moldavian Peasants and -Russian Pickets 295 - - -CHAPTER XXI - -We reach Vilkoff and Renew our Struggles with the Custom-house--A -Remote Town--The Sturgeon Fishery and Caviar--We Push on to the Black -Sea--A Gale is Blowing, and We make a Landing with Difficulty--The -Roumanian “Cordon”--A Paddle in the Black Sea--We dismantle our Canoes -and reach Sulina 312 - - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - -Alfred Parsons, Poultney Bigelow -and F. D. Millet. _Frontispiece_ - -Peasant Girl of the Black Forest 2 - -A Haymaker 3 - -Donaueschingen Girls 5 - -The Sketch-book 7 - -Black Forest Cow Team 10 - -Spectators 13 - -The Start--Donaueschingen 17 - -Pforen 20 - -Hut for Duck Shooting--Neidingen 22 - -Max Schneckenburger, Author -of “Die Wacht am Rhein” 23 - -Below Mühlheim, Kallenberg 25 - -Wernwag 28 - -Wildenstein 29 - -The Monks of Beuron 30 - -Sigmaringen 33 - -Hohenzollern 34 - -Nuns at Riedlingen 35 - -Crossing the Weir--Rottenacker 37 - -Peasant Girls Mowing 39 - -Bridge at Rottenacker 40 - -Wood-sawyer at Ulm 43 - -From Strasburg to Ulm 44 - -The Bell Tower--Lauingen 48 - -Donauwörth 49 - -The Ferry 51 - -From Ulm to Straubing 53 - -Between Weltenburg and Kelheim 54 - -An Early Visitor 55 - -Ratisbon from the Bridge 61 - -Returning from Market, Ratisbon 64 - -Oberau, near Straubing 65 - -Local Freight Flat-boat 69 - -On the Tile-boat 71 - -From Straubing to Dürrenstein 75 - -Grein, from the Camp, July 6, 1891 77 - -Pump at Pöchlarn 81 - -The Benedictine Monastery, Melk 85 - -Early Morning Opposite Dürrenstein 89 - -Dürrenstein 93 - -From Dürrenstein to Budapest 96 - -Lumber Raft 98 - -A Little Girl of Hainburg 103 - -Peasant Wagon, Hainburg 105 - -A Hungarian Ferry 107 - -The Wienerthor, Hainburg 108 - -The Town Wall, Hainburg 110 - -Hundsheim 113 - -Gossips, Hundsheim 116 - -The Watch-tower, Theben 117 - -Peasant Girl, Theben 120 - -Hungarian Cattle 121 - -Gran (Esztergom) 123 - -Visegrád 126 - -Swineherd 127 - -A Family Wash 130 - -An Ark-boat 131 - -Country Market-boat, Budapest 134 - -Washer-women 137 - -Duna Földvár 139 - -Water-carriers, Duna Földvár 142 - -Fishing-station 143 - -Peasant Girls at Mohács 146 - -From Budapest to Belgrade 152 - -Schokacz Types 154 - -In Sunday Dress, Monostorszég 157 - -Hungarian Girls at Bezdán 159 - -Erdöd 160 - -Current Mills 162 - -Vukovár Watermelons 166 - -A Pig-wallow 167 - -A Gypsy Girl 171 - -Threshing Wheat 173 - -A Croatian Bivouac 175 - -Ó Szlankamen 176 - -Servian Women 177 - -Fortress at the Junction of the -Danube and the Save--Belgrade 178 - -Bulgarian Bozaji, Belgrade 180 - -Fountain in the Square, Belgrade 182 - -Semendria 185 - -Rama 189 - -Golubáç 191 - -Roumanian Peasant Girl 194 - -The Kasan Defile 199 - -Remains of Trajan’s Road -near Orsova 202 - -From Belgrade to Rustchuk 204 - -Remains of Trajan’s Bridge, -Turnu Severin 207 - -Roumanian Peasants 209 - -Servian Fishing-canoes 210 - -Carrying Water for the Camp--Brza -Palanka 213 - -“Our Guard,” Servian Militia -Camp 215 - -Massing of Servian Troops on -the Bulgarian Frontier 217 - -Drawing Water for the Camp, -Brza Palanka 219 - -Servian Militia, Brza Palanka 223 - -Building a House in Servia 225 - -House at Radujeváç 226 - -Roumanian Picket Guard 227 - -Bulgarian Fisherman Basket-making 232 - -Cann, opposite Kalafat 235 - -Bulgarian Peasant Types 237 - -Turkish Types 239 - -Turkish Quarter, Widdin 241 - -Turkish Vessels 243 - -Bulgarian Village 245 - -Becalmed 247 - -On the Bulgarian Shore, near -Rahova 249 - -Turkish Flat-boat 252 - -Turkish Women at Sistova 253 - -Old Mosque, Rustchuk 257 - -Bulgarian Buffalo Cart 259 - -Market-place, Silistria 261 - -Mosque in Silistria 264 - -From Rustchuk to Sulina 265 - -Roumanian Peasants Selling -Flowers and Fruit 268 - -Hirsova 270 - -Gura Ghirlitza 272 - -Loading Grain at Braila 274 - -Gipsy Camp at Galatz 277 - -Galatz 281 - -Peasants of the Delta 284 - -Dredging the Delta 287 - -Turkish Sailing Lotka, Sulina 288 - -Hills near Matchin 289 - -Kilia 290 - -Chatal Saint George 291 - -Toultcha 293 - -Windmills of Toultcha 294 - -Russian Picket Post 297 - -Fishing-hut among the Reeds 303 - -A Late Camp 307 - -Moldavian Peasants: A Windy -Day in the Delta 309 - -Vilkoff 313 - -Fishing Station on the Black -Sea 315 - -Roumanian Sailors at the -“Cordon” 319 - -The Last Toilet in Camp 323 - -By the Black Sea 327 - - - - -THE DANUBE - -FROM THE BLACK FOREST TO THE BLACK SEA - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -At the head of a pleasant little valley high up among the bristling -mountain-tops of the Black Forest, a tiny stream of clear water comes -tumbling down the rocks, and, gathering strength and volume from an -occasional spring or a rivulet, cuts a deep channel into the rich soil -of the hayfields, and dances along gayly over its bed of glistening -pebbles. To the north, west, and south the bold summits of the -water-shed, heavily clothed in dark masses of coniferous trees, make a -rugged, strongly accentuated sky line, and to the east delightful vistas -of sunny slopes and fertile intervales stretch away in enchanting -perspective to the hazy distance. This little stream, the Brigach, with -its twin sister, the Brege, which rises about ten miles farther to the -south, are the highest sources of the mighty River Danube, the great -water highway of Europe since earliest history, celebrated for ages in -legend and song, gathering on its banks in its course of nearly two -thousand miles to the Black Sea the most varied and interesting -nationalities in the civilized world, and unfolding in its flow the most -remarkable succession of panoramas of natural beauty known to the -geographer. The Black Forest Railway, which crosses the mountains from -the valley of the Rhine into the upper valley of the Danube by the way -of Triberg, mounts the western escarpment of the range by a series of -steep grades, curves, and short tunnels, in the midst of beautiful -scenery of a semi-Alpine character, and, after the divide is reached, -follows the course of the Brigach to Donaueschingen, a tidy little town -in the Grand Duchy of Baden, usually called the source of the Danube, -and, for the greater part of the year, the head of navigation for small -boats on the upper river. A mile and a half below Donaueschingen the -Brigach and the Brege join, and the stream here receives the name of the -Danube. - -[Illustration: PEASANT GIRL OF THE BLACK FOREST] - -Our party of three was made up of ideal elements. The accuracy of this -statement must be permitted for a moment to eclipse the habitual modesty -of that member of the expedition whose duty it has become to tell the -story of the trip. The originator of the enterprise was an expert -canoist who had steered his frail craft through breakers of various seas -and over shoals of countless rivers. On him was to devolve the literary -part of the expedition--an arrangement which would have been carried out -but for the ruthless interference of that all-powerful tyrant, Time. The -other two members of the alliance expected to take elaborate notes of -all attractive features of the landscape and all interesting types of -humanity, the one meanwhile joyfully anticipating the pursuit of his -favorite study of botany, and the other - -[Illustration: A HAYMAKER] - -indulging in the exhilarating prospect of explorations in the -fascinating field of philology, and looking forward with no little -interest to revisiting under the pleasantest of auspices old friends and -familiar scenes. We agreed to meet at Donaueschingen on June 22d, and -made all our arrangements to have the canoes reach that point on or -previous to that date. The experience of old travellers with canoes was -all against the successful consummation of this plan, particularly as -two of the boats had to be shipped from New York, and would not be -finished until the 3d of the month. The fate of the other canoe was more -or less certain, for the owner decided to watch it himself all the way -from London to the place of meeting, having learned after many -disappointments that this process of transportation, although irksome, -was the only one he could depend upon. On the evening of Saturday, June -20th, two of us left London in the wake of the Admiral of the fleet, who -had paddled his canoe down the Thames to the Flushing boat some days -before. Thirty-six hours later, on the morning of the 22d, refreshed and -cheered by the brisk air of the mountains after two feverish nights on -the journey, we saw between the showers of rain the brilliant sunlight -sparkling on a tiny mountain brook near the little hamlet of Sommerau, -on the eastern slope of the water-shed. Although we had no map or -guide-book, we knew at once that our acquaintance with the Danube had -begun. The long-dormant sporting corpuscles in our blood took on a -sudden and stimulating activity, and we were in a nervous quiver to -begin our long-dreamed-of cruise. The Rhine had failed to charm us with -its majestic scenery; we had seen only the hideous scars that modern man -has made on the fair face of nature there, with villas of carpenter’s -Gothic and summer hotels of repulsively mammoth proportions. Cologne, -Mayence, Strasburg, which, under ordinary circumstances, would have been -joys to us, had been on this journey aggravating impediments in the way -of our progress, for all the trains had seemed to combine viciously to -break connections at these points and to force us to delay our eager -flight. The charms of architecture and art, although always potent, had -been but a meagre consolation to us in our impatience to begin our -intimate communion with Nature. Even the wonderful railway journey over -the pass, while it had put us in a better mood and temporarily stirred -our emotions, had not given us a tithe of the sensation that the sparkle -of the rivulet caused as we caught sight of it after a great gray -curtain of rain had been driven away by an all-powerful flood of -sunlight. - -The quaintest and strangest of costumes met our eyes as we leaned out of -the window of our compartment when the train stopped at the station of -St. Georgen, eager to see how the brook had widened there. The hurrying -peasant women, in queer skull-caps with immense ribbon bows, stiff -bodices, and short petticoats, seemed to be the supernumeraries in the -prologue of an exciting, drama now about to begin. The train rolled -slowly on with that peculiar settling-down motion that denotes a -descending grade, and we watched the yard-wide brook gradually expand -its channel and assume the proportions of a goodly stream. In the -fertile valley near Villingen, where the country opens out - -[Illustration: DONAUESCHINGEN GIRLS] - -and the landscape becomes more extensive, the stream was now fully a -half-dozen yards wide, and the recent heavy rains had filled it nearly -to overflowing with a yellow flood. We had a sudden and strong -temptation to stop and begin our cruise at this point, but the -uncertainty of the fate of our canoes, of which we had received no item -of information since they had been shipped at New York, made it -imperative for us to push on to Donaueschingen, and our ambition to make -the highest start on record in the Danube annals was forever crushed by -the considerations of transportation. Donaueschingen was still dripping -from a heavy shower when we arrived about noon-time, but the eloquently -beaming face of our companion would have dispelled the gloom of the -heaviest thunder-storm, and we heeded not the weather, for we understood -at once that the canoes had arrived and were all right. Indeed, contrary -to all precedent and all prophecy, they had turned up safe and sound the -day before; and when we saw them for the first time, all sleek and shiny -and dainty, resting on the flag-stones of the inn-yard as lightly as -bubbles on a pool of water, we felt that kind and quality of elation -that had been a stranger to us since the first happy day of school -vacation. Graceful as violins, with sails whiter than the fresh -whitewash of the tidy hostlery, with shining nickel fittings and every -detail highly finished, they combined in their construction beauty and -strength in a near approach to perfection. - -Under the very wall of the inn-yard the Brigach, now quite a river and -much swollen by the floods, rushed and foamed and filled the air with an -inviting murmur. Donaueschingen has long been the starting-point for -boating expeditions to Vienna, but, as we rightly conjectured, no craft -similar to the American cruising canoe had ever before been seen there. -Curiosity to examine the novelties, coupled with the knowledge of our -plan to cruise as far as the Black Sea, which had been widely -disseminated by our advance agent in his brief stay, made a ripple of -excitement all over the town, and the inn-yard was constantly crowded -with visitors, many of them skilled mechanics, for the neighborhood is -widely famous for its clocks and wood-carvings. Only one of us, as I -have already confessed, was acquainted with a canoe of this kind, but we -were all experienced in the management of birch-barks and Canadians and -other small craft. We effectually concealed our ignorance from the -spectators, however, and in the guise of testing the apparatus after its -long journey, worked the sails, rudder, and centre-board, set up the -tents, shipped and unshipped the hatches, until we became quite familiar -with the working of them all. It may be as well at the beginning to show -the result of our examination of the canoes and to describe them -briefly, for the reason that our adventures will be better appreciated -and our river life better understood if some adequate notion can be -given of the craft that carried us by day and housed us for the night -for three happy months. - -[Illustration: THE SKETCH-BOOK] - -The three canoes were as nearly alike in dimensions, lines, weight, and -fittings as the skill of an old and famous builder on the banks of the -East River, New York, could make them. They measured 15 feet in length, -30 inches in width, and about 18 inches in extreme depth. A deck of thin -mahogany covered the whole with the exception of an oval opening about 6 -feet long and 20 inches wide, which was surrounded by an oak coaming -about 2 inches high. A series of hatches was fitted to this coaming, and -these could be adjusted in various ways, so that the canoe could be -converted in a moment from an open boat into a modified _Rob Roy_, or -entirely covered up and locked as securely as a jewel-box. Like all -similar craft, a good strong oaken keel made the backbone, and a great -many small ribs of riven heart-of-oak were copper-riveted to this keel, -forming, with the stem--and stern-post and a few cross-timbers, a light, -strong, and not too rigid skeleton. The sheer-strake was of mahogany, -and the others of selected white cedar. All the fastenings were of the -best copper, and the trimmings and fittings of nickel-plated brass. One -peculiarity of the construction was that the deck-boards and all the -strakes ran from stem to stern without a splice. The weight of each -canoe, empty, was about eighty pounds, but with the nickel-plated drop -rudder, heavy brass folding centre-board, two sails with masts and -spars, paddles and general outfit, the whole weight in cruising trim -must have been fully 200 pounds, but we never verified this estimate, -judging only by the fact that at no time during the trip were they too -heavy to be lifted easily by two of us. - -We were naturally quite as much interested in the practical working of -the canoes as in their appearance, for we knew that the brilliant -varnish would soon grow dim, the smooth surface of the mahogany become -dented and scratched, and that the lines and proportions would alone - -[Illustration: BLACK FOREST COW TEAM] - -remain to testify to the original perfection of the build. The two -sails, a large leg-of-mutton main-sail and a mizzen of similar shape but -much smaller, could be raised, lowered, reefed, and furled from the -canoist’s seat on the floor of the cockpit. The mizzen-mast could be -unshipped, the rudder raised out of the water or lowered below the keel; -the centre-board, which shut up like a fan into a long slot in the keel, -could be adjusted to any desirable depth; the hatches could be shipped -and unshipped, the canoe baled out, and all other necessary operations -of navigation performed with the greatest ease and rapidity. A -double-blade paddle 8 feet long, and jointed so that the blades could be -turned at right angles to each other, was to be depended upon for the -ordinary means of propulsion, but we anticipated using the sails as -often as wind, weather, and the run of the river would permit. When -paddling or sailing, the after-hatch of the cockpit was to be left on, -and a movable bulkhead, upon which the forward part of the hatch rested, -was intended to serve as a back-rest for the occupant, who also might -sit upon the hatch and thus change his position at discretion. The -length between the bulkheads was 8 feet, and on the cedar floor-boards -of this space we proposed to make our bed for the night, trigging the -canoe up on the shore for the purpose, and thus providing for ourselves -a dry, sheltered, and comfortable bed under all circumstances. A -box-tent of good duck was made to be slung between the masts and to -button securely along the gunwales. This was provided with flaps for -ventilation and entrance, and with mosquito-proof curtains. The -water-tight compartments fore and aft made excellent spaces for dry -storage, and during the day all articles for handy use were to be kept -behind the back-rest where they could be easily got at. The spare -paddle, unjointed for the sake of packing, the sketching apparatus, maps -and note-books, and the foot-steering gear and the fore-hatches, were to -be the only encumbrances of the cockpit proper. When we came to -experiment with our outfit we found that we had plenty of room and to -spare, and subsequent experience proved to us the accuracy of our first -plans for the stowage and arrangement of all our traps. - -We naturally depended largely on the advice of the veteran cruiser of -the party for the selection of our outfit, and we two novices had a -consultation with him shortly after our expedition was decided upon. -Knowing nothing about the canoes, we asked him what we should take along -to make a bed with; whether we should carry an air-pillow or one of the -small cork mattresses we had seen advertised for such trips. - -“Dear me, no!” he said. “You don’t need any blanket. Sleep in your -clothes!” - -“But a pillow?” we urged. - -“Just fold up your trousers for a pillow!” - -“Then what do you cover yourself up with?” - -“That’s simple enough. Pop your legs in the sleeves of your coat and -your feet and ankles will be as warm as toast.” - -“What about your shoulders?” - -“Oh, well; haul any old thing over your shoulders. You’ll soon get used -to that. The less you carry the better.” - -This unique method of making one’s self comfortable for the night -appealed more to our sense of humor than it did to the practical side of -our nature, and we decided to carry a good thick woollen blanket, a -rubber one of extra quality, a canvas boat-bag with a suit of -shore-going clothes, a sleeping-suit, various spare flannels, socks, -boating-shoes, and other small articles. This bag would make, if packed -with that end in view, an excellent pillow; and we proposed to trust to -our constitutional endurance to become indifferent to the hardness of -the canoe floor. A bicycle cape, a sketching umbrella and camp-stool, -together with a sketch-bag full of materials, practically completed the -personal outfit of the majority of the party. Of all these articles we -found the rubber ones alone to be of no real use. The bicycle cape shed -water for a few minutes and then converted itself into a complicated -system of gargoyles which conducted the drip into the most intimate -recesses of our clothing, and soon made the canoe floor a perfect swamp. -As for the expensive rubber blankets, they were a fetich for many weeks. -The hours and hours we waited for those dew-dripping sheets to dry! The -care we took of them lest they should get burned or torn, and prove -worthless in the hour of need! The trouble we took to pack them by day -and to cover them up at night lest they should gather all the moisture -of the neighborhood and communicate it to our clothing! We never but -once used them to shed the rain, and that was the third night of our -expedition, but we conscientiously lugged them along with us the whole -distance, and got only our bother for our pains. The sketching umbrellas -and the camp-stools were, on the other hand, of the greatest use and a -constant comfort. When it rained we sat at our ease on the stools and -comfortably cooked and ate and smoked under the spreading expanse of -white linen. When a shower overtook us on the water we often hoisted the -umbrellas and drifted along as sheltered and as dry as could be. - -[Illustration: SPECTATORS] - -Our _batterie de cuisine_ consisted of three spirit-lamps of different -sizes and styles, a few plates and cups of white enamelled ironware, a -tin kettle, coffee-pot, teapot, and water-can, knives, forks, spoons, -and ladle. These necessary articles, together with the hatchet, a few -tools and copper nails, medicines and general stores, we soon learned to -distribute properly among the three canoes, and thus divide the weight -and amicably share the trouble of transportation. It was astonishing how -much the canoes would hold, and every time we unpacked them we always -marvelled at their loading capacity. In addition to the outfit described -we often had to carry fresh meat, vegetables, milk and wine, and a large -store of burning spirits, to say nothing of a great many canned -provisions. The limit seemed to be fixed only by the weight we were -individually willing to struggle with. - -Our experiments with the canoes in the inn-yard and the rearrangement of -our luggage occupied us most of the whole afternoon of the long summer -day, but we had daylight enough left in which to see the town and stroll -through the extensive park with its lakes and its sociable swans, and to -gaze from afar on the inhospitable looking palace of the Princes of -Fürstenberg, who have arbitrarily declared for their own glorification -that a large spring in their pleasure-grounds is the actual source of -the Danube. They have surrounded the spring with expensive masonry, and -erected a stone tablet with an inscription giving the information, among -other things, that that spot is 678 metres above sea level and 2840 -kilometres from the Black Sea by way of the Danube. The hotel where we -stayed is at the southern end of the fine stone bridge connecting the -two sections into which the Brigach divides the town. Conveniently near -to the hotel is a large flight of stone steps leading down to the water, -and here we proposed to launch the canoes early the next morning and -make our start, a few yards above the source of the Danube, according to -the prince’s tablet, and about 2000 yards above the junction of the -Brigach and the Brege, where the stream is first christened the Danube. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -The final preparations for our cruise occupied more time than we -anticipated, and it was quite eight o’clock before the canoes touched -water at the foot of the slippery stone steps. A large proportion of the -inhabitants of Donaueschingen gathered on the bridge and near the -landing to see us off, and a dozen eager volunteers helped us carry our -boats and launch them into the yellow stream. A few minutes sufficed to -stow the traps, for we had sent the sails and tents and various other -articles by rail to Ulm, thinking they would be more trouble than use on -the upper part of the river, with its succession of dams and weirs. -Then, amid the “Hochs!” and “Glückliche Reises!” of the multitude, we -scrambled in, each in turn, and pushed off. We firmly believe that no -one in the great crowd of spectators detected that two of us were -handling a double-bladed paddle for the first time--not even the two -ladies from Massachusetts whom we met at the inn, for their hearty -interest in our trip, and their enthusiastic admiration for the canoes, -doubtless blinded them to the observance of our awkwardness. The -swelling, curling stream bore us merrily out of sight of the town, and -only an occasional paddle stroke was necessary to keep the bow in the -right direction. Boys and girls ran along the shady path trying to keep -pace with us, and we saw on the highway a carriage with our lady -friends, who loyally kept sight of us for several miles. A very short -time sufficed to familiarize us with the management of the canoes, so we -could thoroughly enjoy the beauty of the landscape and indulge in the -unalloyed feeling of satisfaction at our successful start, and we swept -on through the great alternating patches of sunlight and shadow, under -trailing boughs of large trees and past beds of tall rushes. In a few -moments the Brege came in with a volume of water about equal to the -Brigach, and then the real Danube rushed on, already quite majestic in -aspect, through fields kaleidoscopic with myriads of flowers, reflecting -in its pools the clear blue of the sky with brilliant summer clouds, -adding new charms to the landscape at every turn. A number of swans from -the park at Donaueschingen swam just ahead of us nearly to the first -village, Pforen, with its dominating church edifice and huge wooden -bridge. When they reached this self-imposed limit of their excursion -they rose into the air with great flutterings and splashings, wheeled -around and passed us so near at hand that we could feel the air from -their great wings, then sailed away in graceful flight to their home in -the secluded islands of the park. Large white wing-feathers danced along -down stream; and when, many weeks afterwards, we dismantled our canoes -on the shores of the Black Sea, we found one of these carefully stowed -away in an angle of the underpart of the deck, and, with mock ceremony -of a message from the Swan of the Source to the Sturgeon of the Sea, -threw it to the strong north wind. - -The meadows were full of haymakers--men, women, and children--laughing -and chattering and bidding us “Grüss Gott!” as we passed. The odors of -the fresh hay and the perfumes of the flowers were almost intoxicating -in their strength. Nature on every side of us had that peculiar -freshness and depth of color which comes with the first clear weather at -the end of a long-continued rain, and the - -[Illustration: THE START--DONAUESCHINGEN] - -landscape, seen from the level of the water, had the increased beauty of -line and composition which so often comes from this point of view in the -perspective. In less than an hour we reached our first weir near the -little village of Neidingen, but the banks were easily accessible owing -to the height of the stream, and in five minutes we had dragged the -canoes across a grassy point and had launched them again. From the -accounts we had read of these obstructions to navigation of the upper -river, we anticipated much greater difficulties than we encountered at -any of the one-and-twenty weirs and dams we navigated between -Donaueschingen and Ulm, although the first one of all was by far the -easiest to pass, and should not be mentioned as a fair sample. The weirs -are far more numerous than the dams; indeed, there are but two or three -of the latter. These, of course, must be carried over because of the -sheer descent of the construction, whereas the weirs usually consist of -a long slope of masonry over which the canoes can be shot without -difficulty at the end of a long painter. - -The delight of our first luncheon in the open air will never lose its -freshness in the memory of either of us three. After a struggle with a -weir at Geisingen, we landed in a pleasant meadow just below the village -among waist-high ranks of wonderfully brilliant flowers, and lay for an -hour basking in the balmy, perfume-laden, sunny air. At our feet the -Danube, not the “beautiful blue” of song, but a vigorous, rushing -stream, danced and sparkled in the sunlight. Before us were -heavily-wooded hills with cool and tempting shadows, behind us the -cluster of half-timbered houses and dignified church-tower of the -village, and everywhere around the glories of a perfect June day. A few -children, attracted by the sight of the canoes, interrupted our siesta; -but when the school-bell sounded they all scampered away, and their -prompt obedience to the call of authority made our independence seem -all the more real and desirable. Then and there at our first -landing-place we formed ourselves into a Society for the Preservation of -the Banks of the Danube, appointed a president, secretary, and -treasurer, and a board of management, and unanimously adopted one -regulation, which was to the effect that we should not disfigure in any -way the spots we might occupy as camps, but that all rubbish and -unsightly debrís should be carefully hidden or thrown into the stream. -To the honor of the S. P. B. D. let it be chronicled here that the -regulation was strictly observed to the very end of the cruise. - -[Illustration: PFOREN] - -Below Neidingen and past Geisingen, Immendingen, and Möhringen the river -winds through broad, fertile meadows, and in summer it is a panorama of -wild-flowers. In the quiet pools of the stream we startled many -water-fowl, and once caught sight of a deer feeding near the water. -Numerous huts along the bank showed us that this was a favorite -shooting-ground in the season, and there were many indications that the -game is carefully preserved. The whole of that perfect first day was one -uninterrupted succession of surprises and delights, both in landscape -and architecture. The frequent villages were all of them interesting and -picturesque both in construction and in situation, and as the houses -lost their alpine character and became more solid and settled in type, -they formed fascinating groups, and made a charming feature of every -view. - -In the late afternoon we floated out of the sweet air of the meadows -into a stratum of effluvia from the tanneries of Tuttlingen, and but for -the fact that the town claims as its hero Max Schneckenburger, the -author of the words of “Die Wacht am Rhein” who was educated here in his -youth, and for the more cogent reason of hunger, we probably should have -paddled past the town without pausing longer than to admire some of its -architectural features. Tuttlingen is not all tanneries, although, as we -approached, we thought it must be, by the smell. It is a goodly-sized -place, with the usual castle, an unusual church, and red-tiled houses, -many of them elaborately half-timbered. Opposite the town, which -straggles along the right bank of the stream, a great open meadow is in -process of reclamation from the floods, and is being converted into a -park or public pleasureground. In this flat expanse of rough ground -stands a great square mass of masonry, which will sometime or other -support the statue of Schneckenburger, for the Tuttlingers are actively -engaged in gathering subscriptions for this monument. - -Schneckenburger can scarcely be called a poet, for these verses are -probably the only ones of any account he ever wrote--at least, no others -have been preserved--and they came from his pen at the age of -twenty-one. Nine years later, in 1849, he died, having become -established as a small merchant, after several years’ experience as a -commercial traveller. From the accounts given of him by his widow, the -distinctive feature of his character was patriotic fervor, which found -its earliest expression in his choice of a motto, “Deutsch,” in his -school-boy days, and later in the sentiments of “Die Wacht am Rhein.” -The ever-active discussion in our camp, whether the extraordinary -popularity of the patriotic song is due to the verses or to the music, -is hereby passed on for final settlement to the readers of this -narrative. We never could agree about it. - -[Illustration: Hut for duck shooting - -Neidingen.] - -As it was already late when we reached Tuttlingen, we proposed to hurry -our dinner so as to have plenty of daylight to shoot the great weir -which filled the air with its roaring. But the deliberate ways of German -landlords are not easily changed, and we only succeeded in getting off -in the late twilight. With some misgivings we paddled out into -mid-stream, towards the sound of the falling water, between the two -great bridges. The fame of our expedition - -[Illustration: MAX SCHNECKENBURGER, AUTHOR OF “DIE WACHT AM RHEIN” - -[From an old portrait]] - -had spread far and wide, and it was the hour of leisure, so the -Tuttlingers had assembled by thousands along the banks and on the -bridges to see the mad strangers come to grief in the cataract on the -great weir. The sight of the black masses of people stimulated us almost -to rashness, and, without mutual consultation, we steered straight for -some snags which had caught on the angle of the weir, and jumping out -into the knee-deep water, each of us shot his canoe over at the end of -the painter fastened to the stern and, holding the line, scrambled down -the incline where the water was shallowest, jumped into his canoe and -swept away under the second bridge. All this was done in very little -longer time than it takes to tell about it. When the three canoes -appeared almost simultaneously in the smooth water below the second -bridge, shouts of “Hip! Hip!” and “Glückliche Reise!” echoed from the -hill-sides to the towers of Honberg Castle. We replied in chorus -“Schneckenburger soll hoch leben!” and dramatically disappeared in the -gathering darkness. A half-dozen youths, ambitious to discover where and -how we were going to pass the night, followed us along the bank, and we -were loath to make our first camp until we had gotten rid of them. We -accordingly paddled on and on, scarcely able to see the banks, and at -last found an apparently secluded spot and landed. We hauled up the -canoes into the dew-drenched meadow, made our simple preparations for -the night, and lay down in the snug, warm cockpits. The first night in -camp is never a very restful one, and the unaccustomed and somewhat -cramped berth with all sorts of sharp projecting corners and the hardest -of floors, did not assist our slumbers. Nor did the visit of a bevy of -peasant girls who had ventured out from a neighboring farm-house, which -we had not noticed in the darkness, help us to lose consciousness as -they stood for a long time in the moonlight chattering in soft voices -and repeating the story of our exploit at the great weir, which had -evidently been related to them by the youths whom we had successfully -dodged when we landed. The heavy dew obliged us to cover up our berths -in some way, and we tried the rubber blanket as the proper article for -such a purpose. This was far too hot. Then we tried the deck hatches, -which shut down so closely that they left no room for us to turn over -and, besides, were as hot as the rubber blanket. So we passed the night -between fitful naps and impatient struggles with temporary roofs. The -sun had not begun to dissipate the river fog before we had taken our -plunge and were ready for breakfast. By general understanding, the -experienced cruiser, or Admiral of the fleet, was expected to do the -cooking, and he had made elaborate preparations for this duty. The other -two hungry members of the expedition watched the operation of preparing -this first breakfast with eager interest, listening meanwhile to the -words of wisdom which came from the _chef_ as he sat in his canoe wedged -into the narrow cockpit by all the paraphernalia of his temporary -trade. - -[Illustration] - -“It’s no use to get out of your canoe to cook a meal,” he said, with a -tone of authority that silenced our incipient suggestions as to a tidy -spot on the flat surface of an adjacent rock. “It’s a thousand times -simpler and easier to cook in your canoe, for your things are so handy. -All you have to do is to sit just where you are and reach for whatever -you want. Besides, you never lose anything, for nothing can get far out -of sight in a canoe.” - -All this time he was carefully arranging a towering, complex -construction of tin and brass, with a large spirit-lamp beneath. It was -a coffee-machine of his own invention, which, after having been charged -with the various materials, was expected to make a most excellent brew -at one operation. The water was to come to a boil at the same time with -the milk, and then be forced in some mysterious way through the coffee, -and come out _café au lait_ of a quality not to be found this side -Paris. Everything went on quite satisfactorily for a few minutes, and -then the spectators saw a cloud of steam and a fountain of milk suddenly -rise high into the air, and, simultaneously with the explosion, saw the -cook leap from the canoe all ablaze and roll wildly in the long wet -grass. The canoe was covered with flaming spirits, but the fire was -extinguished with little difficulty. The milk was all lost, the coffee -scattered into the remotest crevices of the cockpit, the eggs were -broken, the bread soaked with a nauseous mixture, and breakfast was in a -mess generally. Fortunately, the damage to the person of the cook was -slight, but the laceration of his feelings was far more serious and -lasting, and he gave up the position of cook of the expedition which he -had talked about for six weeks and had filled for six minutes, and -became second dish-washer and scullery-boy. - -We were eager to be afloat once more, so we picked up a scratch -breakfast and launched the canoes while the ring of the scythe was -still in the air, and the busy spreaders had not yet begun their work. - -[Illustration: Wernwag.] - -We shot three weirs in as many hours, and passed Neudingen, Mühlheim, -and Friedingen before eleven o’clock. At the last-named village, a -sweetly pastoral place among the hills, we encountered our first rapids, -for the flood was so high that all the shallows in the river above had -been quite covered, and we had seen white water at the weirs alone. The -channel narrows at this point, the hills crowd close to the banks, and -great gray crags rise from the dark foliage on the steep slopes. Ruins -of castles crown almost every prominent summit, and the scenery grows -wilder and more beautiful at every bend of the river. Kallenberg, -Wildenstein, Wernwag, Falkenstein, and a half-score of other ruins, -equally wonderful in situation, tempted us to sketch them, and we found -the most delightful spots imaginable wherever we paused and exchanged -the paddle for the pencil. - -About eighteen miles below Tuttlingen, in the midst of the -castle-crowned hills, we passed the monastery of Beuron, covering with -its extensive buildings a great flat point in the river, under sheer -towering limestone cliffs, surmounted by a grim black cross several -hundred feet above the chapel spire. - -[Illustration: Wildenstein] - -The monastery is imposing in extent but not in style, and the railway -bridge close by does not add to the charm of the landscape. The rapid -current hurried us on, not against our will, and we only paused to watch -the monks haymaking in the meadows, wearing a dress which looked like a -compromise between the costumes of a washerwoman and a Cape Cod -fisherman. They must have suffered in the hot sun, with their gowns of -heavy woollen stuff, but they suffered in silence, and did not deign to -answer our greetings or even to turn their eyes upon us. - -We practically finished the day’s cruise at the little village of -Gutenstein, where we dined in the simple country gasthaus for a -ridiculously trifling sum, and listened to the droning gossip of a -lounging locksmith, who was minding his little child while the mother -was at work in the hayfields. With the exception of this descendant of -the Jan Steen type and the landlord and his wife, we saw only small -children and decrepit old people. The rest were all at work haymaking, -and we left before the population returned to the village. We selected -our camp-ground--with an eye to beauty of situation as well as -comfort--on a high point in a perfect paradise of wild-flowers. From -Alfred Parsons’s note-book for the first two days of the cruise I take -the following extract, which will give an idea of the wealth of the -flora of this district: - -[Illustration: THE MONKS OF BEURON] - -“From Donaueschingen downward the meadow flowers have a subalpine -character--masses of ragged-robin and bladder-lychnis (the calyx of -which is a delicate mauve), knotweed, various campanulas (one with -bright mauve flowers in a very loose panicle), buttercups, purple sage, -and grasses in flower. On the river banks for a long way down are masses -of yellow iris, and occasionally sweet-calamus. In one meadow a purple -variety of rocket; and generally the usual English meadow flowers. Lower -down _Campanula glomerata_ grows in fine purple masses with the sage; -and in the rocky parts about Beuron were bright pinks, like the -chedder-pink, _Geranium sanguineum_, and saxifrages. A bright blue -veronica grows plentifully as you go down (_Quære spicata?_). Other -plants on the rocks were a purple lactuca, dog-rose, systopteris, -wall-rue, and _Adiantum nigrum_.” - -As long as daylight lasted we botanized and sketched; and when twilight -came on we watched the glowing hill-sides fade into a simple mass in -silhouette against the starlit sky, and then slept like tired children. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -Our camp was pitched very near the boundary line between Baden and -Hohenzollern, and a short distance above Sigmaringen, the residential -town of Prince Hohenzollern. We were prepared to meet a certain degree -of stateliness in the tiny capital, and our anticipations were -strengthened by the sight of a well-kept park on the river-bank long -before the town came in view. There were summer-houses and -pleasure-boats and other indications that the place belonged to somebody -of importance in the neighborhood. Further, the natural scenery was -marred by the conversion of a large overhanging limestone cliff into a -mortuary slab in memory of a princess who died in 1841, and whose -virtues were set forth in metal letters a foot long. We expected, then, -to find the town distinguished by equal pretensions and bad taste, -knowing too well how much destruction can be wrought in these modern -times by the engines at command of every long purse. To our surprise and -delight, however, the panorama which spread out before us as we -approached Sigmaringen was one of great beauty, and the town, imposingly -situated on a high promontory, made an unusually fine focus in the -composition. We found on near acquaintance that the architecture, though -not unpleasing, was by no means particularly interesting, and we did not -delay there longer than was necessary to purchase a few stores. - -About forty miles by rail and road to the north of Sigmaringen is the -great castle of Hohenzollern, the seat of the imperial family of -Prussia. The present castle is of modern construction, having been begun -by Frederick William IV. and finally completed in 1867. It is remarkably -bold in situation and commanding in appearance, and, although it has -seldom sheltered any of the imperial family of late years, is kept up -with great care and is garrisoned by quite a large force of troops. - -[Illustration: Sigmaringen.] - -Sigmaringen marks the lower limit of the series of rocky gorges into -which the river plunges near Friedigen, and soon after leaving the town -we came into a more pastoral region again, similar to that of our first -day’s cruise. The flora changed somewhat, and fewer varieties of plants -were noticeable. Alfred Parsons makes the following remarks in his -botanical note-book: “Below Sigmaringen the meadow flora becomes more -like that of England, but still with campanulas and purple sage; also -occasionally a bright crimson dianthus with clusters of flowers. In an -ash wood beneath which we camped was an undergrowth of _Spiræa aruncus_, -all in bloom, five or six feet in height; in the wood also were -Turk’s-cap lilies, Jacobs-ladder, tall, pale-yellow phyteuma, and -commonly, near the river, gelder-rose bushes and clumps of -forget-me-nots and white water-buttercups. The general impression of the -flora is a greater prevalence of purple and blue flowers.” - -[Illustration: _Hohenzollern._] - -Frequent villages dot the hill-sides on either side of the broad, -fertile valley, and the river begins to feel a new tyranny of man in the -partial canalization of its channel. The current now increased in speed -between the artificially straightened banks, and, counting the kilometre -marks as we swept along, we found we were making seven and a half -kilometres (nearly five miles) an hour without lifting a paddle. A more -satisfactory mode of progression never fell to the lot of any traveller. -Perfect summer weather, a comfortable canoe to lounge in, beautiful -landscapes on all sides; - -[Illustration: NUNS AT RIEDLINGEN] - -and a vigorous current under the keel which gave an exhilarating sense -of added strength, much like that felt when riding a spirited horse. -Nothing more could be desired except, perhaps, unlimited time in which -to enjoy such pleasant recreation. Haste was, indeed, a slight drawback -to our enjoyment. We did not dare delay, for the season was already in -its full prime, and we knew that the gales began in the lower river as -early as the first week of September; besides, one of the party had only -a limited number of weeks at his disposal. Under other circumstances we -would have spent a day or more at Riedlingen, where we found most -interesting architecture along the river-front and saw a party of nuns -at work in a hay-field. We had a little more social success with them -than we did with their coreligionists, the monks at Beuron, for they -turned their great, cool, flapping head-dresses in our direction, and -actually seemed temporarily interested in our canoes, and in us as well. - -A threatening storm drove us to seek shelter at dinnertime in a rural -gasthaus in a little priest-ridden hamlet where a morose landlady gave -us excellent bread and milk in rude earthen bowls, and was prevailed -upon to part with some of her store of fresh bread and eggs. The -peasants came hurrying into the village to escape the rain, their -creaking carts piled high with hay and the sturdy little horses white -with sweat. It was a ready-made picture from “Hermann and Dorothea.” We -had occasion to regret in the night that we had not brought our tents, -for it rained steadily for hours, and the rubber blankets rigged on the -paddles made an inefficient shelter against the driving storm. But we -were none the worse the next morning, and as soon as the ring of scythes -of the women mowing in the next field woke us from our sound sleep we -were up, cooked breakfast, and were soon off down pleasant reaches with -overhanging rocks and occasional ruins frowning down from the pinnacled -crags. - -Every mile or two we passed a village, each more picturesque than its -neighbor, and all with sonorous names that suggest places of great -importance--Rechtenstein, Obermarschthal, Munderkingen, Rottenacker. -Each village had its weir and its mill, and sometimes two of them. -Various accidents occurred, none of them of a startling nature, and none -resulting in anything worse than temporary - -[Illustration: CROSSING THE WEIR--ROTTENACKER] - -[Illustration: PEASANT GIRLS MOWING] - -inconvenience. The Admiral of the fleet, trusting too much in his -knowledge of river navigation, swamped his canoe in a weir, and would -have been in a sad strait but for the timely assistance of some mill -hands. The canoes got some heavy bumping at times while we were shooting -rapids below the weirs; but there was little or no injury done to them, -and the only actual loss of property was one favorite brierwood pipe--a -loss which will appeal to the sympathy of every smoker who has tried the -pipes of central Europe. We happened to reach Rottenacker at noon, when -a great procession of rustics, armed with every imaginable kind of -haymaking implements, was crossing the bridge to their labors after the -mid-day meal. They halted on the bridge, looking for all the world like -a detachment from Monmouth’s army, and watched us run the canoes over -the weir. They gave a hoarse shout of approval of our skill, and after -we had dashed down under the great wooden bridge they marched off in -almost martial array, and scattered over the broad meadows like -skirmishers. An hour later we reached the last weir on the river at the -village of Oepfingen, and, confident from the appearance of the water -that the canoes would float on it with our weight, we triumphantly -paddled over the crest and shot safely into the boiling pool below. We -had counted in all only twenty-one weirs and dams, although the -different accounts of expeditions in the upper river give the number as -twenty-five between Donaueschingen and Ulm. In all probability the -unusually high water covered some of the smaller ones, and we -consequently failed to make a record of them. - -[Illustration: BRIDGE AT ROTTENACKER] - -Below the last weir the river is monotonous and the country not -particularly interesting. Turnip-topped church-spires rise above the -red-tiled roofs of villages clustered on the hill-sides, and but for -these features of the landscape the river might be the Thames or the -Avon. Soon, however, several vigorous streams add their waters to the -main current, its speed and strength rapidly increases, and its course -is regulated into a straight and canal-like channel. Not realizing the -speed of our progress as we floated along, we came in sight of the -village of Erbach on the hills to the left of the river much earlier in -the afternoon than we expected, and at the same moment saw, far beyond -in the blue distance, as faintly outlined as a delicate cloud-form, the -great tower of the Cathedral of Ulm breaking the low horizon line. We at -once took to our paddles and increased our pace, urged on by the sight -of our goal for the night and the beginning of our cruise in the -navigable river. In full sight of the city, some two miles away, we -passed the Iller, rushing in with a broad, pale-green flood and a -strange hissing noise like the escape of gas from soda-water, and then -the Danube, reinforced in strength and in volume, tore along with almost -angry speed, and showed great swirls where the pale waters of the Iller -wrestled with the opaque yellow of the larger stream. We saw by the -white waters at the buttresses of the railway bridge as we dashed past -that we had to deal with a current far more powerful than any we had yet -navigated, and accordingly approached the left shore with some caution, -as there was a high wall along the water’s edge and only an occasional -practicable landing-place. With all our efforts to stop our head-way we -found ourselves obliged to turn the bow up-stream and paddle hard to -keep from being swept past the town. In this way we came alongside the -float of the Donau Ruder Verein (Danube Rowing Club), and landed, -welcomed by a delegation from the committee of the club, who had heard -of our intended visit. They gave us a hand to carry the canoes up to the -boat-house and made room for them on the padded trestles. - -The club boat-house is a fair-sized building, well enough constructed -for the purpose, and conveniently fitted up with quarters for the crews -and stowage room for the boats, which number nearly a score, several of -them from famous makers in England, but mostly of German build. -Notwithstanding the disadvantages of rowing in so rapid a current, and -the difficulties of launching and landing the boats, the members -practise with great enthusiasm, and the club has a remarkably good -record in the boating annals of Germany. The committee placed all the -resources of the institution at our command, and not only gave us every -assistance in repairing the slight damages which our canoes had suffered -in the rough treatment they had received at the weirs, but made other -generous offers of hospitality. The president, who is a mechanical -genius of considerable fame as well as an enthusiastic sportsman and a -traveller, was devoted to our interests, and made every moment of our -stay agreeable. Before we departed our ex-cook presented the club with -his famous coffee machine as a slight acknowledgment of their kindness -to us. We have never learned how much the ranks of the Donau Ruder -Verein have been decimated by the use of this dangerous invention. - -Ulm, whether it be approached by land or by water, has the uninteresting -external appearance of any modern military stronghold, for it is -surrounded by great fortifications, and an elaborately constructed -citadel occupies the whole of a flat point opposite the town on the -right bank of the river. The old town itself, once the military barrier -is passed, is a marvel of architecture and a maze of narrow, crooked -thoroughfares, many of them scarcely worthy to be dignified by the name -of streets. The wonderful cathedral, next in size to that at Cologne, -with the loftiest stone tower in the world, is not to be adequately -described within the limits of this narrative, nor was it, indeed, -thoroughly examined by us on this hasty visit. The town offered so much -to occupy our attention and command our admiration that we could only -pause to study briefly each superb monument of ancient art and hurry on -to the next. The restless river with its rushing current had -communicated its nervous haste to our spirits, and within twenty-four -hours we had seen the town, repaired and repacked our canoes, adjusted -the appliances intended for use in the large river below, and were -waiting only for the farewell festivities in the boat club to come to an -end in order to launch our canoes to the “Hip! hip!” of our sporting -friends. - -The president of the rowing club, with an enthusiastic young friend, -accompanied us in our start from Ulm, in one tiny, home-made canoe which -floated scarcely an inch above the water. Their scorn of the dangers of -the curling flood filled us with admiration, but we could not affect the -indifference which is born only of long familiarity with the Danube, and -proceeded with our usual care. Great yellow billows surged against the -stone piers of the old bridge as we shot with dizzy speed through the -shadow of the arch out into the broad stream below. It began to rain, -but we paddled all the harder in order to reach the village of Günzburg -as early as possible, so that we might have time to dine and afterwards -make camp before dark. The rain did not in anywise diminish our ardor -for sleeping in the canoes, for we had passed a feverish night in a -stuffy hotel bedroom and longed for the air and freedom of our camp. - -[Illustration: WOOD-SAWYER AT ULM] - -The stork’s nest on the highest gable of the interesting old town was -scarcely visible in the twilight when we paddled away after a jovial -dinner with our friends, who were to ship themselves and their canoe -back to Ulm by train. As we pushed out into the stream the distances -were so exaggerated by the dim light that the Danube now looked like a -broad lake or an arm of the sea, and the strongly eddying current -twisted our paddles with a vicious persistence that warned us to be -circumspect in choosing a landing-place in the uncertain light. Luck -more than judgment directed us to a pretty little secluded meadow where, -for the first time, we made camp in regular order, tents and all. - -[Illustration: FROM STRASBURG TO ULM] - -The question of choosing camp was, as we now fully understood, a more or -less difficult one, for, as the three canoes were seldom very near -together on the river, it would be practically impossible to fix on a -desirable place by common agreement at the time of camping. We therefore -appointed the most experienced camper a committee of one to choose the -camp in the future, and agreed to abide by his decision. A special -instinct, or at least an accurate and ready judgment, must be the -absolute qualification of the one who chooses halting-places along a -river like the Danube, for the current, running as it does from three -to six miles an hour, makes it impossible to make the selection at -leisure. Before there is time to weigh the reasons for and against the -spot the stream has carried the canoe past the landing-place, and return -is practically out of the question. We demanded of our camp grounds more -and at the same time less than the ordinary cruiser. First, they must be -in as agreeable a landscape as possible, for as we spent several hours -of daylight there we wanted to sketch and to enjoy the scenery. Then -they must be so situated that the canoes could be drawn up readily and -prepared for the night without carrying the traps too far. On the other -hand, sand, turf, or smooth surface of the ground, though desirable, -was, fortunately, not an absolute necessity, as they would have been if -we had not slept in our canoes. Further, as we used spirits for cooking, -we did not have to consider the question of wood, and the absence of -fire made our camps very little objectionable to the farmers. Indeed, we -were made welcome to temporary occupation in every instance but one, and -on that occasion the farmer evidently thought we intended to remain all -summer long, for he began to talk about the second crop of grass. A -largess of German coin of the value of ten cents made him waive all -objections and give us the freedom of his meadow. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -It was on Saturday, June 27th, at about five o’clock in the afternoon -that we left Ulm, and the following day about noon we reached Lauingen, -having spent most of the forenoon in camp rigging our sails, properly -adjusting the tents, and doing a hundred other odd jobs which the -ownership of every boat entails. The Admiral, who had preceded the rest -of the fleet by an hour or more, was in the centre of an interested -group of natives when we hauled alongside at the landing, and all -Lauingen in its Sunday best was lounging near by, happy in the -entertainment which the arrival of the strange craft offered. The old -town walls are half hidden by excrescences of modern construction which -cling to them for their whole extent, sheltering a notable proportion of -the inhabitants. With this exception the place is not materially changed -since the sixteenth century, and still has to a very remarkable degree -the character of an old Dutch town both in details of construction and -in the general character of the domestic architecture. Most of the large -buildings are warehouses and residences combined, and there are few -front doors which are not provided with a little side window or squint -set in at an angle so that the street can be seen without opening the -door. All distinctive costume has been modernized out of the place. The -people look cheerful, active, and prosperous to a degree unusual in such -a remote town, and we were fain to believe that this vitality was due -to the leaven of those of the inhabitants who had been to America, not a -few of whom greeted us with an exaggerated Hoboken dialect. But the -modern spirit has not obliterated all the queer old customs, and Sunday -was busy with parades of turnvereins and sporting clubs with all the -pageantry common to the ancient guilds. In the midst of the festivities -a stately carriage drove into the market-place where the statue of -Albertus Magnus, the famous scholar of the thirteenth century, was -erected ten years ago in the shadow of the great tower with its sixteen -stories. It was a wonderful old vehicle, with broad leathern springs and -great hood, a huge rack behind piled high with luggage, a seat in front -occupied by a servant--a buxom country girl--and with a long pole like a -single shaft, to which one horse was attached in a sort of casual -fashion by a harness of the most antiquated and peculiar pattern. Under -the hood sat a young man who held the lines and guided the horse across -the square towards the inn, while the servant-girl, with folded arms, -occasionally nodded and smiled at friends in the multitude. We fancied -this must be some local dignitary, such was the grandeur and stateliness -of the turnout, but we found on inquiry that it was only a conveyance -from a neighboring town bringing a commercial traveller with his packs. -Truly, even this much-derided occupation has its agreeable features in -Bavaria. - -It was an exceedingly hot day, and the river for the next dozen miles or -so was not very interesting, as its channel had been confined between -dike-like banks through a great steaming marsh. Every two hundred metres -of the distance is marked by a numbered post, and from our low position -these were often the most prominent objects in view. The hissing of the -water, which began at the confluence of the Iller, was always plainly -heard, but the water was so muddy that we could not discover whether or -not the cause of the sound was, as it is said to be, the rolling of -pebbles on the river-bed. The reaction from our brief but busy visit to -Lauingen put us in rather a quiet frame of mind. The drowsy heat was not -stimulating to the ambition for sight-seeing, and we scarcely looked at -the hills where the battle-fields of Höchstädt and Blenheim are located, -they were so far away from the river and the events seemed so very long -ago. We had more interest, moreover, in the near foreground with its -occasional clusters of brilliant bloom. Alfred Parsons says of this -region: “For a long way above and below Ulm the banks are lined with -small willows and coarse grasses; occasional bunches of forget-me-not -and some iris and valerian are the only flowers. On a hill-side near -Donauwörth I saw bright pink dog-roses, campanulas, geranium, veronica, -epipactis, Turk’s-cap lilies, pink coronilla, which is abundant, and a -tall white composite with groups of daisy-like flowers and a leaf like -the tansy; also a white erigeron.” - -[Illustration: _The Bell tower_ - -_Lauingen._] - -The glorious, lazy afternoon was well on the wane when we came to -Donauwörth, a blaze of richly-colored roofs and lichen-stained walls and -with an enchanting skyline of gables and towers. We left it with -reluctance before we had seen half of its beauties. The restlessness of -the Danube had begun to eat into our souls and, without our knowing it, -had created in us a new appetite--a craving for constant motion. - -[Illustration: Donauwörth.] - -Not far below Donauwörth the Lech contributes its pale-green waters, -flowing northerly from the water-shed of the distant Alps beyond Lake -Constance, and it brought down to us for our entertainment several rafts -with cheery river folk, and we began the next day in their company. They -ran ashore at the upper end of the town of Neuburg, where the Danube is -crossed by a large stone bridge, and we stopped there as well. Finding, -however, that we were uncomfortably far from the centre of the town, we -soon paddled off again, shot the seething rapids under the bridge and, -hurried along by the current, landed after some difficulty and serious -bumping against the perpendicular stone wall, at a broad flight of -stone steps opposite a cheerful-looking hotel with a formal row of -standard roses all along in front, tied to neatly-painted sticks -surmounted by gilded balls. We had already gone ashore when our -attention was called to our canoes by the excited shouts of the crowd -hanging over the stone parapet. To our horror we saw one of the long -rafts swinging down under the bridge with irresistible momentum directly -upon our canoes, and the raftsmen making frantic gestures at us. We -understood that in order to check the raft they were obliged to beach -her in the shallow water near the steps, and, indeed, she was headed for -that point, and no human power could stop her. For a moment it seemed as -if our canoes must be ground to splinters, but we rushed down and -promptly dragged them a few yards up-stream, utilizing the noisome mouth -of a sewer for a harbor for one, and lifting the others bodily out upon -a narrow ledge of broken rock. Then, dashing into the water, we put all -our strength against the raft and she ground along within a foot of our -precious boats, and we were saved from our friends. - -It took an unusual quantity of beer to cool us off after this exertion, -and our afternoon cruise was not further remarkable except for the sight -of various immense ferry-boats swinging across the stream attached to -wire guys and bearing two great loads of hay, cattle and all, and for a -visit to Ingolstadt, a military post of great importance and -correspondingly unattractive aspect. We camped that night on the -beautiful point of a low meadow where our shadows fell in long lines -towards the neighboring town of Vohburg, almost too picturesque to be -real, and were promptly and unwillingly introduced to our first Danube -mosquitoes, who kept us diverted if not very much amused during dinner, -and until we had crawled into our curtained berths and let them buzz and -pipe in futile rage against the impenetrable gauze. - -[Illustration: THE FERRY] - -Vohburg is said to be the most virtuous town in Bavaria, the reward of -virtue there being a dowry of 50 guldens ($25) to each maiden of -unblemished reputation when she takes the marriage vows. One of the -notable results of this bounty is the encouragement of intermarriage, -for the youths are of frugal dispositions, and fifty guldens are fifty -guldens here quite as much as anywhere. Our first visitors the next -morning were the storks of the town who solemnly sought the early worm -and the casual frog, and they took flight at the approach of a troop of -the ugliest children to be found where the German language is heard--and -that is saying a great deal. They stood a long time in a circle around -our camp, either too much astonished or too stupid to reply to our -volley of questions. We couldn’t help thinking, as we looked at their -unintelligent faces, that it would be much better for the race if the -dowry fund should be embezzled by the town-clerk and vice rule -triumphant for a while. Our curiosity was not satisfied by this slight -glimpse of the inhabitants of Vohburg, and besides, the ancient town -gates, the massive ruins of the burgh--which was destroyed, like -everything else about here, by the Swiss in 1641--and the old -church-tower, stuck full of great stone cannon balls, tempted us to -land. Possibly the impression gained from a brief visit was not a just -one, but although we found the architecture interesting and the people -friendly and courteous, we could distinguish nothing of the charm which -our imaginations had pictured to us as the result of generations of -prosperity, peace, and domestic virtue. - -The Danube is never really monotonous, for, apart from the ever-changing -landscape, the life on the bank offers endless interest to the observer. -We had drifted for a couple of days through a broad, flat country, and -never had experienced a dull moment. Although we were not impatient for -a change of scenery, we began to look forward with pleasant -anticipations, soon after leaving Vohburg, to the chain of hills that -formed the horizon to the east and north, promising narrow gorges and -rapid water. Except for our increasing eagerness for progress as the -hills began to take definite shape in detail towards the middle of the -forenoon, we should have undoubtedly landed at Eining, a little cluster -of houses on the right bank, near which are the remains of the great -Roman frontier station Abusina, which, from its topographical situation, -and also from its geographical position near the most northerly point of -the river’s course, was chosen as the chief outpost of the Danube -provinces against the German barbarians. This station was maintained -with two or three interruptions from its establishment in 15 B.C. until -the end of the fifth century. Across the river are distinctly visible -the outlines of Trajan’s wall, which extended from this point to -Wiesbaden on the Rhine. We were much interested by what we could see of -these remains, for we knew that to be but the first in the long series -of similar monuments along the Danube to the Roman occupation, which -never fail to excite the wonder of the traveller at the enterprise and -persistent courage of the great Roman general. Near at hand, too, is -Vergen of the “Niebelungenlied,” where King Gunther and his Niebelungen -crossed the Danube on their way to Budapest and the court of King -Attila. It was at this spot that Hagen tried to drown the priest of the -expedition because the water witches had predicted that the holy man -alone out of the 10,000 in the expedition should return safe to Worms. -The facts of history and the fascinating figments of tradition seemed to -draw for us across this smiling valley a frontier clearly defined in our -imaginations, beyond which limit we were to enter upon a new phase of -our journey. - -[Illustration: FROM ULM TO STRAUBING] - -The Benedictine abbey of Weltenburg, with its crenellated walls and -extensive façades, placed in exactly the right spot on the river-bank, -like the composition of the theatrical drop-curtain, stands at the head -of a narrow, rocky gorge, about four miles in length, more grand and -impressive than any on the river above. Weltenburg is an easy excursion -from Kelheim, and divides the attraction of the neighborhood with the -Befreiungshalle, or Hall of Liberation, near the latter place. Knowing -this fact, we were not surprised to find in the midst of the mournful -relics of past grandeur the liveliest kind of a beer-garden, with a -half-acre of tables under shade trees in the court-yard, and regiments -of stone mugs waiting to be filled at the convenient tap of - -[Illustration: Between Weltenberg Er Kelheim.] - -a great brewery in one of the monastery buildings. The clock struck -twelve as we entered the enclosure. Every one rose and uncovered his -head, and stood like the scattered supernumeraries on the operatic -stage. The peal of the organ in the adjacent church added to the -dramatic effect, and if the whole company had burst forth in a chorus we -would have been little surprised at it. The gorgeousness of the church -interior contrasts painfully with the poverty of the establishment, only -too plainly indicated by the - -[Illustration: AN EARLY VISITOR] - -ill-kept grounds and the general air of neglect on all sides. -Excursionists frequently take the short trip through the gorge in small -flat-boats rowed by women, and there is another monastery on the left -bank, half-way down, so there need be no more than thirty minutes -between jorums of beer, the important adjuncts of these trips. The -river, narrowed to one-third of its width above, winds between -perpendicular limestone cliffs so smooth that it has been necessary to -attach iron rings to the rock at intervals near the water’s edge for the -use of boatmen, and the women rowers often tie up their boats to these -rings to rest during the upward trip. The heavily-wooded hills -overhanging the left bank at the lower end of the gorge are crowned by -the Befreiungshalle, a huge, circular building in classical style, begun -by Lewis I. of Bavaria in 1852, and inaugurated on October 18, 1863, the -fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Leipsic. This monumental structure -is of imposing dimensions, the dome rising nearly 200 feet above the -great stone platform, reached by a noble flight of steps. On the -exterior the different provinces of Germany are represented by eighteen -colossal female figures, with corresponding trophies and candelabra, and -the interior, which is lined with polished marble of various colors, is -surrounded by white marble angels symbolical of victory, with tablets -bearing the names of famous German generals, bronze shields made from -captured French guns, and inscriptions celebrating various battles. - -Landing at Kelheim we toiled up the steep hill in the hot sun, and then -cooled ourselves in the twilight of the interior, skating in felt -slippers over the mirror-like pavement, and listening to the remarkable -echoes which magnified the slightest sound into thunder. We were waylaid -on our descent from the hill by a garrulous ex-citizen of Brooklyn, -whose fulsome praise of Americans and everything American finally drove -us out of the cool shelter of a river-side beer-garden and into the -blistering cockpits of the canoes. We set forth with the vague intention -of passing the night somewhere above and near Ratisbon. Even before we -came in sight of the town we looked everywhere for a camp ground, but a -high-road on either side left not an acre of ground at the water’s edge -where we could land without becoming the focus of observation from a -dozen farm-houses. We therefore pushed on until sunset, and just as the -beautiful twin towers of Ratisbon cathedral loomed up across a wide open -valley to the east, we landed on a quiet meadow, carpeted with sweet -grass, and there we slept until the peasants trudging to market along -the bank in the early morning awoke us with their voices. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -The busiest part of Ratisbon is the twelfth-century stone bridge which, -from daybreak until dark, resounds to the tramp of heavy-footed -peasants, and to the clatter of farm wagons and other vehicles. A narrow -street plunges from the end of the bridge under the archway of an old -city gate into a maze of narrow thoroughfares with towering mediæval -houses and a jumble of small shops of all kinds. One of the houses near -the bridge has a startling decoration covering the whole of its front--a -colossal figure of Goliath painted on the stucco--and there are -preserved in some of the other streets the only specimens extant of the -fortified dwelling-houses of the Middle Ages. The Cathedral of St. -Peter, with its exquisite Gothic details, is one of the chief -architectural glories of all Germany, and in its solemn interior are -forgot for the time the Danube, its hurrying current, and the impatient -canoes. The fact that we were not in the ordinary costume of travellers -gave us immunity from the annoyances of guides, and this freedom added -wonderfully to our enjoyment of Ratisbon. We sat on the clean pavement -of the great market-place, in the shadow of church walls, and nearly -made ourselves ill with quantities of wild strawberries from the baskets -of the friendly market-girls close by, paying a ridiculously small sum -for a quart of the luscious fruit. We wandered in and out of the -churches, stood and gazed at our ease on the architectural beauties of -the town, and never were we once spoken to, or even, to our knowledge, -once stared at with curiosity. Even our presence in the crowded tavern, -where the crowds of market-people took their mid-day meal, did not -excite any comment, and during the few hours we passed in Ratisbon we -had the supreme satisfaction of passing unnoticed, which rarely comes to -any one in a foreign country. It is said that 17 per cent. of the 35,000 -inhabitants of the city are Protestants, but we concluded that we did -not come in contact with any of the choice minority in religious belief, -for we saw on all sides shrines and crosses and other indications of the -strict adherence of the people to the observances of the Roman Catholic -faith. - -The old stone bridge has been saddled with a bad reputation among -river-folk ever since some one started the legend, long ages ago, that -the devil had a hand in its construction. It crosses the river at the -upper end of a rocky island which divides the stream into two unequal -parts, the one on the town side alone being navigable. Four narrow -arches, springing from immense boat-shaped piers, confine the current -into a very narrow compass, and cause the water to rush under the bridge -with great velocity. We had listened to a long description by our -boating friends at Ulm of the dangers of shooting this bridge, and all -the river-side people we had talked with for the previous day or two had -warned us of the perils of the passage. But we saw from the parapet what -we had to encounter in the shape of rapids and whirlpools, and did not -hesitate to trust ourselves and our canoes to the mercies of the -current. The first of the series of bugbears which were in turn -presented to us by the Danube river-folk, and by the accounts we had -read, was disposed of in such an easy manner that the mention of it is -scarcely warranted by its importance as an episode of our journey. - -[Illustration: RATISBON FROM THE BRIDGE] - -Opposite the lower part of the town the Danube receives the turbid -waters of the Regen (hence the German name Regensburg) coming in from -the north, and then the great river settles down into a gently-flowing, -well-behaved water highway, at times lively with steam tow-boats, -barges, and rafts. It skirts the hills on the left bank for five or six -miles, and then lazily meanders away through the great plain of -Straubing, the chief grain-growing district of Bavaria. The point where -the river leaves the hills is the most northerly limit of its whole -course, and here it changes its general north-easterly direction--which -it has held with many minor variations since Donaueschingen--and bears -away in a south-easterly course towards Vienna. This angle is not far -from midway between these two places, which are 535 miles apart by the -river channel. On one of the great rounded hills, fully 300 feet above -the water’s edge, the great German Temple of Fame, the Walhalla, makes a -conspicuous landmark. Lewis I. of Bavaria, who, it will be remembered, -was the founder of the Befreiungshalle, saw the completion of the -Walhalla the very year he laid the corner-stone of its fellow monument, -thirty miles away, in 1842. It is a classical structure built in -imitation of the Parthenon, but of somewhat larger dimensions, and -occupies a most commanding position. We saw by the guide-book that it -contained Victories and Walkyries, busts of heroes, and friezes painted -to celebrate the early history of the German race. After the perfect -harmony of the Ratisbon cathedral we had no appetite for German -classicality, and paddled past, content to gaze from afar upon the noble -proportions of the temple. - -Although we had rain the night before, it was hotter than ever as the -sun mounted high in the heavens, and before we had penetrated far into -the heart of the great plain we found the air so dead and the heat so -oppressive that we - -[Illustration: RETURNING FROM MARKET, RATISBON] - -were obliged to paddle in self-defence, and by this means create a -draught along the water. The glare of the sun was reflected into our -eyes with painful brilliancy; a few dazzling clouds hung in the sky, -apparently quite stationary. The pitiless force of the sun was never -once hidden by a veil of vapor during the hours we paddled down the -current, which scarcely rippled the surface of the water, as dense in -appearance as molten lead. The town of Straubing, plainly enough visible -when we left the hills, and - -[Illustration] - -seemingly only a short distance away, avoided us for a long time with -aggravating success. Now it would loom up in front of us, now on one -side and again on the other, and often hid away behind us. At last, -about noon, having quite lost our points of compass in the contortions -of the river, we sneaked up to the will-of-the-wisp town, and, dodging -around a point, came fairly upon it and landed there. We made it a rule -in this part of the river, and, indeed, wherever towns and villages were -frequent, to take our mid-day meal in some hotel or restaurant, for, -unless we did so, we saw absolutely nothing of the shore life. By this -time our standard for towns had become so high that we could not care -much for Straubing, although the stay there refreshed us and interested -us somewhat; but we were off down the sluggish stream, eager to reach -the hills where we knew the current would be faster and the landscape -more interesting. Near Bogen, a few miles below, at the hour in the -afternoon when the heat of the sun seems more intense even than at full -noon, the western sky was suddenly darkened, and a dense storm-cloud -rapidly raised its jagged edge towards the zenith. Opinions varied as to -the advisability of riding out the threatening squall, or going ashore -to wait for it to pass. We paddled on for a considerable distance -discussing this question, and finally decided to run ashore near a large -farm-house resembling in character a large Alpine chalet. We landed not -one moment too soon, for before we got our hatches fastened we heard the -roar of the wind up-stream, and the next instant the squall tore down -the river, lashing the water into a sheet of foam, and bending the trees -like switches. Our loose rigging stood straight out in the blast, and -the hastily-furled sails fluttered like clewed-up top-sails in an -Atlantic gale. We had all we could do to keep the boats from being blown -bodily along the rough beach. In a few minutes the violence of the gale -abated, and a heavy rain set in. We made our little fleet as snug as -possible and as safe as we could by lashing the masts together, and ran -to the farm-house near by, where the farmer and his family welcomed us -with dignified courtesy, and offered us the freedom of the house with -such hearty good-will that we could not help making ourselves at home. -It was a characteristic establishment of the better class, and the main -building was of some antiquity, as the date 1683 on the lintel of the -front door testified. This immense structure was mostly of wood, and a -great shingled roof covered not only a large living apartment, with many -bedrooms, but the stables for the horses and cattle as well. Most of the -farm-work was evidently done by girls, and the farmer told us he -employed them because they were almost as useful as the men, and their -wages were only fifty guldens ($25) a year. A half-dozen of these girls, -indifferent to the pouring rain, with short petticoats, tight bodices, -and with kerchiefs on their heads, were carrying manure in hand-barrows -when we arrived, and when they had finished this task, and had -materially increased the huge pile that occupied the only front yard -there was, they all had a vigorous scrub at the pump, and then came in -and ate bread and milk with us, and chattered away as freely as if we -were old friends. We were loath to leave this pleasant, pastoral -company, but as the sky was bright again at sunset we felt obliged to be -off. We did not succeed in persuading any one to take the money which we -felt was due for the food we had eaten, so we dropped it in the poor-box -near the forlorn little chapel, and paddled away to a camp on a dripping -hill-side, where we found a delicious cold spring and a mossy bed for -our canoes to rest on. - -We had met at intervals since leaving Ratisbon great empty flat-boats -towed up-river by horses, and an - -[Illustration: LOCAL FREIGHT FLAT-BOAT] - -occasional one laden with shingles or other building material had -drifted down past our camp before we started in the morning. As high up -as Ulm we had seen these boats in process of construction, and had -learned all about the cheap flat-boats which in the spring-time carry -cargoes to the lower river, and are then broken up for the sake of their -timber. We had expected to see much more of this kind of river life than -we actually met with, but the fact is the competition of the railways -has practically killed this kind of river commerce, and its glories are -all in the past. The local business still continues to flourish, -however, for many of the river towns have no connection with the -railway, and depend almost entirely on the water highway for cheap -transportation of freight. The day after the storm we ran across several -of the great local freight-boats floating down with the current. These -boats are ordinarily about 20 yards in length, 5 or 6 in beam, and with -a depth of from 4 to 6 feet from the great flat, keelless bottom to the -rail. The bow is high, and the stern-post is often carved and otherwise -decorated. They are built of soft wood, the seams are calked with moss, -and since paint is seldom used except on the perpendicular black -stripes, which is the almost universal fashion for boats on the German -and Austrian Danube, the life of the best of these craft is not often -more than ten years. Each boat has a small, rude skiff for convenient -use, and a supplementary scow large enough to carry considerable cargo, -as well as afford open-air stabling for a pair of strong horses. On the -down trip the horses lead a lazy life in their floating stall, but on -the return they drag the empty boats up against the rapid current, -trained to know every yard of the way, for the varying heights of the -river and the conformation of the banks make a regular towpath out of -the question, and the horses splash along through the shallows for miles -at a stretch. The crew of these boats usually consists of an experienced -skipper with two men and a boy. They all take turns at the steering-oar, -and are constantly obliged to handle the immense sweeps to keep the -cumbersome craft in the best channel. The work of baling water is no -light one, and apparently goes on day and night with little -intermission. They use for this purpose a great wooden scoop, or shovel, -and throw the water out over the side from the floor of the rude little -hut which shelters the bunks of the crew. - -Two of us accepted a cheery invitation to go aboard one of these boats, -and we spent the larger part of the forenoon lounging in the shade of -the deck-house and indolently watching the ever-changing panorama on -either side of the river. The skipper, a very fatherly old man, a shrewd -observer, with a great knowledge of river life, was busy part of the -time in tending a large tin kettle which was thrust, gypsy-like, into -the side of a fire which was brightly burning on the tiles with which -the boat was laden. As soon as we saw that the meal was almost ready to -be served we made a move to leave, not wishing to interrupt this -ceremony. But the old man detained us almost by force, and insisted on -our eating before they began. He placed - -[Illustration: ON THE TILE-BOAT] - -between us a large bowl of coarse, yellow-glazed pottery, gave us a -wooden spoon apiece, and a thick wedge of black bread, which we broke, -according to his commands, into the capacious vessel. When the soup was -ready he poured it over the bread, filled the bowl to the brim, handed -us each a bottle of beer, and bade us eat and drink until not a crumb or -a drop remained. We were hungry, the soup was delicious, and the beer -cool and refreshing, and we did not longer hesitate, but fell to at -once. The only thing which interfered with our full enjoyment of the -meal was the presence of a generous supply of beef in the soup, in -chunks as large as our fists. Our maxillary muscles were not -sufficiently well developed to enable us to masticate the phenomenally -tough fibre of this meat, and we chose our opportunity when the broad -back of the hospitable skipper was turned and slid it overboard. To our -relief it went to the bottom like a sounding lead, and did not, as we -feared, come bobbing up astern to bear witness to our insincerity. We -gave our host a tiny American flag as a souvenir of our visit. He would -take no money nor any of our stores, but was delighted with the Stars -and Stripes, more especially as we had explained that the following day -was Freiheit’s Tag, or Independence Day, in the great Republic of the -West. We left him diligently digging a hole with his knife in the high -stem-piece of the boat to plant the flag there. - -Rowing clubs are numerous all along the river from Ulm to Vienna. Soon -after leaving the flat-boat we landed at one near Deggendorf, a quiet -old town with miraculous relics in the church, which attract many -thousands of pious pilgrims annually. Later on in the day, as we were -rounding a great bend in a solitary part of the river where we least -expected to see anything afloat, we suddenly met a single-scull boat of -the newest pattern shooting up the river like an arrow. A handsome -athletic young fellow was pulling with all his might, evidently in -training for a race. Our surprise was naturally mutual, for he no more -expected to see a fleet of graceful, polished canoes than we did to see -the Danube waters parted by the keen bow of a racing boat. He recovered -from his astonishment first, and shouted heartily, “Hip! hip! Hip! hip!” -We replied with the same salutation, for we had learned by this time -that this call was not, as we had at first supposed, a playful imitation -of the English cheer, but the common greeting in boating circles. We -needed no further introduction, and could, indeed, have had no better -one than our canoes, and we freely accepted the hospitalities of the -Winzer Ruder Verein, whose tidy boat-house stands on the river-bank a -mile or more from the village. The club has a membership of thirty-six, -all of them sturdy young fellows of the neighborhood, with an -enthusiastic love of water sports. A certain count, the local magnate, -is the patron of the club, and contributes largely towards the training -of the oarsmen, who compete with success in the regattas all over -Germany. The jolly young fellows made so much of us, and received us so -heartily into their brotherhood, that we had not the courage to explain -that we were not real boating men at all, but only temporary members of -the guild. Indeed, it is doubtful if they would have believed our -statement, for we were quite as sunburned as they were, and our five -days’ canoing had put us in first-rate physical condition. But on this, -as on several other similar occasions, we had a lingering feeling of -mental discomfort, because we could not help knowing that we were -passing for what we were not, and never expected to be--sporting men. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -The poplars of Passau came in sight early on the morning of the Fourth -of July, but we had no intention of celebrating the day, particularly as -one-third of our party took only a languid interest in the event. -Neither did we care to meet any more boating men, however agreeable they -might be, for, besides the consciousness of our false position, we had a -realizing sense of the value of our time, and almost begrudged the hours -spent at these boating entertainments. We avoided the rowing club at -Passau, and stole in behind a floating bath-house and hid our canoes -away there. This move did not save us, however, for as we were crossing -the bridge, two rowing men who had seen us come down-stream were on hand -to waylay us, and before we could enter a protest we were whisked off to -luncheon. The town is attractively situated on a high promontory at the -junction of the Inn and the Danube, and is, indeed, as far as natural -environments go, one of the most beautiful spots of the whole river. The -town itself, or at least as much of it as we were allowed by our friends -to examine, is full of interest, although not distinguished by any -remarkable monuments of art. The unruly Inn, which is always ready to -overflow at a moment’s notice, comes rushing into the Danube with a -dirty yellow, rubbish-strewn flood, and gives the larger river a sturdy -shouldering for a long distance down-stream. It is the contamination of -the Danube by the Inn that changes its color below Passau. Above this -town it is in ordinary seasons of a greenish color, and sometimes, in -the deep, shady pools, of an intense and beautiful blue; but the Danube -as we saw it from Villingen, near the source, to Vilkoff at its mouth, -was always of nearly the same monotonous, pale color of _café au lait_. - -[Illustration: FROM STRAUBING TO DÜRRENSTEIN] - -From Ratisbon down we had met occasional freight steamers and tow-boats, -and at Passau saw our first passenger steamers--comfortable little -craft, which make the popular trip from this place to Linz, fifty-six -miles below, in about four hours. The right bank of the Danube below the -mouth of the Inn belongs to Austria, and the left bank, for fifteen -miles or so, to Bavaria. The Austrian customs-station on the river is at -a little hamlet called Engelhardszell, and just above this place the -frontier line is marked by a peculiar isolated rock in mid-stream, -surmounted by a shrine and crucifix and the rude figure of a saint. We -were obliged to go ashore at Engelhardszell to pay river toll on our -canoes, and, notwithstanding our strange appearance, each barefooted and -sunburned, we met with the greatest civility and courtesy, and paid our -sixteen kreutzers (eight cents) apiece without a murmur. Below the -frontier the river narrows to half its width, and the speed of the -current increases in proportion. The average fall per mile is also much -greater in this part of the river than it is from Ulm to this point. -From Ulm to Ratisbon the average fall per mile is 1.5 feet; from -Ratisbon to Passau, 0.625; from Passau to Linz, 2.5, from Linz to Grein, -2.8, and from Grein to Vienna, 2.876. The flora has varied somewhat -since the last reference was made to the botanist’s note-book, and the -information on the subject is sure to be interesting: - -“Below Weltenburg there are pinks and other rock flowers ... and at -Kelheim, climbing to the Befreiungshalle, I found a herbaceous clematis -with flowers like flammula, or erecta, and with glaucous leaves. The -river-banks are mostly devoid of flowers, but on a shingly beach below -Ratisbon, where we camped, I noticed a yellow sedum and a dwarf phlox, -not in flower. Lower down, when getting near the hills, there were large -patches of pink coronilla and a pale yellow mullen, also willow-herb and -a white cruciferous plant. - -“The high, woody hills below Passau are almost entirely covered with -beech and pine, but round the houses near the river are walnuts, plums, -cherry, and other trees. On the rocks grows a genista with slender twigs -and a spike of yellow blossoms, and there are patches of -evening-primroses in the more open places. Though vines, hops, and other -tender crops grow well, the flora has quite a subalpine character, and -the houses are often like Swiss chalets. - -“In the woods behind our camp, opposite Rannariedl, I noticed pyrola, -hepatica, lady-fern, and oak and beech fern, _Spiræa aruncus_, -Solomon’s-seal, lactuca, and a fine campanula. In a meadow where we -camped the next day were - -[Illustration: Grein, from the Camp. July 6, 1891] - -herbaceous clematis and lychnis with drooping white flowers and a -berry-like seed-pod, _Anthericum ramosum_ and loosestrife. - -“By our camp at the mouth of the Traun (July 6th), I noticed purple and -yellow loosestrife, meadowsweet, meadow-rue, white convolvulus, and the -same flowers generally that grow by English rivers. Sea-buckthorn grew -among the willows. By wood opposite Grein saw cyclamen, pyrola, -hepatica, and various ferns, and monk’s-hood just below.” - -A light rain, which began while we were in camp opposite the restored -Castle of Rannariedl, continued during the whole day we were passing -through the gorge, and, although we got a fair notion of the beauties of -the scenery, we deplored the absence of sunshine more for esthetic -reasons than for demands of personal comfort. We were cheered a good bit -by a jolly luncheon at the little mountain village of Obermühl, and -while the lowering clouds were still sweeping across the summits, and -ragged patches of vapor were trailing along the mountain flanks, we -paddled out of the gorge and past the town of Aschach, where we were -diverted by the difficulty of dodging a curious ferry, which, as we -floated down, seemed to blockade the river by an impassable line of -great flat-boats chained closely together. The uppermost boat of the -line we soon found to be moored in mid-stream a goodly distance above -the town, while to the lowermost one was attached a great double-decked -ferry-boat which, by ready adjustment of the angle of its side to the -current, was forced across the river by the rush of the water in exactly -the same way that a vessel is propelled at right angles to the wind. The -net-work of side streams and lagoons between Aschach and Ottensheim, -just above Linz, a distance of ten miles or more, is simplified to the -boatman by a line of fine stone dikes on either bank, which confine the -current to a comparatively straight and narrow channel, and we passed -this tangle, which appeared on the map to be very difficult of -navigation, almost without knowing it, certainly without recognizing any -resemblance to our chart. A narrow chain of hills concealed Linz from -our view until after Ottensheim was passed, and the sight of an ordinary -four-wheeled cab, with the usual rawboned horse and red-faced driver, -crawling along the level river-side road, was the first hint we received -of the flourishing, modernized, and somewhat commonplace character of -the prosperous city. - -The rain still continued, and after a brief pause at Linz we paddled on -in search of a camp. The shores were marshy and uninviting, and as the -gray twilight deepened our prospects were far from encouraging. The -light had almost gone from the sky before the camp finder turned the bow -of his canoe across the stream in the direction of what appeared to be a -backwater with a pleasant grassy bank in the shelter of a wood. With our -eyes fixed on this goal we were paddling hard to stem the current which -threatened to sweep us past the chosen spot, when we suddenly shot from -the turbid flood of the main stream into the crystal-clear water of the -Traun, at the mouth of which we had fortunately selected our -camp-ground. We had become accustomed to the rain by this time, and as -we were snug and dry when once inside our tents, we were more or less -indifferent to the weather in camp. The next morning as we were cosily -cooking our breakfast in the shelter of the great sketching umbrellas, a -line of lumber rafts surged past the camp, scarcely a yard from the -bushes on the bank, the raftsmen giving us a cheerful greeting as they -went along. We were anxious to continue the acquaintance, but made no -haste to follow them, because, in our ignorance of the rapidity of the -current, we fancied we could easily overtake them. When we paddled out -into the stream a few minutes later, not an - -[Illustration: PUMP AT PÖCHLARN] - -object was in sight on the broad surface of the Danube except a hideous, -puffing tow-boat, which left a trail of black smoke behind it, and -churned the river into a sea of vicious waves. As it turned out, we -never once overtook the rafts while they were drifting down-stream. We -passed them several times after they had tied up to the bank for the -night, and they as often floated along near our camp in the morning -while we were still at our toilets or at breakfast. We learned to know -all the raftsmen by sight, but never succeeded in spending a moment in -their company until we happened to land at the same village, their last -station above Vienna, and within sight of that city. - -After leaving Linz we began to look forward to the great bugbears of -this part of the river, the Greiner Schwall, the Strudel, and the -Wirbel, famous rapids and whirlpools whose very names are sufficient to -strike dismay to the heart of the boatman, and bring confusion to the -mind of the philologist. Friends of ours who had more than once made the -trip from Donaueschingen to Vienna had given us dramatic descriptions of -the terrors of this passage, and the oldest cruiser of them all had -confessed that he had never ventured to run these rapids, but had always -intrusted himself and his canoe to a native flat-boat. The long-shore -people wherever we had stopped for the last day or two had volunteered -warnings of the dangers that were awaiting us, and we made an unusually -early camp the day we left the Traun in a delightful spot opposite -Grein, so as to be prepared to take our chances with the river monster -in the early morning. Accordingly, after storing our traps with unusual -care, and diligently studying the map, we boldly paddled forth bright -and early the next day, and rapidly approached the gorge just below the -town. As we came near we saw before us a narrow chasm, scarcely a -hundred feet wide, where the river forces its way between precipitous -cliffs on the one hand and a lofty, rocky island on the other, with -piled up ruins of old castles frowning from the crag on either side. We -had no time to hesitate, and no power to stop the onward rush of the -canoes, and were in the surging sea of yellow billows before we realized -it. The canoes behaved like a charm, shipping not a teaspoonful of -water, and riding the waves like water-fowl. So far as our experience -went, we were unable to distinguish the Greiner Schwall, the Strudel, -and the Wirbel apart, for they seemed like one long rapid. Half-way -down, finding that the canoes kept their course with very little -guidance, we whipped out our sketch-books and made hasty notes of the -scenery in a spirit of bravado which might easily have had unpleasant -results. - -Long, straight reaches between wild hills carried us to Ybbs--the old -Roman Pons Isidis--at the mouth of the river of the same name, and -thence to Pöchlarn where we landed for our mid-day meal at a river-side -inn with pretty waitresses who made our stay a joy, and on our departure -decorated our coats with nosegays in souvenir of our visit. It was at -Pöchlarn that Kriemhild, on her journey to Hungary, was so brilliantly -entertained by Rüdiger, one of the heroes of the “Niebelungenlied.” Our -experience proves that the traditional hospitality of the time has lost -none of its charm in the lapses of many centuries. - -It was but a short run from here to the heavily-wooded heights where the -Benedictine monastery of Melk dominates the surrounding landscape with -its magnificent pile of buildings, the most imposing edifice along the -whole course of the Danube, and celebrated in song and story since its -foundation in the eleventh century. From its grand terrace the full -majesty of the river is disclosed to view, as the broad, shining sheet -of water extends from the plain far beyond Pöchlarn to the shadowy -reaches of the pass below, - -[Illustration: _The Benedictine Monastery. Melk._] - -where it forces its way between rugged heights, serrated with huge crags -and castle ruins. There is no grander and no more romantic stretch of -the river above Vienna than the few miles below Melk, for the summits -are higher and bolder in outline and the rocks more wild and savage in -character than in any other gorge. Ruins of old robber castles are -perched upon every dizzy pinnacle, deep ravines with tumbling streams -score the mountain-sides, and great walls of jagged rock rise above the -dark foliage, often forming impassable barriers along the steep -declivities. A whirling current carried us all too quickly through this -enchantingly beautiful reach, and when at sunset we saw the great ruin -of Dürrenstein lift its noble towers against the violet-colored sky, we -chose a camp on the opposite bank and watched the last golden gleam of -warm sunlight fade from its shattered battlements. