mp)m Mi■H^ CAMPING VOYAGES GERMAN EIYEES CAMPING VOYAGES ON GEEMAN RIVEKS BY ARTHUE A. MACDONELL, M.A. CORPUS CHEISTI COLLEGE, OXFORD Olli remigio noctetnque diemriue fatigant Et longos superant flexus variisque teguntur Arbonbus, viridesque secant placido aequore silvas. Vergil. WITH FRONTISPIECE AND TWENTY MAPS LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD 26 & 27 COCKSPUR STREET, CHARING CROSS, S.W. 1890 [The right of translation is reserved] DEDICATED TO THE tive frienbs OWING TO WHOSE COMPANIOXSHIP THESE VOYAGES ARE AMONG THE PLEASANTEST MEMORIES OF MY LIFE. 11275SS PREFACE The subject of German rivers from the point of view of boating expeditions has never before been treated as a whole. The author having navigated a distance of nearly 2000 miles in Germany has at least the qualification of a more extensive knowledge of that subject than is possessed, he believes, by any one else. Brief accounts of the whole or part of some of the streams described in the following pages have been written by others. The Weser is treated of in a small work entitled Camp Life on the Wescr (pp. 53 ; London, 1879). The experiences of a voyage on a part of the Rhine and on the Main from Wiirzburg in flood -time are narrated in the Log of the Waterlihj (pp. 59 ; London, 1852). The Watcrlily on the Damibe (pp. 216 ; London, 1853), and a chapter of A Thousand Miles in the Bob Roy Canoe (pp. 318 ; vm PREFACE London, 186G), by my countryman, Mr. John Mac- Gregor, contain accounts of excursions on different parts of the Danube. The present work, on the other hand, may claim a certain completeness as describing, with one ex- ception, all the German rivers which it would be worth the while of Englishmen to attempt to navi- gate. The Oder, as well as the lower courses of the Elbe and Ehine, traverses regions so extremely flat and uninteresting that no one would think of going down it except for the purpose of rowing or sail- ing only. But the streams treated of in the following pages flow through all the finest river scenery in Germany, constituting in fact a large proportion of the natural beauties of that country in general. The one exception above referred to is the Lahn. The course of that tributary passes through a very picturesque region. It is navigable from Wetzlar, a distance of from seventy to eighty miles. The locks on it between that town and its confluence with the Ehine are, however, said to be rather old and neglected. It would doubtless be possible to come down this stream from Marburg, a town about 100 miles from its mouth, in a canoe if not in a rowing-boat. PREFACE IX The writer hopes that the perusal of his book may suggest some charming haunts to many of those who prefer to recruit their strength far from the madding crowd. A boating excursion is, how- ever, certainly the most delightful w^ay of spending a holiday in the regions he describes. It combines the most healthy form of physical exercise with absolute freedom from the dust, the stifling heat, and the worry of railway travelling in summer. The voyager, while passing through some of the finest scenery in the country, is always at liberty to refresh himself with a bathe or rest in the shade on the banks whenever and wherever he pleases. He also enjoys many opportunities of visiting interesting places, often not easily accessible in any other way, as well as of becoming acquainted with the natives in a manner which would otherwise not be possible. If the expedition is a camping voyage, it is at the same time the cheapest form of travelling on the Con- tinent. The expense of a month's holiday thus spent need not amount to more than £20 at the outside for each member of the party. This sum would include railway fares, freight of boat and luggage, cost of boat, tent, and the remaining requisites for camp- X PREFACE ing. It is in the long-run decidedly cheaper to buy one's equipment. For it could be sold on one's re- turn at a loss amounting to less than the sum paid for hire ; while if it he retained till used again, the expense of each subsequent voyage would be reduced to half that of the first. The cost of living when camping is extremely small. The writer, for instance, remembers once spending during the voyage on the Neckar no more than five shillings on a twenty-four hours' supply of provisions, including beer, for five men. The author trusts that the reader may also derive some amusement from the experiences re- corded in the following pages, as well as a certain amount of instruction from the information which, scattered throughout the book, and in many cases not otherwise accessible, bears on the characteristics, the scenery, the inhabitants, and the historical associations of the river valleys described. He only regrets that owing to the press of work entailed by professional duties, no less than by various necessary avocations, he has been enabled to devote but a very small amount of leisure to writing this book, much less to rendering its style PREFACE XI as attractive as he might have hoped to make it under more favourable conditions. The work is based on notes taken down eacli day during the course of the voyages which it records. The maps of the Werra and the Neckar, as well as of the upper courses of the Main and the Danube, which it contains, may be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy, being reproduced from the maps of the German Ordnance Survey. The additional details as to obstructions, such as weirs and mills, given in them, being supplied from the personal observation of the writer, are not obtainable elsewhere, and should therefore prove of value to those wdio may use them for practical purposes. The large general map, besides affording a com- prehensive view of the river system of Germany, furnishes, along with the letterpress, as much in- formation as the navigator wants with regard to the railways and towns on the banks of the larger rivers. An Appendix, giving tables of distances and lists of obstructions, besides other practical details, has been added. The book concludes with an Index, which will XU PREFACE probably enhance both its practical value and its general interest. In conclusion, the author ventures to express a hope tliat such of his readers as may navigate the streams he describes, or other German waters, will, through his publisher, bring to his knowledge any inaccuracies they may discover, or new information they may acquire. He would gladly incorporate their notes in a second edition, should this work ever attain to that distinction. London, IWi June, 1890. CONTENTS Preface Pages vii-xii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY Early voyages — India — Germany — Englisli rivers — Preparations for a continental voyage ....... 1-9 CHAPTER II THE WERRA Meiningen — The start — First camp — AVading for four hours in the dark — Wernshausen — CampatSalzungen — Trespassing — Vacha — Camp near Philippsthal — Lengers — Shooting mill -weirs — Swampy camp at Berka — Herleshausen — Transformation scene in the train — Visit to the Wartburg — Beautiful scenery near Falken — Inn at Falken — Wannfried — Accident in mill-stream — Eschwege : first lock — Allendorf — Lindewerra — Old scenes — Witzenhausen — Cherry country — IMvinden . . . 10-41 CHAPTER III THE WESER Start from Miinden — First sail — Holzminden— German view of exercise — Struggle with an adverse gale— Hameln — The Pro- fessor's despair — Rinteln — Mistaken for raftsmen — The Pro- CONTENTS fessor's wrath — Porta Westphalica — Delay at Minden — Row and sail all iiiglit — Accidents — Renewed struggle with haid wind — Pitiless rain — Leak — Exhaustion — Triumph — Bremen : 105 miles in twenty-six hours .... Pages 42-59 CHAPTER IV THE NECKAll The crew — Preparations — Strange influence of curry-powder — The Neckar gradus — Start from Cannstatt — Camp near Miinster — Sleeplessness — Meriy jests — Bad leak — The Neckar a great bathing river — Hoheneck — Camp above Jlarbach, Schiller's birthjilace — Mundelsheimer wine — Its effects — Third camp — Tlie miller's erroneous views about Englishmen corrected — The sentimental singer — An outrageous snorer — Heron Reach — liesigheim — Dangerous rapid at Kirchheim — Camp above Lauf- fen — Heilbronn — The Captain's oratory — Wiirteniberg v. Im- perial post-cards — Camp near Neckarsulm — Chain -steamers — Their diabolical nature — Repairing boat — Stay at Wimpfen — Fine scenery steadily increasing in beauty — Woods nearBinau — - Eberbach — First Olhcer's illness — Row on in the dark — Stop at Neckarsteinach — Magnificent scenery — Heidelberg — First Offi- cer rests there for a day — Camp below Heidelberg — Dangers from towing-ropes — Return to Heidelberg — Start again — Rain — Camp below Ladenburg — Mannheim — Confluence of the Neckar and the Rhine 60-91 CHAPTER V THE KHINE Uninteresting scenery below Mannheim — Break an oar — Worms — Historical and legendary associations — Rowing-club — Camp below Worms — Visit of gendarme — The Interpreter's irrita- tion — Flings one of his garments into the Rhine — Nierstein — I Futile attempt to camp on an island — Nieder-Walluf — Fine scenery— Statue of Germania at Niederwald — Romantic ruins- Rhine inferior to some other German rivers in natural beauty — Bacharach — Dangerous race with a steamer — Bathe opposite Lurlei rocks — St. Goar — Boppard — Coblenz . . 92-106 CONTENTS XV CHAPTER VI THE MOSELLE Treves — Characteristics of tlie Moselle and its advantages for a boating excursion — Mistaken politeness of the inhabitants of Treves to- wards strangers — The start — Keel-music — Camp in an imperial meadow — Visit of country policeman — Keel-mending — Heavy rain — Stay at Xeumagen — Rudersport - liqueur — Tortuousness of the river — The Braune Berg — Berncastel — Beautiful scenery near Trarbach — Camp near Burg — Plague of white moths — Visit of German sculler and of two Englishmen — Great curve in the Moselle round the Marienburg — Alf — Bow's opinion about it — Cochem — Camp above Pommern — Photographic sur- prise — Different character of the Moselle below Cochem — Dis- agreeable odour accelerates the pace of the boat — Coblenz again — Dispersal of the crew . .... Pages 107-131 CHAPT;ER VII THE MAIN Bayreuth — Advantages of the Main a^ a boating river — Camp below Drossenfeld — "Wind — Rain — Loss of sleep and umbrellas — Water-wheels — Toilsome day — Upset — Losses — Miller at Stein- hausen — Second upset — Boat damaged — Repaired at Kulmbach — Lichtenfels — Bamberg — Hassfurt — Schweinfurt — Wiirzburg — Beautiful scenery — Gemiinden — Lohr — -Miltenberg — Aschaf- fenburg— Return 132-165 CHAPTER VIII THE MOLDAU AND THE ELBE Prague — Long hunt for the boat — Bohemian officials — The start — Kralup — Bohemian -barrel-organist — Melnik — Its fine situation — Junction of the Moldau and Elbe — Leitmeritz, the garden of Bohemia — Sclireckenstein — Crossing the line — Publican's compensation bill : sixpence — Aussig, the coal-port of Bo- hemia — Its odious character — Sleepless night — Rain — Boden- bach — Beautiful scenery — Herrnskretschen — Prebischthor — Schandau — Pabststein — Bastei — Pirna — Old friends — Floods — Dresden 166-1S3 XVI CONTEXTS CHAPTER IX THE DANrilE Jtaison d'Urc of this voyage — A Canadian canoe despatched — Tlic crew reach Donaueschingeu — Non-arrival of the boat — False alarm and strange coincidence — The " Source of the Danube " — A week's delay — The start — Obstructions on the Danube before Ulni — Camp near Geisingen — Immendingen— Mysterious dis- appearance of most of the water of tlte Danube — Tuttlingen — Magnificent scenery between Miihlheim and Siginaringen— jiiith Rock — lieuron — Belated — Stoj) at Thiergarten — Sigmar- ingcn — Its beautiful situation — Dangerous rapids at Scheer^ — Camp near Meiigen — Sleepless night — Toilsome day — Sur- prised by darkness — Narrow escape at the mouth of the Iller — Dangerous bridge and landing — Ulm reached at last in safety — The Danube navigable below Ulm — Cliaracteristics of the river — Monotonous scenery — Dillingen — Blenheim — Donau- worth — Neuburg — Ingolstadt — Excursion to Munich — Pfor- ingen, where the Nibelungen crossed the Danube — Roman camp of Abusina — Beautiful scenery near Weltenburg and Kelheim — The Befreiungshalle — Regensburg — Narrow escape from being swamped below bridge — The Walballa — Straubing — Tortuousness of the river — Sluggishness of the current — Bogen — Deggendorf — The Bavarian Forest — Vils- liofeu — Rocks in the river — Passau — Its beautiful situation — Grand scenery between Passau and Linz — Austrian custom- house at Engelhartszell — Linz — Grein — The Strudel — The "NVirbel — Dangerous navigation — Mahrbach — Peculiar ferry- boats — Jlonastery of Melk — Diirrenstein, the prison of Rich- ard I. — Stein — The Interpreter finishes the voyage alone — Dangers from steamers — Arrives in safety below his hotel at Vienna Pages 185-260 Appendix : Table of Distances, etc 261-267 List of Maps 268 Index 269-278 CHAPTEE I INTRODUCTORY " Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows." — Tenxysox. Early voyages — India — Germany — English rivers — Preparations for a continental voyage. The writer of the following pages was born in Behar, the Palestine of Buddhism, near the banks of the Gandak, a stream whose shores were hallowed by the last wanderings of the great reformer in the fifth century B.C. His first voyage was made on those waters in early infancy, when on the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny he escaped with his parents in a native boat to the shelter of a neighbouring fort. He still has vivid recollections of accompanying his father and mother on a trip down the Ganges to attend the races at Sonepore. Well can he remem- ber that mighty river's high sandy banks, from which B 2 CAMPING VOYAGES now and again fragments would lireak off and fall into the tawny waves below ; lie can still recall the small cabin of the house-boat and its unwieldy rudder, and the native servants preparing the evening meal on the low sandbanks, to which the vessel was moored at night. To this voyage may perhaps be traced the fascination which travelling by water has always had for him. From his later boyhood, which was spent chiefly in Clermany, he has pleasant reminiscences of numerous adventures shared with two enterprising German schoolfellows on the Leine, near the Uni- versity town of Gcittingen, and on the winding and beautiful stream of the Werra, between the castle of Hanstein and the village of Witzenhausen. The charm of these trips was in no degree diminished by the fact that they were always undertaken in boats of almost prehistoric uncouthness of build, and with oars which would have appeared primitive to Noah himself. An Undergraduate's life at Oxford, that city of many-streams, yielded almost unequalled opportunities of indulging a passion for boating ; and while still in statu pujnllari the navigator of the German rivers hereafter described was already familiar with the course of the Thames from Lechlade to Eichmond, and had acquired a love of camp life on its peaceful and verdant banks. A continued residence at Oxford led in 1881 to an acquaintance with the beautiful shores of the Wye, and a camping expedition in a pair-oar on the Severn from Welsh- INTR OD UCTOR V 3 pool to Tewkesbury and up the lonely and charming Avon from the latter city as far as Warwick. Eecollections of his boyish experiences on the "Werra soon afterwards suggested the idea that a camping voyage on this little -known river, many parts of the valley of which are noted in Germany for their beauty, would combine all the attractions of exploration and adventure with a holiday in fine scenery safe from the invasion of the tourist. The plan gradually matured, but detailed information was hard to obtain. However, as the German encyclo- psedias of Brockhaus and Meyer both stated that the Werra was navigable for rafts from Themar, a small place not far distant from its source, Meiningen, as being the only town of any size some way lower down, was finally fixed upon as probably the most suitable starting-point. A letter addressed to the proprietor of the principal hotel there soon produced an answer to the effect that there was plenty of water at Meiningen to float a boat of the draught of an oak- built pair-oar such as had been described. This was satisfactory so far; but as seemed probable at the time, and as later experience invariably showed, in- formation of this kind throws hardly any light on the lower course of a river. The ignorance possessed by riparians, not only of distances, but of artificial ob- structions, such as weirs and mills, situated witliin a few miles of their native place, is positively amazing. 4 CAMPING VOYAGES They never seem to have walked more than three miles from the house where they were born, or to have heard even faint rumours of anything beyond that charmed radius. Two enterprising college contemporaries, who had been companions in previous camping expeditions, expressed their eagerness to bring up the crew to the full complement of three ; and it w^as finally arranged to leave England for Meiningen on 30th June 1883. A strong oak skiff, with all fittings — one pair of oars, two pairs of sculls, a boat-hook, towing-rope, mast, and sail — was purchased second- hand from Mr. John Salter, the well-known Oxford boatbuilder, for the sum of £15. A gipsy tent (9 feet by 7) was hired from Messrs. Piggott of Bishopsgate Street, and the necessary camping uten- sils, such as tin plates and cups, knives and forks, lamps, filters, and last, but not least, a small port- able cooking -stove, containing a number of pots and pans, which fitted into one another like Chinese boxes, were bought at the Stella lamp shop in Oxford Street, of Mr. Potter, who for many years equipped Mr. John Macgregor for his famous canoe- ing expeditions in the Hob Roij. A table with movable legs, three camp-stools, a waterproof ground- sheet, some blankets, and a yachting bag each, to contain their personal effects, completed their out- fit. A pound or two of good tea, some tinned soups and meats, besides a few pots of jam, were INTR OD UC TOR Y 5 added in the way of provisions not obtainable in Germany. Eor a lull month before starting the writer used to practise the elements of cookery every morning on his own breakfast, working through in rotation a programme consisting chiefly of chops, steaks, cutlets, buttered eggs, and eggs and bacon. Good charts of the river were an essential part of the equipment for the proposed expedition. These the writer prepared, not only for the first trip, but also for the subsequent voyages, by mounting tracings from German ordnance maps on canvas, and cutting them into squares of a uniform size. The squares were folded double and fitted into a case, from which each could be withdrawn separately. The maps illustrating the present work are, includ- ing the large one, derived from the same source. The day of departure having been fixed, the boat was despatched through the medium of an agent three weeks before, to await the arrival of the travellers at Frankfort-on-the-lNIain. In passing, it may be mentioned, for the benefit of any reader of these pages who may wish to send a boat to Germany, that in order to ensure its arrival in good time not less than twenty-one days should be allowed for transmission. Disagreeable delays at the other end of the journey may result from neglecting to take this precaution, as will appear in the chapter on the Danube. The party started on the evening of the appointed 6 CAMPING VOYAGES day with light hearts, but comparatively heavy purses. No incident worth mentioning occurred on the way vid Flushing to Cologne, except at the German frontier. Here the custom-house officials spent so much time in scrutinising and weighing the various appliances of the three friends, that all the remaining passengers had long re-entered the train. A pompous Prussian guard of more than ordinary corpulence, who was fretting and fuming up and down the plat- form, kept repeatedly shouting einsteigen ! (take your seats), but without producing any effect. At length the trio issued from the custom-house, and he whom we will henceforth call the Professor, sauntering leisurely up to the irate official, inquired with great calmness and an air of childlike simplicity : Wie langcr Aufenthalt (how long does the train stop) ? The great man turned a deeper purple, but having his breath completely taken away, remained tongue- tied, while the insolent foreigners entered their com- partment amid the laughter of their fellow-passengers. On arriving at Frankfort the party at once pro- ceeded to the office of Herr Joseph Wirth, a w^ell- known boatbuilder, to whom the skiff had been consigned. She had, it appeared, arrived safely some days previously, and was now immediately despatched to Meiningen. As two days would be occupied in transit, the friends resolved to utilise the interval by visiting Heidelberg. "When about an hour's dis- tance from their destination a j^renial old gentleman INTRODUCTORY 7 got into their compartment after gallantly taking leave of some young ladies who had accompanied him to the station. He soon fell into conversation with the party, in whom he began to take a keen interest, after hearing about their projected voyage. He told them he was a retired judge {Oheramtsrichter), eighty years of age, and lived at Heidelberg. He was certainly wonderfully well preserved, not looking more than sixty. " Though I have passed the usual limit of old age by many years," he continued, " my spirit is still young ; and," turning to the Interpreter (as he will now be called), " if you should see Max Miiller when you are back in England, you must tell him yDu met in Germany an old man, from whose heart, though he is eighty years of age, the deutsche Liehc (German love) has not yet quite faded away." On taking leave he promised to call for his new acquaintances next morning. And, sure enough, punctually at ten o'clock the old gentleman appeared in a carriage and insisted on driving them up to view the castle. That he had not exaggerated his youth- fulness became pretty evident in the course of the day. After showing the friends over the ruin, and discoursing on the merits of the monster barrel pre- served there, he conducted them to the restaurant to refresh themselves with a glass or two of beer. But finding it poor stuff, he constrained them to accom- pany him down to Bremeneck, a well-known students' beer-garden at Heidelberg. Here he quaffed two or 8 CAMPING VOYAGES three additional glasses by way of a morning freshener {FrHhsclio2-)pcn, in students' parlance), gaily chafling the waitresses the while. It being now one o'clock, the three friends asked the festive old gentleman to do them the honour of dining with them at their hotel. He gladly accepted the invitation. He was a connoisseur in wines, as in all else that pertains to the life of a German student. For had he not belonged to a distinguished Corps in his early days, and taken part in many a Commcrs (drinking-bout) at his old University in later years? And so, with much appreciation, he disposed of a bottle and a half of a brand he had specially recommended. After dinner his friends regaled him with coffee, liqueurs, and cigars in the garden. Unable to prevail on them to stay another night, he was fain to accompany them to their train. The farewell scene he concluded by saluting the I^rofessor, to whom he had taken a particular fancy, with a sounding kiss on both cheeks. What country but Germany can produce old boys like this, who enter into the feelings and enjoy the society of young men of twenty- five ? The friends had grave misgivings that that day's festivity might have injured the constitution of one so aged; they had probably little ground for fear. At all events, the old gentleman was, a year later, as they were glad to hear, flourishing exceedingly. After a long night journey the trio arrived at Meiningen on the morning of Thursday the 5th. As INTRO D UCTOR V 9 the train approached the town they looked out with beating pulses till they caught sight of the Werra as it meandered in the distance through the plain of Meiningen ; but their hearts failed on viewing the exiguity of that slender streak ; and the thought that, even if their craft could float in the stream, she might yet not hold more than half the luggage they had brought, filled their breasts with dismay. For there were the tent, the poles, the bag of pegs and guys, the cooking- stove, waterproof sheet, blankets and yachting -bags for three, to say nothing of hampers of provisions, table, camp-stools, oars, sculls, mast, and sail ! Here indeed were all the elements of a Jiasco at the very outset. But for retreat it was now too late. CHAPTER II THE WEKRA "Oi; yap TTti Tts rrioe TvaprfKaae vtjl /jLiXaivrj Tlpiv 7' rjn.iwv." — Odyssey. Meiningen — The start — First cami) — Wading for four hours in the dark — Wernshausen — Spring a bad leak — Camp at Salzun- gen — Trespassing — Vacha — Camp near riiilippsthal — Swampy camp at Berka — Herleshausen — Transformation scene in the train — Visit to the Wartburg^Beautiful scenery near Falken — Inn at Falken — AV an fried — Accident in mill-stream — Eschwege, first lock — Allendorf — Lindewerra — Old scenes — AVitzenhausen — Cherry country — Miindcn. Meiningen, the largest town on the Werra, with a population of 10,000 inhabitants, is pleasantly situated in the midst of wooded heights at the head of a small plain into which the valley of the Werra here widens out. Its chief attractions are the Ducal Theatre, the park, called the English Garden, and the picture gallery in the palace of the Grand Duke of Saxe- Meiningen. Its name is probably best known in England through the famous performances of Shakespearian plays by its theatrical company. The AVerra rises near Eisfeld, to the south of the 7'FIE WERRA ii Thuringiaii Forest, tliirty-five miles above jMeiningen, its total length to Miinden, where it is joined by the Fulda, being about one hundred and sixty miles. Forming, as it does, the western boundary of the Thuringian Forest, the scenery of its banks is almost uniformly pretty, and rises to a high degree of beauty in the regions of Falken, Treffurt, and Miinden, This river is best adapted for a camping voyage, as there are but very few places on its banks where it would be possible to obtain any but the most primitive accommodation. There are twenty -one obstructions in the shape of mills, but these can be got over, as will be seen further on, with much less difficulty than the impediments on the upper courses of the Neckar, the Main, or the Danube, Several hours of suspense were passed at the Sdchsische Hof till the arrival of the boat. At length her future crew experienced the joy of seeing her driven up on a waggon early in the afternoon, and had the satisfaction of launching her under the very windows of their hotel, situated on one of the three branches into which the Werra divides at Meiningen, The following day having been fixed for the start, the remainder of the afternoon was spent in visiting the Landsberg, a chateau belonging to the Grand Dukes of Saxe-]\Ieiningen, and com- manding a fine prospect of the valley of the Werra and of the Thuringian Forest, Early next morning the party drove to the Dolmar, a basalt" mountain. 