516 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



The weather was very unfavourable for out-door 

 amusements, but I had some very fair partridge- 

 shooting with the Count and his two sons, who are 

 all good shots. He was kind enough to invite me 

 to shoot over his magnificent estate in Bohemia, 

 where, close to the fatal field of Koniggratz, he 

 has one of the finest castles in Germany, containing 

 one of the best collections of old carved oak in 

 Europe. This, after the battle, was converted into 

 an hospital by the Prussians, who were not very 

 particular, for they also carried away several 

 valuable horses, and shot the deer in the park, 

 that were so tame that they would feed out of the 

 hand. 



Count Harrach gave me such glowing accounts 

 of the game in the mountains near Ischl that I 

 determined to set out for the Salzkammergut the 

 following day ; and, bidding adieu to my kind host, 

 I got my gear ready for a start. 



Leaving Aschach in a *' shandidan," a cross 

 between a bathing-machine and a railway porter's 

 truck, which was drawn by an animal as much 

 resembling a kangaroo as a horse — for the first two 



