ALT-ORSOVA. 319 



the river, and anxiously watched the fate of our 

 goods and chattels which were on board the barge, 

 whose situation appeared at times to be exceed- 

 ingly perilous. 



After walking about two hours, we came to a 

 sulphureous spring, very much resembling Har- 

 rowgate water. The scenery during the whole 

 day's excursion was magnificent beyond con- 

 ception, and the picturesque scene of a clumsy 

 barge being dragged by twenty-two oxen and a 

 number of men, with two tow-ropes, lest one 

 should break, in a tremendously rapid torrent, 

 confined by mountains bold and picturesque to an 

 extreme, is such as I shall not easily forget. 



We embarked again just as we came in sight 

 of New Orsova, a Turkish fortress situated on an 

 island in the centre of the river. 



Alt-Orsova is situated on the left bank of the 

 Danube, and we had been towed up along the 

 right bank, so that we had to get a considerable 

 distance above old Orsova before we attempted 

 to cross the river. When we did it was very 

 curious to see the immense distance, and with 

 what tremendous rapidity we were drifted down 

 the stream, which we had been so many hours 