12 CAMPING VOYAGES from which '^ grand panoramic view of the Thuringian Forest, including the Inselsberg, is obtained. An intelligent German, who turned out to be the burgo- master of Walldorf, a neighbouring village on the Werra, reaching the summit al)out the same time, was at great pains to draw the attention of the strangers to distant points of historical interest connected with the Thirty Years' AVar. On their return the friends spent some time in making a number of necessary purchases and laying in a stock of provisions for the voyage. Before starting they rowed to a beautiful smooth reach spanned by a green iron bridge and flanked by a finely wooded hill on the left, and the trees of the Ducal Park on the right. And there, with her crew on board, the boat was photographed from the bank by the leading artist of Meiningen. This picture must have quite a his- torical value for the Meiningers, representing as it does the first rowing-boat that has ever navigated their waters. There beincf a large weir across the river about half a mile below the town, it was decided to send the baggage down to this point by cart and to pack below the dam. On arriving at the spot with the empty boat, the crew found their host and a crowd of people waiting on the bank to witness their departure. The pile of luggage looked formidable indeed ; but by ingenious economy of space all was made to fit in amazingly well, and the craft when THE IVERRA 13 loaded for the start presented a remarkably ship- shape appearance, much admired by the spectators. But what was the most important thing, she actually floated ! All was now ready ; and 'without hoisting the British flag or raising a ringing cheer (as the local papers stated them to have done), the voyagers simply waved their farewells to their friends on the bank, entered a rapid almost immediately, and gliding swiftly round a bend of the stream, were lost to view. What an intense relief it was not to have stuck at the outset under the very eye of the public : How humiliating to have had to leap out, wade, drag the boat along, and possibly perform other ignominious manoeuvres ! The naval prestige of Great Britain was thus saved and perhaps even locally increased for some time to come. There was now a succession of rapids for upwards of three miles, the channel being very narrow all the way. The boat, however, grounded only twice, and easily got off again. In nearly every rapid there is a smooth tongue of water. A boat should always be steered down to the point of this tongue — for the water is invariably deepest here — and should then be allowed to be carried along by the current, which very often flows close under one of the banks. This, of course, necessitates the frequent shipping of the oars, and makes the handling of a rowing-boat rather awkward. A Canadian canoe is for various reasons much the handiest vessel in which to navigate the 14 CAMPING VOYAGES upper courses of rivers. Its drauglit is very light, the crew face frontways — an immense advantage, — a channel of tliree feet in width is sufficient for its passage, and there is no continual shortening of oars. As the village of Walldorf is approached there is a smooth reach nearly a mile long, which, reflecting a fine wooded ridge and the rays of the setting sun on its glassy surface, formed quite a beautiful scene in the calm evening light. Just above Walldorf there is a steep dam across the river, with a kind of cutting in the middle, not quite so steep and about six feet wide. Down this most of the water rushes. As the banks here were high it would have been a great labour to pull the boat over ; so it was decided to take most of the luggage out and to risk shooting the lasher. Only one of the crew remained on board and swept gaily down without accident, to the great astonishment and admiration of a railway official standing on the bank. In the growing dusk a strip of meadow with a wooded height for a background, a quarter of a mile farther down, was selected for a camping ground. There being a snug cove in the bank which seemed made on purpose to receive the boat, that rather formidable bark was soon turned into a little bight. By a stupid mistake the two articles most essential for preparing supper had been forgotten, viz. butter and milk. Accordingly the Professor, who possessed tolerable familiarity with classical German, and a Baxchfeld Wtrra.. Shtet 7 SckwaUmi^en Station jwLW WasiuaeerL Walldorf^ IiOndshera '^ '"A I Meininfen / /c 8^7^ //$sf)fT Statio ":? A I 7 . . Ki{omet*-es Stasdurdis Gca^^£stoJ>* THE WEKRA 15 considerable amount of self-confidence to make up for defective knowledge of dialects, was despatched to the neighbouring village in order to buy what was needful. Meanwhile the Interpreter and Bow, as practical men, remained on the spot to pitch the camp. The tent was only just beginning to rise like a magic fabric, when the Professor, clasping a large bottle of milk to his bosom, and with chagrin visibly displayed on his features, suddenly emerged from the deepening gloom at the head of a procession of some two hundred villagers. His phenomenal costume consisting of white flannels, a blue " blazer," and a large white -felt lawn -tennis hat, having very un- mistakably aroused the curiosity of the unsophisti- cated rustics, he had soon found himself, in spite of crafty doublings, marching at the head of an ever- increasing battalion. His arrival at the scene of operations resulted in the formation of a semi-circular array of spectators, extending from a point on the bank above to another below the encampment ; and from this moment onwards the most trivial actions of the campers became the objects of wrapt observation. By a beneficent dispensation of Providence the tent had gone up under the public scrutiny without a hitch. The table and stools were now unfolded and set up on their legs, the lamps were lighted, the kettle began to boil, buttered eggs were scraped in the pan, and finally the supper -table was decked with sundry luxuries and delicacies, all to the 1 6 CAMPING VOYAGES intense delight of the encircling public. The Inter- preter, in order to disarm criticism, now stepped forth and proclaimed a general invitation to tea. This invitation was pretty numerously responded to, chiefly by young girls, one of whom was decidedly pretty. Bow, in the pride of his heart, seized the opportunity of displaying to these charmers the marvels of his railway reading-lamp, when suddenly, alas ! the spring shot out into the darkness and was no more seen. The enjoyment of the first supper on the banks of the Werra was to some small extent marred by the suicidal mania of swarms of midges that would insist on drowning themselves in the tea and inseparably associating their fate with that of the scrambled eggs. By about eleven the last of the visitors had departed, after bidding their hosts a hearty good-night. The heavens were brilliant with stars, and the three friends chatted and smoked outside for a long time, enjoying the perfect stillness and beauty of the night. They at last turned in and were soon lulled by the murmur of the river into a sound and dreamless sleep. Early next morning the party were awakened by the fisherman of the village, named Konig, who had come to inspect Bow's trout-flies liy daylight. On expressing a wish to purchase some of these, he was much pleased and surprised at being presented with them. The Interpreter whispered that this was the first kinijfisher he had seen on the banks of the THE WERE A 17 Werra, but the other two pretended not to hear. Soon after the burgomaster (who had been on the Dolmar the day before), the doctor, and tlie magis- trate (Friedetisrichter), accompanied by many of the villagers, came down to see the preparations for the start. By half-past ten, when all was ready, a large crowd had assembled to bid the strangers farewell. Among them was a pretty girl, whose eyes one at least of the crew did not forget for many days. Now began a succession of rapids, which alternated with reaches of smooth water. The left bank in this region consists chiefly of slopes clothed with larch and pine, there being occasional patches of wood on the right bank also. The railway comes pretty close to the river, a train now and then being, unlike model children, heard but never seen. This was a perfect summer's day. The surface of the water in the deep reaches was like a mirror, and the stillness was only broken by the song of the birds and the gentle plash of the oars. The only motions that caught the eye were the brilliant flash of an occa- sional kingfisher as it darted along, and the flittings of many dragon-flies lazily hovering in the hot mid- day air. About four miles helow Walldorf lies AYasun^en, a small industrial town of about 3000 inhabitants. It is situated at the foot of a height crowned by a large building with a square tower, which was probably a monastery in former days. Here the first porterage c l8 CAMPING VOYAGES occurred, further progress being barred by a mill and weir. The boat had to be dragged np a bank about four feet high and carried down the other side, a distance of about twenty-five yards, while a crowd of admiring villagers looked on or lent a helping hand. Now followed, besides rapids, a number of shallows, in which the heavily laden boat got rather badly scraped, but fortunately without receiving any serious damage. The scenery here began to improve, as high hills crested with pine woods came into view, the red cliffs at their base harmonising finely with the bright green of the opposite bank. Early in the afternoon the crew resigned them- selves to the delights of a riverside lunch. This was followed by revolver practice at a hock bottle that had just been emptied ; but though every possible elevation was tried at the closest quarters, the mark was only touched once. The friends attributed their want of success to the fact that the weapon had not cost more than five marks. It was hardly the sort of shooter for the Western States of America. Bow now turned his attention to fishing, but with no result. This was hardly surprising on so brilliant and calm an afternoon, even with fish as completely unsophisticated as those of the Werra. But, as is sometimes said in Germany, Englishmen do not fish in order to catch anything, but merely for the THE WERE A 19 pleasure of the thing. The other two meanwhile, lying on the grass, soon succumbed to the drowsy influence of the afternoon. When at last aroused by the empty-handed fisherman, they were shocked to find it was nearly seven o'clock. Starting off in a hurry, they soon arrived at a village named Schwal- lungen, with another weir and mill. The river here being evidently very low, it was decided, on the advice of some of the inhabitants, to send on all the baggage by waggon to the inn at Wernshausen, a village some four miles farther on. Embarking again with as little delay as possible, the voyagers experienced what was now the novel sensation of rowing in a perfectly empty boat. The whole population had by this time turned out to look on. This was rather unpleasant, as the water now became so extremely shallow that the crew had to get out and, wading in the river-bed, to drag the boat laboriously onward. The villagers kept accompany- ing them for some distance along the bank, but gradually dropping off, at length left them to their fate. The experiences of the next four hours will never fade from the memory of any of the three friends. Darkness came on apace ; for the black clouds of an approaching thunderstorm rapidly covered the sky. A torrent of rain burst over the belated crew, and peal after peal of thunder began to reverberate among the hills, as the lightning -flashes grew more and 20 CAMPING VOYAGES more vivid. Meanwhile the boat was being slowly dragged along in water so shallow that in places she would not even float, though absolutely empty. The banks and the course of the river remained hidden from view save when momentarily revealed by the lightning. The entire bed of the stream was bestrewn with rough stones, which rendered progress extremely slow and exhausting. The Professor suffered most, in consequence of the trust he had been beguUed into placing in cheap wares. Before starting he had bought for eight and sixpence in the Strand a pair of boating- shoes quite equal, as he boasted, to those for which his companions had paid more than twice as much. Eetribution was now no longer delayed. The combined action of stones and water wore completely away what proved to be papicr-macM soles, leaving to their owner the pain- ful necessity of concluding that night's labours barefoot, while his companions' shoes remained in- tact. Yet even he, in spite of his wretched plight, could not help admiring the beauty of the scenery when lighted up ever and anon for an instant by the forked flashes gleaming between the trunks of the pines on the crest of the ridges that skirted the left river bank. The storm at length passed aAvay, leaving the weary toilers drenched and blundering onwards in complete darkness. It may have been half- past ten, when having solemnly divided the contents of their one bottle of soda-water to allay THE WERRA 21 their raging thirst, they in despair climbed the bank, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lights of Werns- hausen. None of course were to be seen ; for there are none at that hour in villages whose inhabitants in summer rise and go to rest with the sun. One of the friends proposed to spend the rest of the night on the spot till daybreak. He was out-voted, and the heart- breaking process of wading and dragging was resumed. The river now luckily became deeper. The crew scrambled in, but not before the man at the bows had suddenly gone under, though fortunatel}' without letting go his hold of the painter. Now came what must be a fine broad reach, which a train suddenly rushing past proved to run parallel with the railway at this point. As they were cautiously rowing along, they were startled by voices on the bank calling Etigldnder ! Engldnder ! It was their friends of the cart, who after hours of waiting at the inn had come out to search for their belated em- ployers. Cheerfully responding and guided by the shouts, the three friends landed at about midnight just above a weir, not, however, till more than one rapid had sent them crashing into the bushes and willows on the right bank. The distance to the inn seemed a mile, but turned out next day to be but a couple of hundred yards. The landlord had gone to bed, but was soon aroused, and furnished a supper which, like the luncheon at the cricket-match of the Dingley Dellers, as described by Mr. Jingle, was 22 CAMPING VOYAGES "cold, but capital." Turning in at about two, the crew rose late next morning, refreshed by a dream- less sleep. After laying in a stock of provisions, in the shape of bread, butter, eggs, and beer, they set off about noon on a cloudless midsummer's day. An hour's row brought them to a second weir. The porterage at this point was fraught with great diffi- culty and labour. The bottom of the boat having rested for a moment on an unobserved stake, gave an ominous crack. She had not been long afloat when she showed unmistakable signs of having sprung a bad leak. Soon after this, while passing a place named Alten-Breitungen, she was swept into the bushes by a rapid. The shock sent a number of rolls and hard-boiled eggs prepared for lunch flying into the fast-increasing bilge-water, to tlie infinite glee of the juvenile population assembled on the bridge. The boat was now run ashore, the crack discovered, and the leak temporarily stopped with some tow and a strip of waterproof, which w^as cut from the tail of the Professor's mackintosh, and nailed on with some tin tacks that happened to be handy. No one should ever take a boat abroad without having a goodly supply of copper nails as well as strips of prepared wood to be fastened inside over any weak or damaged spot. It is also advisable to take, besides a bottle of varnish, a piece of soap, to be rubbed carefully all over the bottom of the boat before launching her. She is certain otherwise to leak for the first day or THE WERRA 23 two, as is of course natural after a long railway journey in the heat of summer. Above the town of Salzungen, which was reached soon after six, there are a number of broad stretches of water, with here and there an excellent gravel beach for a bathe. The view as you approach the first of the two weirs at this place is very pretty. While the other two remained behind to unload and pull the boat over, the Interpreter proceeded into the town (which has some 4000 inhabitants), and returned an hour later, laden with bread, ham, and bottles of beer, the object of general but unobtrusive curiosity. After a row of nearly a mile a camping- ground was found on the right bank. The latter is here formed by a grassy slope, level at the top, which is about ten feet above the water and flanked by a ditch. The choice proved to be eminently judicious ; for not only was the view excellent, but the camp remained absolutely undisturbed by visitors. The reason of this was discovered next morning. At about six o'clock were heard the footsteps of some one cautiously prowling round and round the tent. It turned out to be a little old peasant, apparently of the Hebrew persuasion. After a good deal of hesita- tion he summoned up enough courage to inform the intruders, with some show of sternness, that the land on which they had settled belonged to Herr Karl Israel, who allowed no one to trespass under any circumstances. On hearimj that the stran2;ers in- 24 CAMPING VOYAGES tended departing at ten o'clock that same morning, he was not only mollified, but showed signs of great surprise, having evidently thought they meant to take up their permanent quarters on Herr Karl Israel's property. During the night there had been a thunderstorm with heavy rain, which, though lasting several hours, did not penetrate the canvas. After dawn the clouds and mists had rolled away, leaving a crisp and brilliant morning. Between Salzungen and Tiefenort the river winds considerably, but after the latter place it straightens out into splendid broad reaches. Particularly striking is one which extends along the base of a finely wooded conical hill, the apex of which is crowned by an old ruin, while a narrow strip of green meadow fringes the river. This proved an excellent spot for a bathe and a midday rest. Eesuming their oars, the voyagers, a short way farther down, rowed past an old fisherman standing on the bank. The expression of blank amazement produced on his features by a vision never seen before would have been a study well worthy of an artist. Xo member of the crew, alas ! was equal to immortalising that look. His attitude, too, as he was in the act of raising his net witli both hands, remained unaltered till the boat vanished for ever from his sight. If a petrified figure with hang- ing jaw and protuberant eyes has since been dis- covered on that lonely shore, the solution of the '^^^ VACUA yf&TTCL, Sheet Z. Dorjidox-f SALZVIfGEN Mlenjdxxrf^ J" Kilometres S-tanfard^ Ge/t^^ EstaS! THE WERRA 25 mystery is now for the first time offered to the palaeontologists of the Fatherland. The system of fishing on the Werra is rather primitive. A sort of landing-net, about six feet in diameter, and attached to the end of a long thin pole, is immersed for some time and then suddenly raised by the operator. The guileless denizens of this stream have evidently not yet been much affected by the corrupting influences of civilisation. Having rowed scathelessly through a roaring rapid on the site of a broken-down old weir, the voyagers passed along some fine reaches to Vacha. This little town must be very old, containing as it does several ancient walls and watch-towers. Its appearance is certainly more antique than that of any other place on the Werra. Landing at a restaurant on the bank for provisions, the crew had a glass of beer and a friendly chat with some of the natives. Then pulling the boat across at the weir, they rowed the "jolly miller " some way with them, greatly to his delight. For this, he said, was the first time he had ever seen, much less been on board, a rowing- boat on those waters. About three- quarters of a mile farther down a meadow with a fine view towards the river was selected for that night's camping ground. Owing to the deepening dusk it was not discovered till too late that a pubhc road ran close behind the tent. Consoling themselves for this piece of ill-luck with a supper of buttered eggs, cutlets, and other 26 CAMPING VOYAGES delicacies, the trio composed themselves at midnight for a short but deep sleep. Passing carts awakened them at a very early hour, but it was not till about six that they heard footsteps cautiously encircling the tent. At last a voice was heard to say : " Is any one there " {1st Jemand da) ? The Interpreter promptly responded in the affirmative from the mysterious interior (the tent door being closed). "I suppose this is a great fishing expedition" {Das ist vjohl eine grosse Fischerci) ? continued the voice. "No," replied the Interpreter monosyllabically. " Ah," added the interrogator by way of explanation, " I thought it was the Landgrave's fishing party from Philippsthal " {Ich dachte es ware die land- grafliclie Fischerei von Philippsthal). " Then it must be a land surveyor's tent " {1st es auch nicht ein geome- trisches Hdiischen) ? " No," continued the still hidden inmate, " it is only a boating expedition " ( Wasser- ^;«?