240 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



hour and a half, my guide exhibited the usual symptoms 

 of knocking up ; in fact, although he had stood yester- 

 day's hard walking very tolerably, it was now apparent 

 that a substitute must be found, and I was lucky enough 

 to pick up a day-labourer at Plan who accompanied me 

 to Colfusco. . . . 



* The ascent of this Col was extremely fine ; at each 

 side magnificent dolomite cliffs, and behind, the towering 

 pinnacles of the Lang Kofel. . . . 



1 Quitting the neighbourhood of the great dolomite 

 peaks at Niedersdorf, I started one charming morning, 

 with all my goods on my back so sick was I of 

 guides ! . . . 



' I had yesterday passed the source of the Drave, and 

 to-day I descended the valley in which its course lies. 

 The scenery is very pleasing, at least so it seemed to me, 

 for I have seldom enjoyed a walk so much ; and as it 

 becomes constantly deeper and more striking, it is on 

 that account finer to descend than the reverse. . . . Its 

 forests also give to its scenery the peculiar character of 

 the Carinthian valleys, as they consist of a variety of 

 spruce fir, exceedingly taper and cypress-like ; and although 

 the individual trees are seldom or never fine ones, the 

 change from the ordinary Alpine pine-forest is agreeable. 

 The whole way down, on the right, the valley was over- 

 hung with savage dolomite peaks and crags, until I drew 

 near to Lienz, where the valley of the Drave suddenly 

 opened with great beauty, showing a wide extent of 

 cultivation, dotted with neat villages and churches. 

 . . . I took an " Einspanniger " from Lienz to Greifen- 

 burg, where I passed the night, as I had resolved next 

 day to leave the post road, and cross to Villach by the 

 Weissen See/ 



While Forbes now zigzagged in an easterly direction, 

 southwards to Laibach, and again northwards to Gratz 

 and Vienna on his homeward journey, he does not 

 appear to have found human nature improve as he went. 

 * Manners/ he writes, ' seem to degenerate as I go east- 



