364 THE FIR TRIBE. 



precipitated into the smaller streams by the troughs or by 

 some other contrivance, are floated singly down these small 

 streams until they reach the larger rivers, when they are 

 made into rafts. Below the bridge at Plattning, on the 

 Danube, the raft-masters of Munich, who leave that city 

 every Monday for Vienna, unite their rafts before they 

 enter the Danube. They descend the Isar upon single 

 rafts only, but upon reaching this point they lash them 

 together in pairs ; and in fleets of three, four, or six pairs 

 they set out for Vienna. A voyage is made pleasantly 

 enough upon these floating islands, as they have all the 

 advantages of a boat without the confinement. A very 

 respectable promenade can be made from one end to the 

 other, and two or three huts erected upon them afford 

 shelter in bad weather, and repose at night." ^ 



"A little below Andernach, the Rhine forms a small 

 bay or inlet, where the pilots are accustomed to unite 

 together the small rafts of timber floated down the tribu- 

 tary rivers, and to construct enormous rafts, which are 

 floated down the Rhine to Holland, and there sold. These 

 huge rafts have the appearance of floating villages, each 

 composed of twelve or fifteen little huts, on a large plat- 

 form of timber. The raft, which is frequently eight or 

 nine hundred feet long by sixty or seventy wide, is 

 composed of several layers of timbers or trees placed one 

 on another and tied together, the whole drawing about six 

 or seven feet of water. Several smaller rafts are attached 

 to the large one, besides a string of boats loaded with 

 anchors and cables, and used for the purposes of sounding 

 the river and going on shore. The rowers and workmen 

 sometimes amount to seven or eight hundred, superintended 

 by pilots, and over the whole is placed a proprietor or 

 manager, whoso habitation is superior to the others. As 

 the men live on board the raft, the arrangements for their 

 comfort are very extensive. Pigs, poultry, and other 

 animals are kept on board, and butchers accompany the 

 1 M. rianche. 