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -The harmonizing mists of early morning silvered the tawny surface of the -Danube, and softened the jagged outlines of Dürrenstein, on the crowning -pinnacle of the rocky spur which thrusts its shoulder boldly out from -the wooded flanks of higher summits behind, and stands sentinel over the -little village at its base, and the sunny hill-side vineyards and valley -beyond. Our camp, in a little glade by a backwater nearly opposite the -ruin, was so peaceful and quiet that something of the repose of the -place crept over our restless spirits, and, for the first time since we -began to coquet with the nervous currents of the whirling stream, we -felt a keen desire to pause in our onward rush, an ambition to extend -our horizon, to climb above the river-bank, to explore the gorges that -fascinated us with their mysterious gloom, to linger yet a while in the -great defile where every peak bears the ruins of a noble castle, and -every hamlet has a history crowded with tales of minstrelsy and -chivalry, and enriched by familiar legends and interesting traditions. -Our eyes, keen to observe vigorous outlines of mountain forms, had -discovered in this defile the most impressive landscapes the river had -yet unfolded before us, and it was with a sense of proper dramatic -climax that we found that Dürrenstein--the very name of which set free a -flood of childish memories of Cœur de Lion, of Blondel, of ladies fair -and chivalrous knights, of robbery and ransom--was the very outpost of -the chain of ruins which had serrated the skyline through the whole -defile, and looked down upon the gem of all the river reaches. I may as -well confess that my idea of the geographical situation of the castle -had hitherto been in the region of hazy uncertainty, if not actually in -the humiliating penumbra of utter ignorance. Its position, then, had the -added charms of surprise and novelty. - -[Illustration: EARLY MORNING OPPOSITE DÜRRENSTEIN] - -The towers and arches, high on the bare summit of the rock; the -half-ruined walls, skirting each projecting spur, and straggling away -down the steep, rough declivity, embracing with diverging ramparts and -frequent projecting towers the little town on the ledge by the river -below, with its castle, its Gothic church edifice, disfigured by -utilitarian restoration, and defiled by stores of grain, and confining -within the mediæval limits the quaint and crowded jumble of shops and -dwellings--the charm of this unique situation, and the vivid memory of -the traditions connected with the spot, were stronger even than the wily -arguments of the beautiful effects on the river, and the fascinations of -the exhilarating, throbbing current that, in spite of paddle, almost -swept us past the landing we had chosen. But we conquered both the water -and the impulse bred of its restless power, and clambered, broad-chested -and full of pride at our victory, up a narrow cañon, with dark, frowning -rocks overhead, shale and shingle underfoot, and the refreshing, -half-forgotten odors of pine and warm, dry earth in our nostrils. Some -distance up the gorge a steep, slippery grass slope extends upward -between two rough pine-clad crests to a little depression in the ridge -behind the ruin, and to the lower gate of the castle itself. -Multicolored butterflies hovered in the sunlight, the grass and rock -crevices were gay with flowers, and our botanist gathered, as we went, -wild pinks, columbine, and anemone, and panted out to our eager ears the -Latin names of scores of mountain plants. Our steps, retarded by these -botanical delights, not to say delayed by the unaccustomed exercise, and -our lungs expanding with a vigor unknown in the lazy life in the canoes, -we were long in reaching the first point from which we could look down -upon the wonderful panorama of mountain and river, valley and scattered -towns. Our world had indeed been too narrow, our horizon much too low. -The giantess of a river from whose tyranny we had just escaped lay like -a shining narrow lake below us, its beautiful curves contrasting with -the harsh lines of the mountains, which met in an apparently -impenetrable wall beyond. From the height at which we stood we could not -see its eddies nor hear the hiss of its rapid flow. We were for the -moment quite beyond the power of its spell. - -The castle ruin bears so many traces of the destruction of successive -sieges and consequent restorations that as it now stands it makes an -architectural and archæological puzzle which we felt quite unable to -struggle with. In general plan it is not unlike other mediæval -strongholds, with yard and keep, watch-towers and gates, banquet-hall -and chapel, and with extensive outworks intended to protect the little -town of Dürrenstein, at once its weakness and its strength. Utterly -neglected by the owner, whoever he may be, the perfection of its masonry -and the wonderful quality of the mortar have alone prevented it from -becoming long since an ugly mass of worthless rubbish. Most of the later -constructions have, indeed, fallen down, or have served so long as -convenient quarries that they have almost disappeared. We did not find -without some difficulty the traces of the grand old stairway that led -from the lower enclosure on the town side up into the pile of buildings -at the top and the older part of the castle. Scrambling up a moraine of -small stones and mortar, an unsightly avalanche, where the noble flight -of steps once mounted the ledge, we came to an irregular open space, now -roofless, but with doorways almost perfect and well-preserved window -penetrations. From this passages lead into towers on the edge of the -precipice, and into a small vaulted chapel, where rows of Byzantine -saints cover the walls with dim visions of red and yellow, their halos -now but circlets of rough holes where jewels were once embedded in the -mortar, and their rigid countenances disfigured by the weathering of -centuries of storms and frosts that have fought nature’s battle on this -bleak and dizzy crag. The northern wall of the open space just alluded -to is a solid ledge of rock hewn square and true, and in this wall is an -opening like a doorway, but bearing no traces of hinges or of any other -contrivance to close it, which leads into a spacious room cut out of the -hard stone. If this was the place where Richard Cœur de Lion was -confined, not only could no minstrel song ever have reached his ears, -but no sound of the world outside the castle less startling than the -crash of thunder ever have broken the hateful quiet of this rock -dungeon. The summit of the ledge is reached by a narrow stairway, -casually twisting and turning as the inequalities of the surface -dictated to the builder, and bears traces of a much-worn passageway and -of huge floor-beams. This was once enclosed by walls of great height and -exceptional solidity. From the ordinary indications of construction it -is proper to assume that here was the original building, enlarged and -altered a good deal since the twelfth century, but still preserving much -of its old shape. Portions of huge towers and jagged edges of apartment -walls, where immense pieces were blown out and down into the chasm below -when the Swedes destroyed this stronghold in the Thirty Years’ War, now -alone remain to give a meagre idea of its grandeur and unique strength. -Unapproachable except across the narrow depressed ridge behind the -summit, and this entrance defended by overhanging towers and a series of -walls, it withstood many sieges, and no doubt harbored many a robber -baron whose descendants now enjoy the titles and wealth which throw a -dazzling glamour over the methods of their acquisition. - -For a long time we enjoyed to the full the view up the defile and down -the broad valley where the river, spreading out into a net-work of small -streams, disappears in a screen - -[Illustration: DÜRRENSTEIN] - -of wooded islands. Away to the south-east the great Benedictine -monastery of Göttweig shows an imposing mass of white on the rounded -hills that bound the Tullnfeld, and stretch off to mingle their summits -with the broad, dark patch of the Wienerwald in the extreme distance. -Far beyond the low islands lies Tulln, one of the oldest towns on the -Danube, the Comagenæ of the Romans, referred to in the “Niebelungenlied” -as an important place, and of historical interest as the point where the -great army assembled in 1683 to deliver Vienna from the hands of the -hated Turk. Dotted along the hill-sides and in the broad valley on the -left bank of the river are many prosperous little towns. - -The insidious influence of the guide-book stole upon us unawares as we -began to ponder over the history of the region within the range of our -uninterrupted vision. Our imaginations, stimulated now by the mention of -these names, wandered from the realities of the Napoleonic campaigns, -through the dim traditions of crusading days, back to the times when the -Roman fleets crowded the narrow channels at the busy stations on the -river-bank. The germ of latent restlessness thus grew like a noxious -fungus in our minds; contentment and peace vanished like a faint odor. -This history was but stale, and the study of it unprofitable. Myths and -legends were like poetry and music, to be taken only when the spirit -yearns for them. Reality is now before us; teeming modern life awaits us -beyond those distant hills. A new nervousness and a new ambition of -progress are upon us--new because there opened to our mental vision, at -the mention of Islam, broad and fascinating vistas of the Orient, of -strange lands and stranger peoples, of types new to our pencils, of -colors to tempt the strongest tints on our palettes. - -Vienna, hidden from us by the dark mass of the Wienerwald, is, for us at -least, the last station before that mysterious East towards which the -resistless current rushes below us, and whither our impatient canoes -shall carry us through bewitching plains of Hungary, wild Carpathian -gorges, and savage regions of Servia, Bulgaria, Roumania, and Russia, to -the shores of the Black Sea. What a force the very mention of these -names has upon us, and how we chafe at a moment’s delay! Castles and -churches will keep, but what of that great mysterious land beyond those -distant hills? Railroads have scarred the fertile plains, and have made -the remote valleys and mountain gorges hideous with iron and raw stone. -Customs have changed and costumes have disappeared. Even the Turk, so -long the master of the lower Danube, has now sullenly withdrawn to the -Bosporus and the Dardanelles. We must get on, for in our impatience it -seems as if these changes are but the work of a day, not of a -generation, and unless we hasten we shall be too late. - -[Illustration: FROM DÜRRENSTEIN TO BUDAPEST] - -Many and many a time had we roundly cursed the canalization of the river -which gave us for a water-line only the dull angle of a stone dike. But -after leaving the village of Dürrenstein, which at the last moment we -found, to our surprise, to be a favorite resort of Viennese artists, and -after a brief pause for luncheon at Stein, with its obnoxious river -improvements, we found ourselves very glad to follow the stone dikes -through the maze of channels, and later in the day to utilize the -stone-work in a way we had never anticipated. We were swept along by a -current so rapid that our pace permitted no hesitation in the choice of -route among the monotonous willow islands. Through openings in the trees -along the bank we occasionally saw pleasant villas and clusters of -houses reflected in the glassy lagoons, and here and there a sportsman -in search of wild-fowl paddled along behind the dike. Sudden wind and -rain squalls swept across the river in the late afternoon, rudely -interrupting our sentimental meditations, and approaching darkness -forced us at last to land. Under the friendly lee of bushes growing in -the crevices of the masonry embankment we at last succeeded in checking -our too willing canoes, and drew them up reluctantly, and only after it -was evident that we had to choose between the ragged platform of the -dike and the sodden swamps which extended for miles away from the main -stream. It must be understood, by-the-way, that the embankments follow -the large curves of the main channel, not forming a continuous dike like -that along a canal or a polder, but leaving here and there an opening -where the stiller water from the artificial lagoons joins the flowing -stream. In these side branches or lagoons the water is frequently clear -and pellucid, and in them, indeed, we found the first and only “blue -Danube” we had seen from the start. Our visions of the sunny East had -been forgotten in the struggle with the violent squalls and at the -prospect of a night on the water, and as we hauled the canoes up on the -firm stone-work of the dike and explored the snail-infested morass -behind it, we accepted the unæsthetic situation on the well-drained -platform, and were even grateful to the engineers who had spoiled the -river for sketching, but had improved it, at this point at least, for -camping purposes. In the alder swamp behind our camp a great gushing -spring of clean Danube water, filtering through the dike, abundantly -supplied this the most desirable luxury of a bivouac. There is more than -one compensation, we thought, for this annoying desecration of the river -scenery. - -[Illustration: LUMBER RAFT] - -With the brilliant sunshine and drying air of the next morning returned -the eager anticipations of the day before. The river was full of life. -Great flat-boats and rafts, old friends from the river Traun, drifted -past us as we prepared to start. The raftsmen laboring at the great -sweeps gave us the morning greetings with a true ring of hearty and -honest good-will, and shouted “Auf baldiges Wiedersehen” as they swung -along down the reach. We had long since learned that the old adage that -the race is not always to the swift might be as well illustrated by the -active canoe and the cumbersome raft as by the hare and the tortoise, -and we knew that while we were giving our boats their morning toilet the -rafts would be surging along at the rate of three or four miles an hour, -and would reach their destination near Vienna long before we should. - -Tulln, seldom visited by the traveller on account of the superior -attractions of Vienna, has more than one relic which repays careful -examination and study. Adjoining the much-restored church stands a small -decagonal Byzantine baptistery, with circular interior not over twenty -feet in diameter. An Early Gothic doorway grafted on the original -edifice, and a complete restoration of the whole as late as 1873, have -not essentially altered its general appearance, for the naïve -irregularity of its plan, the noble proportion of its sides, and the -purity of its characteristic ornamentation survive all the -eccentricities of ancient as well as modern tinkering. The great church -has been distorted by successive additions and rebuildings during -several centuries, and little remains of its original Byzantine dignity. -As for the little dull town itself, the name, familiar to us in poetry -as well as in the recorded events of history, is the chief proof to the -casual observer that it is one of the oldest, and was for a long time -one of the most important, towns on the Danube. Many of the houses are -probably built out of material quarried from the ancient palaces and -fine old mediæval churches which, ruined in the severe sieges and -conflagrations, had yielded up the treasures of stone and marble which -the wanton destruction of Roman temples had contributed to their -erection. Little of the spirit of that ancient architecture has survived -the change and destruction, for modern Tulln is as plain and meagre of -invention as stone and mortar can make it. Of all the great Roman -buildings which once stood here, a single broken altar, moss-grown and -neglected, in the shadow of the baptistery, remains as a monument to the -early splendor of this provincial town. By what chance it has escaped -the stone-mason’s hammer no one can tell. Perhaps the delicate lines of -its mouldings and the grace of its shattered figures may have secured it -a place among the paraphernalia of the Byzantine church, and thus it had -lost its identity as a relic of heathen worship. Would that the mute -eloquence of its pathetic beauty had the voice of a brazen trumpet to -denounce the modern restorer, whose touch is death to the charms of all -art! - -The commonplace aspect of the river-front let us down gently to the -ugliness of the railway bridge, which stretches its rigid arm across the -fine reach of the river just below Tulln, and screens with its hideous -framework the beauties of the landscape below. The up-river navigation -became hideously mechanical as well. Puffing, crawling, wheelless -steamers groaned and clanked as they pulled their ugly black hulks -against the current by a long chain lying in the bed of the stream. Huge -iron barges, the most helpless of monsters without the partnership of a -tug, added their shapeless masses to the procession of mechanical freaks -that indicated the proximity of a large manufacturing city. Distracted -by these new dangers to our navigation, and by the vigorous opposition -of a strong head-wind, we had scarcely time to notice the great -vine-clad hill which crowds the river on the right bank, and shelters -under its towering declivity the extensive Augustinian abbey of -Klosterneuberg, before we found ourselves slipping along a high -stone-faced quay, and saw in the smoky distance the great rotunda on the -Prater in Vienna, and the straight lines of the numerous railway bridges -there. In the little village of Kahlenbergerdorf our waterman instincts -led us to a humble inn, where we found, to our delight, all the raftsmen -we had been meeting since the camp at the mouth of the Traun, assembled -for their mid-day meal, and for a final friendly glass before returning -up-river to start again on another downward voyage. We needed not to -know their names; they did not even ask us ours, nor desire to learn -about our customary occupation; the masonic bonds of kindred experiences -and similar trials and dangers of the long journey made us friends -without further introduction. They were old water-rats, they said, and -though we could claim to be but the tiniest mice of aquatic tastes, our -parting with them in the flickering shadows of the garden, surrounded by -brigades of beer-glasses, was tinged with a genuine regret that we -should no longer hear their cheery voices of a morning, nor see their -honest faces again. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -Vienna offers an unsightly water-front to the Danube navigator. A -succession of huge passenger and railway bridges span the river, and but -for the constant busy traffic seen upon them would appear unnecessarily -numerous in full proportion to their ugliness. At one end they touch the -marshy, desolate shores of the great plain of the Marschfeld, which -stretches away to Hainburg and Theben at the Hungarian frontier, and at -the other their solid piers and embankments either stand isolated on -waste ground, or are supported by ragged and scattered settlements along -the bank, with here and there a huge manufactory. From the level of the -water a broad veil of smoke rising above the trees is the only visible -indication of the proximity of the great city, except it be the bridges -themselves and the numerous tow-boats and excursion steamers. The city -lies in a semicircular valley between the hills of the Wienerwald and -the Danube on both sides of the little river Wien, which drains the -hills to the west and empties its muddy flood into the Danube three or -four miles below the city. The northern angle of this little stream, in -the very heart of Vienna, is connected by a canal with the Danube at -some distance above the town, and the Wien has been canalized and -enlarged from its junction with the canal to its mouth, so that there is -a practicable waterway through the town. The large Danube passenger -boats cannot enter the canal, however, but are waited upon by small -steamers which connect with them at the mouth of the Wien. The great -park, the Prater, where the International Exhibition of 1873 was held, -and a broad flat of rough land adjoining, separate the city from the -broad Danube, which, with wonderfully rapid current, rushes off to the -east towards the distant hills which mark the Hungarian frontier. - -[Illustration: A LITTLE GIRL OF HAINBURG] - -Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement called Vindobona, which the -Romans seized in the second decade of this era and made into a military -post. From the end of the Roman occupation at the close of the sixth -century until the beginning of the eleventh century, the town -practically disappeared from history. During the Crusades, however, it -increased in size and wealth with great rapidity, and since that time -has frequently been the scene of important historical events, not only -in the wars with the Mahometans, but in more recent times. The -Marschfeld, close at hand, has been a favorite tilting ground for -hostile nations from earliest history down to the Napoleonic campaign, -when the battles of Aspern and Wagram were fought here. Vienna has its -share of stock sights--the beautiful Cathedral of St. Stephen, numerous -historical buildings, including the little house where Richard Cœur de -Lion was captured, seldom visited by travellers; extensive and -monumental public edifices; immense collections of historical relics; -superb galleries of works of art, ancient and modern, and places of -entertainment and amusement more numerous in proportion to its -population than in any other city in Europe. Its citizens comprise a -score of nationalities, most of whom represent distinct and important -elements in the composition of the empire. - -The casual traveller will notice first in Vienna the great speed of the -cabs and the skill of the drivers, the wonderfully adorned dray-horses, -the prevalence of the kerchief as a head-covering among the women, the -shop signs in a dozen languages, the perfect system of tram-ways and -omnibuses, and the sudden contrast between the broad and spacious -thoroughfares outside the fine boulevards, the Ring Strasse, and the old -town within this limit. Even more than Paris, Vienna is essentially a -city of apartment-houses and restaurants. These have always been -distinct features of Viennese life, and the great rage for building -which culminated in the panic at the time of the International -Exhibition was induced by the popularity of new apartment-houses which -seemed to foretell a great demand for them during the exhibition and -later. In consequence of this fever for building, numberless immense -caravansaries of apartment-houses were erected in all the new quarters, -and the advantages of cheapness and comfort offered by these houses have -effectually stifled any tendency among the people of the middle class -towards separate residences. One peculiarity of the apartment system in -Vienna is the long-established custom of closing the main door at ten -o’clock in the evening. After that hour the concierge has the right to -collect ten kreutzers (5 cents) from every occupant or visitor who -enters the door. He seldom or never waives this privilege. How long this -relic of social life of the Middle Ages will last is a much discussed -question in Vienna itself. - -[Illustration: PEASANT WAGON, HAINBURG] - -Acquaintance with the common people in Vienna is made difficult by the -atrocious dialect of German they speak there. The popular resorts of the -artisan classes, with their musical and theatrical entertainments by -local performers of talent, are always amusing, but the wit and humor of -the programme is entirely lost to any one who is unfamiliar with the -patois. The prevalence of the harsh sound of the letter “X” is one of -the most noticeable features of this patois, and a story is told which -illustrates the use of this sound and also the manner in which the -adopted citizens of the town acquire the common speech. A Hungarian was -overheard giving a compatriot assistance in German, and in the course of -his lesson he said: “You’ll have to learn a new letter before you can -speak German as well as I do. For example, when you drink a glass of -beer in a party you must say ‘Xundheit! (Gesundheit) an die ganz’ -‘Xellschaft! (Gesellschaft).’” The Viennese are famous for their keen -enjoyment and appreciation of humor, a reputation which is borne out by -the popular support given to numberless comic papers, profusely -illustrated, and all of them full of local hits. The life of the people -is best seen on a holiday in the Wurstel Prater, a sort of Viennese -Coney Island, or Crystal Palace, where all sorts of out-of-door -entertainments are in progress. Here may be studied the characteristic -costumes of many nationalities and of many districts, and a more -interesting collection of types cannot be found in Europe. The environs -of Vienna are particularly attractive. The great formal park and palace -of Schönbrunn and of Laxenburg, the rural beauties of Kahlenberg, and -the charms of the vine-growing district along the southern slopes of the -hills near the town, all attract crowds of merrymakers on every pleasant -holiday. - -We did not attempt to enter the Danube canal with our canoes, but -paddled down to the boat-house of the Lia Ruder Verein near the third -great bridge over the main stream. Here we found a delegation of the -club to welcome us, for our probable arrival had been announced to them, -and the whole establishment was put at once at our disposal. Our canoes -found shelter and healing varnish for their wounds and were stored in -the company of forty-eight racing boats, from the eight-oar to the -single-scull, while we were carried off bodily by the members of the -club and comfortably installed in a hotel. The inexhaustible hospitality -and cheery companionship of the members of the Lia Ruder Verein would -never tire our muse were we to start the song agoing. This hospitality, -not only general, but particular and special, so gilded our stay in the -city that the bitterness of parting from Danube and canoes gave but a -flavor to the joys of congenial society. One perfect summer morning we -saw the last of the club-house as we shot the railway bridge and cast a -hasty glance past the bellying mizzen of the bounding canoe. No less -absorbing feeling than the glorious sense of freedom and -irresponsibility as we found ourselves again on the river would have -excused to our consciences the joy we felt at leaving Vienna. But the -memory of its kindness and courtesy has survived all ephemeral -sentiments. - -[Illustration: A HUNGARIAN FERRY] - -After a short half-day’s paddle down a tossing current, past scores of -floating mills and along miles of stone embankments, we came to the -point where the hills again close in from both sides and form a wall -along the eastern horizon. Though less imposing than some other mountain -ranges we had passed, and, indeed, very narrow where it touches the -river, this is the barrier where for many centuries constant and -successful resistance was kept up against the advance of the Mahometans. -Here for a long time was the extreme eastern bulwark of Christendom, the -advance outposts of the West; and here, after countless campaigns, the -hereditary enemy suffered the crushing defeats which, a little over a -century and a half ago, marked the beginning of the decline of his power -in Europe. This gateway to the great Carpathian plain, and the -political as well as geographical frontier of Hungary, is as perfect a -natural rampart as could be imagined. At the very river’s edge rise, on -either bank, high isolated hills, covered now with masses of ruins, but -formerly part of a complete system of fortifications perfectly -commanding the river from both sides. These fortifications enclosed, as -the ruins now plainly show, the little town of Hainburg, on the right -bank, and Theben, a few miles below on the other side of the river, the -highest Danube town in the Hungarian kingdom. - -[Illustration: THE WIENERTHOR, HAINBURG] - -The sentimental spirit generated in us on the occasion of the happy -visit to Dürrenstein, though veiled a little by the distractions of -Vienna, was now stimulated afresh as we landed in Hainburg. We had -accidentally chosen it as a place for a few days’ quiet work, and found -that we had stumbled unawares into a little walled town full of -archæological and historical interest. Through an ancient arched gateway -near the railway station, Blutgasse (blood lane) winds steeply up -between crowded whitewashed houses to a broad open square, where a -large church with intricately ugly copper-covered spire throws a shadow -over rows of peasant women squatting on the pavement beside their -baskets of market stuff, their blue dresses and bright kerchiefs adding -an agreeable note of color to the blond tones of the surrounding -architecture. Blutgasse! No stretch of the imagination is required to -picture the carnage when the Turks, hunting the inoffensive citizens -through the streets with fanatical ferocity, left only one alive to tell -the tale. This narrow lane, offering a possible escape to the river, was -piled high with headless corpses, and the blood ran in streams under the -oaken gate into the turbid river, which washed the foundations of the -town walls. Tradition says that the one survivor was a woman, who hid -herself, with a small store of provisions, in a disused chimney, where -for three days she listened to the horrid sounds of the massacre. - -During the long centuries while history is silent this little town, with -the neighboring region, has been the theatre of many another thrilling -and dramatic episode now only faintly echoing in the murmur of -tradition. On the whole length of this great water highway there has -been no busier spot than this from the time when the goaded slaves first -towed the ponderous Roman galleys against the rushing stream up to its -docks until its complete destruction in the struggle against the Turks. -Indeed, the whole neighboring country bears abundant witness to the -importance of this point. Extensive Roman remains are scattered all over -the fertile plateau a short distance above Hainburg, near the village of -Deutsch-Altenburg and Petronell, where Carnuntum once stood. Military -engineers, since the earliest mediæval days, have burned the shattered -marbles for lime, and have built into hastily constructed defences tiles -and mouldings, capitals and cornices; and in times of peace the local -masons, with more deliberation and less excuse, have completed the work -of destruction. Recent archæological explorations have uncovered the -ruins of an amphitheatre, of villas and baths, and latterly a -commendable local interest has been taken in these relics, a proof of -which is the popularity of the little museum where are stored a -multitude of objects of Roman origin. The farmers now point with pride -to the crumbling ruins of the great triumphal arch, which they but -recently considered an unsightly excrescence on the fair surface of a -broad wheat-field, and speak of Carnuntum as familiarly as if its -glories were but of recent date. - -[Illustration: THE TOWN WALL, HAINBURG] - -Nearer Hainburg the hill-sides are scored with grassy mounds of ancient -earthworks, and on the high, isolated peak behind the town the extensive -ruin of a mediæval castle is a landmark visible for many miles both up -and down the river. Immense Government tobacco factories and a school -for military cadets have somewhat disturbed the mediæval aspect of the -streets, and a railway has ruthlessly cut through the walls, and trains -crunch and rumble high up on a row of ugly arches that disfigure the -quay. The old side walls, with frequent towers of irregular shape and at -various angles, converge from the water-front, and, narrowing the town -limits as they go, join by a solid cross wall at the foot of the hill, -and then clamber up the precipitous, rugged declivity to the angles of -the great château which covers every yard of the summit. The hill itself -is gay with numberless varieties of wild-flowers and shrubs--a -botanist’s paradise. In Alfred Parsons’ botanical note-book is the -following information concerning this region: - -“The Schlossberg behind the town of Hainburg is very rich in plants--one -large rock garden. On it grow several kinds of sedum and campanula, -dwarf iris, coronilla, genista, two species of dianthus (one of which -has white fringed petals and a very strong scent), a yellow and a pink -allium, wall-rue, thalictrum, and many other plants and shrubs. In the -woods around the town are pyrola, hepatica, Turk’s-cap lily, and there I -also noticed a very handsome leaf of an umbelliferous plant. The -bladder-nut is a common shrub, and on the borders of the woods grows a -melampyrum with yellow flowers which turn orange when older, and have a -tuft of bright mauve leaves above them. Masses of this, with the slender -white spikes of the small St. Bruno’s lily (_Anthericum liliastrum_) -growing up through it, had a very beautiful effect. In the cornfields -grow poppies and daisy-like flowers, also a beautiful annual larkspur -with purple and blue flowers, and a pale, bluish-white nigella. On the -stony slopes at Theben I first saw an everlasting flower with -pinkish-mauve blossoms, which grows abundantly east of this point. The -commonest flowers on the sandy patches near the river are the yellow -snap-dragon (butter and eggs), pink ononis, and a pale-green eryngium, -very prickly. In the meadow at the mouth of the Raab I saw _Eryngium -amethystum_, and a herbaceous clematis, drooping flowers with blue -petals and a yellow centre.” - -From the ruined walls, high above the quiet town and the glittering -expanse of the river, threading its intricate way through the flat and -fertile plain to the shadowy heights rising above the smoke of Vienna, -we could look far beyond the castle-crowned rocks of Theben and the -great hill of Pressburg, over the rich plain of Hungary checkered with -growing crops, stretching away to a mysterious horizon distant as the -sky itself. The wooded hills of the boundary range tempted us with their -shady paths and wealth of wild-flowers, and we found new beauties at -every turn, new delights in every glimpse of the fertile valleys, where -whitewashed villages shimmered in the sunlight among the yellow fields -of ripening corn. On rare occasions we met Hungarian peasant men with -queer hussar jackets and breeches, round hats with cockade of badger -hair, and wonderfully high-heeled boots, and sturdy peasant women with -stiff, outstanding short skirts, and high riding-boots like the -men--skirmishers of the host of novel types and costumes the Danube had -in store for us. Steep and narrow footways lead over the hills three -miles or so to the nearest village of Hundsheim, which, quite off the -highway, and therefore as yet unspoiled by the touch of the modern -architect, is so perfect a specimen of a rural hamlet, practically -unchanged since mediæval times, that we made it the goal of our evening -expeditions. Here, as in all the neighboring villages, it has been the -custom, dating from the early days of conflict with the Turk, to build -the houses each like a tiny castle, with court-yard and arched gateway, -with few and often no windows on the street, and solid high walls on all -sides. At Hundsheim two parallel irregular streets straggle down -opposite sides of a stony stream which serves as a public washing-place, -and furnishes abundant water for all purposes. Each house is like its -neighbor in main lines, differing only in unimportant details. All are -whitewashed with scrupulous care, and although the streets are little -more than rough gullies, there is a refreshing air of - -[Illustration: HUNDSHEIM] - -prosperity about the place. The inhabitants cultivate the rich fields -for miles around the village, pasture their countless sheep and cattle -on the adjacent mountain-sides, and at night gather live-stock and farm -wagons into the enclosure of each tiny castle and retire behind its -ponderous gates as if the Turk were still a threatening enemy. - -One bright morning--the 27th of July, to be accurate--a crowd of -new-made friends assembled to see us pack the canoes and launch them in -the eddying stream. The hospitable miller, who had housed the delicate -craft for us in an empty shed, had not kept secret the hour of our -departure, and there were hundreds watching us as we hoisted sail to -cross the frontier with speed and in sporting style. A short half-hour, -past bold cliffs and picturesque ruins on one side and a wooded bank on -the other, brought us to the muddy March, pouring a sluggish, muddy -flood into the yellow Danube. In another moment we landed in Hungary, -under the overhanging ruins of the great Castle of Theben, which, with -its fellow at Hamburg, guarded the entrance to the wealthy kingdoms -along the great water highway. In the little whitewashed town, crowded -into a narrow valley behind the castle, the musical accent of the Magyar -tongue confirmed to our ears what our eyes had readily discovered--the -presence of another type of face, of figure, and of character. The -aspect of the village, too, was new to us, and suggested a warmer sun, -longer summer, and habitual out-of-door life. We saw little gardens -filled with bright flowers, tiny court-yards, with tables and benches -shaded by trellises of grape-vines and gourds, and met a cheery -hospitality at the rude inn, where Maria, the shy beauty of the village, -soon forgot her coyness in her delight at our enjoyment of the spicy -viands new to our palates. In kerchief and short petticoat, she had no -rival between the ruins of Petronell and the château of Pressburg; but - -[Illustration: GOSSIPS, HUNDSHEIM] - -when she hesitatingly yielded to our importunities for a sitting, and -appeared, after a brief absence, in black silk frock, booted and gloved, -and with parasol in hand, our pencils were too loyal to her peasant -charms to attempt the caricature. No visitors of our nationalities had -left any impressions on the minds of the simple folk here, but the -mention of England and America was, as it always is in Hungary, our best -introduction. The active sympathies of these two countries with the -people struggling for freedom in ’48 are still gratefully remembered by -the whole nation, and the traditions of that sympathy are handed down -loyally to the rising generation. At the post-office, where we went to -buy our first Hungarian stamps, the gossiping old postmaster and his -wife--characters not unfamiliar in the rural offices in other -countries--were so overwhelmed by the extent of our requirements and the -number of our letters that the wheels of official machinery refused to -work at all. After they had carefully read all the addresses, and had -marvelled long at the range of our correspondence, we succeeded in -communicating to their dazed senses the fact that we wanted to buy a -stock of stamps of various denominations. - -[Illustration: THE WATCH-TOWER, THEBEN] - -“What! so much money for stamps? Impossible!” protested the old man and -his echoing wife. “You are already sending away florins’ and florins’ -worth on these letters!” - -“But we want a stock of stamps to keep for our convenient use,” we -urged. “Yes, yes, you want to use them; but why don’t you buy them as -you need them?” was the reply, as he shut the drawer under his elbow, -apparently loath to part with any of its precious contents. - -Arguments were useless, and we gave up the notion of securing a variety, -and tempered our demand to a humble request for a few ten-kreutzer -stamps for foreign postage. - -“Ah, no!” he said. “I can’t let you have any ten-kreutzer stamps, for -the sheets haven’t been broken into yet, and it is near the end of the -month, when I make up my books, and I can’t have my accounts confused by -selling ten-kreutzer stamps to any one.” - -We compromised on a double number of five-kreutzer stamps, the ones in -use for local postage, and ornamented our envelopes with effigies of -Franz Josef until they looked like the walls of a chromo-dealer’s shop. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -Sturdy girls, returning from market with veritable Eiffel towers of -empty tubs on their backs, strode up the steep banks from the landing as -we fled from the enervating luxuries of the inn at Theben and hastened -to paddle towards the busy little town of Pressburg, boasting a new -railway bridge, as ugly a château as man has ever devised, and as -pleasant parks and gardens as ever soldier and nursery-maid chose for -their public flirtations. It claims as its chief historical distinction -the honor of having crowned within its walls the Hungarian kings since -the dynasty was founded. It is a gay little place, with tastefully -decorated shop-windows, and signs everywhere in the Hungarian language. -In a brief two hours’ paddle we had passed beyond the limit of a -distorted dialect of German, and now heard only the soft music of the -Magyar speech. No phase of our journeying was more interesting than the -experience with this abrupt philological frontier. - -Below Pressburg the Danube branches into three sinuous arms, cutting the -great low plain into two long irregular islands, little better than -swamps for the most part--at least, as far as our horizon extended. The -canalization of the river, which practically comes to an end in this -territory, makes the channel quite plain, and diverts the flow of water -from the tortuous branches where the villages cluster on the muddy -banks. On the first day after leaving Pressburg the - -[Illustration: PEASANT GIRL, THEBEN] - -active arguments of hunger persuaded us to explore one of these lagoons -in search of an inn, and after a while we came upon a straggling -collection of low shingled houses gathered into the semblance of a -village by low fences of wattled willow. With a microscopic vocabulary -of Hungarian words we succeeded in getting food to satisfy our colossal -appetites, and in holding the friendliest relations with the bronzed -peasants, who were fast courting oblivion through the medium of strong -wine in the Italian-like hostlery. Here we first made acquaintance with -Hungarian dust and Danube mud, an intimacy which ripened as we went on, -until at last no adjectives would fitly apply to the one or describe the -disgusting characteristics of the other. The willow, too, in this first -great flat stretch forced itself on our notice, and began to aggravate -us with its monotony, turning an otherwise agreeable landscape into a -series of object-lessons in simple perspective. But even the willow came -to an end here after a while, and for an agreeable change we welcomed - -[Illustration: HUNGARIAN CATTLE] - -an open country, with broken mud banks, where we heard the plaintive -music of shepherds’ pipes, saw stalwart swineherds against the sky, and -startled, as we drifted past, great droves of wild-looking cattle -cooling themselves in the shallows. The life on the bank became at -intervals more busy, and all sorts of domestic operations were carried -on in the open air along the muddy shores. Whole families splashed about -in the shallow water as little heedful of our presence as if we belonged -to them. The River Raab sneaks into the Danube in the guise of a lesser -side lagoon, and but for our delightful flower-carpeted camp in sight of -the group of barges at its mouth and within the sound of the tattoo of -many mills, we should scarcely remember it as a feature of our trip. A -brief pause at Komorn, regular and uninteresting architecturally as most -Hungarian towns are, did not increase our desire for exploration, and we -voted, since our time was limited, to land in the future only at places -which, smaller and less Germanized by the commerce of the river, would -probably be more characteristic and picturesque. But the great Cathedral -of Gran--Esztergom is the sonorous Hungarian name--rising above the -ruins of a great brick fortress on a prominent height among vineyard -slopes, made us accept a speedy amendment to this resolution, and under -the lee of its bridge of boats we drew up alongside of one of the great -arks which recall the naval architecture of the pre-deluge period. We -sampled the characteristic cookery of its famous restaurant, and passed -an hour or two of wild excitement over the wonderful colors in the -market-place, where shoulder-high heaps of scarlet paprika (big sweet -peppers) set the key for a combination of rich and varied tones that -would have exhausted the palette of an old Venetian painter; and when at -last an inviting breeze rippled the water, we forced ourselves away and -sailed down the beautiful reaches among grand hills, our eyes still full -of the kaleidoscopic sparkle of enchanting Esztergom. - -Our frisky boats lost the breeze in the narrow, crooked defile below, -and we settled ourselves to a quiet drift under the great ruins of -Visegrád, where villas, bath-houses, and a level road, gay with ladies -and children, marked the little village as the first sybaritic outpost -of Budapest. Preoccupied with the beauties of the scenery, we did not at -first notice the frantic waving of the Union-jack in the hands of some -one on the shore, but we soon turned our bows in the direction of this -unmistakable invitation to land, and were welcomed on shore by an -English gentleman, a summer resident there, who explained that, having -read of our trip in a Vienna newspaper, he and his family had been on -the watch for us for many days. Such hearty hospitality as he offered us -could not be refused, although it was the Delilah to our Samson strength -of purpose, and we went ashore. A party of ladies and gentlemen was -speedily formed, and we made an excursion up the hill, through pleasant -groves and along shady paths, to the ruins of the old castle of the -Hungarian kings, who resided here as early as the eleventh century. -Matthew Corvinus enlarged and improved the castle, and it was long the -chief stronghold of this region. The royal - -[Illustration: GRAN (ESZTERGOM)] - -crown of Hungary was once concealed in a deep pit cut in the solid rock -under one of the towers, and there are various other notable historical -legends connected with the place. Another castle near the water’s edge, -although it is partially restored, had a sentimental interest for us -because we were informed that it had been intended for the summer -residence of the unfortunate Prince Leopold. The former -commander-in-chief of the Hungarian army in the revolution of 1848, -General Görgei, lives quietly in a pleasant villa high above the river. -Surrounded by his family and busying himself with all sorts of -mechanical operations, to which he is devoted, the old general appears -to have secured the greatest blessing known to man--contentment. The -weight of the forty odd years that have passed since he gave up his -sword has not bowed his straight figure, and his dark eyes still have -the fire of youth in them. At his own request we went to call on him, -and found him, like all the men of Kossuth’s time, enthusiastically fond -of America, and grateful for the sympathetic aid and comfort of the -whole English-speaking race. Lingering long in his company, the summer -twilight stole upon us before we knew it, and warned us to seek a camp. -The tempting offers of hospitality so heartily given, the fascinations -of the people and the place, and the unique charm of society which is -peculiar to Hungary alone, all these and many other delights made it -next to impossible for us to take our leave. But at last we hardened our -hearts, pushed off, waved a last farewell to the young ladies who -accompanied us a short distance in a wherry, and paddled out into the -glowing twilight. - -The frequent villas that dot the shores below Visegrád we now looked -upon through glasses of different color. Only twenty-four hours before -we would have named them landscape-spoilers, and would have turned our -faces from them as we passed. But we had caught the infection of the -happy land; the microbe which, once in possession, never leaves the -willing victim, had begun to attack us, one and all, and we saw possible -friends in every pretty garden and in every luxurious pleasure-boat. At -this moment less than ever did a great city have any attraction for us, -and we wildly planned to cut Budapest altogether, and continue our -joyful cruise down into the great wild region beyond, where the river -life is active and varied, and where our days should be a succession of -pleasant experiences and surprises--where, indeed, we might learn to -know, with an intimacy that only such a free life makes possible, the -people in their unaffected, simple existence. - -[Illustration: VISEGRÁD] - -Just above Waitzen, a good-sized town with prison and manufactories and -busy quay, with barges and peasant market-boats, the river bends -gracefully around to the south, divides past a long flat island covered -with fertile farms, and then loses itself in the distance where the -grand old fortress on the summit of Blocksberg overhangs the suburb of -Ofen (Buda in Hungarian) on the right bank, and looks down upon the -imposing façades of Pest on the opposite shore. An accident, happy in -its result, but threatening for a moment a painful disaster, made a -pause at Budapest a necessity. Sudden summer thunder-storms swept - -[Illustration: SWINEHERD] - -over the river from the cloud-compelling summits in the west, and then -cleared away with a strong wind, which, blowing across the current, soon -stirred up what the ocean pilots would call a “nubbly” sea. The -temptation to hoist sail and triumphantly dash past the populous -waterfront of the great city was not long to be resisted, and soon the -sparkling river was enlivened by three pairs of snow-white sails. -Open-mouthed millers stared at us as we swept past their groaning -floats, throwing up spray like so many yachts. Suddenly a polished -rudder gleamed in the air, following the total eclipse of one of the -canoes, crew and all. A multitude of objects tossed on the waves and -bobbed away down-stream, while the humiliated canoist came up, shining -like a seal, and righted his water-logged craft. A landing was made, not -without difficulty, more soaked and ruined articles were recovered than -it would have been thought possible to stow under the mahogany hatches, -and we were glad to seek refuge, after the canoe was baled out, in the -hospitable boat-house of the Neptune Ruder Verein, a mile or two below -the scene of the accident, among the pleasant groves of the -Margarethen-Insel (Margitsziget). - -We had often remarked that in our independent way of travelling constant -variety was the rule, and monotony of incident never possible. If we -could have had the choice, we certainly would not have introduced -ourselves to the rowing men of the Neptune Verein until our fleet could -have passed inspection with credit. But the unexpected event of a -capsize forced us to swallow our pride, and we accordingly bundled the -wet things out upon the float, and stowed the canoes away among the -slender racing craft in the boat-house. Not only had the accident taken -the bloom off our self-confidence, but it had upset many pet theories -which had from the start been quite undisputed. Our blind faith in the -value of india-rubber as a water-proof material had hitherto not been -disturbed, but on this the occasion of the first real test elaborate -rubber boat bags and air-tight hatches only seemed to aggravate the -disaster; for all these contrivances seemed not only to actually suck -the water in, but to hold it perfectly when it was inside. We hereafter -limited our belief in water-proof receptacles to the ordinary -well-corked glass bottle of commerce in which we kept our matches. - -[Illustration: A FAMILY WASH] - -What a medley of gypsy music, song, and csárdás, of beautiful women and -cheery, sympathetic men, of abundant - -[Illustration: AN ARK-BOAT] - -hospitality and general good-fellowship, Budapest now remains to us in -our memory! It wellnigh proved our Capua, for, being only human, we -could but yield to the enchantment. Who shall adequately describe the -fascination of the native gypsy music, with its throbbing, wailing -strains and its intoxicating rhythm? What writer’s pen or artist’s -pencil shall picture the csárdás, with its Oriental action and its -exhilarating intensity? It would be easier to convey by words or by -lines the sense of a strange perfume than to analyze and explain the -charms of the music or the attractions of the dance. Prosaically -described, the csárdás is a dance for one or for any number of couples, -and is performed in a great variety of ways, the partners sometimes -dancing apart and sometimes together. The common fashion we observed -during our brief experience, and the one we naturally indulged in as the -nearest allied to the dancing we were familiar with, is for the lady to -rest her hands on the gentleman’s shoulders, who, in his turn, places -his hands on her waist. A long-cherished admiration for the dance -forbids me to attempt to give any notion of the step or of the vibrating -action of the body, truly interpreting in motion the spirit of the -music, which, with sweet insinuating melodies, wild and ever wilder -bursts of mad chords, lends the contagion of its tireless vigor to the -dancers, and sways them like reeds by the power of its savage -harmonies. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -There is the same indefinable charm about Budapest that there is in the -gypsy music. This charm is a spiritual one. The situation of the city is -delightful, the streets are clean, the architecture agreeable, and all -the comforts of life are at the traveller’s command. In these respects -the city is not unlike many others, but in its people it is unique and -always will be as long as the Magyar tongue exists, or a drop of the -rich Eastern blood remains in a descendant of the race. Our experience -in Vienna was but the prologue to the hospitalities at Budapest. Under -the guidance of a host of friends, chief of whom was Mr. Louis Gerster, -the resident Vice-consul of the United States, we saw the town in the -most agreeable manner possible. Visits to the museums of art and of -antiquity, with their stores of treasures; inspection of the famous -wine-cellars, with the miles of wine-butts and millions of bottles; -drives in the parks; an excursion up the river in a special steamer with -ladies and gentlemen, when we danced the csárdás for a day and a night -almost without intermission; a trip down-stream to eat the delicious -sterlet, fresh from the Danube and cooked with paprika, after the -fisherman’s taste--our stay was one round of jollity. But for the -frequent sight of the great river with its hurrying current which urged -us to depart, we might have prolonged our stay until snowfall, such were -the fascinations that encompassed us. - -[Illustration: COUNTRY MARKET-BOAT, BUDAPEST] - -The water-front of Budapest, with its masses of extensive buildings and -its populous quays, is the noblest spectacle of similar order in the -whole course of the Danube. Within the last few years the city has made -marvellous strides in the direction of enlargement and improvement. -Three bridges now cross the river between Pest on the left bank and Buda -on the right, the two principal sections of the town. The upper one is -of iron, on huge stone buttresses, the middle one a graceful -suspension-bridge, built about forty years ago, and the lower of iron, -and built to carry a railway and to serve for foot-passengers as well. -Large hotels have been built, a fine new park laid out, new -parliament-houses on the river-front almost completed, the squares and -public places adorned with fountains and statues, and entire new -quarters covered with fine buildings, all within the past fifteen years. -These improvements have worked the modernization of the people as well -as the town, and the native costumes once so common in the streets are -almost a rarity now. The sulphur springs at Buda and on -Margarethen-Insel, famous since Roman times, form one of the chief -attractions to visitors, and afford an uncommon luxury to the residents. -The bathing establishments are of unparalleled extent and great -splendor, particularly on the island, where the delights of the -beautiful park enhance the popularity of the baths. Up to within a few -years there was a large cheap public bath where people of both sexes and -all ages, after having been cupped by an attendant as many times as they -could afford to pay for, according to the old faith in the efficacy of -blood-letting, huddled together, often nearly if not quite naked, in a -large common plunge-basin of steaming sulphur-water, where they remained -for hours, looking like the lost souls in Dante’s “Inferno.” This -promiscuous bathing is now no longer permitted, for this with many other -old customs among the common people has disappeared before the advance -of civilization. - -The sun was well down behind the hills before we launched the canoes on -the day we left Budapest. The strains of the csárdás still echoed in our -ears; our minds were confused by the succession of novel experiences we -had enjoyed during the past four days; the river seemed to rush on with -a giddier swirl than ever before, and a strong head-wind did its best to -discourage our progress. It was not until we had lost sight of the hills -near the city, late on the following day, that we realized we were now -at length fairly afloat in the heart of the vast open plain which -extends to the Carpathians. The corner of this plain which we had -crossed below Pressburg had given us a hint of what we might expect in -the way of monotonous scenery, but it had disclosed to us little of the -charm of the great river which now enchanted us. High bluffs of firm, -hard earth alternated with stretches of densely-wooded low banks. -Tree-embowered villages nestled long distances apart, under -vineyard-clad slopes, or among fields rich with maize and ripening -wheat. The river began to be the focus of rural activity. Wherever mills -were anchored in the strongest currents, the peasants camped on the -adjoining banks, with ox-carts full of freshly-winnowed corn, awaiting -their turn for the grinding. Women vigorously beating clothes with -wooden mallets enlivened the scene with their laughter and gossip, and -formed fascinating groups, with every combination of rich color. -Everywhere were sunshine and laughter and song. Cries of “Eljen!” -(hurrah!) and “Hova megy?” (where are you going?) greeted us constantly -as we passed, shouting in reply, “Fekete Tengerig” (to the Black Sea). -The cheery vivacity of the people, their unfailing courtesy and -agreeable manners, had won our affectionate admiration from the first, -and the more we came to know them, the more we found reason to honor our -earliest impressions of them. - -The tyranny of limited space forbids lengthy description of more than -one of the many interesting villages we explored in the first day or two -below Budapest, and Duna Földvár of cheerful memory may be taken as a -type of all. The village itself is, like most Hungarian places, a -collection of low houses along broad streets, laid out in rectangular -plan, gullied and dusty, and shaded by rows of small acacia-trees. A -great barren market square forms the usual - -[Illustration: WASHER-WOMEN] - -prominent feature of the village, and from this arid waste straight, -wide thoroughfares lead out into the open country behind, and casually -end there, like the streets of the great shanty cities in the Far West. -The architectural examples found in Duna Földvár are not notable; -indeed, the inscription over the church door, -“Isten-Gondviselésnyujtottdiszújalakotrám,” was the only detail in -relation to architecture that fixed our attention. A few sleepy -market-women sat in the broad shadow of the ugly town-hall, and, except -for the constant coming and going of many graceful maidens bearing tubs -of Danube water on their heads, there was little or no movement on the -streets. All the life of the village concentrated itself under the sandy -bluff by the river-side. A procession of barefooted girls continually -passed along the shore. Peasant men stripped to the waist, with their -divided-skirt-like trousers rolled up into the narrowest compass, washed -their cattle and wagons in the shallow water, while a busy army of men -and women unloaded the barges and carried the heavy freight to the -warehouses. At every available point of the crowded river-front -washerwomen, with their petticoats wet to the waist, stood knee-deep in -the stream, and accompanied their lively chatter with the vigorous -tattoo of their active mallets. In the shadow of the houses near the -landing great piles of watermelons were the centres of groups of all -ages, every individual busy with the luscious, juicy fruit. On all sides -we saw flashing rich color, beautiful types, picturesque costumes, -graceful action, and the bustle of ceaseless activity. The sparkling -river, the brilliant colors glowing in the bright August sun, and the -multitude of figures tempting the pencil fairly dazed us at first, and -we could only rush enthusiastically from point to point, finding each -new group and each new incident more fascinating than the other. - -While we were busy sketching on the river-front a young gentleman -approached, introduced himself, and said he had been sent as the -emissary of a party of ladies and gentlemen who were about to go on a -picnic excursion, and desired the honor of our company. They had heard -all about our cruise from the Budapest papers, he added, and were -anxious to show us some attention. We felt obliged to decline the -invitation, for the day was fast advancing, and the subjects before us -were both fascinating and numerous, and the young man, with proper -apologies for disturbing us, withdrew. Towards the end of the afternoon -we paddled off, much depressed by the necessity of leaving practically -untouched the wealth of picturesque material in the little river town, -and, indeed, very loath to seek a camp. Just after we rounded the point -below the town we heard the - -[Illustration: DUNA FÜLDVÁR] - -strains of gypsy music, and soon caught sight of a large boat filled -with ladies and gentlemen, apparently waiting for us in mid-stream. In a -few moments we were alongside, and were very much pleased to find that -it was the same picnic party which had begged for the honor of our -presence some hours before. Indeed, it came out that the polite emissary -had lingered about and watched our departure, and then had hurried on -horseback to warn the party of our approach. We suffered ourselves to be -piloted ashore, where, in a pleasant grove by the water’s edge we found -a large table spread, a dancing-floor arranged, and everything in order -for a genuine Hungarian festivity. A band of ten gypsies furnished the -music, a dozen young ladies, with as many young gentlemen, a few men of -middle age and a proper number of chaperons, made up the party, and it -comprised, as we soon found out, the professional men of the town--the -lawyers and doctors with their families and intimate friends. We lost no -time in becoming acquainted, for all formalities of introduction were -soon over, and then the feast began. Like every similar entertainment in -Hungary, speech-making was a great feature of the dinner. Every one had -to do his share of this, and when the last toast was drunk, a mixed -Hungarian-American sentiment, we all took partners, and the csárdás -began. - -Hours passed like magic, and the fast-waning afternoon light warned us -to be off. We had scarcely shouted the last “good-bye” across the -shining water when a violent wind arose, drowning with its rushing sound -the tinkle of the music in the grove, and changing the placid stream -into a turbulent sea of dashing waves. Night settled down with unusual -haste, and in the increasing darkness we were tossed and buffeted along, -sometimes half swamped, unable to find a landing on the steep, high -banks, not daring to - -[Illustration: WATER-CARRIERS, DUNA FÖLDVÁR] - -venture out into the raging stream, nor yet to approach too near the -shore. The distorting gloom so changed the usual landmarks that we could -not distinguish trees from bushes, and could only judge of our distance -from the shore by the sound of the angry water beating against the bank. -On we went, driven by the wind, which seemed to increase with every -fresh gust. Wherever we tried to land, the breaking waves warned us that -unless we found a sheltered spot we should pound our canoes to pieces -before we got them ashore. The noise of the storm made it difficult for -us to hear each other shout, and it was only by constant piping on our -shrill whistles that we kept our little fleet together. The situation at -last became so serious that we were about to give up all attempt to -land, and were on the point of - -[Illustration: FISHING-STATION] - -scudding down in mid-stream until the storm should abate, preferring to -risk capsize there rather than to endanger the canoes by further trials -at landing on a lee shore. Just as we came to this decision, however, an -unusually heavy squall struck us, and at the same moment we heard the -unmistakable swash of the water among willow bushes close at hand. We -knew then that we should find temporary shelter and shallow water among -the willows, for the unusual height of the river had covered all low -places. We also knew we could manage to land from the shoal water on a -flooded meadow; so we pushed boldly on, and passing the yielding -barrier, which fortunately was but a rod or two wide, found ourselves in -a quiet shelter behind the screen of slender bushes, and at the edge of -a grove of large trees with solid turf underneath. By the light of our -lanterns we hauled up the canoes, arranged them so as best to shelter -our camp-fire from the blast, rigged our tents, and then cooked our -supper in comfort. The storm continued the greater part of the night, -and we slept to the howling of the wind in the trees and to the dull -roar of the Danube billows. - -Now, as we advanced, the river rose higher and higher, flooding all the -swamps and low-lying woodlands, and spreading out into broad lakes over -the meadows. Once only, in a whole day’s paddle, did we find a -fishing-station, and this was kept by men from a village fifteen miles -inland, who take regular turns in visiting their homes during the long -months when fishing is profitable. Their great wigwam had bunks for a -dozen men, and miles of nets were drying in the sun. As we had been -accustomed to land at a village at least once a day to replenish our -larder with fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, and wine, we found our -cupboards rather empty after a day or two in the wilderness, and we -welcomed the sight of the fishing-camp, for we knew we could procure -there an abundance of sterlet, the best fish found in the Danube. Our -arrival was a great event in the camp, and, mutually interested in each -other’s boats and mode of life, we spent an hour there, and then -departed, with a generous supply of sterlet taken from the fish-car -which was anchored in the stream, and covered with the stings of -mosquitoes, which hovered in a cloud over the whole point. - -The steady current and favorable winds did not long permit us to fancy -ourselves explorers in an undiscovered country, but carried us easily -on, at the rate of thirty or forty miles a day, out of the swamps and -forests to the region of vineyards and dry hills and villages. In a -measure, as we went along and the landscape varied, so did the costumes -change in character, the types differ, and new peoples hail our fleet -with cries in strange languages. Drifting along within a yard or two of -the shore, we entered into temporarily intimate relations with the -villagers at their customary occupations, and were always welcomed by -them with unobtrusive but hearty familiarity, which filled our days with -pleasant little episodes and delightful experiences. The long-populous -town of Mohács, with extensive and ugly coal-yards, did not at first -tempt us to land, but groups of beautiful children and young girls, who -assembled to watch us as we stayed our all too rapid course along the -shore at the very door-steps of the houses, suggested such possibilities -there that we had perforce to go ashore and see what the place was like. -At our accustomed refuge in all these villages--the public -bath-house--we found among the crowd of people gathered at the landing a -boy of about a dozen years of age, who, to our great astonishment, -addressed us in English, with an unmistakable American accent, and said -that his grandfather hoped we would call on him before we went away. A -few moments later we were - -[Illustration: PEASANT GIRLS AT MOHÁCS] - -toasting America, England, and Hungary in the purest of Tokay from the -original bottles, sealed in the memorable year of ’48. Our host, Colonel -Fornét, was a fine type of the Hungarian patriot, who, like so many -others, had returned to his native country, after years of exile, to end -his life among his kin. After the heroic struggle for independence in -’48 he fled to the United States, became a naturalized citizen, and, -after a year or so, went back to Paris to meet and marry the lady who -had been betrothed to him before the revolution broke out. On his return -to America he was unable to resist long the fascinations of the -adventurous life in the great West, and for a time he followed the -fortunes of General Fremont and other explorers of the wild regions. -When the rebellion offered a still more tempting field for his restless -ambition, he joined a New Jersey regiment, and served with distinction -as its colonel until he was disabled in the field and incapacitated for -active life in the future. Shortly after the close of the war he -returned to Hungary with his family, and for a quarter of a century has -kept his memory bright, his gratitude warm, and his loyalty to his -adopted country still as pure as when he won the silver eagle on his -shoulders in the trying days of ’61. His children and grandchildren -regard America with such reverence, and speak of it with such genuine -affection, that our poor patriotism was put quite to the blush. With -tears in his eyes, the noble old soldier modestly gave us a short -history of his life there, and lived over again for a brief moment the -scenes of his younger days, his blood still boiling at the memory of the -martyrs of Arad, his voice still keeping its martial ring as he spoke of -his comrades in the great rebellion in his adopted land. There are few -countries where the utterance of such intense sentiments would not sound -strained and dramatic, and the expression of such feeling appear a -little out of tune. But in Hungary patriotism is not considered -old-fashioned, nor do the dictates of society demand that studied -indifference and coolness which is characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon. -Our visit to the grand old patriot left an impression on us which -neither time nor distance can efface. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - -A few miles below Mohács is the upper mouth of the Franzens Canal which -joins the Danube with the Theiss, giving an easy outlet for the produce -of the great fertile plain, facilitating the transportation of grain and -lumber from the interior to the chief water highway. The construction of -the canal dates from the last century, and, in all probability, it was -projected even as early as the Roman occupation. It is only within a few -years, however, that, by the aid of English capital, it has been -finished and put in active operation. The wonderfully rich farming -country through which it passes has attracted, since earliest times, -settlers from all surrounding regions, and of all the Hungarian kingdom -it has the most varied and heterogeneous population. Almost anywhere -within the narrow limits of the low horizon may be counted between the -Danube and the Theiss a dozen villages, sheltering representatives of as -many different races, and a more attractive field for the philologist or -for the artist cannot be found between the Black Sea and the Baltic. The -traveller who rushes down the Danube in a steamer, or yawns at the -monotonous plain from the window of a Pullman-car on the Orient Express, -gets no more idea of the people than if he saw them from a balloon. Even -studied intimately and at leisure, this unique mixture of races is -confusing and perplexing, and only those who have long been familiar -with them can thoroughly - -[Illustration: FROM BUDAPEST TO BELGRADE] - -understand the conditions of their existence. In all Hungary the Magyar, -or pure Hungarian, does not number over four out of the fifteen millions -of inhabitants. They are the dominant race intellectually and -physically, and, of course, the governing race. But frugal, industrious -immigrants have on all sides taken possession of the land, have -established manufactories and built up trade, and have often left to the -Magyar little beside that pride of race to which even the lowest among -them cling as their most precious birthright. It is this pride which has -bound the nation together all through the dark centuries of constant -warfare with an implacable enemy, and it is this pride which is the -Magyar’s best support in his present struggle for a place in the -foremost rank of civilized nations. There can be no question of his -intellectual superiority over the races who crowd him on the east, the -south, and the west. That he is not yet in the same plane of -civilization as the nations in the west of Europe is due to the fact -that while the west was civilizing, the Magyar was keeping the frontier -against advancing Mahometanism; and it is only now, after many centuries -of discouragement and oppression, that he is in a position to advance -along the road of peaceful development and culture. To such a nature as -his all is possible, and his marvellous progress during the past twenty -years is gratifying proof that he is making the best of his present -possibilities. - -We had the great good-fortune to be personally conducted through this -interesting region by Mr. Louis Gerster, the vice-consul of the United -States at Budapest, who met us at the mouth of the canal and who, from -long acquaintance with the population, was able to steer our course -successfully among the manifold ethnological and philological shoals on -which we should certainly have been wrecked had we been travelling -alone. He placed a small propeller at our disposal, and we made the -journey as far as the Theiss, shooting the wild-fowl with which this -region abounds, visiting all the villages, and studying the natives, -their customs, costumes, and modes of life. The few days we spent in his -company along the Franzens Canal would make a volume in itself, and it -is only because we must not pause in the tale of our Danube voyage that -we are obliged to keep the log-book of this side trip closed. Russians, -Bulgarians, Saxons, Servians, Jews, Gypsies, Schokaczs, Bunyvaczs, and -other known and unknown races and tribes, each with distinctly different -dress, language, and customs practically unchanged by transplantation -into Hungarian soil, so bewitched us with the charms of constant variety -and novelty that our trip was one round of exhilarating and delightful -impressions. Thanks to the excellent management of our friend, we were -able to spend a Saturday afternoon and part of Sunday in the Schokacz -village of Monostorszég, situated on the banks of the Danube, but so -hidden away behind islands that it would not have attracted our -attention from the canoes, and even if we had seen it, we would - -[Illustration: SCHOKACZ TYPES] - -not have suspected the existence of the treasures it held for us. The -village itself is not unlike many others we visited, with broad streets -shaded by acacias and mulberries, low whitewashed houses, a large barren -church edifice, and a few unobtrusive shops. In the daytime, -particularly in the harvest season, the whole place is deserted except -by a few old people and children. With the peep of day the entire adult -population rattles away over the plain in springless wicker wagons to -the cornfields, often miles distant. As the sun gets low in the -afternoon the dusty streets are again lively with laden carts and wagons -full of chattering, singing girls as brown as Indians. The village -swineherd, who has watched his unsavory flock on the muddy shores of the -Danube through the heat of the day, now drives them to the village -again, and as they approach their homes they scamper away, each to his -own sty, adding the harsh notes of shrill squeals and grunts to the -chorus of general congratulation that the hot day is past and the -coolness of the night is at hand. - -Like three Tartarins of Tarascon, we found everything at Monostorszég -arranged for our amusement and entertainment as if by a stock company. -In the court-yard of one of the well-to-do farmers’ houses, where we -stopped to examine the stock of home-made embroideries and fabrics for -which the housewife was justly renowned in the neighborhood, we soon saw -assemble quite a large party of youths and maidens, many of them in -holiday dress, and all ready for a dance. From somewhere, we never knew -how or whence, a group of strange-looking musicians and stranger -instruments appeared casually in the crowd, and the inspiriting tinkle -of native dances set every bare foot patting time on the smoothly -trampled earth. There were a bass-viol, a guitar, a medium-sized -mandolin, and one, the tamboura, no larger than a lady’s hand, all of -them strung with wire, and played with a bit of bone or horn. On the -last-named instrument, which had a neck out of all reasonable proportion -in length, a tall, brawny native picked the most intricate and -encouraging melodies, and the feet must indeed have been heavy which did -not rise to the rhythm of this music. Out of deference to the visitors -the csárdás was for some time the only dance, but as the excitement -increased, and the presence of strangers was forgotten, their own dance, -the kollo, took its place, and we all participated in this, with more -zeal than skill. The kollo, which is the common dance all through -Croatia, Slavonia, and Servia, is more solemn and stately than either -the Hungarian csárdás or the Roumanian hora, but, like these, comes to -an end only with the strength and endurance of the participants. A ring -is formed, usually of an equal number of dancers of both sexes. Each -maiden places her hands on the shoulder of a youth on either side of -her, giving both the strings of her girdle or the ends of a kerchief, -passed behind her back, to twist around their forefingers, thus binding -the circle firmly together. The dance consists in stepping one measure -by a rhythmic patter with the feet, and then the next measure by a -movement to the left, with now and then a few steps backward and -forward, as the caprice of any part of the circle may decide. In this -dance, as in the csárdás, the performers are swayed and directed by the -leader of the orchestra, who alternates a slow, almost mournful, strain, -with wild and passionate bursts of music, which, like shocks of -electricity, set every figure in spirited action. - -The ordinary costume of both sexes at Monostorszég is simplicity itself. -The women wear a high-necked, ankle-long chemise of white homespun -linen, with full sleeves gathered at the elbow and richly embroidered, -usually with blue. Bands of narrow embroidery decorate the waist and the -skirt also. This chemise is girded to the body by a thick woollen belt, -binding tightly to the figure the upper edge of a narrow apron of -striped woollen homespun, very brilliant in color. A kerchief is usually -worn on the head, and the feet are habitually bare. On Sundays and -fête-days the girls exchange the coarse garments for others of choicer -texture, the chemise being fine and carefully plaited, and the apron of -mull or muslin delicately embroidered with white. Tall red morocco -boots, with yellow heels and soles and curious pointed toes, adorn, or -rather disfigure, the feet, and around the neck are hung many rows of -gaudy glass beads. The hair is elaborately braided in a broad band, -which is brought over to the forehead and then turned back again. This -is held in place by dozens of pins with ornamental heads; and all along -the edges of the braid behind is a thick row of bits of a fine green -aromatic herb, while in the hair itself at the back, as well as around -the face, - -[Illustration: IN SUNDAY DRESS, MONOSTORSZÉG] - -bright-colored geraniums, marigolds, and other flowers, are skilfully -arranged. On their wedding-day they cover their heads with a wonderful -square structure, more like a pastry-cook’s _pièce montée_ than a -bonnet, wear an ample white lace shoulder-cape, a brilliant scarlet -petticoat, with white lace apron and tall red boots. This dress is -preserved with jealous care, and is never produced except on Sundays and -holidays. The men’s costume consists of loose linen trousers, like a -divided skirt, a full tunic, a waistcoat with silver buttons, hussar -boots, and a small round hat. Both sexes have for an outer garment -either a sheepskin cloak or a great-coat of very thick, felt-like, white -woollen, with broad, square collar, and sleeves either sewed up at the -bottom, or else in short, rudimentary form. These coats, and also the -sheepskin cloaks, are often richly and gaudily embroidered. - -When we came into the village bright and early Sunday morning everybody -was in holiday dress. The red petticoats of the matrons flashed along -the sidewalks, but half-shaded by the small trees; groups of gay -maidens, each with wild-flowers in hand, hurried along to church, where -companies of men in immaculate linen and stiff embroidered coats stood -in solemn rows like supernumeraries on a stage. The church was already -partly full when we entered, and there was a bustle of many people -settling themselves in their places, and a constant stream of -worshippers coming in at different doors. We sat there marvelling at the -strange dresses, enchanted by the brilliant colors, all the while unable -to realize that this was the customary weekly ceremony, not a dramatic -pageant arranged for our benefit. The sexes sat apart, and the married -and the single each had a portion of the pews reserved for them, and -each entered the church by a different door. Near the altar the -marriageable maidens came clumping in with their red boots, always in -parties of three or more, each with a little bright-colored rug, a -prayer-book, and a bunch of flowers. Spreading out their rugs on the -stone floor, they kneeled down in rows facing the altar, and, after -carefully arranging their plaited Sunday chemises so as to cover their -feet, remained a few moments in the attitude of prayer, and then rose -and took their seats. Of all that great congregation there was not one -who did not wear the costume, and, with the exception of some of the -ornaments and finer textiles, all the articles of dress were of home -production. Every thread of the linen and wool had been spun on the busy -distaff as the women went to and from the fields to their work, and -woven in the winter-time, when the clatter of the loom is heard in every -house. - -[Illustration: HUNGARIAN GIRLS AT BEZDÁN] - -During the sermon we hurried away to be present at the close of the -church-service in the neighboring village of Bezdán, inhabited by -Magyars. It was a few miles away, and we arrived only in time to see the -quiet streets enlivened with people totally different in type and dress -from those we had just left. In the flickering shadow of the trees, -under the noonday sun, the women strode off homeward with an - -[Illustration: ERDÖD] - -energy of action that made their stiff petticoats balloon out still -more. Near the church the men gathered in silence to listen to the -crier, who was announcing various articles for sale. The unmarried girls -of the village wear white linen dresses, with short sleeves and -embroidered waists, wreaths of flowers in their hair, bright red ribbons -down their backs, black stockings, and dainty red and yellow slippers. -The matrons wear colors, sometimes green or black, but usually red, and -the men are chiefly noticeable for their loose linen garments and -elaborate boots, often with a survival of the spur in the shape of a -brass ornament on the side of the heel. Even as we stood watching the -people the streets became quite deserted again; and so we hastened on to -another village, where, in the populous Servian quarter, we caught our -first glimpses of Oriental life in the groups of women sitting flat in -the road in the shadow of the houses, disdaining, like true Orientals, -all such luxuries as chairs and tables, and disturbed by no horror of -dirt. Our Sunday’s excursion also included a gypsy settlement--not a -common sight, for these people are seldom permitted to occupy houses. It -disagreeably contrasted in its squalor and filth with the perfection of -neatness and tidiness among the Schokaczs and Magyars, but gave us a -notion of the range of types easily studied in this one neighborhood. - -When we left the mouth of the canal, one breezy morning after our -excursion, and shot down the turbid stream with all sail set, the -soothing regularity of the tree-covered banks, and the utter absence of -anything to study or to sketch, was not without a calming influence on -us, and but for this little respite we probably should not have had the -heart to land at the long straggling village of Apatin, which promised -new beauties and fresh interests. Almost the first person we saw was a -little old German woman spinning flax on a tiny wheel, looking exactly -as if she had been transported bodily from the Black Forest. Farther -along the street we met unmistakable Germans, and heard again the -familiar language of the upper river. At the nearest corner was a -brewery, with tables under the trees, and guzzling sluggards devouring -strong sausage and stronger cheese. Everything was of the most -commonplace German order, from the architecture of the houses to the -beer mugs. Our parachute had burst, and we came to earth with a heavy -thump. - -About half-way between Apatin and the village of Erdöd, with course as -straight as a canal, the river Drave pours in a muddy flood, and far up -the shining stream the foot-hills of the Tyrolean Alps lie all faint in -the distance. Fertile hills now skirt the west bank, and their sunny -yellow slopes looked agreeably bright and warm after the heavy greens of -the forest and swamp. The river has washed away the hills into -perpendicular bluffs, which are of earth almost as hard as sandstone. -Rude steps cut along a cleft were lively with girls carrying jars of -Danube water to the village above; and once, under a vineyard, where the -vines trail over the very edge of the bank, we saw a rude cave dug in -the earth, where a long pole with a dangling bush projecting far - -[Illustration: CURRENT MILLS] - -beyond the rough bough shelter at the door of the cellar announced to -the river men that wine was for sale. Our old friends the current mills -still clustered at frequent intervals, where the stream ran the -swiftest. Since the first time we saw them--far up the river, above -Vienna--they had not changed their general shape or construction; but -the owners’ names, painted in large white letters on the sides, had -marked with accuracy the limits of the different nationalities we had -passed in our journey. Now, before the curious combinations of letters -on the mills near the Hungarian shore had ceased to puzzle us, Croatian -and Slavonian names in a new and unfamiliar alphabet stared at us from -the weather-stained sides of the mills along the opposite bank, and -something of the crudity of Oriental taste was seen in the unskilful -attempts to decorate the wood-work near the door and window. From the -right bank we heard hails in an unknown language, and by the water’s -edge saw peasants with fiercer mustaches than even the Magyar boasts, -and women of a heavy, unsympathetic type. The costume, too, had -undergone a decided change. Both men and women wore clumsy wrappings -around the ankles, and uncouth sandals and shoes. The loose trousers of -the men were strapped to the calf by the thongs which bound the thick -woollen cloths or coarse socks to the ankles, and red sashes took the -place of belts. Servia was beginning to show herself to us long before -we reached the political frontier. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - -We had crossed the line of active melon consumption soon after leaving -Budapest; we had for days revelled in a superabundance of them, and, -indeed, had quite become accustomed to the sight of every human being, -old and young, either carrying a melon or preoccupied with eating it. We -had contributed our generous share to the flotsam of melon rinds which -bobbed down the current, and had sampled every unfamiliar variety of the -delicious fruit which had met our notice. It was chiefly, then, from the -unæsthetic motives of appetite that we proposed to land at Vukovár, -which had long been held up to us by melon-eaters as the one place on -the Danube where the fruit was found in perfection. As we came near the -town, remarkable mainly for a new synagogue of doubtful taste, we saw -piles of huge round objects ranged along in the shade of small trees on -the bank, like cannon-balls in an arsenal, and we needed no further -identification of this metropolis of the melon trade. Our approach -seemed to cause an unusual commotion at the landing, and we naturally -attributed this to the activity among the merchants, induced by the -arrival of possible purchasers of the abundant stock in hand. But we -learned from a German-speaking policeman who met us as we went ashore -that the market-women had taken our fleet for the torpedo-boats of which -they had heard, and were in a great fright, believing we were about to -attack the place. We begged him to assure them that we had no use for -the town, but only for some of the projectiles we saw piled up there -under the trees, and feminine terrors were slowly forgotten in the -excitement of trade. Whoever has seen the Southern negro busy with a -watermelon may be able to imagine our satisfaction at the quality of the -fruit we found, and any one familiar with the capacity of a canoe may -appreciate the size of the melons from the fact that we were unable to -take in the monsters. But Vukovár is not all watermelons and timid -market-women, as we found when we strolled up into the town, puzzled -over the signs in the Cyrillic alphabet, and marvelled at the -embroidered garments festooned at the shop doors, at the pretentious -cafés, and the Franco-Italian architecture--the most imposing we had -seen since leaving Budapest. - -The heat was intense and the streets almost deserted as we paddled away -directly after mid-day, and floated down past great bluffs, with hot -gullies filled with herds of swine seeking to avoid the heat by frequent -baths, and scarcely distinguishable in color from the baked mud on which -they slept. Late in the day, having joined company with some lumber -rafts we had been passing and repassing for the last day or two, we drew -up the canoes on a pleasant park-like meadow, only a foot or two above -the water, with great trees and firmer turf than we had seen for a long -time. The rafts tied up to the shore just above us, and the smoke of our -several camp-fires soon curled up among the trees, and floated away in -the clear air of the perfect summer evening. Our first visitor was a -Croatian, who, having served in the Austrian army, had learned a little -German, and was only too anxious to air his knowledge. He prepared us -for the visit of a band of gypsies who were camping in the vicinity, -cautioned us to watch all our loose articles, and loudly sang the -praises of one of the gypsy women but lately married, - -[Illustration: VUKOVÁR WATERMELONS] - -who, he declared, was as beautiful as a queen--probably meaning the -Queen of Servia. To be sure, the next morning, shortly after dawn, a -motley crowd straggled up to our encampment, among them the gypsy belle, -with the bearing - -[Illustration: A PIG-WALLOW] - -and gait of a duchess. Tobacco stood in the place of a formal -introduction, and even the conscious beauty asked for a cigarette, and -puffed away like a veteran smoker. The keen-eyed old rascal who, by -virtue of advanced age or superior cunning, was recognized as the chief -of the party, took the liveliest interest in our attempts to sketch the -beauty, and when the sketch was done, calmly proposed to give us the -model to carry away with us. As the offer was made in Roumanian, a -language not then familiar to our ears, we did not at first comprehend -the generous nature of the gift. - -“Take her with you,” he said. “You’ll go, won’t you?” - -“Indeed I will,” replied the dusky beauty, “if they’ll take me to -Bucharest.” - -“But if she goes away with us it will make a scandal, and the husband -will have something to say about it,” we timidly suggested. - -“Not at all,” insisted the old heathen; “he’s away now, and if he finds -her gone when he comes back, he’ll easily get another wife.” - -This morality of the Red Indian order so astonished us that we did not -readily offer the excuse that our boats could carry but one person -apiece, but we sweetened our refusal of the gift by an abundance of -tobacco and a few old clothes, hastily launched our canoes, and -retreated down the river. - -The railway from Budapest to Belgrade crosses the Danube at -Peterwardein, little less than a day’s paddle from Vukovár, and the iron -bridge is the last one of the ugly series that disfigures the river at -intervals from its source. Peterwardein, the Gibraltar of the Danube, is -a great fortress, elaborately intricate in construction, towering high -above the stream, and overlooking the modern town of Neusatz opposite, -at the mouth of a branch of the Franzens Canal. A bridge of boats -connects the fortress with the town a short distance below the railway, -and is actually the last bridge over the Danube. The commercial life of -the river seemed to revive again at the mouth of the canal, and as we -sailed past the vine-covered hills of Carlowitz and the town of that -name, our old enemies the freight steamers puffed up-stream, leaving a -dangerous wake, and fouling the sweet air with noisome smoke. - -On the perfect summer morning when we left our lovely camping-ground on -a meadow below Carlowitz, and drifted down into the silvery light of -morning which glorified the river, the hills, and the distant landscape, -we were in the mood to enjoy exactly what the Danube offered for our -entertainment. On one bank peasants gathered in large parties at every -convenient spot, and were engaged in various domestic operations, quite -as frank and unconscious in their actions as if they were in the shelter -of their own homes. From the villages at some distance back from the -river whole families migrate at frequent intervals to temporary camps by -the water’s edge, bringing with them their live-stock, cart-loads of -corn, and their accumulated washing. While the women are busy with soap -and mallet, the men winnow grain, and carry it to the current mills to -be ground, and the children watch the pigs and fowls, who are enjoying -in their way this brief outing. On the opposite shore may sometimes be -seen, on a level piece of public land, great collections of ricks of all -sizes and shapes, when the neighboring farmers assemble to thresh their -harvest in common, each according to his own means and methods. Some -beat it out with flails and pitchforks, others drive horses around on -it, and a few make use of the improved machinery of English manufacture. -Here it is readily loaded on lighters, to be towed up to Budapest or -Vienna, or perhaps to be floated down-stream to the English steamers on -the Black Sea. From one group to another, from one shore to the - -[Illustration: A GYPSY GIRL] - -other, we went as slowly as the resistless current would let us, -fascinated by the cheerful busy life, and always finding each new scene -more attractive than the last. Here the Servian women were beating their -coarse garments, and hanging them untidily to dry on the framework of -the carts. A few rods lower down, at a bivouac of Saxons, piles of -beautiful white linen and the freshest of blue garments contrasted -agreeably with the squalor of the neighboring camp. These peasants we -found polite but reserved; the Servians were usually noisy and -talkative, and the Magyars cheery, sympathetic, and communicative. - -Far down the glassy reach beyond Ó Szlankamen to the east a long range -of flat hills now appeared, marking the course of the sluggish Theiss, -and on the opposite bank we saw great rocks, scarcely distinguishable -from the hard mud bluffs, but marking a distinct geological change in -the landscape. Here on the scorched hill-sides frequent villages were -baking in the hot sun, and copper-covered monstrosities of church-spires -flashed and glistened in the brilliant light. A ruined castle towered -high above the river where the hills crowd the stream out of its course, -and then the river broadened into a lake-like expanse, and stretched -away until the left bank, always flat and without a break, lost itself -entirely in the distance, and sky and water seemed to meet as at the sea -horizon. Far away to the south bold blue peaks, the sentinels of the -northern range of mountainous Servia, showed where Belgrade stands; and, -in pleasant perspective, high bluffs on the right bank, with here and -there a church spire, were reflected with all the glories of the -midsummer sky in the perfect mirror of the majestic stream. A wonderful -sunset glow colored all the landscape as we encamped under a high bluff, -in full sight of Semlin and the Servian capital beyond. We fancied we -could see in the glowing distance slender minarets behind the great -fortress which guards the frontier, and in the perfect quiet of the -lingering twilight imagined we could hear the hum of the busy towns. The -song of the shepherd on the opposite meadows echoed sweetly as we lay by -the camp-fire that - -[Illustration: THRESHING WHEAT] - -beautiful evening and enjoyed for the first time in our wanderings an -hour or two of delightful leisure in the open air. - -[Illustration: A CROATIAN BIVOUAC] - -It was now nearly eight weeks since we launched our fleet in the -head-waters of the Danube, and, with the exception of a few days spent -at Vienna, Hainburg, Budapest, and on the Franzens Canal, we had passed -the greater part of our time, day and night, in the canoes. On the upper -river, where we cooked over spirit-lamps because we were never able to -have a fire, we had no great inducement to sit up after dark, and -consequently sought our snug beds in the canoes very soon after dinner. -After we reached Hungary, however, we found it not only practicable but -more convenient to use wood for cooking, and from the frontier downward -we always had the proper and agreeable accompaniment of every -comfortable bivouac--a cheerful fire. But it also happened that all -through Hungary we found so much to interest us we could never manage to -stop for the night before dark; and since it always took us two hours or -more to make camp, cook and eat our dinner, and tidy up afterwards, we -were obliged to continue our custom of turning in (literally) as soon as -possible, in order to be able to rise at daybreak. The evening we camped -in sight of Belgrade, the dewless, balmy air of the river so soothed our -nerves, and the glowing landscape was such a pleasure to our eyes, that -we lay in the firelight and, regardless of the morrow, watched for a -long time the glittering constellations as they slowly came in sight; -and when at last we slept, we dreamed of Turks and sieges and the -turmoil of belligerent races, whose territory now lay within reach of a -few paddle strokes. - -[Illustration: Ó SZLANKAMEN] - -The happy chant of Servian girls marching down the steep paths in the -bluffs, laden with jugs for Danube water, was our accompaniment as we -paddled along in the early morning towards the steamer-landing at -Semlin, the last Hungarian town on the right bank of the Danube, a busy -little commercial place with all the fascinating characteristics of a -frontier town. A populous market-place, numerous cafés of the Turkish -order--the first we had seen--and a population largely Servian, with -more barbaric types, and wearing costumes plainly transitional between -the Hungarian and the Turkish, kept us interested longer than we -anticipated, and well repaid the delay. - -[Illustration: SERVIAN WOMEN] - -From Semlin to Belgrade is but a half-hour’s paddle down a bend behind -the Krieg’s Insel and across the clear, green stream of the Save. Above -the great fortress which occupies the whole area of a high promontory at -the junction - -[Illustration: FORTRESS AT THE JUNCTION OF THE DANUBE AND THE -SAVE--BELGRADE] - -of the rivers, where a church and other edifices are half hidden among -bastions and parapets, an immense cream-colored Government building -extends an imposing mass, and, as seen from the river, divides the town -into two parts. To the left is the old Turkish quarter on the Danube, in -recent years almost depopulated of Mahometans, and with only one -insignificant mosque still preserved; and to the right, Belgrade proper, -along the Save and the heights which extend back into the country. -Lumberyards and the usual motley collection of buildings hid the town -from us as we slowly paddled up the sluggish current of the Save to a -great bathing establishment, all gay with flowers, where a large -contingent of the youthful population of the city were disporting -themselves, naked, in canoes of simple construction and gaudy color. Our -arrival caused very little flutter on the shore. We saw one fez on a -small boy, and fancied that on landing we should find everything -suggesting the East, and fierce officials haughtily demanding our -passports. But we moored our canoes alongside the bath-house and went -ashore without a question, found everybody in European dress, and met a -polite soldier-policeman who volunteered to look out for our craft, and -immediately busied himself with boxing the ears of the inquisitive -youngsters who ventured too near the dainty vessels. We were not long, -however, in finding novelties of dress and architecture, for at a short -distance from our landing-place we entered the outskirts of the city, -and passed through a street quite as Eastern in aspect as any in the -heart of Stamboul. Wretched wooden hovels with shattered tiles and -crumbling plaster; dingy low cafés with pallid Turks inhaling with -indolent sighs the stupefying smoke of nargiléhs; open air -cooking-places where unsavory messes sizzled on gridirons; and general -squalor, mustiness, and filth everywhere. From this quarter, steep, -ill-paved streets mount to the higher part of the town, where the -hotels, theatres, and palaces are, and pleasant avenues lead out to the -luxurious residential suburb on the heights beyond. But all Belgrade, at -the date of our visit, was much like the normal condition of Broadway, -and New York in general. The streets were everywhere torn up for -water-pipes and sewers, sidewalks were being widened and levelled, and -there was every indication of a serious attempt to improve the city, or -some job in the control of the City Fathers. The heat was intense and -almost unbearable as we explored the streets and park and wandered -through the fortress. When the sun reached the zenith, all Belgrade was -as quiet as Pompeii, for the inhabitants withdrew in-doors, and left the -streets void of life and movement. Even the hissing of frying fat in the -numerous cook-shops seemed hushed for the time; the vender of kukurutz -(green corn on the ear) slept in a shadow; and - -[Illustration: BULGARIAN BOZAJI, BELGRADE] - -the Bulgarian bozaji, selling slightly fermented maize beer, alone broke -the drowsy silence with his mournful cries. There was absolutely nothing -to see, and therefore we also sought shelter, and sleepily waited for -the town to come to life again. In the middle of the afternoon a few -hurrying peasant women, their brilliant dresses quite out of harmony -with the commonplace aspect of the streets, flashed along in the -sunshine; one or two men with effeminate lace-trimmed tunics, plaited -like imitations of the Albanian fustinella, strode proudly past, -unconscious that hats of London make and elastic-sided boots made them -look extremely ridiculous; and so the streets gradually resumed their -normal activity as the afternoon coolness came on. We soon yielded to -the tempting invitation of a fresh breeze and sailed away into the -Danube again, escorted by a fleet of Servian canoes with naked crews. - -We began to think that in crossing the frontier we had passed the limit -beyond which the modern invention of modesty has not yet been -universally accepted. It certainly seemed so, for the bronzed figures of -the naked youths excited no comment on the shore as we passed. Rounding -the water-battery and drifting along the old Turkish quarter, we came to -a large pleasant meadow, glowing in the rich light of the afternoon sun. -Here scores of men, as unclothed as the horses they bestrode, were -riding their animals out into the shallows, bathing with them in the -yellow stream. Like so many figures from the frieze of the Parthenon, -they sat their horses with perfect grace, saddleless and bridleless, and -now dashed along, throwing up clouds of spray, and again disappeared in -a golden cloud of dust on the meadow. A party of young men and boys, -equally in Spartan attire, were having an exciting foot-race along the -level turf, and this little spot was for the time a sculptors’ paradise. -We drifted slowly along, watching the athletic figures in the wonderful -light, all unconscious in our preoccupation that the current was -carrying us into a scene of still more surprising simplicity and -innocence. Our canoes, if left to themselves, would always turn round -and float down-stream stern foremost; and that afternoon, as on many -other occasions, we found the trick to be of advantage, for we could -longer watch the unusual spectacle on the meadow. When we could see no -more in the direction of the dazzling sun, we paddled the canoes around, -and found ourselves, to our surprise, quite near a number of Servian -families, who were taking a refreshing bath--old and young, men, women, -and children--in the sandy shallows. No bath-house had given them refuge -on the bank, nor had they considered it necessary to disfigure -themselves with drapery, except a few of the women, who wore an apology -for an apron tied around the waist. - -[Illustration: FOUNTAIN IN THE SQUARE, BELGRADE] - -It was a sudden change from the contemplation of figures of classical -grace to the unwitting interruption of the bath of a dozen unlovely -families, and it was a parallel plunge from the accustomed luxuries of -pleasant camp grounds above Belgrade to the mud flats on the river-side -below. We had drifted along the meadow so slowly that we found the -daylight already waning and a threatening storm close at hand before we -thought of camping. Then we hastened to the first spot where there was a -possible landing. Here we slept until the ring of scythes at the very -bows of our canoes brought us to consciousness again, and we opened the -tents to see a sunny meadow among the trees, all dotted over with the -white figures of peasants slashing at the ranks of coarse grass that -fringed the sun-baked shore. