188 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



finishing by winding through a short stretch of sandy 

 " Puszta," brought us to Futak. 



Rattling through the long street of the village, we arrived 

 at the landing-place, where Brehm and Homeyer were 

 already waiting. The former had severely wounded a 

 Goshawk at its nest, the bird being found some days later, 

 but unfortunately reaching Vienna in a useless condition. 



A great crowd of people had assembled at the pier : the 

 notables of the village gave me a hearty greeting, and the 

 maidens presented me with posies ; and then came the 

 sorrowful moment of bidding farewell to our very kind host, 

 Count Chotek, who, throughout our stay in his domains, 

 had welcomed us all in the kindest possible way, and had 

 been most indefatigable in taking care of his guests. He 

 is the type of a noble hospitable host and of a true Grand 

 Seigneur. When we were all on board, we got under weigh 

 and moved off, followed by the friendly cheers of the crowd. 



Our menagerie had also here received a material addi- 

 tion ; for, while we were busy shooting at Futak, a peasant 

 boarded the steamer shortly before it left Cerevic, bringing 

 with him the Sea-Eagle which Bombelles had winged with 

 a ball on the afternoon of our arrival. He had found the 

 bird sitting below its nest in a woodland stream of the 

 Fruska-Gora and had at once secured it. Its fast of 

 several days had made the noble robber so tame that it 

 quietly allowed itself to be touched and stroked, nor was 

 it until the following day that it recovered and again dis- 

 played its ordinary ferocity and strength. It is now an 

 inmate of the Schonbrunn Menagerie. 



We soon lost sight of Futak, and the mountains near 

 Cerevic retreated further and further, while we stood on 

 deck regretfully looking back at these splendid wooded 

 heights to which we had now said adieu. 



On the right bank the barren outlying hills, with their 