-^2e)," undertaken by three Englishmen for pleasure; but we do some fishing too." And forthwith tossing aside the door-flaps the Interpreter displayed to the astonished gaze of this inquisitive native the inside of the tent, replete with Britons, clothes, appliances, and luxuries of various kinds. " You will excuse me for disturbing you," said the visitor apologetically, " for a thing of this kind excites much curiosity here " {erregt viel Aufseheii hier). "What an enterprising race you English are," he continued ; " no German would ever think of undertaking an expedition like THE IVERRA 27 this ; though he would not have to leave his owu country to do so." Having efiected a comparatively early start at about half- past nine — for it never seemed possible to strike the camp and pack the boat in less than two hours — the crew reached, after scarcely a hundred yards' row, the most perfect camping ground it is possible to imagine. It was a small patch of meadow on the left bank, completely en- closed by trees and thick hedges on three sides, and apparently accessible from the river only. At sight of it the three friends stood up and with difficulty restrained themselves from wrecking the boat. The cheerfulness of Mark Tapley himself would have been put to a severe strain by such an opportunity lost. The chagrin naturally resulting from this discovery was increased on finding immedi- ately beyond the ideal spot a mill, which necessitated unloading and packing again a few minutes after the start. The crossing too turned out to be a very difficult one, and occupied an unusually long time. The opportunity was here taken of patching up the leak more carefully than on the previous day. The appliances were the . same, but proved sufficient to exclude the water till the last day of the voyage. After as much tow as could be inserted into the crack with the point of a knife had been forced in, a fresh strip of mackintosh was nailed over the weak spot. The river is free from obstructions for about 28 CAMPING VOYAGES five miles till a place named Lengers is reached. Between that place and Meiningen, a distance of thirty-five miles, there are eleven weirs, at each of which the boat had to be unpacked, dragged over, and reloaded. This process occupied at least half an hour on each occasion, besides being very exhausting work. For the first time the possibility of shooting the sluices suggested itself. These are constructed at the side of each mill for the passage of timber rafts. On the movable paddles, with which the stream is dammed across, being pulled out, there is a rush of water down an inclined plane made of smooth boles. The drop is between five and six feet, ending with large turbulent waves at the bottom. After some deliberation it was determined that the experiment should be made. The boat was lightened by the removal of some of the heavy baggage and two of the crew, while the Interpreter, as having the best eyesight, remained in charge to guide the trusty craft to her fateful plunge. The miller undertook with alacrity to open the sluice, and considered himself handsomely rewarded for this service by the gratuity of a mark. Till the rather slow process of withdrawing the paddles was finished, the Interpreter kept the boat stationary in mid-stream by backing. These were indeed minutes of suspense, passed in speculating whether the boat would be ripped up by iron nails, or stove in against the stone wall at the side, or swamped in the waves at the bottom of the fall. All was now ready; so Wcrra^f Sheet 3. \ A.I' enters Shar£. ^r PLilippslhal Heiiuboldsliaiis en I Kilometres THE WERE A 29 sculling her gently towards the gap, which was about six feet in width, he had just time, as the boat was caught by the swift current, to point her nose straight with a pull of one hand and to ship the sculls in a twinkling, when down she shot straight as an arrow, and, plunging through the roaring waves below, was brought to a standstill within fifty yards. The ex- hilaration of these moments was great. As the prow of the boat dived into the wave her keel at the stern struck the edge of the last bole. This concussion set tins, bottles, and everything movable rattling in the most alarming fashion. No practical harm, how- ever, resulted, except the shipping of some gallons of water. The experiment having proved so successful was repeated without mishap at all the ten following mills, till the last at Wannfried, forty-five miles farther down the river. At the very next mill, however, where the shoot is very steep, and the waves in con- sequence are unusually rough, the boat narrowly escaped foundering. Owing to this experience a waterproof sheet was spread over the bows on sub- sequent occasions, and proved an efficient expedient for keeping the water out. In the afternoon a village of the name of Dank- marshausen was reached. The picturesquely situated little church suggested the idea of a visit. The strangers were directed to the precentor {Cantor), who gladly admitted them, and allowed the Pro- fessor to play the organ. He assured the wander- 30 CAMPING VOYAGES ing Britons that no Englishman had ever been in the place before, much less had ever played on the organ of the village church. The friends then betook them- selves to the Wirtlisliaus (restaurant) for provisions and a glass of beer. The landlady was a comely but rather sad-looking widow of about thirty-five. The Interpreter asked whether she knew Uhland's beau- tiful ballad about the three students of the Ehine, beginning : — " Es zogen drei Bursclie wolil iiber den Rhein, Bei einer Frau "Wirtliin da kelirten sie ein : Frau Wirthin hat sie gut Bier und Wein ? Wo hat sie ihr schoiies Tochterlein ? " Smiling at the analogy, she replied she knew it well ; and answering the questions of the song, said her beer and wine were fairly good, and that her little daughter was hiding behind the stove. And sure enough there she was, a pretty little girl of twelve, too shy to show herself to the three students of the Werra. Nearly the whole population turned out to witness the embarkation ; but the Wirthin and the Cantor were the most prominent in waving tlieir farewells. As the evening began to close in the small town of Berka was passed. It was noticeable as the first place hitherto built immediately on the river. All the previous towns and villages are situated at some distance from the bank on rising ground. This fact is doubtless due to floods in winter. The river at Berka THE WERKA 31 divided, as the voyagers imagined, into two arms. If this is the case, the second branch apparently never rejoins the first. What they took to be only the mill- stream proved to be little better than a canal between high banks, too narrow to admit of rowing, and seem- ingly interminable. Owing to the approach of dark- ness a halt had to be made in this channel and a camp pitched on wet ground little better than a swamp. One member of the crew was terribly depressed ; but the Interpreter, in whom such circumstances almost invariably brought on an attack of Mark Tapleyism, received such an accession of cheerfulness that the whole crew were soon as hilarious as possible over their evening meal within the recesses of the tent. This was all the more meritorious considering the fact that a large number of slimy insects of more than ordinary loathsomeness were beginning to crawl about in all directions. The bursts of merriment at last died away, and were doubtless followed by sounds of a more sustained nature till long after the dawn of day. Next morning an old peasant, the proprietor of this swampy field, and his son, who attended the grammar school {Gymiiasium) at Eisenach, paid the camp a visit. The boy, it appeared, was under a form-master who was a friend of the Interpreter's. Another instance of how small the world is ! Haviu" shared a bottle of hock with their new acquaintances the crew embarked at the rather late hour of eleven o'clock. The map showed the river to be approach- 32 CAMPING VOYAGES ing the region of Eisenach. The three friends had for some time past entertained the project of visiting the Wartburg from the nearest point on the Werra. They were, however, still uncertain as to the feasi- bility of this plan, no railroad being marked on the chart. They had been proceeding very leisurely with many delays and thoroughly enjoying the beauty of the day, when suddenly a railway station became visible on the bank. It was so near that the name could easily be made out from the boat to be Herles- hausen. On inquiry it proved that Eisenach was distant only a quarter of an hour by rail, and that the next train was due in ten minutes. It was decided to take this, the bags being accordingly carried up to the tiny station. When about to take their tickets the friends discovered to their dismay that they had absolutely no German money left, having parted with their last mark to the miller who had opened the previous sluice for them. They had nothing but one Bank of England five-pound note. This the station-master naturally declined to change. At the very last moment, however, as the train steamed in, he was induced, after much expostula- tion, to the step — unprecedented in German railway annals — of supplying return tickets on the security of a boat. The latter was tied up to the bank exactly opposite the station and left in charge of the points- man, and under the very eye of the station authori- ties. There was just time to dash, regardless of an WerroLj Sh£.et ^ Jfeuslatlt ^ Kilometres Stan/ordk Gcfi^^^sixib^ THE WERRA 33 obstructive guard, into a ladies' compartment, the only unoccupied one in the train. This forcible seizure of an empty carriage was, be it noted, perpetrated in malice prepense. Tor though not altogether cowards, the voyagers felt unable to face the population of Eisenach in the never-before- beheld English blazers, and flannels white only in the remote past. For the next few minutes the air of that small Frauen - Coiipd was thick with coats, trousers, shirts, brushes, toothpicks, combs, boots, ties, shoe -horns, vaseline pots that flew promiscu- ously from the profound depths of the respective yachting -bags. Never assuredly had that Frauen- CoupS been the scene of such frantic haste or of the transformation of three weather-beaten boating men into civilised -looking mortals of ordinary ap- pearance, such as emerged on the platform at Eisenach. The remaining passengers, with whose heads the windows of the train were densely crowded, showed pretty plainly their amazement at the sudden altera- tion. As the friends, having thus rapidly changed their clothes, were doing the same with their five- pound note at the buffet, a gentleman hurried up to greet them and inquire with keen interest after their welfare. He introduced himself as a member of the crowd which had seen them off at Meiningen. After a night on the Wartburg and a delightful morning spent in the Drachenschlucht and Annathal, the crew returned to Herleshausen in time to start about noon. D 34 CAMPING VOYAGES A short way farther down on the right bank there is a fine old ruin called, as they were informed, the Brandenburg, and perched on a height above the river. Later on in the afternoon an old man standing on the bank inquired as to the destination of the voyage. It was Bremen, he was told. "Ah!" he said, "I thought this river came out at Hamburg ; but I have a son near Bremen ; if you see him, greet him from me." It did not occur to him to mention his own name or his son's address ; but the voyagers nnder- took to convey the message. They stopped for lunch near a place named Neuenhof, under a modern chateau, the first they had as yet seen on the banks of the Werra. Going up to the inn for provisions and beer, they there met a son of the burgomaster, who said he had read about them in the papers and had been on the look-out for them during the last two days. The river now for a distance of about sixteen miles is (except at Ebenshausen) without obstruc- tions from Spichra to Falken. The scenery after Kreuzburg, about three miles below the former place, becomes very beautiful. The stream winds in a north-easterly direction for five miles to Mihla, after that flowing in two great bends north-west to Talken. Below Kreuzburg there are some fine bare cliffs with buttresses of rock jutting out, fol- lowed by charmingly wooded ridges alternating on the right and the left bank. Especially striking is a THE WERRA 35 hill near Mihla, overgrown with beech, ash, and fir, while a splendid broad reach of river flows past, reminding one of the Clevedon woods on the Thames. The appearance of the boat on_ the scene some way farther down became the signal for all the agriculture on the right bank, which was flat, stopping dead, and the horses and peasants assuming that statuesque attitude which was so characteristic of these riparians when that trusty craft came within their ken. The last two and a half miles above Falken are a fine stretch of water for rowing. The memory of the writer reverts to this wide and crescent-shaped reach as one of the loveliest bits of river scenery he has ever beheld. Its charm was heightened by the rare beauty of the evening. The half-moon hung in a perfectly cloudless sky over the dark crest of a wooded ridge and was mirrored in the placid stream below, while the stillness of the deepening twilight Avas unbroken save by the plash of the oars and the song of the rowers as they slowly glided down. In the growing darkness they paddled down to the mill, intending to leave the boat in charge of the miller; but finding it deserted, they disembarked, and the Interpreter made for a light gleaming in the distance be- tween the trees. It turned out to proceed from a cottage in which a family of peasants were as- sembled round their evening meaL On the Inter- preter explaining the situation and his wish to find 36 CAMPING VOYAGES an inn if possible, two of the men of the family volunteered to convey the hand -luggage to the IFirthsJiatts of Herr Schmidt. Being shown the way down to the boat for tliis purpose, they were much startled at beholding the nude form of Bow sud- denly emerging from the waters of the Werra in the gloom of night. As there was only one bed and one sofa available, the Interpreter was obliged in conse- quence of the adverse toss of a coin to pass the night on a table. The landlord, a most obliging and intelligent man, informed his guests that he had served as a private in the wars of '66 and '70, and was in the habit of going to Berlin every year for a holiday. The bill, which included the night's lodg- ing, supper, breakfast, and provisions for the following day, and was made out in the name of Die drei Herren aus England (the three gentlemen from Eng- land), amounted to the surprisingly small sum of eight marks. Next morning ■ the mill-sluice was shot in view of a large public, and for some distance down the bank there was quite a stampede of enthusiastic well- wishers. About two miles lower down lies the pic- turesque little town of Treffurt, nestling in a valley, with the ruin of the Normanstein crowning the hill above. Near this point there are some fine red slate cliffs with overhanging foliage, while the Hel- drastein towers to a height of 1100 feet above the valley. This hill would well repay a visit, as it is WiTTOL, ShtM. S. Valker shaus en ^L Altenbttpscbla •,. JfoT-mcmsteirv- ^^"' Neckarhmts Jagd sbi Necharwinrmersbacli~i Rokerujjuuf^i SiolzBneck 4 jerbacli 1934 -XJe; LiruLach 1 Zwingenberff muu^..r-c, M Neckat-cfcrbuolv WoocLs ^^ (( F ■Station ■Sy* iGuttenhcLch/ 12 3 4. 5 S 7 8 9 10 M;ion,etres Stan^rdk Gecc~EsioJ^ THE NECKAR 85 from its effects. It was therefore decided to land and rest for some hours in the shade of the luxuriant woods opposite the village of Binau, till the rays of the sun had become less fierce. In the course of the afternoon the Chaplain and the Interpreter crossed over to the village and procured a large can of fresh milk, with which they assuaged their thirst for the rest of the day. Putting off again about six o'clock, when it had grown somewhat cooler, they paddled on through similar but still finer scenery, past the ruin of Minneburg on the left and the restored castle of Zwingenberg on the right, till they sighted the wonderfully picturesque old town of Eberbach. Here they might very well have put up for the night ; for not only are there two very good inns, but the Katzenbuckel, a mountain nearly 2000 feet high and the loftiest point in the Odenwald, is near at hand and well deserves to be ascended for the panoramic view it commands, lleluctantly drifting past this attractive place, they rowed on in the vain hope of reaching Heidelberg, still twenty miles away, that night. But they had not done more than half this distance before it had grown so dark that it was impossible to see the channel, and the boat struck several times, though fortunately without serious results, against boulders which appeared to be strewn about the bed of the river in this part of its course. It was now nearly ten o'clock, and Heidel- 86 CAMPING VOYAGES berg could still not Ije much less than ten miles distant. Having to row slowly and cautiously in the dark, they could not expect to arrive till after mid- night. Landing would be difficult, not to say hazard- ous, wliile the hotels M-ould probably all be closed. Besides, the Chief Officer, who lay on the stern seat, was in so lethargic a condition as to be altogether incapable of steering. To row on would thus be doubly risky. All these considerations decided the crew to abandon the attempt and to put in at the first place they could. Guided by some lights that presently became visible, they cautiously edged into the stony bank. A bargee who happened to be about came down in response to their shouts, in- forming them, to their great satisfaction, that the place was Neckarsteinach. Leaving the boat in his charge till next morning, they made their way up to the Harfe, an excellent inn, much frequented by students from Heidelberg, and filled with pictures illustrative of German student life. It has a pleasant terrace on the Neckar, commanding a good view of the river. Next day the crew were afloat soon after ten o'clock ; and allowing themselves to drift had leisure to admire from the best point of view the beautiful scenery of iSTeckarsteinach, with its many castles perched on the surrounding heights. As they rowed on the hills grew grander and higher than ever. At one point, where the stream takes a sharp bend to the THE NECKAR 87 north, they .seem to close iu altogether, lea^'ing apparently no exit for the river. Eisiug dark and precipitous from the water's edge, they seemed to the voyager at their base to tower up to the sky. It was here that the Captain, by way of antithesis to the German w^ord Mmmelhoch (high as heaven), with great promptitude invented the epithet "hell-deep" to describe the appearance of the dark waters at the foot of those beetling heights. Grand scenery such as this probably showed to the greatest advantage under a lowering sky. The present one was, indeed, the first dull day the crew had experienced since the start. All the others had in fact been cloudless. A row of an hour and a half from ISTeckarsteinach brought the voyagers to Heidelberg, which, as they approached, looked surpassingly beautiful. The cox of a rowing-boat has a great advantage over the rest of the crew when nearing a lovely scene like this. They landed at the swimming-baths, giving the boat and camping baggage into the charge of the proprietor. The Chief Officer being still very unwell, a council of war decided that he should drive up to the Schloss Hotel, accompanied by the Chaplain, in the hope that a day's rest might restore him to his usual health. A Heidelberg doctor w^ho was called iu pronounced his patient to be suffering from Neckar fever, a malady which he said prevailed during hot weather in the river valley. He prescribed a complete rest in 88 CAMPING VOYAGES bed for three days, besides Vcarious other remedies, the latter no doubt being futile. The other three, after having a swim at the baths, joined the Chaplain at the hotel. Here they dined and spent the afternoon in tlie grounds, where a military concert thronged with visitors was going on. Having decided to camp out that night, the same three set off again when it was already growing dusk, and paddling down a couple of miles encamped in the dark after effecting a rather difficult landing on the right bank. They were unaware at the time that a towing-path ran along the top of the bank just above the tent. But for the vigilance of the Captain, whom the other two were startled to see suddenly dashing out in the early twilight, they would all at once have found their abode collapsing over their prostrate forms. For the rope of a barge that was being towed upstream by horses was about to catch the guys of the tent, when the Captain by his timely spring fended it off with an oar. The bargee seemed indifferent to tlie liavoc he might have created, or even to the three fists that were shaken at him from the tent-door by the white-robed figures of their owners. The bargee nature, even in Germany, where it is decidedly superior to what it is in England, cannot be described as very elevated at the best of times. There is a lack of human sympathy about them, perhaps because they are a class living and moving apart from the rest of their kind. Neckoi-, Sh£etS ^-z B'( Zie^elliaviseia SttoiAn-dis Sectf^ Sstah* THE NECKAR 89 The excitement caused by this alarm had hardly subsided when another vessel in tow appeared on the scene. The present bargee on sight of the camp suddenly slackened his rope just in front. He then urged on his horses, expecting apparently to clear the tent by the rebound. The rope would, however, on the contrary, have struck with all the greater force. The Captain luckily managed to catch it with the blade of his oar and so to avert the stroke. This was decidedly not the place to choose for an undisturbed and secure encampment. Even nocturnal rafts and chain-steamers were preferable to this sort of thing. Such incidents show how im- portant it is to select your ground while it is yet light. After breakfast the three friends struck the tent in a more legitimate sense, and repacking the boat returned to Heidelberg. Owing to the great force of the stream in this part they were obliged to tow most of the way. When they arrived at the hotel they were delighted to find that the invalid had sufficiently recovered to be able to resume the voyage that day. A thunderstorm breaking out early in the afternoon, they delayed in the hope that the wet would clear away. But as the hours wore on and there was no sign of the rain abating, they at length started off in a tolerably steady downpour. Plowing till a short distance beyond Ladenburg, they selected a camping ground on the left bank below a 90 CAMPING VOYAGES plantation of hops. The rain now ceased, and though the grass was saturated with moisture the inside of the tent remained perfectly dry owing to the waterproof ground-sheet. Nor was the gloomi- ness of the evening by any means reflected in the minds or the conversation of the campers. The usual game of ISTap concluded the night's entertain- ment before the crew lay down to rest. The next morning, which was again fine, was the last on the Neckar; for they were now only nine miles from its mouth. The total distance of about 120 miles had occupied eight full days, and of these, two had practically been wasted. Nevertheless, in order to derive the greatest possible amount of enjoyment from the trip, it would probably have been best to devote ten days to navigating this beautiful river. As some hours had to be spent in drying their clothes, which had been drenched on the preceding evening, the voyagers were not afloat till noon. The flatness and uninteresting character of the scenery here was relieved only by a view of the distant Heidelberg hills in the background. For immedi- ately below that beautiful town the Neckar enters a plain, which it traverses for the remaining seventeen miles of its course. At Mannheim the crew landed to lunch and buy provisions for the evening's camp. They then re- embarked and rowinfj about a mile and a half farther Tfeekar, Sheet 6 nggeM'lJ-^ MANNHEIM 'i^W /3a 'n V^ fS e dtenh edm JFeixdenlLeiiii ■veslieiiii NeckaxtLaus Jidin^e 1 LABEISBURG ^ SchwcibenKeinv 1 y Hilomctr^s StanArtUs G^oy^ Xstah"^ THE NECKAR 91 reached the extreme point of the tongue of land formed by the confluence of the Ehine and the Neckar ; and with a few strokes shot into the broad expanse of the main river, now about three times the breadth of its tributary. The contrast between its milky waters — so characteristic of glacial rivers — and the dark and clear stream of the Neckar, was at first very marked, as they flowed for some distance side by side ; but soon they combined to produce a uni- form greenish hue, which the Ehine seems to retain during the remainder of its course. CHAPTER V THE RHINE " Unci zu SchilTe, wie griisscn die Burgen so schon Und die Stadt mit dem ew'gen Doni ! Zu den Bergen, wie klimmst du zii schwindelndcn Holm Und Llieksthinab in den Strom ! " — SiMiioCK. Uninteresting scenery below Mannheim — Break an oar — Worms — Historical and legendary associations — Rowing- club — Camp below Worms — Visit of gendarme — The Interpreter's irrita- tion — Flings one of his garments into the Rhine — Nierstein — Futile attempt to camp on an island — Nieder-Walluf — Fine scenery — Statue of Germania at Niederwald — Romantic ruins — Rhine inferior to some other German rivers in natural beauty ■ — Bacharach — Dangerous race with a steamer — Bathe opposite Lurlei rocks — St. Goar — Boppard — Coblenz. The stream being fairly strong the voyagers rowed steadily on, for there was absolutely no inducement to linger here. The scenery is intensely dreary, con- sisting of nothing but long sandy reaches. The high abrupt banks, mostly bare, show here and there a sparse growth of willow bushes, the unspeakable dulncss of which is only occasionally diversified by the monotonous poplar. The utterly depressing effect of these desolate wastes is enhanced by the THE RHINE 93 fact that not a single human liabitation comes into view all the way from ]\Iaunheim to Worms, a distance of twelve miles. There are several sandy- islands in tlie channel, covered with scrubby bushes. One of these must be over one mile in length, being formed by a more or less stagnant arm of the river, which forms a great loop on the right, some three miles above Worms. The whole character of this tract is similar to the flat parts of the Danube below Linz. And yet the impression produced on the mind is very unlike. This may partly be owing to the different light in which the two rivers are seen; for on the Danube the voyager is steering towards the south-east, while on the PJiine he is making for the north or north-west. The difference may also in part be due to the totally dissimilar associations these streams arouse in the mind, the Ehine being always suggestive of Teutonic, and the Danube of Eoman civilisation. The only object in all this region that attracted the attention of the crew was a sandy beach of dazzling whiteness ; so greatly, indeed, were they taken with it, that they ran ashore in order to enjoy from it their first bathe in the waters of the Ehine. As they were approaching the region of Worms a steamer going upstream passed close to the boat. Considering it incumbent on them to display their prowess, they made a spurt. It was then that the Captain, taking a mighty stroke, snapped his oar short off at the row- 94 CAMPING VOYAGES lock, rietaiiiing his balance as well as his presence of mind, he at once gaily waved the stump before the astonished gaze of the passengers, as if to inti- mate that this little feat was one of quite ordinary occurrence, and immediately substituting another oar, rowed on as if nothing had happened. This was the only spare oar