56 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



more interesting excursion. A couple of hours' pull 

 took us to an ancient fortress, possibly unique in 

 construction, which goes by the name of Sebenico 

 Vecchio. It consists of a peninsula jutting into 

 the sea, and fortified at the neck by a high cre- 

 nelated wall. This was originally flanked at each 

 shore by a small tower. The wall, which narrows 

 upwards from its base, follows the outline of the 

 hilly ground, and is provided with a "berm" of 

 stone slabs built into the wall for its defenders 

 to stand upon, but the original means of access 

 to this have disappeared. The peculiarity of this 

 fortress consists in the fact that, like a modern 

 fieldwork, it contained no living accommodation, 

 unless a few rude stone huts, such as are common 

 as weather-refuges throughout Dalmatia, can be 

 so styled. It was intended as a refuge when the 

 Turks came down, and in places are still to be 

 seen the perforated stones by means of ropes 

 passed through which tardy Christians could be 

 pulled up to a place of safety, for the wall had no 

 gate. Considering its antiquity, the perfect state 

 of preservation of the wall is extraordinary. Only 

 the northern tower is wanting. 



From Sebenico Vecchio half an hour's sail 

 brought us to Crapano, known to the ancients 

 as the last of the Liburnian Islands. It is, how- 

 ever, more interesting from the fact that it is 

 the only one that can be said to be wooded, the 