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - -From the heights of Belgrade we had seen the blue summits of mountains -far away to the south--the outlying spurs of the great Carpathian -range--and having threaded a tortuous way through the great Hungarian -plain, we now looked forward with exhilaration to the rugged scenery we -were soon to enjoy, and were eager to welcome a change in the horizon. -We saw on the map no town of importance between the Servian frontier and -Orsova, at the Iron Gates; and since we were not unwilling to have a -little quiet after so many days of excitement among novelties of type -and costume, we noticed with satisfaction as we went along that the flat -shore on the Hungarian side and the low hills opposite offered us no -temptation to land. To be sure, we were still in some doubt as to our -probable reception in a Servian village, for Belgrade was the only -Servian place we had visited, and we could not judge from our experience -at the capital what might happen if we went ashore in a remote town. We -had heard many tales of the difficulties of travelling in the remote -districts of Servia, and had provided ourselves with passports properly -viséd in many languages. As we had no occasion to show them in Belgrade, -we now began to have some curiosity about their usefulness, and we -contemplated going ashore at a Servian village for no better reason than -to test this question. But, before we found an attractive landing-place, -we saw far below us in the distance, - -[Illustration: SEMENDRIA] - -about noon on the day after leaving the frontier, what appeared to be a -curious row of buildings on the low Servian shore, stretching out into -the river like piers of a great railway bridge, or a line of grain -elevators. - -At first we thought it was mirage, which had hitherto often deceived us -by its distortion of forms and exaggeration of heights, but as we -paddled on against the wind we soon saw it was a collection of solid -architectural forms. It was, however, only when we were within a mile or -so of the town that we recognized in what we had taken to be a modern -landmark the huge towers and walls of the great mediæval citadel of -Semendria (Smédérévo, in Servian), rising in all their ancient dignity -from the very waters of the Danube, and overtopping with their masses of -solid masonry the little town modestly nestling in the shadow of the -great fortress. Of recent years Semendria has become of commercial -importance as a shipping port for grain, and when we entered the town -its narrow streets were blocked by hundreds of laden ox-carts, all -patiently waiting their turn at the public scales, where the weight of -the grain is guaranteed by the town officers before it is delivered to -the lighters. Through a motley crowd of Servians in barbaric fur caps, -red sashes, rawhide sandals, and the coarsest of homespun garments, we -made our way to the fortress. The great walls enclose a triangular space -of ten or twelve acres, occupying the whole of a low point between the -River Jessava and the Danube. The apex of the triangle at the junction -of the rivers is a citadel of great strength, built in 1432 by the -despot George Brankovitch. It is still in wonderful preservation. -Indeed, the walls of the whole enclosure and the twenty-three great -square towers show remarkably few signs of decay, and, with the -exception of the destruction of the wooden platforms, are almost as -sound as the day they were built. Here and there an inscription, or a -fragment of a statue built into the walls, proves that the importance -of the town dates as far back as the Roman occupation, when this was -undoubtedly one of a series of strongholds along the river. - -The barracks of the Servian garrison which stand in the great enclosure -appear like huts in comparison with the immense towers and high walls of -the mediæval structure, and a regiment of infantry may be quite lost -sight of among the tangled bushes and the thick foliage of the trees -which cover a large part of the ground. From the top of one of the great -towers we saw below and before us a panorama of varied beauty, extending -from the heights of Belgrade to the Carpathian range, faintly shadowed -in the distance beyond the glittering expanse of the Danube, which -spreads out into great broad reaches, with numerous islands, and, like -its smaller self among the mountains of Baden, pauses and gathers volume -and strength for the dash into the great gorge that cleaves the jagged -mass of mountains for fifty miles or more before again resuming its -quiet flow. - -As we went away from Semendria the chief of police was among the party -assembled to see us off, and here, we thought, was the opportunity to -see whether our passports would be honored. We offered them to the -official, modestly at first, but he would not even look at the -envelopes. - -“But they are our passports,” we urged. “They cost us a lot of money and -trouble, and if no official looks at them they will be wasted, for they -are only good for one year!” - -But he resolutely declined to have anything to do with them, although we -increased the urgency of our request almost to the strength of a demand, -and we left, quite ready to believe the statement of a scoffing friend -in Budapest, who declared that any one could travel the whole length of -the Danube with no more of a passport than a restaurant bill of fare, -which would satisfy the officials as well as the best parchment with -signatures and seals. - -[Illustration: RAMA] - -At Bazias, on the Hungarian side of the river, the terminus of the -railway from Temesvár, and the point where the tourist usually takes a -steamer for the trip through the Kasan defile and the Iron Gates, there -is nothing on shore more interesting than a railway restaurant; but the -landscape is very grand and beautiful. The hills completely mask the -course of the river as the traveller approaches them from up-stream, and -the fine ruin of Castle Rama, on the Servian side, seems to stand on the -shore of a large lake with a southern boundary of great mountains. From -Rama the river sweeps majestically around to the south past Bazias, and -narrows somewhat as it winds among the first great foot-hills of the -mountain range, spreading out again after a few miles into another -lake-like reach, which in turn has on its southern horizon an apparently -impassable chain of mountains--this time the real Carpathians. - -As we crossed the river from Rama towards the cluster of houses on the -water’s edge at Bazias, we observed that the little village, dwarfed to -insignificance by the towering hills above it, was all gay with flags. -On closer approach we distinguished near the landing the form of a low -gray vessel quite unlike any craft we had hitherto seen. This proved to -be an Austrian gunboat, and the occasion of the display of bunting was -the birthday of the Emperor Francis Joseph. As we drifted down towards -the man-of-war we hoisted all the flags we had, and, as we were passing -in review with all the dignity we could command, we were startled by the -loud report of a champagne cork pointed in our direction, and fired, as -it were, across our bows. We surrendered at once and unconditionally, -and exchanged cards with a group of officers celebrating the Emperor’s -birthday on the quarter-deck. We found our captivity so little irksome -that we willingly prolonged it until we were admonished by the position -of the sun in the heavens that we must be off if we would reach the -entrance to the Carpathian gorge before dark. Our haste was due to no -more cogent reason than ambition to begin the fight with the river at -the so-called cataracts. These obstructions had been described to us by -friends who had made the journey in a steamer as extremely dangerous, -and, as we neared the mountains, all the river-men we talked with warned -us of the perils of the stream below, and advised us on no account to -attempt the passage of the cataracts without a pilot. But we could not -forget the collapse of the Strudel and Wirbel bugbear in the upper -river, and could not bring ourselves to apprehend any great danger in -rapids where steamers are constantly passing up and down with loaded -lighters in tow. Even our new-found friends on the gunboat, who had just -made the trip, cautioned us not to attempt the passage in our frail -canoes, and took great pains to show us the dangerous points on their -charts. Of course, the more we heard of these terrors to navigation the -more eager we became to look upon them ourselves, and, while we did not -propose to spoil our trip by the loss of our canoes, we also did not -intend to take anybody’s testimony of the dangers, which were, after -all, only relative. The last words our naval advisers said to us, as we -regretfully left them, was to be sure to take a pilot at Drenkova, the -last steamboat-landing above the rapids. - -[Illustration: GOLUBÁÇ] - -From the broad reach just below Bazias the whole horizon to the south -and east appears to be a solid wall of rocky heights, and is without a -break visible to the eye. For about twenty miles the river winds gently -across a pleasant valley, divides around a large island, and then sweeps -straight down towards the huge barrier, which extends to the right and -left as far as the eye can see. As we paddled along in the quiet current -past the Servian town of Gradistje, and came nearer and nearer to the -mass of rugged peaks which cut sharply against the sky, we grew more and -more impatient to discover the course of the river through the chain, -and unconsciously increased the rapidity and the force of our stroke -until we sped along as if paddling a race. Suddenly, as we were passing -the end of the large island, the landscape opened to the eastward like -the shifting scenes on a stage, and the river, sweeping past a high -isolated rock in mid-stream, was seen to plunge with accelerated speed -directly into a narrow cleft between immense limestone cliffs, and to -disappear in the depths of the gorge. Guarding the entrance to this -defile, the ruin of the Castle of Golubáç, on the Servian shore, piles -its towers high on a spur which juts out boldly over the river, and -shades a pleasant little green meadow by the water-side. The foundations -of the castle are said to be Roman, and there is a tradition that Helen, -the Empress of Greece, was imprisoned here; but the ruins now visible -are those of the fortress built by Maria Térésa in the middle of last -century. Along the Hungarian bank the famous highway of Count Széchényi, -leading from the town of Moldova just above to Orsova, at the Roumanian -frontier, shows the straight line of its cuttings and embankments but a -few feet above the water. The smooth, perpendicular cliffs are -perforated by numerous caverns, one of which tradition has marked as the -place whence issue the swarms of vicious flies which persecute the -cattle in the summer-time. A local legend attributes the origin of these -flies to the body of the dragon killed by St. George. - -The green meadow under Golubáç invited us to a pleasant camp, for night -was fast coming on as we finished our sketching, and we were loath to -leave the charming, romantic spot. But one of our party, unable to -resist the impulse to penetrate the gathering gloom of the defile, had -drifted on and was lost to sight. The whole sky was tinged with the -coppery red of sunset when we set out to overtake him. The river whirled -and rushed and wrestled with our paddles as we floated on into the -deepening twilight. Now and then a great boiling under our very keels -would throw us out of our course, and make the light canoes bound along -with an unfamiliar and disturbing motion. On and on we went, unable -longer to see a map, and with no means of determining where and when we -should come upon the dangerous rapids and whirlpools that lay somewhere -in our path. Frequent camp-fires sparkled at the water’s edge, and from -one to another we paddled, waking the echoes with the shrill notes of -our whistles, until at last, just as we had concluded to give up the -search, certain that we had passed our companion in the darkness, we -heard his welcome hail, and were soon in camp. - -The plaintive song of a peasant girl, spinning from a distaff as she -walked through the rustling maize-field behind our camp, brought us to -our feet long before we had slept off the effects of our sixty miles’ -paddle of the day before; and, eager to be at the rapids, we ate a hasty -breakfast and were off down the reach, very like the Hudson in scenery, -to the little coaling station of Drenkova, where we had been told to -take a pilot. We trimmed our canoes with unusual care, tested our -paddles, stowed away all loose articles, and put everything in fighting -trim. Although we did not propose to undergo the humiliation of -following a pilot through the rapids, we thought it best to take all -reasonable means to find the best channel, and we therefore landed at -Drenkova, and consulted the agent of the steamship company there. He -could give us but very few directions which were of any use, but offered -us a pilot, and advised us strongly not to attempt the passage alone. -But the sight of puffing steamers slowly dragging loaded barges up the -stream was to our minds satisfactory proof of the nature of the -obstructions, and, a little impatient at the delay, we pushed off, -followed by repeated cautions and confused directions. From our long -experience with the Danube, we had come to believe that it was a -thoroughly well-behaved and well-regulated river, whose mild tricks were -easily understood, and whose current would not endanger the veriest tub -that ever disgraced a navigable stream. We were only too anxious, then, -to see what the river could really do in the way of making navigation -difficult and dangerous; and, besides, never having tested our canoes -except in the choppy seas of the sudden wind-storms, we were ready to -risk a good deal to find out how they would act in the baffling currents -and waves of a real rapid. - -[Illustration: ROUMANIAN PEASANT GIRL] - -Just below Drenkova the Danube bends to the south, and makes its first -angry dash over the ledges of rock that stretch between the sheer cliffs -on the Servian side and the rocky, wooded heights opposite. The river -was about its average height on the day we went down, and no rocks -showed above the surface. A strong head-wind so disturbed the water that -we were unable to judge of the run of the currents, nor exactly tell -where the rapids really were until we were in the midst of them. To add -to our difficulties, several steamers were towing up-stream, and the -wash from their paddles, necessary to be avoided at all times, increased -the turmoil of the rushing waters. There was nothing to do, then, but to -take our own course far enough away to avoid the steamer wash, if -possible, and still near enough the main channel to escape the -whirlpools, which we had been told were the greatest dangers of the -passage. Between this Scylla and Charybdis the way was not easy, but we -paddled steadily forward, breasting the waves, throwing spray -mast-high, and plunging along with great speed. Suddenly, between two of -the canoes a great vortex appeared, and with giddy revolving motion -seemed to rush on viciously in chase of the foremost boat. Never were -paddles used with greater vigor or better skill, and the dainty crafts -swept gracefully around on the outer ring of the whirlpool, just out of -reach of the resistless clutch of the swirl, until the yawning vortex -gradually closed up again and its force was idly spent. The Danube had -given us a notion of what it might do if trifled with. - -A second rapid followed the first, not far below it, at the end of a -broad reach surrounded by high mountains, and although we were not -conscious of any great increase in the speed of the current, we heard in -a few moments the roar of the Greben rapids--the longest and most -difficult of navigation above those at the Iron Gates. As we came near, -we saw a line of white water reaching across from shore to shore, -apparently without a break. We were speedily approaching this rank of -tossing waves, where jets of glittering spray flew high in the air, when -we fortunately saw a steamer passing up near the Servian shore, and -paddled rapidly across to find the channel, where we would be less -likely to meet the only enemy we feared--the whirlpools. Before we had -time to deliberate on the best passage among the rocks we were in the -midst of the tumbling, dashing waters, and almost before we caught our -breath again we were in a comparatively still pool under the immense -crag of Greben, which, pushing far out into the stream and narrowing the -channel, causes the current to flow with great swiftness over the jagged -ledges of rock that dam the river at this point. In our exhilarating -dashes through the waves we had not shipped a spoonful of water, -although our decks had been constantly awash, even to the very top of -the coamings. As we neared the last pitch of the river at this point, -we had acquired such confidence in our canoes that we dashed boldly into -the roughest of the leaping waves, fired with enthusiasm for the -unaccustomed sport, and filled with the excitement of our adventure. The -canoes fairly leaped from crest to crest of the billows, and we could -not see each other for the screen of dashing spray. A moment or two of -active dodging and very hard paddling and we came out breathless at the -landing of a temporary station where the international corps of -engineers are quartered while the great work of improving the navigation -is in progress. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - -The rocky shoulder of Greben is all scarred and torn by the cuttings -which are gradually eating off its rugged and dangerous spur. Farther -down-stream a breakwater is in course of construction, intended to -divert the current from a shallow; and at some distance below, the great -black masses of drilling machines, all chains and iron posts and -funnels, are seen anchored in mid-stream, where they are constantly at -work blasting out a great ledge of rock which causes the rapids of the -Jur. - -The cheery engineers, who had watched our descent of the rapids with -great interest, welcomed us when we landed with offers of substantial -hospitality, and over a good dinner we discussed the one topic which had -for us a common interest--the moods and caprices of the great river. -When we left them, at two o’clock, we had still a paddle of some -twenty-five miles before we should reach Orsova, where we proposed to -pass the night, not thinking it would be possible to camp in the gorge. -There would be no shelter from the violent up-stream wind until we -reached the entrance of the defile, so there was need of haste. Below -Greben the river sweeps around in a great curve from the south to the -north-east, a mile or more in width, then suddenly narrows, and takes a -remarkably straight course through a deep cleft in the mountains, until -it bends sharply towards the south again at the Iron Gates. The gorge -through which it passes is called the Kasan defile, and is far and away -the most impressive and wonderful feature of the scenery along the whole -river. Sheer limestone precipices many hundred feet in height rise up in -grand simple masses on either side, and as we approached the gorge it -looked as if some great convulsion of nature had wrenched the solid -rocks asunder, leaving the deep and narrow chasm for the passage of the -river. Before Count Széchényi built his road along the Hungarian bank, -in 1840, there had been no practicable pathway through the defile since -the great road built by Trajan for his soldiers and his army trains -during his Dacian campaign. At the entrance, where the river is -constricted to a width of only 180 yards, the straight cutting of the -modern highway and the great score in the cliffs left by Trajan’s road -are both prominent features in the landscape. Here the river rushes -violently past a high rock in mid-stream, which causes a dangerous -whirlpool just below, then plunges into the narrow cleft with a volume -of water 200 feet or more in depth, and swirls and boils and throbs with -great pulsations all along its swelling flood. Narrower and narrower -becomes the gorge, higher and higher the cliffs, and strange currents -and ominous whirls break the surface of the dark torrent. In the depths -of the chasm there is almost twilight gloom, and in the impressive quiet -the murmur of the impatient river sounds dull and low, like the breakers -on a far-off sea-shore. Still closer and closer crowd the giant cliffs, -until they almost touch. At last they force the mighty river into the -narrow compass of 120 yards; and then, as if fatigued with the effort of -strangling the resistless flood, withdraw again, and little by little -the current gains its familiar breadth, and spreads out into a pleasant -reach with high wooded hills, enclosing on the north a fertile valley -with ripening cornfields, and piling high on the south their rugged -summits almost perpendicularly - -[Illustration: THE KASAN DEFILE] - -over the water’s edge. Here the Roman road is almost practicable in -parts, and under a great towering precipice, where a projecting rock -pushes out boldly into the deep channel, the great general caused, in -the year 103, a tablet to be carved in the solid rock, on which may -still be read the inscription: - - IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·NERVAE·F· - NERVA·TRAIANVS·AVG·GERM - PONTIF·MAXMVS·TRIB·OT * * - ***** RIAE·CO ***** - -commemorating his victory over nature as well as over man. Nature has -not forgiven Trajan the desecration of this, one of her sublimest works, -and in the lapse of centuries she has gradually eaten away the hard rock -tablet, threatening it with utter destruction, in spite of the -projecting stone above it, until solid masonry supports have been -erected to hold the shattered inscription in its place. As we were -sketching the spot, with its interesting traces of the Roman road -showing where the posts were fastened to the rock to support the -platforms necessary to widen the path, two natives came paddling up -under the edge of the cliff in a dugout canoe, and moored their boat at -the corner, where, on the old Roman road-bed, they had a little fishing -camp. Canoe, implements, dress, were the same as in the days when their -remote ancestors piloted Trajan’s galleys through the dangerous eddies -of the defile. Dacia Felix is now only a name, and a shattered tablet -and crumbling traces of the first great highway along the Danube alone -remain to remind us of the great general’s conquests of this remote -region, and to suggest something of the civilization he founded there. -But the peasant is still unchanged in type and costume, speaks a -language closely allied to the old Roman dialect, tills the ground and -catches fish with the same rude implements that Trajan found in the -hands of the happy barbarians of Dacia Felix. - -It was long after dark before we steered our canoes by the twinkling -lights of Orsova to the steamboat-landing there. The tinkle of gypsy -music in the garden restaurant by the river-bank echoed across the -silently-flowing stream, now silvered by the moon, which tardily rose -above the great mountains. We heard again the soft accents of the Magyar -tongue and the intoxicating strains of the csáardás. The wild gypsy -leader poured his music into our eager ears, drawing his nervous bow -under our very hat-brims, lest we should lose some quaver of the -stirring chords. Long into the night we sat there, captive to the music -and the beauty of the moonlit landscape, loath to lose one moment of the -few precious hours that remained to us in bewitching, beloved Hungary. - -[Illustration: REMAINS OF TRAJAN’S ROAD NEAR ORSOVA] - -Like all frontier towns, Orsova has a heterogeneous population, which -gives interest to an otherwise dull and unattractive place. Besides its -commercial importance on the river, and also on the through railway line -from Budapest to Bucharest, it is, in summer-time at least, the -halting-place for the great multitudes of Roumanians and Hungarians who -resort to the baths of Méhadia, or the Herkulesbad, as it is usually -called, from the old Roman name, Thermae Herculis, a most picturesque -and luxurious establishment of sulphur baths a few miles inland, in a -wonderful gorge of the Carpathians. - -Among the motley collection of peasants seen in the streets, the Turk in -all his squalor is met here for the first time on the Danube. By the -Treaty of Berlin, the small fortified island of Ada Kaleh, three miles -below Orsova, was ceded to Austria, and the citadel was ordered to be -razed. But as the whole population consisted of Turks, and there seemed -to be no humane method of getting rid of them, they were allowed to -linger on, not acquiring rights of citizenship in Austria, nor yet -responsible to the Sultan in any way, paying no taxes to either -Austro-Hungary or Turkey. The wily Turk makes the most of his position, -and drives a thriving trade in all sorts of knick-knacks, picks up a -good income out of the crowd of tourists who visit the island for a -sight of a real Turk in his own home, and sells the best tobacco that -can be bought north of the Balkans, and at prices which argue against -his assurance that he has paid duty for it at the Austrian customs. Just -beyond this island the Danube bends sharply to the south-east, and three -or four miles below the Roumanian frontier tumbles its full, broad -current over a great ledge of rocks, which for a mile and a half in -width extend across the river, and leaving only a narrow and intricate -channel for steamers near the Roumanian shore, always dangerous to -navigation, and at low-water impassable except by boats of shallow -draught. In this mile and a half of rapids the river falls sixteen -feet, and the broad defile at this point is known as the Iron Gates. - -[Illustration: FROM BELGRADE TO RUSTCHUK] - -The Turks originally applied the name Iron Gates (Demir Kapou) to the -rapids just below Drenkova as well as to those near Orsova, calling them -respectively Upper and Lower Iron Gates. The name, which signified -obstructions to navigation rather than natural gateways in the -mountains, is now commonly applied to the lower rapids only, and the -traveller who has passed through the Kasan defile usually expects to -find a still more wonderful gorge at the Iron Gates below. He is sure to -be disappointed, for the Iron Gates are only a series of dangerous -rapids at the point where the river broadens out after leaving the -mountains, and the scenery there is, by comparison with that of the -Kasan defile, tame and uninteresting. With the Carpathian ends the -series of remarkable gorges and defiles which has marked the course of -the river at intervals from its source down, for the vast plain of -Roumania extends from the foot-hills here to the shores of the Black -Sea. The Iron Gates have been since earliest history of great military -and political importance, forming as they do a natural barrier on the -great water-way between the East and the West. According to Strabo, the -Danube ended here and the Ister began, for the lower river was known to -the Greeks as the Ιστρος. There is no record of any mention of the upper -Danube before the first century B.C., when it was discovered by the -Roman armies under Cæsar, who probably gave it the name Danubius. Max -Müller, in his study of the origin of the name of the Danube, says that -the Latin name is probably a translation of the Aryan word _danu_, -which, in the védas, means moist, or an adaptation of the old Persian -word of the same spelling which means a river. It is scarcely necessary -to add that the river has now a different name in several of the -countries through which it flows. The Germans call it the Donau, the -Hungarians the Duna, the Roumanians the Dunari, and the Servians, -Bulgarians, and Russians the Dunai. - -The Iron Gates marks in the history of our trip the loss of the Admiral -of the fleet who, having exhausted all the time at his disposal, was -obliged to leave us here, to the regret of all of us and his own intense -disappointment. - -The International Corps of Engineers, who are carrying out the -improvements of navigation on all the rapids of the Carpathian gorge, -have begun to cut a canal through the rocks at the Iron Gates along the -Servian bank. The work has been in progress since the autumn of 1890, -and will be completed in 1893. Trajan’s engineers actually completed -part of a similar canal a few rods farther inland, and the material of -the ancient enbankments is now employed in the construction of the -modern dikes. Like the conscientious travellers we were, we inspected -the works, and at the invitation of the engineers, spent a pleasant -half-day there. In common with so many other undertakings the world -over, the labor is mostly in the hands of the Italians, who look exactly -like so many workmen on the Croton Aqueduct. At noon they gathered at -the doorway of the ГОСТИОНИЦА НЕВ ЈОРК--GASTHAUS NEWY JORK--quite the -same as at the corner groceries of the One-hundred-and-something Street -above the Harlem River, and only left the spot during the hour of rest -to watch the futile rage of a flock of Servian and Roumanian geese at a -sleepy Hungarian eagle chained to a perch--an active symbol of a -possible political situation which appealed strongly to the ready -Italian wit. - -We had our usual enemy, a violent head-wind, on the day we trusted our -fleet to the mercies of the Pregrada rapids at the Iron Gates, and we -had a busy quarter of an hour escaping the whirlpools and avoiding the -cross-seas. Unable from our low position to judge of the best channel in -the surging waves, we kept as straight a course as the angry and -baffling currents would permit, and came out safely in the comparatively -smooth waters below, where we had a moment to look at the landscape from -mid-stream, and to vote it disappointing after the grand scenery of the -Kasan defile. For a mile or two farther on we found we must steer with -care, for vicious swirls would suddenly appear and almost snatch the -paddles from our hands. Great sturgeon weirs near the Servian shore -marked the end of the violent currents, and after passing these we -floated tranquilly away down a reach dotted all over with gourds marking -the nets and sturgeon lines, which here are set on every side. A -pleasant open country was now before us, with hot yellow hills and a -town on either hand--Kladovo, with brick fortress and modern earthworks, -on the Servian shore, and Turnu Severin high up on a bluff across the -river just below. As we had not yet landed in Roumania, we decided to -coast along the left bank and see if the landing-place was more -interesting than the long straggling modern town which looked so -commonplace and unattractive. As we drifted down close to the groups of -quaint craft, studying - -[Illustration: REMAINS OF TRAJAN’S BRIDGE, TURNU SEVERIN] - -these novel vessels, the first we had seen with masts and sails, we -noticed, on the river-bank below, the ruined pier of Trajan’s bridge, -and thought we would land there and make a sketch of it. As we passed -the town we saw a soldier in a white linen uniform trying his best to -keep pace with us; but as he made no sign, we did not dream he had any -other motives than those of curiosity. Just above the ruins a party of -soldiers was bathing, a sentinel stood guard in front of a sentry-box, -and a few rods farther down men were washing horses, and women were -beating clothes on the rocks. We turned our bows towards the bank at the -ruined pier, when a sharp hail from the sentinel caused us to look up. -“Keep off!” he commanded in vigorous Roumanian. But we, seeing no -fortifications anywhere, and having no more sinister intentions than the -mild pursuit of art, knew no reason why we should not go ashore where -the natives were at work, and continued to paddle slowly towards the mud -bank. “Keep off! keep out in the stream!” he yelled again. “Is there a -war here?” we asked, with an attempt at humor. “No; but you sha’n’t -land! Keep off, or I’ll shoot!” “Shoot away; you can’t hit!” we -retorted, believing it to be the idle threat of a soldier only half in -earnest. But he grew more and more excited as we approached, and, -drawing a cartridge from his pouch, showed it to us, and pushed it into -his rifle. Just at this moment the soldier whom we had seen running -along the shore came up breathless, and took command of the military -force, promptly ordering the sentry to cover us with his rifle, until -the bathing soldiers might seize our canoes. We held off for a few -moments, just out of reach, and then, thinking the farce had gone far -enough, went ashore and surrendered ourselves to the corporal, the -sentry, and the dozen half-naked soldiers. Armed with two expensive and -hitherto useless passports, we followed the corporal a long distance -into the town to the headquarters, showed our papers to the officer of -the day, who immediately gave us our liberty, with polite apologies for -the annoyance his men had caused us. When we reached the canoes again, -we distributed cigarettes to the bathing party who had guarded our -fleet, and sent a few up the bank to the belligerent sentinel, who did -not scorn the gift from his recent enemy. A little Jew boy standing -near, not having received his share of the cigarettes, remarked, with -some feeling and unconscious humor, “If the sentinel had fired at you, I -suppose you’d have given him cigars!” - -Floating down a great loop of the river in a dry and yellow landscape, -we recovered from the excitement of our first adventure with the -military, and, as we went along, watched the chattering Servians -harvesting on one shore, and the Roumanian women, in the simple costume -of white linen chemise, and long woollen fringe hanging behind from the -girdle which binds a brilliantly colored apron to the waist, drawing -water in classic-shaped jars, or spinning - -[Illustration: ROUMANIAN PEASANTS] - -from the distaff as they walked. Now and then groups of men so -resembling the old Dacians, with loose tunic and trousers, sandals, -broad belt, and sheepskin cap, that they almost looked like -masqueraders, wandered over the arid slopes, spots of brilliant white on -a background of sunny yellow. Even the soldiers we saw at the little -huts which now stood on the bank at frequent intervals, were as barbaric -in appearance as the peasant, and could only be recognized as military -by the accoutrements they carried. Along one placid reach we came upon a -great fleet of dugout canoes, each with two Servians, floating down with -the current, dragging clumsy nets as they went. Landing below the little -village, whose red-tiled roofs peeped out from among thick foliage, they -drew in their nets, towed their boats up against the stream, and, -chattering all the while with incessant vigor, drifted down again as -before. Almost the only houses to be seen on the Roumanian shore were -the huts of the pickets, which occupied every point, and guarded every -possible landing-place. We realized the fact but slowly, and only after -some experience, that we were now under the eye of military supervision, -from which we were not to escape until we should paddle out into the -Black Sea. - -[Illustration: SERVIAN FISHING-CANOES] - - - - -CHAPTER XV - - -At noon of the day following our introduction to the system of keeping -the frontier in Roumania, we heard the sound of rifle-firing and the -beating of drums in the Servian village of Brza Palanka, and, on landing -there, found the place in the liveliest commotion. Scores of men and -women were filling gourds at the wells, and hurrying away up the -hill-side back of the town. Besides the burden of water, most of the -women and a great crowd of children were carrying baskets of bread and -cooked food, and kerchiefs full of grapes. The hot and dusty streets -were alive with peasants, mostly in white linen garments, with brilliant -red sashes on the men, and richly colored aprons on the women. Both -sexes wore very clumsy sandals and heavy woollen socks, or -leg-wrappings, bound to the ankle by thongs. While we were wondering at -the extraordinary activity of the village, we heard the beat of a drum -coming nearer and nearer, and soon a militia company of the -wildest-looking men who ever carried a rifle came marching up at quick -pace, and wheeling into a narrow lane, tramped along in a cloud of dust, -and disappeared over the brow of the hill. Another and then another -company, each more savage-looking than the last, went through the same -manœuvres, and the whole population followed them, we among the rest. -When we came out on the hill-top we saw before us the strangest and most -barbaric encampment imaginable. The broad, arid plateau was covered -with shelters or great huts made of oak-boughs, ranged around in a sort -of quadrangle, enclosing a level space of twenty-five or thirty acres. -In the shadows of these rude shelters were seated hundreds of men eating -their mid-day meal, which was brought to them by the women and children, -who, after the men were served, squatted on the dry turf a little -distance away, and ate their own frugal dinner. Across the great -parade-ground were two long heaps of straw in parallel lines, which were -evidently the beds of the men at night. We understood, of course, that -we were in the annual camp of the Servian militia, and were not -surprised that our appearance caused some little interest and curiosity, -as we were the only ones in European dress anywhere in sight. Besides, -our costume would doubtless have excited comment anywhere, for Danube -mud had so changed its tone, and hard usage had so distorted its shape, -that it was now decidedly unique in general appearance. The camp guard -halted us, and inquired our business, which we, for want of a better -answer, stated to be a visit to the captain, trusting to the probability -of there being a number of officers of this rank. The guard seemed -perfectly satisfied with our reply, and did not even ask which captain -we wanted to see, but let us pass at once. We made the same explanation -to various inquisitive militiamen, who seemed to resent our sketching, -and we slowly made our way into the enclosure. We had eaten nothing -since sunrise, and had paddled twenty miles or more, therefore, after -our first curiosity was satisfied, we thought we had better return to -the village for luncheon, and come back again to see the afternoon -drill. But the moment we began to move away, the suspicions of the whole -camp were aroused at once, and from all sides came a chorus of shouts -and cries in what seemed to us very violent and angry tones. In another -instant we were the centre of an excited - -[Illustration: CARRYING WATER FOR THE CAMP, BRZA PLANKA] - -throng of fierce-looking rascals all armed with knives, and several of -them with rifles and bayonets. Explanations were now futile, and, -indeed, quite impossible, for our small stock of Servian words was soon -exhausted, and, after making several attempts to push past the men who -blocked our path, we finally yielded, and were marched off to the hut -which was apparently the headquarters. Here we found two officers of the -regular army, a captain and a lieutenant, who had charge of the -encampment, the former being, as we now understood, the only captain in -the camp, and therefore the one whom we had declared we were about to -visit. - -[Illustration: “OUR GUARD,” SERVIAN MILITIA CAMP] - -The officers were naturally astonished at seeing two men in boating -dress appear at the door of their hut, for the militiamen stood off at a -respectful distance and sent us ahead to announce ourselves; however, -they received us with great courtesy, gave us the only two chairs they -had, and tried to conceal their bewilderment by urgent offers of -hospitality. We produced our passports, displayed the great water-mark -of the eagle and shield and the arms of the British Empire, and made -ourselves as agreeable as possible, all the while wondering what was -going to be the result of the interview. They seemed to be in no great -hurry to get rid of us, and were evidently puzzled what to do with us -anyhow; for there could be no question of the validity of our -credentials, and they undoubtedly had received no orders to cover this -unexpected episode. The difficulty lay in our inability to explain our -business; for although we could understand the greater part of what they -said, from the resemblance of the language to Russian, we had a very -limited stock of Servian words to use in this emergency. Even if we had -successfully managed the philological feat of explaining the object of -our trip in comprehensible Servian, we should have found the same -difficulty here as at every other place since the beginning of our -voyage in convincing them that we were engaged in no commercial -enterprise, but were simply on a pleasure excursion. The captain sent -men in various directions to find some one who spoke German or -Hungarian, and at last a gypsy was brought who was supposed to be a -linguist. His German was limited to one phrase, “Was wollen Sie?” and -not a word of Hungarian did he know, so he was promptly kicked out -again. While they were scouring the camp for another interpreter, it -suddenly occurred to us to say we were engineers, believing that this -must be a recognized profession along the Danube. The word “Ingenieur” -acted like a charm. The captain immediately apologized for his stupidity -in not understanding our position sooner, and called a guard to conduct -us safely to the lines, saying that he could not let us remain in the -camp, for the orders were against it; besides, there would be nothing to -see, for the soldiers were going to have their after-dinner nap, and the -parade would not take place until evening. We shook hands cordially with -both officers, and followed the brawny chested peasant towards the road -to the village. As we marched across the parade-ground we could not -resist the - -[Illustration: MASSING OF SERVIAN TROOPS ON THE BULGARIAN FRONTIER] - -temptation to make a little note of the encampment in our sketch-books, -but before we could draw a line an excited party of soldiers rushed -towards us, the leader brandishing a long knife. It was evident they had -all the Oriental fear and aversion to being sketched, and we saw they -were disposed to make it unpleasant for us. We promptly put away our -books, and one of us, drawing a penknife from his pocket, deliberately -opened the smallest blade and flourished it in the air as if in a -mocking challenge to the giant with the long dagger. The ridiculous -situation was appreciated in an instant; the whole crowd stopped -shouting to laugh; the weapons were put up, and peace was declared on -the basis of mutual mirth. Once beyond the camp lines we did not attempt -to enter again, but waved our adieus from the canoes as we floated off. - -Our adventure had been a most interesting one, and the result had not -been disagreeable. We could not help thinking that these people were -very little understood by those correspondents who are continually -fermenting the Eastern question and making it a nauseous topic of -ignorant discussion in the Press of the civilized world. Such an -encampment, we thought, would be sure to be described as a massing of -Servian troops near the Bulgarian frontier, and a similar experience to -ours would furnish text for interminable letters on the belligerent -character of the people of the Balkan provinces. For our part we could -readily picture the excitement in an encampment of militia in the United -States or of volunteers in England if two Servians, in native costume -and carrying sketch-books, should succeed in penetrating the lines, -unable to excuse or explain their presence. It is curious to note that a -few days after our visit to the camp we saw an English newspaper, and -almost the first paragraph we observed in the column of telegraphic news -was headed, “Massing of Servian Troops on the Bulgarian Frontier.” - -We did not care to come in contact with the military any more, for the -reason that, now the novelty was worn off, we should scarcely find -future experiences interesting enough - -[Illustration: DRAWING WATER FOR THE CAMP, BRZA PALANKA] - -to compensate us for the great loss of time which they were sure to -involve. But we were not far beyond the sound of drums at Brza Palanka -before we unwittingly fell into a Roumanian trap by drifting, as we -sketched, too near that shore. A hail from the water’s edge caused us to -look up, and we saw three men, dressed like ordinary peasants, as well -as we could judge, beckoning us to come ashore. Thinking they had fish -or some other desirable commodity to sell, we paddled nearer, intending -to land just below. As we came up to them we saw they wore military -belts, and at the same time we noticed a hut like those at other picket -posts under a tree on the bluff above. Our first impulse was to turn our -bows down-stream and paddle away, but, on the first move we made to -escape, one of the men ran up to the hut, appeared instantly again with -rifle and cartridge-boxes, and proceeded to go through significant -exercises in the Roumanian manual of arms. We were rather tired of this -game, and surrendered with bad enough grace. The soldiers, however, were -ready enough to discontinue hostilities the moment they met us on the -shore; the corporal examined our passports, declared them all right, -and, with the present of the silver effigy of King Charles of Roumania, -we stifled effectively what little enmity still lurked under their -coarse linen tunics, and paddled away, friends all round. -Notwithstanding our efforts, we had not by any means finished with the -military yet, for, as darkness came on, and we tried to find a -camp-ground, we could discover no practicable place on the Servian side, -nor escape the pickets on the opposite bank. At last we decided to make -a counter-move against the enemy, and boldly landed and stalked up to a -group of pickets before they had time to run for their one rifle, and -asked for guidance to a good camping-ground. They advised us to stay -where we were, and avoid difficulties with the posts below in the -darkness, so we hauled up the canoes close by their shallow well, where -the Danube water filtered in through the sand, and soon forgot soldiers -and passports and the Eastern question. - -On this part of the river villages are infrequent, uninteresting, and -almost all on the Servian side. The native architecture is neither -imposing nor tasteful, but the houses are comfortable, and often very -neat inside and out. The frame is made of roughly hewn poles nailed or -pegged together, and skilfully wattled all over with sticks about an -inch in diameter, which serve to hold the mud with which all the walls -and the ceilings are thickly plastered. An open porch or veranda, often -occupying nearly the whole front of the house, serves as a nursery, -work-room, and general sitting-room for the women in summer, and there -is often a raised platform at one side, where the men sit in Turkish -fashion and smoke, and drink coffee. This latter feature of native -architecture is found at all country inns, and becomes an indispensable -adjunct to most houses a little farther down, within the limits of -former European Turkey. The Servian houses, as well as the Roumanian -structures, which are built on much the same plan, are generally -whitewashed, and either roofed with red tiles, or thatched with reeds or -straw. Tiles are more commonly used in most parts. - -The Roumanian bank had now become flat, monotonous, and apparently -deserted by everybody except the pickets. For many miles we saw not even -a fishing hamlet on either shore, and when, after rather a dull -forenoon, we came to the great, white, straggling village of Radujeváç, -on the right bank, we found it to be the last Servian river town above -the Bulgarian frontier, and, fortunately for us, the most picturesque -and characteristic place we had seen for days. Few shops, and those of -the most primitive order, disturb the rustic simplicity of the streets. -Farm-houses - -[Illustration: SERVIAN MILITIA, BRZA PALANKA] - -with great court-yards enclosed by high wattled fences are half hidden -among the trees on either side the broad, dusty highways, and the part -of the village near the river is still surrounded by an oaken stockade -eight or ten feet high, a relic of the days when such a defence was -necessary. - -[Illustration: BUILDING A HOUSE IN SERVIA] - -On every veranda and in every farm-yard the women sat - -[Illustration: HOUSE AT RADUJEVÁÇ] - -in the shadow spinning and weaving wool, and their lively gossiping -voices mingled cheerily with the clatter of the looms and the whir of -the reel. Large-eyed, gray-coated oxen lay and peacefully chewed the cud -at the very elbows of the women as they worked. Bright scarlet peppers -and great piles of husked Indian-corn made rich splashes of color -against the cool shadows of the whitewashed walls, and everywhere -brilliant touches of red in the peasant costume flashed among the -foliage or gleamed in the sunshine. A few idlers were assembled under -the rude awning in front of the wine-shop, to drink the rank plum brandy -or thin acid wine; but, with the exception of these drones of the busy -hive, everybody was actively engaged in harvest-work or in some domestic -manufacture. The bi-weekly Danube steamer touches at the landing at -every trip up and down; freight is delivered, produce shipped and sent -to some convenient market; but the little community is as far away from -civilization as if steamers did not exist, and life there is still quite -as primitive as in the days before the enterprising - -[Illustration: ROUMANIAN PICKET GUARD] - -scouts of modern commerce began to corrupt the native taste of the -peasantry with the crudities of modern productions. - -In the long reaches below Radujeváç a wider landscape meets the eye. Far -to the north the high Carpathians raise their noble heads in grand -array, and stretch away to the eastward until their forms are lost in -the shimmering distance across the Roumanian plain, while to the south -the bold outlines of the Balkans may be faintly distinguished, half -hidden by summer clouds. The river takes longer and more stately curves, -and flows with somewhat sleepy current. No obstacles now impede its -course, no cliffs and crags narrow its channel, and it winds peacefully -along without a check until it pours its great flood through a dozen -outlets into the Black Sea. Nor is this peaceful stream without its own -peculiar charm and beauty. The sunny, smiling landscapes never tire the -eye or fatigue the mind, for the majestic stream opens new vistas at -every bend, and discloses ever-varied combinations of shore and stream -and distance. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - - -On one of the pleasantest reaches, a short way below the mouth of the -magnificent stream which marks the Bulgarian frontier, the Roumanian -town of Kalafat, with its great church and public edifices, shows an -imposing mass along a high bluff, and looks down with the conscious -pride of newness on the old town and fortress of Widdin, among the green -meadows on the opposite shore. From the earthworks of Kalafat, Prince -Charles fired his first shot against the Turks in 1877, which found an -answering echo until Bulgaria was free and Roumania became a nation. The -grim old stronghold of Widdin still shelters a large Turkish population, -and above the rigid lines of its half-ruined parapets the slender points -of numerous minarets still rise, mute symbols of a faith that lingers -even now on the banks of the Danube. It was a pleasant, quiet afternoon -when we slowly paddled down the beautiful reach, enchanted by the -peaceful landscape and the pastoral beauty of the river-banks. Kalafat, -dominating the great bluff, was accurately reflected in the mirror of -the stream, and below, the slender minarets of Widdin and a cluster of -masts, showing high above a wooded island, carried the eye away in -agreeable perspective. A storm of wind and rain which swept over the -country an hour or two before had cleared away, leaving the sky blue and -cloudless. Dreaming of the time when the smoke of hostile cannon drifted -across the meadows and veiled the face of the high bluff, we floated -down towards the distant fortress, scarcely moving a paddle, lest we -should sweep all too soon past the charming spot. The sound of dashing -water like a cataract suddenly startled us, and we saw just below us, -only a short distance away, the whole surface of the river violently -agitated, as if a line of rocks or a rough shallow stretched across from -bank to bank. Hastily consulting the map, we found there was no such -obstruction marked at this point, and we were puzzled to know what was -in our path. Our ignorance was of brief duration, for even before we had -taken up our paddles again a sudden gust of wind struck the canoes, and -we were in the midst of tossing, angry surges. The willows on the bank -bent down like corn in a summer gale, and showed their leaves all white -in the sunlight. The pure dome of the sky was unbroken by a single -cloud, but the wind came tearing up the stream like a cyclone. From the -bluffs of Kalafat to the meadows of Widdin the great sleepy river had -suddenly become a seething, foaming waste. Our only shelter was under -the low mud banks on the Bulgarian side, whither we slowly fought our -way, obliged to keep our bows to the wind, and at the same time to draw -shorewards with all possible speed. For some moments we were buffeted by -the waves and beaten about by the vicious blast, but at last we managed -to gain the shelter of some large willows, and landed in the mud -opposite Kalafat. We got ashore not a moment too soon, for the river, -threshed by the flail of continuous gusts, grew rougher and rougher, and -the waves broke with crests like ocean billows. At the spot where we -landed was moored a rude fishing-boat, and two young Bulgarian fishermen -sat under the trees on the bank above busily weaving rough baskets out -of unpeeled willow twigs. Their camp was a bed of boughs under the -gnarled, crooked trunk of a tree; their outfit - -[Illustration: BULGARIAN FISHERMAN BASKET-MAKING] - -consisted of a small kettle, a dish, and two wooden spoons, and, stowed -away in the shade of a convenient stump, a small stock of green corn, a -few watermelons, and a fish or two wrapped up in leaves comprised their -whole stock of provisions. In this simple bivouac they cooked and ate -and slept all summer long, fishing by day and by night, and selling -their catch at Kalafat or Widdin. A cloak of thick rough woollen cloth, -like the mantle of the ancient Dacian, was their covering by night, and -their chief protection against the weather. As simple in their tastes as -the Indians of the plains, and with no better appliances for use and -comfort than may be found in the wigwam of the savage, they live a happy -and contented life, their only enemy the mosquito, their only society -the solemn herons that wade along the shore in the very smoke of the -camp-fire. - -They had watched our struggle with the storm, and welcomed us ashore -with hearty good-will. Out of their rustic larder they chose the best -melons, and insisted on our eating them, and for our supper they -selected the freshest and best fish. They firmly refused the money we -hesitatingly tendered them as we launched the canoes after the violence -of the gale had abated; and when we left them at twilight, they shook -hands, and wished us “godspeed” as heartily as if we had camped with -them for a season. Some distance below their bivouac, and in full sight -of the glimmering lights of both Kalafat and Widdin, we passed the night -among the wild-flowers and tangled grasses of a dry bank in a sheltered -spot quite enclosed by a dense growth of trees and underbrush, with no -more unpleasant intruders than startled water-fowl and drowsy, -unambitious mosquitoes. - -The great brick fortress of Widdin has a strangely aggressive look in -the pastoral landscape along the river. The high walls, enclosing with -their protecting bulwarks the populous Turkish quarter of the town, with -its numerous mosques, rise directly out of the water at the river-front, -and tower far above the trees scattered over the broad green meadows, -and, although neglected and fast crumbling to pieces, are grandly -imposing in height and extent. No bunting now flutters from the -tottering flag-staff, and the yawning embrasures are half filled with -rubbish, but the great citadel still dominates with arrogant pride the -rambling commercial town in the shadow of its walls, and maintains its -dignity as the extreme important outpost of Mahometan faith in Europe--a -noble monument to the former military and political supremacy of the -Turkish Empire. On the narrow landing-places by the water-gates, as we -drifted past in the early forenoon, crowds of Turkish women and children -were busy with their washing, and men in variegated jackets, baggy -trousers, turban, and sash waddled idly about, or lazily rowed the -clumsy boats laden with merchandise. The indescribable squalor and filth -of the Orient characterized every feature of the scene, and we now -realized, what Belgrade and Ada Kaleh had only hinted to us, the nature -of the gulf that separates Mahometan from Christian, not only in -religion, but in type, dress, and costume. Widdin is not only one of the -most important towns of northern Bulgaria, but is the real head of -navigation for sailing-vessels, and in many ways distinctly marks a new -phase of river life, and an abrupt political, ethnographical, and -philological frontier as well. - -When we drew up our canoes on the shore just above the steamer-landing, -we were interviewed at once by a smart-looking young officer in white -Russian cap and tunic, and red-trimmed brown trousers of Bulgarian -homespun, and armed with sabre and revolver, who politely requested the -temporary loan of our passports, and, after we had given them up, told -us we were free to go where we chose. We were not long in finding our -way to the busiest thoroughfare of the town--a long street with low -houses, and a continuous line of small shops and cafés, mostly like deep -alcoves slightly raised above the level of the pavement. - -[Illustration: CANN, OPPOSITE KALAFAT] - -[Illustration: BULGARIAN PEASANT TYPES] - -Hundreds of country people, having disposed of their produce in the -great market-place near the citadel, were now busy shopping. The women -in this section of Bulgaria wear a short, scant chemise of homespun -linen, with full, long sleeves, often richly embroidered, a -bright-colored woollen apron reaching to the hem of the chemise in -front, and another of similar stuff, but very full and stiffly plaited, -hanging no lower than the bend of the knee behind. They braid their hair -in one long piece down their back, and fasten an embroidered white -kerchief around their heads, with fresh flowers and ornaments of various -kinds. Uncouth rawhide sandals and thick shapeless socks, often -brilliant orange in color, protect their feet and ankles. The men here, -as in most other districts, wear what may best be described as a clumsy -imitation of the Turkish dress, usually made of brown woollen homespun, -trimmed with black braid, and, in place of fez, a black sheepskin cap, -often varying in shape, but seldom in color. - -Among this gay and bustling crowd, sad, pallid-faced Turkish women, and -mournful, dejected-looking men, stalked like spectres, or haggled -wearily with apathetic shopkeepers. Mounted policemen, very like -Cossacks in appearance, galloped recklessly through the multitude, and a -numerous force of men on foot, in neat brown uniforms, watched with -active vigilance every unusual stir among the people, and quelled with -rough-and-ready authority every incipient disturbance caused by too much -slivovitz (plum brandy). We strolled across the market-place and over -the moat into the great citadel, and passing the inner gate, were in a -quarter as characteristically Turkish as the remotest corner of -Stamboul. The huddle of people in the narrow, crooked streets; the -curious shops, and the open manufactories of all sorts of articles; the -latticed windows, tumble-down fountains, and half-ruined mosques; the -close, musty smell, and general squalor and worn-out appearance--all -were unmistakably Turkish, and everything indicated extreme poverty and -a condition of life which excited our heartiest sympathies. Intense love -of locality binds this people to the place, and, isolated by religion, -language, and customs, with no rights of citizenship and no common -interests with their neighbors, they endure with the patience -characteristic of their race the aggravating tyranny of the Bulgarians. - -[Illustration: TURKISH TYPES] - -Three fresh languages assailed our ears in Widdin, and we plunged -without preparation from the tangled maze of Roumanian and Servian into -the quagmires of Bulgarian, Turkish, and modern Greek. We expected to -hear two new languages here, but were surprised when we took our -luncheon in a restaurant to find the bill of fare written in Greek, and -to hear the waiters shouting orders in this lisping speech. We were now -well across the line that separates the Orient from the Occident, and -within touch of Constantinople and Athens. The markets gave us abundant -evidences that we had reached a milder climate. Grapes were delicious, -plentiful, and cheap, the best varieties costing less than two cents a -pound. Tomatoes, egg-plant, and sweet-peppers were larger and better -than we had seen before, and melons and green corn were almost out of -season. Fresh meat was about five cents a pound, and caviar, for which -delicacy Widdin is celebrated, was readily obtained, but at a price very -little lower than in any other market. Knowing that we had a rather -desolate part of the river before us, we laid in a good supply of stores -of all kinds, except wine, which, we learned, was easily to be obtained -at any village, and when the town had gone to sleep at noon, sought our -passports at the police headquarters; but the official in charge of this -department had gone home for his dinner and siesta, and we were obliged -to kick our heels in idleness and impatience until he returned, an hour -and a half later. - -Just below Widdin, at the Bulgarian town of Arčer Palanka, the general -course of the Danube changes from the south to the east; and to the town -of Cernavoda, in the Dobrudscha, about 300 miles below, the river keeps -the latter direction with few and slight deviations. The long, straight -reaches were here enlivened by many sailing-vessels of the -fifteenth-century type, with high ornate sterns, and single mast set -midway between the bow and stern. Sometimes - -[Illustration: TURKISH QUARTER, WIDDIN] - -[Illustration: TURKISH VESSELS] - -we met them gayly ploughing their way up-stream, with every bellying -sail drawing full, and again we saw them dragged slowly against the -current by a long line of patient Turkish sailors harnessed to a -tow-rope; or else we came across them tied to the trees in some quiet -spot awaiting a favorable wind, the decks covered with sleeping sailors, -no man on watch. The Roumanian shore from Kalafat down for scores of -miles at a stretch is as straight and level as if drawn with a ruler, -and the landscape on that bank of the river is reduced to its simplest -terms. The Bulgarian side is seldom monotonous, and never for any long -distance flat and marshy. High grassy hills approach the river, and -recede again at intervals, enclosing between their spurs great fertile -meadows covered with farms. Here and there on the bare slopes of the -rounded hills quite extensive villages are seen, usually at some -distance from the river. Many of these are only great irregular -collections of hovels dug in the ground and roofed with earth, and even -the best of them can boast no more than one or two buildings of a better -type than the ordinary hut of sun-dried bricks or of wattle and mud. -Most of the habitations, together with the great straw and hay -ricks--always the prominent feature of every village--are enclosed by -walls of mud or by wattled fences, and the streets, which ramble along -casually between these boundaries, are seldom better than gullies or -watercourses. The interiors are often surprisingly neat and tidy, even -in the rudest hovel, and whitewash is used with freedom. - -About three hours’ paddle below Widdin we came to the flourishing town -of Lom Palanka, famous for the purity of its water, and somewhat -renowned for the quality of its wine. We ran ashore, intending to fill -our wine-bottles and then to move on to an early camp. We fancied that -the Lom Palankians would be eager to welcome us when they saw us land -prepared to trade, but the delegation who met us as we floundered out of -the mud looked uncommonly hostile, every man wearing a uniform, and all -more or less heavily armed. Escape was impossible, so we began to -parley, and asked the way to a wine-shop with as much politeness as our -meagre vocabulary allowed. The only response to this question was a -stern demand for our passports. We promptly produced them, and, to our -chagrin and astonishment, saw them disappear in the capacious pocket of -the chief officer of the little army. The Custom-house people at Widdin -had told us that we could land anywhere to buy stores without giving up -our papers, and we explained this as well as we were able, and demanded -our passports again, preparing to leave without making our desired -purchases. Remonstrances were worse than idle, for they soon led to our -arrest, and we were marched off to the police-station, a long way up the -main street. The chief was not in his office, and he - -[Illustration: BULGARIAN VILLAGE] - -was unearthed from his hiding-place only after a half-hour’s search by a -large scouting party of policemen. The usual series of questions was put -to us, and we sandwiched our replies between bursts of indignant -language, which perhaps it would be unwise to chronicle here. The -pachydermatous young man, bristling with authority, and assuming the -indifference of immeasurable superiority, paid little attention to our -explanations or our expletives, and after slowly spelling out the words -from our passport, “We, Robert, Arthur, Talbot, Gascoyne Cecil, Marquess -of Salisbury, Earl of Salisbury, Viscount Cranborne, Baron Cecil,” and -from the other, “Robert Lincoln,” copied the numbers in a book, ordered -us to sign our names, and then let us go. Hot with wrath at the delay, -we paddled off, determined to leave Lom Palanka out of sight if we had -to sleep in a swamp. We had the good-fortune, however, to discover just -after dark a reasonably good camp-ground on a low bank of sun-baked mud -covered with coarse grasses, and the next morning found we had chosen -the spot where the natives had their summer clam-bakes, for great heaps -of fresh-water clamshells, the well-picked bones of a sheep or two, and -traces of recent fires were scattered all around us. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - - -[Illustration: BECALMED] - -Between Lom Palanka and Sistova, a stretch of about 150 miles--which, -by-the-way, we paddled in less than two days and a half--there are only -three towns on the river, Cibar Palanka, Rahova, and Nicopolis, and -these are all Bulgarian. There are two or three busy grain-shipping -stations on the Roumanian side, however, and we could see on the edge of -a low plateau, miles back from the river, frequent prosperous-looking -places, and, opposite Nicopolis, the church-towers of Turnu Magurelli, -one of the most important towns in southern Roumania, rising above the -trees. This shore of the river is, for almost the entire distance -referred to, a broad, low marsh, intersected by numerous lagoons and -shallow, irregular lakes, often ten miles or more in length. The lonely -picket-stations are the only human habitations along the bank. In -agreeable contrast to this dull and desolate waste of marsh and willow -swamp, is the rich pastoral country of Bulgaria opposite. Although -villages and farm-houses are not numerous, we saw everywhere abundant -signs of life. The meadows were dotted with hay-stacks, and great -net-works of deeply-worn cattle-paths scored the smooth slopes of the -hills, all burned yellow by the summer sun. Before the greatest heat of -the day came on, immense herds of cattle and buffaloes, driven by -Turkish cowboys, rushed panting down the hill-side in a cloud of dust to -cool themselves in the stream. The buffaloes wallowed in the muddy -places, and then lay down with the tops of their heads alone visible -above water, like uncouth amphibious animals. Great flocks of sheep -stood on the shore by the water’s edge, crowding together in a solid -mass, and holding their heads close to the ground to escape the heat -from the direct rays of the sun, and multitudes of goats were scattered -all over the steep and arid slopes. The shepherds dig little shallow -caves in the mud bluffs, with steps leading to them, where they lie and -sleep for hours in the daytime; others curl up in the gullies, so that -every yard of shade on the rough bank has its human or its animal -occupant, and sometimes men and goats, both seeking to avoid the sun, -lie down peacefully together in the same narrow cleft or in the shadow -of the same projecting corner. - -In the broad straight reaches of the river the frequent - -[Illustration: ON THE BULGARIAN SHORE, NEAR RAHOVA] - -sand-banks were covered with water-fowl. Thousands upon thousands of -noisy wild-geese, hosts of ducks, plover, and other game birds, rose -into the air as we approached, almost deafening us with their cries. -Wheeling round in broad circles, they settled down again before we had -fairly passed them. Ranks of solemn pelicans awkwardly flopped into the -water, and swam ahead of us in stately dignity scarcely out of -pistol-shot, turning their huge, ill-balanced beaks from side to side, -and if we came too near, flew up with a tremendous splashing and -fluttering. Tall herons soared away out of the shallows on every side, -and swans and storks sailed overhead in graceful flight. Sometimes we -paddled in the full light of noonday up to within a few yards of -slender, white cranes wading among the water-grasses, and once -approached within a paddle’s length of a large gray heron standing on -one leg and blinking in the brilliant glare of the sun. The flora of the -river-bank in this region is best described in a quotation from Alfred -Parsons’ note-book: “By the camp opposite Kalafat was a very handsome -sedge with brown flowers, a mass of blossoms of the flowering rush, and -plenty of excellent dewberries. A flat below Lom Palanka was covered -with a thorny, leguminous shrub, tufts of small purple flowers and -prickly red seed-pods, small yellow asters, tall scabious with pale -blossoms, and chiccory, which has been a constant flower for a long -distance down the river. The slopes above the limestone cliffs below -Rahova were covered with feather sumac and lilac bushes. Wild-grape -vines grow all over the willows on an island above Sistova, and the -marshy lake near there had great yellow patches of villarsia. On the -edge of this lake grow arrow-head and flowering rush, and where the land -is drier are seen purple and yellow dwarf thistles, a small scentless -heliotrope, and a white scutellaria. Tamarisk grows on the sandy -flats.” - -[Illustration: TURKISH FLAT-BOAT] - -The river life was mostly confined to the larger craft; very few small -boats were seen, and almost no fishermen. The great clouds of canvas on -the Turkish vessels gleamed above the trees behind the islands far in -the perspective, and the black smoke of tow-boats with their trains of -loaded lighters was a constant feature in the ever-changing landscape. -Occasionally a huge flat-boat of the roughest build, piled high with a -cargo of red and yellow earthen-ware, melons, sacks of charcoal, and -other miscellaneous merchandise, floated down in the gentle current, -steered by Turks in costumes of varied hue, the whole reflecting a mass -of glowing color in the stream. Each of the river towns we passed was -the centre of great activity. Crowds of peasants’ carts laden with grain -covered the broad strand in the vicinity of the steamboat-landing, -waiting their turn to discharge their loads into the lighters. When the -grain is harvested and threshed, the farmers load their rude carts, and -lead the slow and stupid buffaloes, often several days’ journey, to the -nearest river town, where they find a certain market for their produce. -The whole country is covered with trains of creaking carts, and -peasants’ bivouacs are - -[Illustration: TURKISH WOMEN AT SISTOVA] - -scattered all over the scorched hill-sides and everywhere along the -dusty highways. They carry no tents nor shelters of any sort, and only -the simplest food for themselves and their beasts. When night overtakes -them they lie down on the ground beside their carts, and, wrapped in -their rough coats, sleep as peacefully as their tired oxen. Their whole -outfit is as rude and uncouth as it was centuries ago, and the native -carts have not improved in build since they transported the supplies of -Trajan’s armies. The only iron used in their construction are the -linchpins and the rings which bind together the great hubs; the -roughly-hewn felloes, the different parts of the body of the cart, and -of the yoke as well, are all held together by wooden pegs. - -We noticed at Nicopolis the first of the series of Russian monuments -along the river which commemorates the bravery of those who fell in the -late war--a plain stone shaft on a hill-top just above the town; and -when we landed there found every evidence of increasing prosperity and -enterprise in new buildings, public squares and promenades, and general -improvements. A friendly young soldier-policeman piloted us about, acted -as our cavass or special guard, saw that we were not cheated at the -shops, and at the same time busied himself with keeping order in the -drinking-places, and cleared the streets when they became congested with -traffic. He did not so much as ask to see our papers, and we began to be -more hopeful about our trip along the Bulgarian frontier, and looked -forward to landing at Sistova, twenty-five miles below, with no -disagreeable anticipations. - -The large biweekly passenger steamer on its downward trip reached -Sistova a few moments after we did, and we were just in time to witness -the exodus of twenty-five Turkish families who were leaving the country -for Asia Minor by way of Chernavoda, Kustendji, and Constantinople. The -whole remaining Turkish population of the town had turned out to see -them off, and veiled women in solemn rows along the shore looked from a -distance like so many queer river birds. We were assured by the agent of -the steamboat company that similar emigrations are of frequent -occurrence, but that most of the families sooner or later wander back -again, after having found that their condition is not bettered by change -of residence. Sistova has improved since the war in much the same way -that Nicopolis has, but the river-front remains unchanged, and looks -to-day very much as it did when, after the crossing in June, the -Russians built their pontoon-bridge from the low island opposite and -marched their armies through the town to Plevna and the Balkan passes. - -We made an interesting excursion of three days to the battle-fields of -Plevna, fifty miles distant from Sistova, across a rolling country, -sparsely inhabited, but producing a great deal of wheat and Indian-corn. -The heat was intense and the dust terrible, but every moment of the -excursion was crowded with interest and novelty. Travelling, as the -natives do, by private conveyance, and stopping at the khans, which are -still the only houses of entertainment in country places, we were thrown -into intimate relations with the people, and, it must be confessed, -found little in their character to encourage the belief in their -capacity for immediate improvement. It is undoubtedly a fact that the -peasants between the foot-hills of the Balkans and the Danube are the -least agreeable specimens of the race to be found in the country, and it -would be unfair to judge of the young nation by the inhabitants of a -particular district. Their most curious characteristics are their -emotionless expression and their habitual silence. We seldom saw them -smile, and almost never heard them laugh. All the river people we met -until we crossed the Bulgarian frontier were - -[Illustration: OLD MOSQUE, RUSTCHUK] - -cheery and more or less communicative, and we heard singing, laughter, -and constant merry chatter among the people as we passed. But in -Bulgaria these cheerful sounds no longer came to our ears; villages near -the river were as silent as the grave; the peasants at the -landing-places stared at us stupidly as we went along, and no one ever -hailed us pleasantly or showed any intelligent interest in our fleet. - -[Illustration: BULGARIAN BUFFALO CART] - -Russian monuments are seen on several hills between Sistova and -Rustchuk, about thirty-five miles below, and scarcely a mile of the -river but has some interesting history in connection with the struggle -along the Danube in the early part of the summer campaign in 1877. By a -curious coincidence, we happened to camp the afternoon we left Sistova -near the very place where, fourteen years before, on the same date, the -writer had crossed the river at the end of a long courier’s ride, -described in the pages of HARPER’S MAGAZINE not long since. It is not -strange, therefore, that as we paddled down the beautiful calm reach the -following morning the familiar lines of the landscape stimulated a flow -of reminiscences of the campaign. Nearing Pyrgos, and in sight of the -monument on one of the great rounded hills where the battle was fought -in which young Sergius Leuchtenberg, the cousin of the present Czar, was -killed, we were startled by the unmistakable sound of the grunt of a -Gatling-gun and the rattle of small-arms. We could not at first believe -our ears, each of us thinking this dramatic and suggestive accompaniment -to the tales of the war was a mental distortion of ordinary noises -brought about by our preoccupation with the subject. However, as we -paddled along, increasing our stroke in our growing excitement, we -discovered that the sounds came from the hills near Rustchuk, and -although we could see no smoke, we could accurately distinguish the -reports of rifles in irregular scattering succession, like the prelude -of a great battle. Our mystification increased with every moment, and we -hastened on past the low willow-fringed shores on the Roumanian side, -studying the rocky bluffs across the river and the billowy summits of -the bare hills to find a solution of the enigma. The sounds ceased as -suddenly as they began, and as we rounded a wide bend full of islands, -and came in sight of the minarets of Rustchuk and the great buildings in -Giurgevo on the low hills far across the marshes opposite, we met a -small Bulgarian gunboat with a machine-gun at the bow and discovered at -the same time, on a broad plateau under the old Turkish redoubt back of -the town, the summer encampment of the garrison. What we had heard was, -undoubtedly, the morning target practice on land and the trial of the -machine-gun on the river. - -Rustchuk is the most important Bulgarian town on the river, and situated -as it is on the main route to Constantinople, _via_ the Rustchuk-Varna -Railway and the Black Sea, and only two hours by rail from Bucharest, is -one of the best-known cities on the lower Danube. It is at present in -the disagreeable phase of transition from an old Turkish town to a -modern trade centre, and has neither the picturesqueness - -[Illustration: MARKET-PLACE, SILISTRIA] - -of an old place nor the comforts of a new one. Imposing shops, with all -sorts of Viennese and Parisian goods, chiefly neckties and ready-made -clothing, crowd the shanties where native rawhide sandals are made, and -the street butcher slaughters his animal before the plate-glass window -of a large grocery, filled with English, French, and German delicacies. -Some of the streets are well paved and kept in repair, while in others -the passer often stumbles over the half-buried shells thrown into the -town by the Russians in 1877. - -For about thirty miles below Rustchuk both shores are flat and devoid of -life. We had our old enemy, a head-wind, against us; and, indeed, from -this point to the end of our journey--about 300 miles below--we scarcely -had an hour’s relief from this persistent opposition to our progress. We -had fought our way for a few miles, when we overtook a tow-boat with -several large Greek grain lighters steaming down-river at less speed -than we were making. As we ran alongside, the captain of one of the -lighters cordially invited us to tie up and take it easy. Perhaps it was -not a very sporting thing to do, but it appealed to us as an excellent -scheme to defeat the efforts of the head-wind and to see the landscape -at our leisure, and we therefore promptly accepted the invitation, and -fastened our canoes to the lighters. In this way we slowly went on for -several hours, until we came to the town of Turtukai, on the Bulgarian -side, where the hills again crowd the river. There we cast off, and -instinctively avoiding the Roumanian pickets, whose unwelcome attentions -we had escaped for several days, paddled down to a beautiful -camping-ground in the middle of a group of islands covered with poplar, -wych-elm, willows, and brambles, and a tangle of wild-grape vines -growing to the tops of the highest trees. - -From the important part the town and fortress of Silistria - -[Illustration: MOSQUE IN SILISTRIA] - -has played in the history of European Turkey for the last hundred years, -we anticipated finding a stronghold far more grand and imposing than any -on the river, with the possible exception of Belgrade and Peterwardein. -Whatever may have been in past times the strategical importance of the -place, it certainly gave us little notion of its strength. It occupies -the whole of a low point projecting far into the - -[Illustration: FROM RUSTCHUK TO SULINA] - -river, which here spreads out into a broad shallow reach, filled with -long low islands. Along the greater part of the water-front of the town -are two walls, one within the other, more resembling embankments to -protect the town from inundations than constructions for military -purposes. Behind these walls, as seen from the river, domes and minarets -rise above the roofs of the town, which rambles back from the river to -the great bare slopes behind. All over the tops of the hills are visible -the lines of great earthworks, rounded and softened by the weathering of -many seasons. After the usual passport formalities, we wandered about -the town for an hour or more, waiting for it to wake up, and had -sufficient leisure to examine the extensive improvements in progress -here, which bid fair to reduce at no distant date the picturesque old -town to the commonplace level of a modern city. We could not help, -however, being interested in the building of an enormous school-house, -which will be, when finished, the most imposing modern structure in the -town--a gratifying indication of the successful enforcement of the -compulsory education law in Bulgaria. - -After the hundreds of miles of uninteresting scenery on the Roumanian -shore, it seemed as if monotony could go no further, but opposite -Silistria the far-off hills recede still more, the bank grows flatter, -and at last degenerates into a swamp, with nothing but the wretched -picket huts to break the interminable line of small willow-trees. -Sluggish branches of the river straggle off to the left and cut the -morass into two large islands, honey-combed with lakes and intersected -by lagoons. High grass-covered hills skirt the right bank, and here and -there, at long distances apart, villages make irregular brown patches on -the yellow slopes. The long reaches become more and more desolate, and -in the narrow channels among the numerous islands there is the solitude -of an unexplored wilderness, and the banks are a tangle of great trees -and undergrowth. Black mud everywhere covers the shallows, and the banks -are lined with a sticky, fetid deposit, and sometimes, after sunset, the -odor emanating from this mass of river scourings is almost overpowering. -We often landed on what appeared to be a hard beach, only to find it a -jelly of mud, with a thin crust of sand on top, through which we broke -at every step. All the river men we met were suffering from the Danube -fever, which, in the lower river, is the constant scourge of the -population. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - - -Ten miles below Silistria the Roumanian frontier crosses the river, and -the district of the Dobrudscha begins. To our surprise, the line of -pickets still continued along the left bank, although we were fairly in -the Roumanian kingdom, and now and then a soldier would appear in sight, -take a lively interest as we passed, and sometimes order us to come -ashore. We treated these summonses with scorn, and paddled along -heedless of the shouts which followed us. - -The river life was fast becoming more active as we went down. Numerous -tow-boats with lighters passed to and fro, and every open reach was -lively with gaudily painted sailing-vessels, manned by Turks dressed in -all colors of the rainbow, and looking as little like sailors as the -craft they were in looked like modern civilized ships. On one occasion -we were watching a large fleet of these quaint vessels merrily careering -up-stream with a favorable wind, when a sudden squall struck them and -scattered them like leaves with the violence of its blast. One succeeded -in gaining the land in deep water, and made fast to the trees there, and -through the dense showers of rain which followed the wind we could see -the remainder of the proud fleet, all scattered and dilapidated, -stranded along the shore in every direction. We now had our own boats to -look after, for there was no shelter in which to land! A group of -friendly Greek lighters in tow gave us but temporary protection from -the squall, for, as the storm increased in violence and the wind veered -round, we found ourselves on as ugly a lee shore as could be -imagined--the iron sides of a loaded barge. However, we managed at last -to moor the canoes under the overhanging stern of one of the lighters, -and, in company with a native boat full of men and women, rode out the -storm in safety. - -[Illustration: ROUMANIAN PEASANTS SELLING FLOWERS AND FRUIT] - -From Silistria to Chernavoda the topography of the country near the -river alters very little in character, but we noted various other -changes which interested us. The type of small boat was now entirely -different from the rude skiff farther up-stream, resembling the Turkish -caïque, with high pointed bow and stern; and our old friends, the -current-mills, no longer had a supplementary scow to support the axle, -but, with a wheel on either side, made a sort of caricature of a -steamboat anchored in the stream. On the hills above the villages -numerous windmills waved their long arms, testifying to the prevalence -of wind, and everywhere ancient tumuli broke the rounded contours of the -grassy summits. Here, too, Trajan has left an imperishable monument to -his mighty conquest--an immense wall of earth, which extends across the -Dobrudscha from Chernavoda to Kustendji on the Black Sea, and the high -rampart is plainly visible on the great rolling hills, apparently as -well preserved in shape after the lapse of so many centuries as the -Russian earthworks constructed a decade and a half ago on the -neighboring summits. A fine railway bridge is now building across the -river at Chernavoda, to connect the Kustendji Railway with the Roumanian -system, and immense stone piers on the north bank are already finished. -The construction-shops and workmen’s quarters in connection with this -enterprise have transformed the simple little village of Chernavoda into -a hideously commonplace settlement. At this point the river sweeps round -in a wide curve, changing its course from a general easterly to a -northerly direction, and at Hirsova, thirty miles below--a long -straggling town at the foot of a bold spur of rocky hills--it divides -into a number of small branches, which enclose and intersect with -sinuous windings a great irregular marsh, twelve or fifteen miles in -width, and extending to the River Pruth, at the Russian frontier, fifty -miles to the north. - -As we left Hirsova, near the end of the day, and saw the - -[Illustration: HIRSOVA] - -grand outlines of the hills grow all purple in the afternoon light, we -were slow to realize the fact that our route would no longer lead us -past these pleasant slopes, which from the distant Carpathian range -downward had shown us an ever-varying and ever-beautiful panorama along -the river-bank. The shortest of the sluggish branches of the river -skirts the eastern limits of the Roumanian plain, and paddling into this -narrow channel, we found ourselves in a brief half-hour in a region -quite unlike any we had yet seen. Both banks are low, and covered with -tall reeds alternating with willow patches. The only habitations are -little fishing-stations, and these are miles apart. Even the line of -picket-houses is no longer seen along the shore, for it follows the -branch that flows along the eastern boundary of the marsh under the high -land there. The fishermen’s dwellings are hovels of the rudest kind, -built of mud, thatched with reeds, and surrounded by fences of the same -material. How human beings can exist in these fever-infested marshes -will always remain a mystery to us. - -We found a reasonably solid landing-place on a little island near one of -these stations, and a short distance above the little hamlet of Gura -Ghirlitza. The botanist, whose duty it was to gather drift wood, brought -back from his rambles a great bouquet of wild-flowers--melilot, -loosestrife, convolvulus, blue veronica, chiccory, tamarisk, -snap-dragon, and many others: and we were both so much engaged, one with -his botanizing and the other with his pots and pans, that we did not -notice the approach of a great lotka full of people until it ran ashore -in the mud near our camp two or three yards from the bank. They shouted -to us to come and pull them up; but, seeing among the crowd in the boat -two soldiers fixing their bayonets, and several other men armed with -guns, to say nothing of an officer in full uniform, we did not propose -to assist this hostile force to disembark, and paid no attention to -them. Finally one of the party jumped out into the mud, helped the rest -to land, and the small army bore down upon us in martial array. When -they came near enough to see the canoes, the officer in command, an -intelligent young fellow of agreeable manners and cultivated speech, -suddenly threw aside all show of hostility, and asked us politely what -kind of craft these were, and where we had come from in such frail -boats. This was a prelude to friendly relations we had not anticipated, -for we looked with distrust on every man in uniform. Of course we were -only too glad to explain who we were and what we were after, and arms -were at once laid aside, and the whole party instantly began to inspect -our canoes from bow to stern, enchanted with the polished rudder, -astonished at the folding centre-board, and delighted with every detail -of the finish. In a half-hour or less, with many apologies for -interrupting the preparation of our dinner, they withdrew, after making -us promise to return their call at the village the next morning. We -heard the grocer and the butcher fire off the guns they had loaded on -the way to assist in capturing the suspected smugglers, and we were -interrupted no more that night. - -[Illustration: GURA GHIRLITZA] - -Early the next forenoon we landed at the village, and had quite a -reception by our friends of the evening before. The whole population -gathered around the canoes, and studied them with intelligent curiosity. -They were the first natives since we passed the Bulgarian frontier above -Widdin who had shown any particular emotion at the sight of the novel -craft, and our hearts warmed to them in consequence. Perhaps it was -partly on this account that we liked the village, for, after all, it was -only a small collection of low, whitewashed, roughly-thatched cottages, -straggling along crooked, dusty streets partly shaded by small trees, -and everywhere enclosed by fences of dry reeds. But there were a good -many bright flowers in the tiny gardens, luxuriantly-growing squashes -and gourds were climbing all over the thatched roofs, the clean white -linen garments of both sexes were refreshing to look upon, and the -brilliant aprons and elaborate red embroidery worn by the women made -rich spots of color in the warm sunlight. It was well for us that we -went away from Gura Ghirlitza in an agreeable frame of mind, for a -persistent head-wind blew straight up-stream, no matter how the river -turned and twisted. We passed scores of Turkish vessels dashing along up -the choppy current with a great splashing at the bows, and others trying -to work down-river by the force of the stream. For several hours we -struggled against the gale and the rough sea, between banks with few -signs of human life and scarcely a rod of cleared land, and in the -afternoon passed through miles of unbroken forest, extending in every -direction as far as we could see. From this the most desolate and -deserted reach of the whole river we had navigated, we at last emerged -quite suddenly into a sunny open country, with a high bluff a short -distance below, where tall chimneys showed above the dense foliage on a -large island, and in a few moments we were in the main stream again, -opposite the bustling town of Braila, where the straggling arms of the -river unite, and it again assumes its normal width and majestic aspect. -The stream was crowded with vessels of every description, from the -native lotkas to the great English freight propellers, whose ugly iron -hulls towered high over all local craft. On the shore opposite the town -scores of Turkish vessels were made fast to the bank, miles of loaded -lighters were anchored along the channel, and great steamers were moored -to the quay several ranks deep, all receiving their loads of grain. -Thousands of men of every nationality and in motley dress were swarming -like bees all over the cargo boats, carrying sacks of grain from the -army of carts on the shore and pouring it into the - -[Illustration: LOADING GRAIN AT BRAILA] - -open hatches. The English flag fluttered from many a mast, the names of -familiar ports could be read on almost every great rounded stern, and -the English language distinctly reached our ears in the babel of several -other tongues. We had paddled a long forty miles against a heavy wind -and sea, and preferring the quiet of camp to the confusion of the busy -town, landed on an unoccupied meadow in full view of Braila, extending -far along the bluff and looking down upon the forest of masts on the -river, and with the spires and domes of Galatz distinctly visible on a -high point of land a few miles below us. - -Braila is at the head of navigation for sea-going vessels, and as it is -only about 125 miles from the mouth of the river, is practically a port -on the Black Sea. A few years ago it was of secondary commercial -importance to Galatz, a larger town similarly placed on a bluff fifteen -miles farther down-stream. Since the Turkish war, however, the grain -trade has been gradually transferred to the former city, until it has -now absorbed the whole of this commerce, and has become the chief -shipping port for all the produce of the grain-growing regions of -Roumania and northern Bulgaria. Extensive docks and immense grain -elevators have been built there, and will soon be in active operation. -We had seen at various places below Rustchuk indications of the -proximity of Russia, chiefly in the architecture of churches, with their -green domes and bulbous spires, but also in various details of costume, -carriages, and harnesses. At Braila all the carts which carry grain to -the steamers have the Russian bow over the horses’ withers, and many -Russian signs are seen on the shops. All the public carriages of Galatz -are driven by Russians, members of a peculiar religious sect, who wear -their national costume, consisting of a long black velvet coat with full -skirts, plaited at the waist, and two rows of silver buttons on the -breast, tall boots, and the characteristic flat-topped cap. The fashion -of employing Russian coachmen, once prevalent all over Roumania, is fast -dying out now, however, and is said to continue in full force in Galatz -alone. - -The army of the Czar made the first crossing of the Danube in 1877 from -Galatz, across the marsh to a spur of the bold hills near the village -of Matchin, and it was in one of the narrow arms of the river here that -the Turkish monitors were entrapped and destroyed. Galatz covers much -more territory than its neighbor above, spreading far out over a level -plateau, along highways which are deserts of dust in summer and sloughs -of mire in winter. Part of the town is laid out with some regularity, -and there are a few streets well cared for and with new buildings; but -the thoroughfares on the slope of the plateau near the river are narrow, -crooked, and steep, and most of the pavements are simply atrocious. -There is no gas manufactured, but an abundance of water is brought into -the town, and a fountain is in constant operation in the tiny park, -where a military band plays light French airs every evening to a motley -crowd of many nationalities. The better class of Roumanians have a -deeply-rooted admiration for France and for everything French, and in -all the cities there are curious and often ludicrous attempts to imitate -Parisian architecture and to follow the customs of that capital. This is -the result, of course, of the French education of the youth of the -leading families for generations past, and here, as in all countries -where civilization has reached only the second stage--the purely -commercial one--the few who leaven the mass do not always judiciously -winnow the wheat from the chaff in the foreign seed they plant at home. - -The larger part of the town consists of houses only one story in height, -with stucco façades and tiled roofs. There is almost nothing to interest -the sight-seer in the way of architecture or relics of antiquity, and, -indeed, the most notable object of interest in town is the tomb of -Mazeppa in the Church of St. Maria. In certain quarters the population -is very dense, and the streets and dwellings there are in a state of -indescribable filth. The crowded market-places are in the morning -perfect museums of types and costumes. Albanians - -[Illustration: GYPSY CAMP AT GALATZ] - -in fustinellas like ballet-dancers’ skirts jostle Slovac raftsmen in -their skin-tight woollen trousers; smart marines from the naval station -at the upper part of the town haggle with peddlers of Turkish tobacco; -and florid-faced cooks of English steamers shoulder their way to the -meat-shops, regardless of Roumanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Greek, or Jew. -In the outskirts of the town several large bands of gypsies camp on the -hill-sides; for here, as in most other places in Roumania and Hungary, -they are not allowed to occupy houses. Of all the specimens of this -remarkable race we saw in our trip, those at Galatz were by far the most -savage and repulsive in appearance. As we approached their squalid camp -on the bare slope of a great hill, exposed to wind and sun, hundreds of -half-clothed howling maniacs swooped down upon us, wildly gesticulating -and shrieking for alms, tearing open their garments to show their -emaciated bodies, and holding aloft naked children shivering in the cold -breeze. Raven black hair falling over their faces in tangled masses half -hid their small cunning eyes, and sun and dirt had given their skins the -color and texture of long-tanned leather. Everything about -them--clothes, blankets, and tents--was of the same suggestive brown -hue, and this monotone was only relieved by gaudy trinkets in the matted -tresses of the women and by an occasional ornamental knife handle in the -girdle of the men. We were unable to endure for any length of time the -filth of the camp and the proximity of the evil-looking, ill-smelling -crowd, which at every moment became more and more difficult to avoid; -and we soon retreated, followed for a long distance by a number of -urchins, all limbs and rags, who turned somersaults in the dust and -yelled frantically for money. We did not feel purified from the contact -with these gypsies until we were seated again in the canoes and facing -the brisk east wind on the broad reach below Galatz. