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 

 dovni 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- 



