EIGHTH DAY. 129 



and fruit trees of all sorts, and in about half an hour more 

 had left the bare outer hills behind me, and had penetrated 

 into the mountain valleys. 



At first we went straight along the beautiful glades of a 

 wooded glen, then turned to the right and began the ascent 

 of a hill as steep as that of yesterday; but after we had gone 

 about a mile the ascent got too abrupt for even the Slavonian 

 horses, for they panted more and more and kept stopping 

 every moment. The rougher the way became, the louder 

 creaked the cart in every joint, and at last some of its com- 

 ponent parts literally came to pieces. To have waited till the 

 vehicle was put in order again, and all its breakages bound 

 together with ropes in the usual way, would have been too 

 tedious for me, for I did not want to lose a moment. I there- 

 fore determined to walk the whole way, only accompanied by 

 my jiiger and the very expert forester of the place. 



We now began a thoroughly good tramp, taking two hours 

 arid a half to cover a distance which the forester had estimated 

 at three hours ; but the thoughts of the eagles which awaited 

 me hastened my steps, and we climbed quickly up the steep 

 hillsides. The way was exceedingly beautiful, and took us 

 through the most wonderful beech woods covered with thick 

 undergrowth, and occasionally varied by a few huge isolated 

 oaks adorned with dead branches. At a sharp pace we went 

 on up and down hill, across marshy woodland glades, which 

 vividly reminded me of the higher parts of the Wiener Wald 

 and even of some of our Alpine localities, over swift little 

 mountain-streams, and through narrow forest valleys, but only 

 now and then got a clear view of the splendid wooded moun- 

 tains lying below us. Though I looked carefully about, I saw 

 nothing of ornithological interest. There were Orioles, 

 Cuckoos, and a few Hoopoes at the bottom of the valley; 

 higher up the sole inhabitants of the woods were Chaffinches, 

 Yellow Hammers, and the commonest song-birds. A Common 



K 



