120 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
edge of its dwelling. I fired, both vultures flew down into 
the valley unhurt, and I long heard the beating of their 
wings as they rushed through the air. 
In a state of utter despondency I remained quietly crouch- 
ing in my hiding-place, for I wanted to see whether the 
vultures would not return. Then I heard steps behind me. 
It was the forester, who had hurried up on hearing the shot, 
and while I was telling him of the miserable result of it, the 
female bird again appeared near the nest, and was coming 
straight towards me, but on seeing us turned off in another 
direction. The forester now begged me to go to the second 
nest ; so we quickly climbed up the steep slope, walked a good 
way on the ridge of the mountain, and then, after going a 
few hundred yards along a narrow footpath, which wound 
down the opposite side of the hill, found ourselves at the 
nest. 
This second nest was placed in a more awkward position 
than the first, as the slope, being less steep, did not allow one 
to see so well into it. I loaded my gun, for I had resolved 
to rely on its powers and to abandon the rifle. On getting 
within a few paces of the nest, a vulture flew off one of the 
neighbouring oaks with a great bustle. Thinking that it was 
the owner of the nest, I was looking out for a good hiding- 
place, and preparing to pass a quiet half-hour, when a 
Slavonian woodman, a true Serb, with whom I managed to 
communicate by the help of the Bohemian language, besought 
me to keep my gun ready, as he thought the hen bird was in 
the nest ; and he was right, for after a few blows with a stick 
on the trunk of the tree, the vulture dropped off the edge of 
its abode with a noisy bustle. There were branches above me, 
and I did not wish to make another doubtful shot, though I 
could distinguish the form of the great bird through the 
foliage. With outstretched head it looked carefully round, 
and then, gradually expanding its wings, gave itself a strong 
