152 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



heights of Bosnia. On the top of this hill was a shooting- 

 lodge, and here we halted, while I got out and, accompanied 

 by the head forester, walked a few hundred yards across a 

 meadow to a line of still smaller hills beyond it, on the very 

 ridge of which stood the Imperial Eagle's nest which I had 

 been told of. 



A little footpath wound right up to it, and along this I 

 cautiously stole; but before I got within shot I heard the 

 noise made by the bird as it flew away. I now requested 

 the forester to go back, that his departure might reassure 

 the eagle, while I concealed myself in a hut of branches 

 which had been here constructed, but which was unfor- 

 tunately too large and too visible. It was a very pretty spot, 

 but neither grand nor striking, and the oak tree in which the 

 nest was placed seemed particularly low for the stately 

 dwelling which it supported on its topmost branches. A 

 thick undergrowth of all sorts covered the ground, and the 

 mosquitoes swarmed round me in such countless myriads, and 

 tormented me so terribly, that I had the greatest difficulty in 

 keeping quiet for a moment. In about ten minutes I saw 

 the eagle cruising in the distance ; it wheeled round several 

 times in the direction of the wood, and then flew straight 

 towards the nest, on the edge of which it had hardly settled 

 before it noticed me and my much too obtrusive hiding-place, 

 and flew quickly off again in the opposite direction. 



It was now quite evident that there was nothing to be done 

 in this way, so as soon as I thought that the eagle was well 

 away, I slipped out of the hut, crept under the nesting-tree, 

 hid among the thick bushes, and in order to make myself as 

 invisible as possible lay flat on my back, with my gun ready 

 cocked and pointed, and covered myself with some branches 

 which I had cut. I must have lain a good quarter of an hour 

 in this position, most horribly tortured by the insects, when I 

 at last heard the rush of the eagle's wings, and saw the bird 