in the boat, and by great good luck belonged to the same side as the broken one. Passing under the bridge of boats at Worms, they landed on the other side. Their main object in stopping here was to pay a flying visit to that ancient city, so famous in history and romance. The gi'ound on which the visitor here stands teems with the memory of mighty events as well as the deeds of great legendary heroes. The Eoman name of Worms, Barbetomagus, seems to point to a Celtic origin. In early times the place became a settlement of the Teutonic tribe of the Vangiones under Eoman pro- tection. Having been sacked by the Huns under Attila, it was occupied in the fifth century by the Burgundians, who made it their capital, and three or four centuries later was frequently the residence of Charlemagne and his successors. Many Imperial Diets were held here, the most celebrated having been that at which Luther appeared and defended his doctrines in 1521. Its venerable Romanesque cathedral, which was begun in the eighth century, but not completed till the beginning of the twelfth, ranks among the finest THE RHINE 95 specimens of that style of architecture in Germany. It has four round towers, two large domes, and a choir at each end. Like the cathedral of Strassburg, it is built of red sandstone. Worms has declined greatly from its ancient glory, for in the days of the Hohenstaufen emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, it could boast a population of 70,000 souls, while the present number of its inhabi- tants is only 22,000. It was, however, still worse off at the beginning of this century when, in conse- quence of the continual ravages of war during nearly two centuries, its population had sunk as low as 5000. The town is situated in a very fertile A'ine-growing region, celebrated as the "Wonnegau (mead of joy) in the lays of the Minnesingers.' Its most famous vintage is known as Liebfrauenmilch, produced on vineyards near the Liebfrauenkirche. Worms is the very centre of the legendary cycle of the Kibelungenlied. That epic describes it as the home of the Burgundian king Gunther, whose sister Kriemhilde wedded the brave Siegfried. The very name of the place points to the prowess of that mighty hero ; for it was so called from the worm or dragon which he slew in mortal combat. Formerly many relics of the mythical hero were preserved here, among others his lance, nearly eighty feet long, being shown in the cathedral ! Here, too, in the space before the cathedral, that deadly quarrel 96 CAMPING VOYAGES arose between Briinhilde and Kriemliilde, which in its final issue brought about the annihilation of the Nibelungen at the court of Attila. Carlyle, in his essay on the Nihelungenlicd, is wrong in saying that the author of that epic repre- sents "Worms as lying " not in its true jiosition, but at some distance from the river ; a proof at least that he was never there and probably sang and lived in some very distant region." The tow^n is actually three-quarters of a mile from the river. The frequent reference, moreover, which the poet makes to the sandy shore ^ is at all events far more appropriate here than the same term applied to the shingly beach of the Danube, near Ingolstadt, where the Nibelungen crossed on their way to the land of the Huns. The plan of the voyagers as to visiting the town was, for all but one of them, put an end to by an unforeseen occurrence. Hardly had they set foot on the strand when they were pounced upon by several members of the Worms rowing-club, whose boathouse was close to the landing-place. They were thus constrained to adjourn to a neighbouring Wirthsliaus, of which the S])ortsmdnner were no doubt the chief frequenters, and were here entertained with beer by their new friends. The Chaplain alone had energy and strength of mind enough to tear himself away and utilise the remaining hour or so of 1 e.g. fur JVonncz HJ den sunt, outside AVorins, upon the sand. THE RHINE 97 daylight to make off and view the cathedral, which lies at a distance of about a mile from the bridge of boats. On the Interpreter therefore fell all the onus of the rather wearing duty of listening to and answering, as best he could, the innumerable questions on rowing matters, such as the merits of sliding seats, with which he was incessantly plied. His interrogators stuck to the subject throughout the lengthy conversation with all the unbounded enthu- siasm Avhich is so conspicuous on the Continent wherever rowing has recently established a footing. The other three members of the crew taking refuge in their ignorance of the language — though the Cap- tain might easily have contributed many German nouns and some verbs to the discussion — had as good a time as was consistent with the almost intoler- able stuffiness of the smoke-laden atmosphere. "With- out allowing the conversation to flag, their brethren of the oar conducted the strangers to view their boats, which they displayed with great pride. One of these was a smart-looking and well-finished light four, but there was just a touch of clumsiness about her lines. They did not possess an eight. Though he saw one or two six-oars, the writer believes that none of the boat -clubs he came across on the rivers described in these pages own eights, with the exception no doubt of those at Mainz and at Frankfort-on-the- ]\Iain. At length the Chaplain, the much-longed for, re- H 98 CAMPING VOYAGES turned. The miiled crew tliereupon arose and took a cordial leave of their new and well-meaning friends, gently but iirinly declining their pressing invitation to stay at Worms for the night and attend a full meeting of the rowing-cluh to be convoked in their honour. For they well knew that this meant con- suming vast quantities of beer in an atmosphere charged with tobacco smoke, a process certain to produce an aggravated condition of Katzenjammcr next morning. The game was decidedly not worth the candle. As it was already growing dusk when they got afloat, they rowed on only a short way and en- camped on the open left bank some distance below a factory. The tent was hardly up when a country policeman {Landgendarme), armed with a sword, appeared on the scene to ascertain that none of the Imperial laws were being infringed. After minutely inspecting, on tlie plea of ofiicial duty, the tent with its multifarious paraphernalia and discovering nothing contraband, he gradually relaxed his austerity under the influence of tobacco and beer, and finally departed conferring his protection on the encampment. In order that the floor of the tent should not be littered the Captain always rigged up a clothes-line be- tween the three poles. Among the articles of apparel thereon suspended was a pair of drawers belonging to the Interpreter. For some unaccountable reason the satire of the remaining members of the crew THE RHINE 99 had fixed itself upon tliis unoffeuding garment. It had become the mark at which all the shafts of their evening and morning wit were directed, and had already acquired the permanent epithet of " Damoclean." The Interpreter was getting rather sore on the subject, and beginning to regard these witticisms almost in the light of personal affronts ; but when on this particular evening some one having made a renewed reference to the insecurity of sleepers under " those Damoclean drawers," Bow cut in with the remark, " Don't call them Damoclean, they're d d dirty," it was more than human nature could bear. The incensed owner immediately started up, and tearing them down from the rope rushed out into the darkness. Wrapping the offending garment round a brick, which lay close by, he flung it with a loud splash into the depths of the stream. There, along with the hoard of the Nibelungen and many other treasures, it lies at the bottom of the Ehine, awaiting the day when it shall be brought to light by the operations of the steam-dredger. Returning to the tent panting with emotion, he shouted, with a general wave of the hand taking in the four satirists, " Well, I hope you are satisfied now, for you will never set eyes on those drawers again." The silence of some minutes' duration which followed this out- burst probably expressed assent. It was nearly eleven o'clock next morning by the time the voyagers were afloat. The day was again a lOO CAMPING VOYAGES brilliant one, calm and intensely hot. The river, though now much more winding in its course, pre- served the same utterly dreary character, and the rowers were beginning to long for the sight of even a few hillocks to vary the monotony of the banks. At length in the neighbourhood of Oppenheim actual hills were seen to approach the river, the left bank of which they follow for the remaining twelve miles of its course till Mainz. The town of Oppenheim lies picturesquely on a height rising from the Ehine and is commanded by an old ruined castle. Then the first vineyards hitherto visible from the river came into view on the terraced slopes of the low hills at Merstein. Here the crew stopped for lunch in the intense heat of the early afternoon, and drank some of the well-known local wine. Niersteiner seems to be a good deal thought of in Germany, but owing to its acidity it is certainly inferior in flavour to the best kinds of Ehenish wine. One of the advantages of a boating excursion on the Ehine and its three tributaries, the Main, the Neckar, and the Moselle, is the opportunity it affords of acquiring a vast experience on the spot of the best German wines, and often at a price hardly above that of beer. The latter beverage is in fact rather at a discount in those regions, and can rarely be obtained good. Starting off again at four o'clock they rowed past Mainz soon after six, and taking the channel on the THE RHINE loi extreme right put in for provisions below one of the terraced hotels at Biebrich, some two and a half miles farther down, intending to camp on an island about a mile and a half in length just beyond. The dilatoriness of the waiter unfortunately spoilt their plans, for it was already beginning to grow dark by the time they were able to put off again. Near Biebrich there are, besides a small one, three long islands in the Ehine, all about a mile and a half in length. It was on the last of these they proposed to camp for the night. Had they not foolishly put off buying victuals till the evening it would have been preferable, while there was still daylight, to land and select a camping ground on one of the two first islands, the Ingelheimerau and the Petersau, between which the steamboat channel lies. The latter is a historical spot, for here Charlemagne's son, the Emperor Louis the Pious, died in 840. As it was, they found a reef of rocks running along close to the shore of the island and for a considerable distance beyond its point, which rendered landing on the right bank impossible. The project of rowing up on the other side was at last reluctantly abandoned as being too risky, owing to the strength of the current and the increasing darkness. They were all the more disappointed, as they had set their hearts on camping on one of the islands of tlie Ehine at the very outset of the expedition, while speeding along the left bank in the train on the way to Heidelberg. By 102 CAMPING VOYAGES this time, the task of landing even at a town they found to be no easy matter in the darkness, with a strong stream running and numerous buoys and boats moored in the M-ay. At length, however, they managed to run in safely to Nieder-Walluf, an ancient little town with three good inns, on the right bank a mile and a half beyond the end of the island. Nieder-Walluf is the eastern extremity of the Eheingau, the region twelve miles long and five broad whicli extends along the northern bank of the Ehine, and is famous for producing some of the choicest wines in the world. The next day, which was Sunday, the crew were up early, getting afloat before half-past seven. It was a glorious morning, the sun being very hot even at that early hour. Tlie surface of the river was like a mirror, as, breakfasting in the boat, they drifted down that magnificent reach, which flows almost due west as far as the mouth of the Nahe near Bingen. There are two long islands opposite Eltville and Hattenheim. On the latter of these they landed for a short time after breakfast, at a delightful spot, and so enjoyed the experience if not of camping at least of having been ashore on one of those charming islands of the Ehine. As they drifted past, looking up at the colossal statue of Germania, only recently completed, which rises on the slope of the Niederwald just below THE RHINE 103 Eiidesheiin and exactly o^jposite Bingen, they were puzzled to make out what it was the figure held aloft jy in her outstretched hand; nor was it possible to ascertain this with a field-glass, owing to the unsteadi- ness of the boat. It is of course the Imperial Crown of Germany. After this point, where the river turns due north, the finest scenery on the lihine begins, one romantic / old castle following the other in rapid succession. ^ There are at least twenty of these in the distance of forty miles to Coblenz. This part of the Ehine's course is so well known as a steamboat route and is so fully described in the guide-books, that it would be superfluous to give an account of it in these pages. Fine though this scenery certainly is, there can be no doubt that it owes its reputation for beauty of a very high order in no small de£ 7. ^^ NddiJUj&n^ Stanfcrrds &eoo^ SsixJf* THE DANUBE 189 the shingly bottom, gave it the appearance of being too shallow even for a canoe. There was, however, enough water and to spare. Below the confluence the infant Danube already seemed quite a good-sized river, and at the village of Pforen, only three miles from Donaueschingen, it had spread itself out to such an extent as to resemble a lake rather than an insignificant stream still 2000 miles from its mouth. Some miles farther down, near Neidingen, occurred the first weir, the crossing at Mdiich pre- sented no difficulties, as the bank was low and grassy. At Gutmadingen, where a striking Eomanesque building attracts the attention, the river winds considerably with a broad and smooth stream. The scenery here is fine, the entire horizon being an un- broken line of hills partly wooded with fir. A glassy reach some distance above Geisingen indicated that an obstruction of some kind was near at hand. This turned out to be a mill, where the river divided, the second branch flowing to a weir. It was a bad enough place for transporting even a canoe, to say nothing of a heavier boat. The miller, who it soon appeared had been five years in America, and was glad to have an opportunity of airing his " English," informed the canoeists that two Americans had some weeks before gone down the Danube from Donau- eschingen on a raft, which they had spent no less than five hours in dragging across at this particular point. 190 CAMPING VOYAGES What a time they must have had with the twenty-five weirs and mills of the Upper Danube before reaching the unobstructed waters in the region uf Ulni ! For there are no sluices here, as on the Werra, for the passage of rafts, this not being a forest tract. A pair-oar is probably the largest kind of rowing boat capable of navigating the Danube above Sigmaringen ; but its crew would have to do a good deal of wading in the shallows below Immen- dingen and to be very careful in the rocky region of rapids below JMiihlheim. They would also find the porterage very irksome. Xor is there much pleasure in rowing where there are many rapids. For these being generally near one bank or the other neces- sitate the continual shipping of the oars, which run some risk of being broken or injured in the process. A Canadian canoe is by far the most satisfactory kind of craft in such upper waters, because all the crew see where they are going, and can keep close to the bank without shifting their paddles. That the Upper Danube must abound in rapids is evident from the fact that the fall in the first 120 miles, the distance between Donaueschingen and Ulm, is upwards of 1000 feet, being an average of eight feet four inches per mile. The voyagers had now accomplished a distance of about ten miles, a steady three hours' paddle from Donaueschingen. As it was by this time grow- ing dark, they resolved on stopping to buy some THE DANUBE ' 191 necessary provisions at Geisingen, and afterwards encamping a short way farther down. The Inter- preter accordingly trudged a good distance up into the Adllage, and, after sundry wanderings in the dusk, discovered the abode of a cheeseman {Kclser) named Schwartz, who sold him as much in the w^ay of milk, butter, and eggs as he wanted. He was rather surprised at the small amount of attention he attracted among the human inhabitants ; but the commotion he caused among the dogs of the village was pro- portionately great, some of them being only with difficulty restrained from taking undue liberties with his calves. The two friends then paddled some hundred yards beyond the village in splendid moonlight, when the sound of rushing waters ahead warned them to land. The noise proceeded from a paddle-weir connected with a mill. A few yards above this they ran ashore, pulling the canoe up on the bank. A sort of en- campment was extemporised by spreading the water- proof canvas cover of the boat on the grass, arranging the three cushions thereon, and turning the canoe half over so as to form a kind of shelter on one side. Having prepared supper, and afterwards played a game of Naj), the campers, at about eleven o'clock, turned in — if the term can be applied to sleeping with nothing but the starry heavens above your head — by wrapping themselves in their blankets and stretch- ing themselves at full length, feet to feet. The moon, 192 . CAMPING rOYAGES now almost full, for some hours traversed an almost cloudless sky. The view of the distant hills skirting the plain, on which the rather wakeful sleepers lay, looked quite beautiful as the far-off heights stood out bathed in the hazy and silvery light. A mist gradually crept up, which after a time grew so dense as to shroud everything from view save the star-spangled sky above. Neither of the friends managed to get much sleep, partly owing to the hardness of the ground, but chiefly because it sloped too much in a lateral direction, as they discovered too late. They arose at half-past five to find their blankets perfectly white with rime. Cox now repaired to the village to procure bread and milk, while the Inter- preter sponged out the canoe and varnished her outside, as she had shown signs of leaking slightly the night before. It would have been a better plan to rub her carefully over with a cake of soap, since varnish takes so long to dry. Soon after eight o'clock the sun came out hot, quickly dispelling the mist and drying the blankets, which were soaked with dew. The morning had now become delightfully warm and bright, while the river was as smooth as glass. Having breakfasted at their leisure, so as to allow the varnish to dry, the voyagers started off again shortly before ten o'clock. After a mile or so they stuck for the first time in a shallow rapid under a small wooden bridge, and were compelled to get out and wade for some distance. THE DANUBE 193 At Immendingen, which they reached in an hour's time, they had a long and tedious porterage, occupy- ing fully half an hour. Their labours were somewhat lightened by a small truck on two wheels which they had brought with them from England for such emer- gencies. To this the stern of the canoe was attached, while her crew pulled her along by the bows. A student of Indian literature on seeing this contrivance might well have regarded it as specially designed to disprove a Hindoo proverb which, to illustrate the futility of attempting the impossible, asserts that a cart cannot go on water, nor a boat on dry land. After Immendingen there came into view on the right some fine wooded hills, which looked partic- ularly grand under the dark clouds of an impending thunderstorm. In this beautiful reach occurred the first real rapid with rough waves. Down this the Flora gaily sped to the accompaniment of a loud thunder- clap. Had Faust been a man of boating tastes and experienced that exhilarating rush, he would assuredly have sealed his fate by saying to that moment, " Delay awhile, thou art so fair." The storm now burst and drenched the two friends to the skin before they could reach the shelter of some trees on the bank. ' When the torrent had ceased they emptied the canoe, which was already half full of water, and proceeded on their way. Now began a series of extremely shallow rapids, which necessitated continual wading. For tlie Danube 194 CAMPING VOYAGES in the nei^i^libourliooJ of Imiuendingen suddenly and mysteriously dwindles into a stream which is shallower and more insignificant than the IJrigach at Donauesch- ingen. This is due to a great part of its water escaping through fissures in the soil. Experiments with dyes are said to have established the fact that the waters thus disappearing give rise, by a sub- terranean cliannel", to the Aach, a tributary of the lihine liowing towards the south. There may thus some day be an opportunity for a modern Sinbad the Sailor to make an underground voyage of discovery. In the region between Immendingen and Thier- garten several of those curious roofed wooden bridges occur, which are also to be seen on the upper course of the Neckar. There are a good many points of similarity between the higher parts of these two rivers, as is indeed natural, considering that their sources lie very close together on the watershed ot the Black Forest. Just above a, village named Mohringen occurred what is probably the worst of the twenty-five crossings on the Upper Danube. The labour of the porterage was, however, greatly lessened by five men who will- ingly lent a helping hand. After this followed a suc- cession of shallows, which involved renewed wading, the monotony of this drudgery being relieved only by the excitement of a magnificent rapid before the next mill was reached. The excitement of course de- pended chiefly on the uncertainty as to whether the THE DANUBE 195 canoe would be ripped up by a stone or a snag during her downward rush. The river as it approaches Tuttlingen becomes very broad, but at the same time so uniformly shallow as to barely float a canoe in any part of the channel. Though it was only just five o'clock in the afternoon the two friends decided on stopping here in order to ensure a good night's rest, this being the only place for a long distance at which there was any prospect of obtaining even tolerable quarters. The town of Tuttlingen is built close up to the river, with side streets coming down to the bank. Opposite one of these the canoeists landed at a kind of jetty frequented by washerwomen. Cox now ran up to the Fost in the market-place and soon brought back the boots {HaiLshiccht) with a hand-truck. On this the boat was transported to the inn with as much expedition as the denseness of the crowd which had assembled in the interval would allow. As the canoe had still shown signs of leaking slightly in the course of the day, the Interpreter, before turning in, varnished her afresh in the shed where she was housed. The night was beautifully clear, and the quaint old market-place looked wonder- fully picturesque in the bright light of the moon. The ruins of the neighbouring castle of Honburg, destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, would have been well w^orth visiting next morning for the good view which it commands. The voyagers found no 196 CAMPIXG VOYAGES time for this, having the prospect of a long day of thirty-seven miles, presumably with many obstructions, before them, as they were anxious to reacli Sigmar- ingen by nightfall. They were accordingly afloat by seven o'clock, and paddled briskly down a fine reach to the next weir. The mist still lay on the river, unfortunately hiding from view what was evidently a fine wooded ridge on the right bank. The valley of the Danube between Mlihlheim and Sigmaringen, a distance of about thirty miles, can boast of scenery which is probably as magnificent as that of any river in Europe. The only part of the Danube itself which can compare with it is that between Passau and Linz; but most of those who have seen both will probably agree in giving the preference to this region of the Upper Danube. The river here winds through narrow rocky gorges, in which grey crags, rising precipitously to a great lieight, alternate with woods of the most luxuriant growth. A road follows the Danube all the way from Sigmar- ingen to Tuttlingen ; but this, besides the drawback of passing through eight tunnels, labours under the disadvantage of affording but a one-sided view. The full beauty of the scenery can only be enjoyed from the river itself. That is perhaps the reason why it does not enjoy the reputation it deserves. For some distance below jMiihlheim the course of the river is a perpetual series of rapids over and between rocks and boulders. On one occasion the JJajnjJhe., S^Lcet 2 IHetliut N tddinjoen. ")4 Store hrxd^e ' Larufenbrorm, WU/ierv^rteirv i I GuieriiSteijt, racurterv L ^ervdirvaerv IvLttlinP'eii I 234 56789 10 StanArdls 6eo^^£stoi* y Kilometres THE DANUBE 197 canoe was by the merest accident carried down exactly between two ugly rocks under the surface and only just far enough apart to admit of her passing. Had she struck, she would have been irreparably damaged, the voyage thus coming to a j)remature end on its third day. Two or three miles above Beuron the friends stopped