Journey from Vienna. 73 



in the neighbourhood, but we had no small trouble to get his 

 mother's permission. The good woman was alarmed and 

 afraid of me. She was overjoyed at our return, and I received 

 from her afterwards, every mark of civility. These simple 

 people, not without reason, harbour a distrust of the inhabi- 

 tants of the towns ; to manage them requires a certain frank- 

 ness without rudeness, and little occasional liberalities. When 

 once gained, their attachment grows fervid, and no exertion 

 will be spared to render themselves accommodating and agree- 

 able. The good woman herself was an instance of this, offer- 

 ing me some crumpets she was baking in the oven, and wishing 

 to detain me till I had explored every corner of the adjoining 

 mountains. One of these, which I scaled, had an immense 

 plateau on the crust, covered, not with resinous, but with 

 hazel-nut and juniper trees. 



At St. Kerest I again met my travelling companions, and 

 we set out together for a fresh excursion into the country of 

 Schemnitz. But the sum of my observations there, of a ge- 

 neral kind, have been already noted. My stay in Hungary 

 had been longer than what I had contemplated ; I had almost 

 exhausted my stock of ready money, and the dates of my let- 

 ters of exchange, for different parts of Hungary, had expired. 

 I found it necessary, therefore, to return to Pest, for the re- 

 establishment of my pecuniary concerns. 



CHAPTER VII. 



VISIT TO CERTAIN MOUNTAINS IN THE COMITAT OF NOGRAD. 



I shall introduce here a little adventure that occurred, while 

 exploring the groupe of the mountains of Dregely. I intended 

 fixing my head quarters at Nograd, which is marked in the 

 maps as a market town, and where I had supposed the assizes 

 for the county were held. But on my arrival I soon found my 

 mistake; it is but a small village, and cannot be much fre- 

 quented, as it does not lie on any road. I was conducted to 

 an auberge where I might have had accommodations, but for 

 the uncouth and avaricious humours of those who kept it. I 

 ordered a supper, being hungry and fatigued with my day's 

 journey, and reckoning upon it, I walked up to the castle and 

 other parts of the village. 



From the remains of the towers and walls, the castle must 

 have been very strong and extensive, and a place of import- 

 ance. A great part of it was destroyed in 1685, by the explo- 



VOYAGES and TRAVELS, No. L, VOL. XI. L 