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - -The navigation of the Danube from Galatz to the mouth is controlled and -regulated by an international commission, which was called into -existence by the importance of the commerce with the corn-producing -countries along the lower river. Forty-five miles below Galatz the river -divides into two branches, the left-hand one, the Kilia arm, taking a -general north-easterly course, with many turns and subdivisions, past -the Russian towns of Ismail and Kilia, and, a short distance beyond the -fishing-village of Vilkoff, flows into the Black Sea through seven -narrow channels. The right-hand branch, actually the main stream, -divides again ten miles below the first fork, the former running in a -general easterly direction to the port of Sulina, on the Black Sea, and -the latter arm winding sluggishly on towards the south-east under the -extreme eastern spurs of the great range of Dobrudscha hills. Each side -of the irregular equilateral triangle bounded by the Kilia and Saint -George’s arms and the sea-coast measures about fifty miles in a straight -line, and the larger part of the tract thus enclosed is marsh and -swamp-land, covered with a dense growth of tall reeds, interspersed with -numerous lakes and cut up into countless islands by narrow lagoons. In -the whole of this great delta there are only a few square miles of -ground higher than the general level of the marsh, and these are two -broad ranges of sand-dunes running north-east and south-west several -miles inland, marking the line of - -[Illustration: GALATZ] - -the ancient sea-coast when the waves and wind raised this barrier long -before the memory of man. These sandy elevations are now covered with a -forest of oak-trees, and support a sparse population. With this -exception the delta is uncultivated, and the few natives who inhabit the -great marsh are almost all engaged in fishing. They build themselves -rude huts out of the tall reeds, make their beds, and even their -net-floats, out of the same useful plant, and during the summer months -set their nets in every lake and lagoon, preserving their catch in salt -or carrying it at convenient times to the distant markets. This great -waste is at all seasons most impressive, and in summer, when the reeds -have grown to their full height and are in blossom, the landscape, -although monotonous in the extreme, often has great elements of beauty. -Narrow waterways, seldom more than a fathom broad, intersect the marsh -in all directions, and only the natives who are familiar with the -intricate windings of these thoroughfares can find their way from one -point to another of this labyrinth. Some of these waterways are known to -have existed in the period of Roman occupation, and the race of -fishermen who now make use of them have preserved their type, their -dress, their boats, and their implements practically unchanged since the -time when Ovid was exiled to the shores of the Euxine. Myriads of -wild-fowl breed in the solitude of the broad morass, and fish abound in -its quiet waters. In the autumn, when the frost has killed the reeds, -great tracts of the delta are often swept over by fires, consuming all -the vegetation above the level of the mud, but clearing the way for a -new and vigorous growth in the spring. Only during the winter months is -the marsh passable for vehicles or even for pedestrians, and when the -whole region is frozen hard the mails and the few passengers who are -obliged to travel are carried on sledges straight across from one -station to another over the level surface of land and water. - -[Illustration: PEASANTS OF THE DELTA] - -Russia took possession of this region after the capture of Ismail, in -the early part of the century, and, in order to help commerce at home, -put various restrictions on the Danube trade, which almost annihilated -it for a time. The adoption of free-trade by England naturally -stimulated the export business in the corn-producing countries of the -Danube, and great pressure was brought to bear to induce Russia to -remove the hampering restrictions on the navigation of the river. -International disputes arising from this cause finally culminated in the -Crimean War, and it was not without reason, therefore, that the treaties -of peace contained articles intended to place the navigation of the -river in control of the countries most interested in the corn supply. -One clause of the treaty created a riverian commission, whose duty was -to regulate the general navigation of the river, and another clause -established a European Commission of the Danube, “to clear the mouths of -the river, as well as the neighboring parts of the sea, from the sand -and other impediments which obstruct them.” The first of these -commissions found its task impossible on account of the conflicting -interests of the small countries along the river, and has never done -anything, although it is still recognized diplomatically. The Powers -represented in the active commission are Great Britain, Austro-Hungary, -France, Germany, Italy, Roumania, Russia, and Turkey. Owing to a -misunderstanding of the nature of the work to be done, the commission -was established for a term of only two years. This period was extended -at various times, and at last it was settled by the Treaty of 1878 that -the functions of this body should continue until it should be dissolved -by the Powers. It has been constantly at work since its first meeting in -1856. A few statistics will give an idea of the effect on English trade -of the improvements to navigation brought about by the commission. -Before 1847 from 3 to 52 English vessels entered the Danube annually. -Between 1847 and 1860, 2648 English ships entered the river, -representing a net tonnage of 509,723. Between 1861 and 1889 these -numbers were raised to 12,363 and 9,842,260 respectively. In 1861, 214 -English sailing-vessels and 35 steamers came to the port of Sulina, and -in 1889, 842 steamers and not a single sailing-vessel. In 1890 the total -number of vessels of all nationalities entering the Danube was 1519, -including many steamers of 1400 to 1600 tons. The commission began in -1860 to collect tolls to maintain the improvements, and in that year the -revenue was 256,583 francs. In 1889 this sum was increased to 1,348,552 -francs. British ships have paid from 71 to 82 per cent. of the whole -dues levied during the past ten years. The exports from the river -consist chiefly of wheat, barley, and Indian-corn, but oats, rye, rape -and linseed, petroleum, tallow, hides, salt fish, wines and spirits, -cheese, lumber, and wool are also shipped in large quantities. -Machinery, coal, bar and sheet iron, and articles of clothing form the -bulk of the imports. In general terms, the work of the commission has -consisted in the construction of groynes and revetments, straightening -the river-banks, shortening the channel by cuttings, and dredging the -shallow places. The whole delta has been surveyed, and accurate maps -made. A great part of the Sulina arm has been canalized, and the channel -deepened from 8 feet at extreme low-water to over 16 feet, or to 20½ -feet at average low-water. Under the direction of Sir Charles A. -Hartley, the consulting engineer of the commission, and the able -supervision of Mr. Charles Kühl, since 1872 the resident engineer, the -improvements are carried on with constant regularity and great energy, -and every year the navigation of the Sulina branch becomes less -difficult and dangerous. Vessels of 2000 tons may now steam up as far as -Braila with perfect safety. - -The longest cutting yet undertaken, which will shorten the channel by -four and a quarter miles, is now in active progress, and the operation -of cutting through the marsh is extremely interesting. Far out of sight -of any human habitation the black funnel and grimy framework of an -immense dredger are seen rising high above the waving mass of reeds -which stretches away on every side as far as the eye can reach. A chain -of steel-shod iron buckets working on a movable arm which projects in -front of the dredger cuts its way through the spongy mass of which the -marsh is composed, and the mixture of roots, mud, and shells is shot out -upon the bank of the cutting through a long adjustable iron trough. -There the material is worked by hand into a dike, strengthened by the -ingenious use of reeds and roots, and finally protected by a revetment -of broken stone. This cutting will be five miles and a quarter in -length, and 6,500,000 cubic yards will have to be dredged before the -work is completed in 1895. - -[Illustration: DREDGING IN THE DELTA] - -The headquarters of the commission are at Sulina, on the Black Sea. As -early as the time of the Irish famine in 1847-48 hundreds of English -sailing-vessels came to the Black Sea for grain. Most of them anchored -in the mouth of the Sulina branch, discharged ballast there, and loaded -with corn to supply the urgent demand for bread-stuffs at home. A -squalid little settlement rapidly sprang up among the heaps of gravel -deposited on the marshy banks, and as years went on the constantly -accumulating ballast was spread farther and farther up along the stream, -and inland over the morass, and streets and houses followed the - -[Illustration: TURKISH SAILING LOTKA, SULINA] - -expanding area of solid ground. The establishment of the European -Commission of the Danube gave a fresh impulse to the growing place, and -a busy commercial town soon covered the deposit of ballast, having its -foundations, literally, on English soil. Commodious offices, large -warehouses, and repair-shops were built; churches were erected by -followers of various creeds; a life-saving station was established; a -fine stone quay was constructed on the south bank of the stream; and two -jetties with light-houses were pushed far out into the shallow waters of -the Black Sea. Few travellers ever visit Sulina, because the passenger -boats usually touch there in the night. Its cosmopolitan character and -its peculiar situation in the marsh make it an interesting spot. Types -of a score of nationalities may be studied on its quay, and there is a -great deal of picturesqueness, of a squalid order to be sure, in its -narrow streets. No long walks or drives are possible, for the -wilderness of reeds crowds up to the very back doors of the town, but -there is a unique fascination in its isolated position, and a special -charm in the character of its surroundings. - -We made up our minds long before reaching Braila that we would follow -the most northerly arm of the delta, both because it marks the frontier -between Roumania and Russia, and would consequently let us have a -glimpse of the latter country, and also because that branch is not -navigable by large craft, and we would escape steamers and tourists, and -really see something of native life. The busy, bustling port of Braila, -where English is heard at every step, and the river is almost blocked by -great iron grain steamers, gave us an indication of what we might expect -between that point and the Black Sea, and we determined to escape if -possible all these signs of civilization and enterprise, and steal out -to the sea-coast through a comparatively deserted channel. How we -carried out this plan will soon be related, and I have alluded to the -work of the Danube Commission, and described Sulina, because we visited -the one and investigated the other on our way back from the real goal of -our journey. - -[Illustration: HILLS NEAR MATCHIN] - -We set out from Galatz late one windy afternoon, and camped for the -night on a low sandy flat nearly opposite the River Pruth, which forms -the boundary between Roumania and Russia, planning to make a fair start -by - -[Illustration: KILIA] - -daybreak into the territory of the Czar. A banker friend in Galatz had -strongly advised us not to attempt the voyage to the Black Sea by way of -the Kilia arm, insisting that the Russian Custom-house regulations were -extremely rigorous, and that we would probably be prohibited from -landing anywhere along that shore, while the Roumanian bank was marshy -and deserted, and did not offer any possible camping places. We had no -desire to make the acquaintance of any more autocratic system than that -with which we had become unwillingly intimate, but the advice of our -friend did not deter us from carrying out our plan, and we profited by -his warnings so far as to lay in three or four days’ store of provisions -in case we should be obliged to defy both Russia and Roumania, and -paddle down mid-channel to the Black Sea without touching land on either -side. We were rather late in getting afloat the next morning, for the -wind had risen to a gale in the night, and had drifted the fine sand -over everything, half burying the boats, and penetrating every crevice -and cranny in them. This added a great deal to the labor of packing up, -and the only way we succeeded in getting rid of this nuisance was by -carrying everything down close to the water’s edge where the sand was -wet and hard. The Pruth is a narrow, deep stream winding under the -western slopes of a range of low hills which divert the course of the -Danube sharply from - -[Illustration: CHATAL SAINT GEORGE] - -[Illustration: TOULTCHA] - -the north-east to the south-east at this point. The first Russian town, -Reni, with its turnip-shaped church-spires and ugly warehouses, stands -on a high bluff overlooking this bend of the river, and offers nothing -of interest, not even at the water-front, where there is little or no -activity, and few craft of any kind. The hills abruptly recede again -just below the town limits, and the river sweeps majestically round -towards the east, and takes an almost straight course to the first -branching in the delta. Both shores are now quite flat and well -cultivated, and on either side frequent picket stations are the only -houses in sight. To the south and east, across a narrow strip of meadow -land, the great hills of the Dobrudscha, dotted with ancient tumuli, -extend far into the distance, where a range of mountains cuts sharply -against the sky with bold, jagged outlines; to the north, the irregular -base spurs of the line of low hills which touch the river at Reni are -seen jutting out over the great marsh at intervals until they vanish in -the perspective. The wind veered round in the middle of the forenoon and -almost died away, and as we alternately sailed and paddled down the long -straight reach towards the delta, past the red-roofed town of Isaktcha -on the Roumanian shore, half hidden behind a wooded island, and the -great Russian monastery of Saint Theraspont across the river, we heard -not so much as a single hail from the soldiers on either bank, although -we often passed close to their stations. In the early afternoon we saw -before us a stone jetty with a spindle on the end, and soon found that -this marked the place where the river divides and the delta actually -begins, forty-five miles below Galatz. The fork is known as the Chatal -d’Ismail, and the embankment was built by the Danube Commission to -divert the strength of the current from the Kilia arm into the main -stream. Three or four miles to the south the white houses of Toultcha -shone brightly among the dark green foliage of the trees, and numerous -windmills were waving their arms on the rocky promontory below the town. -A half-dozen miles farther to the eastward is the Chatal Saint George, -where the stream divides into the Sulina and the Saint George arms. - -[Illustration: WINDMILLS OF TOULTCHA] - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - -We did not hesitate to follow the left-hand branch at the Chatal -d’Ismail, and, rounding the sharp bend to the north, we soon entered a -great wilderness of reeds and willows. For some distance not even a -picket station was visible on either shore, but as we paddled steadily -along in the sluggish current we occasionally saw a Russian soldier in -white uniform in the dense undergrowth among the willows. In a little -more than an hour’s time we came in sight of Ismail, picturesquely -situated on a gentle slope of ground beyond pleasant meadows, where the -ruins of a great Turkish fortress stand. Great cultivated fields on the -same side of the river, where scores of peasants were at work, stretched -far back to the distant hill-sides, yellow with cornfields and dotted -with villages. A large Russian picket station on an open point tempted -us to land and see what would happen, so we ran the bows of the canoes -into the mud and asked the soldiers assembled on the bank for a light -for our cigarettes, at the same time preparing to go ashore. One of them -went to the quarters for a live coal, while the others helped us out of -the canoes in a very friendly manner, and we spent a sociable hour with -them. We did not hurry away, because we planned to camp just above -Ismail, and it was nearly sunset when we floated away towards the -glittering domes rising above the dense masses of willow-trees in the -distance. The peasants rattled across the fields in their farm-wagons, -leaving behind them a cloud of dust all golden in the evening light. A -mounted officer cantered along the bank, paused a moment to look at us, -gave a sharp command to a sentinel, and went on again. Now we noticed -that a soldier was stationed at every furlong of the shore, and we began -to be anxious about finding a secluded camp-ground. The Roumanian side -was absolutely impossible, for the mud was not only of the blackest and -most adhesive variety, but it extended so far out into the river that it -was quite out of the question to try to effect a landing. We kept to -that bank, however, examining every foot of ground at the water’s edge, -until we came to the corner of the last bend above Ismail. It was not -possible to camp at this place, and if we went farther we should have to -pass the town, a proceeding which might result in our being delayed -there for the night. After some hesitation we made up our minds to -paddle across the stream to a gravelly beach under a meadow bordered by -a row of willows, and to land there in face of the sentinel whom we saw -pacing to and fro. The soldier challenged us as we came near, and we -answered that we were travellers and wanted to camp there for the night. -A corporal speedily came up, and one of us, taking the passports, -accompanied him to the officers’ quarters, a half-mile or so across the -fields. Our position was soon explained to the satisfaction of the -lieutenant, who, although not a particularly intelligent specimen of the -officers of the line, readily comprehended the fact that we had no -hostile intentions, and ordered the corporal to see that we were not -molested in our camp, and to send us for our passports in the morning. -In a few minutes we had our camp in order, built a fire, and cooked our -dinner, all to the great entertainment of the soldier on guard, who -watched every operation with the most intense interest. Before we had -finished eating, a - -[Illustration: RUSSIAN PICKET POST] - -number of officers came down from their quarters to look at our canoes, -and when, a few minutes later, they saw us getting ready for bed, -politely wished us good-night, and went away. Our bivouac was not far -from a country road, and every passer met a prompt challenge from the -soldier, who never deserted our fire except to perform this duty. -Feeling very much as if we were within the lines of an army in war-time, -we retired into the shelter of our tents and left the soldier to whisper -to himself and utter mournful sighs by the few remaining coals. Some -time in the night he was relieved, and the new sentinel withdrew into -the cover of the willow-trees, and did not disturb us in any way. In the -early morning a boat-load of natives rowing up-stream past our camp was -immediately challenged by the guard, and ordered to come ashore. One of -the men landed and carried the passports up to the officers for the -regulation _visé_ before the boat was allowed to proceed. We then -appreciated the fact that we were not treated any differently from the -inhabitants themselves, but that, as far as the Custom-house regulations -went, the river-bank was practically in a state of siege. - -A hospitable-looking bath-house moored near the landing offered us a -familiar refuge at Ismail, and we innocently put in there and prepared -to go ashore. Before we had left the canoes, however, a fussy -Custom-house guard with a short sword by his side came hurrying up, and -peremptorily ordered us to cast off our painters and to land on a little -beach about fifteen yards farther down-stream. We assured him we had the -permission of the bath-house keeper to moor our canoes where we were, -but he failed to see any point in this remark, and the more we demurred -the more aggressive he became. Reinforcements now began to arrive and we -thought best to yield, and consequently went ashore at the spot -indicated. Just above, on the bank, was a rambling wooden structure, -offensively ornamental in style, somewhat resembling a sea-side villa. -We were conducted into this building by our fuming guard and found it -was the Custom-house of the port, although there was no sign nor flag to -suggest this fact. Entering a small room, our passports were examined -and stamped by a courteous official and given back to us again. -Understanding that we were now free to go into the town, we returned to -the canoes, took them up to the bath-house again, and, carrying our -sketching materials, started to walk out through the enclosure in which -the Custom-house was situated. We were not allowed to pass with our -sketch-bags, and were conducted to the Custom-house to have them -examined. Of course nothing dutiable was discovered in them, but we were -told that we would not be allowed to carry them into the town until the -chief of the customs had given us permission, and he was not expected at -the office for an hour or more. There was nothing left for us but to -wander off up the long street to see if there was anything worth -sketching. It was an extremely hot day and the streets were dusty, -unshaded by trees, and often almost impassable by reason of deep gullies -and broken culverts. The town is laid out in rectangles, and most of the -houses are long and low, and built of bricks or mud plastered on the -outside; a few of them, however, are made of unpainted, skilfully-hewn -logs. There are several large buildings on one side of the vast, empty -square opposite the great white church with several green domes which -rises high above the stunted trees and adjacent houses, but with these -exceptions the street architecture, as far as we saw it, is of the -plainest and least attractive kind. - -When we returned to the Custom-house one of the clerks, who had been -educated in St. Petersburg, spoke French, and was an amateur artist, -presented us to the head official, who rather curtly informed us that -we must of course get the _visé_ of the chief of police on our passports -before we were allowed to sketch or even carry our materials into the -town. The obstacles put in the way of our pursuit of art stimulated us -to continue our efforts to overcome them, especially after the -communicative young official above mentioned assured us that he had to -have his passport _viséed_ by the police before he was allowed to -sketch. So we tramped through the heat and dust a mile or more to the -police-station, produced our passports, and asked for the necessary -_visé_. None of the high officials were there at the time, and a young -Moldavian clerk, much inflated by the proud consciousness of his -temporary authority, received our request with sneers and scoffing. We -did not stop to consider that perhaps our dress and general appearance -might not strike him as characteristic of professional men, but, very -much vexed at his impertinence and annoyed that he did not even take the -trouble to open our passports, we made use of some emphatic expressions -in common use among the Russians. Thereupon the clerk grew livid with -sudden wrath, and pointing to a cheap lithograph of the Czar hanging -over the desk, shouted in angry tones that we had insulted his majesty -by using strong language in his presence. The soldier-policeman who -stood on guard in the little office at once took the cue from the clerk -and added his torrent to the rising flood of abuse. They both worked -themselves into such a state of frantic passion that for a brief moment -it looked as if we were going to have immediate war. All our efforts to -pacify them were in vain, and while they were yet raging and threatening -to have our gore we seized our passports and escaped. We related the -incident at the Custom-house, and the officials there begged us to go to -the residence of the chief of police and report the conduct of the -clerk, saying it was no uncommon behavior among the Moldavians who are -in the employ of the Government, and declaring it would be a public -benefit to teach them a lesson. But we thought the game was scarcely -worth the loss of the whole afternoon, and after having our passports -ornamented with a second stamp giving us permission to depart, went away -richer only in experience. - -If these accounts of our troubles with Custom-house officials and the -military give an impression that such experiences seriously interfered -with the enjoyment of our trip, a false idea has certainly been -conveyed. We were annoyed at times, it must be confessed, but whenever -we paused to reflect, we remembered that we took no chances in our -favor. We were travelling between two frontiers rigorously guarded and -vigilantly watched to prevent smuggling, and whenever we went ashore -made no effort to appear in the character of tourists, but with our -stained garments, weather-beaten hats, and ragged boating-shoes exposed -ourselves to the same delays, inconveniences, and discourteous treatment -which the inhabitants themselves suffer in their dealings with the -official class, not only in this but in many other parts of Europe. It -is undoubtedly true that if we had landed at Ismail in smart yachting -uniform, or perhaps even with a coat on, we should have had little or no -difficulty with any one from the fussy autocrat at the landing to the -bantam clerk at the police headquarters. Indeed, after all was said and -done, we had experienced, even in these last few days, no greater -annoyance than we had endured at the frontier of Germany on our way to -Donaueschingen, where our baggage, part of it being of unusual shape, -was examined with great deliberation and minute curiosity, and we were -at last obliged to pay sixteen pfennigs duty on two tins of cocoatina -and a pot of vaseline, the only canoe stores we had with us. Whatever -disagreeable happened in our visits to the towns we always speedily - -[Illustration: FISHING-HUT AMONG THE REEDS] - -forgot when we reached camp, for there we were generally quite free and -undisturbed and, moreover, exceedingly comfortable. We travelled from -the very start on the principle that we could see more and work better -if we treated ourselves well, and we therefore scorned neither comforts -nor luxuries, made every reasonable effort to have regular meals and a -varied bill of fare, and never, under any circumstances, neglected to -keep our outfit clean and in good order. This may sound as if our -out-of-door life was not what is usually called “roughing it,” and it -certainly was not, if we accept the common definition of the term as -qualifying the experiences of the raw recruit, the apprentice sailor, -and the amateur camper. We found the maxim of the best men in the -hunting field: “When the hounds are not running, never take a fence -unless you are obliged to,” applied equally well to our excursion, and -we therefore never roughed it unless we were compelled to do so by -circumstances. In the whole extent of our trip, among all the novel -scenes and the unique and interesting experiences, every incident of our -camp life remains perfectly fresh in our memory. - -After a short paddle down a pleasant reach under perpendicular bluffs on -the Russian shore, past frequent irrigating machines ingeniously -constructed to lift the water upon the high plateau, we came out into a -perfectly flat country partly wooded on either side. The strong -north-east wind which had been blowing almost continuously for days gave -us no rest, and raised a choppy sea which seriously checked our speed. -About ten miles below Ismail the river divides into three parts, which -join into one stream at Kilia fifteen miles farther on. We planned to -camp somewhere above the latter town, and chose the central passage as -probably the most direct one. For the rest of the afternoon we worked -steadily, expecting to come in sight of Kilia long before sunset. A -swampy wilderness surrounded us, and not a yard of solid earth did we -see. The frontier runs along the northerly limit of the delta on the -banks of the smallest of the three lesser arms just described, and we -therefore did not even have the company of the picket stations. Indeed, -the only human habitations we came across were at a fishing-camp, where -several rude huts were scattered about among the reeds and willows, -their mud-floors scarcely a foot above the level of the water. It began -to rain, and heavy storm-clouds, driven by the rising gale, swept over -the whole sky. The sun went down and we had left the region of willows, -and now saw nothing but reeds on all sides of us. Soon the gathering -twilight drove us to seek a camp, although the domes of Kilia were not -yet in sight. The only place we could find after a long search was a -small clearing among the reeds on the left bank, where some fisherman -had dried the stalks for floats to his nets. Here we hauled up the -canoes, settled them firmly in the soft mud of the marsh, bow to bow, at -an angle with each other, and, spreading a thick layer of freshly-cut -reeds over the triangular space between the canoes and the edge of the -bank, put up our tents and built a fire. The latter operation was not so -easy as it sounds, for all the wood we could find was the water-soaked -branches of willow which we broke from the snags or pulled out of the -ooze of the banks. We were, however, prepared for just such an emergency -and, lighting an ordinary little wire-gauze spirit-lamp, arranged the -smallest twigs over the frame so they soon dried, then caught fire, and -by their heat dried others, until we shortly had enough strength of -flame to kindle the large pieces of sodden wood. Sheltered from the rain -by our sketching umbrellas in the lee of the canoe tents, we cooked an -elaborate dinner of several courses, and enjoyed as comfortable a meal -as if our camp had been made on the sound turf of an English meadow. As -for our snug beds, they were quite as dry and warm as at any other -bivouac, notwithstanding the fact that the canoes were lying in a slough -of black mire. - -[Illustration: A LATE CAMP] - -A prolonged struggle with the mud the next morning did not increase our -courage to face the strong head-wind, but we got away at last fairly -free from the stains which defiled clothes, sails, and varnish, and -after a short paddle came out into the main stream which here runs -towards the south-east for a short distance, and were soon scudding past -the town of Kilia under full sail. The town stretches far inland among -groves of trees, and we could see the green-topped domes of several -churches and the roofs of large houses. The water-front was by no means -inviting, with its ugly sheds and dilapidated landing-stages, and, -moreover, there was such an active running to and fro among the soldiers -near a battery on the point that we concluded it was best not to land, -but to dash boldly past not only this military post but the Roumanian -one of Staroi-Kilia opposite, and try to reach the Black Sea before -sunset. We were hailed as we went along, and the marines on a small -Russian cruiser looked with astonishment at our flags straightened out -by the breeze, but we did not alter our course nor start a sheet until -we were obliged to take to our paddles again at the next bend. - -After our first introduction to real mud just below Belgrade, we had -always looked forward to an ideal bivouac on a clean sandy beach on the -shores of the Black Sea, where we should find drift-wood in abundance, -firm smooth ground under our feet, and pure sweet air to breathe. We -felt a certain elation, then, as we passed Kilia and saw before us a -great flat, unbroken reed-covered marsh, in the belief that within a few -hours we should probably reach this ideal camp and bid good-bye to -Danube mud and its accompanying annoyances. We stole along in the -shelter of a fringe of large willows on the Russian bank for about five -miles. Through the trees we could see great vineyards and cultivated -fields and occasional farm-houses. Peasants were at work repairing the -low dikes that protect the farms from the overflow of the river, or -weaving fresh rods in the wattled fences. We occasionally checked our -speed to watch these operations, and if we had attempted to land would -probably have been met with a prompt challenge, for all along at regular -intervals the white uniforms of the sentinels could be distinguished -among the undergrowth, and - -[Illustration: MOLDAVIAN PEASANTS--A WINDY DAY IN THE DELTA] - -the glint of bayonets often flashed in the foliage. At the end of this -reach the river broadens out to a width of a mile or more, but only for -a short distance, and then divides around a perfect maze of islands with -no marks anywhere to indicate the best passage. According to our map, -which for this part of the river was very inaccurate and almost useless, -the northern arm along the frontier would be scarcely navigable, and, -withal, much the longest route. Noticing the roof of a small house among -the reeds just after we had entered the middle branch, we stopped to -inquire the way and to find out the distance. The whole peasant family -trooped down to greet us, and took the friendliest interest in the -canoes and in the journey we were making. The boys ran and gathered -melons which they forced upon us, and the father gave us most accurate -directions for our navigation, much too intricate and detailed to be -remembered, and told us it was about forty versts (twenty-five miles) to -the sea. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - -For the next two hours we paddled steadily between banks covered with -tall reeds, waving and rustling in the wind, occasionally startling -broods of young ducks out of their hiding-places, but seeing no other -living thing. About noon we came out into a stream at right angles with -the one we had followed, and seeing the familiar figure of a Russian -soldier among the willows, knew we were on the right road. In a few -minutes more we saw a row of white sand-dunes glistening in the sun -beyond grassy meadows, and to the right and below the green domes of two -churches. Rounding a low point we were shortly off the village of -Vilkoff, the last settlement on the Kilia arm. Very little of the place -was visible from the river as we came down, for it extends some distance -back, and only the roofs of two large fish warehouses and a few -fishermen’s huts are seen among the trees near the river. There was no -landing-place, and not even a boat along the shore, so we pushed on -against the wind, now blowing a gale, and shortly came to the mouth of a -narrow inlet, forming the tiny harbor of the place. Along both sides of -this passage we saw, jumbled together in confusion, many rambling wooden -structures, quite like those at any remote fishing village in New -England, and a fleet of boats, large and small, moored to rotting, -neglected landing-stages. We grounded once or twice on a mud-bank on our -way into the harbor, but presently were in sheltered waters, and, -following the directions of some fishermen, came alongside the steps in -front of a low white building which we found was the Custom-house. With -the exception of the lotkas, or native boats, all our surroundings, from -the unpainted shanties and the shaky wharves to the rough boots and -tarpaulins of the fishermen, suggested Cape Ann or Cape Cod; but the -appearance on the quay of a very short and stout official with an -extraordinary bottle nose and wearing the Russian uniform, located the -place instantly. - -[Illustration: VILKOFF] - -This official was the most astonished man ever seen; his eyes fairly -started out of their orbits; he looked first at us, then at the canoes, -and then at the Stars and Stripes and Union-jack flying from the masts, -but seemed too much dazed to utter a word. At last he opened his mouth -and asked, with a tremor in his speech: - -“Why are you landing here?” - -“The wind is so heavy we can’t go on,” we replied. - -“What’s your business?” - -We explained to the best of our ability, not forgetting to mention the -profession of civil engineer we had adopted up the river. - -“But you had better not land here!” he urged. - -“We must land; we can’t go on until the wind drops.” - -“You certainly can’t stay here, for there is no hotel, and you won’t be -able to get anything to eat.” - -“We don’t want a hotel and we have food in our boats.” - -“What did you come here for?” - -We explained again that we were travelling to see the country. - -“There is nothing to see here, and you had better not stop.” - -“But,” we insisted, becoming a little weary of his obstinate and stupid -repetitions, “we can’t possibly go on until the wind moderates, and, -furthermore, we don’t propose to try. Here are our passports, _viséed_ -by the representative of his Imperial Majesty, the Czar.” - -The sight of two large documents, quite unlike anything called passports -he had ever before seen, only added to his distress, and he looked at -them with much the expression of a man who sees the warrant for his -arrest in the hands of a sheriff. At this juncture two young men came -up, introduced themselves to us as fish merchants of the place, -interceded in our behalf, and succeeded in calming the old man’s -excitement so that he looked at the _visés_ on our passports and told us -to come ashore. After further discussion he consented to register and -stamp our papers, but refused to give them back to us, saying we could -have them again when we went away. All the arguments we could invent -were eloquently used in the hope of persuading him to permit us to land -our sketching materials, and our two young allies, who had been educated -in Odessa and understood our position, joined their voices to ours, but -all in vain. Not an article must be removed from the canoes--not even - -[Illustration: FISHING STATION ON THE BLACK SEA] - -a sketch-book--and, furthermore, we must promise not to sketch anything -before we would be allowed to go into the village. Seeing the place even -with this restriction was better than dangling our heels from the edge -of the quay all the afternoon, and we accepted the invitation of one of -the fish merchants to drink tea with him, and strolled off into the -village. - -The houses are low and solidly built, and most of them have one peculiar -feature--a row of columns in front, supporting a projection of the roof. -They stand closely together along straight thoroughfares which are -little better than canals of mud, being only a few inches above the -level of the river. The foundations of the houses are raised a foot or -two above these sloughs, and roughly-hewn plank sidewalks, supported by -piles, extend everywhere in front of the buildings, even into the narrow -side alleys where fishermen’s huts are huddled together in the marsh -among reeds and willows. Two great white churches, enclosed by neat -palings, occupy the middle of wide, neglected squares, and look bleak -and bare and uninviting. The house we visited was of one story, but long -and deep, and was comfortably, even luxuriously, furnished. The -drawing-room, where we took unlimited tea and sweets, after the Russian -custom, might have been in Vienna or Bucharest, with its parquet floor -and ornate furniture. - -The young merchants, who frankly told us they were Hebrews, although -their type of face did not betray this fact, gave us detailed -information about the village, the life there, the character of the -people, and the extent of the fish business. From them we learned that -Vilkoff counts about 4000 inhabitants, of whom at least 1500 follow the -hazardous occupation of fishing for sturgeon in the Black Sea. Five -merchants, all of them Jews, divide the trade in fish and caviar between -them, and practically own the place and also the people, body and soul. -Each trader has his contingent of 300 or more fishermen, whom he -supplies with their outfit, all the necessities of life and unlimited -vodki, all on the credit system, and takes as payment the entire product -of their toil. The natural consequence of this system is that the poor -wretches of fishermen are always deeply in debt to the merchants, and -pass their whole lives in as degrading a state of slavery as ever was -endured by man. The only relief they have from the tyranny of their -masters and the hardships of the occupation they follow is all too -frequent indulgence in the oblivion of inebriety. Our hosts did not -think there was anything extraordinary in our experience with the -Custom-house officials, and seemed to think that, considering the fact -that no stranger had ever landed at Vilkoff within their memory, we had -got on very well there. One of them related an incident which perfectly -illustrates the unreasonable severity of the customs regulations as they -are carried out in this part of the Danube. On one occasion he came down -from Kilia with a lotka loaded with fishermen’s supplies and was -detained by head-winds, so he did not arrive until after the -Custom-house officials had gone home for the night. The guard on the -quay, who had known him from childhood, not only prohibited him from -landing his cargo, but would not allow him to go ashore himself. He was -therefore obliged to sit in the boat fighting mosquitoes all night long, -and wait until nine o’clock in the morning before he could get his -passport stamped, so that he could land and go home. This, he assured -us, was no unusual adventure, and it is a recognized fact that when the -head officer of the Custom-house is at his meals or is taking a nap, the -whole business of the port is temporarily suspended. Of course this -would hardly be the case if Vilkoff were on any route of travel. But -this far-off settlement is not within two days’ drive of a - -[Illustration: ROUMANIAN SAILORS AT THE “CORDON”] - -railway, and no steamer ever comes through the Kilia arm, because the -numerous channels into which it divides at Vilkoff are all of them -shallow, and only navigable by small fishing-boats. - -The sturgeon is chiefly valuable for the roe or caviar which is found in -it, but the meat finds ready sale, fresh or pickled. In sturgeon fishing -the men employ long strings of large hooks without barbs, suspended by -stout cords a yard long from a rope strung with cork floats. These hooks -are not baited, but are hung very closely together, so that when the -fish is swimming near the surface, as he usually does, he runs against -them, and entangling himself by the violence of his struggles is easily -captured. We saw a medium-sized fish brought to the warehouse at -Vilkoff, where the caviar was extracted. There was just about enough to -fill an ordinary bucket, and the trader told us it was worth on the spot -about 160 francs. The roe is held together by a net-work of delicate -fibres and a gelatinous substance not unlike thin starch in appearance. -The eggs are separated from this envelope by carefully rubbing them -through a coarse sieve, and the caviar is then ready for the table. The -extremely delicate nature of caviar will not permit of its -transportation unless it is preserved in some way, and it is usually put -on the market in small quantities salted, or in bulk salted and pressed. -There is as much difference between the flavor of the fresh and the -salted caviar as there is between ripe and dried figs, or between grapes -and raisins. The amateur of this delicacy really enjoys it only within -twenty-four hours after it is taken from the fish. - -The afternoon was fast passing and we were getting impatient to be off -when, luckily, at about four o’clock the violence of the gale diminished -somewhat, and we at once prepared to start. A ludicrous expression of -relief came over the old man’s face when we asked for our passports and -told him we were going away. He became cheerful and amiable, and -confided in us, as we bade him good-bye, that he was a Pole, and had -been in the service of the Government for over forty years, and was very -much afraid he would have lost his place if he had permitted us to pass -the night in the village. We had a paddle of ten miles before us, and -about two hours of daylight to do it in, and we set off in good spirits, -looking forward with agreeable anticipations to our camp on the -sea-shore. Soon after leaving Vilkoff we entered a maze of channels -among low islands, where our horizon was limited by the rank of tall -reeds along the shores. We met several lotkas with fishermen paddling up -to the village from their summer huts near the sea-coast, and a large -patrol-boat full of Roumanian soldiers near a large picket station, and, -judging from these indications that we were in the right passage, we -paddled steadily on. - -In an hour and a half the stream curved round to the south east, and we -were enabled to take advantage of the wind and hoisted sail at once. -Just as the sun was setting we came into a short reach, scarcely wider -than the Danube at Donaueschingen, and there, in front of us, was the -straight line of the sea-horizon stretching across between two low, -reed-covered points. In a few moments more we sailed out gayly into the -Black Sea. The broad open expanse of the sea was before us, all yellow -and glowing with the reflection of the gorgeous sunset sky, and the -light on the jetty at Sulina glimmered brightly in the distance. But we -could see neither beach nor sand-dunes, and for a long distance in front -of us and on either side, as far as we could distinguish in the dim -light, stumps of trees, ugly snags, and bunches of reeds were sticking -up out of the water. No possible camp-ground was visible anywhere, and -for a moment we scarcely knew what to do or which way to turn - -[Illustration: THE LAST TOILET IN CAMP] - -our bows. The wind had risen again at sunset, the shallow water grew -rougher and rougher every moment, and delay was fatal unless we chose to -pass the night moored to a snag, or in the shelter of the reeds on the -shore. At first we thought of taking refuge at one of the fishermen’s -huts among the reeds at the mouth of the passage, but, discovering a -white building far across the bay in the direction of Sulina, we headed -our canoes for that, knowing we should find solid earth there, and -paddled harder than we had done since we shot the rapids at the Iron -Gates. Drenched with spray from the high cross-seas, we finally reached -the other shore just as darkness was shutting down, and, pushing through -a great bed of reeds, came out into a little muddy pool, with a landing -made of logs close by the little whitewashed house we had seen from a -distance. A half-dozen sailors of the Roumanian navy welcomed us -heartily as we landed, insisted on carrying up our canoes and luggage, -and helped us pitch our camp on a dry sandy spot near their quarters. It -was the evening of the 9th of September, and the journey from the Black -Forest to the Black Sea had occupied us eleven weeks and one day, -including twenty-eight days we had spent in excursions away from the -river and our delays at Vienna, Hainburg, and Budapest. We had paddled -and sailed 1775 miles through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Servia, -Bulgaria, Roumania, and Russia. - -The following morning we were on our feet at dawn, eager to see what -sort of country we had reached in the darkness. We found that we were at -the “cordon,” or one of the Roumanian customs picket posts, on a point -of land called Cape Masoura, and that we had come out into the Black Sea -through that branch of the river called the Zaliv. The bay we had -crossed in the twilight was an ancient mouth of the river, not navigable -within the memory of man. Our camp was on the edge of a broad, rough -meadow, bordered on the north by great shallows where the sea is eating -into the land, and extending for miles to the southward, where a range -of sand-dunes hides Sulina from view, and to the west towards dark -masses of the great forest on a low, sandy elevation which marks the -line of the ancient sea-coast. The whole tract as far as we could see -was gay with wild-flowers. In Alfred Parsons’ note-book are enumerated -among the plants found on this sandy flat, sea-lavender (_Stalice -latifolia_), small Michaelmas daisy, just coming into blossom, -large-leaved meconopsis, mauve lactuca, and several yellow composite -flowers. In the lakes of the delta among the reeds he found -water-lilies, villarsia, frogbit, a floating plant like a yucca, with -thorny edges to the leaves, a sort of duck-weed with rough primate -leaves, and on the river-banks, loosestrife, hemp, agrimony, flowering -rush, and a thick undergrowth of marsh fern. - -We cooked a most elaborate breakfast, made our farewell camp toilet -before the nickle-plated rudder which served us as a mirror, and then -parted with everything but our raiment among the sailors, who had been -interested but shy spectators of all these operations. The wind was -blowing half a gale, but with plenty of daylight before us we had no -hesitation in tempting the dangers of the Black Sea, and about the -middle of the forenoon left the cheery company happy in the possession -of all our pots and pans, and set out in the direction of Sulina. The -sailors assured us that we would not be able for several days to enter -the river on account of the breakers running at the bar, but we proposed -to skirt the coast as far as we could go, and then see what would turn -up. - -We worked our way out of the tangle of reeds and across the shallows -into the open water and turned our bows to the southward, where a long -sand-beach stretched away in a graceful curve. A double line of breakers -followed the - -[Illustration: BY THE BLACK SEA] - -shore, and we could see the white water on the bar beyond the -light-house. We paddled on for several miles in the trough of the sea, -dodging the waves and escaping capsize only by careful steering. We -thought it useless to venture out into the roadstead, but kept along -near the shore, and when we found the waves were rising to a height -which made further advance foolhardy, we ran the canoes ashore through -the surf and hauled them up on the beach just under the sand-dunes--the -ideal camp-ground of our imaginations. We were not in sight of any -house, and as we could not paddle any farther, it looked as if we might -enjoy our sea-shore camp after all. However, on reconnoitring from the -top of one of the dunes, we saw an ox-cart slowly moving across the -meadow a half-mile or more away, and ran and overtook it. The driver was -a fine, tall young Roumanian farmer, with an intelligent, handsome face, -and he consented to carry the canoes to the Sulina branch for us. He had -an excellent cart and two yoke of oxen, and there was an easy road along -the hard beach. On the firm white sand, under a brilliant noonday sun, -and in full view of the great blue expanse of the Black Sea, we -dismantled the canoes and lashed them on the ox-cart, one above the -other. After a couple of hours’ walk along the beach in the very wash of -the waves, we came to the north bank of the Sulina arm opposite the -town. Here we slid the canoes into the stream, took our last paddle -across the Danube, and deposited them in the warehouse of a hospitable -friend to await shipment to England. We then and there compared notes, -and agreed we had only two things to regret in our whole trip: one that -we did not launch the canoes at Villingen, fifteen miles above -Donaueschingen, and the other that we did not have our camp on the sands -of the Black Sea. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danube, by F. D. 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D. Millet - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Danube - From the Black Forest to the Black Sea - -Author: F. D. Millet - -Illustrator: Alfred Parsons - -Release Date: May 16, 2020 [EBook #62150] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DANUBE *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="[Image of -the book's cover unavailable.]" /></a> -</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:auto auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr><td> - -<p class="c"><a href="#CONTENTS">Contents.</a></p> - -<p class="c"><a href="#ILLUSTRATIONS">List of Illustrations</a><br /> <span class="nonvis">(In certain versions of this etext [in certain browsers] -clicking on the image will bring up a larger version.)</span></p> - -<p class="c">(etext transcriber's note)</p></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii" id="page_ii">{ii}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iii" id="page_iii">{iii}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 377px;"> -<a name="ill_1" id="ill_1"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_157_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_157_sml.jpg" width="377" height="623" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<h1>THE DANUBE<br /><br /> -<small>FROM THE BLACK FOREST<br /> -TO THE BLACK SEA</small></h1> - -<p class="c"><small>BY</small><br /> -F. D. M I L L E T<br /><small> -AUTHOR OF “A CAPILLARY CRIME” ETC.<br /><br /> -ILLUSTRATED BY<br /><br /> -THE AUTHOR AND ALFRED PARSONS</small><br /><br /><br /> -<img src="images/colophon.jpg" -width="90" -alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -<br /><br /><br /> -NEW YORK<br /> -HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE<br /><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iv" id="page_iv">{iv}</a></span><br /> -<small>Copyright, 1892, by <span class="smcap">Harper & Brothers</span>.<br /> -—<br /> -<i>All rights reserved.</i></small> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_v" id="page_v">{v}</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Wenn ich dann zu Nacht alleine</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Dichtend in die Wellen schau’,</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Steigt beim blanken Mondenscheine</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Auf die schmucke Wasserfrau</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Aus der Donau</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Aus der schönen, blauen Donau.</i>”<br /></span> -<span class="i10">—<span class="smcap">Beck.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vii" id="page_vii">{vii}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vi" id="page_vi">{vi}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto;max-width:85%;"> -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Black Forest—The Brigach and the Brege—The Highest Sources -of the Danube—Journey thence from London—Villingen—Arrival at -Donaueschingen—The Canoes and Outfit—Arbitrary Source of the -Danube</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_1"><small>Page I</small></a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Start—Swans and Spectators—The First Weir and First Luncheon—Society -for the Preservation of the Banks of the Danube—Tuttlingen -and Max Schneckenburger—First Public Performance at a Weir—First -Night in Camp and a Spoiled Breakfast—Monastery of Beuron -and its Monks—Crags and Castles</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_15">15</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern—Nuns at Riedlingen—Haymakers and -Haymaking—The Last Weir—A Vigorous Current—The Confluence -of the Iller and the Danube—Ulm and the Danube Rowing Club—Start -from Ulm—Appointment of Camp-finder</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_32">32</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Lauingen; Its Architecture and its People—Blenheim and Höchstädt—Donauwörth—Lumber-rafts -and our Narrow Escape—Virtuous -Vohburg—Roman Remains and one of the Scenes in the “Niebelungenlied”—Weltenburg -Abbey—The Befreiungshalle and Kelheim—In -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_viii" id="page_viii">{viii}</a></span>Sight of Ratisbon</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_46">46</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Ratisbon; Its Architecture and its People—The Walhalla—The Plain -of Straubing—A Summer Squall—A Typical Bavarian Farm-house—Visit -to a Local Freight Flat-boat—Rowing Clubs at Deggendorf -and at Winzer</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_59">59</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Fourth of July at Passau—The Austrian Frontier—Through the Gorge -in Rainy Weather—A Curious Ferry—A Brief Halt at Linz and a -Camp at the Mouth of the Traun—Shooting the Rapids below Grein—Melk -and the Pass below</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_74">74</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Dürrenstein, the Dungeon of Richard Cœur de Lion—Ruins and Sentiment—A -Gem of River Scenery—Canalization of the River—The -only “Blue Danube”—Tulln and its Antiquities—Active River Commerce—Our -Raftsmen Friends</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_88">88</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Vienna; Its History and Characteristics—The Lia Rowing Club—Our -Stay at Hainburg and Excursions in the Neighborhood—Theben, -the Frontier Town of Hungary—A Model Postmaster</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_102">102</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Pressburg and the River below—Monotony of Landscape and our Introduction -to Dust and Mud—Gran; Its Situation and Attractions—Visegrád—Our -Hospitable Reception—General Görgei—Our Reluctant -Parting—Approach to Budapest—The First Accident to the -Fleet—The Neptune Club—Gypsy Music</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_119">119</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Budapest almost our Capua—The Bridges and Baths—The Great Hungarian -Plain—Cheery River Folk—Duna Földvár—A Surprise Picnic -and a Severe Storm—In the Heart of Hungary—Mohács and a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ix" id="page_ix">{ix}</a></span>Veteran of Two Wars—Tokay and Patriotic Sentiments</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_133">133</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Franzens Canal between the Danube and the Theiss—A Heterogeneous -Population—Monostorszég and a Peasants’ Dance—Curious -Types and Costumes—A Spectacular Sunday—First Signs of Oriental -Life</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_151">151</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">A Watermelon Metropolis—Our Fleet taken for Torpedo-boats—A -Gypsy Queen—Peterwardein and Carlowitz—Busy Life on the Banks—In -Sight of Belgrade—Evening in Camp—The Servian Frontier—Semlin -and Belgrade—Oriental Characteristics and Modern Improvements—A -Sculptor’s Paradise—An Unexpected Encounter</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_164">164</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Semendria and its Great Castle—Our Passports are Useless—Bazias and -the Entrance to the Carpathians—The Emperor’s Birthday on a -Gunboat—Castle of Golubáç—Drenkova and the First Rapids—Escape -from a Whirlpool and a Dash through the Cataracts</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_184">184</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Improvements to Navigation—Rapids of the Jur—The Kasan Defile—Remarkable -River Scenery—Trajan’s Tablet and Old Roman Roadway—Orsova -and the Herkulesbad—Ada Kaleh, the Turkish Settlement—The -Iron Gates—The Danube and the Ister—Origin of the -Name of the Danube—We Lose our Admiral—The Iron Gates—Captured -by Roumanian Soldiers—Under Military Supervision</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_197">197</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">We are Arrested in a Servian Militia Camp—Barbaric Soldiery and -Strange People—We Surrender to a Roumanian Picket—A Characteristic -Servian Village—The Frontier of Bulgaria</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_211">211</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Kalafat and Widdin—A Gale out of a Clear Sky—Bulgarian Fishermen—Widdin -and its People—Quaint Turkish Sailing Craft—The -River Landscape and the Bulgarian Villages—Custom-house Annoyances—Our -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_x" id="page_x">{x}</a></span>Passports save us</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_230">230</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">A Grazing Country—Wild-fowl in Abundance—Nicopolis and the First -Reminder of the War of 1877-78—Exodus of Turks at Sistova—Trip -to Plevna—Echoes of the War—Rustchuk and Silistria—Monotony -and Mud</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_247">247</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Squally Weather and Head-winds—The Dobrudscha—Trajan’s Great -Wall—Our Camp is Besieged, but Peace is soon Declared—A Roumanian -Village—Braila and Galatz—A Tribe of Gypsies</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_267">267</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Danube Delta—The European Commission and its Work—Sulina, -a Town on English Soil—We Enter the Territory of the Czar—The -River divides and the Delta begins</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_280">280</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">We Fraternize with Russian Soldiers—A Night at a Picket Station—Custom-house -Formalities at Ismail—We Encounter the Police—A -Desolate Land—We Camp in the Mud—Kilia—Moldavian Peasants -and Russian Pickets</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_295">295</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">We reach Vilkoff and Renew our Struggles with the Custom-house—A -Remote Town—The Sturgeon Fishery and Caviar—We Push on -to the Black Sea—A Gale is Blowing, and We make a Landing with -Difficulty—The Roumanian “Cordon”—A Paddle in the Black Sea—We -dismantle our Canoes and reach Sulina</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_312">312</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xi" id="page_xi">{xi}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_1">Alfred Parsons, Poultney Bigelow and F. D. Millet.</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#ill_1"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_2">Peasant Girl of the Black Forest </a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_2">2</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_3">A Haymaker</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_3">3</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_4">Donaueschingen Girls</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_5">5</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_5">The Sketch-book</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_7">7</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_6">Black Forest Cow Team</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_10">10</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_7">Spectators</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_13">13</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_8">The Start—Donaueschingen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_17">17</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_9">Pforen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_20">20</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_10">Hut for Duck Shooting—Neidingen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_22">22</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_11">Max Schneckenburger, Author of “Die Wacht am Rhein”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_23">23</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_12">Below Mühlheim, Kallenberg</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_25">25</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_13">Wernwag</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_28">28</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_14">Wildenstein</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_29">29</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_15">The Monks of Beuron</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_30">30</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_16">Sigmaringen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_33">33</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_17">Hohenzollern</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_34">34</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_18">Nuns at Riedlingen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_35">35</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_19">Crossing the Weir—Rottenacker</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_37">37</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_20">Peasant Girls Mowing</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_39">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_21">Bridge at Rottenacker</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_40">40</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_22">Wood-sawyer at Ulm</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_43">43</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_23">From Strasburg to Ulm</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_44">44</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_24">The Bell Tower—Lauingen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_48">48</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_25">Donauwörth</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_49">49</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_26">The Ferry</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_51">51</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_27">From Ulm to Straubing</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_53">53</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_28">Between Weltenburg and Kelheim</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_54">54</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_29">An Early Visitor</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_55">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_30">Ratisbon from the Bridge</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_61">61</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_31">Returning from Market, Ratisbon</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_64">64</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_32">Oberau, near Straubing</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_65">65</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_33">Local Freight Flat-boat</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_69">69</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_34">On the Tile-boat</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_71">71</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_35">From Straubing to Dürrenstein</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_75">75</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_36">Grein, from the Camp, July 6, 1891</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_77">77</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_37">Pump at Pöchlarn</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_81">81</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_38">The Benedictine Monastery, Melk</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_85">85</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_39">Early Morning Opposite Dürrenstein</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_89">89</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_40">Dürrenstein</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_93">93</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_41">From Dürrenstein to Budapest</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_96">96</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_42">Lumber Raft</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_98">98</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_43">A Little Girl of Hainburg</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_103">103</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_44">Peasant Wagon, Hainburg</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_105">105</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xii" id="page_xii">{xii}</a></span> -<a href="#ill_45">A Hungarian Ferry</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_107">107</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_46">The Wienerthor, Hainburg</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_108">108</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_47">The Town Wall, Hainburg</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_110">110</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_48">Hundsheim</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_113">113</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_49">Gossips, Hundsheim</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_116">116</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_50">The Watch-tower, Theben</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_117">117</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_51">Peasant Girl, Theben</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_52">Hungarian Cattle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_121">121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_53">Gran (Esztergom)</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_123">123</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_54">Visegrád</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_55">Swineherd</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_127">127</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_56">A Family Wash</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_130">130</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_57">An Ark-boat</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_131">131</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_58">Country Market-boat, Budapest</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_134">134</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_59">Washer-women</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_137">137</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_60">Duna Földvár</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_139">139</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_61">Water-carriers, Duna Földvár</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_142">142</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_62">Fishing-station</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_143">143</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_63">Peasant Girls at Mohács</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_146">146</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_64">From Budapest to Belgrade</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_152">152</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_65">Schokacz Types</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_154">154</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_66">In Sunday Dress, Monostorszég</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_157">157</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_67">Hungarian Girls at Bezdán</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_159">159</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_68">Erdöd</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_160">160</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_69">Current Mills</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_162">162</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_70">Vukovár Watermelons</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_166">166</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_71">A Pig-wallow</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_167">167</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_72">A Gypsy Girl</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_171">171</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_73">Threshing Wheat</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_173">173</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_74">A Croatian Bivouac</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_175">175</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_75">Ó Szlankamen</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_176">176</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_76">Servian Women</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_177">177</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_77">Fortress at the Junction of the Danube and the Save—Belgrade</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_178">178</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_78">Bulgarian Bozaji, Belgrade</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_180">180</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_79">Fountain in the Square, Belgrade</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_182">182</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_80">Semendria</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_185">185</a></td></tr> -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_81">Rama</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_189">189</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_82">Golubáç</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_191">191</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_83">Roumanian Peasant Girl</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_194">194</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_84">The Kasan Defile</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_199">199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_85">Remains of Trajan’s Road near Orsova</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_202">202</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_86">From Belgrade to Rustchuk</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_204">204</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_87">Remains of Trajan’s Bridge, Turnu Severin</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_207">207</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_88">Roumanian Peasants</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_209">209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_89">Servian Fishing-canoes</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_210">210</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_90">Carrying Water for the Camp—Brza Palanka</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_213">213</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_91">“Our Guard,” Servian Militia Camp</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_215">215</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_92">Massing of Servian Troops on the Bulgarian Frontier</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_217">217</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_93">Drawing Water for the Camp, Brza Palanka</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_219">219</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_94">Servian Militia, Brza Palanka</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_223">223</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_95">Building a House in Servia</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_225">225</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_96">House at Radujeváç</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_226">226</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_97">Roumanian Picket Guard</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_227">227</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_98">Bulgarian Fisherman Basket-making</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_232">232</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_99">Cann, opposite Kalafat</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_235">235</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_100">Bulgarian Peasant Types</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_237">237</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_101">Turkish Types</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_239">239</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_102">Turkish Quarter, Widdin</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_241">241</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_103">Turkish Vessels</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_243">243</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_104">Bulgarian Village</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_245">245</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_105">Becalmed</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_247">247</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_106">On the Bulgarian Shore, near Rahova</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_249">249</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_107">Turkish Flat-boat</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_252">252</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_108">Turkish Women at Sistova</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_253">253</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_109">Old Mosque, Rustchuk</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_257">257</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiii" id="page_xiii">{xiii}</a></span> -<a href="#ill_110">Bulgarian Buffalo Cart</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_259">259</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_111">Market-place, Silistria</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_261">261</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_112">Mosque in Silistria</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_264">264</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_113">From Rustchuk to Sulina</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_265">265</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_114">Roumanian Peasants Selling Flowers and Fruit</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_268">268</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_115">Hirsova</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_270">270</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_116">Gura Ghirlitza</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_272">272</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_117">Loading Grain at Braila</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_274">274</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_118">Gipsy Camp at Galatz</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_277">277</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_119">Galatz</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_281">281</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_120">Peasants of the Delta</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_284">284</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_121">Dredging the Delta</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_287">287</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_122">Turkish Sailing Lotka, Sulina</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_288">288</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_123">Hills near Matchin</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_289">289</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_124">Kilia</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_290">290</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_125">Chatal Saint George</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_291">291</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_126">Toultcha</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_293">293</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_127">Windmills of Toultcha</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_294">294</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_128">Russian Picket Post</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_297">297</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_129">Fishing-hut among the Reeds</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_303">303</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_130">A Late Camp</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_307">307</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_131">Moldavian Peasants: A Windy Day in the Delta</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_309">309</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_132">Vilkoff</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_313">313</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_133">Fishing Station on the Black Sea</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_315">315</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_134">Roumanian Sailors at the “Cordon”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_319">319</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_135">The Last Toilet in Camp </a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_323">323</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top"><a href="#ill_136">By the Black Sea</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_327">327</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiv" id="page_xiv">{xiv}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xv" id="page_xv">{xv}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="cb"><big>THE DANUBE</big><br /><br /> -FROM THE BLACK FOREST TO THE BLACK SEA</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xvi" id="page_xvi">{xvi}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-a.png" -width="80" -alt="A" /></span>T the head of a pleasant little valley high up among the bristling -mountain-tops of the Black Forest, a tiny stream of clear water comes -tumbling down the rocks, and, gathering strength and volume from an -occasional spring or a rivulet, cuts a deep channel into the rich soil -of the hayfields, and dances along gayly over its bed of glistening -pebbles. To the north, west, and south the bold summits of the -water-shed, heavily clothed in dark masses of coniferous trees, make a -rugged, strongly accentuated sky line, and to the east delightful vistas -of sunny slopes and fertile intervales stretch away in enchanting -perspective to the hazy distance. This little stream, the Brigach, with -its twin sister, the Brege, which rises about ten miles farther to the -south, are the highest sources of the mighty River Danube, the great -water highway of Europe since earliest history, celebrated for ages in -legend and song, gathering on its banks in its course of nearly two -thousand miles to the Black Sea the most varied and interesting -nationalities in the civilized world, and unfolding in its flow the most -remarkable succession of panoramas of natural beauty known to the -geographer. The Black Forest Railway, which crosses the mountains from -the valley of the Rhine into the upper valley of the Danube by the way -of Triberg, mounts the western escarpment of the range by a series of -steep grades, curves, and short tunnels, in the midst of beautiful -scenery<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span> of a semi-Alpine character, and, after the divide is reached, -follows the course of the Brigach to Donaueschingen, a tidy little town -in the Grand Duchy of Baden, usually called the source of the Danube, -and, for the greater part of the year, the head of navigation for small -boats on the upper river. A mile and a half below Donaueschingen the -Brigach and the Brege join, and the stream here receives the name of the -Danube.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 256px;"> -<a name="ill_2" id="ill_2"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_002_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_002_sml.jpg" width="256" height="255" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PEASANT GIRL OF THE BLACK FOREST</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Our party of three was made up of ideal elements. The accuracy of this -statement must be permitted for a moment to eclipse the habitual modesty -of that member of the expedition whose duty it has become to tell the -story of the trip. The originator of the enterprise was an expert -canoist who had steered his frail craft through breakers of various seas -and over shoals of countless rivers. On him was to devolve the literary -part of the expedition—an arrangement which would have been carried out -but for the ruthless interference of that all-powerful tyrant, Time. The -other two members of the alliance expected to take elaborate notes of -all attractive features of the landscape and all interesting types of -humanity, the one meanwhile joyfully anticipating the pursuit of his -favorite study of botany, and the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 172px;"> -<a name="ill_3" id="ill_3"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_003_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_003_sml.jpg" width="172" height="292" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A HAYMAKER</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">indulging in the exhilarating prospect of explorations in the -fascinating field of philology, and looking forward with no little -interest to revisiting under the pleasantest of auspices old friends and -familiar scenes. We agreed to meet at Donaueschingen on June 22d, and -made all our arrangements to have the canoes reach that point on or -previous to that date. The experience of old travellers with canoes was -all against the successful consummation of this plan, particularly as -two of the boats had to be shipped from New York, and would not be -finished until the 3d of the month. The fate of the other canoe was more -or less certain, for the owner decided to watch it himself all the way -from London to the place of meeting, having learned after many -disappointments that this process of transportation, although irksome, -was the only one he could depend upon. On the evening of Saturday, June -20th, two of us left London in the wake of the Admiral of the fleet, who -had paddled his canoe down the Thames to the Flushing boat some days -before. Thirty-six hours later, on the morning of the 22d, refreshed and -cheered by the brisk air of the mountains after two feverish nights on -the journey, we saw between the showers of rain the brilliant sunlight -sparkling on a tiny mountain brook near the little hamlet of Sommerau, -on the eastern slope of the water-shed. Although we had no<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span> map or -guide-book, we knew at once that our acquaintance with the Danube had -begun. The long-dormant sporting corpuscles in our blood took on a -sudden and stimulating activity, and we were in a nervous quiver to -begin our long-dreamed-of cruise. The Rhine had failed to charm us with -its majestic scenery; we had seen only the hideous scars that modern man -has made on the fair face of nature there, with villas of carpenter’s -Gothic and summer hotels of repulsively mammoth proportions. Cologne, -Mayence, Strasburg, which, under ordinary circumstances, would have been -joys to us, had been on this journey aggravating impediments in the way -of our progress, for all the trains had seemed to combine viciously to -break connections at these points and to force us to delay our eager -flight. The charms of architecture and art, although always potent, had -been but a meagre consolation to us in our impatience to begin our -intimate communion with Nature. Even the wonderful railway journey over -the pass, while it had put us in a better mood and temporarily stirred -our emotions, had not given us a tithe of the sensation that the sparkle -of the rivulet caused as we caught sight of it after a great gray -curtain of rain had been driven away by an all-powerful flood of -sunlight.</p> - -<p>The quaintest and strangest of costumes met our eyes as we leaned out of -the window of our compartment when the train stopped at the station of -St. Georgen, eager to see how the brook had widened there. The hurrying -peasant women, in queer skull-caps with immense ribbon bows, stiff -bodices, and short petticoats, seemed to be the supernumeraries in the -prologue of an exciting, drama now about to begin. The train rolled -slowly on with that peculiar settling-down motion that denotes a -descending grade, and we watched the yard-wide brook gradually expand -its channel and assume the proportions of a goodly stream. In the -fertile valley near Villingen, where the country opens out<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"> -<a name="ill_4" id="ill_4"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_004_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_004_sml.jpg" width="300" height="218" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DONAUESCHINGEN GIRLS</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">and the landscape becomes more extensive, the stream was now fully a -half-dozen yards wide, and the recent heavy rains had filled it nearly -to overflowing with a yellow flood. We had a sudden and strong -temptation to stop and begin our cruise at this point, but the -uncertainty of the fate of our canoes, of which we had received no item -of information since they had been shipped at New York, made it -imperative for us to push on to Donaueschingen, and our ambition to make -the highest start on record in the Danube annals was forever crushed by -the considerations of transportation. Donaueschingen was still dripping -from a heavy shower when we arrived about noon-time, but the eloquently -beaming face of our companion would have dispelled the gloom of the -heaviest thunder-storm, and we heeded not the weather, for we understood -at once that the canoes had arrived and were all right. Indeed, contrary -to all precedent and all prophecy, they had turned up safe and sound the -day before; and when we saw them for the first time, all sleek and shiny -and dainty, resting on the flag-stones of the inn-yard<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span> as lightly as -bubbles on a pool of water, we felt that kind and quality of elation -that had been a stranger to us since the first happy day of school -vacation. Graceful as violins, with sails whiter than the fresh -whitewash of the tidy hostlery, with shining nickel fittings and every -detail highly finished, they combined in their construction beauty and -strength in a near approach to perfection.</p> - -<p>Under the very wall of the inn-yard the Brigach, now quite a river and -much swollen by the floods, rushed and foamed and filled the air with an -inviting murmur. Donaueschingen has long been the starting-point for -boating expeditions to Vienna, but, as we rightly conjectured, no craft -similar to the American cruising canoe had ever before been seen there. -Curiosity to examine the novelties, coupled with the knowledge of our -plan to cruise as far as the Black Sea, which had been widely -disseminated by our advance agent in his brief stay, made a ripple of -excitement all over the town, and the inn-yard was constantly crowded -with visitors, many of them skilled mechanics, for the neighborhood is -widely famous for its clocks and wood-carvings. Only one of us, as I -have already confessed, was acquainted with a canoe of this kind, but we -were all experienced in the management of birch-barks and Canadians and -other small craft. We effectually concealed our ignorance from the -spectators, however, and in the guise of testing the apparatus after its -long journey, worked the sails, rudder, and centre-board, set up the -tents, shipped and unshipped the hatches, until we became quite familiar -with the working of them all. It may be as well at the beginning to show -the result of our examination of the canoes and to describe them -briefly, for the reason that our adventures will be better appreciated -and our river life better understood if some adequate notion can be -given of the craft that carried us by day and housed us for the night -for three happy months.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;"> -<a name="ill_5" id="ill_5"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_005_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_005_sml.jpg" width="362" height="530" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE SKETCH-BOOK</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span> </p> - -<p>The three canoes were as nearly alike in dimensions, lines, weight, and -fittings as the skill of an old and famous builder on the banks of the -East River, New York, could make them. They measured 15 feet in length, -30 inches in width, and about 18 inches in extreme depth. A deck of thin -mahogany covered the whole with the exception of an oval opening about 6 -feet long and 20 inches wide, which was surrounded by an oak coaming -about 2 inches high. A series of hatches was fitted to this coaming, and -these could be adjusted in various ways, so that the canoe could be -converted in a moment from an open boat into a modified <i>Rob Roy</i>, or -entirely covered up and locked as securely as a jewel-box. Like all -similar craft, a good strong oaken keel made the backbone, and a great -many small ribs of riven heart-of-oak were copper-riveted to this keel, -forming, with the stem—and stern-post and a few cross-timbers, a light, -strong, and not too rigid skeleton. The sheer-strake was of mahogany, -and the others of selected white cedar. All the fastenings were of the -best copper, and the trimmings and fittings of nickel-plated brass. One -peculiarity of the construction was that the deck-boards and all the -strakes ran from stem to stern without a splice. The weight of each -canoe, empty, was about eighty pounds, but with the nickel-plated drop -rudder, heavy brass folding centre-board, two sails with masts and -spars, paddles and general outfit, the whole weight in cruising trim -must have been fully 200 pounds, but we never verified this estimate, -judging only by the fact that at no time during the trip were they too -heavy to be lifted easily by two of us.</p> - -<p>We were naturally quite as much interested in the practical working of -the canoes as in their appearance, for we knew that the brilliant -varnish would soon grow dim, the smooth surface of the mahogany become -dented and scratched, and that the lines and proportions would alone<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 245px;"> -<a name="ill_6" id="ill_6"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_006_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_006_sml.jpg" width="245" height="71" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BLACK FOREST COW TEAM</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">remain to testify to the original perfection of the build. The two -sails, a large leg-of-mutton main-sail and a mizzen of similar shape but -much smaller, could be raised, lowered, reefed, and furled from the -canoist’s seat on the floor of the cockpit. The mizzen-mast could be -unshipped, the rudder raised out of the water or lowered below the keel; -the centre-board, which shut up like a fan into a long slot in the keel, -could be adjusted to any desirable depth; the hatches could be shipped -and unshipped, the canoe baled out, and all other necessary operations -of navigation performed with the greatest ease and rapidity. A -double-blade paddle 8 feet long, and jointed so that the blades could be -turned at right angles to each other, was to be depended upon for the -ordinary means of propulsion, but we anticipated using the sails as -often as wind, weather, and the run of the river would permit. When -paddling or sailing, the after-hatch of the cockpit was to be left on, -and a movable bulkhead, upon which the forward part of the hatch rested, -was intended to serve as a back-rest for the occupant, who also might -sit upon the hatch and thus change his position at discretion. The -length between the bulkheads was 8 feet, and on the cedar floor-boards -of this space we proposed to make our bed for the night, trigging the -canoe up on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span> shore for the purpose, and thus providing for ourselves -a dry, sheltered, and comfortable bed under all circumstances. A -box-tent of good duck was made to be slung between the masts and to -button securely along the gunwales. This was provided with flaps for -ventilation and entrance, and with mosquito-proof curtains. The -water-tight compartments fore and aft made excellent spaces for dry -storage, and during the day all articles for handy use were to be kept -behind the back-rest where they could be easily got at. The spare -paddle, unjointed for the sake of packing, the sketching apparatus, maps -and note-books, and the foot-steering gear and the fore-hatches, were to -be the only encumbrances of the cockpit proper. When we came to -experiment with our outfit we found that we had plenty of room and to -spare, and subsequent experience proved to us the accuracy of our first -plans for the stowage and arrangement of all our traps.