22 IN THE LAND OF THE BOKA. 



resting-place. We found those beds most useful — 

 as firewood, but for sleeping purposes we fell 

 back on the old dodge of calico bed-bags, filled 

 at first with straw, but afterwards, thanks to the 

 recommendation of some inhabitant, with Indian 

 corn leaves, which are more comfortable, and are 



generally used in Dalmatia. These bags E 



manufactured out of some spare sheets. 



Sleeping on the ground is the very best pre- 

 scription I know for early rising, and I was up 

 soon after five, and, after some tea, went out for 

 a stroll with my gun and dogs, but saw nothing. 

 The only covert in the low ground was formed by 

 the dwarf vines, which reminded me immensely, in 

 their height and colouring, of coffee-plants. The 

 Indian corn was all dried up, and the grain of 

 course harvested. Much of the land was fallow, 

 covered with large and very prickly thistles. It 

 was very hot when I returned, and I was glad to 

 take a header off our little pier into the sea. 



When I came back — and, indeed, before I went 

 to bathe — I became aware of a friendly crowd of 

 Morlaks watching our every movement with the 

 greatest interest. The excitement rose to fever- 

 heat when I proceeded to dig out a Broad Arrow 

 kitchen strictly in accordance with the "Regula- 

 tions for Encampments." This interest continued 

 till we left, but the curiosity, which was, to say 

 the least of it, embarrassing, decreased with the 



