520 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



and the numerous picturesque-looking villas, with 

 their bright green doors and windows, and pretty 

 gardens stretching down to the lake, give the place 

 quite an English look. The scenery around is very 

 beautiful. In some places are park-like demesnes, 

 with green slopes variegated by woods of beech 

 and oak, having for a background dense forests of 

 larch or pine, castellated rocks, or cloud-capped 

 peaks, here and there covered with dark green 

 latschen. The most conspicuous object in the 

 landscape is the Traunstein (a mountain five thou- 

 sand feet high), which rises like an almost preci- 

 pitous wall from the water's edge, and its wild, 

 bleak, weather-beaten look gives a weird-like 

 majesty to the scene, and forms a striking contrast 

 to the pellucid clearness of the lake, the verdure of 

 the valleys, and the sombre depth of the ravines. 

 I remained at Gmunden three days, and, in com- 

 pany with my friend the padre, and the " ladies of 

 the falls," made some delightful boating excursions, 

 during which I initiated the devil-dodger in the 

 art of rowing; and we got on so well together, 

 that I believe it would not have been difficult to 



