[ 107 J 



SEVENTH DAY. 



NEXT morning, Sunday, April 28th, we were awakened pretty 

 early by the sun striking into our cabins, and, dressing hastily, 

 we all hurried on deck. It was a splendid day. The sun 

 was already pouring its hot rays upon the earth, the dark 

 blue of a true southern sky spread over us, and not a cloud 

 troubled the pure air. A refreshing east wind was blowing 

 over the river, and our steamer was hurrying along at full 

 speed between the steep hills of the Slavonian side and the 

 low-lying Hungarian plains. On our left the Danube formed 

 a good many wooded islands, and on the banks we observed a 

 few patches of " auen," between which a succession of marshes 

 and meadows ran down to the river's edge. 



The Captain assured us that we should get to Cerevic in 

 about an hour, so we breakfasted and then sat on deck, com- 

 fortably smoking our first cigars and enjoying the refreshing 

 influence of this glorious morning. 



There was a lively bustle in the villages situated on the 

 hillsides to the right, bells were ringing, crowds of gaily- 

 dressed people were moving about the vineyards and streets, 

 and there was a firing of salutes, for the members of the 

 Orthodox Greek Church were holiday-making on the second 

 day of their Easter feast. On the Hungarian side, inhabited 

 partly by Germans and partly by Catholic and Calvanistic 

 Hungarians, all was as quiet as on an ordinary Sunday morn- 

 ing ; but the beauty of the day had set the bird-world in full 

 activity, and we saw numbers of Herons and Lapwings flying 

 about the marshes of the left bank, while many majestic birds 