for their midday rest in a reach of the most enchanting beauty. Opposite them in the middle of the river lay a fine large rock overgrown at the top with grass and a few shrubs and small trees, and surrounded with deep still water, Eound this they swam many times in the deliciously cool river, which was doubly refreshing in the fierce rays of the noontide sun. Hitherto no doubt anonymous, it now received the name of the Bath Eock. Lovely though this sj)ot was, the friends could not help admitting that it was surpassed in magnificence by a broad lake-like reach of which they came in sight a few hundred yards lower down. The water here was like a mirror and of such depth as to assume a beauti- ful bluish-green tinge — like that of the Danube below Weltenburg — at the foot of a cliff rising sheer to a great height, and reminding one rather of a rocky precipice on a sea-coast than the bank of a river still so near its source. About eighteen miles from Tuttlingen lies the monastery of Beuron on the right bank of the river. As there is an excellent inn here, it would be a 198 CAMPING VOYAGES capital place even for pedestrians to make their headcpiarters with a view to exploring the rare beauties of the Danube. It would be a very paradise to tlie British landscape painter in search of lovely- river scenery. Were it but always brilliant summer weather as it then was, how easily could such men there begin to forget their native land and say — " Our island home Is far beyond the wave ; we will no longer roam." A mile and a half beyond Beuron is the castle of Wildenstein on the right bank, and about the same distance farther on the village of Langenbronn, dominated by the old chateau of Wernwag, the view from which is said to be very fine. At the top there is the inevitable inn, which in this case is described as being excellent. Another mile and a half farther down lies Hansen, where an old ruin rises on a height and the Danube is spanned by a stone bridge. Near the ruin (if the Falkenstein, three miles and. a half lower down, the voyagers came to a weir involving a very long porterage, in which they were glad of the help of two very friendly natives. As it was now growing dark and Sigmaringen was still ten miles off, all hope of reaching that town was given up, and Thiergarten, a small place hardly a mile farther on, was fixed on for that night's resting-place. To get even thus far was bad enough, owing to the THE DANUBE 199 rapids on the way and the numerous rocks scattered about the river-bed. However, Thiergarten was at last reached in safety nearly an hour and a half after sunset. On the bridge crossing the river here the forms of two or three men could be dimly made out in the darkness. Being hailed, they hurried down with great alacrity to the shingly beach, where the canoe had been run ashore. One of these men took a long time to get over his surprise at this occurrence, which was, he said, an exact repetition of what had happened three or four nights before. At the identical hour, as he was then leaning over the parapet, voices had addressed him from the dark surface of the water below, asking whether the place was Thiergarten. These were the voices of the two Hamburgers, who had also been belated, and one of whom having upset a short way above had arrived in a woeful plight. Locking the canoe up in a shed hard by, the two friends made their way up to the inn, which was also close to the bridge. They found it to be very primitive but sufficient for their modest wants. On the following morning, which was fresh, bright, and free from mist, they were afloat again by half-past seven. After passing many rapids and two weirs, they stopped on the right bank, which was still saturated with dew, at a point nearly opposite a railway station where the Schmiecha runs into the Danube, and enjoyed a most invigorating bathe in 200 CAMPING VOYAGES the smooth deep water of this short reach. Some way farther on the river turns to the right, flowing past high bare grey cliffs. In one of the rapids here the canoe stuck and was strained, but fortunately got off again without any more serious damage. Below the weir at the village of Laiz the stream widens out into a broad calm expanse of water without any perceptible current, and resembling a beautiful lake. The wooded southern shore of the Danube, which rises steeply from the water's edge, is charmingly laid out and forms the park of luzig- hofen. This combination of mountain, wood, and flood produces a very lovely effect. At Sigmaringen, which lies at the end of this splendid reach, the voyagers arrived under the broiling midday sun. Leaving the Flora at the swimming-baths, which they found completely de- serted, they walked up through the town, carrying their paddles in their hands, to the Deutsche Haus, where they had intended to pass the previous night. The Interpreter had corresponded with the landlady before leaving England, having at first thought of beginning the voyage at this point. There are few towns so beautifully situated on a river as Sigmaringen, with its castle crowning a rock which rises abruptly from the Danube on a small peninsula formed by a curve of the river. Though its population is less than 4000, its many important- looking public buildings give it quite the appearance THE DANUBE 201 of a small capital. This it practically is, being the residence of the princes of HohenzoUern. The palace contains an excellent museum and a good picture gallery, representing chiefly the early German school of painting. Taken all in all, there is probabl}^ no town in Germany which would prove so charming as the headquarters of a reading party, esj)ecially if they were provided with a boat. The latter, it is almost needless to say, could not be obtained at Sigmaringen itself, but an arrangement might no doubt easily be made with the leading Ijoat-builder at Frankfort-on-the-Main to send one there. The best method of doing this would be to take Frankfort on the way and select a suitable craft on the spot. The distance to Sigmaringen being short, the transit would not occupy more than three or four days. This plan would be far cheaper than sending a boat out from England. Not only would the cost of the journey be saved, but also the amount of hire for the additional six or seven weeks required for transmission to and from Germany. After an excellent tahh dliotc at the Deutsche Haus the crew of the Flora re-embarked soon after two o'clock and almost immediately shot the centre arch of the stone bridge. This was attended with some risk, as the river just above takes a sudden turn to the left and flows through with a great rush. Then curving round the castle rock it forms a 202 CAMPING VOYAGES peninsula, near the neck of which is a weir. The crossing here was very easy, the bank being low and gi-assy. The beautiful scenery ceases at Sigmaringen. With the exception of the magnificent break between Weltenburg and Kelheim, the banks of the Danube from this point onwards are comparatively tame and uninteresting till Vilshofen, some fifteen miles above Passau, is approached. At Sigmaringen the railway from the north enters the valley of the Danube and more or less follows the course of the river — the length of which owing to its windings is greater — for a distance of about thirty-six miles, as far as Ehingen. About a mile beyond Sigmaringen there is right across the river a low weir over which it flows with a fall of about three feet. This the Flora shot beautifully, shipping only a small quantity of water over the bows as tliey j)lunged into the stream below. At the small town of Scheer the Danube forms a loop, near the end of wdiich a long, high, and steep weir is built straight across the river. It being impossible to carry the boat over the bank, which is faced with a high wall all along, the crew found it necessary to get out and, wading close to the base of the wall, to lower the canoe gently over the weir by means of the towing-rope into the stream at the bottom. Then clambering cautiously down the slimy surface THE DANUBE 203 and wading some distance in the swift rapid below, the Interpreter managed to scramble into the bows, when the water was already up to his waist. Cox meanwhile having clung on with all his might behind, and only just able to retain his foothold, then with great agility leaped on to the stern, like a horseman into his saddle — no mean feat to accomplish under the circumstances without upsetting the boat. The Flora now sped down a succession of rougli rapids till she disappeared from the view of the large crowd which had assembled to \vitness the perform- ance from the bridge. Having thus. escaped unscathed, they now ran ashore to exchange places, the canoe having turned round in the rapid below the weir, and to empty out the water they had shipped while vault- ing into their seats. As it was a fine evening and no town of any size was within easy reach, they had resolved on camping out that night. This would also enable them to start next morning early enough to reach Ulm by nightfall — no trilling undertaking con- sidering the distance was upwards of fifty miles with many obstructions on the way. It was already grow- ing dusk, so they decided to stop on the left bank, almost opposite the town of Mengen, which is situated at a considerable distance from the right bank of the Danube. A more comfortable encampment than that of the previous occasion was made by turning the boat over and fixing: the ends in the sides of a trench-like 204 CAMPING VOYAGES depression which happened to be in the ground. This formed a ruof resembling that of a cabin and higli enough to admit of the crew sitting upright underneath. The waterproof sheet was spread below, the red sail stretched across one side to do duty as a wall, and the lamp lit and suspended from one of the thwarts. AVhile tlie Interpreter was making some of these arrangements Cox had trudged across the plain to a village some half-mile distant for the purpose of buying milk, butter, eggs, and bread. His solitary figure, clad in uncouth garments, and suddenly emerg- ing from the region of the river naturally attracted a considerable part of the juvenile population, which began to follow him on his return. However, by dint of the hideous grimaces and terrifying antics which he displaj^ed as he turned to bay in the in- creasing gloom, he finally scared away even the boldest spirits, and thus saved the lonely camp from molestation. The two friends were therefore able to enjoy their evening meal in peace and quiet on the solitary plain. In the warm red light produced by the sail the extemporised cabin looked wonderfully cozy. The perfect stillness of the night was broken only by the gentle murmur of the river and the trumpetiugs of the indefatigable mosquito. The moon having risen full-orbed and red, bathed the river and the surrounding country in her cloudless radiance fur the rest of the night. After a game of Nap the campers laid themselves THE DANUBE 205 down to rest; but sleep resolutely refused to steep their senses in forgetfulness. This was no doubt chiefly due to the cramped position in which they were obliged to lie, the space below the canoe not admitting of both stretching themselves at full length, while the breadth available was but two feet and a half, the grass saturated with dew being beyond. The attentions of the mosquitoes, besides the chilliness of the night and the brilliance of the moonlight, must also have contributed their share to this unpleasant result. The two friends thus enjoyed the doubtful privilege of observing for once in their lives the moon traverse the cloudless heavens from her rise in the east to her setting in the west. The would-be sleepers arose at five, and after a good breakfast with an excellent cup of strong tea, felt perfectly fresh again in spite of their unbroken wakefulness. It is surprising how little sleep one seems to need when spending all night and day in the open air. Even complete sleeplessness, as in the present case, makes very little difference on the following day compared with what it would do in ordinary indoor life. Embarking at seven the voyagers found the river flowing with a strong current and sweeping round the curves in a succession of rough rapids. The more or less uniform pace of the stream in this part is due to the regulation of the river-bed and the absence of any obstruction till Eiedlingen, a place more than 2o6 CAMPING VOYAGES twelve miles farther down. This distance was accord- ingly accomplished at the rate of ten kilometres an hour. At Piiedlingen there is a very broad and high weir, the crossing in consequence being very difficult and roundabout. The canoe had to be carried behind the mill and a considerable distance beyond till she could be launched from a shingly beach below the weir. The labour of the porterage was considerably lightened here by the miller and several men and boys who willingly lent a helping hand. The scenery between Eiedlingen and Munder- kingen is good at two points, — some way from the former place, where the wooded bank makes a fine sweep, and at the most northerly spot in the stretch, where the ruins of the old castle of Eechtenstein rise above the left bank. In this distance, about sixteen miles, there are two weirs. The only possibility of transporting the canoe at the first of these was over a narrow wooden bridge built outside the mill and suddenly turning a corner at right angles. It is doubtful whether any other kind of boat could have been carried round. After flowing with a southerly curve of about three miles below Unter-Marchthal, the Danube forms a narrow loop at Munderkingen, almost com- pletely surrounding that little town. There are two weirs at this place, but as they are on different Das-uihe.^ Shjsert 3 Lrnff'n Staavfofrdis Geo^EstaJr THE DANUBE 207 branches of the stream it is only necessary to cross at one or the other. The porterage, however, at the one chosen by the two canoeists proved to be very long, the boat having to be dragged or carried across a large meadow to the left of the town. After a bathe and lunch on the bank a short way below Munderkingen, the canoeists came about a mile farther down upon their fifth w^eir, over which there flowed a fine broad sheet of water, the height of the fall being considerable. Another three miles' paddle brought them to M'hat they were told, much to their relief, was the last obstruction on the Danube. This being a weir with a fall of two or three feet, looked as if it might easily be shot by the canoe some ten or twelve feet from the right bank. The crew, however, decided that it would be foolish to run the risk of any accident which might prevent them reaching Ulm that night, and accordingly contented themselves with the rather poor-spirited alternative of pulling their boat over the low, chalky bank. As it was already half-past four, there w^ere only about two hours of daylight left, while the distance still remaining to be accomplished was more than twenty miles. To have to exert oneself to the utmost at the fag-end of a Ions: day following a sleepless night was by no means an inspiriting prospect, especially with a thunderstorm threatening. The latter, however, fortunately passed off, leaving the evening clear and fine. The unimpeded stream now flowed with a strong 2o8 CAMPING VOYAGES current, the canoe travelling at a rare pace, as her crew strained every nerve to make the most of the daylight. Ehingen, a small town about a mile dis- tant from the left bank, and near the confluence of the Schmiechen with the Danube, was soon passed. The railway here leaves the river, and making a loop, runs almost due north for the first seven miles and does not rejoin the Danube till Ulm. The twelve miles of river between Ehingen and Erbach are quite beyond the reach of the railroad. At the latter place, however, the line from Friedrichshafen to Ulm crosses the Danube, keeping at a distance of a couple of miles from the left bank till it again approaches the river for the last two miles after its confluence with the Iller. In the six miles above Erbach the course of the river winds exceedingly. The voyagers were almost glad of the necessity to hurry over this stretch, for it is altogether stale, flat, and unprofitable. Erbach, a small town situated at a distance of about a mile from the left bank of the Danube, where the railway crosses the river, was passed in the distance at six o'clock. Cox, who had been sitting since the early morning on the poop of the canoe, was now growing exhausted, chiefly from want of food, of which not a morsel remained in the boat. The ad- visability of trudging up to Ei'bach was accordingly discussed, but such weak-kneed counsels being soon rejected, it was resolved to trust to luck and face the THE DANUBE 209 terrors of the night on an empty stomach till Ulm was reached. As darkness began to set in it became impossible any longer to take full advantage of the swiftness of the stream. For though the surface of the river was perfectly smooth, and still bright enough to render visible at some distance any obstruction show- ing above the water, the progress of the canoe now became precarious owmg to the shallows occurring every now and then. In one of these she stuck so fast as to compel the crew to get out and wade. By seven o'clock it had grown very dark. About this time the sound of rushing w^aters suggested the alarm- ing possibility of a Avaterfall ahead. It turned out, however, to proceed from a tributary which falls into the Danube under a bridge on the left bank. After they had paddled on cautiously for some distance, peering into the gloom, wdiat seemed to be a large island appeared straight in front, the river apparently dividing into two arms to the left and the rioht. The voyagers, judging by the faint light on the smooth surface of the water, took the latter to be the broader of the two, and accordingly made for this channel. Suddenly they were caught by a swiftly eddying current and driven with great force down the left arm broadside into a large willow, the branches of which hung down into the water. Cox having slid off the poop into the bottom of the boat just in the nick of time, both of them clutched hold of the p 2IO CAMPING VOYAGES branches and thus managed to prevent the canoe from capsizing. The cause of the eddies remained a mystery till later. It then appeared that the supposed right channel, far from being the main branch of the river, was a large tributary, the Iller, which joins the Danube about two miles above Ulm. The spot where the two voyagers nearly came to grief is said to be dangerous to boats even in the daytime ; how much more must it be so to a frail bark like a Canadian canoe in the dark ! The adventurers, thinking they had had about enough of the supposed main branch, now resolved to devote themselves to the navigation of the lesser channel, which alone was in reality the Danube, The moon, the long-expected, being one day on the wane, was now seen to be rising on the right ; but her light, totally obscured for the first hour by the thick foliage on the bank, availed the voyagers nothing that evening. Nevertheless, they felt some- what reassured by her faint gUmmer now and then showing for a moment between the trunks of the trees. The lights of Ulm, the long-delayed and much prayed for, now began to appear in the distance. Yet the very prospect of arriving was fraught with almost greater anxiety than that of continuing the voyage indefinitely in the darlc ; for what certainty was there of finding a landing-place in that dim light, or even if one were found, of getting ashore THE DANUBE 21 1 without suffering sliipwreck in a stream that ran so fiercely ? The sound of rushing water soon betrayed the nearness of the railway bridge, which was now seen to be looming darkly close in front. Though Cox was steering for the middle of one of the arches, it soon became evident that the force of the current was carrying the canoe straight towards the right buttress, against which a large white wave was surg- ing. By frantic efforts aslant the stream, the belated adventurers just managed to escape being dashed against it, and to shoot into the arch, almost grazing its right side as they passed through unscathed. They were afterwards told at Ulm that this bridge was considered particularly dangerous to navigation, and that only a short time before a boat containing four persons had been driven against one of the buttresses in broad daylight and upset, some of the occupants having been drowned. From tliis point the Danube seemed to flow with additional swiftness, now that it was confined between the walled banks of Ulm. As the adventurers were borne along at a rapid pace they had no breathing time to reflect on their hairbreadth escape, having to keep all their wits about them with a view to landing. Bow after a few moments descried on the left what looked like a Badeanstalt, and the canoe was at once steered in that direction. It turned out, when close at hand, to be one of those floatimr swimmins-baths moored to 212 CAMPING VOYAGES the bauk whicli are so common on German rivers and are the chief refuge of their navigators. As the current owing to the obstruction of the raft Howed with redoubled fury past its edge, it would have been courting disaster to attempt running in alongside. Had the voyagers possessed a boat-hook it might have been possible to do this. Though they had specially ordered one to be packed in the canoe before leaving England, they had to their chagrin found on her arrival at Donaueschingen that it had not been sent. To have a boat-hook is in many cases essential for landing with a Canadian canoe, it being impossible to reach far over the side without capsizing, while it is ditlicult to lay hold with the bare hand of a smooth plank or beam as you are being carried past by the stream. The canoe was accordingly turned and her crew strained every muscle against the current, as they gradually edged in towards the raft. Unable to hold their own, when close up to it, they were carried astern, gi-azing. along its outer beam. Cox clutched at the last plank as he drifted past, but was unable to retain his hold. Bow, however, luckily managed at the last moment to seize one of the cross-beams which slightly projected, but in doing so very nearly upset the canoe, the gunwale of which was sucked under the planks of the raft by the force of the cuiTent. This swimming-bath was fortunately tlie very best kind for landing at; for a platform about three feet wide ran all along its edge, whereas THE DANUBE 213 the outside partition usually rises straight from the water. The weary and hungry voyagers soon succeeded in scrambling out upon this platform. They now had time to realise the great risk they had just run. They saw that had they missed this opportunity, the canoe would infallibly have been capsized by running stern foremost into another swimming-bath a few yards lower down, and built farther out into the stream. What would then have happened it is difficult to say. There can, however, be little doubt that, even if the crew had managed to save them- selves in that rushing current, the canoe as well as the luggage would have been lost, and the voyage on the Danube thus prematurely cut short. Had they not succeeded in getting ashore at one of these two rafts they would have been swept past the town, to spend the night in the deserted tracts of river below ; for with the exception of these swimming-baths there was no other possible landing-place at Ulm for a boat. Having pulled the canoe out of the water, they turned her over on the open platform in the middle of the raft, laying the cushions and everything but their hand-luggage underneath. They then staggered off with their bags and paddles in quest of their hotel near the centre of the town. The distance seemed interminable to them in their exhausted and en- cumbered condition as they slowly trudged along the ramparts which form the river- bank. 214 CAMPING VOYAGES As a wedding happened to be going on in the hotel, the nonchalance of the two friends was put to a rather severe test, when they had to make their way upstairs in their soiled flannels through the guests in their gala attire thronging the landing of the first floor. They had probably never before appreciated a good supper more thoroughly, though the movements of the attendant waiter did seem phenomenally slow. But time, no less than distance, always appears excessively long to persons in such circumstances. Next morning the voyagers arose, thoroughly refreshed l)y a long and deep sleep, which completely cancelled the arrears of the previous night. The greater part of the forenoon they spent in visiting the magnificent Gothic cathedral and the other sights of Ulni, besides reading their numerous letters, which having lain at the Post Office for more than a week, were now nearly a fortnight old. A thunderstorm breaking out soon after eleven o'clock delayed their departure somewhat, so that they were not afloat till one. "When they came down to start, the daughter of the proprietor of the baths {Bademeister) told them that she, having been the first to arrive in the morning, had been greatly alarmed when still some way off to see what she at first supposed to be a whale (Walljischi), which had lost its way up the Danube, and had some- how got stranded on the platform of the bathing establishment ! Ulni is about 120 miles distant by water from THE DANUBE 215 Donaueschingen, and sixty from Sigmaringen. It is 1204 feet above the level of the sea, the fall being upwards of 1000 feet over the whole