</p> - -<p>We naturally depended largely on the advice of the veteran cruiser of -the party for the selection of our outfit, and we two novices had a -consultation with him shortly after our expedition was decided upon. -Knowing nothing about the canoes, we asked him what we should take along -to make a bed with; whether we should carry an air-pillow or one of the -small cork mattresses we had seen advertised for such trips.</p> - -<p>“Dear me, no!” he said. “You don’t need any blanket. Sleep in your -clothes!”</p> - -<p>“But a pillow?” we urged.</p> - -<p>“Just fold up your trousers for a pillow!”</p> - -<p>“Then what do you cover yourself up with?”</p> - -<p>“That’s simple enough. Pop your legs in the sleeves of your coat and -your feet and ankles will be as warm as toast.”</p> - -<p>“What about your shoulders?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well; haul any old thing over your shoulders. You’ll soon get used -to that. The less you carry the better.”</p> - -<p>This unique method of making one’s self comfortable for the night -appealed more to our sense of humor than it did to the practical side of -our nature, and we decided to carry a good thick woollen blanket, a -rubber one of extra quality, a canvas boat-bag with a suit of -shore-going clothes, a sleeping-suit, various spare flannels, socks, -boating-shoes, and other small articles. This bag would make, if packed -with that end in view, an excellent pillow; and we proposed to trust to -our constitutional endurance to become indifferent to the hardness of -the canoe floor. A bicycle cape, a sketching umbrella and camp-stool, -together with a sketch-bag full of materials, practically completed the -personal outfit of the majority of the party. Of all these articles we -found the rubber ones alone to be of no real use. The bicycle cape shed -water for a few minutes and then converted itself into a complicated -system of gargoyles which conducted the drip into the most intimate -recesses of our clothing, and soon made the canoe floor a perfect swamp. -As for the expensive rubber blankets, they were a fetich for many weeks. -The hours and hours we waited for those dew-dripping sheets to dry! The -care we took of them lest they should get burned or torn, and prove -worthless in the hour of need! The trouble we took to pack them by day -and to cover them up at night lest they should gather all the moisture -of the neighborhood and communicate it to our clothing! We never but -once used them to shed the rain, and that was the third night of our -expedition, but we conscientiously lugged them along with us the whole -distance, and got only our bother for our pains. The sketching umbrellas -and the camp-stools were, on the other hand, of the greatest use and a -constant comfort.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span> When it rained we sat at our ease on the stools and -comfortably cooked and ate and smoked under the spreading expanse of -white linen. When a shower overtook us on the water we often hoisted the -umbrellas and drifted along as sheltered and as dry as could be.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a name="ill_7" id="ill_7"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_007_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_007_sml.jpg" width="400" height="233" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SPECTATORS</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Our <i>batterie de cuisine</i> consisted of three spirit-lamps of different -sizes and styles, a few plates and cups of white enamelled ironware, a -tin kettle, coffee-pot, teapot, and water-can, knives, forks, spoons, -and ladle. These necessary articles, together with the hatchet, a few -tools and copper nails, medicines and general stores, we soon learned to -distribute properly among the three canoes, and thus divide the weight -and amicably share the trouble of transportation. It was astonishing how -much the canoes would hold, and every time we unpacked them we always -marvelled at their loading capacity. In addition to the outfit described -we often had to carry fresh meat, vegetables, milk and wine, and a large -store of burning spirits, to say nothing of a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> many canned -provisions. The limit seemed to be fixed only by the weight we were -individually willing to struggle with.</p> - -<p>Our experiments with the canoes in the inn-yard and the rearrangement of -our luggage occupied us most of the whole afternoon of the long summer -day, but we had daylight enough left in which to see the town and stroll -through the extensive park with its lakes and its sociable swans, and to -gaze from afar on the inhospitable looking palace of the Princes of -Fürstenberg, who have arbitrarily declared for their own glorification -that a large spring in their pleasure-grounds is the actual source of -the Danube. They have surrounded the spring with expensive masonry, and -erected a stone tablet with an inscription giving the information, among -other things, that that spot is 678 metres above sea level and 2840 -kilometres from the Black Sea by way of the Danube. The hotel where we -stayed is at the southern end of the fine stone bridge connecting the -two sections into which the Brigach divides the town. Conveniently near -to the hotel is a large flight of stone steps leading down to the water, -and here we proposed to launch the canoes early the next morning and -make our start, a few yards above the source of the Danube, according to -the prince’s tablet, and about 2000 yards above the junction of the -Brigach and the Brege, where the stream is first christened the Danube.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HE final preparations for our cruise occupied more time than we -anticipated, and it was quite eight o’clock before the canoes touched -water at the foot of the slippery stone steps. A large proportion of the -inhabitants of Donaueschingen gathered on the bridge and near the -landing to see us off, and a dozen eager volunteers helped us carry our -boats and launch them into the yellow stream. A few minutes sufficed to -stow the traps, for we had sent the sails and tents and various other -articles by rail to Ulm, thinking they would be more trouble than use on -the upper part of the river, with its succession of dams and weirs. -Then, amid the “Hochs!” and “Glückliche Reises!” of the multitude, we -scrambled in, each in turn, and pushed off. We firmly believe that no -one in the great crowd of spectators detected that two of us were -handling a double-bladed paddle for the first time—not even the two -ladies from Massachusetts whom we met at the inn, for their hearty -interest in our trip, and their enthusiastic admiration for the canoes, -doubtless blinded them to the observance of our awkwardness. The -swelling, curling stream bore us merrily out of sight of the town, and -only an occasional paddle stroke was necessary to keep the bow in the -right direction. Boys and girls ran along the shady path trying to keep -pace with us, and we saw on the highway a carriage with our lady -friends, who loyally kept sight of us for several miles. A very short<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span> -time sufficed to familiarize us with the management of the canoes, so we -could thoroughly enjoy the beauty of the landscape and indulge in the -unalloyed feeling of satisfaction at our successful start, and we swept -on through the great alternating patches of sunlight and shadow, under -trailing boughs of large trees and past beds of tall rushes. In a few -moments the Brege came in with a volume of water about equal to the -Brigach, and then the real Danube rushed on, already quite majestic in -aspect, through fields kaleidoscopic with myriads of flowers, reflecting -in its pools the clear blue of the sky with brilliant summer clouds, -adding new charms to the landscape at every turn. A number of swans from -the park at Donaueschingen swam just ahead of us nearly to the first -village, Pforen, with its dominating church edifice and huge wooden -bridge. When they reached this self-imposed limit of their excursion -they rose into the air with great flutterings and splashings, wheeled -around and passed us so near at hand that we could feel the air from -their great wings, then sailed away in graceful flight to their home in -the secluded islands of the park. Large white wing-feathers danced along -down stream; and when, many weeks afterwards, we dismantled our canoes -on the shores of the Black Sea, we found one of these carefully stowed -away in an angle of the underpart of the deck, and, with mock ceremony -of a message from the Swan of the Source to the Sturgeon of the Sea, -threw it to the strong north wind.</p> - -<p>The meadows were full of haymakers—men, women, and children—laughing -and chattering and bidding us “Grüss Gott!” as we passed. The odors of -the fresh hay and the perfumes of the flowers were almost intoxicating -in their strength. Nature on every side of us had that peculiar -freshness and depth of color which comes with the first clear weather at -the end of a long-continued rain, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 428px;"> -<a name="ill_8" id="ill_8"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_009_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_009_sml.jpg" width="428" height="298" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE START—DONAUESCHINGEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">landscape, seen from the level of the water, had the increased beauty of -line and composition which so often comes from this point of view in the -perspective. In less than an hour we reached our first weir near the -little village of Neidingen, but the banks were easily accessible owing -to the height of the stream, and in five minutes we had dragged the -canoes across a grassy point and had launched them again. From the -accounts we had read of these obstructions to navigation of the upper -river, we anticipated much greater difficulties than we encountered at -any of the one-and-twenty weirs and dams we navigated between -Donaueschingen and Ulm, although the first one of all was by far the -easiest to pass, and should not be mentioned as a fair sample. The weirs -are far more numerous than the dams; indeed, there are but two or three -of the latter. These, of course, must be carried over because of the -sheer descent of the construction, whereas the weirs usually consist of -a long slope of masonry over which the canoes can be shot without -difficulty at the end of a long painter.</p> - -<p>The delight of our first luncheon in the open air will never lose its -freshness in the memory of either of us three. After a struggle with a -weir at Geisingen, we landed in a pleasant meadow just below the village -among waist-high ranks of wonderfully brilliant flowers, and lay for an -hour basking in the balmy, perfume-laden, sunny air. At our feet the -Danube, not the “beautiful blue” of song, but a vigorous, rushing -stream, danced and sparkled in the sunlight. Before us were -heavily-wooded hills with cool and tempting shadows, behind us the -cluster of half-timbered houses and dignified church-tower of the -village, and everywhere around the glories of a perfect June day. A few -children, attracted by the sight of the canoes, interrupted our siesta; -but when the school-bell sounded they all scampered away, and their -prompt obedience to the call of authority made our inde<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span>pendence seem -all the more real and desirable. Then and there at our first -landing-place we formed ourselves into a Society for the Preservation of -the Banks of the Danube, appointed a president, secretary, and -treasurer, and a board of management, and unanimously adopted one -regulation, which was to the effect that we should not disfigure in any -way the spots we might occupy as camps, but that all rubbish and -unsightly debrís should be carefully hidden or thrown into the stream. -To the honor of the S. P. B. D. let it be chronicled here that the -regulation was strictly observed to the very end of the cruise.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 429px;"> -<a name="ill_9" id="ill_9"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_010_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_010_sml.jpg" width="429" height="299" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PFOREN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Below Neidingen and past Geisingen, Immendingen, and Möhringen the river -winds through broad, fertile meadows, and in summer it is a panorama of -wild-flowers. In the quiet pools of the stream we startled many -water-fowl, and once<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span> caught sight of a deer feeding near the water. -Numerous huts along the bank showed us that this was a favorite -shooting-ground in the season, and there were many indications that the -game is carefully preserved. The whole of that perfect first day was one -uninterrupted succession of surprises and delights, both in landscape -and architecture. The frequent villages were all of them interesting and -picturesque both in construction and in situation, and as the houses -lost their alpine character and became more solid and settled in type, -they formed fascinating groups, and made a charming feature of every -view.</p> - -<p>In the late afternoon we floated out of the sweet air of the meadows -into a stratum of effluvia from the tanneries of Tuttlingen, and but for -the fact that the town claims as its hero Max Schneckenburger, the -author of the words of “Die Wacht am Rhein” who was educated here in his -youth, and for the more cogent reason of hunger, we probably should have -paddled past the town without pausing longer than to admire some of its -architectural features. Tuttlingen is not all tanneries, although, as we -approached, we thought it must be, by the smell. It is a goodly-sized -place, with the usual castle, an unusual church, and red-tiled houses, -many of them elaborately half-timbered. Opposite the town, which -straggles along the right bank of the stream, a great open meadow is in -process of reclamation from the floods, and is being converted into a -park or public pleasureground. In this flat expanse of rough ground -stands a great square mass of masonry, which will sometime or other -support the statue of Schneckenburger, for the Tuttlingers are actively -engaged in gathering subscriptions for this monument.</p> - -<p>Schneckenburger can scarcely be called a poet, for these verses are -probably the only ones of any account he ever wrote—at least, no others -have been preserved<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span>—and they came from his pen at the age of -twenty-one. Nine years later, in 1849, he died, having become -established as a small merchant, after several years’ experience as a -commercial traveller. From the accounts given of him by his widow, the -distinctive feature of his character was patriotic fervor, which found -its earliest expression in his choice of a motto, “Deutsch,” in his -school-boy days, and later in the sentiments of “Die Wacht am Rhein.” -The ever-active discussion in our camp, whether the extraordinary -popularity of the patriotic song is due to the verses or to the music, -is hereby passed on for final settlement to the readers of this -narrative. We never could agree about it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 444px;"> -<a name="ill_10" id="ill_10"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_011_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_011_sml.jpg" width="444" height="186" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Hut for duck shooting</p> - -<p>Neidingen.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>As it was already late when we reached Tuttlingen, we proposed to hurry -our dinner so as to have plenty of daylight to shoot the great weir -which filled the air with its roaring. But the deliberate ways of German -landlords are not easily changed, and we only succeeded in getting off -in the late twilight. With some misgivings we paddled out into -mid-stream, towards the sound of the falling water, between the two -great bridges. The fame of our expedition<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 237px;"> -<a name="ill_11" id="ill_11"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_012_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_012_sml.jpg" width="237" height="257" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">MAX SCHNECKENBURGER, AUTHOR OF “DIE WACHT AM RHEIN”</span></p> - -<p>[From an old portrait]</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">had spread far and wide, and it was the hour of leisure, so the -Tuttlingers had assembled by thousands along the banks and on the -bridges to see the mad strangers come to grief in the cataract on the -great weir. The sight of the black masses of people stimulated us almost -to rashness, and, without mutual consultation, we steered straight for -some snags which had caught on the angle of the weir, and jumping out -into the knee-deep water, each of us shot his canoe over at the end of -the painter fastened to the stern and, holding the line, scrambled down -the incline where the water was shallowest, jumped into his canoe and -swept away under the second bridge. All this was done in very little -longer time than it takes to tell about it. When the three canoes -appeared almost simultaneously in the smooth water below the second -bridge, shouts of “Hip! Hip!” and “Glückliche Reise!” echoed from the -hill-sides to the towers of Honberg Castle. We replied in chorus -“Schneckenburger soll hoch leben!” and dramatically disappeared in the -gathering darkness. A half-dozen youths, ambitious to discover where and -how we were going to pass the night, followed us along the bank, and we -were loath to make<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span> our first camp until we had gotten rid of them. We -accordingly paddled on and on, scarcely able to see the banks, and at -last found an apparently secluded spot and landed. We hauled up the -canoes into the dew-drenched meadow, made our simple preparations for -the night, and lay down in the snug, warm cockpits. The first night in -camp is never a very restful one, and the unaccustomed and somewhat -cramped berth with all sorts of sharp projecting corners and the hardest -of floors, did not assist our slumbers. Nor did the visit of a bevy of -peasant girls who had ventured out from a neighboring farm-house, which -we had not noticed in the darkness, help us to lose consciousness as -they stood for a long time in the moonlight chattering in soft voices -and repeating the story of our exploit at the great weir, which had -evidently been related to them by the youths whom we had successfully -dodged when we landed. The heavy dew obliged us to cover up our berths -in some way, and we tried the rubber blanket as the proper article for -such a purpose. This was far too hot. Then we tried the deck hatches, -which shut down so closely that they left no room for us to turn over -and, besides, were as hot as the rubber blanket. So we passed the night -between fitful naps and impatient struggles with temporary roofs. The -sun had not begun to dissipate the river fog before we had taken our -plunge and were ready for breakfast. By general understanding, the -experienced cruiser, or Admiral of the fleet, was expected to do the -cooking, and he had made elaborate preparations for this duty. The other -two hungry members of the expedition watched the operation of preparing -this first breakfast with eager interest, listening meanwhile to the -words of wisdom which came from the <i>chef</i> as he sat in his canoe wedged -into the narrow cockpit by all the paraphernalia of his temporary -trade.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 334px;"> -<a name="ill_12" id="ill_12"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_013_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_013_sml.jpg" width="334" height="532" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Below Mühlheim,<br /> Kallenberg</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span> </p> - -<p>“It’s no use to get out of your canoe to cook a meal,” he said, with a -tone of authority that silenced our incipient suggestions as to a tidy -spot on the flat surface of an adjacent rock. “It’s a thousand times -simpler and easier to cook in your canoe, for your things are so handy. -All you have to do is to sit just where you are and reach for whatever -you want. Besides, you never lose anything, for nothing can get far out -of sight in a canoe.”</p> - -<p>All this time he was carefully arranging a towering, complex -construction of tin and brass, with a large spirit-lamp beneath. It was -a coffee-machine of his own invention, which, after having been charged -with the various materials, was expected to make a most excellent brew -at one operation. The water was to come to a boil at the same time with -the milk, and then be forced in some mysterious way through the coffee, -and come out <i>café au lait</i> of a quality not to be found this side -Paris. Everything went on quite satisfactorily for a few minutes, and -then the spectators saw a cloud of steam and a fountain of milk suddenly -rise high into the air, and, simultaneously with the explosion, saw the -cook leap from the canoe all ablaze and roll wildly in the long wet -grass. The canoe was covered with flaming spirits, but the fire was -extinguished with little difficulty. The milk was all lost, the coffee -scattered into the remotest crevices of the cockpit, the eggs were -broken, the bread soaked with a nauseous mixture, and breakfast was in a -mess generally. Fortunately, the damage to the person of the cook was -slight, but the laceration of his feelings was far more serious and -lasting, and he gave up the position of cook of the expedition which he -had talked about for six weeks and had filled for six minutes, and -became second dish-washer and scullery-boy.</p> - -<p>We were eager to be afloat once more, so we picked up a scratch -breakfast and launched the canoes while the ring of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span> the scythe was -still in the air, and the busy spreaders had not yet begun their work.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 301px;"> -<a name="ill_13" id="ill_13"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_014_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_014_sml.jpg" width="301" height="246" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Wernwag.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>We shot three weirs in as many hours, and passed Neudingen, Mühlheim, -and Friedingen before eleven o’clock. At the last-named village, a -sweetly pastoral place among the hills, we encountered our first rapids, -for the flood was so high that all the shallows in the river above had -been quite covered, and we had seen white water at the weirs alone. The -channel narrows at this point, the hills crowd close to the banks, and -great gray crags rise from the dark foliage on the steep slopes. Ruins -of castles crown almost every prominent summit, and the scenery grows -wilder and more beautiful at every bend of the river. Kallenberg, -Wildenstein, Wernwag, Falkenstein, and a half-score of other ruins, -equally wonderful in situation, tempted us to sketch them, and we found -the most delightful spots imaginable wherever we paused and exchanged -the paddle for the pencil.</p> - -<p>About eighteen miles below Tuttlingen, in the midst of the -castle-crowned hills, we passed the monastery of Beuron,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> covering with -its extensive buildings a great flat point in the river, under sheer -towering limestone cliffs, surmounted by a grim black cross several -hundred feet above the chapel spire.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 328px;"> -<a name="ill_14" id="ill_14"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_015_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_015_sml.jpg" width="328" height="181" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Wildenstein</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The monastery is imposing in extent but not in style, and the railway -bridge close by does not add to the charm of the landscape. The rapid -current hurried us on, not against our will, and we only paused to watch -the monks haymaking in the meadows, wearing a dress which looked like a -compromise between the costumes of a washerwoman and a Cape Cod -fisherman. They must have suffered in the hot sun, with their gowns of -heavy woollen stuff, but they suffered in silence, and did not deign to -answer our greetings or even to turn their eyes upon us.</p> - -<p>We practically finished the day’s cruise at the little village of -Gutenstein, where we dined in the simple country gasthaus for a -ridiculously trifling sum, and listened to the droning gossip of a -lounging locksmith, who was minding his little child while the mother -was at work in the hayfields. With the exception of this descendant of -the Jan Steen type and the landlord and his wife, we saw only small -children and decrepit old people. The rest were all at work<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span> haymaking, -and we left before the population returned to the village. We selected -our camp-ground—with an eye to beauty of situation as well as -comfort—on a high point in a perfect paradise of wild-flowers. From -Alfred Parsons’s note-book for the first two days of the cruise I take -the following extract, which will give an idea of the wealth of the -flora of this district:</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;"> -<a name="ill_15" id="ill_15"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_016_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_016_sml.jpg" width="385" height="271" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE MONKS OF BEURON</p></div> -</div> - -<p>“From Donaueschingen downward the meadow flowers have a subalpine -character—masses of ragged-robin and bladder-lychnis (the calyx of -which is a delicate mauve), knotweed, various campanulas (one with -bright mauve flowers in a very loose panicle), buttercups, purple sage, -and grasses in flower. On the river banks for a long way down are masses -of yellow iris, and occasionally sweet-calamus. In one meadow a purple -variety of rocket; and generally the usual English meadow flowers. Lower -down <i>Campanula<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span> glomerata</i> grows in fine purple masses with the sage; -and in the rocky parts about Beuron were bright pinks, like the -chedder-pink, <i>Geranium sanguineum</i>, and saxifrages. A bright blue -veronica grows plentifully as you go down (<i>Quære spicata?</i>). Other -plants on the rocks were a purple lactuca, dog-rose, systopteris, -wall-rue, and <i>Adiantum nigrum</i>.”</p> - -<p>As long as daylight lasted we botanized and sketched; and when twilight -came on we watched the glowing hill-sides fade into a simple mass in -silhouette against the starlit sky, and then slept like tired children.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-o.png" -width="80" -alt="O" /></span>UR camp was pitched very near the boundary line between Baden and -Hohenzollern, and a short distance above Sigmaringen, the residential -town of Prince Hohenzollern. We were prepared to meet a certain degree -of stateliness in the tiny capital, and our anticipations were -strengthened by the sight of a well-kept park on the river-bank long -before the town came in view. There were summer-houses and -pleasure-boats and other indications that the place belonged to somebody -of importance in the neighborhood. Further, the natural scenery was -marred by the conversion of a large overhanging limestone cliff into a -mortuary slab in memory of a princess who died in 1841, and whose -virtues were set forth in metal letters a foot long. We expected, then, -to find the town distinguished by equal pretensions and bad taste, -knowing too well how much destruction can be wrought in these modern -times by the engines at command of every long purse. To our surprise and -delight, however, the panorama which spread out before us as we -approached Sigmaringen was one of great beauty, and the town, imposingly -situated on a high promontory, made an unusually fine focus in the -composition. We found on near acquaintance that the architecture, though -not unpleasing, was by no means particularly interesting, and we did not -delay there longer than was necessary to purchase a few stores.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span></p> - -<p>About forty miles by rail and road to the north of Sigmaringen is the -great castle of Hohenzollern, the seat of the imperial family of -Prussia. The present castle is of modern construction, having been begun -by Frederick William IV. and finally completed in 1867. It is remarkably -bold in situation and commanding in appearance, and, although it has -seldom sheltered any of the imperial family of late years, is kept up -with great care and is garrisoned by quite a large force of troops.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 426px;"> -<a name="ill_16" id="ill_16"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_018_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_018_sml.jpg" width="426" height="246" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Sigmaringen.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Sigmaringen marks the lower limit of the series of rocky gorges into -which the river plunges near Friedigen, and soon after leaving the town -we came into a more pastoral region again, similar to that of our first -day’s cruise. The flora changed somewhat, and fewer varieties of plants -were noticeable. Alfred Parsons makes the following remarks in his -botanical note-book: “Below Sigmaringen the meadow flora becomes more -like that of England, but still with campanulas and purple sage; also -occasionally a bright crimson di<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span>anthus with clusters of flowers. In an -ash wood beneath which we camped was an undergrowth of <i>Spiræa aruncus</i>, -all in bloom, five or six feet in height; in the wood also were -Turk’s-cap lilies, Jacobs-ladder, tall, pale-yellow phyteuma, and -commonly, near the river, gelder-rose bushes and clumps of -forget-me-nots and white water-buttercups. The general impression of the -flora is a greater prevalence of purple and blue flowers.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 335px;"> -<a name="ill_17" id="ill_17"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_019_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_019_sml.jpg" width="335" height="260" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><i>Hohenzollern.</i></p></div> -</div> - -<p>Frequent villages dot the hill-sides on either side of the broad, -fertile valley, and the river begins to feel a new tyranny of man in the -partial canalization of its channel. The current now increased in speed -between the artificially straightened banks, and, counting the kilometre -marks as we swept along, we found we were making seven and a half -kilometres (nearly five miles) an hour without lifting a paddle. A more -satisfactory mode of progression never fell to the lot of any traveller. -Perfect summer weather, a comfortable canoe to lounge in, beautiful -landscapes on all sides;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;"> -<a name="ill_18" id="ill_18"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_020_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_020_sml.jpg" width="362" height="401" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>NUNS AT RIEDLINGEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">and a vigorous current under the keel which gave an exhilarating sense -of added strength, much like that felt when riding a spirited horse. -Nothing more could be desired except, perhaps, unlimited time in which -to enjoy such pleasant recreation. Haste was, indeed, a slight drawback -to our enjoyment. We did not dare delay, for the season was already in -its full prime, and we knew that the gales began in the lower river as -early as the first week of September; besides, one of the party had only -a limited number of weeks<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span> at his disposal. Under other circumstances we -would have spent a day or more at Riedlingen, where we found most -interesting architecture along the river-front and saw a party of nuns -at work in a hay-field. We had a little more social success with them -than we did with their coreligionists, the monks at Beuron, for they -turned their great, cool, flapping head-dresses in our direction, and -actually seemed temporarily interested in our canoes, and in us as well.</p> - -<p>A threatening storm drove us to seek shelter at dinnertime in a rural -gasthaus in a little priest-ridden hamlet where a morose landlady gave -us excellent bread and milk in rude earthen bowls, and was prevailed -upon to part with some of her store of fresh bread and eggs. The -peasants came hurrying into the village to escape the rain, their -creaking carts piled high with hay and the sturdy little horses white -with sweat. It was a ready-made picture from “Hermann and Dorothea.” We -had occasion to regret in the night that we had not brought our tents, -for it rained steadily for hours, and the rubber blankets rigged on the -paddles made an inefficient shelter against the driving storm. But we -were none the worse the next morning, and as soon as the ring of scythes -of the women mowing in the next field woke us from our sound sleep we -were up, cooked breakfast, and were soon off down pleasant reaches with -overhanging rocks and occasional ruins frowning down from the pinnacled -crags.</p> - -<p>Every mile or two we passed a village, each more picturesque than its -neighbor, and all with sonorous names that suggest places of great -importance—Rechtenstein, Obermarschthal, Munderkingen, Rottenacker. -Each village had its weir and its mill, and sometimes two of them. -Various accidents occurred, none of them of a startling nature, and none -resulting in anything worse than temporary<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 431px;"> -<a name="ill_19" id="ill_19"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_021_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_021_sml.jpg" width="431" height="566" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>CROSSING THE WEIR—ROTTENACKER</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 413px;"> -<a name="ill_20" id="ill_20"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_022_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_022_sml.jpg" width="413" height="251" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PEASANT GIRLS MOWING</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">inconvenience. The Admiral of the fleet, trusting too much in his -knowledge of river navigation, swamped his canoe in a weir, and would -have been in a sad strait but for the timely assistance of some mill -hands. The canoes got some heavy bumping at times while we were shooting -rapids below the weirs; but there was little or no injury done to them, -and the only actual loss of property was one favorite brierwood pipe—a -loss which will appeal to the sympathy of every smoker who has tried the -pipes of central Europe. We happened to reach Rottenacker at noon, when -a great procession of rustics, armed with every imaginable kind of -haymaking implements, was crossing the bridge to their labors after the -mid-day meal. They halted on the bridge, looking for all the world like -a detachment from Monmouth’s army, and watched us run the canoes over -the weir. They gave a hoarse shout of approval of our skill, and after -we had dashed down under the great wooden bridge they marched<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span> off in -almost martial array, and scattered over the broad meadows like -skirmishers. An hour later we reached the last weir on the river at the -village of Oepfingen, and, confident from the appearance of the water -that the canoes would float on it with our weight, we triumphantly -paddled over the crest and shot safely into the boiling pool below. We -had counted in all only twenty-one weirs and dams, although the -different accounts of expeditions in the upper river give the number as -twenty-five between Donaueschingen and Ulm. In all probability the -unusually high water covered some of the smaller ones, and we -consequently failed to make a record of them.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<a name="ill_21" id="ill_21"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_023_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_023_sml.jpg" width="425" height="197" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BRIDGE AT ROTTENACKER</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Below the last weir the river is monotonous and the country not -particularly interesting. Turnip-topped church-spires rise above the -red-tiled roofs of villages clustered on the hill-sides, and but for -these features of the landscape the river might be the Thames or the -Avon. Soon, however, several vigorous streams add their waters to the -main current, its speed and strength rapidly increases, and its course -is regulated into a straight and canal-like channel. Not realizing the -speed of our progress as we floated along, we<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span> came in sight of the -village of Erbach on the hills to the left of the river much earlier in -the afternoon than we expected, and at the same moment saw, far beyond -in the blue distance, as faintly outlined as a delicate cloud-form, the -great tower of the Cathedral of Ulm breaking the low horizon line. We at -once took to our paddles and increased our pace, urged on by the sight -of our goal for the night and the beginning of our cruise in the -navigable river. In full sight of the city, some two miles away, we -passed the Iller, rushing in with a broad, pale-green flood and a -strange hissing noise like the escape of gas from soda-water, and then -the Danube, reinforced in strength and in volume, tore along with almost -angry speed, and showed great swirls where the pale waters of the Iller -wrestled with the opaque yellow of the larger stream. We saw by the -white waters at the buttresses of the railway bridge as we dashed past -that we had to deal with a current far more powerful than any we had yet -navigated, and accordingly approached the left shore with some caution, -as there was a high wall along the water’s edge and only an occasional -practicable landing-place. With all our efforts to stop our head-way we -found ourselves obliged to turn the bow up-stream and paddle hard to -keep from being swept past the town. In this way we came alongside the -float of the Donau Ruder Verein (Danube Rowing Club), and landed, -welcomed by a delegation from the committee of the club, who had heard -of our intended visit. They gave us a hand to carry the canoes up to the -boat-house and made room for them on the padded trestles.</p> - -<p>The club boat-house is a fair-sized building, well enough constructed -for the purpose, and conveniently fitted up with quarters for the crews -and stowage room for the boats, which number nearly a score, several of -them from famous makers in England, but mostly of German build. -Notwithstanding<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span> the disadvantages of rowing in so rapid a current, and -the difficulties of launching and landing the boats, the members -practise with great enthusiasm, and the club has a remarkably good -record in the boating annals of Germany. The committee placed all the -resources of the institution at our command, and not only gave us every -assistance in repairing the slight damages which our canoes had suffered -in the rough treatment they had received at the weirs, but made other -generous offers of hospitality. The president, who is a mechanical -genius of considerable fame as well as an enthusiastic sportsman and a -traveller, was devoted to our interests, and made every moment of our -stay agreeable. Before we departed our ex-cook presented the club with -his famous coffee machine as a slight acknowledgment of their kindness -to us. We have never learned how much the ranks of the Donau Ruder -Verein have been decimated by the use of this dangerous invention.</p> - -<p>Ulm, whether it be approached by land or by water, has the uninteresting -external appearance of any modern military stronghold, for it is -surrounded by great fortifications, and an elaborately constructed -citadel occupies the whole of a flat point opposite the town on the -right bank of the river. The old town itself, once the military barrier -is passed, is a marvel of architecture and a maze of narrow, crooked -thoroughfares, many of them scarcely worthy to be dignified by the name -of streets. The wonderful cathedral, next in size to that at Cologne, -with the loftiest stone tower in the world, is not to be adequately -described within the limits of this narrative, nor was it, indeed, -thoroughly examined by us on this hasty visit. The town offered so much -to occupy our attention and command our admiration that we could only -pause to study briefly each superb monument of ancient art and hurry on -to the next. The restless river with its rushing current had -communicated its nervous haste<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span> to our spirits, and within twenty-four -hours we had seen the town, repaired and repacked our canoes, adjusted -the appliances intended for use in the large river below, and were -waiting only for the farewell festivities in the boat club to come to an -end in order to launch our canoes to the “Hip! hip!” of our sporting -friends.</p> - -<p>The president of the rowing club, with an enthusiastic young friend, -accompanied us in our start from Ulm, in one tiny, home-made canoe which -floated scarcely an inch above the water. Their scorn of the dangers of -the curling flood filled us with admiration, but we could not affect the -indifference which is born only of long familiarity with the Danube, and -proceeded with our usual care. Great yellow billows surged against the -stone piers of the old bridge as we shot with dizzy speed through the -shadow of the arch out into the broad stream below. It began to rain, -but we paddled all the harder in order to reach the village of Günzburg -as early as possible, so that we might have time to dine and afterwards -make camp before dark. The rain did not in anywise diminish our ardor -for sleeping in the canoes, for we had passed a feverish night in a -stuffy hotel bedroom and longed for the air and freedom of our camp.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 184px;"> -<a name="ill_22" id="ill_22"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_024_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_024_sml.jpg" width="184" height="198" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>WOOD-SAWYER AT ULM</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The stork’s nest on the highest gable of the interesting old town was -scarcely visible in the twilight when we paddled away after a jovial -dinner with our friends, who were to ship themselves and their canoe -back to Ulm by train. As we<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span> pushed out into the stream the distances -were so exaggerated by the dim light that the Danube now looked like a -broad lake or an arm of the sea, and the strongly eddying current -twisted our paddles with a vicious persistence that warned us to be -circumspect in choosing a landing-place in the uncertain light. Luck -more than judgment directed us to a pretty little secluded meadow where, -for the first time, we made camp in regular order, tents and all.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 361px;"> -<a name="ill_23" id="ill_23"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_025_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_025_sml.jpg" width="361" height="249" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM STRASBURG TO ULM</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The question of choosing camp was, as we now fully understood, a more or -less difficult one, for, as the three canoes were seldom very near -together on the river, it would be practically impossible to fix on a -desirable place by common agreement at the time of camping. We therefore -appointed the most experienced camper a committee of one to choose the -camp in the future, and agreed to abide by his decision. A special -instinct, or at least an accurate and ready judgment, must be the -absolute qualification of the one who chooses halting-places along a -river like the Danube, for the current,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span> running as it does from three -to six miles an hour, makes it impossible to make the selection at -leisure. Before there is time to weigh the reasons for and against the -spot the stream has carried the canoe past the landing-place, and return -is practically out of the question. We demanded of our camp grounds more -and at the same time less than the ordinary cruiser. First, they must be -in as agreeable a landscape as possible, for as we spent several hours -of daylight there we wanted to sketch and to enjoy the scenery. Then -they must be so situated that the canoes could be drawn up readily and -prepared for the night without carrying the traps too far. On the other -hand, sand, turf, or smooth surface of the ground, though desirable, -was, fortunately, not an absolute necessity, as they would have been if -we had not slept in our canoes. Further, as we used spirits for cooking, -we did not have to consider the question of wood, and the absence of -fire made our camps very little objectionable to the farmers. Indeed, we -were made welcome to temporary occupation in every instance but one, and -on that occasion the farmer evidently thought we intended to remain all -summer long, for he began to talk about the second crop of grass. A -largess of German coin of the value of ten cents made him waive all -objections and give us the freedom of his meadow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-i.png" -width="80" -alt="I" /></span>T was on Saturday, June 27th, at about five o’clock in the afternoon -that we left Ulm, and the following day about noon we reached Lauingen, -having spent most of the forenoon in camp rigging our sails, properly -adjusting the tents, and doing a hundred other odd jobs which the -ownership of every boat entails. The Admiral, who had preceded the rest -of the fleet by an hour or more, was in the centre of an interested -group of natives when we hauled alongside at the landing, and all -Lauingen in its Sunday best was lounging near by, happy in the -entertainment which the arrival of the strange craft offered. The old -town walls are half hidden by excrescences of modern construction which -cling to them for their whole extent, sheltering a notable proportion of -the inhabitants. With this exception the place is not materially changed -since the sixteenth century, and still has to a very remarkable degree -the character of an old Dutch town both in details of construction and -in the general character of the domestic architecture. Most of the large -buildings are warehouses and residences combined, and there are few -front doors which are not provided with a little side window or squint -set in at an angle so that the street can be seen without opening the -door. All distinctive costume has been modernized out of the place. The -people look cheerful, active, and prosperous to a degree unusual in such -a remote town, and we were fain to believe that this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span> vitality was due -to the leaven of those of the inhabitants who had been to America, not a -few of whom greeted us with an exaggerated Hoboken dialect. But the -modern spirit has not obliterated all the queer old customs, and Sunday -was busy with parades of turnvereins and sporting clubs with all the -pageantry common to the ancient guilds. In the midst of the festivities -a stately carriage drove into the market-place where the statue of -Albertus Magnus, the famous scholar of the thirteenth century, was -erected ten years ago in the shadow of the great tower with its sixteen -stories. It was a wonderful old vehicle, with broad leathern springs and -great hood, a huge rack behind piled high with luggage, a seat in front -occupied by a servant—a buxom country girl—and with a long pole like a -single shaft, to which one horse was attached in a sort of casual -fashion by a harness of the most antiquated and peculiar pattern. Under -the hood sat a young man who held the lines and guided the horse across -the square towards the inn, while the servant-girl, with folded arms, -occasionally nodded and smiled at friends in the multitude. We fancied -this must be some local dignitary, such was the grandeur and stateliness -of the turnout, but we found on inquiry that it was only a conveyance -from a neighboring town bringing a commercial traveller with his packs. -Truly, even this much-derided occupation has its agreeable features in -Bavaria.</p> - -<p>It was an exceedingly hot day, and the river for the next dozen miles or -so was not very interesting, as its channel had been confined between -dike-like banks through a great steaming marsh. Every two hundred metres -of the distance is marked by a numbered post, and from our low position -these were often the most prominent objects in view. The hissing of the -water, which began at the confluence of the Iller, was always plainly -heard, but the water was so muddy that we could not discover whether or -not the cause of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span> sound was, as it is said to be, the rolling of -pebbles on the river-bed. The reaction from our brief but busy visit to -Lauingen put us in rather a quiet frame of mind. The drowsy heat was not -stimulating to the ambition for sight-seeing, and we scarcely looked at -the hills where the battle-fields of Höchstädt and Blenheim are located, -they were so far away from the river and the events seemed so very long -ago. We had more interest, moreover, in the near foreground with its -occasional clusters of brilliant bloom. Alfred Parsons says of this -region: “For a long way above and below Ulm the banks are lined with -small willows and coarse grasses; occasional bunches of forget-me-not -and some iris and valerian are the only flowers. On a hill-side near -Donauwörth I saw bright pink dog-roses, campanulas, geranium, veronica, -epipactis, Turk’s-cap lilies, pink coronilla, which is abundant, and a -tall white composite with groups of daisy-like flowers and a leaf like -the tansy; also a white erigeron.”</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 255px;"> -<a name="ill_24" id="ill_24"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_027_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_027_sml.jpg" width="255" height="476" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><i>The Bell tower</i></p> - -<p><i>Lauingen.</i></p></div> -</div> - -<p>The glorious, lazy afternoon was well on the wane when<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span> we came to -Donauwörth, a blaze of richly-colored roofs and lichen-stained walls and -with an enchanting skyline of gables and towers. We left it with -reluctance before we had seen half of its beauties. The restlessness of -the Danube had begun to eat into our souls and, without our knowing it, -had created in us a new appetite—a craving for constant motion.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 322px;"> -<a name="ill_25" id="ill_25"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_028_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_028_sml.jpg" width="322" height="223" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Donauwörth.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Not far below Donauwörth the Lech contributes its pale-green waters, -flowing northerly from the water-shed of the distant Alps beyond Lake -Constance, and it brought down to us for our entertainment several rafts -with cheery river folk, and we began the next day in their company. They -ran ashore at the upper end of the town of Neuburg, where the Danube is -crossed by a large stone bridge, and we stopped there as well. Finding, -however, that we were uncomfortably far from the centre of the town, we -soon paddled off again, shot the seething rapids under the bridge and, -hurried along by the current, landed after some difficulty and serious -bumping against the perpendicular stone<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> wall, at a broad flight of -stone steps opposite a cheerful-looking hotel with a formal row of -standard roses all along in front, tied to neatly-painted sticks -surmounted by gilded balls. We had already gone ashore when our -attention was called to our canoes by the excited shouts of the crowd -hanging over the stone parapet. To our horror we saw one of the long -rafts swinging down under the bridge with irresistible momentum directly -upon our canoes, and the raftsmen making frantic gestures at us. We -understood that in order to check the raft they were obliged to beach -her in the shallow water near the steps, and, indeed, she was headed for -that point, and no human power could stop her. For a moment it seemed as -if our canoes must be ground to splinters, but we rushed down and -promptly dragged them a few yards up-stream, utilizing the noisome mouth -of a sewer for a harbor for one, and lifting the others bodily out upon -a narrow ledge of broken rock. Then, dashing into the water, we put all -our strength against the raft and she ground along within a foot of our -precious boats, and we were saved from our friends.</p> - -<p>It took an unusual quantity of beer to cool us off after this exertion, -and our afternoon cruise was not further remarkable except for the sight -of various immense ferry-boats swinging across the stream attached to -wire guys and bearing two great loads of hay, cattle and all, and for a -visit to Ingolstadt, a military post of great importance and -correspondingly unattractive aspect. We camped that night on the -beautiful point of a low meadow where our shadows fell in long lines -towards the neighboring town of Vohburg, almost too picturesque to be -real, and were promptly and unwillingly introduced to our first Danube -mosquitoes, who kept us diverted if not very much amused during dinner, -and until we had crawled into our curtained berths and let them buzz and -pipe in futile rage against the impenetrable gauze.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 424px;"> -<a name="ill_26" id="ill_26"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_029_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_029_sml.jpg" width="424" height="158" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE FERRY</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Vohburg is said to be the most virtuous town in Bavaria, the reward of -virtue there being a dowry of 50 guldens ($25) to each maiden of -unblemished reputation when she takes the marriage vows. One of the -notable results of this bounty is the encouragement of intermarriage, -for the youths are of frugal dispositions, and fifty guldens are fifty -guldens here quite as much as anywhere. Our first visitors the next -morning were the storks of the town who solemnly sought the early worm -and the casual frog, and they took flight at the approach of a troop of -the ugliest children to be found where the German language is heard—and -that is saying a great deal. They stood a long time in a circle around -our camp, either too much astonished or too stupid to reply to our -volley of questions. We couldn’t help thinking, as we looked at their -unintelligent faces, that it would be much better for the race if the -dowry fund should be embezzled by the town-clerk and vice rule -triumphant for a while. Our curiosity was not satisfied by this slight -glimpse of the inhabitants of Vohburg, and besides, the ancient town -gates, the massive ruins of the burgh—which was destroyed, like -everything else about here, by the Swiss in 1641—and the old -church-tower, stuck full of great stone cannon balls, tempted us to -land. Possibly the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> impression gained from a brief visit was not a just -one, but although we found the architecture interesting and the people -friendly and courteous, we could distinguish nothing of the charm which -our imaginations had pictured to us as the result of generations of -prosperity, peace, and domestic virtue.</p> - -<p>The Danube is never really monotonous, for, apart from the ever-changing -landscape, the life on the bank offers endless interest to the observer. -We had drifted for a couple of days through a broad, flat country, and -never had experienced a dull moment. Although we were not impatient for -a change of scenery, we began to look forward with pleasant -anticipations, soon after leaving Vohburg, to the chain of hills that -formed the horizon to the east and north, promising narrow gorges and -rapid water. Except for our increasing eagerness for progress as the -hills began to take definite shape in detail towards the middle of the -forenoon, we should have undoubtedly landed at Eining, a little cluster -of houses on the right bank, near which are the remains of the great -Roman frontier station Abusina, which, from its topographical situation, -and also from its geographical position near the most northerly point of -the river’s course, was chosen as the chief outpost of the Danube -provinces against the German barbarians. This station was maintained -with two or three interruptions from its establishment in 15 <small>B.C.</small> until -the end of the fifth century. Across the river are distinctly visible -the outlines of Trajan’s wall, which extended from this point to -Wiesbaden on the Rhine. We were much interested by what we could see of -these remains, for we knew that to be but the first in the long series -of similar monuments along the Danube to the Roman occupation, which -never fail to excite the wonder of the traveller at the enterprise and -persistent courage of the great Roman general. Near at hand, too, is -Vergen of the “Niebelungenlied,” where King Gunther and his Niebelungen -crossed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> the Danube on their way to Budapest and the court of King -Attila. It was at this spot that Hagen tried to drown the priest of the -expedition because the water witches had predicted that the holy man -alone out of the 10,000 in the expedition should return safe to Worms. -The facts of history and the fascinating figments of tradition seemed to -draw for us across this smiling valley a frontier clearly defined in our -imaginations, beyond which limit we were to enter upon a new phase of -our journey.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 358px;"> -<a name="ill_27" id="ill_27"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_030_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_030_sml.jpg" width="358" height="195" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM ULM TO STRAUBING</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The Benedictine abbey of Weltenburg, with its crenellated walls and -extensive façades, placed in exactly the right spot on the river-bank, -like the composition of the theatrical drop-curtain, stands at the head -of a narrow, rocky gorge, about four miles in length, more grand and -impressive than any on the river above. Weltenburg is an easy excursion -from Kelheim, and divides the attraction of the neighborhood with the -Befreiungshalle, or Hall of Liberation, near the latter place. Knowing -this fact, we were not surprised to find in the midst of the mournful -relics of past grandeur the liveliest kind of a beer-garden, with a -half-acre of tables under shade trees in the court-yard, and regiments -of stone mugs waiting to be filled at the convenient tap of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 334px;"> -<a name="ill_28" id="ill_28"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_031_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_031_sml.jpg" width="334" height="418" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Between Weltenberg Er Kelheim.</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">a great brewery in one of the monastery buildings. The clock struck -twelve as we entered the enclosure. Every one rose and uncovered his -head, and stood like the scattered supernumeraries on the operatic -stage. The peal of the organ in the adjacent church added to the -dramatic effect, and if the whole company had burst forth in a chorus we -would have been little surprised at it. The gorgeousness of the church -interior contrasts painfully with the poverty of the establishment, only -too plainly indicated by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 417px;"> -<a name="ill_29" id="ill_29"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_032_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_032_sml.jpg" width="417" height="638" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>AN EARLY VISITOR</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">ill-kept grounds and the general air of neglect on all sides. -Excursionists frequently take the short trip through the gorge in small -flat-boats rowed by women, and there is another monastery on the left -bank, half-way down, so there need be no more than thirty minutes -between jorums of beer, the important adjuncts of these trips. The -river, narrowed to one-third of its width above, winds between -perpendicular limestone cliffs so smooth that it has been necessary to -attach iron rings to the rock at intervals near the water’s edge for the -use of boatmen, and the women rowers often tie up their boats to these -rings to rest during the upward trip. The heavily-wooded hills -overhanging the left bank at the lower end of the gorge are crowned by -the Befreiungshalle, a huge, circular building in classical style, begun -by Lewis I. of Bavaria in 1852, and inaugurated on October 18, 1863, the -fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Leipsic. This monumental structure -is of imposing dimensions, the dome rising nearly 200 feet above the -great stone platform, reached by a noble flight of steps. On the -exterior the different provinces of Germany are represented by eighteen -colossal female figures, with corresponding trophies and candelabra, and -the interior, which is lined with polished marble of various colors, is -surrounded by white marble angels symbolical of victory, with tablets -bearing the names of famous German generals, bronze shields made from -captured French guns, and inscriptions celebrating various battles.</p> - -<p>Landing at Kelheim we toiled up the steep hill in the hot sun, and then -cooled ourselves in the twilight of the interior, skating in felt -slippers over the mirror-like pavement, and listening to the remarkable -echoes which magnified the slightest sound into thunder. We were waylaid -on our descent from the hill by a garrulous ex-citizen of Brooklyn, -whose fulsome praise of Americans and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span> everything American finally drove -us out of the cool shelter of a river-side beer-garden and into the -blistering cockpits of the canoes. We set forth with the vague intention -of passing the night somewhere above and near Ratisbon. Even before we -came in sight of the town we looked everywhere for a camp ground, but a -high-road on either side left not an acre of ground at the water’s edge -where we could land without becoming the focus of observation from a -dozen farm-houses. We therefore pushed on until sunset, and just as the -beautiful twin towers of Ratisbon cathedral loomed up across a wide open -valley to the east, we landed on a quiet meadow, carpeted with sweet -grass, and there we slept until the peasants trudging to market along -the bank in the early morning awoke us with their voices.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HE busiest part of Ratisbon is the twelfth-century stone bridge which, -from daybreak until dark, resounds to the tramp of heavy-footed -peasants, and to the clatter of farm wagons and other vehicles. A narrow -street plunges from the end of the bridge under the archway of an old -city gate into a maze of narrow thoroughfares with towering mediæval -houses and a jumble of small shops of all kinds. One of the houses near -the bridge has a startling decoration covering the whole of its front—a -colossal figure of Goliath painted on the stucco—and there are -preserved in some of the other streets the only specimens extant of the -fortified dwelling-houses of the Middle Ages. The Cathedral of St. -Peter, with its exquisite Gothic details, is one of the chief -architectural glories of all Germany, and in its solemn interior are -forgot for the time the Danube, its hurrying current, and the impatient -canoes. The fact that we were not in the ordinary costume of travellers -gave us immunity from the annoyances of guides, and this freedom added -wonderfully to our enjoyment of Ratisbon. We sat on the clean pavement -of the great market-place, in the shadow of church walls, and nearly -made ourselves ill with quantities of wild strawberries from the baskets -of the friendly market-girls close by, paying a ridiculously small sum -for a quart of the luscious fruit. We wandered in and out of the -churches, stood and gazed at our ease on the architectural<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> beauties of -the town, and never were we once spoken to, or even, to our knowledge, -once stared at with curiosity. Even our presence in the crowded tavern, -where the crowds of market-people took their mid-day meal, did not -excite any comment, and during the few hours we passed in Ratisbon we -had the supreme satisfaction of passing unnoticed, which rarely comes to -any one in a foreign country. It is said that 17 per cent. of the 35,000 -inhabitants of the city are Protestants, but we concluded that we did -not come in contact with any of the choice minority in religious belief, -for we saw on all sides shrines and crosses and other indications of the -strict adherence of the people to the observances of the Roman Catholic -faith.</p> - -<p>The old stone bridge has been saddled with a bad reputation among -river-folk ever since some one started the legend, long ages ago, that -the devil had a hand in its construction. It crosses the river at the -upper end of a rocky island which divides the stream into two unequal -parts, the one on the town side alone being navigable. Four narrow -arches, springing from immense boat-shaped piers, confine the current -into a very narrow compass, and cause the water to rush under the bridge -with great velocity. We had listened to a long description by our -boating friends at Ulm of the dangers of shooting this bridge, and all -the river-side people we had talked with for the previous day or two had -warned us of the perils of the passage. But we saw from the parapet what -we had to encounter in the shape of rapids and whirlpools, and did not -hesitate to trust ourselves and our canoes to the mercies of the -current. The first of the series of bugbears which were in turn -presented to us by the Danube river-folk, and by the accounts we had -read, was disposed of in such an easy manner that the mention of it is -scarcely warranted by its importance as an episode of our journey.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 507px;"> -<a name="ill_30" id="ill_30"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_034_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_034_sml.jpg" width="507" height="300" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>RATISBON FROM THE BRIDGE</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> </p> - -<p>Opposite the lower part of the town the Danube receives the turbid -waters of the Regen (hence the German name Regensburg) coming in from -the north, and then the great river settles down into a gently-flowing, -well-behaved water highway, at times lively with steam tow-boats, -barges, and rafts. It skirts the hills on the left bank for five or six -miles, and then lazily meanders away through the great plain of -Straubing, the chief grain-growing district of Bavaria. The point where -the river leaves the hills is the most northerly limit of its whole -course, and here it changes its general north-easterly direction—which -it has held with many minor variations since Donaueschingen—and bears -away in a south-easterly course towards Vienna. This angle is not far -from midway between these two places, which are 535 miles apart by the -river channel. On one of the great rounded hills, fully 300 feet above -the water’s edge, the great German Temple of Fame, the Walhalla, makes a -conspicuous landmark. Lewis I. of Bavaria, who, it will be remembered, -was the founder of the Befreiungshalle, saw the completion of the -Walhalla the very year he laid the corner-stone of its fellow monument, -thirty miles away, in 1842. It is a classical structure built in -imitation of the Parthenon, but of somewhat larger dimensions, and -occupies a most commanding position. We saw by the guide-book that it -contained Victories and Walkyries, busts of heroes, and friezes painted -to celebrate the early history of the German race. After the perfect -harmony of the Ratisbon cathedral we had no appetite for German -classicality, and paddled past, content to gaze from afar upon the noble -proportions of the temple.</p> - -<p>Although we had rain the night before, it was hotter than ever as the -sun mounted high in the heavens, and before we had penetrated far into -the heart of the great plain we found the air so dead and the heat so -oppressive that we<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 430px;"> -<a name="ill_31" id="ill_31"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_035_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_035_sml.jpg" width="430" height="391" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>RETURNING FROM MARKET, RATISBON</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">were obliged to paddle in self-defence, and by this means create a -draught along the water. The glare of the sun was reflected into our -eyes with painful brilliancy; a few dazzling clouds hung in the sky, -apparently quite stationary. The pitiless force of the sun was never -once hidden by a veil of vapor during the hours we paddled down the -current, which scarcely rippled the surface of the water, as dense in -appearance as molten lead. The town of Straubing, plainly enough visible -when we left the hills, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 432px;"> -<a name="ill_32" id="ill_32"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_036_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_036_sml.jpg" width="432" height="406" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">seemingly only a short distance away, avoided us for a long time with -aggravating success. Now it would loom up in front of us, now on one -side and again on the other, and often hid away behind us. At last, -about noon, having quite lost our points of compass in the contortions -of the river, we sneaked up to the will-of-the-wisp town, and, dodging -around a point, came fairly upon it and landed there. We made it a rule -in this part of the river, and, indeed, wherever towns and villages were -frequent, to take our mid-day meal in some hotel or restaurant, for, -unless we did so, we saw absolutely nothing of the shore life. By this -time our standard for towns had become so high that we could not care -much for Straubing, although the stay there refreshed us and interested -us somewhat; but we were off down the sluggish stream, eager to reach -the hills where we knew the current would be faster and the landscape -more interesting. Near Bogen, a few miles below, at the hour in the -afternoon when the heat of the sun seems more intense even than at full -noon, the western sky was suddenly darkened, and a dense storm-cloud -rapidly raised its jagged edge towards the zenith. Opinions varied as to -the advisability of riding out the threatening squall, or going ashore -to wait for it to pass. We paddled on for a considerable distance -discussing this question, and finally decided to run ashore near a large -farm-house resembling in character a large Alpine chalet. We landed not -one moment too soon, for before we got our hatches fastened we heard the -roar of the wind up-stream, and the next instant the squall tore down -the river, lashing the water into a sheet of foam, and bending the trees -like switches. Our loose rigging stood straight out in the blast, and -the hastily-furled sails fluttered like clewed-up top-sails in an -Atlantic gale. We had all we could do to keep the boats from being blown -bodily along the rough beach. In a few minutes the violence of the gale<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span> -abated, and a heavy rain set in. We made our little fleet as snug as -possible and as safe as we could by lashing the masts together, and ran -to the farm-house near by, where the farmer and his family welcomed us -with dignified courtesy, and offered us the freedom of the house with -such hearty good-will that we could not help making ourselves at home. -It was a characteristic establishment of the better class, and the main -building was of some antiquity, as the date 1683 on the lintel of the -front door testified. This immense structure was mostly of wood, and a -great shingled roof covered not only a large living apartment, with many -bedrooms, but the stables for the horses and cattle as well. Most of the -farm-work was evidently done by girls, and the farmer told us he -employed them because they were almost as useful as the men, and their -wages were only fifty guldens ($25) a year. A half-dozen of these girls, -indifferent to the pouring rain, with short petticoats, tight bodices, -and with kerchiefs on their heads, were carrying manure in hand-barrows -when we arrived, and when they had finished this task, and had -materially increased the huge pile that occupied the only front yard -there was, they all had a vigorous scrub at the pump, and then came in -and ate bread and milk with us, and chattered away as freely as if we -were old friends. We were loath to leave this pleasant, pastoral -company, but as the sky was bright again at sunset we felt obliged to be -off. We did not succeed in persuading any one to take the money which we -felt was due for the food we had eaten, so we dropped it in the poor-box -near the forlorn little chapel, and paddled away to a camp on a dripping -hill-side, where we found a delicious cold spring and a mossy bed for -our canoes to rest on.</p> - -<p>We had met at intervals since leaving Ratisbon great empty flat-boats -towed up-river by horses, and an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 397px;"> -<a name="ill_33" id="ill_33"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_037_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_037_sml.jpg" width="397" height="157" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>LOCAL FREIGHT FLAT-BOAT</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">occasional one laden with shingles or other building material had -drifted down past our camp before we started in the morning. As high up -as Ulm we had seen these boats in process of construction, and had -learned all about the cheap flat-boats which in the spring-time carry -cargoes to the lower river, and are then broken up for the sake of their -timber. We had expected to see much more of this kind of river life than -we actually met with, but the fact is the competition of the railways -has practically killed this kind of river commerce, and its glories are -all in the past. The local business still continues to flourish, -however, for many of the river towns have no connection with the -railway, and depend almost entirely on the water highway for cheap -transportation of freight. The day after the storm we ran across several -of the great local freight-boats floating down with the current. These -boats are ordinarily about 20 yards in length, 5 or 6 in beam, and with -a depth of from 4 to 6 feet from the great flat, keelless bottom to the -rail. The bow is high, and the stern-post is often carved and otherwise -decorated. They are built of soft wood, the seams are calked with moss, -and since paint is seldom used except on the perpendicular black -stripes, which is the almost universal<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span> fashion for boats on the German -and Austrian Danube, the life of the best of these craft is not often -more than ten years. Each boat has a small, rude skiff for convenient -use, and a supplementary scow large enough to carry considerable cargo, -as well as afford open-air stabling for a pair of strong horses. On the -down trip the horses lead a lazy life in their floating stall, but on -the return they drag the empty boats up against the rapid current, -trained to know every yard of the way, for the varying heights of the -river and the conformation of the banks make a regular towpath out of -the question, and the horses splash along through the shallows for miles -at a stretch. The crew of these boats usually consists of an experienced -skipper with two men and a boy. They all take turns at the steering-oar, -and are constantly obliged to handle the immense sweeps to keep the -cumbersome craft in the best channel. The work of baling water is no -light one, and apparently goes on day and night with little -intermission. They use for this purpose a great wooden scoop, or shovel, -and throw the water out over the side from the floor of the rude little -hut which shelters the bunks of the crew.</p> - -<p>Two of us accepted a cheery invitation to go aboard one of these boats, -and we spent the larger part of the forenoon lounging in the shade of -the deck-house and indolently watching the ever-changing panorama on -either side of the river. The skipper, a very fatherly old man, a shrewd -observer, with a great knowledge of river life, was busy part of the -time in tending a large tin kettle which was thrust, gypsy-like, into -the side of a fire which was brightly burning on the tiles with which -the boat was laden. As soon as we saw that the meal was almost ready to -be served we made a move to leave, not wishing to interrupt this -ceremony. But the old man detained us almost by force, and insisted on -our eating before they began. He placed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 410px;"> -<a name="ill_34" id="ill_34"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_038_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_038_sml.jpg" width="410" height="354" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ON THE TILE-BOAT</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">between us a large bowl of coarse, yellow-glazed pottery, gave us a -wooden spoon apiece, and a thick wedge of black bread, which we broke, -according to his commands, into the capacious vessel. When the soup was -ready he poured it over the bread, filled the bowl to the brim, handed -us each a bottle of beer, and bade us eat and drink until not a crumb or -a drop remained. We were hungry, the soup was delicious, and the beer -cool and refreshing, and we did not longer hesitate, but fell to at -once. The only thing which interfered with our full enjoyment of the -meal was the presence of a generous supply of beef in the soup, in -chunks<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span> as large as our fists. Our maxillary muscles were not -sufficiently well developed to enable us to masticate the phenomenally -tough fibre of this meat, and we chose our opportunity when the broad -back of the hospitable skipper was turned and slid it overboard. To our -relief it went to the bottom like a sounding lead, and did not, as we -feared, come bobbing up astern to bear witness to our insincerity. We -gave our host a tiny American flag as a souvenir of our visit. He would -take no money nor any of our stores, but was delighted with the Stars -and Stripes, more especially as we had explained that the following day -was Freiheit’s Tag, or Independence Day, in the great Republic of the -West. We left him diligently digging a hole with his knife in the high -stem-piece of the boat to plant the flag there.</p> - -<p>Rowing clubs are numerous all along the river from Ulm to Vienna. Soon -after leaving the flat-boat we landed at one near Deggendorf, a quiet -old town with miraculous relics in the church, which attract many -thousands of pious pilgrims annually. Later on in the day, as we were -rounding a great bend in a solitary part of the river where we least -expected to see anything afloat, we suddenly met a single-scull boat of -the newest pattern shooting up the river like an arrow. A handsome -athletic young fellow was pulling with all his might, evidently in -training for a race. Our surprise was naturally mutual, for he no more -expected to see a fleet of graceful, polished canoes than we did to see -the Danube waters parted by the keen bow of a racing boat. He recovered -from his astonishment first, and shouted heartily, “Hip! hip! Hip! hip!” -We replied with the same salutation, for we had learned by this time -that this call was not, as we had at first supposed, a playful imitation -of the English cheer, but the common greeting in boating circles. We -needed no further introduction, and could, indeed, have had no better -one than our canoes, and we free<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span>ly accepted the hospitalities of the -Winzer Ruder Verein, whose tidy boat-house stands on the river-bank a -mile or more from the village. The club has a membership of thirty-six, -all of them sturdy young fellows of the neighborhood, with an -enthusiastic love of water sports. A certain count, the local magnate, -is the patron of the club, and contributes largely towards the training -of the oarsmen, who compete with success in the regattas all over -Germany. The jolly young fellows made so much of us, and received us so -heartily into their brotherhood, that we had not the courage to explain -that we were not real boating men at all, but only temporary members of -the guild. Indeed, it is doubtful if they would have believed our -statement, for we were quite as sunburned as they were, and our five -days’ canoing had put us in first-rate physical condition. But on this, -as on several other similar occasions, we had a lingering feeling of -mental discomfort, because we could not help knowing that we were -passing for what we were not, and never expected to be—sporting men.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74">{74}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HE poplars of Passau came in sight early on the morning of the Fourth -of July, but we had no intention of celebrating the day, particularly as -one-third of our party took only a languid interest in the event. -Neither did we care to meet any more boating men, however agreeable they -might be, for, besides the consciousness of our false position, we had a -realizing sense of the value of our time, and almost begrudged the hours -spent at these boating entertainments. We avoided the rowing club at -Passau, and stole in behind a floating bath-house and hid our canoes -away there. This move did not save us, however, for as we were crossing -the bridge, two rowing men who had seen us come down-stream were on hand -to waylay us, and before we could enter a protest we were whisked off to -luncheon. The town is attractively situated on a high promontory at the -junction of the Inn and the Danube, and is, indeed, as far as natural -environments go, one of the most beautiful spots of the whole river. The -town itself, or at least as much of it as we were allowed by our friends -to examine, is full of interest, although not distinguished by any -remarkable monuments of art. The unruly Inn, which is always ready to -overflow at a moment’s notice, comes rushing into the Danube with a -dirty yellow, rubbish-strewn flood, and gives the larger river a sturdy -shouldering for a long distance down-stream. It is the contamination of -the Dan<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75">{75}</a></span>ube by the Inn that changes its color below Passau. Above this -town it is in ordinary seasons of a greenish color, and sometimes, in -the deep, shady pools, of an intense and beautiful blue; but the Danube -as we saw it from Villingen, near the source, to Vilkoff at its mouth, -was always of nearly the same monotonous, pale color of <i>café au lait</i>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 366px;"> -<a name="ill_35" id="ill_35"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_040_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_040_sml.jpg" width="366" height="214" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM STRAUBING TO DÜRRENSTEIN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>From Ratisbon down we had met occasional freight steamers and tow-boats, -and at Passau saw our first passenger steamers—comfortable little -craft, which make the popular trip from this place to Linz, fifty-six -miles below, in about four hours. The right bank of the Danube below the -mouth of the Inn belongs to Austria, and the left bank, for fifteen -miles or so, to Bavaria. The Austrian customs-station on the river is at -a little hamlet called Engelhardszell, and just above this place the -frontier line is marked by a peculiar isolated rock in mid-stream, -surmounted by a shrine and crucifix and the rude figure of a saint. We -were obliged to go ashore at Engelhardszell to pay river toll on our -canoes, and, notwithstanding our strange appearance, each barefooted and -sunburned, we met with the greatest civil<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76">{76}</a></span>ity and courtesy, and paid our -sixteen kreutzers (eight cents) apiece without a murmur. Below the -frontier the river narrows to half its width, and the speed of the -current increases in proportion. The average fall per mile is also much -greater in this part of the river than it is from Ulm to this point. -From Ulm to Ratisbon the average fall per mile is 1.5 feet; from -Ratisbon to Passau, 0.625; from Passau to Linz, 2.5, from Linz to Grein, -2.8, and from Grein to Vienna, 2.876. The flora has varied somewhat -since the last reference was made to the botanist’s note-book, and the -information on the subject is sure to be interesting:</p> - -<p>“Below Weltenburg there are pinks and other rock flowers ... and at -Kelheim, climbing to the Befreiungshalle, I found a herbaceous clematis -with flowers like flammula, or erecta, and with glaucous leaves. The -river-banks are mostly devoid of flowers, but on a shingly beach below -Ratisbon, where we camped, I noticed a yellow sedum and a dwarf phlox, -not in flower. Lower down, when getting near the hills, there were large -patches of pink coronilla and a pale yellow mullen, also willow-herb and -a white cruciferous plant.</p> - -<p>“The high, woody hills below Passau are almost entirely covered with -beech and pine, but round the houses near the river are walnuts, plums, -cherry, and other trees. On the rocks grows a genista with slender twigs -and a spike of yellow blossoms, and there are patches of -evening-primroses in the more open places. Though vines, hops, and other -tender crops grow well, the flora has quite a subalpine character, and -the houses are often like Swiss chalets.</p> - -<p>“In the woods behind our camp, opposite Rannariedl, I noticed pyrola, -hepatica, lady-fern, and oak and beech fern, <i>Spiræa aruncus</i>, -Solomon’s-seal, lactuca, and a fine campanula. In a meadow where we -camped the next day were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77">{77}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 496px;"> -<a name="ill_36" id="ill_36"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_041_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_041_sml.jpg" width="496" height="270" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Grein, from the Camp. July 6, 1891</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78">{78}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79">{79}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">herbaceous clematis and lychnis with drooping white flowers and a -berry-like seed-pod, <i>Anthericum ramosum</i> and loosestrife.</p> - -<p>“By our camp at the mouth of the Traun (July 6th), I noticed purple and -yellow loosestrife, meadowsweet, meadow-rue, white convolvulus, and the -same flowers generally that grow by English rivers. Sea-buckthorn grew -among the willows. By wood opposite Grein saw cyclamen, pyrola, -hepatica, and various ferns, and monk’s-hood just below.”</p> - -<p>A light rain, which began while we were in camp opposite the restored -Castle of Rannariedl, continued during the whole day we were passing -through the gorge, and, although we got a fair notion of the beauties of -the scenery, we deplored the absence of sunshine more for esthetic -reasons than for demands of personal comfort. We were cheered a good bit -by a jolly luncheon at the little mountain village of Obermühl, and -while the lowering clouds were still sweeping across the summits, and -ragged patches of vapor were trailing along the mountain flanks, we -paddled out of the gorge and past the town of Aschach, where we were -diverted by the difficulty of dodging a curious ferry, which, as we -floated down, seemed to blockade the river by an impassable line of -great flat-boats chained closely together. The uppermost boat of the -line we soon found to be moored in mid-stream a goodly distance above -the town, while to the lowermost one was attached a great double-decked -ferry-boat which, by ready adjustment of the angle of its side to the -current, was forced across the river by the rush of the water in exactly -the same way that a vessel is propelled at right angles to the wind. The -net-work of side streams and lagoons between Aschach and Ottensheim, -just above Linz, a distance of ten miles or more, is simplified to the -boatman by a line of fine stone dikes on either bank, which confine the -current to a comparatively straight and narrow<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80">{80}</a></span> channel, and we passed -this tangle, which appeared on the map to be very difficult of -navigation, almost without knowing it, certainly without recognizing any -resemblance to our chart. A narrow chain of hills concealed Linz from -our view until after Ottensheim was passed, and the sight of an ordinary -four-wheeled cab, with the usual rawboned horse and red-faced driver, -crawling along the level river-side road, was the first hint we received -of the flourishing, modernized, and somewhat commonplace character of -the prosperous city.</p> - -<p>The rain still continued, and after a brief pause at Linz we paddled on -in search of a camp. The shores were marshy and uninviting, and as the -gray twilight deepened our prospects were far from encouraging. The -light had almost gone from the sky before the camp finder turned the bow -of his canoe across the stream in the direction of what appeared to be a -backwater with a pleasant grassy bank in the shelter of a wood. With our -eyes fixed on this goal we were paddling hard to stem the current which -threatened to sweep us past the chosen spot, when we suddenly shot from -the turbid flood of the main stream into the crystal-clear water of the -Traun, at the mouth of which we had fortunately selected our -camp-ground. We had become accustomed to the rain by this time, and as -we were snug and dry when once inside our tents, we were more or less -indifferent to the weather in camp. The next morning as we were cosily -cooking our breakfast in the shelter of the great sketching umbrellas, a -line of lumber rafts surged past the camp, scarcely a yard from the -bushes on the bank, the raftsmen giving us a cheerful greeting as they -went along. We were anxious to continue the acquaintance, but made no -haste to follow them, because, in our ignorance of the rapidity of the -current, we fancied we could easily overtake them. When we paddled out -into the stream a few minutes later, not an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81">{81}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 370px;"> -<a name="ill_37" id="ill_37"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_042_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_042_sml.jpg" width="370" height="584" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PUMP AT PÖCHLARN</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82">{82}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83">{83}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">object was in sight on the broad surface of the Danube except a hideous, -puffing tow-boat, which left a trail of black smoke behind it, and -churned the river into a sea of vicious waves. As it turned out, we -never once overtook the rafts while they were drifting down-stream. We -passed them several times after they had tied up to the bank for the -night, and they as often floated along near our camp in the morning -while we were still at our toilets or at breakfast. We learned to know -all the raftsmen by sight, but never succeeded in spending a moment in -their company until we happened to land at the same village, their last -station above Vienna, and within sight of that city.</p> - -<p>After leaving Linz we began to look forward to the great bugbears of -this part of the river, the Greiner Schwall, the Strudel, and the -Wirbel, famous rapids and whirlpools whose very names are sufficient to -strike dismay to the heart of the boatman, and bring confusion to the -mind of the philologist. Friends of ours who had more than once made the -trip from Donaueschingen to Vienna had given us dramatic descriptions of -the terrors of this passage, and the oldest cruiser of them all had -confessed that he had never ventured to run these rapids, but had always -intrusted himself and his canoe to a native flat-boat. The long-shore -people wherever we had stopped for the last day or two had volunteered -warnings of the dangers that were awaiting us, and we made an unusually -early camp the day we left the Traun in a delightful spot opposite -Grein, so as to be prepared to take our chances with the river monster -in the early morning. Accordingly, after storing our traps with unusual -care, and diligently studying the map, we boldly paddled forth bright -and early the next day, and rapidly approached the gorge just below the -town. As we came near we saw before us a narrow chasm, scarcely a -hundred feet wide, where the river forces its way between<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84">{84}</a></span> precipitous -cliffs on the one hand and a lofty, rocky island on the other, with -piled up ruins of old castles frowning from the crag on either side. We -had no time to hesitate, and no power to stop the onward rush of the -canoes, and were in the surging sea of yellow billows before we realized -it. The canoes behaved like a charm, shipping not a teaspoonful of -water, and riding the waves like water-fowl. So far as our experience -went, we were unable to distinguish the Greiner Schwall, the Strudel, -and the Wirbel apart, for they seemed like one long rapid. Half-way -down, finding that the canoes kept their course with very little -guidance, we whipped out our sketch-books and made hasty notes of the -scenery in a spirit of bravado which might easily have had unpleasant -results.</p> - -<p>Long, straight reaches between wild hills carried us to Ybbs—the old -Roman Pons Isidis—at the mouth of the river of the same name, and -thence to Pöchlarn where we landed for our mid-day meal at a river-side -inn with pretty waitresses who made our stay a joy, and on our departure -decorated our coats with nosegays in souvenir of our visit. It was at -Pöchlarn that Kriemhild, on her journey to Hungary, was so brilliantly -entertained by Rüdiger, one of the heroes of the “Niebelungenlied.” Our -experience proves that the traditional hospitality of the time has lost -none of its charm in the lapses of many centuries.</p> - -<p>It was but a short run from here to the heavily-wooded heights where the -Benedictine monastery of Melk dominates the surrounding landscape with -its magnificent pile of buildings, the most imposing edifice along the -whole course of the Danube, and celebrated in song and story since its -foundation in the eleventh century. From its grand terrace the full -majesty of the river is disclosed to view, as the broad, shining sheet -of water extends from the plain far beyond Pöchlarn to the shadowy -reaches of the pass below,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85">{85}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 505px;"> -<a name="ill_38" id="ill_38"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_043_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_043_sml.jpg" width="505" height="370" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><i>The Benedictine Monastery. Melk.</i></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86">{86}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87">{87}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">where it forces its way between rugged heights, serrated with huge crags -and castle ruins. There is no grander and no more romantic stretch of -the river above Vienna than the few miles below Melk, for the summits -are higher and bolder in outline and the rocks more wild and savage in -character than in any other gorge. Ruins of old robber castles are -perched upon every dizzy pinnacle, deep ravines with tumbling streams -score the mountain-sides, and great walls of jagged rock rise above the -dark foliage, often forming impassable barriers along the steep -declivities. A whirling current carried us all too quickly through this -enchantingly beautiful reach, and when at sunset we saw the great ruin -of Dürrenstein lift its noble towers against the violet-colored sky, we -chose a camp on the opposite bank and watched the last golden gleam of -warm sunlight fade from its shattered battlements.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88">{88}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HE harmonizing mists of early morning silvered the tawny surface of the -Danube, and softened the jagged outlines of Dürrenstein, on the crowning -pinnacle of the rocky spur which thrusts its shoulder boldly out from -the wooded flanks of higher summits behind, and stands sentinel over the -little village at its base, and the sunny hill-side vineyards and valley -beyond. Our camp, in a little glade by a backwater nearly opposite the -ruin, was so peaceful and quiet that something of the repose of the -place crept over our restless spirits, and, for the first time since we -began to coquet with the nervous currents of the whirling stream, we -felt a keen desire to pause in our onward rush, an ambition to extend -our horizon, to climb above the river-bank, to explore the gorges that -fascinated us with their mysterious gloom, to linger yet a while in the -great defile where every peak bears the ruins of a noble castle, and -every hamlet has a history crowded with tales of minstrelsy and -chivalry, and enriched by familiar legends and interesting traditions. -Our eyes, keen to observe vigorous outlines of mountain forms, had -discovered in this defile the most impressive landscapes the river had -yet unfolded before us, and it was with a sense of proper dramatic -climax that we found that Dürrenstein—the very name of which set free a -flood of childish memories of Cœur de Lion, of Blondel, of ladies fair -and chivalrous knights, of robbery and ransom—was the very outpost<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89">{89}</a></span> of -the chain of ruins which had serrated the skyline through the whole -defile, and looked down upon the gem of all the river reaches. I may as -well confess that my idea of the geographical situation of the castle -had hitherto been in the region of hazy uncertainty, if not actually in -the humiliating penumbra of utter ignorance. Its position, then, had the -added charms of surprise and novelty.