226 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 
tion of the lake gradually disclosed themselves more 
distinctly ; halfway up, we were opposite the gigan- 
tic Traunstein, whose naked and weather-beaten sum- 
mit had been full in view almost ever since we left 
Linz the day before. It is a huge mountain, appear- 
ing as if split from top to bottom and turned with the 
cloven side toward the lake, so that it presents a per- 
pendicular wall of jagged rock nearly three thousand 
feet high! leaving just room sufficient between it and 
the water for one or two fishermen’s huts, which look 
the veriest pygmies. The mountains beyond this on 
the same side are equally picturesque, but not so high. 
They rise in sharp isolated peaks, leaving the wildest 
glens between, down which streams fed by the snows 
of the mountains in the background come leaping to 
the lake. On a promontory which seems from the lower 
part of the lake to form its southern extremity stands 
the little hamlet of Traunkirchen ; the picturesque lit- 
tle church was founded by the Jesuits, who once had a 
small establishment here ; a little nook is occupied with 
the wee bits of cabins belonging to the peasantry em- 
ployed in the salt-works or in rowing the salt-barges 
down the lake; they are set down here and there, as 
room can be found, and add much to the beauty of the 
view. As the boat doubles this promontory, Gmiin- 
den and all the lower part of the lake is lost sight of, 
and you seem to be on another smaller but wilder lake, 
entirely shut in by the precipitous mountains ; a few 
minutes more and we are landed at Ebensee, the little 
salt-village at the head, where the Traun enters, and 
you regret that the voyage is so short. I was strongly 
inclined to go back again with the boat, and return 
again in the afternoon; but knowing I had no time to 
lose, and that I might not readily find another con- 