distance and 656 over the latter half. The average fall for the first sixty miles is therefore six feet, and for the last about eleven feet per mile. From this point the Danube assumes the character of a large river, being navigable by large vessels from Ulm downwards. The regular service of passenger steamers, which in former days began here, having ceased owing to the competition of the railway, is now limited to the Danube below Passau. One of the characteristics of the river below Ulm is the continual alternation of the main current from one side to the other. This is due to heaps of shingle deposited by the stream and deflecting it to the other bank, where the process is repeated. It is advisable to avoid the shingly side, not only because there is little or no current there, but because the boat after going a considerable distance is almost certain to get stranded in shallows, from which it is often difficult and tedious to extricate oneself. Another peculiarity of the Danube below Ulm is a strange seething sound that may in most parts be heard rising from it's surface. This is no doubt due to the friction of the gravel as it is rolled along by the swift current at the bottom of the river. One could not help being struck by the beautiful transparence of the water of the Danube above Ulm, 2i6 CAMPING VOYAGES when one saw the shoals of fish darting oil' in all directions as the shadow of the canoe sped across the river's shingly bed. Even below Ulm it remains tolerably clear, till the influx of the Inn at Passaii renders it turbid for the rest of its course. The crew started as usual in view of a considerable crowd. While paddling down between the high walls, which, being part of the fortifications, form the banks on both sides, they had an opportunity of judging how hopeless would have been the attempt to land anywhere on the previous night except at the baths, which they had so fortunately discovered in the dark. They saw, too, how easily they might have come to grief against the passenger bridge lower down, which joins the old city on the left bank with the new town that has grown up on the other side. The rain-clouds having cleared away left a fine hot afternoon, which rendered that day's voyage pleasant enough so far. But the scenery was in- tensely dull and uninteresting, consisting mainly of long, straight reaches of river fringed with lines of poplars, not unlike many a continental high road, with water substituted for land. Of hills and woods there was not a trace visible anywhere. Dillingen was fixed upon for that night's resting- place, as some friends who had gone down the Danube from Ulm in a rowing-boat the year before had described the inn at Hijchstadt, five miles farther THE DANUBE 217 down, as extremely villainous. Dillingen was, how- ever, not so easy to find ; for at the hour and place at which the town seemed due there was no vestige of it on the left, where it was marked on the map. There were, it is true, two deserted swimming-baths near the bank and a wooden bridge a short way farther down. As these seemed to be indications of a town or village of some sort being within measur- able distance, the crew landed at the second bath to prospect. As the evening, now approaching the hour of sunset, had become very gloomy, and not a soul was visible anywhere in the desolate scene, the effect produced by this spot on the minds of the voyagers was depressing enough. Cox having made his way through a plantation at the back of the baths, returned after some time with the news that Dillingen was there, but about a mile inland. Though a town of some 6000 in- habitants, it appears to consist chiefly of one long street. It was a place of much greater importance in former days, having been a university town till the beginning of this century. There seemed to be a great dearth of population in the neighbourhood, but two men were at last found, who helped to carry the luggage up to the Bayrisclic Hof. This inn turned out to be a good one. The landlord, who was a very affable man, informed the strangers that he had a good trout-stream and shooting to let on very reasonable terms, which might suit some of 2i8 CAMPING VOYAGES their countrymen, if they only knew about the place. Setting off soon after eight o'clock next morning they passed Hochstiidt in less than an hour's time, and three or four miles farther down the village of Blind- heim (Blenheim), where the Duke of Marlborougli and Prince Eugene defeated the Elector of Bavaria and Marshal Tallard in 1704. The inhabitants of this region seem to know nothing of the Duke or ot any English troops having taken part in that battle, affirming that it was won by Prince Eugene and his army alone. Such is the value of tradition after the lapse of less than two centuries, and that in a country where the great bulk of the population can read and write. Tlie scenery in the stretch of eighteen miles between Dillingen and Donauworth continues to be tame and uninteresting. Stone dams are here and there built parallel with the bank, but at some dis- tance from it, in order to improve the channel. There is an occasional opening in these dams leading into the backwaters which they enclose. Donauworth, a small town of 4000 inhabitants, is a convenient place for landing, and has an excellent hotel. The friends did not stop for their midday rest till they had accomplished twenty-five miles at an average speed of over five miles an hour. Soon after resuming their voyage they passed the point where the Lech, one of the largest tributaries of the THE DANUBE 219 Danube during its course in Germany, falls into the river. This stream rises in the north-east corner of Switzerland, close to the source of its sister tribu- tary, the Iller. After Donauworth the scenery begins to improve till you approach ISTeuburg, where a really fine and richly wooded hill comes into view on the right. About four miles above that town lies the chateau of Steppburg, among the woods on the left. Taking the right of the two branches into which the river divides at Neuburg, and shooting the main arch of a small bridge under which there is a rather dangerous rush of water, the canoeists landed at the foot of a stone stair in the steep, high bank, immediately below their inn, the Fod. They had expected to reach Ingol- stadt before nightfall, but had miscalculated the dis- tance, having been taken in by some dredgers who at their lunching-ground had told them that Neuburg was six kilometres distant instead of twenty, and Ingol- stadt fifteen instead of forty. They had accordingly enjoyed a fool's paradise for an hour and a quarter on the bank, believing they would make Ingolstadt in an easy two hours' paddle. The statements of dwellers on rivers regarding distances should invari- ably be received with distrust, even when there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of such statements. Neuburg is a pretty town of 8000 inhabitants, situated on the side of a hill rising from the right bank of the Danube. There is here an old castle 220 CAMPING VOYAGES of the Dukes of Pfalz-Xeuburg, part of it having been turned into what, like so many other German chateaus, it most resembles, a barrack. It lias, how- ever, a rather fine vaulted gateway. At the Pod, which is a good inn, the two Ham- burg canoeists had stopped a few nights before, as well as the American raftsman some weeks earlier. Embarking at 8.20, the voyagers by hard work accomplished the distance of thirteen miles to Ingol- stadt in two hours, desj)ite a pretty strong wind blowing against them most of the way. They were anxious to arrive in time to catch a train leaving at 11.25 for Munich. They had long before planned a day's excursion to the latter city as a pleasant varia- tion to the somewhat monotonous character of the voyage on this part of the Danube. The proprietor of the swimmmg- baths at Ingolstadt luckily hap- pened to be on the spot, but turned out to be a man of indescribable slowness in his movements. A boy was immediately despatched to order a cab — a name, by the way, suggestive of far greater swiftness than was projDer to the vehicle which it is meant to designate. As tlie voyagers, after changing their clothes and stowing away the canoe and her contents, saw no sign of its approach, they hurried up into the town with their bags, to find the horse still in its stable. By dint of the most persevering instigations they at last managed to get the ancient steed har- nessed, and by strenuous applications of the whip to THE DANUBE 221 its lean flanks, actually to reach the station on the other side of the river in time for their train, within an hour of their arrival at the baths. This was a performance they might have been proud of, con- sidering the amount of inertia they had to overcome, and the fact that the station was no less than two miles off. After spending a pleasant afternoon in strolling about Munich, and seeing some of its most important art collections, they passed the evening in listening to the opera of Siegfried. It was well put on the stage, but to all save Wagnerian specialists must prove rather tedious, owing to the interminableness of the recitative. Its monotony was indeed to some extent relieved by the unintentional humour of the hero's fight with a grotesquely mechanical dragon, and by his attempts to elicit a musical note from the pipe which he had hewn for himseK with his sword in the forest. But it seemed a shame to laugh in the midst of Teutons who were looking; on and listenino- with a solemnity surpassing that which is to be seen at most services of the Church. Music has in fact taken the place of religion with a considerable pro- portion of the population of Germany. On the afternoon of the following day the two friends returned to spend the night at Ingolstadt. They had time before nightfall to climb the tower of the Frauenhirchc, and enjoy the extensive bird's-eye view of the surrounding country which it commands. 222 CAMPJNG VOYAGES Starting early next morning, tliey paddled on for twenty miles till they reached the village of Eining on the right Lank, opposite Hienheim, They found it necessary to disembark here on a stone dam which runs parallel with the bank, and past which the stream flows with great swiftness. Leaving the canoe with some misgivings in this unsheltered place, her painter tied to a stone, they walked up to the village with the intention of visiting the recently excavated and well preserved remains of the Eoman camp of Abusina, which was close at hand. They were shown all over the site by the schoolmaster of the village, a very intelligent and well-informed man. Cox, being an archoBologist, was much interested, and would have taken full notes of the antiquities had he not been misled by the schoolmaster's description of two Englishmen who had visited Eining a twelve- month ago. The account seemed to tally exactly with the appearance of two friends who had undertaken a walking tour during the previous summer along the Pfaldcjrahcn} the Roman frontier moat, and one of whom would undoubtedly have taken down all facts of importance deserving publication. Subsequently it turned out that these friends had not visited the place. This is one of many experiences showing how little dependence can be placed on personal descriptions for purposes of identification. ^ See A Walk along the Teufelsmaucr and Pfahlgrahen, by J. L. G. Muwat. Oxforil, 1885. THE DANUBE 223 The woods on the left bank near Hienheim, being the remains of a primaeval forest, are said to contain some trees of immense size. A few miles above Eiuing on the left bank is situated Pforingen. Near this place, called Vergen in the Nibelungenlicd, the Burgundian king Gunther and his Nibelungen are supposed to have crossed the Danube on their fate- ful journey to the Court of Attila at Buda. This is one of the most dramatic episodes in the great national epic. The dark -browed Hagen, while wandering solitary and moody along the bank, falls in with some water- witches, who predict that out of all that host the chaplain alone will return safe to Worms, Having ferried across more than 10,000 men with his own hand, Hagen, determined to falsify the pro- phecy, thrusts the man of God when in midstream into the swiftly flowing Danube, declaring that he at least shall never return. The chaplain, how- ever, miraculously manages to regain the shore they have left. On seeing this, the grim warrior now feels convinced that the Xibelungen are doomed, and steels his heart to meet his fate. Finding the boat safe on their return, the voyagers paddled on for five miles, till they came in sight of Weltenburg, a Benedictine Abbey founded by a Duke of Bavaria towards the end of the eighth century. It is situated on the right bank at an angle of the river, the shingly beach reaching up to the very building, wliile the turreted wall of the garden 224 CAMPING VOYAGES and orclianl extends a considerable distance doM'u the bank close to the water's edge. The scenery from a short way above this point down to Kelheim, a distance of about four miles, is as magnificent as any on the Danube. The river here Hows through rocky and richly wooded gorges of the most romantic beauty. The grey crags rise to a height of several hundred feet from the edge of the deep, smooth water, which is of a lovely bluish-green tinge. These defiles looked doubly charming when seen in a kind of hazy sunlight, which invested the whole scene with an indescribable splendour. This part of the Danube bears a striking resemblance to some of the beautiful reaches below Miihlheim, but has the advantage of a much broader stream. There is a ferry at Weltenburg, and boats may be hired from here down to Kelheim. As this happened to be a Sunday, and the weather was gorgeously fine, the river was alive with skiffs, all gay with bunting and filled with happy holiday - makers enjoying themselves in that contented way which is so char- acteristic of Germans in their amusements. Some way farther down is the monastery of Traun- thal, beautifully situated on the left bank. There is here a good open-air restaurant, from which a walk of less than half an hour through the woods leads to the Befreiungshcdle. But as this building lies on a height immediately above the river at the western end of Kelheim, it was obviously more convenient THE DANUBE 225 for the voyagers to visit it by paddling down to that point. They had just disembarked when they were startled by hearing something plumping into the water close to the bank. On looking up they saw two youths throwing down stones at the boat from the top of the hill above. Any of these, coming as they did from so great a height, would have gone through the bottom of the canoe had they struck her, Fortunately a policeman was at hand, and a wave of his sword suf&ced to put a stop to this dastardly conduct. The two friends then climbed the hillside to inspect the Hall of Liberation, which is a magni- ficent classical rotunda nearly 200 feet in height. It was founded by the art-loving Lewis I. of Bavaria, and was opened on the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Leipsic. The interior, which is lined with coloured marble, contains upwards of thirty figures of Victory in Carrara marble, with bronze shields (made of guns taken from the French) between them. The names of victorious German generals and of captured fortresses are inscribed on tablets above the arcades. The floor being of polished marble mosaic, the visitor has to encase his feet in felt slippers before being allowed to walk across. It is advisable to practise some self-restraint while sneezing or blowing one's nose in this building, the echo produced being of so startling a nature as naturally to cause embarrass- ment to the performer in the presence of strangers. The top of the hill on which the Bcfrciungshalle Q 226 CAMPING VOYAGES is built commands a distant view of Eegensburg lying far away in the plain to the north-east. There is a tine passenger bridge across the Danube at Kelheim. This little town still preserves some of its old walls and gates. It is situated at the mouth of the Altmiihl, a tributary connecting the Danube with the Lucl- wigs-Canal, tlie northern end of which joins the Main near Bamberg. The part of the Altmiihl valley lying nearest Kelheim is said to be very beautiful. By the time the voyagers had re-embarked it was already a quarter to three o'clock. To reach Eegens- burg, their destination, a distance of twenty -two miles and a half, was therefore all they could ex- pect to do before nightfall. By strenuous paddling they managed to arrive in three hours and a half, leaving the canoe for the night at a swimming-bath on the left. Though this lay at the very beginning of the town, and on the -wrong side of the river, it was fortunate they stojDped here, for there was no possibility of landing anywliere farther down. The ancient city of Eatisbon, originally a Celtic settlement, derives its German name from the Roman Ccistra Regina. It has a jDopulation of 35,000, about 17 per cent being Protestants. It is finely situated opposite the mouth of the Eegen, in a plain tliirty miles in length, and bounded by the Befreiungslialle above and the Walhalla below Picgensburg. Having been for several centuries during the Middle Ages the most important city of THE DANUBE 227 South Germany, it was the seat of the Imperial Diet for nearly 150 years, till the dissolution of the German Empire at the beginning of the present century. It contains one of the very earliest ecclesiastical foundations of Germany, the Benedictine Abbey of St. Emmeram, which dates from the middle of the seventh century. What appears to be the most ancient monument preserved in the abbey, that of a Duke of Bavaria, belongs to a period about 300 years later. The two friends spent a couple of hours next morning in visiting the fine Cathedral, the Town Hall, and the Museum. The latter contains Eoman and Merovingian antiquities found in an ancient burying-ground, which was unearthed twenty years ago. They also wandered with much interest through some of the old parts of the city, especially the Street of the Ambassadors {Gesandtcnstrasse), so called because it contains the houses which were occupied by the envoys to the Imperial Diet. The armorial bearings .of their former owners are still to be seen on the front of some of these fine old mediceval dwellings. Several of them have fortified towers, a peculiarity of domestic architecture not preserved in any other of the mediaeval towns of Germany, not even at Nurem- berg. These towers point to the fact that the walled cities of the INIiddle Ages not only had to defend themselves against external foes, but were also the scene of perpetual internal feuds among their nobles. 2 28 CAMPING VOYAGES A stone bridge, built 700 years ago, and nearly 400 yards in length, unites Eegensburg with the small town of Stadt am Hof, situated on the opposite bank. The Danube being divided by two large islands, called the Ohcre and the Untere Werth, into two channels, the right arm, which is narrow but has to be taken by the navigator, is spanned by only four of its arches. The bridge, though no doubt very interesting to students of ancient architecture of tliis kind, seems to have been specially designed to confound the canoeist. It rests on broad and flat boat-shaped buttresses, the arches themselves being narrow. As there is very little water under the outer arches, the whole force of the stream rushes through the two in the middle. While embarking at the swimming-bath the voyagers had been warned to be on their guard in shooting the bridge. As they rapidly bore down on the formidable structure. Bow noticed that Cox was steering for the third instead of the second arch from the right bank. Across the former ran an iron bar about two feet above the level of the water, and probably connected with some repairs that were being carried on. Had they passed under this arch they would infallibly have been wrecked and probably half decapitated as well. As it was, they shot the second arch safely enough ; but on issuing out on the other side they were instantly swung round by a kind of whirlpool, produced by the larrje volume of water rushinji through the THE DANUBE 229 narrow arch and coming in contact with the back- wash behind the broad buttresses. As the canoe lay for a moment broadside to the surging current, the water poured over the gunwale and half filled her before her crew knew what was happening. As they managed to retain their balance, she was luckily not completely swamped. Making rapidly for the bank, they landed, emptied out the water, and wrung as best they could the soaking carpet and cushions of the canoe. Had they known beforehand what the stream was like below the bridge, they would cer- tainly have tried the arch on the extreme right, notwithstanding the shallowness of the water. This little incident caused a blush, derived from the red cushion upon which he sat, on Bow's flannels, which ever after produced a deep impression on the juvenile riverside population till the end of the voyage. A short way below the bridge the Regen empties its turbid waters into the Danube, behind the lower island, which thus renders the mouth of the affluent invisible to the navigator of the right channel. On this tributary a large quantity of timber is floated down into the Danube from the Bavarian Forest. Eesuming their paddles and passing in an hour's time the ruins of the castle of Stauf, which crowns an abrupt rock above the village of Donaustauf, and was destroyed by the Swedes in the Thu'ty Years' War, the voyagers suddenly came in sight of the 230 CAMPING VOYAGES "Wallialla, an edifice magnificently situated on a hill upwards of 300 feet in height, and overhanging the left bank of the river. The spectacle of what seems a Greek temple, perched on a lonely height, coming suddenly into view when the mind is still steeped in the Gothic impressions of a medieval city, is very strange. A flight of 250 steps facing the Danube forms the approach, on the upper part of the hillside, to the splendid building. This temple of fame, built of grey marble, and about 250 feet in length, is a close imitation of the Parthenon. Like the Bcfreiungshallc at Kelheim, it was founded by Lewis L of Bavaria, having been finished in 1842. The total cost of the structure is said to have been a million and a quarter sterling. Besides some beauti- ful figures of Victory by Eauch, and Battle-maidens ( Valhjrien) by Schwanthaler, the hall contains 101 marble busts of celebrated men of Teutonic race. Carping critics have been heard to object that, for instance, the insignificant head of a man of theory like Kant seems singularly out of place in a temple called the Warriors' Paradise. But after all are not such great philosophers brave soldiers in the libera- tion war of humanity ? Pault-finders of this type remind one of the story of the discontented man who, on meeting a former friend for the first time in heaven, complained that his halo didn't fit. They also recall the old Hofrath who, with all the concentrated fire of criticism flashing from his single THE DANUBE 231 eye, and emphasing his remark with his forefinger, made so profound an impression on the youthful Goethe by saying, " I can discover flaws even in the Deity." The terrace in front of the Walhalla commands a fine view of the valley of the Danube towards Eegensburg in the west and Straubing far away towards the south-east, some twenty miles off as the crow flies. The Walhalla lies close to the most northerly point reached by the river, the course of which from Donaueschingen to Vienna, a distance of 535 miles, represents the upper sides of a flat triangle. Eising in a north-easterly direction from below the 48th to slightly above the 49th parallel of latitude, the Danube turns the angle near Donaustauf, now flowing about as far to the south- east till it reaches Vienna. The Walhalla thus forms a worthy jewel in the diadem of this the Queen of European rivers. • On re-embarking the friends paddled on for ten miles before stopping for their midday bathe and lunch. Unable to allow themselves much time for a rest, they started off again at 3.20, with a distance of twenty miles to accomplish in three hours of day- light before arriving at Straubing, their only possible halting-place. There was now an additional reason for paddling hard all the way ; for the current had latterly become extremely sluggish, and the wrigg- lings of the river as shown on the map for a con- 232 CAMPING VOYAGES siderable distance fartlier down were sufficient to prove its continued slackness. The stagnation is due to the Danube having now entered the plain of Straubing, which is very extensive and fertile, being the chief corn -growing district of Bavaria. The average fall of the river between Eegensburg and Passau is thus only 0"625 feet per mile, but must be even considerably less in the immediate neighbourhood of Straubing. From Ulm to Eegens- burg the fall is more than twice, while from Passau to Linz it is four times as great.