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 341px;"> -<a name="ill_39" id="ill_39"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_045_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_045_sml.jpg" width="341" height="421" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>EARLY MORNING OPPOSITE DÜRRENSTEIN</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90">{90}</a></span></p> - -<p>The towers and arches, high on the bare summit of the rock; the -half-ruined walls, skirting each projecting spur, and straggling away -down the steep, rough declivity, embracing with diverging ramparts and -frequent projecting towers the little town on the ledge by the river -below, with its castle, its Gothic church edifice, disfigured by -utilitarian restoration, and defiled by stores of grain, and confining -within the mediæval limits the quaint and crowded jumble of shops and -dwellings—the charm of this unique situation, and the vivid memory of -the traditions connected with the spot, were stronger even than the wily -arguments of the beautiful effects on the river, and the fascinations of -the exhilarating, throbbing current that, in spite of paddle, almost -swept us past the landing we had chosen. But we conquered both the water -and the impulse bred of its restless power, and clambered, broad-chested -and full of pride at our victory, up a narrow cañon, with dark, frowning -rocks overhead, shale and shingle underfoot, and the refreshing, -half-forgotten odors of pine and warm, dry earth in our nostrils. Some -distance up the gorge a steep, slippery grass slope extends upward -between two rough pine-clad crests to a little depression in the ridge -behind the ruin, and to the lower gate of the castle itself. -Multicolored butterflies hovered in the sunlight, the grass and rock -crevices were gay with flowers, and our botanist gathered, as we went, -wild pinks, columbine, and anemone, and panted out to our eager ears the -Latin names of scores of mountain plants. Our steps, retarded by these -botanical delights, not to say delayed by the unaccustomed exercise, and -our lungs expanding with a vigor unknown in the lazy life in the canoes, -we were long in reaching the first point from which we could look down -upon the wonderful panorama of mountain and river, valley and scattered -towns. Our world had indeed been too narrow, our horizon much too low. -The giantess<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91">{91}</a></span> of a river from whose tyranny we had just escaped lay like -a shining narrow lake below us, its beautiful curves contrasting with -the harsh lines of the mountains, which met in an apparently -impenetrable wall beyond. From the height at which we stood we could not -see its eddies nor hear the hiss of its rapid flow. We were for the -moment quite beyond the power of its spell.</p> - -<p>The castle ruin bears so many traces of the destruction of successive -sieges and consequent restorations that as it now stands it makes an -architectural and archæological puzzle which we felt quite unable to -struggle with. In general plan it is not unlike other mediæval -strongholds, with yard and keep, watch-towers and gates, banquet-hall -and chapel, and with extensive outworks intended to protect the little -town of Dürrenstein, at once its weakness and its strength. Utterly -neglected by the owner, whoever he may be, the perfection of its masonry -and the wonderful quality of the mortar have alone prevented it from -becoming long since an ugly mass of worthless rubbish. Most of the later -constructions have, indeed, fallen down, or have served so long as -convenient quarries that they have almost disappeared. We did not find -without some difficulty the traces of the grand old stairway that led -from the lower enclosure on the town side up into the pile of buildings -at the top and the older part of the castle. Scrambling up a moraine of -small stones and mortar, an unsightly avalanche, where the noble flight -of steps once mounted the ledge, we came to an irregular open space, now -roofless, but with doorways almost perfect and well-preserved window -penetrations. From this passages lead into towers on the edge of the -precipice, and into a small vaulted chapel, where rows of Byzantine -saints cover the walls with dim visions of red and yellow, their halos -now but circlets of rough holes where jewels were once embedded in the -mortar, and their rigid countenances<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92">{92}</a></span> disfigured by the weathering of -centuries of storms and frosts that have fought nature’s battle on this -bleak and dizzy crag. The northern wall of the open space just alluded -to is a solid ledge of rock hewn square and true, and in this wall is an -opening like a doorway, but bearing no traces of hinges or of any other -contrivance to close it, which leads into a spacious room cut out of the -hard stone. If this was the place where Richard Cœur de Lion was -confined, not only could no minstrel song ever have reached his ears, -but no sound of the world outside the castle less startling than the -crash of thunder ever have broken the hateful quiet of this rock -dungeon. The summit of the ledge is reached by a narrow stairway, -casually twisting and turning as the inequalities of the surface -dictated to the builder, and bears traces of a much-worn passageway and -of huge floor-beams. This was once enclosed by walls of great height and -exceptional solidity. From the ordinary indications of construction it -is proper to assume that here was the original building, enlarged and -altered a good deal since the twelfth century, but still preserving much -of its old shape. Portions of huge towers and jagged edges of apartment -walls, where immense pieces were blown out and down into the chasm below -when the Swedes destroyed this stronghold in the Thirty Years’ War, now -alone remain to give a meagre idea of its grandeur and unique strength. -Unapproachable except across the narrow depressed ridge behind the -summit, and this entrance defended by overhanging towers and a series of -walls, it withstood many sieges, and no doubt harbored many a robber -baron whose descendants now enjoy the titles and wealth which throw a -dazzling glamour over the methods of their acquisition.</p> - -<p>For a long time we enjoyed to the full the view up the defile and down -the broad valley where the river, spreading out into a net-work of small -streams, disappears in a screen<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93">{93}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 496px;"> -<a name="ill_40" id="ill_40"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_046_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_046_sml.jpg" width="496" height="432" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DÜRRENSTEIN</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94">{94}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95">{95}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">of wooded islands. Away to the south-east the great Benedictine -monastery of Göttweig shows an imposing mass of white on the rounded -hills that bound the Tullnfeld, and stretch off to mingle their summits -with the broad, dark patch of the Wienerwald in the extreme distance. -Far beyond the low islands lies Tulln, one of the oldest towns on the -Danube, the Comagenæ of the Romans, referred to in the “Niebelungenlied” -as an important place, and of historical interest as the point where the -great army assembled in 1683 to deliver Vienna from the hands of the -hated Turk. Dotted along the hill-sides and in the broad valley on the -left bank of the river are many prosperous little towns.</p> - -<p>The insidious influence of the guide-book stole upon us unawares as we -began to ponder over the history of the region within the range of our -uninterrupted vision. Our imaginations, stimulated now by the mention of -these names, wandered from the realities of the Napoleonic campaigns, -through the dim traditions of crusading days, back to the times when the -Roman fleets crowded the narrow channels at the busy stations on the -river-bank. The germ of latent restlessness thus grew like a noxious -fungus in our minds; contentment and peace vanished like a faint odor. -This history was but stale, and the study of it unprofitable. Myths and -legends were like poetry and music, to be taken only when the spirit -yearns for them. Reality is now before us; teeming modern life awaits us -beyond those distant hills. A new nervousness and a new ambition of -progress are upon us—new because there opened to our mental vision, at -the mention of Islam, broad and fascinating vistas of the Orient, of -strange lands and stranger peoples, of types new to our pencils, of -colors to tempt the strongest tints on our palettes.</p> - -<p>Vienna, hidden from us by the dark mass of the Wienerwald, is, for us at -least, the last station before that myste<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96">{96}</a></span>rious East towards which the -resistless current rushes below us, and whither our impatient canoes -shall carry us through bewitching plains of Hungary, wild Carpathian -gorges, and savage regions of Servia, Bulgaria, Roumania, and Russia, to -the shores of the Black Sea. What a force the very mention of these -names has upon us, and how we chafe at a moment’s delay! Castles and -churches will keep, but what of that great mysterious land beyond those -distant hills? Railroads have scarred the fertile plains, and have made -the remote valleys and mountain gorges hideous with iron and raw stone. -Customs have changed and costumes have disappeared. Even the Turk, so -long the master of the lower Danube, has now sullenly withdrawn to the -Bosporus and the Dardanelles. We must get on, for in our impatience it -seems as if these changes are but the work of a day, not of a -generation, and unless we hasten we shall be too late.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;"> -<a name="ill_41" id="ill_41"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_047_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_047_sml.jpg" width="362" height="196" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM DÜRRENSTEIN TO BUDAPEST</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Many and many a time had we roundly cursed the canalization of the river -which gave us for a water-line only the dull angle of a stone dike. But -after leaving the village of Dürrenstein, which at the last moment we -found, to our surprise, to be a favorite resort of Viennese artists, and -after a brief pause for luncheon at Stein, with its obnoxious river<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97">{97}</a></span> -improvements, we found ourselves very glad to follow the stone dikes -through the maze of channels, and later in the day to utilize the -stone-work in a way we had never anticipated. We were swept along by a -current so rapid that our pace permitted no hesitation in the choice of -route among the monotonous willow islands. Through openings in the trees -along the bank we occasionally saw pleasant villas and clusters of -houses reflected in the glassy lagoons, and here and there a sportsman -in search of wild-fowl paddled along behind the dike. Sudden wind and -rain squalls swept across the river in the late afternoon, rudely -interrupting our sentimental meditations, and approaching darkness -forced us at last to land. Under the friendly lee of bushes growing in -the crevices of the masonry embankment we at last succeeded in checking -our too willing canoes, and drew them up reluctantly, and only after it -was evident that we had to choose between the ragged platform of the -dike and the sodden swamps which extended for miles away from the main -stream. It must be understood, by-the-way, that the embankments follow -the large curves of the main channel, not forming a continuous dike like -that along a canal or a polder, but leaving here and there an opening -where the stiller water from the artificial lagoons joins the flowing -stream. In these side branches or lagoons the water is frequently clear -and pellucid, and in them, indeed, we found the first and only “blue -Danube” we had seen from the start. Our visions of the sunny East had -been forgotten in the struggle with the violent squalls and at the -prospect of a night on the water, and as we hauled the canoes up on the -firm stone-work of the dike and explored the snail-infested morass -behind it, we accepted the unæsthetic situation on the well-drained -platform, and were even grateful to the engineers who had spoiled the -river for sketching, but had improved it, at this point at least, for -camping pur<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98">{98}</a></span>poses. In the alder swamp behind our camp a great gushing -spring of clean Danube water, filtering through the dike, abundantly -supplied this the most desirable luxury of a bivouac. There is more than -one compensation, we thought, for this annoying desecration of the river -scenery.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 444px;"> -<a name="ill_42" id="ill_42"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_048_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_048_sml.jpg" width="444" height="125" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>LUMBER RAFT</p></div> -</div> - -<p>With the brilliant sunshine and drying air of the next morning returned -the eager anticipations of the day before. The river was full of life. -Great flat-boats and rafts, old friends from the river Traun, drifted -past us as we prepared to start. The raftsmen laboring at the great -sweeps gave us the morning greetings with a true ring of hearty and -honest good-will, and shouted “Auf baldiges Wiedersehen” as they swung -along down the reach. We had long since learned that the old adage that -the race is not always to the swift might be as well illustrated by the -active canoe and the cumbersome raft as by the hare and the tortoise, -and we knew that while we were giving our boats their morning toilet the -rafts would be surging along at the rate of three or four miles an hour, -and would reach their destination near Vienna long before we should.</p> - -<p>Tulln, seldom visited by the traveller on account of the superior -attractions of Vienna, has more than one relic which repays careful -examination and study. Adjoining the much-restored church stands a small -decagonal Byzantine baptistery, with circular interior not over twenty -feet in diame<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99">{99}</a></span>ter. An Early Gothic doorway grafted on the original -edifice, and a complete restoration of the whole as late as 1873, have -not essentially altered its general appearance, for the naïve -irregularity of its plan, the noble proportion of its sides, and the -purity of its characteristic ornamentation survive all the -eccentricities of ancient as well as modern tinkering. The great church -has been distorted by successive additions and rebuildings during -several centuries, and little remains of its original Byzantine dignity. -As for the little dull town itself, the name, familiar to us in poetry -as well as in the recorded events of history, is the chief proof to the -casual observer that it is one of the oldest, and was for a long time -one of the most important, towns on the Danube. Many of the houses are -probably built out of material quarried from the ancient palaces and -fine old mediæval churches which, ruined in the severe sieges and -conflagrations, had yielded up the treasures of stone and marble which -the wanton destruction of Roman temples had contributed to their -erection. Little of the spirit of that ancient architecture has survived -the change and destruction, for modern Tulln is as plain and meagre of -invention as stone and mortar can make it. Of all the great Roman -buildings which once stood here, a single broken altar, moss-grown and -neglected, in the shadow of the baptistery, remains as a monument to the -early splendor of this provincial town. By what chance it has escaped -the stone-mason’s hammer no one can tell. Perhaps the delicate lines of -its mouldings and the grace of its shattered figures may have secured it -a place among the paraphernalia of the Byzantine church, and thus it had -lost its identity as a relic of heathen worship. Would that the mute -eloquence of its pathetic beauty had the voice of a brazen trumpet to -denounce the modern restorer, whose touch is death to the charms of all -art!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100">{100}</a></span></p> - -<p>The commonplace aspect of the river-front let us down gently to the -ugliness of the railway bridge, which stretches its rigid arm across the -fine reach of the river just below Tulln, and screens with its hideous -framework the beauties of the landscape below. The up-river navigation -became hideously mechanical as well. Puffing, crawling, wheelless -steamers groaned and clanked as they pulled their ugly black hulks -against the current by a long chain lying in the bed of the stream. Huge -iron barges, the most helpless of monsters without the partnership of a -tug, added their shapeless masses to the procession of mechanical freaks -that indicated the proximity of a large manufacturing city. Distracted -by these new dangers to our navigation, and by the vigorous opposition -of a strong head-wind, we had scarcely time to notice the great -vine-clad hill which crowds the river on the right bank, and shelters -under its towering declivity the extensive Augustinian abbey of -Klosterneuberg, before we found ourselves slipping along a high -stone-faced quay, and saw in the smoky distance the great rotunda on the -Prater in Vienna, and the straight lines of the numerous railway bridges -there. In the little village of Kahlenbergerdorf our waterman instincts -led us to a humble inn, where we found, to our delight, all the raftsmen -we had been meeting since the camp at the mouth of the Traun, assembled -for their mid-day meal, and for a final friendly glass before returning -up-river to start again on another downward voyage. We needed not to -know their names; they did not even ask us ours, nor desire to learn -about our customary occupation; the masonic bonds of kindred experiences -and similar trials and dangers of the long journey made us friends -without further introduction. They were old water-rats, they said, and -though we could claim to be but the tiniest mice of aquatic tastes, our -parting with them in the flickering shadows of the garden, surrounded by -bri<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101">{101}</a></span>gades of beer-glasses, was tinged with a genuine regret that we -should no longer hear their cheery voices of a morning, nor see their -honest faces again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102">{102}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-v.png" -width="80" -alt="V" /></span>IENNA offers an unsightly water-front to the Danube navigator. A -succession of huge passenger and railway bridges span the river, and but -for the constant busy traffic seen upon them would appear unnecessarily -numerous in full proportion to their ugliness. At one end they touch the -marshy, desolate shores of the great plain of the Marschfeld, which -stretches away to Hainburg and Theben at the Hungarian frontier, and at -the other their solid piers and embankments either stand isolated on -waste ground, or are supported by ragged and scattered settlements along -the bank, with here and there a huge manufactory. From the level of the -water a broad veil of smoke rising above the trees is the only visible -indication of the proximity of the great city, except it be the bridges -themselves and the numerous tow-boats and excursion steamers. The city -lies in a semicircular valley between the hills of the Wienerwald and -the Danube on both sides of the little river Wien, which drains the -hills to the west and empties its muddy flood into the Danube three or -four miles below the city. The northern angle of this little stream, in -the very heart of Vienna, is connected by a canal with the Danube at -some distance above the town, and the Wien has been canalized and -enlarged from its junction with the canal to its mouth, so that there is -a practicable waterway through the town. The large Danube passenger -boats cannot enter the canal, however, but are waited upon by small -steamers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103">{103}</a></span> which connect with them at the mouth of the Wien. The great -park, the Prater, where the International Exhibition of 1873 was held, -and a broad flat of rough land adjoining, separate the city from the -broad Danube, which, with wonderfully rapid current, rushes off to the -east towards the distant hills which mark the Hungarian frontier.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 243px;"> -<a name="ill_43" id="ill_43"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_050_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_050_sml.jpg" width="243" height="305" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A LITTLE GIRL OF HAINBURG</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement called Vindobona, which the -Romans seized in the second decade of this era and made into a military -post. From the end of the Roman occupation at the close of the sixth -century until the beginning of the eleventh century, the town -practically disappeared from history. During the Crusades, however, it -increased in size and wealth with great rapidity, and since that time -has frequently been the scene of important historical events, not only -in the wars with the Mahometans, but in more recent times. The -Marschfeld, close at hand, has been a favorite tilting ground for -hostile nations from earliest history down to the Napoleonic campaign, -when the battles of Aspern and Wagram were fought here. Vienna has its -share of stock sights—the beautiful Cathedral of St. Stephen, numerous -historical buildings, including the little house where Richard Cœur de -Lion was captured, seldom visited by travellers;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104">{104}</a></span> extensive and -monumental public edifices; immense collections of historical relics; -superb galleries of works of art, ancient and modern, and places of -entertainment and amusement more numerous in proportion to its -population than in any other city in Europe. Its citizens comprise a -score of nationalities, most of whom represent distinct and important -elements in the composition of the empire.</p> - -<p>The casual traveller will notice first in Vienna the great speed of the -cabs and the skill of the drivers, the wonderfully adorned dray-horses, -the prevalence of the kerchief as a head-covering among the women, the -shop signs in a dozen languages, the perfect system of tram-ways and -omnibuses, and the sudden contrast between the broad and spacious -thoroughfares outside the fine boulevards, the Ring Strasse, and the old -town within this limit. Even more than Paris, Vienna is essentially a -city of apartment-houses and restaurants. These have always been -distinct features of Viennese life, and the great rage for building -which culminated in the panic at the time of the International -Exhibition was induced by the popularity of new apartment-houses which -seemed to foretell a great demand for them during the exhibition and -later. In consequence of this fever for building, numberless immense -caravansaries of apartment-houses were erected in all the new quarters, -and the advantages of cheapness and comfort offered by these houses have -effectually stifled any tendency among the people of the middle class -towards separate residences. One peculiarity of the apartment system in -Vienna is the long-established custom of closing the main door at ten -o’clock in the evening. After that hour the concierge has the right to -collect ten kreutzers (5 cents) from every occupant or visitor who -enters the door. He seldom or never waives this privilege. How long this -relic of social life of the Middle Ages will last is a much discussed -question in Vienna itself.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105">{105}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 314px;"> -<a name="ill_44" id="ill_44"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_051_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_051_sml.jpg" width="314" height="201" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PEASANT WAGON, HAINBURG</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Acquaintance with the common people in Vienna is made difficult by the -atrocious dialect of German they speak there. The popular resorts of the -artisan classes, with their musical and theatrical entertainments by -local performers of talent, are always amusing, but the wit and humor of -the programme is entirely lost to any one who is unfamiliar with the -patois. The prevalence of the harsh sound of the letter “X” is one of -the most noticeable features of this patois, and a story is told which -illustrates the use of this sound and also the manner in which the -adopted citizens of the town acquire the common speech. A Hungarian was -overheard giving a compatriot assistance in German, and in the course of -his lesson he said: “You’ll have to learn a new letter before you can -speak German as well as I do. For example, when you drink a glass of -beer in a party you must say ‘Xundheit! (Gesundheit) an die ganz’ -‘Xellschaft! (Gesellschaft).’<span class="lftspc">”</span> The Viennese are famous for their keen -enjoyment and appreciation of humor, a reputation which is borne out by -the popular support given to numberless comic papers, profusely -illustrated, and all of them full of local<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106">{106}</a></span> hits. The life of the people -is best seen on a holiday in the Wurstel Prater, a sort of Viennese -Coney Island, or Crystal Palace, where all sorts of out-of-door -entertainments are in progress. Here may be studied the characteristic -costumes of many nationalities and of many districts, and a more -interesting collection of types cannot be found in Europe. The environs -of Vienna are particularly attractive. The great formal park and palace -of Schönbrunn and of Laxenburg, the rural beauties of Kahlenberg, and -the charms of the vine-growing district along the southern slopes of the -hills near the town, all attract crowds of merrymakers on every pleasant -holiday.</p> - -<p>We did not attempt to enter the Danube canal with our canoes, but -paddled down to the boat-house of the Lia Ruder Verein near the third -great bridge over the main stream. Here we found a delegation of the -club to welcome us, for our probable arrival had been announced to them, -and the whole establishment was put at once at our disposal. Our canoes -found shelter and healing varnish for their wounds and were stored in -the company of forty-eight racing boats, from the eight-oar to the -single-scull, while we were carried off bodily by the members of the -club and comfortably installed in a hotel. The inexhaustible hospitality -and cheery companionship of the members of the Lia Ruder Verein would -never tire our muse were we to start the song agoing. This hospitality, -not only general, but particular and special, so gilded our stay in the -city that the bitterness of parting from Danube and canoes gave but a -flavor to the joys of congenial society. One perfect summer morning we -saw the last of the club-house as we shot the railway bridge and cast a -hasty glance past the bellying mizzen of the bounding canoe. No less -absorbing feeling than the glorious sense of freedom and -irresponsibility as we found ourselves again on the river would have -excused to our consciences<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107">{107}</a></span> the joy we felt at leaving Vienna. But the -memory of its kindness and courtesy has survived all ephemeral -sentiments.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 365px;"> -<a name="ill_45" id="ill_45"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_052_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_052_sml.jpg" width="365" height="258" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A HUNGARIAN FERRY</p></div> -</div> - -<p>After a short half-day’s paddle down a tossing current, past scores of -floating mills and along miles of stone embankments, we came to the -point where the hills again close in from both sides and form a wall -along the eastern horizon. Though less imposing than some other mountain -ranges we had passed, and, indeed, very narrow where it touches the -river, this is the barrier where for many centuries constant and -successful resistance was kept up against the advance of the Mahometans. -Here for a long time was the extreme eastern bulwark of Christendom, the -advance outposts of the West; and here, after countless campaigns, the -hereditary enemy suffered the crushing defeats which, a little over a -century and a half ago, marked the beginning of the decline of his power -in Europe. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108">{108}</a></span> gateway to the great Carpathian plain, and the -political as well as geographical frontier of Hungary, is as perfect a -natural rampart as could be imagined. At the very river’s edge rise, on -either bank, high isolated hills, covered now with masses of ruins, but -formerly part of a complete system of fortifications perfectly -commanding the river from both sides. These fortifications enclosed, as -the ruins now plainly show, the little town of Hainburg, on the right -bank, and Theben, a few miles below on the other side of the river, the -highest Danube town in the Hungarian kingdom.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 257px;"> -<a name="ill_46" id="ill_46"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_053_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_053_sml.jpg" width="257" height="320" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE WIENERTHOR, HAINBURG</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The sentimental spirit generated in us on the occasion of the happy -visit to Dürrenstein, though veiled a little by the distractions of -Vienna, was now stimulated afresh as we landed in Hainburg. We had -accidentally chosen it as a place for a few days’ quiet work, and found -that we had stumbled unawares into a little walled town full of -archæological and historical interest. Through an ancient arched gateway -near the railway station, Blutgasse (blood lane) winds steeply up -between crowded whitewashed houses to a broad open square,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109">{109}</a></span> where a -large church with intricately ugly copper-covered spire throws a shadow -over rows of peasant women squatting on the pavement beside their -baskets of market stuff, their blue dresses and bright kerchiefs adding -an agreeable note of color to the blond tones of the surrounding -architecture. Blutgasse! No stretch of the imagination is required to -picture the carnage when the Turks, hunting the inoffensive citizens -through the streets with fanatical ferocity, left only one alive to tell -the tale. This narrow lane, offering a possible escape to the river, was -piled high with headless corpses, and the blood ran in streams under the -oaken gate into the turbid river, which washed the foundations of the -town walls. Tradition says that the one survivor was a woman, who hid -herself, with a small store of provisions, in a disused chimney, where -for three days she listened to the horrid sounds of the massacre.</p> - -<p>During the long centuries while history is silent this little town, with -the neighboring region, has been the theatre of many another thrilling -and dramatic episode now only faintly echoing in the murmur of -tradition. On the whole length of this great water highway there has -been no busier spot than this from the time when the goaded slaves first -towed the ponderous Roman galleys against the rushing stream up to its -docks until its complete destruction in the struggle against the Turks. -Indeed, the whole neighboring country bears abundant witness to the -importance of this point. Extensive Roman remains are scattered all over -the fertile plateau a short distance above Hainburg, near the village of -Deutsch-Altenburg and Petronell, where Carnuntum once stood. Military -engineers, since the earliest mediæval days, have burned the shattered -marbles for lime, and have built into hastily constructed defences tiles -and mouldings, capitals and cornices; and in times of peace the local -masons, with more deliberation and less excuse, have completed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110">{110}</a></span> work -of destruction. Recent archæological explorations have uncovered the -ruins of an amphitheatre, of villas and baths, and latterly a -commendable local interest has been taken in these relics, a proof of -which is the popularity of the little museum where are stored a -multitude of objects of Roman origin. The farmers now point with pride -to the crumbling ruins of the great triumphal arch, which they but -recently considered an unsightly excrescence on the fair surface of a -broad wheat-field, and speak of Carnuntum as familiarly as if its -glories were but of recent date.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 345px;"> -<a name="ill_47" id="ill_47"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_054_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_054_sml.jpg" width="345" height="179" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE TOWN WALL, HAINBURG</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Nearer Hainburg the hill-sides are scored with grassy mounds of ancient -earthworks, and on the high, isolated peak behind the town the extensive -ruin of a mediæval castle is a landmark visible for many miles both up -and down the river. Immense Government tobacco factories and a school -for military cadets have somewhat disturbed the mediæval aspect of the -streets, and a railway has ruthlessly cut through the walls, and trains -crunch and rumble high up on a row of ugly arches that disfigure the -quay. The old side walls, with frequent towers of irregular shape and at -various angles, converge from the water-front, and, narrowing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111">{111}</a></span> town -limits as they go, join by a solid cross wall at the foot of the hill, -and then clamber up the precipitous, rugged declivity to the angles of -the great château which covers every yard of the summit. The hill itself -is gay with numberless varieties of wild-flowers and shrubs—a -botanist’s paradise. In Alfred Parsons’ botanical note-book is the -following information concerning this region:</p> - -<p>“The Schlossberg behind the town of Hainburg is very rich in plants—one -large rock garden. On it grow several kinds of sedum and campanula, -dwarf iris, coronilla, genista, two species of dianthus (one of which -has white fringed petals and a very strong scent), a yellow and a pink -allium, wall-rue, thalictrum, and many other plants and shrubs. In the -woods around the town are pyrola, hepatica, Turk’s-cap lily, and there I -also noticed a very handsome leaf of an umbelliferous plant. The -bladder-nut is a common shrub, and on the borders of the woods grows a -melampyrum with yellow flowers which turn orange when older, and have a -tuft of bright mauve leaves above them. Masses of this, with the slender -white spikes of the small St. Bruno’s lily (<i>Anthericum liliastrum</i>) -growing up through it, had a very beautiful effect. In the cornfields -grow poppies and daisy-like flowers, also a beautiful annual larkspur -with purple and blue flowers, and a pale, bluish-white nigella. On the -stony slopes at Theben I first saw an everlasting flower with -pinkish-mauve blossoms, which grows abundantly east of this point. The -commonest flowers on the sandy patches near the river are the yellow -snap-dragon (butter and eggs), pink ononis, and a pale-green eryngium, -very prickly. In the meadow at the mouth of the Raab I saw <i>Eryngium -amethystum</i>, and a herbaceous clematis, drooping flowers with blue -petals and a yellow centre.”</p> - -<p>From the ruined walls, high above the quiet town and the glittering -expanse of the river, threading its intricate way<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112">{112}</a></span> through the flat and -fertile plain to the shadowy heights rising above the smoke of Vienna, -we could look far beyond the castle-crowned rocks of Theben and the -great hill of Pressburg, over the rich plain of Hungary checkered with -growing crops, stretching away to a mysterious horizon distant as the -sky itself. The wooded hills of the boundary range tempted us with their -shady paths and wealth of wild-flowers, and we found new beauties at -every turn, new delights in every glimpse of the fertile valleys, where -whitewashed villages shimmered in the sunlight among the yellow fields -of ripening corn. On rare occasions we met Hungarian peasant men with -queer hussar jackets and breeches, round hats with cockade of badger -hair, and wonderfully high-heeled boots, and sturdy peasant women with -stiff, outstanding short skirts, and high riding-boots like the -men—skirmishers of the host of novel types and costumes the Danube had -in store for us. Steep and narrow footways lead over the hills three -miles or so to the nearest village of Hundsheim, which, quite off the -highway, and therefore as yet unspoiled by the touch of the modern -architect, is so perfect a specimen of a rural hamlet, practically -unchanged since mediæval times, that we made it the goal of our evening -expeditions. Here, as in all the neighboring villages, it has been the -custom, dating from the early days of conflict with the Turk, to build -the houses each like a tiny castle, with court-yard and arched gateway, -with few and often no windows on the street, and solid high walls on all -sides. At Hundsheim two parallel irregular streets straggle down -opposite sides of a stony stream which serves as a public washing-place, -and furnishes abundant water for all purposes. Each house is like its -neighbor in main lines, differing only in unimportant details. All are -whitewashed with scrupulous care, and although the streets are little -more than rough gullies, there is a refreshing air of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113">{113}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 443px;"> -<a name="ill_48" id="ill_48"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_055_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_055_sml.jpg" width="443" height="400" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HUNDSHEIM</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114">{114}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115">{115}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">prosperity about the place. The inhabitants cultivate the rich fields -for miles around the village, pasture their countless sheep and cattle -on the adjacent mountain-sides, and at night gather live-stock and farm -wagons into the enclosure of each tiny castle and retire behind its -ponderous gates as if the Turk were still a threatening enemy.</p> - -<p>One bright morning—the 27th of July, to be accurate—a crowd of -new-made friends assembled to see us pack the canoes and launch them in -the eddying stream. The hospitable miller, who had housed the delicate -craft for us in an empty shed, had not kept secret the hour of our -departure, and there were hundreds watching us as we hoisted sail to -cross the frontier with speed and in sporting style. A short half-hour, -past bold cliffs and picturesque ruins on one side and a wooded bank on -the other, brought us to the muddy March, pouring a sluggish, muddy -flood into the yellow Danube. In another moment we landed in Hungary, -under the overhanging ruins of the great Castle of Theben, which, with -its fellow at Hamburg, guarded the entrance to the wealthy kingdoms -along the great water highway. In the little whitewashed town, crowded -into a narrow valley behind the castle, the musical accent of the Magyar -tongue confirmed to our ears what our eyes had readily discovered—the -presence of another type of face, of figure, and of character. The -aspect of the village, too, was new to us, and suggested a warmer sun, -longer summer, and habitual out-of-door life. We saw little gardens -filled with bright flowers, tiny court-yards, with tables and benches -shaded by trellises of grape-vines and gourds, and met a cheery -hospitality at the rude inn, where Maria, the shy beauty of the village, -soon forgot her coyness in her delight at our enjoyment of the spicy -viands new to our palates. In kerchief and short petticoat, she had no -rival between the ruins of Petronell and the château of Pressburg; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116">{116}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 370px;"> -<a name="ill_49" id="ill_49"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_056_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_056_sml.jpg" width="370" height="394" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>GOSSIPS, HUNDSHEIM</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">when she hesitatingly yielded to our importunities for a sitting, and -appeared, after a brief absence, in black silk frock, booted and gloved, -and with parasol in hand, our pencils were too loyal to her peasant -charms to attempt the caricature. No visitors of our nationalities had -left any impressions on the minds of the simple folk here, but the -mention of England and America was, as it always is in Hungary, our best -introduction. The active sympathies of these two countries with the -people struggling for freedom<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117">{117}</a></span> in ’48 are still gratefully remembered by -the whole nation, and the traditions of that sympathy are handed down -loyally to the rising generation. At the post-office, where we went to -buy our first Hungarian stamps, the gossiping old postmaster and his -wife—characters not unfamiliar in the rural offices in other -countries—were so overwhelmed by the extent of our requirements and the -number of our letters that the wheels of official machinery refused to -work at all. After they had carefully read all the addresses, and had -marvelled long at the range of our correspondence, we succeeded in -communicating to their dazed senses the fact that we wanted to buy a -stock of stamps of various denominations.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 253px;"> -<a name="ill_50" id="ill_50"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_057_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_057_sml.jpg" width="253" height="343" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE WATCH-TOWER, THEBEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>“What! so much money for stamps? Impossible!” protested the old man and -his echoing wife. “You are already sending away florins’ and florins’ -worth on these letters!”</p> - -<p>“But we want a stock of stamps to keep for our convenient use,” we -urged. “Yes, yes, you want to use them; but why don’t you buy them as -you need them?” was the reply, as he shut the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118">{118}</a></span> drawer under his elbow, -apparently loath to part with any of its precious contents.</p> - -<p>Arguments were useless, and we gave up the notion of securing a variety, -and tempered our demand to a humble request for a few ten-kreutzer -stamps for foreign postage.</p> - -<p>“Ah, no!” he said. “I can’t let you have any ten-kreutzer stamps, for -the sheets haven’t been broken into yet, and it is near the end of the -month, when I make up my books, and I can’t have my accounts confused by -selling ten-kreutzer stamps to any one.”</p> - -<p>We compromised on a double number of five-kreutzer stamps, the ones in -use for local postage, and ornamented our envelopes with effigies of -Franz Josef until they looked like the walls of a chromo-dealer’s shop.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119">{119}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-s.png" -width="80" -alt="S" /></span>TURDY girls, returning from market with veritable Eiffel towers of -empty tubs on their backs, strode up the steep banks from the landing as -we fled from the enervating luxuries of the inn at Theben and hastened -to paddle towards the busy little town of Pressburg, boasting a new -railway bridge, as ugly a château as man has ever devised, and as -pleasant parks and gardens as ever soldier and nursery-maid chose for -their public flirtations. It claims as its chief historical distinction -the honor of having crowned within its walls the Hungarian kings since -the dynasty was founded. It is a gay little place, with tastefully -decorated shop-windows, and signs everywhere in the Hungarian language. -In a brief two hours’ paddle we had passed beyond the limit of a -distorted dialect of German, and now heard only the soft music of the -Magyar speech. No phase of our journeying was more interesting than the -experience with this abrupt philological frontier.</p> - -<p>Below Pressburg the Danube branches into three sinuous arms, cutting the -great low plain into two long irregular islands, little better than -swamps for the most part—at least, as far as our horizon extended. The -canalization of the river, which practically comes to an end in this -territory, makes the channel quite plain, and diverts the flow of water -from the tortuous branches where the villages cluster on the muddy -banks. On the first day after leaving Pressburg the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120">{120}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 242px;"> -<a name="ill_51" id="ill_51"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_059_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_059_sml.jpg" width="242" height="449" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PEASANT GIRL, THEBEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">active arguments of hunger persuaded us to explore one of these lagoons -in search of an inn, and after a while we came upon a straggling -collection of low shingled houses gathered into the semblance of a -village by low fences of wattled willow. With a microscopic vocabulary -of Hungarian words we succeeded in getting food to satisfy our colossal -appetites, and in holding the friendliest relations with the bronzed -peasants, who were fast courting oblivion through the medium of strong -wine in the Italian-like hostlery. Here we first made acquaintance with -Hungarian dust and Danube mud, an intimacy which ripened as we went on, -until at last no adjectives would fitly apply to the one or describe the -disgusting characteristics of the other. The willow, too, in this first -great flat stretch forced itself on our notice, and began to aggravate -us with its monotony, turning an otherwise agreeable landscape into a -series of object-lessons in simple perspective. But even the willow came -to an end here after a while, and for an agreeable change we welcomed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121">{121}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 432px;"> -<a name="ill_52" id="ill_52"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_060_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_060_sml.jpg" width="432" height="172" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HUNGARIAN CATTLE</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">an open country, with broken mud banks, where we heard the plaintive -music of shepherds’ pipes, saw stalwart swineherds against the sky, and -startled, as we drifted past, great droves of wild-looking cattle -cooling themselves in the shallows. The life on the bank became at -intervals more busy, and all sorts of domestic operations were carried -on in the open air along the muddy shores. Whole families splashed about -in the shallow water as little heedful of our presence as if we belonged -to them. The River Raab sneaks into the Danube in the guise of a lesser -side lagoon, and but for our delightful flower-carpeted camp in sight of -the group of barges at its mouth and within the sound of the tattoo of -many mills, we should scarcely remember it as a feature of our trip. A -brief pause at Komorn, regular and uninteresting architecturally as most -Hungarian towns are, did not increase our desire for exploration, and we -voted, since our time was limited, to land in the future only at places -which, smaller and less Germanized by the commerce of the river, would -probably be more characteristic and picturesque. But the great Cathedral -of Gran—Esztergom is the sonorous Hungarian name—rising above the -ruins of a great brick fortress on a prominent height among vineyard -slopes, made<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122">{122}</a></span> us accept a speedy amendment to this resolution, and under -the lee of its bridge of boats we drew up alongside of one of the great -arks which recall the naval architecture of the pre-deluge period. We -sampled the characteristic cookery of its famous restaurant, and passed -an hour or two of wild excitement over the wonderful colors in the -market-place, where shoulder-high heaps of scarlet paprika (big sweet -peppers) set the key for a combination of rich and varied tones that -would have exhausted the palette of an old Venetian painter; and when at -last an inviting breeze rippled the water, we forced ourselves away and -sailed down the beautiful reaches among grand hills, our eyes still full -of the kaleidoscopic sparkle of enchanting Esztergom.</p> - -<p>Our frisky boats lost the breeze in the narrow, crooked defile below, -and we settled ourselves to a quiet drift under the great ruins of -Visegrád, where villas, bath-houses, and a level road, gay with ladies -and children, marked the little village as the first sybaritic outpost -of Budapest. Preoccupied with the beauties of the scenery, we did not at -first notice the frantic waving of the Union-jack in the hands of some -one on the shore, but we soon turned our bows in the direction of this -unmistakable invitation to land, and were welcomed on shore by an -English gentleman, a summer resident there, who explained that, having -read of our trip in a Vienna newspaper, he and his family had been on -the watch for us for many days. Such hearty hospitality as he offered us -could not be refused, although it was the Delilah to our Samson strength -of purpose, and we went ashore. A party of ladies and gentlemen was -speedily formed, and we made an excursion up the hill, through pleasant -groves and along shady paths, to the ruins of the old castle of the -Hungarian kings, who resided here as early as the eleventh century. -Matthew Corvinus enlarged and improved the castle, and it was long the -chief stronghold of this region. The royal<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123">{123}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a name="ill_53" id="ill_53"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_061_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_061_sml.jpg" width="500" height="295" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>GRAN (ESZTERGOM)</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124">{124}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125">{125}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">crown of Hungary was once concealed in a deep pit cut in the solid rock -under one of the towers, and there are various other notable historical -legends connected with the place. Another castle near the water’s edge, -although it is partially restored, had a sentimental interest for us -because we were informed that it had been intended for the summer -residence of the unfortunate Prince Leopold. The former -commander-in-chief of the Hungarian army in the revolution of 1848, -General Görgei, lives quietly in a pleasant villa high above the river. -Surrounded by his family and busying himself with all sorts of -mechanical operations, to which he is devoted, the old general appears -to have secured the greatest blessing known to man—contentment. The -weight of the forty odd years that have passed since he gave up his -sword has not bowed his straight figure, and his dark eyes still have -the fire of youth in them. At his own request we went to call on him, -and found him, like all the men of Kossuth’s time, enthusiastically fond -of America, and grateful for the sympathetic aid and comfort of the -whole English-speaking race. Lingering long in his company, the summer -twilight stole upon us before we knew it, and warned us to seek a camp. -The tempting offers of hospitality so heartily given, the fascinations -of the people and the place, and the unique charm of society which is -peculiar to Hungary alone, all these and many other delights made it -next to impossible for us to take our leave. But at last we hardened our -hearts, pushed off, waved a last farewell to the young ladies who -accompanied us a short distance in a wherry, and paddled out into the -glowing twilight.</p> - -<p>The frequent villas that dot the shores below Visegrád we now looked -upon through glasses of different color. Only twenty-four hours before -we would have named them landscape-spoilers, and would have turned our -faces from them as we passed. But we had caught the infection of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126">{126}</a></span> the -happy land; the microbe which, once in possession, never leaves the -willing victim, had begun to attack us, one and all, and we saw possible -friends in every pretty garden and in every luxurious pleasure-boat. At -this moment less than ever did a great city have any attraction for us, -and we wildly planned to cut Budapest altogether, and continue our -joyful cruise down into the great wild region beyond, where the river -life is active and varied, and where our days should be a succession of -pleasant experiences and surprises—where, indeed, we might learn to -know, with an intimacy that only such a free life makes possible, the -people in their unaffected, simple existence.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 428px;"> -<a name="ill_54" id="ill_54"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_062_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_062_sml.jpg" width="428" height="163" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>VISEGRÁD</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Just above Waitzen, a good-sized town with prison and manufactories and -busy quay, with barges and peasant market-boats, the river bends -gracefully around to the south, divides past a long flat island covered -with fertile farms, and then loses itself in the distance where the -grand old fortress on the summit of Blocksberg overhangs the suburb of -Ofen (Buda in Hungarian) on the right bank, and looks down upon the -imposing façades of Pest on the opposite shore. An accident, happy in -its result, but threatening for a moment a painful disaster, made a -pause at Budapest a necessity. Sudden summer thunder-storms swept<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127">{127}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 417px;"> -<a name="ill_55" id="ill_55"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_063_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_063_sml.jpg" width="417" height="623" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SWINEHERD</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128">{128}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129">{129}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">over the river from the cloud-compelling summits in the west, and then -cleared away with a strong wind, which, blowing across the current, soon -stirred up what the ocean pilots would call a “nubbly” sea. The -temptation to hoist sail and triumphantly dash past the populous -waterfront of the great city was not long to be resisted, and soon the -sparkling river was enlivened by three pairs of snow-white sails. -Open-mouthed millers stared at us as we swept past their groaning -floats, throwing up spray like so many yachts. Suddenly a polished -rudder gleamed in the air, following the total eclipse of one of the -canoes, crew and all. A multitude of objects tossed on the waves and -bobbed away down-stream, while the humiliated canoist came up, shining -like a seal, and righted his water-logged craft. A landing was made, not -without difficulty, more soaked and ruined articles were recovered than -it would have been thought possible to stow under the mahogany hatches, -and we were glad to seek refuge, after the canoe was baled out, in the -hospitable boat-house of the Neptune Ruder Verein, a mile or two below -the scene of the accident, among the pleasant groves of the -Margarethen-Insel (Margitsziget).</p> - -<p>We had often remarked that in our independent way of travelling constant -variety was the rule, and monotony of incident never possible. If we -could have had the choice, we certainly would not have introduced -ourselves to the rowing men of the Neptune Verein until our fleet could -have passed inspection with credit. But the unexpected event of a -capsize forced us to swallow our pride, and we accordingly bundled the -wet things out upon the float, and stowed the canoes away among the -slender racing craft in the boat-house. Not only had the accident taken -the bloom off our self-confidence, but it had upset many pet theories -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130">{130}</a></span>which had from the start been quite undisputed. Our blind faith in the -value of india-rubber as a water-proof material had hitherto not been -disturbed, but on this the occasion of the first real test elaborate -rubber boat bags and air-tight hatches only seemed to aggravate the -disaster; for all these contrivances seemed not only to actually suck -the water in, but to hold it perfectly when it was inside. We hereafter -limited our belief in water-proof receptacles to the ordinary -well-corked glass bottle of commerce in which we kept our matches.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 432px;"> -<a name="ill_56" id="ill_56"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_064_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_064_sml.jpg" width="432" height="367" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A FAMILY WASH</p></div> -</div> - -<p>What a medley of gypsy music, song, and csárdás, of beautiful women and -cheery, sympathetic men, of abundant<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131">{131}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 433px;"> -<a name="ill_57" id="ill_57"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_065_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_065_sml.jpg" width="433" height="128" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>AN ARK-BOAT</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">hospitality and general good-fellowship, Budapest now remains to us in -our memory! It wellnigh proved our Capua, for, being only human, we -could but yield to the enchantment. Who shall adequately describe the -fascination of the native gypsy music, with its throbbing, wailing -strains and its intoxicating rhythm? What writer’s pen or artist’s -pencil shall picture the csárdás, with its Oriental action and its -exhilarating intensity? It would be easier to convey by words or by -lines the sense of a strange perfume than to analyze and explain the -charms of the music or the attractions of the dance. Prosaically -described, the csárdás is a dance for one or for any number of couples, -and is performed in a great variety of ways, the partners sometimes -dancing apart and sometimes together. The common fashion we observed -during our brief experience, and the one we naturally indulged in as the -nearest allied to the dancing we were familiar with, is for the lady to -rest her hands on the gentleman’s shoulders, who, in his turn, places -his hands on her waist. A long-cherished admiration for the dance -forbids me to attempt to give any notion of the step or of the vibrating -action of the body, truly interpreting in motion the spirit of the -music, which, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132">{132}</a></span> sweet insinuating melodies, wild and ever wilder -bursts of mad chords, lends the contagion of its tireless vigor to the -dancers, and sways them like reeds by the power of its savage -harmonies.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133">{133}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HERE is the same indefinable charm about Budapest that there is in the -gypsy music. This charm is a spiritual one. The situation of the city is -delightful, the streets are clean, the architecture agreeable, and all -the comforts of life are at the traveller’s command. In these respects -the city is not unlike many others, but in its people it is unique and -always will be as long as the Magyar tongue exists, or a drop of the -rich Eastern blood remains in a descendant of the race. Our experience -in Vienna was but the prologue to the hospitalities at Budapest. Under -the guidance of a host of friends, chief of whom was Mr. Louis Gerster, -the resident Vice-consul of the United States, we saw the town in the -most agreeable manner possible. Visits to the museums of art and of -antiquity, with their stores of treasures; inspection of the famous -wine-cellars, with the miles of wine-butts and millions of bottles; -drives in the parks; an excursion up the river in a special steamer with -ladies and gentlemen, when we danced the csárdás for a day and a night -almost without intermission; a trip down-stream to eat the delicious -sterlet, fresh from the Danube and cooked with paprika, after the -fisherman’s taste—our stay was one round of jollity. But for the -frequent sight of the great river with its hurrying current which urged -us to depart, we might have prolonged our stay until snowfall, such were -the fascinations that encompassed us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134">{134}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 444px;"> -<a name="ill_58" id="ill_58"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_067_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_067_sml.jpg" width="444" height="355" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>COUNTRY MARKET-BOAT, BUDAPEST</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The water-front of Budapest, with its masses of extensive buildings and -its populous quays, is the noblest spectacle of similar order in the -whole course of the Danube. Within the last few years the city has made -marvellous strides in the direction of enlargement and improvement. -Three bridges now cross the river between Pest on the left bank and Buda -on the right, the two principal sections of the town. The upper one is -of iron, on huge stone buttresses, the middle one a graceful -suspension-bridge, built about forty years ago, and the lower of iron, -and built to carry a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135">{135}</a></span> railway and to serve for foot-passengers as well. -Large hotels have been built, a fine new park laid out, new -parliament-houses on the river-front almost completed, the squares and -public places adorned with fountains and statues, and entire new -quarters covered with fine buildings, all within the past fifteen years. -These improvements have worked the modernization of the people as well -as the town, and the native costumes once so common in the streets are -almost a rarity now. The sulphur springs at Buda and on -Margarethen-Insel, famous since Roman times, form one of the chief -attractions to visitors, and afford an uncommon luxury to the residents. -The bathing establishments are of unparalleled extent and great -splendor, particularly on the island, where the delights of the -beautiful park enhance the popularity of the baths. Up to within a few -years there was a large cheap public bath where people of both sexes and -all ages, after having been cupped by an attendant as many times as they -could afford to pay for, according to the old faith in the efficacy of -blood-letting, huddled together, often nearly if not quite naked, in a -large common plunge-basin of steaming sulphur-water, where they remained -for hours, looking like the lost souls in Dante’s “Inferno.” This -promiscuous bathing is now no longer permitted, for this with many other -old customs among the common people has disappeared before the advance -of civilization.</p> - -<p>The sun was well down behind the hills before we launched the canoes on -the day we left Budapest. The strains of the csárdás still echoed in our -ears; our minds were confused by the succession of novel experiences we -had enjoyed during the past four days; the river seemed to rush on with -a giddier swirl than ever before, and a strong head-wind did its best to -discourage our progress. It was not until we had lost sight of the hills -near the city, late on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136">{136}</a></span> following day, that we realized we were now -at length fairly afloat in the heart of the vast open plain which -extends to the Carpathians. The corner of this plain which we had -crossed below Pressburg had given us a hint of what we might expect in -the way of monotonous scenery, but it had disclosed to us little of the -charm of the great river which now enchanted us. High bluffs of firm, -hard earth alternated with stretches of densely-wooded low banks. -Tree-embowered villages nestled long distances apart, under -vineyard-clad slopes, or among fields rich with maize and ripening -wheat. The river began to be the focus of rural activity. Wherever mills -were anchored in the strongest currents, the peasants camped on the -adjoining banks, with ox-carts full of freshly-winnowed corn, awaiting -their turn for the grinding. Women vigorously beating clothes with -wooden mallets enlivened the scene with their laughter and gossip, and -formed fascinating groups, with every combination of rich color. -Everywhere were sunshine and laughter and song. Cries of “Eljen!” -(hurrah!) and “Hova megy?” (where are you going?) greeted us constantly -as we passed, shouting in reply, “Fekete Tengerig” (to the Black Sea). -The cheery vivacity of the people, their unfailing courtesy and -agreeable manners, had won our affectionate admiration from the first, -and the more we came to know them, the more we found reason to honor our -earliest impressions of them.</p> - -<p>The tyranny of limited space forbids lengthy description of more than -one of the many interesting villages we explored in the first day or two -below Budapest, and Duna Földvár of cheerful memory may be taken as a -type of all. The village itself is, like most Hungarian places, a -collection of low houses along broad streets, laid out in rectangular -plan, gullied and dusty, and shaded by rows of small acacia-trees. A -great barren market square forms the usual<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137">{137}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 334px;"> -<a name="ill_59" id="ill_59"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_068_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_068_sml.jpg" width="334" height="290" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>WASHER-WOMEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">prominent feature of the village, and from this arid waste straight, -wide thoroughfares lead out into the open country behind, and casually -end there, like the streets of the great shanty cities in the Far West. -The architectural examples found in Duna Földvár are not notable; -indeed, the inscription over the church door, -“Isten-Gondviselésnyujtottdiszújalakotrám,” was the only detail in -relation to architecture that fixed our attention. A few sleepy -market-women sat in the broad shadow of the ugly town-hall, and, except -for the constant coming and going of many graceful maidens bearing tubs -of Danube water on their heads, there was little or no movement on the -streets. All the life of the village concentrated itself under the sandy -bluff by the river-side. A procession of barefooted girls continually -passed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138">{138}</a></span> along the shore. Peasant men stripped to the waist, with their -divided-skirt-like trousers rolled up into the narrowest compass, washed -their cattle and wagons in the shallow water, while a busy army of men -and women unloaded the barges and carried the heavy freight to the -warehouses. At every available point of the crowded river-front -washerwomen, with their petticoats wet to the waist, stood knee-deep in -the stream, and accompanied their lively chatter with the vigorous -tattoo of their active mallets. In the shadow of the houses near the -landing great piles of watermelons were the centres of groups of all -ages, every individual busy with the luscious, juicy fruit. On all sides -we saw flashing rich color, beautiful types, picturesque costumes, -graceful action, and the bustle of ceaseless activity. The sparkling -river, the brilliant colors glowing in the bright August sun, and the -multitude of figures tempting the pencil fairly dazed us at first, and -we could only rush enthusiastically from point to point, finding each -new group and each new incident more fascinating than the other.</p> - -<p>While we were busy sketching on the river-front a young gentleman -approached, introduced himself, and said he had been sent as the -emissary of a party of ladies and gentlemen who were about to go on a -picnic excursion, and desired the honor of our company. They had heard -all about our cruise from the Budapest papers, he added, and were -anxious to show us some attention. We felt obliged to decline the -invitation, for the day was fast advancing, and the subjects before us -were both fascinating and numerous, and the young man, with proper -apologies for disturbing us, withdrew. Towards the end of the afternoon -we paddled off, much depressed by the necessity of leaving practically -untouched the wealth of picturesque material in the little river town, -and, indeed, very loath to seek a camp. Just after we rounded the point -below the town we heard the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139">{139}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 494px;"> -<a name="ill_60" id="ill_60"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_069_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_069_sml.jpg" width="494" height="345" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DUNA FÜLDVÁR</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140">{140}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141">{141}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">strains of gypsy music, and soon caught sight of a large boat filled -with ladies and gentlemen, apparently waiting for us in mid-stream. In a -few moments we were alongside, and were very much pleased to find that -it was the same picnic party which had begged for the honor of our -presence some hours before. Indeed, it came out that the polite emissary -had lingered about and watched our departure, and then had hurried on -horseback to warn the party of our approach. We suffered ourselves to be -piloted ashore, where, in a pleasant grove by the water’s edge we found -a large table spread, a dancing-floor arranged, and everything in order -for a genuine Hungarian festivity. A band of ten gypsies furnished the -music, a dozen young ladies, with as many young gentlemen, a few men of -middle age and a proper number of chaperons, made up the party, and it -comprised, as we soon found out, the professional men of the town—the -lawyers and doctors with their families and intimate friends. We lost no -time in becoming acquainted, for all formalities of introduction were -soon over, and then the feast began. Like every similar entertainment in -Hungary, speech-making was a great feature of the dinner. Every one had -to do his share of this, and when the last toast was drunk, a mixed -Hungarian-American sentiment, we all took partners, and the csárdás -began.</p> - -<p>Hours passed like magic, and the fast-waning afternoon light warned us -to be off. We had scarcely shouted the last “good-bye” across the -shining water when a violent wind arose, drowning with its rushing sound -the tinkle of the music in the grove, and changing the placid stream -into a turbulent sea of dashing waves. Night settled down with unusual -haste, and in the increasing darkness we were tossed and buffeted along, -sometimes half swamped, unable to find a landing on the steep, high -banks, not daring to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142">{142}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 301px;"> -<a name="ill_61" id="ill_61"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_070_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_070_sml.jpg" width="301" height="294" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>WATER-CARRIERS, DUNA FÖLDVÁR</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">venture out into the raging stream, nor yet to approach too near the -shore. The distorting gloom so changed the usual landmarks that we could -not distinguish trees from bushes, and could only judge of our distance -from the shore by the sound of the angry water beating against the bank. -On we went, driven by the wind, which seemed to increase with every -fresh gust. Wherever we tried to land, the breaking waves warned us that -unless we found a sheltered spot we should pound our canoes to pieces -before we got them ashore. The noise of the storm made it difficult for -us to hear each other shout, and it was only by constant piping on our -shrill whistles that we kept our little fleet together. The situation at -last became so serious that we were about to give up all attempt to -land, and were on the point of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143">{143}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 511px;"> -<a name="ill_62" id="ill_62"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_071_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_071_sml.jpg" width="511" height="283" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FISHING-STATION</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144">{144}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145">{145}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">scudding down in mid-stream until the storm should abate, preferring to -risk capsize there rather than to endanger the canoes by further trials -at landing on a lee shore. Just as we came to this decision, however, an -unusually heavy squall struck us, and at the same moment we heard the -unmistakable swash of the water among willow bushes close at hand. We -knew then that we should find temporary shelter and shallow water among -the willows, for the unusual height of the river had covered all low -places. We also knew we could manage to land from the shoal water on a -flooded meadow; so we pushed boldly on, and passing the yielding -barrier, which fortunately was but a rod or two wide, found ourselves in -a quiet shelter behind the screen of slender bushes, and at the edge of -a grove of large trees with solid turf underneath. By the light of our -lanterns we hauled up the canoes, arranged them so as best to shelter -our camp-fire from the blast, rigged our tents, and then cooked our -supper in comfort. The storm continued the greater part of the night, -and we slept to the howling of the wind in the trees and to the dull -roar of the Danube billows.</p> - -<p>Now, as we advanced, the river rose higher and higher, flooding all the -swamps and low-lying woodlands, and spreading out into broad lakes over -the meadows. Once only, in a whole day’s paddle, did we find a -fishing-station, and this was kept by men from a village fifteen miles -inland, who take regular turns in visiting their homes during the long -months when fishing is profitable. Their great wigwam had bunks for a -dozen men, and miles of nets were drying in the sun. As we had been -accustomed to land at a village at least once a day to replenish our -larder with fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, and wine, we found our -cupboards rather empty after a day or two in the wilderness, and we -welcomed the sight of the fishing-camp, for we knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146">{146}</a></span> we could procure -there an abundance of sterlet, the best fish found in the Danube. Our -arrival was a great event in the camp, and, mutually interested in each -other’s boats and mode of life, we spent an hour there, and then -departed, with a generous supply of sterlet taken from the fish-car -which was anchored in the stream, and covered with the stings of -mosquitoes, which hovered in a cloud over the whole point.</p> - -<p>The steady current and favorable winds did not long permit us to fancy -ourselves explorers in an undiscovered country, but carried us easily -on, at the rate of thirty or forty miles a day, out of the swamps and -forests to the region of vineyards and dry hills and villages. In a -measure, as we went along and the landscape varied, so did the costumes -change in character, the types differ, and new peoples hail our fleet -with cries in strange languages. Drifting along within a yard or two of -the shore, we entered into temporarily intimate relations with the -villagers at their customary occupations, and were always welcomed by -them with unobtrusive but hearty familiarity, which filled our days with -pleasant little episodes and delightful experiences. The long-populous -town of Mohács, with extensive and ugly coal-yards, did not at first -tempt us to land, but groups of beautiful children and young girls, who -assembled to watch us as we stayed our all too rapid course along the -shore at the very door-steps of the houses, suggested such possibilities -there that we had perforce to go ashore and see what the place was like. -At our accustomed refuge in all these villages—the public -bath-house—we found among the crowd of people gathered at the landing a -boy of about a dozen years of age, who, to our great astonishment, -addressed us in English, with an unmistakable American accent, and said -that his grandfather hoped we would call on him before we went away. A -few moments later we were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147">{147}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 437px;"> -<a name="ill_63" id="ill_63"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_072_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_072_sml.jpg" width="437" height="646" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PEASANT GIRLS AT MOHÁCS</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148">{148}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149">{149}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">toasting America, England, and Hungary in the purest of Tokay from the -original bottles, sealed in the memorable year of ’48. Our host, Colonel -Fornét, was a fine type of the Hungarian patriot, who, like so many -others, had returned to his native country, after years of exile, to end -his life among his kin. After the heroic struggle for independence in -’48 he fled to the United States, became a naturalized citizen, and, -after a year or so, went back to Paris to meet and marry the lady who -had been betrothed to him before the revolution broke out. On his return -to America he was unable to resist long the fascinations of the -adventurous life in the great West, and for a time he followed the -fortunes of General Fremont and other explorers of the wild regions. -When the rebellion offered a still more tempting field for his restless -ambition, he joined a New Jersey regiment, and served with distinction -as its colonel until he was disabled in the field and incapacitated for -active life in the future. Shortly after the close of the war he -returned to Hungary with his family, and for a quarter of a century has -kept his memory bright, his gratitude warm, and his loyalty to his -adopted country still as pure as when he won the silver eagle on his -shoulders in the trying days of ’61. His children and grandchildren -regard America with such reverence, and speak of it with such genuine -affection, that our poor patriotism was put quite to the blush. With -tears in his eyes, the noble old soldier modestly gave us a short -history of his life there, and lived over again for a brief moment the -scenes of his younger days, his blood still boiling at the memory of the -martyrs of Arad, his voice still keeping its martial ring as he spoke of -his comrades in the great rebellion in his adopted land. There are few -countries where the utterance of such intense sentiments would not sound -strained and dramatic, and the expression of such feeling appear a -little out of tune. But in Hungary<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150">{150}</a></span> patriotism is not considered -old-fashioned, nor do the dictates of society demand that studied -indifference and coolness which is characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon. -Our visit to the grand old patriot left an impression on us which -neither time nor distance can efface.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151">{151}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-a.png" -width="80" -alt="A" /></span> FEW miles below Mohács is the upper mouth of the Franzens Canal which -joins the Danube with the Theiss, giving an easy outlet for the produce -of the great fertile plain, facilitating the transportation of grain and -lumber from the interior to the chief water highway. The construction of -the canal dates from the last century, and, in all probability, it was -projected even as early as the Roman occupation. It is only within a few -years, however, that, by the aid of English capital, it has been -finished and put in active operation. The wonderfully rich farming -country through which it passes has attracted, since earliest times, -settlers from all surrounding regions, and of all the Hungarian kingdom -it has the most varied and heterogeneous population. Almost anywhere -within the narrow limits of the low horizon may be counted between the -Danube and the Theiss a dozen villages, sheltering representatives of as -many different races, and a more attractive field for the philologist or -for the artist cannot be found between the Black Sea and the Baltic. The -traveller who rushes down the Danube in a steamer, or yawns at the -monotonous plain from the window of a Pullman-car on the Orient Express, -gets no more idea of the people than if he saw them from a balloon. Even -studied intimately and at leisure, this unique mixture of races is -confusing and perplexing, and only those who have long been familiar -with them can thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152">{152}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 254px;"> -<a name="ill_64" id="ill_64"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_074_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_074_sml.jpg" width="254" height="452" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM BUDAPEST TO BELGRADE</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">understand the conditions of their existence. In all Hungary the Magyar, -or pure Hungarian, does not number over four out of the fifteen millions -of inhabitants. They are the dominant race intellectually and -physically, and, of course, the governing race. But frugal, industrious -immigrants have on all sides taken possession of the land, have -established manufactories and built up trade, and have often left to the -Magyar little beside that pride of race to which even the lowest among -them cling as their most precious birthright. It is this pride which has -bound the nation together all through the dark centuries of constant -warfare with an implacable enemy, and it is this pride which is the -Magyar’s best support in his present struggle for a place in the -foremost rank of civilized nations. There can be no question of his -intellectual superiority over the races who crowd him on the east, the -south, and the west. That he is not yet in the same plane of -civilization as the nations in the west of Europe is due to the fact -that while the west was civilizing, the Magyar was keeping the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153">{153}</a></span> frontier -against advancing Mahometanism; and it is only now, after many centuries -of discouragement and oppression, that he is in a position to advance -along the road of peaceful development and culture. To such a nature as -his all is possible, and his marvellous progress during the past twenty -years is gratifying proof that he is making the best of his present -possibilities.</p> - -<p>We had the great good-fortune to be personally conducted through this -interesting region by Mr. Louis Gerster, the vice-consul of the United -States at Budapest, who met us at the mouth of the canal and who, from -long acquaintance with the population, was able to steer our course -successfully among the manifold ethnological and philological shoals on -which we should certainly have been wrecked had we been travelling -alone. He placed a small propeller at our disposal, and we made the -journey as far as the Theiss, shooting the wild-fowl with which this -region abounds, visiting all the villages, and studying the natives, -their customs, costumes, and modes of life. The few days we spent in his -company along the Franzens Canal would make a volume in itself, and it -is only because we must not pause in the tale of our Danube voyage that -we are obliged to keep the log-book of this side trip closed. Russians, -Bulgarians, Saxons, Servians, Jews, Gypsies, Schokaczs, Bunyvaczs, and -other known and unknown races and tribes, each with distinctly different -dress, language, and customs practically unchanged by transplantation -into Hungarian soil, so bewitched us with the charms of constant variety -and novelty that our trip was one round of exhilarating and delightful -impressions. Thanks to the excellent management of our friend, we were -able to spend a Saturday afternoon and part of Sunday in the Schokacz -village of Monostorszég, situated on the banks of the Danube, but so -hidden away behind islands that it would not have attracted our -attention from the canoes, and even if we had seen it, we would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154">{154}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 331px;"> -<a name="ill_65" id="ill_65"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_075_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_075_sml.jpg" width="331" height="300" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SCHOKACZ TYPES</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">not have suspected the existence of the treasures it held for us. The -village itself is not unlike many others we visited, with broad streets -shaded by acacias and mulberries, low whitewashed houses, a large barren -church edifice, and a few unobtrusive shops. In the daytime, -particularly in the harvest season, the whole place is deserted except -by a few old people and children. With the peep of day the entire adult -population rattles away over the plain in springless wicker wagons to -the cornfields, often miles distant. As the sun gets low in the -afternoon the dusty streets are again lively with laden carts and wagons -full of chattering, singing girls as brown as Indians. The village -swineherd, who has watched his unsavory flock on the muddy shores of the -Danube through the heat of the day, now drives them to the village -again, and as they approach their homes they scamper away,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155">{155}</a></span> each to his -own sty, adding the harsh notes of shrill squeals and grunts to the -chorus of general congratulation that the hot day is past and the -coolness of the night is at hand.</p> - -<p>Like three Tartarins of Tarascon, we found everything at Monostorszég -arranged for our amusement and entertainment as if by a stock company. -In the court-yard of one of the well-to-do farmers’ houses, where we -stopped to examine the stock of home-made embroideries and fabrics for -which the housewife was justly renowned in the neighborhood, we soon saw -assemble quite a large party of youths and maidens, many of them in -holiday dress, and all ready for a dance. From somewhere, we never knew -how or whence, a group of strange-looking musicians and stranger -instruments appeared casually in the crowd, and the inspiriting tinkle -of native dances set every bare foot patting time on the smoothly -trampled earth. There were a bass-viol, a guitar, a medium-sized -mandolin, and one, the tamboura, no larger than a lady’s hand, all of -them strung with wire, and played with a bit of bone or horn. On the -last-named instrument, which had a neck out of all reasonable proportion -in length, a tall, brawny native picked the most intricate and -encouraging melodies, and the feet must indeed have been heavy which did -not rise to the rhythm of this music. Out of deference to the visitors -the csárdás was for some time the only dance, but as the excitement -increased, and the presence of strangers was forgotten, their own dance, -the kollo, took its place, and we all participated in this, with more -zeal than skill. The kollo, which is the common dance all through -Croatia, Slavonia, and Servia, is more solemn and stately than either -the Hungarian csárdás or the Roumanian hora, but, like these, comes to -an end only with the strength and endurance of the participants. A ring -is formed, usually of an equal number of dancers of both sexes. Each -maiden places her hands on the shoulder of a youth on either side of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156">{156}</a></span> -her, giving both the strings of her girdle or the ends of a kerchief, -passed behind her back, to twist around their forefingers, thus binding -the circle firmly together. The dance consists in stepping one measure -by a rhythmic patter with the feet, and then the next measure by a -movement to the left, with now and then a few steps backward and -forward, as the caprice of any part of the circle may decide. In this -dance, as in the csárdás, the performers are swayed and directed by the -leader of the orchestra, who alternates a slow, almost mournful, strain, -with wild and passionate bursts of music, which, like shocks of -electricity, set every figure in spirited action.</p> - -<p>The ordinary costume of both sexes at Monostorszég is simplicity itself. -The women wear a high-necked, ankle-long chemise of white homespun -linen, with full sleeves gathered at the elbow and richly embroidered, -usually with blue. Bands of narrow embroidery decorate the waist and the -skirt also. This chemise is girded to the body by a thick woollen belt, -binding tightly to the figure the upper edge of a narrow apron of -striped woollen homespun, very brilliant in color. A kerchief is usually -worn on the head, and the feet are habitually bare. On Sundays and -fête-days the girls exchange the coarse garments for others of choicer -texture, the chemise being fine and carefully plaited, and the apron of -mull or muslin delicately embroidered with white. Tall red morocco -boots, with yellow heels and soles and curious pointed toes, adorn, or -rather disfigure, the feet, and around the neck are hung many rows of -gaudy glass beads. The hair is elaborately braided in a broad band, -which is brought over to the forehead and then turned back again. This -is held in place by dozens of pins with ornamental heads; and all along -the edges of the braid behind is a thick row of bits of a fine green -aromatic herb, while in the hair itself at the back, as well as around -the face,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157">{157}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 263px;"> -<a name="ill_66" id="ill_66"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_076_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_076_sml.jpg" width="263" height="333" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>IN SUNDAY DRESS, MONOSTORSZÉG</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">bright-colored geraniums, marigolds, and other flowers, are skilfully -arranged. On their wedding-day they cover their heads with a wonderful -square structure, more like a pastry-cook’s <i>pièce montée</i> than a -bonnet, wear an ample white lace shoulder-cape, a brilliant scarlet -petticoat, with white lace apron and tall red boots. This dress is -preserved with jealous care, and is never produced except on Sundays and -holidays. The men’s costume consists of loose linen trousers, like a -divided skirt, a full tunic, a waistcoat with silver buttons, hussar -boots, and a small round hat. Both sexes have for an outer garment -either a sheepskin cloak or a great-coat of very thick, felt-like, white -woollen, with broad, square<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158">{158}</a></span> collar, and sleeves either sewed up at the -bottom, or else in short, rudimentary form. These coats, and also the -sheepskin cloaks, are often richly and gaudily embroidered.</p> - -<p>When we came into the village bright and early Sunday morning everybody -was in holiday dress. The red petticoats of the matrons flashed along -the sidewalks, but half-shaded by the small trees; groups of gay -maidens, each with wild-flowers in hand, hurried along to church, where -companies of men in immaculate linen and stiff embroidered coats stood -in solemn rows like supernumeraries on a stage. The church was already -partly full when we entered, and there was a bustle of many people -settling themselves in their places, and a constant stream of -worshippers coming in at different doors. We sat there marvelling at the -strange dresses, enchanted by the brilliant colors, all the while unable -to realize that this was the customary weekly ceremony, not a dramatic -pageant arranged for our benefit. The sexes sat apart, and the married -and the single each had a portion of the pews reserved for them, and -each entered the church by a different door. Near the altar the -marriageable maidens came clumping in with their red boots, always in -parties of three or more, each with a little bright-colored rug, a -prayer-book, and a bunch of flowers. Spreading out their rugs on the -stone floor, they kneeled down in rows facing the altar, and, after -carefully arranging their plaited Sunday chemises so as to cover their -feet, remained a few moments in the attitude of prayer, and then rose -and took their seats. Of all that great congregation there was not one -who did not wear the costume, and, with the exception of some of the -ornaments and finer textiles, all the articles of dress were of home -production. Every thread of the linen and wool had been spun on the busy -distaff as the women went to and from the fields to their work, and -woven in the winter-time, when the clatter of the loom is heard in every -house.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159">{159}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 419px;"> -<a name="ill_67" id="ill_67"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_077_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_077_sml.jpg" width="419" height="412" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HUNGARIAN GIRLS AT BEZDÁN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>During the sermon we hurried away to be present at the close of the -church-service in the neighboring village of Bezdán, inhabited by -Magyars. It was a few miles away, and we arrived only in time to see the -quiet streets enlivened with people totally different in type and dress -from those we had just left. In the flickering shadow of the trees, -under the noonday sun, the women strode off homeward with an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160">{160}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 383px;"> -<a name="ill_68" id="ill_68"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_078_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_078_sml.jpg" width="383" height="172" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ERDÖD</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">energy of action that made their stiff petticoats balloon out still -more. Near the church the men gathered in silence to listen to the -crier, who was announcing various articles for sale. The unmarried girls -of the village wear white linen dresses, with short sleeves and -embroidered waists, wreaths of flowers in their hair, bright red ribbons -down their backs, black stockings, and dainty red and yellow slippers. -The matrons wear colors, sometimes green or black, but usually red, and -the men are chiefly noticeable for their loose linen garments and -elaborate boots, often with a survival of the spur in the shape of a -brass ornament on the side of the heel. Even as we stood watching the -people the streets became quite deserted again; and so we hastened on to -another village, where, in the populous Servian quarter, we caught our -first glimpses of Oriental life in the groups of women sitting flat in -the road in the shadow of the houses, disdaining, like true Orientals, -all such luxuries as chairs and tables, and disturbed by no horror of -dirt. Our Sunday’s excursion also included a gypsy settlement—not a -common sight, for these people are seldom permitted to occupy houses. It -disagreeably contrasted in its squalor<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161">{161}</a></span> and filth with the perfection of -neatness and tidiness among the Schokaczs and Magyars, but gave us a -notion of the range of types easily studied in this one neighborhood.</p> - -<p>When we left the mouth of the canal, one breezy morning after our -excursion, and shot down the turbid stream with all sail set, the -soothing regularity of the tree-covered banks, and the utter absence of -anything to study or to sketch, was not without a calming influence on -us, and but for this little respite we probably should not have had the -heart to land at the long straggling village of Apatin, which promised -new beauties and fresh interests. Almost the first person we saw was a -little old German woman spinning flax on a tiny wheel, looking exactly -as if she had been transported bodily from the Black Forest. Farther -along the street we met unmistakable Germans, and heard again the -familiar language of the upper river. At the nearest corner was a -brewery, with tables under the trees, and guzzling sluggards devouring -strong sausage and stronger cheese. Everything was of the most -commonplace German order, from the architecture of the houses to the -beer mugs. Our parachute had burst, and we came to earth with a heavy -thump.</p> - -<p>About half-way between Apatin and the village of Erdöd, with course as -straight as a canal, the river Drave pours in a muddy flood, and far up -the shining stream the foot-hills of the Tyrolean Alps lie all faint in -the distance. Fertile hills now skirt the west bank, and their sunny -yellow slopes looked agreeably bright and warm after the heavy greens of -the forest and swamp. The river has washed away the hills into -perpendicular bluffs, which are of earth almost as hard as sandstone. -Rude steps cut along a cleft were lively with girls carrying jars of -Danube water to the village above; and once, under a vineyard, where the -vines trail over the very edge of the bank, we saw a rude cave dug in -the earth, where a long pole with a dangling bush projecting far<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162">{162}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 404px;"> -<a name="ill_69" id="ill_69"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_079_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_079_sml.jpg" width="404" height="313" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>CURRENT MILLS</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">beyond the rough bough shelter at the door of the cellar announced to -the river men that wine was for sale. Our old friends the current mills -still clustered at frequent intervals, where the stream ran the -swiftest. Since the first time we saw them—far up the river, above -Vienna—they had not changed their general shape or construction; but -the owners’ names, painted in large white letters on the sides, had -marked with accuracy the limits of the different nationalities we had -passed in our journey. Now, before the curious combinations of letters -on the mills near the Hungarian shore had ceased to puzzle us, Croatian -and Slavonian names in a new and unfamiliar alphabet stared at us from -the weather-stained sides of the mills along the opposite<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163">{163}</a></span> bank, and -something of the crudity of Oriental taste was seen in the unskilful -attempts to decorate the wood-work near the door and window. From the -right bank we heard hails in an unknown language, and by the water’s -edge saw peasants with fiercer mustaches than even the Magyar boasts, -and women of a heavy, unsympathetic type. The costume, too, had -undergone a decided change. Both men and women wore clumsy wrappings -around the ankles, and uncouth sandals and shoes. The loose trousers of -the men were strapped to the calf by the thongs which bound the thick -woollen cloths or coarse socks to the ankles, and red sashes took the -place of belts. Servia was beginning to show herself to us long before -we reached the political frontier.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164">{164}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-w.png" -width="80" -alt="W" /></span>E had crossed the line of active melon consumption soon after leaving -Budapest; we had for days revelled in a superabundance of them, and, -indeed, had quite become accustomed to the sight of every human being, -old and young, either carrying a melon or preoccupied with eating it. We -had contributed our generous share to the flotsam of melon rinds which -bobbed down the current, and had sampled every unfamiliar variety of the -delicious fruit which had met our notice. It was chiefly, then, from the -unæsthetic motives of appetite that we proposed to land at Vukovár, -which had long been held up to us by melon-eaters as the one place on -the Danube where the fruit was found in perfection. As we came near the -town, remarkable mainly for a new synagogue of doubtful taste, we saw -piles of huge round objects ranged along in the shade of small trees on -the bank, like cannon-balls in an arsenal, and we needed no further -identification of this metropolis of the melon trade. Our approach -seemed to cause an unusual commotion at the landing, and we naturally -attributed this to the activity among the merchants, induced by the -arrival of possible purchasers of the abundant stock in hand. But we -learned from a German-speaking policeman who met us as we went ashore -that the market-women had taken our fleet for the torpedo-boats of which -they had heard, and were in a great fright, believing we were about to -attack the place. