SECOND DAY. 9 



was on board our vessel. Bavaria, Pomerania, Anhalt- 

 Dessau, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Bohemia, Galizia, 

 the Dalmatian Islands, various parts of Hungary, and 

 perhaps other countries also, were represented in this little 

 space. I forgot to ask the chef's people and the crew about 

 their birthplaces, or we might have collected more localities. 



But to revert to our special theme. The steamer had 

 made its turn skilfully : Ofen was gliding by us on the 

 right, the Bloxberg, with its romantic precipices, followed, 

 and the plain between it and the wooded mountains of Ofen 

 came into view. 



On the left bank the splendid quay of Pest had already 

 long passed by, the houses had become smaller, and the 

 region of the market-gardens began. To these succeeded 

 straw huts, and at last the town terminated in sand. This 

 is a characteristic peculiarity of all Hungarian villages, 

 market towns, and cities ; they all end in sand, instead of 

 being surrounded by a zone of gardens, country-houses, and 

 promenades. 



Beyond the Bloxberg the Danube got wider and wider, 

 and high crumbling banks began alternating with wet 

 meadows, while on the left side large villages appeared on the 

 horizon. A broad plain stretched towards the south-east, the 

 mountains of Waitzen melted more and more into the blue 

 morning mists, and the outlines of the Csomad w r ood and the 

 Mogyorod hills grew more indistinct, and soon vanished from 

 our sight. 1 waved them a parting greeting ; for they are 

 good old friends, and close behind them lies beautiful Godollo. 

 On the right bank there was still a continuous background 

 of wooded mountains, sometimes approaching the river and 

 sometimes receding from it. 



Now on our right appeared the little village of Promontor, 

 situated on the ridge of a hill which sloped steeply down to 

 the water's edge ; arid soon afterwards came the large island 



