IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 37 



Turks. It was in such a state of decay that I 

 wondered how any one could identify the various 

 portions Pelicaric pointed out, such as the chapel. 

 I myself should be sorry to swear to anything 

 more than the well, now dry. Our host's house 

 is an old Turkish bey's palace, also extensive, but 

 mostly in ruins. In it also stands a shooting-box 

 of the Counts of Vrana. 



The story of Vrana is simple. Originally a 

 nourishing Venetian colony — indeed, it is said to 

 have had as many as thirty thousand inhabitants 

 — it fell into Turkish hands. These latter neg- 

 lected — as they always do everything — the canals 

 which then drained the marshes, and they fell 

 into disrepair ; then came the fever, and for cen- 

 turies the place has been what it is now. It is 

 said that the Austrian Government intends to 

 redrain the marshes shortly — an immense reform, 

 however prejudicial to the sportsman. It would 

 present no great difficulties, there being a fall of 

 something like forty feet from the upper end of 

 the marshes to the lake. 



We left E to rest a while, and went out 



into Pelicaric's vineyards to look for quail. He 

 bagged some half-dozen, and I missed about as 

 many, greatly to my surprise. No explanation 

 was forthcoming till next day, when I opened 

 some of my cartridges, and found that, instead of 

 being, as I supposed, small shot, they were number 