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165">{165}</a></span> begged him to assure them that we had no use for -the town, but only for some of the projectiles we saw piled up there -under the trees, and feminine terrors were slowly forgotten in the -excitement of trade. Whoever has seen the Southern negro busy with a -watermelon may be able to imagine our satisfaction at the quality of the -fruit we found, and any one familiar with the capacity of a canoe may -appreciate the size of the melons from the fact that we were unable to -take in the monsters. But Vukovár is not all watermelons and timid -market-women, as we found when we strolled up into the town, puzzled -over the signs in the Cyrillic alphabet, and marvelled at the -embroidered garments festooned at the shop doors, at the pretentious -cafés, and the Franco-Italian architecture—the most imposing we had -seen since leaving Budapest.</p> - -<p>The heat was intense and the streets almost deserted as we paddled away -directly after mid-day, and floated down past great bluffs, with hot -gullies filled with herds of swine seeking to avoid the heat by frequent -baths, and scarcely distinguishable in color from the baked mud on which -they slept. Late in the day, having joined company with some lumber -rafts we had been passing and repassing for the last day or two, we drew -up the canoes on a pleasant park-like meadow, only a foot or two above -the water, with great trees and firmer turf than we had seen for a long -time. The rafts tied up to the shore just above us, and the smoke of our -several camp-fires soon curled up among the trees, and floated away in -the clear air of the perfect summer evening. Our first visitor was a -Croatian, who, having served in the Austrian army, had learned a little -German, and was only too anxious to air his knowledge. He prepared us -for the visit of a band of gypsies who were camping in the vicinity, -cautioned us to watch all our loose articles, and loudly sang the -praises of one of the gypsy women but lately married,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166">{166}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 334px;"> -<a name="ill_70" id="ill_70"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_081_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_081_sml.jpg" width="334" height="490" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>VUKOVÁR WATERMELONS</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">who, he declared, was as beautiful as a queen—probably meaning the -Queen of Servia. To be sure, the next morning, shortly after dawn, a -motley crowd straggled up to our encampment, among them the gypsy belle, -with the bearing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167">{167}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 387px;"> -<a name="ill_71" id="ill_71"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_082_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_082_sml.jpg" width="387" height="539" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A PIG-WALLOW</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168">{168}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169">{169}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">and gait of a duchess. Tobacco stood in the place of a formal -introduction, and even the conscious beauty asked for a cigarette, and -puffed away like a veteran smoker. The keen-eyed old rascal who, by -virtue of advanced age or superior cunning, was recognized as the chief -of the party, took the liveliest interest in our attempts to sketch the -beauty, and when the sketch was done, calmly proposed to give us the -model to carry away with us. As the offer was made in Roumanian, a -language not then familiar to our ears, we did not at first comprehend -the generous nature of the gift.</p> - -<p>“Take her with you,” he said. “You’ll go, won’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed I will,” replied the dusky beauty, “if they’ll take me to -Bucharest.”</p> - -<p>“But if she goes away with us it will make a scandal, and the husband -will have something to say about it,” we timidly suggested.</p> - -<p>“Not at all,” insisted the old heathen; “he’s away now, and if he finds -her gone when he comes back, he’ll easily get another wife.”</p> - -<p>This morality of the Red Indian order so astonished us that we did not -readily offer the excuse that our boats could carry but one person -apiece, but we sweetened our refusal of the gift by an abundance of -tobacco and a few old clothes, hastily launched our canoes, and -retreated down the river.</p> - -<p>The railway from Budapest to Belgrade crosses the Danube at -Peterwardein, little less than a day’s paddle from Vukovár, and the iron -bridge is the last one of the ugly series that disfigures the river at -intervals from its source. Peterwardein, the Gibraltar of the Danube, is -a great fortress, elaborately intricate in construction, towering high -above the stream, and overlooking the modern town of Neusatz opposite, -at the mouth of a branch of the Franzens Canal. A bridge of boats -connects the fortress with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170">{170}</a></span> town a short distance below the railway, -and is actually the last bridge over the Danube. The commercial life of -the river seemed to revive again at the mouth of the canal, and as we -sailed past the vine-covered hills of Carlowitz and the town of that -name, our old enemies the freight steamers puffed up-stream, leaving a -dangerous wake, and fouling the sweet air with noisome smoke.</p> - -<p>On the perfect summer morning when we left our lovely camping-ground on -a meadow below Carlowitz, and drifted down into the silvery light of -morning which glorified the river, the hills, and the distant landscape, -we were in the mood to enjoy exactly what the Danube offered for our -entertainment. On one bank peasants gathered in large parties at every -convenient spot, and were engaged in various domestic operations, quite -as frank and unconscious in their actions as if they were in the shelter -of their own homes. From the villages at some distance back from the -river whole families migrate at frequent intervals to temporary camps by -the water’s edge, bringing with them their live-stock, cart-loads of -corn, and their accumulated washing. While the women are busy with soap -and mallet, the men winnow grain, and carry it to the current mills to -be ground, and the children watch the pigs and fowls, who are enjoying -in their way this brief outing. On the opposite shore may sometimes be -seen, on a level piece of public land, great collections of ricks of all -sizes and shapes, when the neighboring farmers assemble to thresh their -harvest in common, each according to his own means and methods. Some -beat it out with flails and pitchforks, others drive horses around on -it, and a few make use of the improved machinery of English manufacture. -Here it is readily loaded on lighters, to be towed up to Budapest or -Vienna, or perhaps to be floated down-stream to the English steamers on -the Black Sea. From one group to another, from one shore to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171">{171}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 383px;"> -<a name="ill_72" id="ill_72"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_084_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_084_sml.jpg" width="383" height="476" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A GYPSY GIRL</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">other, we went as slowly as the resistless current would let us, -fascinated by the cheerful busy life, and always finding each new scene -more attractive than the last. Here the Servian women were beating their -coarse garments, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172">{172}</a></span> hanging them untidily to dry on the framework of -the carts. A few rods lower down, at a bivouac of Saxons, piles of -beautiful white linen and the freshest of blue garments contrasted -agreeably with the squalor of the neighboring camp. These peasants we -found polite but reserved; the Servians were usually noisy and -talkative, and the Magyars cheery, sympathetic, and communicative.</p> - -<p>Far down the glassy reach beyond Ó Szlankamen to the east a long range -of flat hills now appeared, marking the course of the sluggish Theiss, -and on the opposite bank we saw great rocks, scarcely distinguishable -from the hard mud bluffs, but marking a distinct geological change in -the landscape. Here on the scorched hill-sides frequent villages were -baking in the hot sun, and copper-covered monstrosities of church-spires -flashed and glistened in the brilliant light. A ruined castle towered -high above the river where the hills crowd the stream out of its course, -and then the river broadened into a lake-like expanse, and stretched -away until the left bank, always flat and without a break, lost itself -entirely in the distance, and sky and water seemed to meet as at the sea -horizon. Far away to the south bold blue peaks, the sentinels of the -northern range of mountainous Servia, showed where Belgrade stands; and, -in pleasant perspective, high bluffs on the right bank, with here and -there a church spire, were reflected with all the glories of the -midsummer sky in the perfect mirror of the majestic stream. A wonderful -sunset glow colored all the landscape as we encamped under a high bluff, -in full sight of Semlin and the Servian capital beyond. We fancied we -could see in the glowing distance slender minarets behind the great -fortress which guards the frontier, and in the perfect quiet of the -lingering twilight imagined we could hear the hum of the busy towns. The -song of the shepherd on the opposite meadows echoed sweetly as we lay by -the camp-fire that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173">{173}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 502px;"> -<a name="ill_73" id="ill_73"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_085_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_085_sml.jpg" width="502" height="270" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THRESHING WHEAT</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174">{174}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175">{175}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">beautiful evening and enjoyed for the first time in our wanderings an -hour or two of delightful leisure in the open air.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 421px;"> -<a name="ill_74" id="ill_74"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_086_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_086_sml.jpg" width="421" height="262" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A CROATIAN BIVOUAC</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It was now nearly eight weeks since we launched our fleet in the -head-waters of the Danube, and, with the exception of a few days spent -at Vienna, Hainburg, Budapest, and on the Franzens Canal, we had passed -the greater part of our time, day and night, in the canoes. On the upper -river, where we cooked over spirit-lamps because we were never able to -have a fire, we had no great inducement to sit up after dark, and -consequently sought our snug beds in the canoes very soon after dinner. -After we reached Hungary, however, we found it not only practicable but -more convenient to use wood for cooking, and from the frontier downward -we always had the proper and agreeable accompaniment of every -comfortable bivouac—a cheerful fire. But it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176">{176}</a></span> also happened that all -through Hungary we found so much to interest us we could never manage to -stop for the night before dark; and since it always took us two hours or -more to make camp, cook and eat our dinner, and tidy up afterwards, we -were obliged to continue our custom of turning in (literally) as soon as -possible, in order to be able to rise at daybreak. The evening we camped -in sight of Belgrade, the dewless, balmy air of the river so soothed our -nerves, and the glowing landscape was such a pleasure to our eyes, that -we lay in the firelight and, regardless of the morrow, watched for a -long time the glittering constellations as they slowly came in sight; -and when at last we slept, we dreamed of Turks and sieges and the -turmoil of belligerent races, whose territory now lay within reach of a -few paddle strokes.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 436px;"> -<a name="ill_75" id="ill_75"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_087_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_087_sml.jpg" width="436" height="134" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>Ó SZLANKAMEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The happy chant of Servian girls marching down the steep paths in the -bluffs, laden with jugs for Danube water, was our accompaniment as we -paddled along in the early morning towards the steamer-landing at -Semlin, the last Hungarian town on the right bank of the Danube, a busy -little commercial place with all the fascinating characteristics of a -frontier town. A populous market-place, numerous cafés of the Turkish -order—the first we had seen—and a population largely Servian, with -more barbaric types, and wearing costumes plainly transitional between -the Hungarian and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177">{177}</a></span> Turkish, kept us interested longer than we -anticipated, and well repaid the delay.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 369px;"> -<a name="ill_76" id="ill_76"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_088_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_088_sml.jpg" width="369" height="433" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SERVIAN WOMEN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>From Semlin to Belgrade is but a half-hour’s paddle down a bend behind -the Krieg’s Insel and across the clear, green stream of the Save. Above -the great fortress which occupies the whole area of a high promontory at -the junction<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178">{178}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 440px;"> -<a name="ill_77" id="ill_77"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_089_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_089_sml.jpg" width="440" height="278" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FORTRESS AT THE JUNCTION OF THE DANUBE AND THE -SAVE—BELGRADE</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">of the rivers, where a church and other edifices are half hidden among -bastions and parapets, an immense cream-colored Government building -extends an imposing mass, and, as seen from the river, divides the town -into two parts. To the left is the old Turkish quarter on the Danube, in -recent years almost depopulated of Mahometans, and with only one -insignificant mosque still preserved; and to the right, Belgrade proper, -along the Save and the heights which extend back into the country. -Lumberyards and the usual motley collection of buildings hid the town -from us as we slowly paddled up the sluggish current of the Save to a -great bathing establishment, all gay with flowers, where a large -contingent of the youthful population of the city were disporting -themselves, naked, in canoes of simple construction and gaudy color. Our -arrival caused very little flutter on the shore. We saw one fez on a -small boy, and fancied that on landing we should find everything<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179">{179}</a></span> -suggesting the East, and fierce officials haughtily demanding our -passports. But we moored our canoes alongside the bath-house and went -ashore without a question, found everybody in European dress, and met a -polite soldier-policeman who volunteered to look out for our craft, and -immediately busied himself with boxing the ears of the inquisitive -youngsters who ventured too near the dainty vessels. We were not long, -however, in finding novelties of dress and architecture, for at a short -distance from our landing-place we entered the outskirts of the city, -and passed through a street quite as Eastern in aspect as any in the -heart of Stamboul. Wretched wooden hovels with shattered tiles and -crumbling plaster; dingy low cafés with pallid Turks inhaling with -indolent sighs the stupefying smoke of nargiléhs; open air -cooking-places where unsavory messes sizzled on gridirons; and general -squalor, mustiness, and filth everywhere. From this quarter, steep, -ill-paved streets mount to the higher part of the town, where the -hotels, theatres, and palaces are, and pleasant avenues lead out to the -luxurious residential suburb on the heights beyond. But all Belgrade, at -the date of our visit, was much like the normal condition of Broadway, -and New York in general. The streets were everywhere torn up for -water-pipes and sewers, sidewalks were being widened and levelled, and -there was every indication of a serious attempt to improve the city, or -some job in the control of the City Fathers. The heat was intense and -almost unbearable as we explored the streets and park and wandered -through the fortress. When the sun reached the zenith, all Belgrade was -as quiet as Pompeii, for the inhabitants withdrew in-doors, and left the -streets void of life and movement. Even the hissing of frying fat in the -numerous cook-shops seemed hushed for the time; the vender of kukurutz -(green corn on the ear) slept in a shadow; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180">{180}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 280px;"> -<a name="ill_78" id="ill_78"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_090_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_090_sml.jpg" width="280" height="311" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BULGARIAN BOZAJI, BELGRADE</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">the Bulgarian bozaji, selling slightly fermented maize beer, alone broke -the drowsy silence with his mournful cries. There was absolutely nothing -to see, and therefore we also sought shelter, and sleepily waited for -the town to come to life again. In the middle of the afternoon a few -hurrying peasant women, their brilliant dresses quite out of harmony -with the commonplace aspect of the streets, flashed along in the -sunshine; one or two men with effeminate lace-trimmed tunics, plaited -like imitations of the Albanian fustinella, strode proudly past, -unconscious that hats of London make and elastic-sided boots made them -look extremely ridiculous; and so the streets gradually resumed their -normal activity as the afternoon coolness came on.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181">{181}</a></span> We soon yielded to -the tempting invitation of a fresh breeze and sailed away into the -Danube again, escorted by a fleet of Servian canoes with naked crews.</p> - -<p>We began to think that in crossing the frontier we had passed the limit -beyond which the modern invention of modesty has not yet been -universally accepted. It certainly seemed so, for the bronzed figures of -the naked youths excited no comment on the shore as we passed. Rounding -the water-battery and drifting along the old Turkish quarter, we came to -a large pleasant meadow, glowing in the rich light of the afternoon sun. -Here scores of men, as unclothed as the horses they bestrode, were -riding their animals out into the shallows, bathing with them in the -yellow stream. Like so many figures from the frieze of the Parthenon, -they sat their horses with perfect grace, saddleless and bridleless, and -now dashed along, throwing up clouds of spray, and again disappeared in -a golden cloud of dust on the meadow. A party of young men and boys, -equally in Spartan attire, were having an exciting foot-race along the -level turf, and this little spot was for the time a sculptors’ paradise. -We drifted slowly along, watching the athletic figures in the wonderful -light, all unconscious in our preoccupation that the current was -carrying us into a scene of still more surprising simplicity and -innocence. Our canoes, if left to themselves, would always turn round -and float down-stream stern foremost; and that afternoon, as on many -other occasions, we found the trick to be of advantage, for we could -longer watch the unusual spectacle on the meadow. When we could see no -more in the direction of the dazzling sun, we paddled the canoes around, -and found ourselves, to our surprise, quite near a number of Servian -families, who were taking a refreshing bath—old and young, men, women, -and children—in the sandy shallows. No bath-house had given them refuge -on the bank,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182">{182}</a></span> nor had they considered it necessary to disfigure -themselves with drapery, except a few of the women, who wore an apology -for an apron tied around the waist.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 284px;"> -<a name="ill_79" id="ill_79"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_091_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_091_sml.jpg" width="284" height="301" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FOUNTAIN IN THE SQUARE, BELGRADE</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It was a sudden change from the contemplation of figures of classical -grace to the unwitting interruption of the bath of a dozen unlovely -families, and it was a parallel plunge from the accustomed luxuries of -pleasant camp grounds above Belgrade to the mud flats on the river-side -below. We had drifted along the meadow so slowly that we found the -daylight already waning and a threatening storm close at hand before we -thought of camping. Then we hastened to the first spot where there was a -possible landing. Here we slept until the ring of scythes at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183">{183}</a></span> very -bows of our canoes brought us to consciousness again, and we opened the -tents to see a sunny meadow among the trees, all dotted over with the -white figures of peasants slashing at the ranks of coarse grass that -fringed the sun-baked shore.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184">{184}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-f.png" -width="80" -alt="F" /></span>ROM the heights of Belgrade we had seen the blue summits of mountains -far away to the south—the outlying spurs of the great Carpathian -range—and having threaded a tortuous way through the great Hungarian -plain, we now looked forward with exhilaration to the rugged scenery we -were soon to enjoy, and were eager to welcome a change in the horizon. -We saw on the map no town of importance between the Servian frontier and -Orsova, at the Iron Gates; and since we were not unwilling to have a -little quiet after so many days of excitement among novelties of type -and costume, we noticed with satisfaction as we went along that the flat -shore on the Hungarian side and the low hills opposite offered us no -temptation to land. To be sure, we were still in some doubt as to our -probable reception in a Servian village, for Belgrade was the only -Servian place we had visited, and we could not judge from our experience -at the capital what might happen if we went ashore in a remote town. We -had heard many tales of the difficulties of travelling in the remote -districts of Servia, and had provided ourselves with passports properly -viséd in many languages. As we had no occasion to show them in Belgrade, -we now began to have some curiosity about their usefulness, and we -contemplated going ashore at a Servian village for no better reason than -to test this question. But, before we found an attractive landing-place, -we saw far below us in the distance,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185">{185}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 492px;"> -<a name="ill_80" id="ill_80"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_093_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_093_sml.jpg" width="492" height="278" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SEMENDRIA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186">{186}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187">{187}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">about noon on the day after leaving the frontier, what appeared to be a -curious row of buildings on the low Servian shore, stretching out into -the river like piers of a great railway bridge, or a line of grain -elevators.</p> - -<p>At first we thought it was mirage, which had hitherto often deceived us -by its distortion of forms and exaggeration of heights, but as we -paddled on against the wind we soon saw it was a collection of solid -architectural forms. It was, however, only when we were within a mile or -so of the town that we recognized in what we had taken to be a modern -landmark the huge towers and walls of the great mediæval citadel of -Semendria (Smédérévo, in Servian), rising in all their ancient dignity -from the very waters of the Danube, and overtopping with their masses of -solid masonry the little town modestly nestling in the shadow of the -great fortress. Of recent years Semendria has become of commercial -importance as a shipping port for grain, and when we entered the town -its narrow streets were blocked by hundreds of laden ox-carts, all -patiently waiting their turn at the public scales, where the weight of -the grain is guaranteed by the town officers before it is delivered to -the lighters. Through a motley crowd of Servians in barbaric fur caps, -red sashes, rawhide sandals, and the coarsest of homespun garments, we -made our way to the fortress. The great walls enclose a triangular space -of ten or twelve acres, occupying the whole of a low point between the -River Jessava and the Danube. The apex of the triangle at the junction -of the rivers is a citadel of great strength, built in 1432 by the -despot George Brankovitch. It is still in wonderful preservation. -Indeed, the walls of the whole enclosure and the twenty-three great -square towers show remarkably few signs of decay, and, with the -exception of the destruction of the wooden platforms, are almost as -sound as the day they were built. Here and there an inscription, or a -fragment of a statue built into<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188">{188}</a></span> the walls, proves that the importance -of the town dates as far back as the Roman occupation, when this was -undoubtedly one of a series of strongholds along the river.</p> - -<p>The barracks of the Servian garrison which stand in the great enclosure -appear like huts in comparison with the immense towers and high walls of -the mediæval structure, and a regiment of infantry may be quite lost -sight of among the tangled bushes and the thick foliage of the trees -which cover a large part of the ground. From the top of one of the great -towers we saw below and before us a panorama of varied beauty, extending -from the heights of Belgrade to the Carpathian range, faintly shadowed -in the distance beyond the glittering expanse of the Danube, which -spreads out into great broad reaches, with numerous islands, and, like -its smaller self among the mountains of Baden, pauses and gathers volume -and strength for the dash into the great gorge that cleaves the jagged -mass of mountains for fifty miles or more before again resuming its -quiet flow.</p> - -<p>As we went away from Semendria the chief of police was among the party -assembled to see us off, and here, we thought, was the opportunity to -see whether our passports would be honored. We offered them to the -official, modestly at first, but he would not even look at the -envelopes.</p> - -<p>“But they are our passports,” we urged. “They cost us a lot of money and -trouble, and if no official looks at them they will be wasted, for they -are only good for one year!”</p> - -<p>But he resolutely declined to have anything to do with them, although we -increased the urgency of our request almost to the strength of a demand, -and we left, quite ready to believe the statement of a scoffing friend -in Budapest, who declared that any one could travel the whole length of -the Danube with no more of a passport than a restaurant bill of fare, -which would satisfy the officials as well as the best parchment with -signatures and seals.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189">{189}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;"> -<a name="ill_81" id="ill_81"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_094_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_094_sml.jpg" width="380" height="151" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>RAMA</p></div> -</div> - -<p>At Bazias, on the Hungarian side of the river, the terminus of the -railway from Temesvár, and the point where the tourist usually takes a -steamer for the trip through the Kasan defile and the Iron Gates, there -is nothing on shore more interesting than a railway restaurant; but the -landscape is very grand and beautiful. The hills completely mask the -course of the river as the traveller approaches them from up-stream, and -the fine ruin of Castle Rama, on the Servian side, seems to stand on the -shore of a large lake with a southern boundary of great mountains. From -Rama the river sweeps majestically around to the south past Bazias, and -narrows somewhat as it winds among the first great foot-hills of the -mountain range, spreading out again after a few miles into another -lake-like reach, which in turn has on its southern horizon an apparently -impassable chain of mountains—this time the real Carpathians.</p> - -<p>As we crossed the river from Rama towards the cluster of houses on the -water’s edge at Bazias, we observed that the little village, dwarfed to -insignificance by the towering hills above it, was all gay with flags. -On closer approach we distinguished near the landing the form of a low -gray vessel quite unlike any craft we had hitherto seen. This proved<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190">{190}</a></span> to -be an Austrian gunboat, and the occasion of the display of bunting was -the birthday of the Emperor Francis Joseph. As we drifted down towards -the man-of-war we hoisted all the flags we had, and, as we were passing -in review with all the dignity we could command, we were startled by the -loud report of a champagne cork pointed in our direction, and fired, as -it were, across our bows. We surrendered at once and unconditionally, -and exchanged cards with a group of officers celebrating the Emperor’s -birthday on the quarter-deck. We found our captivity so little irksome -that we willingly prolonged it until we were admonished by the position -of the sun in the heavens that we must be off if we would reach the -entrance to the Carpathian gorge before dark. Our haste was due to no -more cogent reason than ambition to begin the fight with the river at -the so-called cataracts. These obstructions had been described to us by -friends who had made the journey in a steamer as extremely dangerous, -and, as we neared the mountains, all the river-men we talked with warned -us of the perils of the stream below, and advised us on no account to -attempt the passage of the cataracts without a pilot. But we could not -forget the collapse of the Strudel and Wirbel bugbear in the upper -river, and could not bring ourselves to apprehend any great danger in -rapids where steamers are constantly passing up and down with loaded -lighters in tow. Even our new-found friends on the gunboat, who had just -made the trip, cautioned us not to attempt the passage in our frail -canoes, and took great pains to show us the dangerous points on their -charts. Of course, the more we heard of these terrors to navigation the -more eager we became to look upon them ourselves, and, while we did not -propose to spoil our trip by the loss of our canoes, we also did not -intend to take anybody’s testimony of the dangers, which were, after -all, only relative. The last words our naval advisers said to us, as we -regretfully<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191">{191}</a></span> left them, was to be sure to take a pilot at Drenkova, the -last steamboat-landing above the rapids.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;"> -<a name="ill_82" id="ill_82"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_095_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_095_sml.jpg" width="320" height="162" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>GOLUBÁÇ</p></div> -</div> - -<p>From the broad reach just below Bazias the whole horizon to the south -and east appears to be a solid wall of rocky heights, and is without a -break visible to the eye. For about twenty miles the river winds gently -across a pleasant valley, divides around a large island, and then sweeps -straight down towards the huge barrier, which extends to the right and -left as far as the eye can see. As we paddled along in the quiet current -past the Servian town of Gradistje, and came nearer and nearer to the -mass of rugged peaks which cut sharply against the sky, we grew more and -more impatient to discover the course of the river through the chain, -and unconsciously increased the rapidity and the force of our stroke -until we sped along as if paddling a race. Suddenly, as we were passing -the end of the large island, the landscape opened to the eastward like -the shifting scenes on a stage, and the river, sweeping past a high -isolated rock in mid-stream, was seen to plunge with accelerated speed -directly into a narrow cleft between immense limestone cliffs, and to -disappear in the depths of the gorge. Guarding the entrance to this -defile, the ruin of the Castle of Golubáç, on the Servian shore, piles -its towers high on a spur which juts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192">{192}</a></span> out boldly over the river, and -shades a pleasant little green meadow by the water-side. The foundations -of the castle are said to be Roman, and there is a tradition that Helen, -the Empress of Greece, was imprisoned here; but the ruins now visible -are those of the fortress built by Maria Térésa in the middle of last -century. Along the Hungarian bank the famous highway of Count Széchényi, -leading from the town of Moldova just above to Orsova, at the Roumanian -frontier, shows the straight line of its cuttings and embankments but a -few feet above the water. The smooth, perpendicular cliffs are -perforated by numerous caverns, one of which tradition has marked as the -place whence issue the swarms of vicious flies which persecute the -cattle in the summer-time. A local legend attributes the origin of these -flies to the body of the dragon killed by St. George.</p> - -<p>The green meadow under Golubáç invited us to a pleasant camp, for night -was fast coming on as we finished our sketching, and we were loath to -leave the charming, romantic spot. But one of our party, unable to -resist the impulse to penetrate the gathering gloom of the defile, had -drifted on and was lost to sight. The whole sky was tinged with the -coppery red of sunset when we set out to overtake him. The river whirled -and rushed and wrestled with our paddles as we floated on into the -deepening twilight. Now and then a great boiling under our very keels -would throw us out of our course, and make the light canoes bound along -with an unfamiliar and disturbing motion. On and on we went, unable -longer to see a map, and with no means of determining where and when we -should come upon the dangerous rapids and whirlpools that lay somewhere -in our path. Frequent camp-fires sparkled at the water’s edge, and from -one to another we paddled, waking the echoes with the shrill notes of -our whistles, until at last, just as we had concluded to give up the -search, certain that we had passed our compan<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193">{193}</a></span>ion in the darkness, we -heard his welcome hail, and were soon in camp.</p> - -<p>The plaintive song of a peasant girl, spinning from a distaff as she -walked through the rustling maize-field behind our camp, brought us to -our feet long before we had slept off the effects of our sixty miles’ -paddle of the day before; and, eager to be at the rapids, we ate a hasty -breakfast and were off down the reach, very like the Hudson in scenery, -to the little coaling station of Drenkova, where we had been told to -take a pilot. We trimmed our canoes with unusual care, tested our -paddles, stowed away all loose articles, and put everything in fighting -trim. Although we did not propose to undergo the humiliation of -following a pilot through the rapids, we thought it best to take all -reasonable means to find the best channel, and we therefore landed at -Drenkova, and consulted the agent of the steamship company there. He -could give us but very few directions which were of any use, but offered -us a pilot, and advised us strongly not to attempt the passage alone. -But the sight of puffing steamers slowly dragging loaded barges up the -stream was to our minds satisfactory proof of the nature of the -obstructions, and, a little impatient at the delay, we pushed off, -followed by repeated cautions and confused directions. From our long -experience with the Danube, we had come to believe that it was a -thoroughly well-behaved and well-regulated river, whose mild tricks were -easily understood, and whose current would not endanger the veriest tub -that ever disgraced a navigable stream. We were only too anxious, then, -to see what the river could really do in the way of making navigation -difficult and dangerous; and, besides, never having tested our canoes -except in the choppy seas of the sudden wind-storms, we were ready to -risk a good deal to find out how they would act in the baffling currents -and waves of a real rapid.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194">{194}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 205px;"> -<a name="ill_83" id="ill_83"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_096_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_096_sml.jpg" width="205" height="462" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ROUMANIAN PEASANT GIRL</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Just below Drenkova the Danube bends to the south, and makes its first -angry dash over the ledges of rock that stretch between the sheer cliffs -on the Servian side and the rocky, wooded heights opposite. The river -was about its average height on the day we went down, and no rocks -showed above the surface. A strong head-wind so disturbed the water that -we were unable to judge of the run of the currents, nor exactly tell -where the rapids really were until we were in the midst of them. To add -to our difficulties, several steamers were towing up-stream, and the -wash from their paddles, necessary to be avoided at all times, increased -the turmoil of the rushing waters. There was nothing to do, then, but to -take our own course far enough away to avoid the steamer wash, if -possible, and still near enough the main channel to escape the -whirlpools, which we had been told were the greatest dangers of the -passage. Between this Scylla and Charybdis the way was not easy, but we -paddled steadily forward, breasting the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195">{195}</a></span> waves, throwing spray -mast-high, and plunging along with great speed. Suddenly, between two of -the canoes a great vortex appeared, and with giddy revolving motion -seemed to rush on viciously in chase of the foremost boat. Never were -paddles used with greater vigor or better skill, and the dainty crafts -swept gracefully around on the outer ring of the whirlpool, just out of -reach of the resistless clutch of the swirl, until the yawning vortex -gradually closed up again and its force was idly spent. The Danube had -given us a notion of what it might do if trifled with.</p> - -<p>A second rapid followed the first, not far below it, at the end of a -broad reach surrounded by high mountains, and although we were not -conscious of any great increase in the speed of the current, we heard in -a few moments the roar of the Greben rapids—the longest and most -difficult of navigation above those at the Iron Gates. As we came near, -we saw a line of white water reaching across from shore to shore, -apparently without a break. We were speedily approaching this rank of -tossing waves, where jets of glittering spray flew high in the air, when -we fortunately saw a steamer passing up near the Servian shore, and -paddled rapidly across to find the channel, where we would be less -likely to meet the only enemy we feared—the whirlpools. Before we had -time to deliberate on the best passage among the rocks we were in the -midst of the tumbling, dashing waters, and almost before we caught our -breath again we were in a comparatively still pool under the immense -crag of Greben, which, pushing far out into the stream and narrowing the -channel, causes the current to flow with great swiftness over the jagged -ledges of rock that dam the river at this point. In our exhilarating -dashes through the waves we had not shipped a spoonful of water, -although our decks had been constantly awash, even to the very top of -the coamings. As we neared the last pitch of the river at this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196">{196}</a></span> point, -we had acquired such confidence in our canoes that we dashed boldly into -the roughest of the leaping waves, fired with enthusiasm for the -unaccustomed sport, and filled with the excitement of our adventure. The -canoes fairly leaped from crest to crest of the billows, and we could -not see each other for the screen of dashing spray. A moment or two of -active dodging and very hard paddling and we came out breathless at the -landing of a temporary station where the international corps of -engineers are quartered while the great work of improving the navigation -is in progress.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197">{197}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HE rocky shoulder of Greben is all scarred and torn by the cuttings -which are gradually eating off its rugged and dangerous spur. Farther -down-stream a breakwater is in course of construction, intended to -divert the current from a shallow; and at some distance below, the great -black masses of drilling machines, all chains and iron posts and -funnels, are seen anchored in mid-stream, where they are constantly at -work blasting out a great ledge of rock which causes the rapids of the -Jur.</p> - -<p>The cheery engineers, who had watched our descent of the rapids with -great interest, welcomed us when we landed with offers of substantial -hospitality, and over a good dinner we discussed the one topic which had -for us a common interest—the moods and caprices of the great river. -When we left them, at two o’clock, we had still a paddle of some -twenty-five miles before we should reach Orsova, where we proposed to -pass the night, not thinking it would be possible to camp in the gorge. -There would be no shelter from the violent up-stream wind until we -reached the entrance of the defile, so there was need of haste. Below -Greben the river sweeps around in a great curve from the south to the -north-east, a mile or more in width, then suddenly narrows, and takes a -remarkably straight course through a deep cleft in the mountains, until -it bends sharply towards the south again at the Iron Gates. The gorge -through which it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198">{198}</a></span> passes is called the Kasan defile, and is far and away -the most impressive and wonderful feature of the scenery along the whole -river. Sheer limestone precipices many hundred feet in height rise up in -grand simple masses on either side, and as we approached the gorge it -looked as if some great convulsion of nature had wrenched the solid -rocks asunder, leaving the deep and narrow chasm for the passage of the -river. Before Count Széchényi built his road along the Hungarian bank, -in 1840, there had been no practicable pathway through the defile since -the great road built by Trajan for his soldiers and his army trains -during his Dacian campaign. At the entrance, where the river is -constricted to a width of only 180 yards, the straight cutting of the -modern highway and the great score in the cliffs left by Trajan’s road -are both prominent features in the landscape. Here the river rushes -violently past a high rock in mid-stream, which causes a dangerous -whirlpool just below, then plunges into the narrow cleft with a volume -of water 200 feet or more in depth, and swirls and boils and throbs with -great pulsations all along its swelling flood. Narrower and narrower -becomes the gorge, higher and higher the cliffs, and strange currents -and ominous whirls break the surface of the dark torrent. In the depths -of the chasm there is almost twilight gloom, and in the impressive quiet -the murmur of the impatient river sounds dull and low, like the breakers -on a far-off sea-shore. Still closer and closer crowd the giant cliffs, -until they almost touch. At last they force the mighty river into the -narrow compass of 120 yards; and then, as if fatigued with the effort of -strangling the resistless flood, withdraw again, and little by little -the current gains its familiar breadth, and spreads out into a pleasant -reach with high wooded hills, enclosing on the north a fertile valley -with ripening cornfields, and piling high on the south their rugged -summits almost perpendicularly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199">{199}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 429px;"> -<a name="ill_84" id="ill_84"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_098_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_098_sml.jpg" width="429" height="613" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE KASAN DEFILE</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200">{200}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201">{201}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">over the water’s edge. Here the Roman road is almost practicable in -parts, and under a great towering precipice, where a projecting rock -pushes out boldly into the deep channel, the great general caused, in -the year 103, a tablet to be carved in the solid rock, on which may -still be read the inscription:</p> - -<p class="c"> -IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·NERVAE·F·<br /> -NERVA·TRAIANVS·AVG·GERM<br /> -PONTIF·MAXMVS·TRIB·OT * *<br /> -***** RIAE·CO *****<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind">commemorating his victory over nature as well as over man. Nature has -not forgiven Trajan the desecration of this, one of her sublimest works, -and in the lapse of centuries she has gradually eaten away the hard rock -tablet, threatening it with utter destruction, in spite of the -projecting stone above it, until solid masonry supports have been -erected to hold the shattered inscription in its place. As we were -sketching the spot, with its interesting traces of the Roman road -showing where the posts were fastened to the rock to support the -platforms necessary to widen the path, two natives came paddling up -under the edge of the cliff in a dugout canoe, and moored their boat at -the corner, where, on the old Roman road-bed, they had a little fishing -camp. Canoe, implements, dress, were the same as in the days when their -remote ancestors piloted Trajan’s galleys through the dangerous eddies -of the defile. Dacia Felix is now only a name, and a shattered tablet -and crumbling traces of the first great highway along the Danube alone -remain to remind us of the great general’s conquests of this remote -region, and to suggest something of the civilization he founded there. -But the peasant is still unchanged in type and costume, speaks a -language closely allied to the old<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202">{202}</a></span> Roman dialect, tills the ground and -catches fish with the same rude implements that Trajan found in the -hands of the happy barbarians of Dacia Felix.</p> - -<p>It was long after dark before we steered our canoes by the twinkling -lights of Orsova to the steamboat-landing there. The tinkle of gypsy -music in the garden restaurant by the river-bank echoed across the -silently-flowing stream, now silvered by the moon, which tardily rose -above the great mountains. We heard again the soft accents of the Magyar -tongue and the intoxicating strains of the csáardás. The wild gypsy -leader poured his music into our eager ears, drawing his nervous bow -under our very hat-brims, lest we should lose some quaver of the -stirring chords. Long into the night we sat there, captive to the music -and the beauty of the moonlit landscape, loath to lose one moment of the -few precious hours that remained to us in bewitching, beloved Hungary.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 336px;"> -<a name="ill_85" id="ill_85"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_099_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_099_sml.jpg" width="336" height="305" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>REMAINS OF TRAJAN’S ROAD NEAR ORSOVA</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Like all frontier towns, Orsova has a heterogeneous population, which -gives interest to an otherwise dull and unattractive<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203">{203}</a></span> place. Besides its -commercial importance on the river, and also on the through railway line -from Budapest to Bucharest, it is, in summer-time at least, the -halting-place for the great multitudes of Roumanians and Hungarians who -resort to the baths of Méhadia, or the Herkulesbad, as it is usually -called, from the old Roman name, Thermae Herculis, a most picturesque -and luxurious establishment of sulphur baths a few miles inland, in a -wonderful gorge of the Carpathians.</p> - -<p>Among the motley collection of peasants seen in the streets, the Turk in -all his squalor is met here for the first time on the Danube. By the -Treaty of Berlin, the small fortified island of Ada Kaleh, three miles -below Orsova, was ceded to Austria, and the citadel was ordered to be -razed. But as the whole population consisted of Turks, and there seemed -to be no humane method of getting rid of them, they were allowed to -linger on, not acquiring rights of citizenship in Austria, nor yet -responsible to the Sultan in any way, paying no taxes to either -Austro-Hungary or Turkey. The wily Turk makes the most of his position, -and drives a thriving trade in all sorts of knick-knacks, picks up a -good income out of the crowd of tourists who visit the island for a -sight of a real Turk in his own home, and sells the best tobacco that -can be bought north of the Balkans, and at prices which argue against -his assurance that he has paid duty for it at the Austrian customs. Just -beyond this island the Danube bends sharply to the south-east, and three -or four miles below the Roumanian frontier tumbles its full, broad -current over a great ledge of rocks, which for a mile and a half in -width extend across the river, and leaving only a narrow and intricate -channel for steamers near the Roumanian shore, always dangerous to -navigation, and at low-water impassable except by boats of shallow -draught. In this mile and a half of rapids the river falls sixteen -feet,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204">{204}</a></span> and the broad defile at this point is known as the Iron Gates.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 363px;"> -<a name="ill_86" id="ill_86"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_100_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_100_sml.jpg" width="363" height="180" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM BELGRADE TO RUSTCHUK</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The Turks originally applied the name Iron Gates (Demir Kapou) to the -rapids just below Drenkova as well as to those near Orsova, calling them -respectively Upper and Lower Iron Gates. The name, which signified -obstructions to navigation rather than natural gateways in the -mountains, is now commonly applied to the lower rapids only, and the -traveller who has passed through the Kasan defile usually expects to -find a still more wonderful gorge at the Iron Gates below. He is sure to -be disappointed, for the Iron Gates are only a series of dangerous -rapids at the point where the river broadens out after leaving the -mountains, and the scenery there is, by comparison with that of the -Kasan defile, tame and uninteresting. With the Carpathian ends the -series of remarkable gorges and defiles which has marked the course of -the river at intervals from its source down, for the vast plain of -Roumania extends from the foot-hills here to the shores of the Black -Sea. The Iron Gates have been since earliest history of great military -and political importance, forming as they do a natural barrier on the -great water-way between the East and the West. According to Strabo, the -Danube ended<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205">{205}</a></span> here and the Ister began, for the lower river was known to -the Greeks as the Ιστρος. There is no record of any mention of the upper -Danube before the first century <small>B.C.</small>, when it was discovered by the -Roman armies under Cæsar, who probably gave it the name Danubius. Max -Müller, in his study of the origin of the name of the Danube, says that -the Latin name is probably a translation of the Aryan word <i>danu</i>, -which, in the védas, means moist, or an adaptation of the old Persian -word of the same spelling which means a river. It is scarcely necessary -to add that the river has now a different name in several of the -countries through which it flows. The Germans call it the Donau, the -Hungarians the Duna, the Roumanians the Dunari, and the Servians, -Bulgarians, and Russians the Dunai.</p> - -<p>The Iron Gates marks in the history of our trip the loss of the Admiral -of the fleet who, having exhausted all the time at his disposal, was -obliged to leave us here, to the regret of all of us and his own intense -disappointment.</p> - -<p>The International Corps of Engineers, who are carrying out the -improvements of navigation on all the rapids of the Carpathian gorge, -have begun to cut a canal through the rocks at the Iron Gates along the -Servian bank. The work has been in progress since the autumn of 1890, -and will be completed in 1893. Trajan’s engineers actually completed -part of a similar canal a few rods farther inland, and the material of -the ancient enbankments is now employed in the construction of the -modern dikes. Like the conscientious travellers we were, we inspected -the works, and at the invitation of the engineers, spent a pleasant -half-day there. In common with so many other undertakings the world -over, the labor is mostly in the hands of the Italians, who look exactly -like so many workmen on the Croton Aqueduct. At noon they gathered at -the doorway of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206">{206}</a></span> ГОСТИОНИЦА НЕВ ЈОРК—GASTHAUS NEWY JORK—quite the -same as at the corner groceries of the One-hundred-and-something Street -above the Harlem River, and only left the spot during the hour of rest -to watch the futile rage of a flock of Servian and Roumanian geese at a -sleepy Hungarian eagle chained to a perch—an active symbol of a -possible political situation which appealed strongly to the ready -Italian wit.</p> - -<p>We had our usual enemy, a violent head-wind, on the day we trusted our -fleet to the mercies of the Pregrada rapids at the Iron Gates, and we -had a busy quarter of an hour escaping the whirlpools and avoiding the -cross-seas. Unable from our low position to judge of the best channel in -the surging waves, we kept as straight a course as the angry and -baffling currents would permit, and came out safely in the comparatively -smooth waters below, where we had a moment to look at the landscape from -mid-stream, and to vote it disappointing after the grand scenery of the -Kasan defile. For a mile or two farther on we found we must steer with -care, for vicious swirls would suddenly appear and almost snatch the -paddles from our hands. Great sturgeon weirs near the Servian shore -marked the end of the violent currents, and after passing these we -floated tranquilly away down a reach dotted all over with gourds marking -the nets and sturgeon lines, which here are set on every side. A -pleasant open country was now before us, with hot yellow hills and a -town on either hand—Kladovo, with brick fortress and modern earthworks, -on the Servian shore, and Turnu Severin high up on a bluff across the -river just below. As we had not yet landed in Roumania, we decided to -coast along the left bank and see if the landing-place was more -interesting than the long straggling modern town which looked so -commonplace and unattractive. As we drifted down close to the groups of -quaint craft, studying<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207">{207}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 328px;"> -<a name="ill_87" id="ill_87"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_101_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_101_sml.jpg" width="328" height="201" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>REMAINS OF TRAJAN’S BRIDGE, TURNU SEVERIN</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">these novel vessels, the first we had seen with masts and sails, we -noticed, on the river-bank below, the ruined pier of Trajan’s bridge, -and thought we would land there and make a sketch of it. As we passed -the town we saw a soldier in a white linen uniform trying his best to -keep pace with us; but as he made no sign, we did not dream he had any -other motives than those of curiosity. Just above the ruins a party of -soldiers was bathing, a sentinel stood guard in front of a sentry-box, -and a few rods farther down men were washing horses, and women were -beating clothes on the rocks. We turned our bows towards the bank at the -ruined pier, when a sharp hail from the sentinel caused us to look up. -“Keep off!” he commanded in vigorous Roumanian. But we, seeing no -fortifications anywhere, and having no more sinister intentions than the -mild pursuit of art, knew no reason why we should not go ashore where -the natives were at work, and continued to paddle slowly towards the mud -bank. “Keep off! keep out in the stream!” he yelled again. “Is there a -war here?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208">{208}</a></span>” we asked, with an attempt at humor. “No; but you sha’n’t -land! Keep off, or I’ll shoot!” “Shoot away; you can’t hit!” we -retorted, believing it to be the idle threat of a soldier only half in -earnest. But he grew more and more excited as we approached, and, -drawing a cartridge from his pouch, showed it to us, and pushed it into -his rifle. Just at this moment the soldier whom we had seen running -along the shore came up breathless, and took command of the military -force, promptly ordering the sentry to cover us with his rifle, until -the bathing soldiers might seize our canoes. We held off for a few -moments, just out of reach, and then, thinking the farce had gone far -enough, went ashore and surrendered ourselves to the corporal, the -sentry, and the dozen half-naked soldiers. Armed with two expensive and -hitherto useless passports, we followed the corporal a long distance -into the town to the headquarters, showed our papers to the officer of -the day, who immediately gave us our liberty, with polite apologies for -the annoyance his men had caused us. When we reached the canoes again, -we distributed cigarettes to the bathing party who had guarded our -fleet, and sent a few up the bank to the belligerent sentinel, who did -not scorn the gift from his recent enemy. A little Jew boy standing -near, not having received his share of the cigarettes, remarked, with -some feeling and unconscious humor, “If the sentinel had fired at you, I -suppose you’d have given him cigars!”</p> - -<p>Floating down a great loop of the river in a dry and yellow landscape, -we recovered from the excitement of our first adventure with the -military, and, as we went along, watched the chattering Servians -harvesting on one shore, and the Roumanian women, in the simple costume -of white linen chemise, and long woollen fringe hanging behind from the -girdle which binds a brilliantly colored apron to the waist, drawing -water in classic-shaped jars, or spinning<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209">{209}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 370px;"> -<a name="ill_88" id="ill_88"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_102_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_102_sml.jpg" width="370" height="222" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ROUMANIAN PEASANTS</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">from the distaff as they walked. Now and then groups of men so -resembling the old Dacians, with loose tunic and trousers, sandals, -broad belt, and sheepskin cap, that they almost looked like -masqueraders, wandered over the arid slopes, spots of brilliant white on -a background of sunny yellow. Even the soldiers we saw at the little -huts which now stood on the bank at frequent intervals, were as barbaric -in appearance as the peasant, and could only be recognized as military -by the accoutrements they carried. Along one placid reach we came upon a -great fleet of dugout canoes, each with two Servians, floating down with -the current, dragging clumsy nets as they went. Landing below the little -village, whose red-tiled roofs peeped out from among thick foliage, they -drew in their nets, towed their boats up against the stream, and, -chattering all the while with incessant vigor, drifted down again as -before. Almost the only houses to be seen on the Roumanian shore were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210">{210}</a></span> -the huts of the pickets, which occupied every point, and guarded every -possible landing-place. We realized the fact but slowly, and only after -some experience, that we were now under the eye of military supervision, -from which we were not to escape until we should paddle out into the -Black Sea.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 438px;"> -<a name="ill_89" id="ill_89"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_103_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_103_sml.jpg" width="438" height="167" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SERVIAN FISHING-CANOES</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211">{211}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-a.png" -width="80" -alt="A" /></span>T noon of the day following our introduction to the system of keeping -the frontier in Roumania, we heard the sound of rifle-firing and the -beating of drums in the Servian village of Brza Palanka, and, on landing -there, found the place in the liveliest commotion. Scores of men and -women were filling gourds at the wells, and hurrying away up the -hill-side back of the town. Besides the burden of water, most of the -women and a great crowd of children were carrying baskets of bread and -cooked food, and kerchiefs full of grapes. The hot and dusty streets -were alive with peasants, mostly in white linen garments, with brilliant -red sashes on the men, and richly colored aprons on the women. Both -sexes wore very clumsy sandals and heavy woollen socks, or -leg-wrappings, bound to the ankle by thongs. While we were wondering at -the extraordinary activity of the village, we heard the beat of a drum -coming nearer and nearer, and soon a militia company of the -wildest-looking men who ever carried a rifle came marching up at quick -pace, and wheeling into a narrow lane, tramped along in a cloud of dust, -and disappeared over the brow of the hill. Another and then another -company, each more savage-looking than the last, went through the same -manœuvres, and the whole population followed them, we among the rest. -When we came out on the hill-top we saw before us the strangest and most -barbaric encampment imaginable. The broad, arid plateau<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212">{212}</a></span> was covered -with shelters or great huts made of oak-boughs, ranged around in a sort -of quadrangle, enclosing a level space of twenty-five or thirty acres. -In the shadows of these rude shelters were seated hundreds of men eating -their mid-day meal, which was brought to them by the women and children, -who, after the men were served, squatted on the dry turf a little -distance away, and ate their own frugal dinner. Across the great -parade-ground were two long heaps of straw in parallel lines, which were -evidently the beds of the men at night. We understood, of course, that -we were in the annual camp of the Servian militia, and were not -surprised that our appearance caused some little interest and curiosity, -as we were the only ones in European dress anywhere in sight. Besides, -our costume would doubtless have excited comment anywhere, for Danube -mud had so changed its tone, and hard usage had so distorted its shape, -that it was now decidedly unique in general appearance. The camp guard -halted us, and inquired our business, which we, for want of a better -answer, stated to be a visit to the captain, trusting to the probability -of there being a number of officers of this rank. The guard seemed -perfectly satisfied with our reply, and did not even ask which captain -we wanted to see, but let us pass at once. We made the same explanation -to various inquisitive militiamen, who seemed to resent our sketching, -and we slowly made our way into the enclosure. We had eaten nothing -since sunrise, and had paddled twenty miles or more, therefore, after -our first curiosity was satisfied, we thought we had better return to -the village for luncheon, and come back again to see the afternoon -drill. But the moment we began to move away, the suspicions of the whole -camp were aroused at once, and from all sides came a chorus of shouts -and cries in what seemed to us very violent and angry tones. In another -instant we were the centre of an excited<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213">{213}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 469px;"> -<a name="ill_90" id="ill_90"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_105_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_105_sml.jpg" width="469" height="405" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>CARRYING WATER FOR THE CAMP, BRZA PLANKA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214">{214}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215">{215}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">throng of fierce-looking rascals all armed with knives, and several of -them with rifles and bayonets. Explanations were now futile, and, -indeed, quite impossible, for our small stock of Servian words was soon -exhausted, and, after making several attempts to push past the men who -blocked our path, we finally yielded, and were marched off to the hut -which was apparently the headquarters. Here we found two officers of the -regular army, a captain and a lieutenant, who had charge of the -encampment, the former being, as we now understood, the only captain in -the camp, and therefore the one whom we had declared we were about to -visit.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 167px;"> -<a name="ill_91" id="ill_91"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_106_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_106_sml.jpg" width="167" height="438" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>“OUR GUARD,” SERVIAN MILITIA CAMP</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The officers were naturally astonished at seeing two men in boating -dress appear at the door of their hut, for the militiamen stood off at a -respectful distance and sent us ahead to announce ourselves; however, -they received us with great courtesy, gave us the only two chairs they -had, and tried to conceal their bewilderment by urgent offers of -hospitality. We produced our passports, displayed the great water-mark -of the eagle and shield and the arms of the British Empire, and made -ourselves as agreeable as possible, all the while wondering what was -going to be the re<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216">{216}</a></span>sult of the interview. They seemed to be in no great -hurry to get rid of us, and were evidently puzzled what to do with us -anyhow; for there could be no question of the validity of our -credentials, and they undoubtedly had received no orders to cover this -unexpected episode. The difficulty lay in our inability to explain our -business; for although we could understand the greater part of what they -said, from the resemblance of the language to Russian, we had a very -limited stock of Servian words to use in this emergency. Even if we had -successfully managed the philological feat of explaining the object of -our trip in comprehensible Servian, we should have found the same -difficulty here as at every other place since the beginning of our -voyage in convincing them that we were engaged in no commercial -enterprise, but were simply on a pleasure excursion. The captain sent -men in various directions to find some one who spoke German or -Hungarian, and at last a gypsy was brought who was supposed to be a -linguist. His German was limited to one phrase, “Was wollen Sie?” and -not a word of Hungarian did he know, so he was promptly kicked out -again. While they were scouring the camp for another interpreter, it -suddenly occurred to us to say we were engineers, believing that this -must be a recognized profession along the Danube. The word “Ingenieur” -acted like a charm. The captain immediately apologized for his stupidity -in not understanding our position sooner, and called a guard to conduct -us safely to the lines, saying that he could not let us remain in the -camp, for the orders were against it; besides, there would be nothing to -see, for the soldiers were going to have their after-dinner nap, and the -parade would not take place until evening. We shook hands cordially with -both officers, and followed the brawny chested peasant towards the road -to the village. As we marched across the parade-ground we could not -resist the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217">{217}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 376px;"> -<a name="ill_92" id="ill_92"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_107_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_107_sml.jpg" width="376" height="499" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>MASSING OF SERVIAN TROOPS ON THE BULGARIAN FRONTIER</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">temptation to make a little note of the encampment in our sketch-books, -but before we could draw a line an excited party of soldiers rushed -towards us, the leader brandishing a long knife. It was evident they had -all the Oriental fear<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218">{218}</a></span> and aversion to being sketched, and we saw they -were disposed to make it unpleasant for us. We promptly put away our -books, and one of us, drawing a penknife from his pocket, deliberately -opened the smallest blade and flourished it in the air as if in a -mocking challenge to the giant with the long dagger. The ridiculous -situation was appreciated in an instant; the whole crowd stopped -shouting to laugh; the weapons were put up, and peace was declared on -the basis of mutual mirth. Once beyond the camp lines we did not attempt -to enter again, but waved our adieus from the canoes as we floated off.</p> - -<p>Our adventure had been a most interesting one, and the result had not -been disagreeable. We could not help thinking that these people were -very little understood by those correspondents who are continually -fermenting the Eastern question and making it a nauseous topic of -ignorant discussion in the Press of the civilized world. Such an -encampment, we thought, would be sure to be described as a massing of -Servian troops near the Bulgarian frontier, and a similar experience to -ours would furnish text for interminable letters on the belligerent -character of the people of the Balkan provinces. For our part we could -readily picture the excitement in an encampment of militia in the United -States or of volunteers in England if two Servians, in native costume -and carrying sketch-books, should succeed in penetrating the lines, -unable to excuse or explain their presence. It is curious to note that a -few days after our visit to the camp we saw an English newspaper, and -almost the first paragraph we observed in the column of telegraphic news -was headed, “Massing of Servian Troops on the Bulgarian Frontier.”</p> - -<p>We did not care to come in contact with the military any more, for the -reason that, now the novelty was worn off, we should scarcely find -future experiences interesting enough<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219">{219}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 427px;"> -<a name="ill_93" id="ill_93"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_108_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_108_sml.jpg" width="427" height="585" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DRAWING WATER FOR THE CAMP, BRZA PALANKA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220">{220}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221">{221}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">to compensate us for the great loss of time which they were sure to -involve. But we were not far beyond the sound of drums at Brza Palanka -before we unwittingly fell into a Roumanian trap by drifting, as we -sketched, too near that shore. A hail from the water’s edge caused us to -look up, and we saw three men, dressed like ordinary peasants, as well -as we could judge, beckoning us to come ashore. Thinking they had fish -or some other desirable commodity to sell, we paddled nearer, intending -to land just below. As we came up to them we saw they wore military -belts, and at the same time we noticed a hut like those at other picket -posts under a tree on the bluff above. Our first impulse was to turn our -bows down-stream and paddle away, but, on the first move we made to -escape, one of the men ran up to the hut, appeared instantly again with -rifle and cartridge-boxes, and proceeded to go through significant -exercises in the Roumanian manual of arms. We were rather tired of this -game, and surrendered with bad enough grace. The soldiers, however, were -ready enough to discontinue hostilities the moment they met us on the -shore; the corporal examined our passports, declared them all right, -and, with the present of the silver effigy of King Charles of Roumania, -we stifled effectively what little enmity still lurked under their -coarse linen tunics, and paddled away, friends all round. -Notwithstanding our efforts, we had not by any means finished with the -military yet, for, as darkness came on, and we tried to find a -camp-ground, we could discover no practicable place on the Servian side, -nor escape the pickets on the opposite bank. At last we decided to make -a counter-move against the enemy, and boldly landed and stalked up to a -group of pickets before they had time to run for their one rifle, and -asked for guidance to a good camping-ground. They advised us to stay -where we were, and avoid difficulties with the posts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222">{222}</a></span> below in the -darkness, so we hauled up the canoes close by their shallow well, where -the Danube water filtered in through the sand, and soon forgot soldiers -and passports and the Eastern question.</p> - -<p>On this part of the river villages are infrequent, uninteresting, and -almost all on the Servian side. The native architecture is neither -imposing nor tasteful, but the houses are comfortable, and often very -neat inside and out. The frame is made of roughly hewn poles nailed or -pegged together, and skilfully wattled all over with sticks about an -inch in diameter, which serve to hold the mud with which all the walls -and the ceilings are thickly plastered. An open porch or veranda, often -occupying nearly the whole front of the house, serves as a nursery, -work-room, and general sitting-room for the women in summer, and there -is often a raised platform at one side, where the men sit in Turkish -fashion and smoke, and drink coffee. This latter feature of native -architecture is found at all country inns, and becomes an indispensable -adjunct to most houses a little farther down, within the limits of -former European Turkey. The Servian houses, as well as the Roumanian -structures, which are built on much the same plan, are generally -whitewashed, and either roofed with red tiles, or thatched with reeds or -straw. Tiles are more commonly used in most parts.</p> - -<p>The Roumanian bank had now become flat, monotonous, and apparently -deserted by everybody except the pickets. For many miles we saw not even -a fishing hamlet on either shore, and when, after rather a dull -forenoon, we came to the great, white, straggling village of Radujeváç, -on the right bank, we found it to be the last Servian river town above -the Bulgarian frontier, and, fortunately for us, the most picturesque -and characteristic place we had seen for days. Few shops, and those of -the most primitive order, disturb the rustic simplicity of the streets. -Farm-houses<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223">{223}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 496px;"> -<a name="ill_94" id="ill_94"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_109_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_109_sml.jpg" width="496" height="287" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>SERVIAN MILITIA, BRZA PALANKA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224">{224}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225">{225}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">with great court-yards enclosed by high wattled fences are half hidden -among the trees on either side the broad, dusty highways, and the part -of the village near the river is still surrounded by an oaken stockade -eight or ten feet high, a relic of the days when such a defence was -necessary.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 428px;"> -<a name="ill_95" id="ill_95"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_110_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_110_sml.jpg" width="428" height="439" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BUILDING A HOUSE IN SERVIA</p></div> -</div> - -<p>On every veranda and in every farm-yard the women sat<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226">{226}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 284px;"> -<a name="ill_96" id="ill_96"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_111_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_111_sml.jpg" width="284" height="198" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HOUSE AT RADUJEVÁÇ</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">in the shadow spinning and weaving wool, and their lively gossiping -voices mingled cheerily with the clatter of the looms and the whir of -the reel. Large-eyed, gray-coated oxen lay and peacefully chewed the cud -at the very elbows of the women as they worked. Bright scarlet peppers -and great piles of husked Indian-corn made rich splashes of color -against the cool shadows of the whitewashed walls, and everywhere -brilliant touches of red in the peasant costume flashed among the -foliage or gleamed in the sunshine. A few idlers were assembled under -the rude awning in front of the wine-shop, to drink the rank plum brandy -or thin acid wine; but, with the exception of these drones of the busy -hive, everybody was actively engaged in harvest-work or in some domestic -manufacture. The bi-weekly Danube steamer touches at the landing at -every trip up and down; freight is delivered, produce shipped and sent -to some convenient market; but the little community is as far away from -civilization as if steamers did not exist, and life there is still quite -as primitive as in the days before the enterprising<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227">{227}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 343px;"> -<a name="ill_97" id="ill_97"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_112_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_112_sml.jpg" width="343" height="535" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ROUMANIAN PICKET GUARD</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228">{228}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229">{229}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">scouts of modern commerce began to corrupt the native taste of the -peasantry with the crudities of modern productions.</p> - -<p>In the long reaches below Radujeváç a wider landscape meets the eye. Far -to the north the high Carpathians raise their noble heads in grand -array, and stretch away to the eastward until their forms are lost in -the shimmering distance across the Roumanian plain, while to the south -the bold outlines of the Balkans may be faintly distinguished, half -hidden by summer clouds. The river takes longer and more stately curves, -and flows with somewhat sleepy current. No obstacles now impede its -course, no cliffs and crags narrow its channel, and it winds peacefully -along without a check until it pours its great flood through a dozen -outlets into the Black Sea. Nor is this peaceful stream without its own -peculiar charm and beauty. The sunny, smiling landscapes never tire the -eye or fatigue the mind, for the majestic stream opens new vistas at -every bend, and discloses ever-varied combinations of shore and stream -and distance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230">{230}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-o.png" -width="80" -alt="O" /></span>N one of the pleasantest reaches, a short way below the mouth of the -magnificent stream which marks the Bulgarian frontier, the Roumanian -town of Kalafat, with its great church and public edifices, shows an -imposing mass along a high bluff, and looks down with the conscious -pride of newness on the old town and fortress of Widdin, among the green -meadows on the opposite shore. From the earthworks of Kalafat, Prince -Charles fired his first shot against the Turks in 1877, which found an -answering echo until Bulgaria was free and Roumania became a nation. The -grim old stronghold of Widdin still shelters a large Turkish population, -and above the rigid lines of its half-ruined parapets the slender points -of numerous minarets still rise, mute symbols of a faith that lingers -even now on the banks of the Danube. It was a pleasant, quiet afternoon -when we slowly paddled down the beautiful reach, enchanted by the -peaceful landscape and the pastoral beauty of the river-banks. Kalafat, -dominating the great bluff, was accurately reflected in the mirror of -the stream, and below, the slender minarets of Widdin and a cluster of -masts, showing high above a wooded island, carried the eye away in -agreeable perspective. A storm of wind and rain which swept over the -country an hour or two before had cleared away, leaving the sky blue and -cloudless. Dreaming of the time when the smoke of hostile cannon drifted -across the mead<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231">{231}</a></span>ows and veiled the face of the high bluff, we floated -down towards the distant fortress, scarcely moving a paddle, lest we -should sweep all too soon past the charming spot. The sound of dashing -water like a cataract suddenly startled us, and we saw just below us, -only a short distance away, the whole surface of the river violently -agitated, as if a line of rocks or a rough shallow stretched across from -bank to bank. Hastily consulting the map, we found there was no such -obstruction marked at this point, and we were puzzled to know what was -in our path. Our ignorance was of brief duration, for even before we had -taken up our paddles again a sudden gust of wind struck the canoes, and -we were in the midst of tossing, angry surges. The willows on the bank -bent down like corn in a summer gale, and showed their leaves all white -in the sunlight. The pure dome of the sky was unbroken by a single -cloud, but the wind came tearing up the stream like a cyclone. From the -bluffs of Kalafat to the meadows of Widdin the great sleepy river had -suddenly become a seething, foaming waste. Our only shelter was under -the low mud banks on the Bulgarian side, whither we slowly fought our -way, obliged to keep our bows to the wind, and at the same time to draw -shorewards with all possible speed. For some moments we were buffeted by -the waves and beaten about by the vicious blast, but at last we managed -to gain the shelter of some large willows, and landed in the mud -opposite Kalafat. We got ashore not a moment too soon, for the river, -threshed by the flail of continuous gusts, grew rougher and rougher, and -the waves broke with crests like ocean billows. At the spot where we -landed was moored a rude fishing-boat, and two young Bulgarian fishermen -sat under the trees on the bank above busily weaving rough baskets out -of unpeeled willow twigs. Their camp was a bed of boughs under the -gnarled, crooked trunk of a tree; their outfit<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232">{232}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 439px;"> -<a name="ill_98" id="ill_98"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_114_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_114_sml.jpg" width="439" height="498" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BULGARIAN FISHERMAN BASKET-MAKING</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">consisted of a small kettle, a dish, and two wooden spoons, and, stowed -away in the shade of a convenient stump, a small stock of green corn, a -few watermelons, and a fish or two wrapped up in leaves comprised their -whole stock of pro<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233">{233}</a></span>visions. In this simple bivouac they cooked and ate -and slept all summer long, fishing by day and by night, and selling -their catch at Kalafat or Widdin. A cloak of thick rough woollen cloth, -like the mantle of the ancient Dacian, was their covering by night, and -their chief protection against the weather. As simple in their tastes as -the Indians of the plains, and with no better appliances for use and -comfort than may be found in the wigwam of the savage, they live a happy -and contented life, their only enemy the mosquito, their only society -the solemn herons that wade along the shore in the very smoke of the -camp-fire.</p> - -<p>They had watched our struggle with the storm, and welcomed us ashore -with hearty good-will. Out of their rustic larder they chose the best -melons, and insisted on our eating them, and for our supper they -selected the freshest and best fish. They firmly refused the money we -hesitatingly tendered them as we launched the canoes after the violence -of the gale had abated; and when we left them at twilight, they shook -hands, and wished us “godspeed” as heartily as if we had camped with -them for a season. Some distance below their bivouac, and in full sight -of the glimmering lights of both Kalafat and Widdin, we passed the night -among the wild-flowers and tangled grasses of a dry bank in a sheltered -spot quite enclosed by a dense growth of trees and underbrush, with no -more unpleasant intruders than startled water-fowl and drowsy, -unambitious mosquitoes.</p> - -<p>The great brick fortress of Widdin has a strangely aggressive look in -the pastoral landscape along the river. The high walls, enclosing with -their protecting bulwarks the populous Turkish quarter of the town, with -its numerous mosques, rise directly out of the water at the river-front, -and tower far above the trees scattered over the broad green meadows, -and, although neglected and fast<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234">{234}</a></span> crumbling to pieces, are grandly -imposing in height and extent. No bunting now flutters from the -tottering flag-staff, and the yawning embrasures are half filled with -rubbish, but the great citadel still dominates with arrogant pride the -rambling commercial town in the shadow of its walls, and maintains its -dignity as the extreme important outpost of Mahometan faith in Europe—a -noble monument to the former military and political supremacy of the -Turkish Empire. On the narrow landing-places by the water-gates, as we -drifted past in the early forenoon, crowds of Turkish women and children -were busy with their washing, and men in variegated jackets, baggy -trousers, turban, and sash waddled idly about, or lazily rowed the -clumsy boats laden with merchandise. The indescribable squalor and filth -of the Orient characterized every feature of the scene, and we now -realized, what Belgrade and Ada Kaleh had only hinted to us, the nature -of the gulf that separates Mahometan from Christian, not only in -religion, but in type, dress, and costume. Widdin is not only one of the -most important towns of northern Bulgaria, but is the real head of -navigation for sailing-vessels, and in many ways distinctly marks a new -phase of river life, and an abrupt political, ethnographical, and -philological frontier as well.</p> - -<p>When we drew up our canoes on the shore just above the steamer-landing, -we were interviewed at once by a smart-looking young officer in white -Russian cap and tunic, and red-trimmed brown trousers of Bulgarian -homespun, and armed with sabre and revolver, who politely requested the -temporary loan of our passports, and, after we had given them up, told -us we were free to go where we chose. We were not long in finding our -way to the busiest thoroughfare of the town—a long street with low -houses, and a continuous line of small shops and cafés, mostly like deep -alcoves slightly raised above the level of the pavement.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235">{235}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 422px;"> -<a name="ill_99" id="ill_99"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_115_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_115_sml.jpg" width="422" height="581" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>CANN, OPPOSITE KALAFAT</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236">{236}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237">{237}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;"> -<a name="ill_100" id="ill_100"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_116_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_116_sml.jpg" width="320" height="474" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BULGARIAN PEASANT TYPES</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Hundreds of country people, having disposed of their produce in the -great market-place near the citadel, were now busy shopping. The women -in this section of Bulgaria wear a short, scant chemise of homespun -linen, with full,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238">{238}</a></span> long sleeves, often richly embroidered, a -bright-colored woollen apron reaching to the hem of the chemise in -front, and another of similar stuff, but very full and stiffly plaited, -hanging no lower than the bend of the knee behind. They braid their hair -in one long piece down their back, and fasten an embroidered white -kerchief around their heads, with fresh flowers and ornaments of various -kinds. Uncouth rawhide sandals and thick shapeless socks, often -brilliant orange in color, protect their feet and ankles. The men here, -as in most other districts, wear what may best be described as a clumsy -imitation of the Turkish dress, usually made of brown woollen homespun, -trimmed with black braid, and, in place of fez, a black sheepskin cap, -often varying in shape, but seldom in color.</p> - -<p>Among this gay and bustling crowd, sad, pallid-faced Turkish women, and -mournful, dejected-looking men, stalked like spectres, or haggled -wearily with apathetic shopkeepers. Mounted policemen, very like -Cossacks in appearance, galloped recklessly through the multitude, and a -numerous force of men on foot, in neat brown uniforms, watched with -active vigilance every unusual stir among the people, and quelled with -rough-and-ready authority every incipient disturbance caused by too much -slivovitz (plum brandy). We strolled across the market-place and over -the moat into the great citadel, and passing the inner gate, were in a -quarter as characteristically Turkish as the remotest corner of -Stamboul. The huddle of people in the narrow, crooked streets; the -curious shops, and the open manufactories of all sorts of articles; the -latticed windows, tumble-down fountains, and half-ruined mosques; the -close, musty smell, and general squalor and worn-out appearance—all -were unmistakably Turkish, and everything indicated extreme poverty and -a condition of life which excited our heartiest sympathies. Intense love -of locality binds this people to the place, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239">{239}</a></span> isolated by religion, -language, and customs, with no rights of citizenship and no common -interests with their neighbors, they endure with the patience -characteristic of their race the aggravating tyranny of the Bulgarians.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240">{240}</a></span></p><div class="figcenter" style="width: 336px;"> -<a name="ill_101" id="ill_101"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_117_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_117_sml.jpg" width="336" height="459" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TURKISH TYPES</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Three fresh languages assailed our ears in Widdin, and we plunged -without preparation from the tangled maze of Roumanian and Servian into -the quagmires of Bulgarian, Turkish, and modern Greek. We expected to -hear two new languages here, but were surprised when we took our -luncheon in a restaurant to find the bill of fare written in Greek, and -to hear the waiters shouting orders in this lisping speech. We were now -well across the line that separates the Orient from the Occident, and -within touch of Constantinople and Athens. The markets gave us abundant -evidences that we had reached a milder climate. Grapes were delicious, -plentiful, and cheap, the best varieties costing less than two cents a -pound. Tomatoes, egg-plant, and sweet-peppers were larger and better -than we had seen before, and melons and green corn were almost out of -season. Fresh meat was about five cents a pound, and caviar, for which -delicacy Widdin is celebrated, was readily obtained, but at a price very -little lower than in any other market. Knowing that we had a rather -desolate part of the river before us, we laid in a good supply of stores -of all kinds, except wine, which, we learned, was easily to be obtained -at any village, and when the town had gone to sleep at noon, sought our -passports at the police headquarters; but the official in charge of this -department had gone home for his dinner and siesta, and we were obliged -to kick our heels in idleness and impatience until he returned, an hour -and a half later.</p> - -<p>Just below Widdin, at the Bulgarian town of Arčer Palanka, the general -course of the Danube changes from the south to the east; and to the town -of Cernavoda, in the Dobrudscha, about 300 miles below, the river keeps -the latter direction with few and slight deviations. The long, straight -reaches were here enlivened by many sailing-vessels of the -fifteenth-century type, with high ornate sterns, and single mast set -midway between the bow and stern. Sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241">{241}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 324px;"> -<a name="ill_102" id="ill_102"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_118_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_118_sml.jpg" width="324" height="628" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TURKISH QUARTER, WIDDIN</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242">{242}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243">{243}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 432px;"> -<a name="ill_103" id="ill_103"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_119_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_119_sml.jpg" width="432" height="250" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TURKISH VESSELS</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">we met them gayly ploughing their way up-stream, with every bellying -sail drawing full, and again we saw them dragged slowly against the -current by a long line of patient Turkish sailors harnessed to a -tow-rope; or else we came across them tied to the trees in some quiet -spot awaiting a favorable wind, the decks covered with sleeping sailors, -no man on watch. The Roumanian shore from Kalafat down for scores of -miles at a stretch is as straight and level as if drawn with a ruler, -and the landscape on that bank of the river is reduced to its simplest -terms. The Bulgarian side is seldom monotonous, and never for any long -distance flat and marshy. High grassy hills approach the river, and -recede again at intervals, enclosing between their spurs great fertile -meadows covered with farms. Here and there on the bare slopes of the -rounded hills quite extensive villages are seen, usually at some -distance from the river. Many of these are only great irregular -collections of hovels dug in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244">{244}</a></span> the ground and roofed with earth, and even -the best of them can boast no more than one or two buildings of a better -type than the ordinary hut of sun-dried bricks or of wattle and mud. -Most of the habitations, together with the great straw and hay -ricks—always the prominent feature of every village—are enclosed by -walls of mud or by wattled fences, and the streets, which ramble along -casually between these boundaries, are seldom better than gullies or -watercourses. The interiors are often surprisingly neat and tidy, even -in the rudest hovel, and whitewash is used with freedom.</p> - -<p>About three hours’ paddle below Widdin we came to the flourishing town -of Lom Palanka, famous for the purity of its water, and somewhat -renowned for the quality of its wine. We ran ashore, intending to fill -our wine-bottles and then to move on to an early camp. We fancied that -the Lom Palankians would be eager to welcome us when they saw us land -prepared to trade, but the delegation who met us as we floundered out of -the mud looked uncommonly hostile, every man wearing a uniform, and all -more or less heavily armed. Escape was impossible, so we began to -parley, and asked the way to a wine-shop with as much politeness as our -meagre vocabulary allowed. The only response to this question was a -stern demand for our passports. We promptly produced them, and, to our -chagrin and astonishment, saw them disappear in the capacious pocket of -the chief officer of the little army. The Custom-house people at Widdin -had told us that we could land anywhere to buy stores without giving up -our papers, and we explained this as well as we were able, and demanded -our passports again, preparing to leave without making our desired -purchases. Remonstrances were worse than idle, for they soon led to our -arrest, and we were marched off to the police-station, a long way up the -main street. The chief was not in his office, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245">{245}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 444px;"> -<a name="ill_104" id="ill_104"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_120_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_120_sml.jpg" width="444" height="255" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BULGARIAN VILLAGE</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">was unearthed from his hiding-place only after a half-hour’s search by a -large scouting party of policemen. The usual series of questions was put -to us, and we sandwiched our replies between bursts of indignant -language, which perhaps it would be unwise to chronicle here. The -pachydermatous young man, bristling with authority, and assuming the -indifference of immeasurable superiority, paid little attention to our -explanations or our expletives, and after slowly spelling out the words -from our passport, “We, Robert, Arthur, Talbot, Gascoyne Cecil, Marquess -of Salisbury, Earl of Salisbury, Viscount Cranborne, Baron Cecil,” and -from the other, “Robert Lincoln,” copied the numbers in a book, ordered -us to sign our names, and then let us go. Hot with wrath at the delay, -we paddled off, determined to leave Lom Palanka out of sight if we had -to sleep in a swamp. We had the good-fortune, however, to discover just -after dark<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246">{246}</a></span> a reasonably good camp-ground on a low bank of sun-baked mud -covered with coarse grasses, and the next morning found we had chosen -the spot where the natives had their summer clam-bakes, for great heaps -of fresh-water clamshells, the well-picked bones of a sheep or two, and -traces of recent fires were scattered all around us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247">{247}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;"> -<a name="ill_105" id="ill_105"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_121_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_121_sml.jpg" width="320" height="272" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BECALMED</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Between Lom Palanka and Sistova, a stretch of about 150 miles—which, -by-the-way, we paddled in less than two days and a half—there are only -three towns on the river, Cibar Palanka, Rahova, and Nicopolis, and -these are all Bulgarian. There are two or three busy grain-shipping -stations on the Roumanian side, however, and we could see on the edge of -a low plateau, miles back from the river,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248">{248}</a></span> frequent prosperous-looking -places, and, opposite Nicopolis, the church-towers of Turnu Magurelli, -one of the most important towns in southern Roumania, rising above the -trees. This shore of the river is, for almost the entire distance -referred to, a broad, low marsh, intersected by numerous lagoons and -shallow, irregular lakes, often ten miles or more in length. The lonely -picket-stations are the only human habitations along the bank. In -agreeable contrast to this dull and desolate waste of marsh and willow -swamp, is the rich pastoral country of Bulgaria opposite. Although -villages and farm-houses are not numerous, we saw everywhere abundant -signs of life. The meadows were dotted with hay-stacks, and great -net-works of deeply-worn cattle-paths scored the smooth slopes of the -hills, all burned yellow by the summer sun. Before the greatest heat of -the day came on, immense herds of cattle and buffaloes, driven by -Turkish cowboys, rushed panting down the hill-side in a cloud of dust to -cool themselves in the stream. The buffaloes wallowed in the muddy -places, and then lay down with the tops of their heads alone visible -above water, like uncouth amphibious animals. Great flocks of sheep -stood on the shore by the water’s edge, crowding together in a solid -mass, and holding their heads close to the ground to escape the heat -from the direct rays of the sun, and multitudes of goats were scattered -all over the steep and arid slopes. The shepherds dig little shallow -caves in the mud bluffs, with steps leading to them, where they lie and -sleep for hours in the daytime; others curl up in the gullies, so that -every yard of shade on the rough bank has its human or its animal -occupant, and sometimes men and goats, both seeking to avoid the sun, -lie down peacefully together in the same narrow cleft or in the shadow -of the same projecting corner.