340 



THE FIR TRIBE. 



rafts before they enter the Danube. They de- 

 scend 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 with- 

 out the confinement. A very respectable pro- 

 menade can be made from one end to the other, 

 and two or three huts erected upon them aff'ord 

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



" A little below Andernach, the Rhine forms a 

 small bay or inlet, where the pilots are accus- 

 tomed to unite together the small rafts of timber 

 floated down the tributary 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 pur- 

 poses 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, whose habitation is superior to the 

 others. As the men live on board the raft, the 

 arrangements for their comfort are very extensive. 



* M. Planche. 



