12 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



been delayed two months. I had intended to 

 leave early in June, and this I still think the best 

 time for the purpose. But August was a week old 

 before ever we saw Dalmatia. Passing over in 

 silence the well-known continental transit, I will 

 proceed at once to the last stage of our railway 

 journey. The Ancona express leaves Milan at 

 half-past one in the afternoon, and when we had 

 seen the last of the familiar dining-room at Bologna, 

 the novelty of the journey commenced for us. 

 Unfortunately, it was dark when we reached the 

 Adriatic at Eimini, and the ouly evidence of its 

 presence that night was the murmur of the surf— 

 a sound, I think, that is always homelike to the 

 Briton. 



At Ancona we found all our camp gear except 

 one very important item, the camp-beds, and these 

 we were obliged to replace in a hurry by Italian 

 brande, or folding bedsteads, of which more anon. 



The steamer agent had written us that the 

 Zara boats left Ancona at " 0.30 Wednesday," so 

 of course we expected to leave next day, August 

 the eighth. We had yet to learn, however, that 

 at Ancona " 0.30 Wednesday " means Wednesday 

 nightj or really Thursday morning, so we were let 

 in for a second day at Ancona. However, a couple 

 of days can be spent pleasantly enough in the 

 quiet Italian seaport. The forts, the harbour, and, 

 if one must say it, the glare, are provocative of 