^ When the voyagers were yet a long way from Straubing what looked like a large town appeared straight in front, apparently only a short way off in the middle of the plain. They concluded it must be some large place unaccountably omitted on the map. Suddenly it reappeared, this time apparently not far from the left bank. The river then seemed to be flowing towards its very centre, but after a few minutes left it behind altogether. The distance in a straight line was all the while, as far as could be judged, pretty much the same. After this game of hide-and-seek with the mysterious town had been going on for some time, the conviction was at last forced on the canoeists that it could be no other than Straubing itself. The cause of tlie mystification was the extraordinary ' From Ulni to Regensburg the average fall per mile is 1 '5 ; from Eegensburg to Passau, 06*25 ; from Passau to Linz, 2 "5 ; from Linz to Grein, 2 '8 ; from Grein to Vienna, 2 "876 feet. THE DANUBE 233 convolutions of the stream. These came to an end at last, Straiibing being reached soon after half-past six, amid the deepening shadows of night. Though September is, as far as weather is con- cerned, probably the best month for boating expedi- tions in Germany, it certainly has its drawbacks. The voyager, unless camping out regularly, is often compelled by the shortness of the days to hurry in order to reach his destination before nightfall. And the experiences of the two friends before reaching Ulm had proved the necessity of being rather chary about navigating unknown waters after dark. A minor disadvantage of being belated is the certainty of finding tlie swimming-baths closed and the difficulty . of discovering the proprietor. The Bademeister at Straubing was, however, easily found, his cottage beimr close at hand. Leaving the canoe and unnecessary luggage in his charge, the two friends made their way up to the Post hotel in the town, which lies at some little distance from the river. Straubing, an ancient city of 13,000 inhabitants, contains a fine Gothic church 400 years old, and a tower which dates from the beginning of the thirteenth century. It was here that Duke Ernest of Bavaria, infuriated w^ith his son, who had very imprudently married a barber's daughter, caused that beautiful lady to be cast into the Danube for the crime of her birth. In justice to the reigning house 234 CAMPING VOYAGES of Wittelsbach it should be stated that this event took place no less than 450 years ago. The members of that house, it will be admitted even by their enemies, would as soon drown themselves as their subjects. The crew of the Flora was afloat soon after eight o'clock on the morning of 21st September. Some young Straubingers having come down to see them off, informed them that an Englishman, a resident in their native town for several years, had a boat of his own, with which he frequently rowed down to Deggendorf, bringing her back by rail. The latter proceeding seemed rather unheroic to his two country- men, considerincr the slackness of the stream in this region. Among other accomplishments his admirers mentioned with pride his capacity for drinking large quantities of whisky {cr hann anch holossal viel Wislci trinkcn). The feats of their fellow-townsman in this respect they seemed to be even prouder of than his prowess with the oar. The current still remained sluggish. The wind, on the otlier hand, was pretty strong and partly unfavour- able, but fortunately fell completely in the course of an hour. The morning, at first gloomy, soon cleared up, turning into one of those days with light fleecy clouds when a landscape generally shows to the greatest advantage. The scenery began to improve greatly as the voyagers, about six miles from Straubing, began to approach the town of Bogen. The hills of the Bavarian THE DANUBE 235 Forest here come down to the left bank of the Danube, following it more or less closely to Vilshofen, and receding only for some five miles above Deggendorf. Bogen, lying at the end of a long broad reach with a background of high hills, looked remarkably picturesque as the canoeists paddled straight towards the town. It probably owes its name to the bend which the Danube here makes, as it turns off almost at right angles towards the west. It is situated at the mouth of a tributary of the same name. Curiously enough several of the lesser affluents seem to be called after the towns situated at their confluence with the Danube, instead of the converse, as seems more natural, being the case. This obviously applies to the Eegen, from Eegensburg (the Eoman Castra Begiiui), and to the Vils, from Yilshofen (the Eoman Villa Quintanica). A long narrow island at Bogen divides the river into two channels of about equal width. By taking the right branch the navigator obtains a better view of a high hill of conical shape, rising above the town and crowned by a church, the effect of which is very strange and picturesque. The scenery of the hills on the left bank continues to be good till some way below Deggendorf. This town is situated at the confluence of two tributaries flowing down from the Bavarian Forest. Excel- lent excursions can be made from here into that mountainous region, some of the peaks of which 236 CAMPING VOYAGES command fine views of the Danube valley. This forest district covers a tract of 1800 square miles, well wooded in most parts with fir and beech. One of the chief employments of the natives of the forest is naturally the timber trade. The Isar railway from Munich to Pilsen at this point crosses the river. The Danube line having followed the course of the river pretty closely from Ulm to Eegensburg, leaves it after the latter place at a distance of some miles, except at Straubing, till it touches Vilshofen. From this place to Passau it again skirts the right bank. But the long stretch of fifty-five miles between Passau and Liuz, which is by far the most beautiful part of the Danube below Ulm, is, like the lovely region above Sigmaringen, completely be- yond the reach of the railroad. A mile below Deggcndorf the Isar flows into the Danube, causing a succession of banks of shingle in the bed of the river. These continue till a short way above Vilshofen,. recommencing at intervals after Passau. In spite of this and of the many other large tributaries it has received, the water of the Danube remains wonderfully clear till it reaches Passau. Whether it is due to the influx of the Isar or not, the strength of the current certainly increases after the confluence. Having accomplished a distance of fifty kilometres, the two friends landed on a fine beach flanked with trees for their bathe in the heat of the day, feeling THE DANUBE 237 they had earned a two-hours' repose by five hours and a half of steady work. On resuming the voyage at half-past three, they had thus less than fifteen miles to paddle before reaching Vilshofen. About two miles above the latter place there comes into view among the woods on the left bank a fine old ruin, the Igersberg, which in bygone days belonged to the Fugger family, the Eothschilds of Augsburg in the Middle Ages. As a number of rocks, some showing and others being just under the surface, are embedded in the Danube for two or three miles above Vilshofen, it would be highly unsafe to navigate that distance except in broad daylight. This is the first time that rocks occur in the bed of the river below Illm, Finding a convenient swimming-bath above the bridge which here spans the Danube, the canoeists landed there at six o'clock, leaving their boat in charge of the proprietress, the first woman, by the way, whom they had met with in this capacity. The genial old soul was highly entertained by the notion of so vast a river being navigated by a craft so tiny. Vilshofen is a small town, originally a Eoman settlement, lying at some distance from the right bank. The voyagers here put up at the Hotel zum goldcncn Ochsen, which they found to be comfortable enough. Eain fell very heavily during the night, but fortunately cleared away by the morning. The landlord, in the simplicity of his heart, strongly 238 CAMPING VOYAGES advised the crew to take a pilot in the bows of their boat ; for he assured them they would never be able to find their way alone among the rocks which bestrew the river bed l)elow Vilshofen. But when he had come down to the bank and saw the size and build of their craft, he admitted that his advice could not be carried out. They launched their canoe at half-past eight, after thanking and liberally rewarding the excellent Badefrau for the care — surpassing that of any Bademeisier they had yet come across — with whicli she had w\ashed out the boat and attended to such of their belongings as required cleaning. The landlord was quite right in describing the navigation below Vilshofen as hazardous ; for the rocks, many of them sunken, now become more plentiful in the river bed than above, being at one point so numerous that it seemed a mystery how a steamer could possibly thread its way among them. There must, of course, be a channel, as tugs ply up and down the river ; but the two friends failed to find it, getting quite into the thick of the rocks. This was highly dangerous to a Canadian canoe, for collision with one of them in that swift stream would infallibly have ended in shipwreck. The voyagers, however, with their usual good luck passed through these perils unscathed. After the worst place the rocks cease, leaving the course of the river perfectly clear down to Passau. THE DANUBE 239 The scenery is fine all the way, especially on the left bank, which is bordered by the low wooded hills forming the edge of the Bavarian Forest, and extend- ing to some distance below Passau. Eeaching that town before eleven o'clock, the canoeists luckilv decided, as at Eefrensburfr to dis- embark at a swimming-bath some way above the town on the left bank. Had they passed this they w^ould have found no other landing-place farther down. Crossing over by the bridge to the right bank, they walked up to the Bayrischc Hof, having re- solved to spend the rest of the day and the night at this charming spot. Passau, originally a Eoman settlement, named Castro, Batava, is a town of some 16,000 inhabitants. It is probably more beautifully situated than any other place on the Danube, lying as it does in a hilly and richly wooded region at the confluence of three rivers. The town is built on both sides of the sharp tongue of land which, rising to a ridge of considerable height in the middle, is formed by the influx of the Inn. This tributary is at its mouth upwards of 300 yards in width, considerably broader in fact than the Danube itself. Houses occupy the promontory down to its very extremity. Just beyond the point the Hz discharges its dark stream into the Danube. The Klosterberg, a height on the left bank, commands a fine view of the meeting of the waters. From there the different colours of the three rivers can be seen most 240 CAMPING VOYAGES distinctly. The Inn has the pale milky tint peculiar to glacial streams, while the inky hue of tlie Ilz contrasts strongly with tlie light green of the Danube. In no part of its course does the epithet of " blue," so com- monly applied to the latter river, seem to be justified, except possibly in one or two calm deep reaches below "Weltenburg, where its waters, when seen in the sunlight, have a greenish blue colour. Of an almost crystal-like clearness for a considerable dis- tance from its source, it assumes below Ulm a greenish tinge, gradually becoming more and more qualified Math yellow, till below Passau it acquires and retains a permanently muddy hue. It is, how- ever, possible, that from certain bird's-eye points of view, which the present writer does not know, it may have a blue appearance. After receiving the waters of these large tribu- taries, the Danube, of course, becomes a river of great size, being by this time 350 miles distant from its source in the Black Forest. Splendid views may be obtained from various heights in the neighbourhood. One of the best is from the fortress of Oberhaus, on the opposite side of the river. Many pleasant excursions, too, may be made from Passau into the charming scenery of the surrounding region. The two friends unfortunately saw nothing of all this, being disinclined to walk after sitting for eight or nine hours a day in the canoe during the last fort- THE DANUBE 241 night. They would in any case have been prevented from doing much in this way by the heavy rain which now came on and continued for the rest of the day. They did not, however, omit to visit some of the sights of the town, notably the cathedral, which, built in the florid Romanesque style of the seventeenth century, occupies the site of an older Gothic edifice, Neuralgia must be a prevalent malady at Passau, if it is legitimate to draw any conclusion from seeing so many women with their faces tied up as the two friends saw in the course of that day. After a good night's rest, the voyagers were afloat soon after seven o'clock, having a long day of fifty-six miles before them to Linz. Though the rain with which the morning began ceased in about an hour's time, the sky remained overspread with dark clouds till the end of the day. On passing the tip of the tongue of land on which Passau lies, the crew turned the canoe upstream to enjoy for a few minutes the magnificent view as you look back on the town. The beauty of its situation cannot be fully appreciated till seen from here. The scenery during nearly the whole of that day's voyage was of surpassing grandeur, the mighty river now flowing between lofty forest-clad hills. Its effect was rather sombre on that dark, lowering day ; and the sense of loneliness, as the tiny bark glided silently along, often for miles without a sign of human habi- tation on the banks or any sort of traffic on the river K 242 CAMPING VOYAGES itself, became almost oppressive. It was quite a relief in the most solitary region, that between Ober- miihl and Unterniiihl, to fall in with a steamer which was slowly making its way upstream. The pleasure of the meeting was, however, not altogether unquali- fied as far as the canoeists were concerned ; for while riding out the huge waves caused by their doubtful friend they were carried down broadside by the swift current and nearly came to grief in the surf breaking on the shingly beach. On a previous occasion they had continued paddling while facing some large steamboat waves. The consequence was, that the canoe projecting with half her length beyond one wave came down with a splash on the next, shipping a quantity of water over the bows, and liuving a narrow escape from being swamped. At Engelhartszell, about fifteen miles below Passau, the boundary between Austria and Bavaria comes down through a wooded ravine to the left bank of the Danube.. The right bank is Austrian all the way from Passau. The crew had been informed before starting that they would have to land here in order to clear the custom-house. They had at first formed the project of running the blockade ; but as it occurred to tliem tliat the artillery of the Austrian Empire might be brought to bear on them, and failing that, the telegraphic system set working, to their disadvantage, all down tlie banks, they resolved on second thoughts not to attempt an escape. Misled by THE DANUBE 243 a statement in Baedeker, whose work, however, is not meant for the guidance of boating men, they were making for the left bank, when an official in uniform began gesticulating to them to come over to him on the right. So they crossed the broad river slanting upstream and managed to land, not %vithout difficulty, owing to the swiftness of the current. After undergoing a cross-examination and signing various documents, they were requested to pay the toll for passing the frontier, to the amount of thii'ty kreutzers or about sixpence. This payment con- ferred on them the privilege of navigating the rest of the Danube without molestation. AVhetlier the charge is in proportion to the tonnage or the number of the crew, or is the same for all vessels alike, did not appear. If the tonnage is the standard, thirty kreutzers must be very nearly the minimum charge. From Engelhartszell the river flows almost in a straight line for some eight miles, then making four great sweeping bends, all the way through steep, lofty, and wooded defiles of the utmost grandeur. The most magnificent part of the scenery begins near Hayen- bach, a ruin lying on a promontory formed by the first sudden curve to the left. The dark precipitous hills forming both banks here rise to the height of 1000 feet. The Danube is now confined in a channel of half its previous width, being proportion- ately deep and swift. The volume of water passing throufrh these narrow frorges must be enormous. The 244 CAMPING VOYAGES banks are so stee]) and the current so rapid that there is no possibility of landing in these solitudes. The Danube suddenly emerges into a broad plain ten miles long, which begins at Aschach and ends above Ottensheim. This tract is uninteresting, the river losing itself in many channels divided by islands which are thickly overgrown with bushes. Judging by Baedeker's maps one would suppose it to be hard to find the main stream here, and still more so in the stretch between Linz and Grein. It is, however, always perfectly obvious. Having landed for lunch at a solitary spot on the shingly left bank below Aschach, the voyagers quickly passed through this dull region till Ottensheim came into view. On the hills Mdiich here come down to the river lie two ruined castles. One of these was in mediccval times inhabited by a powerful family, which dominated the whole valley of the Danube between Passau and Linz, but died out in the sixteenth century. A solitary old ruin, which crowns a height rising from the Danube, now alone remains to tell the tale of their forgotten grandeur. The town of Ottensheim, look- ing as if built on a promontory, while it faces the voyager at the end of a long and broad straight reach, has a very picturesque appearance. The river at this point takes a sudden turn to the right, flowing for the next four miles till it reaches Linz through a thickly wooded defile. The approach to that place, which is rivalled in beauty by Passau alone among all the THE DANUBE 245 towns on the Danube, is very grand. The dark pine-clad hills looking almost black on that sombre evening under the lowering clouds, produced a very impressive effect on the two voyagers. Arriving at half-past four, they landed at a con- venient swimming-bath, where they housed their canoe for the night. They had thus accomplished a distance of fifty-six miles in seven hours and a half, exclusive of stoppages, this being at the average rate of seven miles and a half. The speed of the current must therefore be at least three and a half miles an hour. The hotel zum rothen Krebs, a short way farther down the bank, proved to be a very good one. Its only drawback, no doubt quite a temporary one, was the boots (HausknecJit), whom Cox brought down to take up the luggage. He was a man of the most phenomenal sullenness of temper, on which no amount of affability could produce the slightest impression. Tlie two friends came to the charitable conclusion that he must have been crossed in love recently, but owing to the uncertainty of this hypothesis they rewarded him next morning for his grudging services with only half the gratuity he would otherwise have received. He cannot liave found his manner a paying one in the long run. During the night the rain came down in torrents, but ceased in the early morning. The same thing occurred several times during the present expedition. It thus happened that in the course of a voyage of 246 CAMPING VOYAGES 535 miles, lasting nearly three weeks, the canoeists passed only two hours in the rain the whole time they were afloat. How tourists in Switzerland must often wish that there could be some permanent arrangement of the weather like this during the summer months ! Linz, with a population of 40,000, is the largest town on the Danube above Vienna, being the capital of the province of Upper Austria. On the left bank opposite lies the town of Urfahr, behind which rises the Postlingberg, a height picturesquely crowned by a church. Below Linz the Danube again enters a plain, which in this case is thirty-two miles long. The right bank is flat all along except for a short distance above Wallsee, though low hills skirt the left bank for about fifteen miles as far as the town of Mauthhausen, opposite which the green waters of the Enns enter the Danube. The river up to this point is full of islands, a few being nearly a mile in length. One of them can even boast of possessing its chateau, the Spielberg. The main channel, as already indicated, is easy enough to find. Many of the branches marked on Baedeker's map, if not purely imaginary, are at least perfectly dry. The stream in this tract is still swift, and in places rough and surging. Encounters with steamers coming upon one suddenly among the islands are here apt to be unpleasant. At the end of the plain, near Ardagger, the river DcauihCf Oraun, Sectum. , Hi lorn et res THE DANUBE 247 suddenly turns north, entering a narrow gorge formed by high wooded hills, which contract the channel to half its previous breadth. The voyagers reached tlie picturesque town of Grein at noon. Here they thought it advisable to land with a view of obtaining exact information as to the formidable rapids to which they were now about to entrust their fate. The very names, Strudel (surge) and Wirhel (whirlpool), are sufficient to strike awe into the heart even of an ancient mariner. On the principle of omne igiiotum pro marjnifico, the dangers of this gorge had been grossly exaggerated by the dwellers on the upper reaches of the Danube. The Badcmeistcr at Regens- burg, for instance, had described the waves here as running as high as houses (Jiduserliocli). This notion of its terrors may, however, in part be based on re- miniscences of the old time, now more than forty years back, when the rocks in the channel, not having yet been blasted, were really very perilous to navigation. Similarly, the typical Englishman on the foreign stage still wears Dundreary whiskers, and can hardly utter a sentence without saying "goddam." Some rafts- men whom the canoeists had passed that morning had, besides various warnings, given them directions as to the right course to steer. But these directions, pre- supposing, as is so often the case with the uneducated, a knowledge of the locality, were practically useless. Landing at Grein was no easy matter. The right place would have been the steamboat pier ; but the 248 CAMPING VOYAGES voyagers were swept past it without being able to stop, owing to the want of a boat-hook. The only- alternative was to run as cautiously as possible into the bank, consisting of large, rough stones, past which the stream, already influenced by the suction of the Greiner Schiuall, swiftly flowed. Here they luckily managed to get ashore without damaging the boat. They were told at the pier to keep at first as close as possible to the right bank, which is faced with a low stone wall, afterwards making for the smoother water on the left as they passed through the Wirbel. A gentleman who came down to the bank to see them start seemed much impressed with what he con- sidered their courage in undertaking such dangerous " sport " in so tiny a craft. To the uninitiated, a Canadian canoe seen on the bosom of a mighty river must certainly look very crank, especially when the steersman, as he always was on this voyage, is perched on the little poop. It was very lucky for the two friends that they had landed to make inquiries, for otherwise they would have come to grief through the misleading statements of Baedeker. According to that guide " the stream is divided by the large island of Worth, on the north side of whicli the main arm descends in rapids termed the Strudcl." Now the Danube flows past this large island on the left side only. There may have been a regular channel on the right in bygone times, but nowadays it contains no water THE DANUBE 249 except after heavy rains. A rock some yards in length divides the only remaining branch of the river. The water on the right of this rock is smooth, whereas that on the left is a raGfing surge in which the canoe would have instantly foundered. The voyagers not seeing the so-called island of Worth, and naturally mistaking the rock in mid-channel for it, would have steered to the left of the former, and thus run an uncommonly good chance of being drowned. If steamers take this course, every voyage of theirs must amount to a miracle. The height of the water may, however, affect the naviga- tion to some extent. Immediately below Grein a steep and lofty hill projects at right angles to the northerly course of the Danube, thus deflecting the stream to the east. As the current sweeps round this corner over ridges of rocks, it forms a boiling surf termed the Greiner Schivall. The river then suddenly disappears to the left round the end of the spur, pouring the whole volume of its mighty waters into a lofty, steep, and rocky gorge, which, for a distance of some hundred yards, is never more than fifteen yards in breadth. The voyager has hardly passed the Ghxiner ScJiwaU, when he sees before him the rock above mentioned in the middle of the stream. The water all along the right bank is almost perfectly smooth till some way below the rock, though it flows with tremendous velocity. This bit is the so-called Strudel, while the surging 2SO CAMPING VOYAGES rapid a short distance farther on is termed the Wirbel. It is hard to say what would happen were a small boat suddenly to come upon a steamer in the former part. Steamers must have their work cut out for them to toil up these few hundred yards even at a crawling pace ; for the speed of the current can hardly be less than at the rate of ten miles an hour. Pushing off from the bank at Grein, not without some misgivings as to their fate, the adventurers turned their craft upstream so as to escape the attraction of the Schioall, and paddling