</p> - -<p>In the broad straight reaches of the river the frequent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249">{249}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 502px;"> -<a name="ill_106" id="ill_106"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_122_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_122_sml.jpg" width="502" height="352" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ON THE BULGARIAN SHORE, NEAR RAHOVA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250">{250}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251">{251}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">sand-banks were covered with water-fowl. Thousands upon thousands of -noisy wild-geese, hosts of ducks, plover, and other game birds, rose -into the air as we approached, almost deafening us with their cries. -Wheeling round in broad circles, they settled down again before we had -fairly passed them. Ranks of solemn pelicans awkwardly flopped into the -water, and swam ahead of us in stately dignity scarcely out of -pistol-shot, turning their huge, ill-balanced beaks from side to side, -and if we came too near, flew up with a tremendous splashing and -fluttering. Tall herons soared away out of the shallows on every side, -and swans and storks sailed overhead in graceful flight. Sometimes we -paddled in the full light of noonday up to within a few yards of -slender, white cranes wading among the water-grasses, and once -approached within a paddle’s length of a large gray heron standing on -one leg and blinking in the brilliant glare of the sun. The flora of the -river-bank in this region is best described in a quotation from Alfred -Parsons’ note-book: “By the camp opposite Kalafat was a very handsome -sedge with brown flowers, a mass of blossoms of the flowering rush, and -plenty of excellent dewberries. A flat below Lom Palanka was covered -with a thorny, leguminous shrub, tufts of small purple flowers and -prickly red seed-pods, small yellow asters, tall scabious with pale -blossoms, and chiccory, which has been a constant flower for a long -distance down the river. The slopes above the limestone cliffs below -Rahova were covered with feather sumac and lilac bushes. Wild-grape -vines grow all over the willows on an island above Sistova, and the -marshy lake near there had great yellow patches of villarsia. On the -edge of this lake grow arrow-head and flowering rush, and where the land -is drier are seen purple and yellow dwarf thistles, a small scentless -heliotrope, and a white scutellaria. Tamarisk grows on the sandy -flats.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252">{252}</a></span>”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 420px;"> -<a name="ill_107" id="ill_107"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_123_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_123_sml.jpg" width="420" height="174" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TURKISH FLAT-BOAT</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The river life was mostly confined to the larger craft; very few small -boats were seen, and almost no fishermen. The great clouds of canvas on -the Turkish vessels gleamed above the trees behind the islands far in -the perspective, and the black smoke of tow-boats with their trains of -loaded lighters was a constant feature in the ever-changing landscape. -Occasionally a huge flat-boat of the roughest build, piled high with a -cargo of red and yellow earthen-ware, melons, sacks of charcoal, and -other miscellaneous merchandise, floated down in the gentle current, -steered by Turks in costumes of varied hue, the whole reflecting a mass -of glowing color in the stream. Each of the river towns we passed was -the centre of great activity. Crowds of peasants’ carts laden with grain -covered the broad strand in the vicinity of the steamboat-landing, -waiting their turn to discharge their loads into the lighters. When the -grain is harvested and threshed, the farmers load their rude carts, and -lead the slow and stupid buffaloes, often several days’ journey, to the -nearest river town, where they find a certain market for their produce. -The whole country is covered with trains of creaking carts, and -peasants’ bivouacs are<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253">{253}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 378px;"> -<a name="ill_108" id="ill_108"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_124_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_124_sml.jpg" width="378" height="539" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TURKISH WOMEN AT SISTOVA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254">{254}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255">{255}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">scattered all over the scorched hill-sides and everywhere along the -dusty highways. They carry no tents nor shelters of any sort, and only -the simplest food for themselves and their beasts. When night overtakes -them they lie down on the ground beside their carts, and, wrapped in -their rough coats, sleep as peacefully as their tired oxen. Their whole -outfit is as rude and uncouth as it was centuries ago, and the native -carts have not improved in build since they transported the supplies of -Trajan’s armies. The only iron used in their construction are the -linchpins and the rings which bind together the great hubs; the -roughly-hewn felloes, the different parts of the body of the cart, and -of the yoke as well, are all held together by wooden pegs.</p> - -<p>We noticed at Nicopolis the first of the series of Russian monuments -along the river which commemorates the bravery of those who fell in the -late war—a plain stone shaft on a hill-top just above the town; and -when we landed there found every evidence of increasing prosperity and -enterprise in new buildings, public squares and promenades, and general -improvements. A friendly young soldier-policeman piloted us about, acted -as our cavass or special guard, saw that we were not cheated at the -shops, and at the same time busied himself with keeping order in the -drinking-places, and cleared the streets when they became congested with -traffic. He did not so much as ask to see our papers, and we began to be -more hopeful about our trip along the Bulgarian frontier, and looked -forward to landing at Sistova, twenty-five miles below, with no -disagreeable anticipations.</p> - -<p>The large biweekly passenger steamer on its downward trip reached -Sistova a few moments after we did, and we were just in time to witness -the exodus of twenty-five Turkish families who were leaving the country -for Asia Minor by way of Chernavoda, Kustendji, and Constantinople.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256">{256}</a></span> The -whole remaining Turkish population of the town had turned out to see -them off, and veiled women in solemn rows along the shore looked from a -distance like so many queer river birds. We were assured by the agent of -the steamboat company that similar emigrations are of frequent -occurrence, but that most of the families sooner or later wander back -again, after having found that their condition is not bettered by change -of residence. Sistova has improved since the war in much the same way -that Nicopolis has, but the river-front remains unchanged, and looks -to-day very much as it did when, after the crossing in June, the -Russians built their pontoon-bridge from the low island opposite and -marched their armies through the town to Plevna and the Balkan passes.</p> - -<p>We made an interesting excursion of three days to the battle-fields of -Plevna, fifty miles distant from Sistova, across a rolling country, -sparsely inhabited, but producing a great deal of wheat and Indian-corn. -The heat was intense and the dust terrible, but every moment of the -excursion was crowded with interest and novelty. Travelling, as the -natives do, by private conveyance, and stopping at the khans, which are -still the only houses of entertainment in country places, we were thrown -into intimate relations with the people, and, it must be confessed, -found little in their character to encourage the belief in their -capacity for immediate improvement. It is undoubtedly a fact that the -peasants between the foot-hills of the Balkans and the Danube are the -least agreeable specimens of the race to be found in the country, and it -would be unfair to judge of the young nation by the inhabitants of a -particular district. Their most curious characteristics are their -emotionless expression and their habitual silence. We seldom saw them -smile, and almost never heard them laugh. All the river people we met -until we crossed the Bulgarian frontier were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257">{257}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 367px;"> -<a name="ill_109" id="ill_109"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_125_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_125_sml.jpg" width="367" height="497" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>OLD MOSQUE, RUSTCHUK</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258">{258}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259">{259}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">cheery and more or less communicative, and we heard singing, laughter, -and constant merry chatter among the people as we passed. But in -Bulgaria these cheerful sounds no longer came to our ears; villages near -the river were as silent as the grave; the peasants at the -landing-places stared at us stupidly as we went along, and no one ever -hailed us pleasantly or showed any intelligent interest in our fleet.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 286px;"> -<a name="ill_110" id="ill_110"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_126_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_126_sml.jpg" width="286" height="147" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BULGARIAN BUFFALO CART</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Russian monuments are seen on several hills between Sistova and -Rustchuk, about thirty-five miles below, and scarcely a mile of the -river but has some interesting history in connection with the struggle -along the Danube in the early part of the summer campaign in 1877. By a -curious coincidence, we happened to camp the afternoon we left Sistova -near the very place where, fourteen years before, on the same date, the -writer had crossed the river at the end of a long courier’s ride, -described in the pages of <span class="smcap">Harper’s Magazine</span> not long since. It is not -strange, therefore, that as we paddled down the beautiful calm reach the -following morning the familiar lines of the landscape stimulated a flow -of reminiscences of the campaign. Nearing Pyrgos, and in sight of the -monument on one of the great rounded hills where the battle was fought<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260">{260}</a></span> -in which young Sergius Leuchtenberg, the cousin of the present Czar, was -killed, we were startled by the unmistakable sound of the grunt of a -Gatling-gun and the rattle of small-arms. We could not at first believe -our ears, each of us thinking this dramatic and suggestive accompaniment -to the tales of the war was a mental distortion of ordinary noises -brought about by our preoccupation with the subject. However, as we -paddled along, increasing our stroke in our growing excitement, we -discovered that the sounds came from the hills near Rustchuk, and -although we could see no smoke, we could accurately distinguish the -reports of rifles in irregular scattering succession, like the prelude -of a great battle. Our mystification increased with every moment, and we -hastened on past the low willow-fringed shores on the Roumanian side, -studying the rocky bluffs across the river and the billowy summits of -the bare hills to find a solution of the enigma. The sounds ceased as -suddenly as they began, and as we rounded a wide bend full of islands, -and came in sight of the minarets of Rustchuk and the great buildings in -Giurgevo on the low hills far across the marshes opposite, we met a -small Bulgarian gunboat with a machine-gun at the bow and discovered at -the same time, on a broad plateau under the old Turkish redoubt back of -the town, the summer encampment of the garrison. What we had heard was, -undoubtedly, the morning target practice on land and the trial of the -machine-gun on the river.</p> - -<p>Rustchuk is the most important Bulgarian town on the river, and situated -as it is on the main route to Constantinople, <i>via</i> the Rustchuk-Varna -Railway and the Black Sea, and only two hours by rail from Bucharest, is -one of the best-known cities on the lower Danube. It is at present in -the disagreeable phase of transition from an old Turkish town to a -modern trade centre, and has neither the picturesqueness<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261">{261}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 496px;"> -<a name="ill_111" id="ill_111"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_127_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_127_sml.jpg" width="496" height="380" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>MARKET-PLACE, SILISTRIA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262">{262}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263">{263}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">of an old place nor the comforts of a new one. Imposing shops, with all -sorts of Viennese and Parisian goods, chiefly neckties and ready-made -clothing, crowd the shanties where native rawhide sandals are made, and -the street butcher slaughters his animal before the plate-glass window -of a large grocery, filled with English, French, and German delicacies. -Some of the streets are well paved and kept in repair, while in others -the passer often stumbles over the half-buried shells thrown into the -town by the Russians in 1877.</p> - -<p>For about thirty miles below Rustchuk both shores are flat and devoid of -life. We had our old enemy, a head-wind, against us; and, indeed, from -this point to the end of our journey—about 300 miles below—we scarcely -had an hour’s relief from this persistent opposition to our progress. We -had fought our way for a few miles, when we overtook a tow-boat with -several large Greek grain lighters steaming down-river at less speed -than we were making. As we ran alongside, the captain of one of the -lighters cordially invited us to tie up and take it easy. Perhaps it was -not a very sporting thing to do, but it appealed to us as an excellent -scheme to defeat the efforts of the head-wind and to see the landscape -at our leisure, and we therefore promptly accepted the invitation, and -fastened our canoes to the lighters. In this way we slowly went on for -several hours, until we came to the town of Turtukai, on the Bulgarian -side, where the hills again crowd the river. There we cast off, and -instinctively avoiding the Roumanian pickets, whose unwelcome attentions -we had escaped for several days, paddled down to a beautiful -camping-ground in the middle of a group of islands covered with poplar, -wych-elm, willows, and brambles, and a tangle of wild-grape vines -growing to the tops of the highest trees.</p> - -<p>From the important part the town and fortress of Silistria<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264">{264}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 287px;"> -<a name="ill_112" id="ill_112"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_128_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_128_sml.jpg" width="287" height="414" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>MOSQUE IN SILISTRIA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">has played in the history of European Turkey for the last hundred years, -we anticipated finding a stronghold far more grand and imposing than any -on the river, with the possible exception of Belgrade and Peterwardein. -Whatever may have been in past times the strategical importance of the -place, it certainly gave us little notion of its strength. It occupies -the whole of a low point projecting far into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265">{265}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 365px;"> -<a name="ill_113" id="ill_113"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_129_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_129_sml.jpg" width="365" height="292" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FROM RUSTCHUK TO SULINA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">river, which here spreads out into a broad shallow reach, filled with -long low islands. Along the greater part of the water-front of the town -are two walls, one within the other, more resembling embankments to -protect the town from inundations than constructions for military -purposes. Behind these walls, as seen from the river, domes and minarets -rise above the roofs of the town, which rambles back from the river to -the great bare slopes behind. All over the tops of the hills are visible -the lines of great earthworks, rounded and softened by the weathering of -many seasons. After the usual passport formalities, we wandered about -the town for an hour or more, waiting for it to wake up, and had -sufficient leisure to examine the extensive improvements in progress -here, which bid fair to reduce at no distant date the picturesque old -town to the commonplace level of a modern city. We could not help, -however, being interested<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266">{266}</a></span> in the building of an enormous school-house, -which will be, when finished, the most imposing modern structure in the -town—a gratifying indication of the successful enforcement of the -compulsory education law in Bulgaria.</p> - -<p>After the hundreds of miles of uninteresting scenery on the Roumanian -shore, it seemed as if monotony could go no further, but opposite -Silistria the far-off hills recede still more, the bank grows flatter, -and at last degenerates into a swamp, with nothing but the wretched -picket huts to break the interminable line of small willow-trees. -Sluggish branches of the river straggle off to the left and cut the -morass into two large islands, honey-combed with lakes and intersected -by lagoons. High grass-covered hills skirt the right bank, and here and -there, at long distances apart, villages make irregular brown patches on -the yellow slopes. The long reaches become more and more desolate, and -in the narrow channels among the numerous islands there is the solitude -of an unexplored wilderness, and the banks are a tangle of great trees -and undergrowth. Black mud everywhere covers the shallows, and the banks -are lined with a sticky, fetid deposit, and sometimes, after sunset, the -odor emanating from this mass of river scourings is almost overpowering. -We often landed on what appeared to be a hard beach, only to find it a -jelly of mud, with a thin crust of sand on top, through which we broke -at every step. All the river men we met were suffering from the Danube -fever, which, in the lower river, is the constant scourge of the -population.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267">{267}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>EN miles below Silistria the Roumanian frontier crosses the river, and -the district of the Dobrudscha begins. To our surprise, the line of -pickets still continued along the left bank, although we were fairly in -the Roumanian kingdom, and now and then a soldier would appear in sight, -take a lively interest as we passed, and sometimes order us to come -ashore. We treated these summonses with scorn, and paddled along -heedless of the shouts which followed us.</p> - -<p>The river life was fast becoming more active as we went down. Numerous -tow-boats with lighters passed to and fro, and every open reach was -lively with gaudily painted sailing-vessels, manned by Turks dressed in -all colors of the rainbow, and looking as little like sailors as the -craft they were in looked like modern civilized ships. On one occasion -we were watching a large fleet of these quaint vessels merrily careering -up-stream with a favorable wind, when a sudden squall struck them and -scattered them like leaves with the violence of its blast. One succeeded -in gaining the land in deep water, and made fast to the trees there, and -through the dense showers of rain which followed the wind we could see -the remainder of the proud fleet, all scattered and dilapidated, -stranded along the shore in every direction. We now had our own boats to -look after, for there was no shelter in which to land! A group of -friendly Greek lighters in tow gave us but temporary protection from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268">{268}</a></span> -the squall, for, as the storm increased in violence and the wind veered -round, we found ourselves on as ugly a lee shore as could be -imagined—the iron sides of a loaded barge. However, we managed at last -to moor the canoes under the overhanging stern of one of the lighters, -and, in company with a native boat full of men and women, rode out the -storm in safety.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 373px;"> -<a name="ill_114" id="ill_114"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_131_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_131_sml.jpg" width="373" height="412" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ROUMANIAN PEASANTS SELLING FLOWERS AND FRUIT</p></div> -</div> - -<p>From Silistria to Chernavoda the topography of the coun<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269">{269}</a></span>try near the -river alters very little in character, but we noted various other -changes which interested us. The type of small boat was now entirely -different from the rude skiff farther up-stream, resembling the Turkish -caïque, with high pointed bow and stern; and our old friends, the -current-mills, no longer had a supplementary scow to support the axle, -but, with a wheel on either side, made a sort of caricature of a -steamboat anchored in the stream. On the hills above the villages -numerous windmills waved their long arms, testifying to the prevalence -of wind, and everywhere ancient tumuli broke the rounded contours of the -grassy summits. Here, too, Trajan has left an imperishable monument to -his mighty conquest—an immense wall of earth, which extends across the -Dobrudscha from Chernavoda to Kustendji on the Black Sea, and the high -rampart is plainly visible on the great rolling hills, apparently as -well preserved in shape after the lapse of so many centuries as the -Russian earthworks constructed a decade and a half ago on the -neighboring summits. A fine railway bridge is now building across the -river at Chernavoda, to connect the Kustendji Railway with the Roumanian -system, and immense stone piers on the north bank are already finished. -The construction-shops and workmen’s quarters in connection with this -enterprise have transformed the simple little village of Chernavoda into -a hideously commonplace settlement. At this point the river sweeps round -in a wide curve, changing its course from a general easterly to a -northerly direction, and at Hirsova, thirty miles below—a long -straggling town at the foot of a bold spur of rocky hills—it divides -into a number of small branches, which enclose and intersect with -sinuous windings a great irregular marsh, twelve or fifteen miles in -width, and extending to the River Pruth, at the Russian frontier, fifty -miles to the north.</p> - -<p>As we left Hirsova, near the end of the day, and saw the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270">{270}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;"> -<a name="ill_115" id="ill_115"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_132_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_132_sml.jpg" width="411" height="240" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HIRSOVA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">grand outlines of the hills grow all purple in the afternoon light, we -were slow to realize the fact that our route would no longer lead us -past these pleasant slopes, which from the distant Carpathian range -downward had shown us an ever-varying and ever-beautiful panorama along -the river-bank. The shortest of the sluggish branches of the river -skirts the eastern limits of the Roumanian plain, and paddling into this -narrow channel, we found ourselves in a brief half-hour in a region -quite unlike any we had yet seen. Both banks are low, and covered with -tall reeds alternating with willow patches. The only habitations are -little fishing-stations, and these are miles apart. Even the line of -picket-houses is no longer seen along the shore, for it follows the -branch that flows along the eastern boundary of the marsh under the high -land there. The fishermen’s dwellings are hovels of the rudest kind, -built of mud, thatched with reeds, and surrounded by fences of the same -material. How human<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271">{271}</a></span> beings can exist in these fever-infested marshes -will always remain a mystery to us.</p> - -<p>We found a reasonably solid landing-place on a little island near one of -these stations, and a short distance above the little hamlet of Gura -Ghirlitza. The botanist, whose duty it was to gather drift wood, brought -back from his rambles a great bouquet of wild-flowers—melilot, -loosestrife, convolvulus, blue veronica, chiccory, tamarisk, -snap-dragon, and many others: and we were both so much engaged, one with -his botanizing and the other with his pots and pans, that we did not -notice the approach of a great lotka full of people until it ran ashore -in the mud near our camp two or three yards from the bank. They shouted -to us to come and pull them up; but, seeing among the crowd in the boat -two soldiers fixing their bayonets, and several other men armed with -guns, to say nothing of an officer in full uniform, we did not propose -to assist this hostile force to disembark, and paid no attention to -them. Finally one of the party jumped out into the mud, helped the rest -to land, and the small army bore down upon us in martial array. When -they came near enough to see the canoes, the officer in command, an -intelligent young fellow of agreeable manners and cultivated speech, -suddenly threw aside all show of hostility, and asked us politely what -kind of craft these were, and where we had come from in such frail -boats. This was a prelude to friendly relations we had not anticipated, -for we looked with distrust on every man in uniform. Of course we were -only too glad to explain who we were and what we were after, and arms -were at once laid aside, and the whole party instantly began to inspect -our canoes from bow to stern, enchanted with the polished rudder, -astonished at the folding centre-board, and delighted with every detail -of the finish. In a half-hour or less, with many apologies for -interrupting the preparation of our din<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272">{272}</a></span>ner, they withdrew, after making -us promise to return their call at the village the next morning. We -heard the grocer and the butcher fire off the guns they had loaded on -the way to assist in capturing the suspected smugglers, and we were -interrupted no more that night.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 410px;"> -<a name="ill_116" id="ill_116"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_133_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_133_sml.jpg" width="410" height="232" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>GURA GHIRLITZA</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Early the next forenoon we landed at the village, and had quite a -reception by our friends of the evening before. The whole population -gathered around the canoes, and studied them with intelligent curiosity. -They were the first natives since we passed the Bulgarian frontier above -Widdin who had shown any particular emotion at the sight of the novel -craft, and our hearts warmed to them in consequence. Perhaps it was -partly on this account that we liked the village, for, after all, it was -only a small collection of low, whitewashed, roughly-thatched cottages, -straggling along crooked, dusty streets partly shaded by small trees, -and everywhere enclosed by fences of dry reeds. But there were a good -many bright flowers in the tiny gardens, luxu<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273">{273}</a></span>riantly-growing squashes -and gourds were climbing all over the thatched roofs, the clean white -linen garments of both sexes were refreshing to look upon, and the -brilliant aprons and elaborate red embroidery worn by the women made -rich spots of color in the warm sunlight. It was well for us that we -went away from Gura Ghirlitza in an agreeable frame of mind, for a -persistent head-wind blew straight up-stream, no matter how the river -turned and twisted. We passed scores of Turkish vessels dashing along up -the choppy current with a great splashing at the bows, and others trying -to work down-river by the force of the stream. For several hours we -struggled against the gale and the rough sea, between banks with few -signs of human life and scarcely a rod of cleared land, and in the -afternoon passed through miles of unbroken forest, extending in every -direction as far as we could see. From this the most desolate and -deserted reach of the whole river we had navigated, we at last emerged -quite suddenly into a sunny open country, with a high bluff a short -distance below, where tall chimneys showed above the dense foliage on a -large island, and in a few moments we were in the main stream again, -opposite the bustling town of Braila, where the straggling arms of the -river unite, and it again assumes its normal width and majestic aspect. -The stream was crowded with vessels of every description, from the -native lotkas to the great English freight propellers, whose ugly iron -hulls towered high over all local craft. On the shore opposite the town -scores of Turkish vessels were made fast to the bank, miles of loaded -lighters were anchored along the channel, and great steamers were moored -to the quay several ranks deep, all receiving their loads of grain. -Thousands of men of every nationality and in motley dress were swarming -like bees all over the cargo boats, carrying sacks of grain from the -army of carts on the shore and pouring it into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274">{274}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 324px;"> -<a name="ill_117" id="ill_117"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_134_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_134_sml.jpg" width="324" height="498" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>LOADING GRAIN AT BRAILA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">open hatches. The English flag fluttered from many a mast, the names of -familiar ports could be read on almost every great rounded stern, and -the English language distinctly reached our ears in the babel of several -other tongues. We had paddled a long forty miles against a heavy wind -and sea, and preferring the quiet of camp to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275">{275}</a></span> the confusion of the busy -town, landed on an unoccupied meadow in full view of Braila, extending -far along the bluff and looking down upon the forest of masts on the -river, and with the spires and domes of Galatz distinctly visible on a -high point of land a few miles below us.</p> - -<p>Braila is at the head of navigation for sea-going vessels, and as it is -only about 125 miles from the mouth of the river, is practically a port -on the Black Sea. A few years ago it was of secondary commercial -importance to Galatz, a larger town similarly placed on a bluff fifteen -miles farther down-stream. Since the Turkish war, however, the grain -trade has been gradually transferred to the former city, until it has -now absorbed the whole of this commerce, and has become the chief -shipping port for all the produce of the grain-growing regions of -Roumania and northern Bulgaria. Extensive docks and immense grain -elevators have been built there, and will soon be in active operation. -We had seen at various places below Rustchuk indications of the -proximity of Russia, chiefly in the architecture of churches, with their -green domes and bulbous spires, but also in various details of costume, -carriages, and harnesses. At Braila all the carts which carry grain to -the steamers have the Russian bow over the horses’ withers, and many -Russian signs are seen on the shops. All the public carriages of Galatz -are driven by Russians, members of a peculiar religious sect, who wear -their national costume, consisting of a long black velvet coat with full -skirts, plaited at the waist, and two rows of silver buttons on the -breast, tall boots, and the characteristic flat-topped cap. The fashion -of employing Russian coachmen, once prevalent all over Roumania, is fast -dying out now, however, and is said to continue in full force in Galatz -alone.</p> - -<p>The army of the Czar made the first crossing of the Danube in 1877 from -Galatz, across the marsh to a spur of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276">{276}</a></span> bold hills near the village -of Matchin, and it was in one of the narrow arms of the river here that -the Turkish monitors were entrapped and destroyed. Galatz covers much -more territory than its neighbor above, spreading far out over a level -plateau, along highways which are deserts of dust in summer and sloughs -of mire in winter. Part of the town is laid out with some regularity, -and there are a few streets well cared for and with new buildings; but -the thoroughfares on the slope of the plateau near the river are narrow, -crooked, and steep, and most of the pavements are simply atrocious. -There is no gas manufactured, but an abundance of water is brought into -the town, and a fountain is in constant operation in the tiny park, -where a military band plays light French airs every evening to a motley -crowd of many nationalities. The better class of Roumanians have a -deeply-rooted admiration for France and for everything French, and in -all the cities there are curious and often ludicrous attempts to imitate -Parisian architecture and to follow the customs of that capital. This is -the result, of course, of the French education of the youth of the -leading families for generations past, and here, as in all countries -where civilization has reached only the second stage—the purely -commercial one—the few who leaven the mass do not always judiciously -winnow the wheat from the chaff in the foreign seed they plant at home.</p> - -<p>The larger part of the town consists of houses only one story in height, -with stucco façades and tiled roofs. There is almost nothing to interest -the sight-seer in the way of architecture or relics of antiquity, and, -indeed, the most notable object of interest in town is the tomb of -Mazeppa in the Church of St. Maria. In certain quarters the population -is very dense, and the streets and dwellings there are in a state of -indescribable filth. The crowded market-places are in the morning -perfect museums of types and costumes. Al<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277">{277}</a></span>banians</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 436px;"> -<a name="ill_118" id="ill_118"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_135_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_135_sml.jpg" width="436" height="586" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>GYPSY CAMP AT GALATZ</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278">{278}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279">{279}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">in fustinellas like ballet-dancers’ skirts jostle Slovac raftsmen in -their skin-tight woollen trousers; smart marines from the naval station -at the upper part of the town haggle with peddlers of Turkish tobacco; -and florid-faced cooks of English steamers shoulder their way to the -meat-shops, regardless of Roumanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Greek, or Jew. -In the outskirts of the town several large bands of gypsies camp on the -hill-sides; for here, as in most other places in Roumania and Hungary, -they are not allowed to occupy houses. Of all the specimens of this -remarkable race we saw in our trip, those at Galatz were by far the most -savage and repulsive in appearance. As we approached their squalid camp -on the bare slope of a great hill, exposed to wind and sun, hundreds of -half-clothed howling maniacs swooped down upon us, wildly gesticulating -and shrieking for alms, tearing open their garments to show their -emaciated bodies, and holding aloft naked children shivering in the cold -breeze. Raven black hair falling over their faces in tangled masses half -hid their small cunning eyes, and sun and dirt had given their skins the -color and texture of long-tanned leather. Everything about -them—clothes, blankets, and tents—was of the same suggestive brown -hue, and this monotone was only relieved by gaudy trinkets in the matted -tresses of the women and by an occasional ornamental knife handle in the -girdle of the men. We were unable to endure for any length of time the -filth of the camp and the proximity of the evil-looking, ill-smelling -crowd, which at every moment became more and more difficult to avoid; -and we soon retreated, followed for a long distance by a number of -urchins, all limbs and rags, who turned somersaults in the dust and -yelled frantically for money. We did not feel purified from the contact -with these gypsies until we were seated again in the canoes and facing -the brisk east wind on the broad reach below Galatz.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280">{280}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-t.png" -width="80" -alt="T" /></span>HE navigation of the Danube from Galatz to the mouth is controlled and -regulated by an international commission, which was called into -existence by the importance of the commerce with the corn-producing -countries along the lower river. Forty-five miles below Galatz the river -divides into two branches, the left-hand one, the Kilia arm, taking a -general north-easterly course, with many turns and subdivisions, past -the Russian towns of Ismail and Kilia, and, a short distance beyond the -fishing-village of Vilkoff, flows into the Black Sea through seven -narrow channels. The right-hand branch, actually the main stream, -divides again ten miles below the first fork, the former running in a -general easterly direction to the port of Sulina, on the Black Sea, and -the latter arm winding sluggishly on towards the south-east under the -extreme eastern spurs of the great range of Dobrudscha hills. Each side -of the irregular equilateral triangle bounded by the Kilia and Saint -George’s arms and the sea-coast measures about fifty miles in a straight -line, and the larger part of the tract thus enclosed is marsh and -swamp-land, covered with a dense growth of tall reeds, interspersed with -numerous lakes and cut up into countless islands by narrow lagoons. In -the whole of this great delta there are only a few square miles of -ground higher than the general level of the marsh, and these are two -broad ranges of sand-dunes running north-east and south-west several -miles inland, marking the line of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281">{281}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 498px;"> -<a name="ill_119" id="ill_119"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_137_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_137_sml.jpg" width="498" height="326" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>GALATZ</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282">{282}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283">{283}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">the ancient sea-coast when the waves and wind raised this barrier long -before the memory of man. These sandy elevations are now covered with a -forest of oak-trees, and support a sparse population. With this -exception the delta is uncultivated, and the few natives who inhabit the -great marsh are almost all engaged in fishing. They build themselves -rude huts out of the tall reeds, make their beds, and even their -net-floats, out of the same useful plant, and during the summer months -set their nets in every lake and lagoon, preserving their catch in salt -or carrying it at convenient times to the distant markets. This great -waste is at all seasons most impressive, and in summer, when the reeds -have grown to their full height and are in blossom, the landscape, -although monotonous in the extreme, often has great elements of beauty. -Narrow waterways, seldom more than a fathom broad, intersect the marsh -in all directions, and only the natives who are familiar with the -intricate windings of these thoroughfares can find their way from one -point to another of this labyrinth. Some of these waterways are known to -have existed in the period of Roman occupation, and the race of -fishermen who now make use of them have preserved their type, their -dress, their boats, and their implements practically unchanged since the -time when Ovid was exiled to the shores of the Euxine. Myriads of -wild-fowl breed in the solitude of the broad morass, and fish abound in -its quiet waters. In the autumn, when the frost has killed the reeds, -great tracts of the delta are often swept over by fires, consuming all -the vegetation above the level of the mud, but clearing the way for a -new and vigorous growth in the spring. Only during the winter months is -the marsh passable for vehicles or even for pedestrians, and when the -whole region is frozen hard the mails and the few passengers who are -obliged to travel are carried on sledges straight across from one -station to another over the level surface of land and water.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284">{284}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 371px;"> -<a name="ill_120" id="ill_120"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_138_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_138_sml.jpg" width="371" height="325" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>PEASANTS OF THE DELTA</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Russia took possession of this region after the capture of Ismail, in -the early part of the century, and, in order to help commerce at home, -put various restrictions on the Danube trade, which almost annihilated -it for a time. The adoption of free-trade by England naturally -stimulated the export business in the corn-producing countries of the -Danube, and great pressure was brought to bear to induce Russia to -remove the hampering restrictions on the navigation of the river. -International disputes arising from this cause finally culminated in the -Crimean War, and it was not without reason, therefore, that the treaties -of peace contained articles intended to place the navigation of the -river in control of the countries most interested in the corn supply. -One<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285">{285}</a></span> clause of the treaty created a riverian commission, whose duty was -to regulate the general navigation of the river, and another clause -established a European Commission of the Danube, “to clear the mouths of -the river, as well as the neighboring parts of the sea, from the sand -and other impediments which obstruct them.” The first of these -commissions found its task impossible on account of the conflicting -interests of the small countries along the river, and has never done -anything, although it is still recognized diplomatically. The Powers -represented in the active commission are Great Britain, Austro-Hungary, -France, Germany, Italy, Roumania, Russia, and Turkey. Owing to a -misunderstanding of the nature of the work to be done, the commission -was established for a term of only two years. This period was extended -at various times, and at last it was settled by the Treaty of 1878 that -the functions of this body should continue until it should be dissolved -by the Powers. It has been constantly at work since its first meeting in -1856. A few statistics will give an idea of the effect on English trade -of the improvements to navigation brought about by the commission. -Before 1847 from 3 to 52 English vessels entered the Danube annually. -Between 1847 and 1860, 2648 English ships entered the river, -representing a net tonnage of 509,723. Between 1861 and 1889 these -numbers were raised to 12,363 and 9,842,260 respectively. In 1861, 214 -English sailing-vessels and 35 steamers came to the port of Sulina, and -in 1889, 842 steamers and not a single sailing-vessel. In 1890 the total -number of vessels of all nationalities entering the Danube was 1519, -including many steamers of 1400 to 1600 tons. The commission began in -1860 to collect tolls to maintain the improvements, and in that year the -revenue was 256,583 francs. In 1889 this sum was increased to 1,348,552 -francs. British ships have paid from 71 to 82 per cent. of the whole -dues levied during<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286">{286}</a></span> the past ten years. The exports from the river -consist chiefly of wheat, barley, and Indian-corn, but oats, rye, rape -and linseed, petroleum, tallow, hides, salt fish, wines and spirits, -cheese, lumber, and wool are also shipped in large quantities. -Machinery, coal, bar and sheet iron, and articles of clothing form the -bulk of the imports. In general terms, the work of the commission has -consisted in the construction of groynes and revetments, straightening -the river-banks, shortening the channel by cuttings, and dredging the -shallow places. The whole delta has been surveyed, and accurate maps -made. A great part of the Sulina arm has been canalized, and the channel -deepened from 8 feet at extreme low-water to over 16 feet, or to 20½ -feet at average low-water. Under the direction of Sir Charles A. -Hartley, the consulting engineer of the commission, and the able -supervision of Mr. Charles Kühl, since 1872 the resident engineer, the -improvements are carried on with constant regularity and great energy, -and every year the navigation of the Sulina branch becomes less -difficult and dangerous. Vessels of 2000 tons may now steam up as far as -Braila with perfect safety.</p> - -<p>The longest cutting yet undertaken, which will shorten the channel by -four and a quarter miles, is now in active progress, and the operation -of cutting through the marsh is extremely interesting. Far out of sight -of any human habitation the black funnel and grimy framework of an -immense dredger are seen rising high above the waving mass of reeds -which stretches away on every side as far as the eye can reach. A chain -of steel-shod iron buckets working on a movable arm which projects in -front of the dredger cuts its way through the spongy mass of which the -marsh is composed, and the mixture of roots, mud, and shells is shot out -upon the bank of the cutting through a long adjustable iron trough. -There the material is worked by hand into a dike, strengthened by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287">{287}</a></span> the -ingenious use of reeds and roots, and finally protected by a revetment -of broken stone. This cutting will be five miles and a quarter in -length, and 6,500,000 cubic yards will have to be dredged before the -work is completed in 1895.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;"> -<a name="ill_121" id="ill_121"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_139_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_139_sml.jpg" width="412" height="290" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DREDGING IN THE DELTA</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The headquarters of the commission are at Sulina, on the Black Sea. As -early as the time of the Irish famine in 1847-48 hundreds of English -sailing-vessels came to the Black Sea for grain. Most of them anchored -in the mouth of the Sulina branch, discharged ballast there, and loaded -with corn to supply the urgent demand for bread-stuffs at home. A -squalid little settlement rapidly sprang up among the heaps of gravel -deposited on the marshy banks, and as years went on the constantly -accumulating ballast was spread farther and farther up along the stream, -and inland over the morass, and streets and houses followed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288">{288}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 311px;"> -<a name="ill_122" id="ill_122"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_140_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_140_sml.jpg" width="311" height="250" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TURKISH SAILING LOTKA, SULINA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">expanding area of solid ground. The establishment of the European -Commission of the Danube gave a fresh impulse to the growing place, and -a busy commercial town soon covered the deposit of ballast, having its -foundations, literally, on English soil. Commodious offices, large -warehouses, and repair-shops were built; churches were erected by -followers of various creeds; a life-saving station was established; a -fine stone quay was constructed on the south bank of the stream; and two -jetties with light-houses were pushed far out into the shallow waters of -the Black Sea. Few travellers ever visit Sulina, because the passenger -boats usually touch there in the night. Its cosmopolitan character and -its peculiar situation in the marsh make it an interesting spot. Types -of a score of nationalities may be studied on its quay, and there is a -great deal of picturesqueness, of a squalid order to be sure, in its -narrow streets.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289">{289}</a></span> No long walks or drives are possible, for the -wilderness of reeds crowds up to the very back doors of the town, but -there is a unique fascination in its isolated position, and a special -charm in the character of its surroundings.</p> - -<p>We made up our minds long before reaching Braila that we would follow -the most northerly arm of the delta, both because it marks the frontier -between Roumania and Russia, and would consequently let us have a -glimpse of the latter country, and also because that branch is not -navigable by large craft, and we would escape steamers and tourists, and -really see something of native life. The busy, bustling port of Braila, -where English is heard at every step, and the river is almost blocked by -great iron grain steamers, gave us an indication of what we might expect -between that point and the Black Sea, and we determined to escape if -possible all these signs of civilization and enterprise, and steal out -to the sea-coast through a comparatively deserted channel. How we -carried out this plan will soon be related, and I have alluded to the -work of the Danube Commission, and described Sulina, because we visited -the one and investigated the other on our way back from the real goal of -our journey.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 442px;"> -<a name="ill_123" id="ill_123"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_141_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_141_sml.jpg" width="442" height="118" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HILLS NEAR MATCHIN</p></div> -</div> - -<p>We set out from Galatz late one windy afternoon, and camped for the -night on a low sandy flat nearly opposite the River Pruth, which forms -the boundary between Roumania and Russia, planning to make a fair start -by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290">{290}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;"> -<a name="ill_124" id="ill_124"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_142_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_142_sml.jpg" width="380" height="116" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>KILIA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">daybreak into the territory of the Czar. A banker friend in Galatz had -strongly advised us not to attempt the voyage to the Black Sea by way of -the Kilia arm, insisting that the Russian Custom-house regulations were -extremely rigorous, and that we would probably be prohibited from -landing anywhere along that shore, while the Roumanian bank was marshy -and deserted, and did not offer any possible camping places. We had no -desire to make the acquaintance of any more autocratic system than that -with which we had become unwillingly intimate, but the advice of our -friend did not deter us from carrying out our plan, and we profited by -his warnings so far as to lay in three or four days’ store of provisions -in case we should be obliged to defy both Russia and Roumania, and -paddle down mid-channel to the Black Sea without touching land on either -side. We were rather late in getting afloat the next morning, for the -wind had risen to a gale in the night, and had drifted the fine sand -over everything, half burying the boats, and penetrating every crevice -and cranny in them. This added a great deal to the labor of packing up, -and the only way we succeeded in getting rid of this nuisance was by -carrying everything down close to the water’s edge where the sand was -wet and hard. The Pruth is a narrow, deep stream winding under the -western slopes of a range of low hills which divert the course of the -Danube sharply from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291">{291}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 497px;"> -<a name="ill_125" id="ill_125"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_143_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_143_sml.jpg" width="497" height="388" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>CHATAL SAINT GEORGE</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292">{292}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293">{293}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 287px;"> -<a name="ill_126" id="ill_126"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_144_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_144_sml.jpg" width="287" height="149" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>TOULTCHA</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">the north-east to the south-east at this point. The first Russian town, -Reni, with its turnip-shaped church-spires and ugly warehouses, stands -on a high bluff overlooking this bend of the river, and offers nothing -of interest, not even at the water-front, where there is little or no -activity, and few craft of any kind. The hills abruptly recede again -just below the town limits, and the river sweeps majestically round -towards the east, and takes an almost straight course to the first -branching in the delta. Both shores are now quite flat and well -cultivated, and on either side frequent picket stations are the only -houses in sight. To the south and east, across a narrow strip of meadow -land, the great hills of the Dobrudscha, dotted with ancient tumuli, -extend far into the distance, where a range of mountains cuts sharply -against the sky with bold, jagged outlines; to the north, the irregular -base spurs of the line of low hills which touch the river at Reni are -seen jutting out over the great marsh at intervals until they vanish in -the perspective. The wind veered round in the middle of the forenoon and -almost died away, and as we alternately sailed and paddled down the long -straight reach towards the delta, past the red-roofed town of Isaktcha -on the Roumanian shore,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294">{294}</a></span> half hidden behind a wooded island, and the -great Russian monastery of Saint Theraspont across the river, we heard -not so much as a single hail from the soldiers on either bank, although -we often passed close to their stations. In the early afternoon we saw -before us a stone jetty with a spindle on the end, and soon found that -this marked the place where the river divides and the delta actually -begins, forty-five miles below Galatz. The fork is known as the Chatal -d’Ismail, and the embankment was built by the Danube Commission to -divert the strength of the current from the Kilia arm into the main -stream. Three or four miles to the south the white houses of Toultcha -shone brightly among the dark green foliage of the trees, and numerous -windmills were waving their arms on the rocky promontory below the town. -A half-dozen miles farther to the eastward is the Chatal Saint George, -where the stream divides into the Sulina and the Saint George arms.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;"> -<a name="ill_127" id="ill_127"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_145_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_145_sml.jpg" width="425" height="154" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>WINDMILLS OF TOULTCHA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295">{295}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-w.png" -width="80" -alt="W" /></span>E did not hesitate to follow the left-hand branch at the Chatal -d’Ismail, and, rounding the sharp bend to the north, we soon entered a -great wilderness of reeds and willows. For some distance not even a -picket station was visible on either shore, but as we paddled steadily -along in the sluggish current we occasionally saw a Russian soldier in -white uniform in the dense undergrowth among the willows. In a little -more than an hour’s time we came in sight of Ismail, picturesquely -situated on a gentle slope of ground beyond pleasant meadows, where the -ruins of a great Turkish fortress stand. Great cultivated fields on the -same side of the river, where scores of peasants were at work, stretched -far back to the distant hill-sides, yellow with cornfields and dotted -with villages. A large Russian picket station on an open point tempted -us to land and see what would happen, so we ran the bows of the canoes -into the mud and asked the soldiers assembled on the bank for a light -for our cigarettes, at the same time preparing to go ashore. One of them -went to the quarters for a live coal, while the others helped us out of -the canoes in a very friendly manner, and we spent a sociable hour with -them. We did not hurry away, because we planned to camp just above -Ismail, and it was nearly sunset when we floated away towards the -glittering domes rising above the dense masses of willow-trees in the -distance. The peasants rattled across the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296">{296}</a></span> fields in their farm-wagons, -leaving behind them a cloud of dust all golden in the evening light. A -mounted officer cantered along the bank, paused a moment to look at us, -gave a sharp command to a sentinel, and went on again. Now we noticed -that a soldier was stationed at every furlong of the shore, and we began -to be anxious about finding a secluded camp-ground. The Roumanian side -was absolutely impossible, for the mud was not only of the blackest and -most adhesive variety, but it extended so far out into the river that it -was quite out of the question to try to effect a landing. We kept to -that bank, however, examining every foot of ground at the water’s edge, -until we came to the corner of the last bend above Ismail. It was not -possible to camp at this place, and if we went farther we should have to -pass the town, a proceeding which might result in our being delayed -there for the night. After some hesitation we made up our minds to -paddle across the stream to a gravelly beach under a meadow bordered by -a row of willows, and to land there in face of the sentinel whom we saw -pacing to and fro. The soldier challenged us as we came near, and we -answered that we were travellers and wanted to camp there for the night. -A corporal speedily came up, and one of us, taking the passports, -accompanied him to the officers’ quarters, a half-mile or so across the -fields. Our position was soon explained to the satisfaction of the -lieutenant, who, although not a particularly intelligent specimen of the -officers of the line, readily comprehended the fact that we had no -hostile intentions, and ordered the corporal to see that we were not -molested in our camp, and to send us for our passports in the morning. -In a few minutes we had our camp in order, built a fire, and cooked our -dinner, all to the great entertainment of the soldier on guard, who -watched every operation with the most intense interest. Before we had -finished eating, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297">{297}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 366px;"> -<a name="ill_128" id="ill_128"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_147_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_147_sml.jpg" width="366" height="522" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>RUSSIAN PICKET POST</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298">{298}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299">{299}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">number of officers came down from their quarters to look at our canoes, -and when, a few minutes later, they saw us getting ready for bed, -politely wished us good-night, and went away. Our bivouac was not far -from a country road, and every passer met a prompt challenge from the -soldier, who never deserted our fire except to perform this duty. -Feeling very much as if we were within the lines of an army in war-time, -we retired into the shelter of our tents and left the soldier to whisper -to himself and utter mournful sighs by the few remaining coals. Some -time in the night he was relieved, and the new sentinel withdrew into -the cover of the willow-trees, and did not disturb us in any way. In the -early morning a boat-load of natives rowing up-stream past our camp was -immediately challenged by the guard, and ordered to come ashore. One of -the men landed and carried the passports up to the officers for the -regulation <i>visé</i> before the boat was allowed to proceed. We then -appreciated the fact that we were not treated any differently from the -inhabitants themselves, but that, as far as the Custom-house regulations -went, the river-bank was practically in a state of siege.</p> - -<p>A hospitable-looking bath-house moored near the landing offered us a -familiar refuge at Ismail, and we innocently put in there and prepared -to go ashore. Before we had left the canoes, however, a fussy -Custom-house guard with a short sword by his side came hurrying up, and -peremptorily ordered us to cast off our painters and to land on a little -beach about fifteen yards farther down-stream. We assured him we had the -permission of the bath-house keeper to moor our canoes where we were, -but he failed to see any point in this remark, and the more we demurred -the more aggressive he became. Reinforcements now began to arrive and we -thought best to yield, and consequently went ashore at the spot -indicated. Just above, on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300">{300}</a></span> bank, was a rambling wooden structure, -offensively ornamental in style, somewhat resembling a sea-side villa. -We were conducted into this building by our fuming guard and found it -was the Custom-house of the port, although there was no sign nor flag to -suggest this fact. Entering a small room, our passports were examined -and stamped by a courteous official and given back to us again. -Understanding that we were now free to go into the town, we returned to -the canoes, took them up to the bath-house again, and, carrying our -sketching materials, started to walk out through the enclosure in which -the Custom-house was situated. We were not allowed to pass with our -sketch-bags, and were conducted to the Custom-house to have them -examined. Of course nothing dutiable was discovered in them, but we were -told that we would not be allowed to carry them into the town until the -chief of the customs had given us permission, and he was not expected at -the office for an hour or more. There was nothing left for us but to -wander off up the long street to see if there was anything worth -sketching. It was an extremely hot day and the streets were dusty, -unshaded by trees, and often almost impassable by reason of deep gullies -and broken culverts. The town is laid out in rectangles, and most of the -houses are long and low, and built of bricks or mud plastered on the -outside; a few of them, however, are made of unpainted, skilfully-hewn -logs. There are several large buildings on one side of the vast, empty -square opposite the great white church with several green domes which -rises high above the stunted trees and adjacent houses, but with these -exceptions the street architecture, as far as we saw it, is of the -plainest and least attractive kind.</p> - -<p>When we returned to the Custom-house one of the clerks, who had been -educated in St. Petersburg, spoke French, and was an amateur artist, -presented us to the head official,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301">{301}</a></span> who rather curtly informed us that -we must of course get the <i>visé</i> of the chief of police on our passports -before we were allowed to sketch or even carry our materials into the -town. The obstacles put in the way of our pursuit of art stimulated us -to continue our efforts to overcome them, especially after the -communicative young official above mentioned assured us that he had to -have his passport <i>viséed</i> by the police before he was allowed to -sketch. So we tramped through the heat and dust a mile or more to the -police-station, produced our passports, and asked for the necessary -<i>visé</i>. None of the high officials were there at the time, and a young -Moldavian clerk, much inflated by the proud consciousness of his -temporary authority, received our request with sneers and scoffing. We -did not stop to consider that perhaps our dress and general appearance -might not strike him as characteristic of professional men, but, very -much vexed at his impertinence and annoyed that he did not even take the -trouble to open our passports, we made use of some emphatic expressions -in common use among the Russians. Thereupon the clerk grew livid with -sudden wrath, and pointing to a cheap lithograph of the Czar hanging -over the desk, shouted in angry tones that we had insulted his majesty -by using strong language in his presence. The soldier-policeman who -stood on guard in the little office at once took the cue from the clerk -and added his torrent to the rising flood of abuse. They both worked -themselves into such a state of frantic passion that for a brief moment -it looked as if we were going to have immediate war. All our efforts to -pacify them were in vain, and while they were yet raging and threatening -to have our gore we seized our passports and escaped. We related the -incident at the Custom-house, and the officials there begged us to go to -the residence of the chief of police and report the conduct of the -clerk, saying it was no uncommon be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302">{302}</a></span>havior among the Moldavians who are -in the employ of the Government, and declaring it would be a public -benefit to teach them a lesson. But we thought the game was scarcely -worth the loss of the whole afternoon, and after having our passports -ornamented with a second stamp giving us permission to depart, went away -richer only in experience.</p> - -<p>If these accounts of our troubles with Custom-house officials and the -military give an impression that such experiences seriously interfered -with the enjoyment of our trip, a false idea has certainly been -conveyed. We were annoyed at times, it must be confessed, but whenever -we paused to reflect, we remembered that we took no chances in our -favor. We were travelling between two frontiers rigorously guarded and -vigilantly watched to prevent smuggling, and whenever we went ashore -made no effort to appear in the character of tourists, but with our -stained garments, weather-beaten hats, and ragged boating-shoes exposed -ourselves to the same delays, inconveniences, and discourteous treatment -which the inhabitants themselves suffer in their dealings with the -official class, not only in this but in many other parts of Europe. It -is undoubtedly true that if we had landed at Ismail in smart yachting -uniform, or perhaps even with a coat on, we should have had little or no -difficulty with any one from the fussy autocrat at the landing to the -bantam clerk at the police headquarters. Indeed, after all was said and -done, we had experienced, even in these last few days, no greater -annoyance than we had endured at the frontier of Germany on our way to -Donaueschingen, where our baggage, part of it being of unusual shape, -was examined with great deliberation and minute curiosity, and we were -at last obliged to pay sixteen pfennigs duty on two tins of cocoatina -and a pot of vaseline, the only canoe stores we had with us. Whatever -disagreeable happened in our visits to the towns we always speedily<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303">{303}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 498px;"> -<a name="ill_129" id="ill_129"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_148_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_148_sml.jpg" width="498" height="238" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FISHING-HUT AMONG THE REEDS</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304">{304}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305">{305}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">forgot when we reached camp, for there we were generally quite free and -undisturbed and, moreover, exceedingly comfortable. We travelled from -the very start on the principle that we could see more and work better -if we treated ourselves well, and we therefore scorned neither comforts -nor luxuries, made every reasonable effort to have regular meals and a -varied bill of fare, and never, under any circumstances, neglected to -keep our outfit clean and in good order. This may sound as if our -out-of-door life was not what is usually called “roughing it,” and it -certainly was not, if we accept the common definition of the term as -qualifying the experiences of the raw recruit, the apprentice sailor, -and the amateur camper. We found the maxim of the best men in the -hunting field: “When the hounds are not running, never take a fence -unless you are obliged to,” applied equally well to our excursion, and -we therefore never roughed it unless we were compelled to do so by -circumstances. In the whole extent of our trip, among all the novel -scenes and the unique and interesting experiences, every incident of our -camp life remains perfectly fresh in our memory.</p> - -<p>After a short paddle down a pleasant reach under perpendicular bluffs on -the Russian shore, past frequent irrigating machines ingeniously -constructed to lift the water upon the high plateau, we came out into a -perfectly flat country partly wooded on either side. The strong -north-east wind which had been blowing almost continuously for days gave -us no rest, and raised a choppy sea which seriously checked our speed. -About ten miles below Ismail the river divides into three parts, which -join into one stream at Kilia fifteen miles farther on. We planned to -camp somewhere above the latter town, and chose the central passage as -probably the most direct one. For the rest of the afternoon we worked -steadily, expecting to come in sight of Kilia long<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306">{306}</a></span> before sunset. A -swampy wilderness surrounded us, and not a yard of solid earth did we -see. The frontier runs along the northerly limit of the delta on the -banks of the smallest of the three lesser arms just described, and we -therefore did not even have the company of the picket stations. Indeed, -the only human habitations we came across were at a fishing-camp, where -several rude huts were scattered about among the reeds and willows, -their mud-floors scarcely a foot above the level of the water. It began -to rain, and heavy storm-clouds, driven by the rising gale, swept over -the whole sky. The sun went down and we had left the region of willows, -and now saw nothing but reeds on all sides of us. Soon the gathering -twilight drove us to seek a camp, although the domes of Kilia were not -yet in sight. The only place we could find after a long search was a -small clearing among the reeds on the left bank, where some fisherman -had dried the stalks for floats to his nets. Here we hauled up the -canoes, settled them firmly in the soft mud of the marsh, bow to bow, at -an angle with each other, and, spreading a thick layer of freshly-cut -reeds over the triangular space between the canoes and the edge of the -bank, put up our tents and built a fire. The latter operation was not so -easy as it sounds, for all the wood we could find was the water-soaked -branches of willow which we broke from the snags or pulled out of the -ooze of the banks. We were, however, prepared for just such an emergency -and, lighting an ordinary little wire-gauze spirit-lamp, arranged the -smallest twigs over the frame so they soon dried, then caught fire, and -by their heat dried others, until we shortly had enough strength of -flame to kindle the large pieces of sodden wood. Sheltered from the rain -by our sketching umbrellas in the lee of the canoe tents, we cooked an -elaborate dinner of several courses, and enjoyed as comfortable a meal -as if our camp had been made on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307">{307}</a></span> the sound turf of an English meadow. As -for our snug beds, they were quite as dry and warm as at any other -bivouac, notwithstanding the fact that the canoes were lying in a slough -of black mire.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 395px;"> -<a name="ill_130" id="ill_130"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_149_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_149_sml.jpg" width="395" height="342" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>A LATE CAMP</p></div> -</div> - -<p>A prolonged struggle with the mud the next morning did not increase our -courage to face the strong head-wind, but we got away at last fairly -free from the stains which defiled clothes, sails, and varnish, and -after a short paddle came out into the main stream which here runs -towards the south-east for a short distance, and were soon scudding past -the town of Kilia under full sail. The town stretches<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308">{308}</a></span> far inland among -groves of trees, and we could see the green-topped domes of several -churches and the roofs of large houses. The water-front was by no means -inviting, with its ugly sheds and dilapidated landing-stages, and, -moreover, there was such an active running to and fro among the soldiers -near a battery on the point that we concluded it was best not to land, -but to dash boldly past not only this military post but the Roumanian -one of Staroi-Kilia opposite, and try to reach the Black Sea before -sunset. We were hailed as we went along, and the marines on a small -Russian cruiser looked with astonishment at our flags straightened out -by the breeze, but we did not alter our course nor start a sheet until -we were obliged to take to our paddles again at the next bend.</p> - -<p>After our first introduction to real mud just below Belgrade, we had -always looked forward to an ideal bivouac on a clean sandy beach on the -shores of the Black Sea, where we should find drift-wood in abundance, -firm smooth ground under our feet, and pure sweet air to breathe. We -felt a certain elation, then, as we passed Kilia and saw before us a -great flat, unbroken reed-covered marsh, in the belief that within a few -hours we should probably reach this ideal camp and bid good-bye to -Danube mud and its accompanying annoyances. We stole along in the -shelter of a fringe of large willows on the Russian bank for about five -miles. Through the trees we could see great vineyards and cultivated -fields and occasional farm-houses. Peasants were at work repairing the -low dikes that protect the farms from the overflow of the river, or -weaving fresh rods in the wattled fences. We occasionally checked our -speed to watch these operations, and if we had attempted to land would -probably have been met with a prompt challenge, for all along at regular -intervals the white uniforms of the sentinels could be distinguished -among the undergrowth, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309">{309}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 370px;"> -<a name="ill_131" id="ill_131"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_150_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_150_sml.jpg" width="370" height="529" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>MOLDAVIAN PEASANTS—A WINDY DAY IN THE DELTA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310">{310}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_311" id="page_311">{311}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">the glint of bayonets often flashed in the foliage. At the end of this -reach the river broadens out to a width of a mile or more, but only for -a short distance, and then divides around a perfect maze of islands with -no marks anywhere to indicate the best passage. According to our map, -which for this part of the river was very inaccurate and almost useless, -the northern arm along the frontier would be scarcely navigable, and, -withal, much the longest route. Noticing the roof of a small house among -the reeds just after we had entered the middle branch, we stopped to -inquire the way and to find out the distance. The whole peasant family -trooped down to greet us, and took the friendliest interest in the -canoes and in the journey we were making. The boys ran and gathered -melons which they forced upon us, and the father gave us most accurate -directions for our navigation, much too intricate and detailed to be -remembered, and told us it was about forty versts (twenty-five miles) to -the sea.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_312" id="page_312">{312}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra"><img src="images/ill-f.png" -width="80" -alt="F" /></span>OR the next two hours we paddled steadily between banks covered with -tall reeds, waving and rustling in the wind, occasionally startling -broods of young ducks out of their hiding-places, but seeing no other -living thing. About noon we came out into a stream at right angles with -the one we had followed, and seeing the familiar figure of a Russian -soldier among the willows, knew we were on the right road. In a few -minutes more we saw a row of white sand-dunes glistening in the sun -beyond grassy meadows, and to the right and below the green domes of two -churches. Rounding a low point we were shortly off the village of -Vilkoff, the last settlement on the Kilia arm. Very little of the place -was visible from the river as we came down, for it extends some distance -back, and only the roofs of two large fish warehouses and a few -fishermen’s huts are seen among the trees near the river. There was no -landing-place, and not even a boat along the shore, so we pushed on -against the wind, now blowing a gale, and shortly came to the mouth of a -narrow inlet, forming the tiny harbor of the place. Along both sides of -this passage we saw, jumbled together in confusion, many rambling wooden -structures, quite like those at any remote fishing village in New -England, and a fleet of boats, large and small, moored to rotting, -neglected landing-stages. We grounded once or twice on a mud-bank on our -way into the harbor, but presently were in sheltered waters,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_313" id="page_313">{313}</a></span> and, -following the directions of some fishermen, came alongside the steps in -front of a low white building which we found was the Custom-house. With -the exception of the lotkas, or native boats, all our surroundings, from -the unpainted shanties and the shaky wharves to the rough boots and -tarpaulins of the fishermen, suggested Cape Ann or Cape Cod; but the -appearance on the quay of a very short and stout official with an -extraordinary bottle nose and wearing the Russian uniform, located the -place instantly.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 433px;"> -<a name="ill_132" id="ill_132"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_152_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_152_sml.jpg" width="433" height="206" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>VILKOFF</p></div> -</div> - -<p>This official was the most astonished man ever seen; his eyes fairly -started out of their orbits; he looked first at us, then at the canoes, -and then at the Stars and Stripes and Union-jack flying from the masts, -but seemed too much dazed to utter a word. At last he opened his mouth -and asked, with a tremor in his speech:</p> - -<p>“Why are you landing here?”</p> - -<p>“The wind is so heavy we can’t go on,” we replied.</p> - -<p>“What’s your business?”</p> - -<p>We explained to the best of our ability, not forgetting to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_314" id="page_314">{314}</a></span> mention the -profession of civil engineer we had adopted up the river.</p> - -<p>“But you had better not land here!” he urged.</p> - -<p>“We must land; we can’t go on until the wind drops.”</p> - -<p>“You certainly can’t stay here, for there is no hotel, and you won’t be -able to get anything to eat.”</p> - -<p>“We don’t want a hotel and we have food in our boats.”</p> - -<p>“What did you come here for?”</p> - -<p>We explained again that we were travelling to see the country.</p> - -<p>“There is nothing to see here, and you had better not stop.”</p> - -<p>“But,” we insisted, becoming a little weary of his obstinate and stupid -repetitions, “we can’t possibly go on until the wind moderates, and, -furthermore, we don’t propose to try. Here are our passports, <i>viséed</i> -by the representative of his Imperial Majesty, the Czar.”</p> - -<p>The sight of two large documents, quite unlike anything called passports -he had ever before seen, only added to his distress, and he looked at -them with much the expression of a man who sees the warrant for his -arrest in the hands of a sheriff. At this juncture two young men came -up, introduced themselves to us as fish merchants of the place, -interceded in our behalf, and succeeded in calming the old man’s -excitement so that he looked at the <i>visés</i> on our passports and told us -to come ashore. After further discussion he consented to register and -stamp our papers, but refused to give them back to us, saying we could -have them again when we went away. All the arguments we could invent -were eloquently used in the hope of persuading him to permit us to land -our sketching materials, and our two young allies, who had been educated -in Odessa and understood our position, joined their voices to ours, but -all in vain. Not an article must be removed from the canoes—not even<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_315" id="page_315">{315}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;"> -<a name="ill_133" id="ill_133"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_153_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_153_sml.jpg" width="416" height="588" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FISHING STATION ON THE BLACK SEA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_316" id="page_316">{316}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_317" id="page_317">{317}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">a sketch-book—and, furthermore, we must promise not to sketch anything -before we would be allowed to go into the village. Seeing the place even -with this restriction was better than dangling our heels from the edge -of the quay all the afternoon, and we accepted the invitation of one of -the fish merchants to drink tea with him, and strolled off into the -village.</p> - -<p>The houses are low and solidly built, and most of them have one peculiar -feature—a row of columns in front, supporting a projection of the roof. -They stand closely together along straight thoroughfares which are -little better than canals of mud, being only a few inches above the -level of the river. The foundations of the houses are raised a foot or -two above these sloughs, and roughly-hewn plank sidewalks, supported by -piles, extend everywhere in front of the buildings, even into the narrow -side alleys where fishermen’s huts are huddled together in the marsh -among reeds and willows. Two great white churches, enclosed by neat -palings, occupy the middle of wide, neglected squares, and look bleak -and bare and uninviting. The house we visited was of one story, but long -and deep, and was comfortably, even luxuriously, furnished. The -drawing-room, where we took unlimited tea and sweets, after the Russian -custom, might have been in Vienna or Bucharest, with its parquet floor -and ornate furniture.</p> - -<p>The young merchants, who frankly told us they were Hebrews, although -their type of face did not betray this fact, gave us detailed -information about the village, the life there, the character of the -people, and the extent of the fish business. From them we learned that -Vilkoff counts about 4000 inhabitants, of whom at least 1500 follow the -hazardous occupation of fishing for sturgeon in the Black Sea. Five -merchants, all of them Jews, divide the trade in fish and caviar between -them, and practically own the place and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_318" id="page_318">{318}</a></span> also the people, body and soul. -Each trader has his contingent of 300 or more fishermen, whom he -supplies with their outfit, all the necessities of life and unlimited -vodki, all on the credit system, and takes as payment the entire product -of their toil. The natural consequence of this system is that the poor -wretches of fishermen are always deeply in debt to the merchants, and -pass their whole lives in as degrading a state of slavery as ever was -endured by man. The only relief they have from the tyranny of their -masters and the hardships of the occupation they follow is all too -frequent indulgence in the oblivion of inebriety. Our hosts did not -think there was anything extraordinary in our experience with the -Custom-house officials, and seemed to think that, considering the fact -that no stranger had ever landed at Vilkoff within their memory, we had -got on very well there. One of them related an incident which perfectly -illustrates the unreasonable severity of the customs regulations as they -are carried out in this part of the Danube. On one occasion he came down -from Kilia with a lotka loaded with fishermen’s supplies and was -detained by head-winds, so he did not arrive until after the -Custom-house officials had gone home for the night. The guard on the -quay, who had known him from childhood, not only prohibited him from -landing his cargo, but would not allow him to go ashore himself. He was -therefore obliged to sit in the boat fighting mosquitoes all night long, -and wait until nine o’clock in the morning before he could get his -passport stamped, so that he could land and go home. This, he assured -us, was no unusual adventure, and it is a recognized fact that when the -head officer of the Custom-house is at his meals or is taking a nap, the -whole business of the port is temporarily suspended. Of course this -would hardly be the case if Vilkoff were on any route of travel. But -this far-off settlement is not within two days’ drive of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_319" id="page_319">{319}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 394px;"> -<a name="ill_134" id="ill_134"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_154_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_154_sml.jpg" width="394" height="560" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>ROUMANIAN SAILORS AT THE “CORDON<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_321" id="page_321">{321}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_320" id="page_320">{320}</a></span>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">railway, and no steamer ever comes through the Kilia arm, because the -numerous channels into which it divides at Vilkoff are all of them -shallow, and only navigable by small fishing-boats.</p> - -<p>The sturgeon is chiefly valuable for the roe or caviar which is found in -it, but the meat finds ready sale, fresh or pickled. In sturgeon fishing -the men employ long strings of large hooks without barbs, suspended by -stout cords a yard long from a rope strung with cork floats. These hooks -are not baited, but are hung very closely together, so that when the -fish is swimming near the surface, as he usually does, he runs against -them, and entangling himself by the violence of his struggles is easily -captured. We saw a medium-sized fish brought to the warehouse at -Vilkoff, where the caviar was extracted. There was just about enough to -fill an ordinary bucket, and the trader told us it was worth on the spot -about 160 francs. The roe is held together by a net-work of delicate -fibres and a gelatinous substance not unlike thin starch in appearance. -The eggs are separated from this envelope by carefully rubbing them -through a coarse sieve, and the caviar is then ready for the table. The -extremely delicate nature of caviar will not permit of its -transportation unless it is preserved in some way, and it is usually put -on the market in small quantities salted, or in bulk salted and pressed. -There is as much difference between the flavor of the fresh and the -salted caviar as there is between ripe and dried figs, or between grapes -and raisins. The amateur of this delicacy really enjoys it only within -twenty-four hours after it is taken from the fish.</p> - -<p>The afternoon was fast passing and we were getting impatient to be off -when, luckily, at about four o’clock the violence of the gale diminished -somewhat, and we at once prepared to start. A ludicrous expression of -relief came over the old man’s face when we asked for our passports<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_322" id="page_322">{322}</a></span> and -told him we were going away. He became cheerful and amiable, and -confided in us, as we bade him good-bye, that he was a Pole, and had -been in the service of the Government for over forty years, and was very -much afraid he would have lost his place if he had permitted us to pass -the night in the village. We had a paddle of ten miles before us, and -about two hours of daylight to do it in, and we set off in good spirits, -looking forward with agreeable anticipations to our camp on the -sea-shore. Soon after leaving Vilkoff we entered a maze of channels -among low islands, where our horizon was limited by the rank of tall -reeds along the shores. We met several lotkas with fishermen paddling up -to the village from their summer huts near the sea-coast, and a large -patrol-boat full of Roumanian soldiers near a large picket station, and, -judging from these indications that we were in the right passage, we -paddled steadily on.</p> - -<p>In an hour and a half the stream curved round to the south east, and we -were enabled to take advantage of the wind and hoisted sail at once. -Just as the sun was setting we came into a short reach, scarcely wider -than the Danube at Donaueschingen, and there, in front of us, was the -straight line of the sea-horizon stretching across between two low, -reed-covered points. In a few moments more we sailed out gayly into the -Black Sea. The broad open expanse of the sea was before us, all yellow -and glowing with the reflection of the gorgeous sunset sky, and the -light on the jetty at Sulina glimmered brightly in the distance. But we -could see neither beach nor sand-dunes, and for a long distance in front -of us and on either side, as far as we could distinguish in the dim -light, stumps of trees, ugly snags, and bunches of reeds were sticking -up out of the water. No possible camp-ground was visible anywhere, and -for a moment we scarcely knew what to do or which way to turn<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_323" id="page_323">{323}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 423px;"> -<a name="ill_135" id="ill_135"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_155_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_155_sml.jpg" width="423" height="563" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE LAST TOILET IN CAMP</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_324" id="page_324">{324}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_325" id="page_325">{325}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">our bows. The wind had risen again at sunset, the shallow water grew -rougher and rougher every moment, and delay was fatal unless we chose to -pass the night moored to a snag, or in the shelter of the reeds on the -shore. At first we thought of taking refuge at one of the fishermen’s -huts among the reeds at the mouth of the passage, but, discovering a -white building far across the bay in the direction of Sulina, we headed -our canoes for that, knowing we should find solid earth there, and -paddled harder than we had done since we shot the rapids at the Iron -Gates. Drenched with spray from the high cross-seas, we finally reached -the other shore just as darkness was shutting down, and, pushing through -a great bed of reeds, came out into a little muddy pool, with a landing -made of logs close by the little whitewashed house we had seen from a -distance. A half-dozen sailors of the Roumanian navy welcomed us -heartily as we landed, insisted on carrying up our canoes and luggage, -and helped us pitch our camp on a dry sandy spot near their quarters. It -was the evening of the 9th of September, and the journey from the Black -Forest to the Black Sea had occupied us eleven weeks and one day, -including twenty-eight days we had spent in excursions away from the -river and our delays at Vienna, Hainburg, and Budapest. We had paddled -and sailed 1775 miles through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Servia, -Bulgaria, Roumania, and Russia.</p> - -<p>The following morning we were on our feet at dawn, eager to see what -sort of country we had reached in the darkness. We found that we were at -the “cordon,” or one of the Roumanian customs picket posts, on a point -of land called Cape Masoura, and that we had come out into the Black Sea -through that branch of the river called the Zaliv. The bay we had -crossed in the twilight was an ancient mouth of the river, not navigable -within the memory of man. Our camp was on the edge of a broad, rough -meadow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_326" id="page_326">{326}</a></span> bordered on the north by great shallows where the sea is eating -into the land, and extending for miles to the southward, where a range -of sand-dunes hides Sulina from view, and to the west towards dark -masses of the great forest on a low, sandy elevation which marks the -line of the ancient sea-coast. The whole tract as far as we could see -was gay with wild-flowers. In Alfred Parsons’ note-book are enumerated -among the plants found on this sandy flat, sea-lavender (<i>Stalice -latifolia</i>), small Michaelmas daisy, just coming into blossom, -large-leaved meconopsis, mauve lactuca, and several yellow composite -flowers. In the lakes of the delta among the reeds he found -water-lilies, villarsia, frogbit, a floating plant like a yucca, with -thorny edges to the leaves, a sort of duck-weed with rough primate -leaves, and on the river-banks, loosestrife, hemp, agrimony, flowering -rush, and a thick undergrowth of marsh fern.</p> - -<p>We cooked a most elaborate breakfast, made our farewell camp toilet -before the nickle-plated rudder which served us as a mirror, and then -parted with everything but our raiment among the sailors, who had been -interested but shy spectators of all these operations. The wind was -blowing half a gale, but with plenty of daylight before us we had no -hesitation in tempting the dangers of the Black Sea, and about the -middle of the forenoon left the cheery company happy in the possession -of all our pots and pans, and set out in the direction of Sulina. The -sailors assured us that we would not be able for several days to enter -the river on account of the breakers running at the bar, but we proposed -to skirt the coast as far as we could go, and then see what would turn -up.</p> - -<p>We worked our way out of the tangle of reeds and across the shallows -into the open water and turned our bows to the southward, where a long -sand-beach stretched away in a graceful curve. A double line of breakers -followed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_327" id="page_327">{327}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 491px;"> -<a name="ill_136" id="ill_136"></a> -<a href="images/ill_pg_156_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_156_sml.jpg" width="491" height="392" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BY THE BLACK SEA</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_328" id="page_328">{328}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_329" id="page_329">{329}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">shore, and we could see the white water on the bar beyond the -light-house. We paddled on for several miles in the trough of the sea, -dodging the waves and escaping capsize only by careful steering. We -thought it useless to venture out into the roadstead, but kept along -near the shore, and when we found the waves were rising to a height -which made further advance foolhardy, we ran the canoes ashore through -the surf and hauled them up on the beach just under the sand-dunes—the -ideal camp-ground of our imaginations. We were not in sight of any -house, and as we could not paddle any farther, it looked as if we might -enjoy our sea-shore camp after all. However, on reconnoitring from the -top of one of the dunes, we saw an ox-cart slowly moving across the -meadow a half-mile or more away, and ran and overtook it. The driver was -a fine, tall young Roumanian farmer, with an intelligent, handsome face, -and he consented to carry the canoes to the Sulina branch for us. He had -an excellent cart and two yoke of oxen, and there was an easy road along -the hard beach. On the firm white sand, under a brilliant noonday sun, -and in full view of the great blue expanse of the Black Sea, we -dismantled the canoes and lashed them on the ox-cart, one above the -other. After a couple of hours’ walk along the beach in the very wash of -the waves, we came to the north bank of the Sulina arm opposite the -town. Here we slid the canoes into the stream, took our last paddle -across the Danube, and deposited them in the warehouse of a hospitable -friend to await shipment to England. We then and there compared notes, -and agreed we had only two things to regret in our whole trip: one that -we did not launch the canoes at Villingen, fifteen miles above -Donaueschingen, and the other that we did not have our camp on the sands -of the Black Sea.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danube, by F. D. 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