THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
artists — Rubens, for instance — it is without doubt supreme. But what 
the eye rests upon with most delight is Franz Hals’ masterpiece of the Dutch 
Burgomaster, a common enough fellow indeed, but in the hands of the 
master a figure of distinction, looking as if he would like to eat you up, 
and two portraits of Vandyk that I could have stared at all day. For the 
Dutch Burgomaster the Prince of Liechtenstein had recently been offered a 
million crowns by a dealer, but happily it was refused, and this priceless 
treasure will remain in Vienna, one hopes, for all time. 
On the 14th our party assembled at the Nord Balin Station and travelled 
eastwards all day over the fertile plains of Moravia and Silesia. About 
one hour from Vienna are situated some of the greatest partridge and hare 
lands in Europe, and our host pointed out an estate where he had seen 
3,000 hares and 250 brace of partridges (birds that broke back over the guns 
only being shot) bagged in one day. About the Polish frontier we saw troops 
of roe standing in the open fields on the property of Count Larisch, and 
darkness closed in at the old city of Cracow, where troops of Polish natives, 
fresh from the Hungarian harvest, and long -coated and top -hatted Jews 
were seen on all sides. 
After a comfortable night in the train we awoke at seven to find ourselves 
in the main Carpathians, the line winding its tortuous course up rocky 
streams situated in fertile valleys beneath great forests. At nine we reached 
Tartarow, where a swarm of wild-looking Galicians, with long hair and 
clothed in their picturesque national costume, met us and seized upon 
our luggage like so many bandits, each fighting to have the honour of 
carrying a package. Carriages were in attendance, and when the driver 
made a deep obeisance and covered your hand with kisses you felt that 
you were in some new land beyond the range of commonplace conven- 
tions. 
The hunting lodge of Tartarow is a modest, rambling affair of no archi- 
tectural pretensions, but admirably suited to the housing of sportsmen 
and their retainers. It is situated on a green flat, overlooking the swift 
river, and overshadowed by frowning hills, densely covered with spruce 
trees. The garden was gay with flowers tended by the hands of the head 
forester’s wife, and out on the little grass plot in front were the dropped 
horns of stags gathered from the forest during the past season, so that we 
could see what kind of game was awaiting us. In the house itself , and cover- 
ing the wooden walls, was a fine collection of frontlets and antlers shot by 
our host and his guests during the past thirteen seasons. Also a few re- 
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