with all their might aslant the current, made for the other side. Managing to hold their own against the stream till they were across, they put her head round and keep- ing within two or three feet of the right bank, shot past the rock without shipping a drop of water. Avoiding the rough waves below this point by steer- ing for the smoother water on the left, they were keep- ing a sharp look-out for the Wirhel, when they were surprised at suddenly finding themselves in perfectly calm water opposite the lovely little village of St. Nikolai, which is situated at the end of the narrow defile. They had thus passed the formidable rapid witliout being aware of the fact. Though the canoe had not taken in any water, a rowing-boat would probably have shipped a wave or two. While careering down the rapids, the voyagers were able only to cast furtive glances on either hand towards the beetling crags and the picturesque ruins THE DANUBE 251 perched on the rocky heights of this magnificent gorge. The pace at whicli they travelled was so swift that the whole distance from Grein to St. Nikolai, nearly two miles, seemed to occupy only a few minutes. AVhen just helow the latter spot they fell in with a steamer coming upstream. They w^ere not inspired with as much animosity as usual towards this enemy, being in fact rather grateful to her for not having met them some minutes earlier. About five miles from Grein they found a quiet backwater and excellent landing-place on the left bank, where they stopped for lunch and a rest. The river all the way to Ips flows through richly wooded defiles, which, with their mellow autumn tints bathed in the hazy sunlight of the afternoon, formed scenes of surpassing loveliness. The only breaks in their continuity as far as Stein occur in the tract of two or three miles below Ips, where the river makes a loop towards the south, and at Pochlarn, where the right bank is flat for a few miles. The town of Ips, the Eoman Fons Isidis, when it first came in sight, seemed to consist entirely of public buildings, but one or two private houses after- wards made their appearance. The stream having here grown temporarily slack, again resumes its swiftness as IMahrbach is approached. At the top of a hill 1450 feet high, rising above this place, is situated a church said to be visited by 100,000 pilgrims every year. It is a conspicuous 252 CAMPING VOYAGES object from the river for many miles above, and is still visible from Melk, fifteen miles farther down. The view it connuands is said to be magnificent. At IMahrbach occurs the first instance on the Danube of a peculiar kind of ferry, of which there are several specimens on the Moselle also. A number of punt-like boats, pointed at both ends, are moored upstream in a line parallel with the bank, and at a considerable distance apart. They are connected by means of a cable running through a kind of mast fixed in each of them. The combined action of the heavy ferry-boat, when it has been pushed off, and of the strong stream, suffices to bring the punts gradu- ally across the river in a curve, thus landing the passengers automatically at the opposite pier. A few miles below Mahrbach, on the right bank, lies Pochlarn, originally a Eoman settlement. Here the noble Eiideger, to whom tradition points as the founder of the ruin on the other side, entertained not only Kriemhilde on her journey to her future husband, Etzel, at Ofon (Buda), but also her brothers and the grim Hagen, when they were, under the pretext of hospitality, lured to their destruction by that vengeful queen for the murder of her first hus- band, the heroic Siegfried. The route from Worms seems to have been the same on both occasions. Crossing the Danube near Pforingen below Ingol- stadt, it again touched the river at Passau, after that passing through many places on its bardvs, such as THE DANUBE 253 Efferdingeu, Enns, Poclilarn, Melk, Mauterii, Treis- niaiier, Tulln, and Vienna. The voyagers were now approaching Melk, the monastery being visible above the trees on the right. But though they had been warned, since Melk lies behind an island, to take the channel at the back of it, they nevertheless very nearly missed the entrance to this branch, which surreptitiously sneaks off at right angles to the main stream. Had they missed the inner channel they would probably have found it impossible to paddle up against the current at the other end of the island. The swimming-bath at which they landed and left the canoe was kept by an extremely smart Austrian. The hasty generalisa- tions, much to the disadvantage of the Bavarians, to which he gave rise, were afterwards disproved by many contrary instances. The length of that day's voyage was ninety-nine kilometres, or about sixty-two miles. This was the greatest distance done consecutively on any of tlie voyages recorded in these pages, with the exception of the 105 miles in the last twenty-six hours of the Weser trip. After a refreshing bathe the two friends walked up to their inn, zum goldcnen Ochscn, which was close at hand, and proved to be excellent. They received a large room with a balcony commanding a good view of the Danube and of the monastery. After breakfasting on the 25th September the 254 CAMPING VOYAGES friends spent an hour or so in visiting this famous Benedictine Abbey. It is a magnificent edifice, prob- ably the most palatial of its kind in Austria, built on a rock, nearly 200 feet high, lising sheer from the river. It contains a fine church and a rich library. A kind of balcony terrace facing the river affords a beautiful view of the Danube. Starting at eleven o'clock the voyagers soon entered a narrow and charming defile, which continues for nearly twenty miles till Stein is approached. The scenery is perhaps best on the right bank. Here, about five miles from Melk, is an old castle, the Aggstein, splendidly situated on a rocky height rising precipitously from the Danube, and once the home of daring robber knights. Tradition relates that its owners in the olden time would get rid of trouble- some prisoners by casting them down from their stronghold into the waters below. Its situation is such that they might easily have done so, even though the tale be not true. A twelve miles' paddle through this fine scenery brought the voyagers in sight of the Diirrenstein, which lies on the left bank in a bend of the river facing due south. The old ruined castle, perched on precipitous grey crags of the utmost barren- ness, which frown down upon the Danube, is well characterised by its name (Barren Eock). This arid and desolate spot has a special interest for EuHlishmen. It was here that Eichard I. was in- THE DANUBE 255 carcerated for more than a year by the Duke of Austria, till, as tradition has it, he was discovered by his trusty Blondel. He could not well have been shut up in a fortress more cut off from the rest of the world or more impregnable in those days. It must have been a stronghold of great importance in the Middle Ages, being the key of Upper Austria and dominating completely the traffic in the valley of the Danube. Even had the place itself not attracted them, the two friends M^ould have felt bound from patriotic motives to make a pilgrimage up to the rugged ruin. Landing in a backwater behind a mill at the foot of the rock, they climbed the height, spending some time in exploring the old fastness, the remains of M'hich are considerable, enjoying the fine view of the Danube which it commands, and meditating on its historical associations. One could well imagine, on the spot, with what joy a prisoner on that solitary rock would have welcomed the familiar strains of his native land. Ee-embarking at last, the voyagers reached Stein, which lies on the left bank four miles farther down, after a paddle of half an hour or so. Though this town is but twenty miles from Melk, they had decided on stopping here! For Cox was obliged to cut short the voyage, finding it necessary to be at Vienna that night, in order to inspect some collections accessible to visitors on the following day of the week only. They accordingly put in at an excellent landing-place 256 CAMriNG VOYAGES immediately opposite the Hotel Bittermann, into the yard of which they carried up the canoe. There is a fine view of the Danube from the windows of this inn. Cox having departed for Vienna by an evening train, the Interpreter remained behind to finish the voyage by himself. He was up betimes on the last day of the voyage to look out on a glorious morning. He had to shift his seat from the bows to the now unaccustomed stern, so as to act both as propeller and steersman. A large stone and all the luggage were laid in his old place in order to counter- balance his weight and trim the canoe properly. Not intending to land till he reached Vienna, a distance of about forty-eight miles, he supplied himself with a basket of grapes for lunch in the boat. All being now ready, he embarked, and pushing off into the stream, waved his farewells to the inmates of the hotel assembled on the bank. To them this solitary voyage in so tiny a vessel on so vast a stream appeared a most hazardous enterprise. Below Stein the Danube enters a plain nearly forty miles in length, and very similar in character to that between Linz and Grein. The scenery is equally uninteresting, the river here also dividing into many channels, which form numerous sandy islands overgrown with bushes. As the Wiener Wald is approached, where the river takes a turn to the south- east till it reaches Vienna, the right bank at least gains considerably in attractiveness. THE DANUBE 257 A number of steamers passing in botli directions, and causing large waves, kept up the excitement during the day. The solitary canoeist, however, got on very well till noon, when the wind, which had gradually risen, began to blow very hard straight across the stream, making it very difficult to steer. It was especially bad in the neighbourhood of Tulln, one of the many old Eoman settlements on the south side of the Danube. It was, therefore, all the Inter- preter could do to prevent the canoe from being blown ashore and damaged on the rough stones of the long dams which are here built along the right bank. Some raftsmen whom he caught up offered to take him in tow, but this offer he politely de- clined, wishing to complete the voyage unaided. As he turned down the south-eastern reach towards Vienna, the wind, now blowing straight abaft, had risen almost to a gale. The canoe consequently went tearing along through the water. For a single man, or for that matter even a married man, to stop her or even check her speed under these circumstances would have been a sheer impossibility. This state of things threatened to be rather awkward, as the canoe might either come to grief through violent collision with obstacles, or be altogether blown past Vienna when that city seemed to be in the very grasp of her owner. Neither contingency was by any means remote. For while the main branch of the Danube curves away to the left of Vienna, only a narrow straight cutting, s 258 CAMPING VOYAGES with a swift stream runiiing, passes through the city. The entrance, which is not at all obvious, lies on the extreme right of the river. Scudding along before the wind into this nairow channel, tlie canoeist saw himself confronted at the very mouth of the cutting by a steamer coming upstream. He now thought his fate was sealed, but, as the captain considerately slackened speed, he managed to lidc out the waves by pointing the canoe at them, though at such close quarters as almost to touch the side of the steamer. Soon after another of these enemies appeared in front, while the canoe was gaining so fast on a barge floating down-stream that she was bound to run into it, as the steamboat passed. In this dilemma the Inter- preter resolved to keep close to the left bank, which was very low and bound with beams running along the edge, and by clutching it, if possible, to arrest the canoe. This he succeeded in doing. By holding on he also managed to ride out the waves, though they came almost broadside. These perils having been safely avoided, he had now to decide the all-import- ant question as to how to land. For he could already see the name of his hotel, the MMropole, close at hand on the Franz- Josephs-Quai. Luckily there happened to be a large swimming-bath on the right, just above this block of buildings. Quickly turning the corner into the backwater formed by the obstruction, he seized one of the beams of the platform, and thus held Vienna, as it were, in his hand. He arrived at half- THE DANUBE 259 past two, exactly seven hours after leaving Stein. It being Sunday afternoon, a considerable crowd soon assembled, to gaze with much curiosity at the Canadian canoe, which was probably the first that had ever been seen at Vienna. Some of the spectators were astonished to hear that she had come down the Danube all the way from the Black Forest, a distance of nearly 550 miles. The baths were closed, the water being already too cold for the Viennese ; some boys, however, soon fetched the proprietor, who helped to convey the boat inside. After enjoying a refreshing bathe and don- ning his ordinary clothes, the Interpreter proceeded to his hotel across the road. His arrival at Vienna could hardly have been better timed, for the first meeting of the Congress which he had come to attend was to take place at seven o'clock that very evening. His complexion, too, having now assumed a rich terra cotta hue, would not be inappropriate in an assembly containing a large sprinkling of scholars from the East. It was afterwards stated that he was the only one who had come to this or any other Oriental Con- gress in a boat of his own. Thus ended the longest, and in some ways the most delightful, of the voyages described in the fore- going pages. When the Congress had dispersed a week after, the Interpreter went down by steamer, with two friends, to Buda-Pesth, and after spending some 26o CAMPING VOYAGES pleasant days there, returned the same way to Vienna. The distance is about 180 miles. The scenery for the first half of the way from Vienna is flat and uninteresting, while in the latter part it is fine, rising in the neighbourhood of Gran to a high degree of beauty. APPENDIX APPROXIMATE DISTANCES (iN MILES) AND OBSTRUC- TIONS ON THE WERRA Meiningen (857 feet), weir just below ; Walldorf (weir above), 4 m. ; Schwallungen (weir above on the left, mill farther on to the right), 10 ni. ; Wernshausen (weir), 14m.; weir, 16m.; Salzungen (two weirs, about ^ m. apart), 24 m,; Tiefenort (two weirs close together) ; Vacha (mill), 38 m. ; Philippsthal (mill) ; Lengers (mill), 42^ m. ; Heriugen (mill), 45 m.; Widdershausen (mill), 47 m. ; Dankmarshausen (mill), 48^ m. ; Berka (miU), 51 m. ; Gerstungen (mill), 53 m.; Neustadt (mill), 54m.; Sallmannshausen (mill) 54|- m. ; Herleshausen (station), 58 m. ; Wartha (mill), 591 m. ; Spiehra (old mill), 62 m. ; Kreuzburg (bridge with rapid), 65 m. ; Ebenau, 66 m.; Mihla, 70 m. ; Ebenshausen (mill), 71 m. ; Frankenroda, 73 m. ; Falken (mill), 75 m. ; Treffurt, 78 m. ; Burschla, 82 m. ; Waunfried (mill), 86 m. ; Eschwege (lock), 91 m.; Albungen, 97 m.: Allendorf (lock), 102 m. ; Witzeuhausen (bridge with rapid), 113 m. ; Hedemiinden, 120 m.; Miindeu (380 feet; lock), 126 m. 262 APPENDIX II DISTANCES IN KILOMETRES ( = ABOUT \ OF A MILE) ON THE AVESER Mlliideu . Minden . . 203 Bodeufelcle 34 Windhcim . 225 Carlshafen 46 Laiidesbergen . 252 Hiixter 69 Nieulmrg . . 269 Holzmiuden 81 Hoy a . 302 Bodenwerder 112 Intschede . 333 Hameln . 138 Uehsen . 345 Rinteln 166 Horstedt . . 353 Vlotho 184 BoUeu . 357 Rehme 190 Dreye . 360 Porta 198 Bremen . . 372 III APPROXIMATE DISTANCES (iN MILES) AND OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE NECKAR Hofen (weir, easy and straiglit pull-over), 4 m. ; Aldin- gen (half-weir), 6f m. ; weir (near tributary on the right bank), 9| m. ; Hoheneck, 13 m. ; Marbach (mill, with half- lock; great rapid after railway viaduct), 16 m. ; Klein- Ingersheim (mill, lock), 22 i m. ; third camp (mill, with lock), 27 m. ; rapids, 30 m. ; Besigheim (lock on branch to the right), 32 m. ; Gemmrigheim (half-lock), 34| m. ; Kirchheim, (lock), 36^ m. ; Lauffen (half-lock), 41 m. ; Heilbronn (weir below bridge), 49 m. ; Neckarsulm, 54 m. ; Jagstfeld (good hotel, with terrace on bank) 58 m.; Wimpfen, 59m.; Offenau, 60^m. ; Gundelsheim, 64 m. ; Hassmersheim, 67 m. ; Neckar- zimmern, G8^- m. ; Neckarelz, 71^, m.; Binau, 75 m. ; Eberbach (t\to good inns), 80 m. ; Hirschhorn (good inn), 87 m. ; Neckarhausen, 89-^ m. ; Neckarsteinach, 93 m. ; Heidelberg, 101 m. ; Ladenburg, 109 m. ; Mannheim, 118 m. APPENDIX 263 IV DISTANCES IN MILES ON THE RHINE Mannheim Lorch . 61f Worms 12 Rheindiebach . 62i Oppenheim 14 Bacharach . 64' Nierstein . 16 Caub . m Maiuz 36 Oberwesel ■ 681 Biebrich . 40 St. Goal- . . 74" AValluf . 42 Hirzenach • 7'f Eltville . 45 Salzig . SO Oestrich . 49 Boppard . . 83 Geisenheim 52 Niederspay . 871 Bingen 55 Rhens . 89^ Eheiustein 58 Capelleu . . 91 Ooblenz 95 V LIST OF APPROXIMATE DISTANCES (iN MILES) AND OF GOOD INNS ON THE MOSELLE Treves (Rothes Hans) ; Pfalzel, 4 m.; Longwich, 10 ra. ; Detzem, 16 m. ; Leiwen, 20 m. ; Neumagen, 25 m.; Pies- port, 29 m. ; Reinsport, 31 m. ; Kesten, 35 m. ; Milhlheim, 38 m.; Berncastel (Drei Konige ; Post), 41 m. ; Zeltingen, 45 m.; Uerzig (Post), 48 m.; Kinheim (Neidhofer) 50 m.; Croft' (Ziir Grafiuburg), 53 m.; Trarbach (Bellevue), 56 m. ; Tra- ben (Clauss), 56 m. ; Enkirch (Anker), 59 m. ; Bnrg, 61 m. : Pilnderich, 64| m. ; Marienburg (Restaurant) ; Zell (Fier), ^^\ m. ; Alf (Post; Bad Bertrich; Burg Arras), 72 m. ; Bremm, 75 m. ; Ediger (Lowen), 78 m. ; Beilstein, 84 m.; Bruttig, 87 m. ; Cochem (Union), 91 m. ; Pommern, 95|^m. ; Treis (Conzen), 97 m. ; Moselkern (Anker), 99 m. ; Broden- bach (Post), 103 m.; Cobern (Simouis), 110 m. ; Coblenz, 120 m. 264 APPENDIX VI A. APPROXIMATE DISTANCES (iN MILEs) AND OBSTRUC- TIONS ON THE UPPER MAIN Bayreuth (1180 ft.); Drossenfeld, 9 in.; Steinhausen, 20 m. ; IMainleuss (weir), 23 m. ; Burgkuiidstadt (weir), 30 m.; Strcissendorf (weir), 31^ m. ; Hochstadt, 35 m. ; Wallenstadt (weir), 42 m. ; Lichteufels (weir on right, take left branch to mill in the town), 45 m.; Hansen (last weir), 50 m.; Zapfendorf (station ; good bathing-place), 62 ; Bisch- berg (leave boat with ferryman), 74 m. B. DISTANCES IN KILOMETRES ON THE MAIN FROM BAMBERG TO MAINZ ... Bamberg. 53 Schweiufurt (lock, weir). 139 Wiirzbnrg (lock, weir). 16G KarLstadt. 172 Good camping-ground. 180 Gemtxnden. 193 Lohr (bad landing-place). 234 Werthheim. 247 Stadtprozclten. 266 Miltenberg. 303 Aschaffenburg : stop at Kittel's baths at the lower end of the town. 323 Kahl (Bavarian frontier). 329 Hanau. 350 Frankfort. 387 Mainz. VII APPROXIMATE DISTANCES (iN MILES) ON THE MOLDAU AND ELBE . . . Prague. 20 Kralup (3 hours 35 minutes by canoe). APPENDIX 265 321 Melnik (2 hours). 35 Junction with the Elbe. 65 Leitmeritz (5 hours). 77 Aussig (3i hours). 95 Boclenbach. 105 Herrnskretschen (3| hours). 110 Schandau (1 hour). 118^ Wehlen (U hour). 124 Pima (40 minutes). 135 Dresden (If hour). VIII APPROXIMATE DISTANCES (iN MILES) AND OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE UPPER DANUBE Donaueschingen (2220 ft.) ; Pforen (station ; wooden bridge), 3 m. ; Neidiugeu (weir, grassy bank), 5 m. ; Gut- madingen, 8 m. ; Geisiugen (station, short way above mill, river dividing, bad crossing), 10 m. ; short way below Geis- ingen, jiaddle weir ; a mile farther small wooden foot-bridge over shallow rapid ; Hintschingen (station) ; Immendingen (long and difficult crossing), 14 m. ; Mohringen (covered wooden bridge ; the worst crossing on the river just above this village ; succession of bad shallows till next crossing : long porterage), 18 m. ; Tuttlingen, 23 m. ; weir, 24| m. ; Nendingen (shallow rapid), next village (weir, wooden bridge) ; Mllhlheim (weir on left, bad crossing over rough stones), 29 m.,; Friedingen (weir); Beurou (wooden covered bridge), 41 m. ; Castle Wildenstein, 43 m. ; Lan- genbronn (above, the old chateau of Weruwag, with splendid view and capital inn at the top), 45 m. ; Hansen (mill, crossing over grassy slope ; stone bridge across the Danube), 46i m. ; Neidingen, 48 m. ; ruin of Falkensteiu (weir), 50 m. ; Thiergarteu, 50f m. ; Gutenstein (weir), 266 APPENDIX 53^ 111. ; Dietfiirt (weir), 55| m. ; Laiz (weir, long crossing), 59 m. ; Signiaringcn (boat can be left at bathing-establisli- ment on left l)ank above bridge ; weir below Seliloss), GO^, in. ; low weir, 61|^ m. ; Sclieer (broatl and high weir; nasty bridge) 68 J in. ; cainii opposite Mengen, 70 m. ; Riedlingeii (weir, long and bad crossing), 83 m. ; weir (difficult crossing) ; broad and liigh woir (easy crossing over grassy bank on the left) ; Muiulerkingen (two weirs ; that on the left had better be taken : long grassy crossing behind mill into niillstreani), 99 m. ; Dettingen (low weir, fall of about two feet), 103 m. ; Erbach, 115 m. ; Ulm (stop at swimming-bath below rail- way bridge on left liank), 124 m. IX DISTANCES (in KILOMETRES) ON THE DANUBE FROM ULM TO BUDA-PESTH ... Ulm. 50 Diliingen : stop at second swimming-bath a short way above wooden bridge ; the town is invisible from the river. 78 Donauworth; 90 Good luncliing-ground on left bank. 110 Neuburg : take right branch under stone bridge; landing-stair below Post Hotel. 130 Ingolstadt : stop at swimming-bath on the left bank, opposite 130c kilometre mark. 161 Eining. 172 Kelheim. 208 Regensburg : stop at second swimming-bath on tlio left bank ; when leaving it is advisable, if in a Canadian canoe, to take the arch on the extreme right of the old bridge. APPENDIX 267 219 Walhalla. 235 Good lunching-grouud ; shallow for bathing. 266 Straubing. 276 Bogen. 302 Deggendorf. 316 Good lunching-ground, but shallow for bathe. 339 Vilshofen : stop at swimming-bath on the right bank just above bridge. 362 Passau (950 ft.) : stop at swimming-bath on left bank above bridge. 410 Obermiihl. 452 Linz (813 ft.) : stop at swimming-bath on the right above bridge. 508 Grein(715ft.). 551 Melk : stop at swimming-bath behind island. 569 Spitz. 625 Tulln. 648 Klosterneuburg. 663 Vienna (436 ft.) : stop at swimming-bath on right bank, just above the Metropole Hotel. 723 Pressburg. 811 Gonyo. 955 Buda-Pesth. N.B. — The following articles and books on the Danube may be mentioned : — Article " Danube " in the Encyclopcedia Britannica, and in the Cyclopsedias of Brockhaiis and Meyer ; Letter by A. F. Peterson on the " Danube from Ulm to Pesth " in The Field, September 1885 ; A. Mtlller, Die Donmi vovi Ursiyriinge his zu den Mwidungen (1839-1841) ; Petei's, Die Donau und ihr Gehiet (1876); John Macgregoi", A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe (1866) ; The Water Lily on the Danube (1853) ; Baedeker's Southern Germany and Austria. LIST OF MAPS Index Map to face page 268 Werra, Sheet 1 14 9 )5 -* 24 3 28 4 32 5 36 6 38 7 40 Neckae, Sheet 1 66 9 70 3 76 4 84 5 88 6 90 Main, Sheet 1 136 9 r 152 Danube, Sheet 1 188 9 196 3 206 „ Grein Se CTION 246 SumforcL's Geogi JCstdb^ INDEX MAP CAMPING VOYAGES ON ZG & 27 CL.tl.8pur SK Clmrmg Cioss. S \V. INDEX Aach, the tributary of the Rhine, connecting the latter with the Danube, 194 Abusina, Roman canij) of, 222 Aggsteiu, 25-4 Agriculture stopped, 35, 138 Air-bed, 177 Aldingeu, 69 Alf, 123, 158 ; Bow's opinion of, ib. Alleudorf, 38 Aller, the, 56 Alt-Drossenfeld, 139 ; camj) below, 140 Alten-Breituugen, 22 Altmtihl, the, 226 Americans, 189, 220 Annals of Tacitus, 48 ; discovery of first five books of, 43 Ardagger, 247 Arminius, 48 Aschach, 244 Aschaffeuburg, 119, 137, 164 Assnianushausen, 104 Athleticism, German, 119 Attila, 94, 96, 223, 252 Augsburg, 237 Aussig, 176 ; coal-harbour of Bo- hemia, ib. ; hatefulness of, 177 Austria and Bavaria, boundary between, 242 Autumn morning, freshuess of, 153, 180 Avou, 2 Bacharach, 104 Back -garden, practising camjiing in, 66 Bacon, disadvantages of old, 59 Bacon, on the stream of time, 67 Baedeker, his colour comes off, 146 ; his humour, 176 ; mis- leading, 243, 244, 246, 248 Bamberg, 138, 154, 226 Bank, die, 106 Bank notes, drying, 146 Banz, 154 Barbarossa, Frederick, 95 Barbetomagus, ancient name of Worms, 94 Bargee nature, 88 Barracks, German cliateaiis often resemble, 161, 220 Barrel-organist, Bohemian, 171 Bastei, 181 Bath Rock, 197 Baunach, the, 154 Bavarian Forest, 229, 235, 239 Bayreuth, 132, 155, 166 ; Jlark- gravine of, 134 ; start from, 136 ; newspaper, ib. Befreiungshalle, 224, 225, 230 Behar, 1 Beilstein, 124 Belated, 19, 85, 199, 209, 233 Berka, 30 ; swampy camji below, 31 Berucastel, 119 Besigheim. 76 Beuron, 197 270 INDEX Beyachtlial, 129 Biebrich, 101 Bill, small, 36 ; publican's com- peusatiou (sixpence), 175 Binau, 85 Bingeu, 102, 103, 135, 164 Biuger Locli, 104 Bischberg, 154 Bischofstein, 129 Black Forest, 187, 194, 240, 259 Blazer, 33 ; attractive power of, 15, 46 Bleiiheini, 218 Blondel, 255 Boat, jirice of, 4 ; cost of sending to Caunstatt and Meiningen, 167 ; hunt for at Prague, 168, v. Canadian canoe Boat-hook, want of, 212, 248 Bodenbach, 178 ; beautiful scenery at, ih. Bodenwerder, 44 Bogeu, 234, 235 Bohemian custom-house, 149, 168 ; language, 167 ; music, 172 ; wine, 172, 173 ; coal, 176 Bohemia, German-speaking part, 174 ; Czech-speaking part, ih. ; Seaboard, 176 Boots, loss of, 145 ; surly, 245 Boppanl, 106 Bow and his reading-lamp, 16 Brandenburg, ruin of, 34 Braunc Bert), 118 Brege, the, 187 Bremen, 56, 57 Brenieneck, 7 Brenierhafen, 57, 58 Bridge, covered, 69, 194 ; of boats, 94, 106 ; oldest in Germany, 110 Brigach, the, 187 Brockhaus, encyclopedia of, 3 Brodenbach, 129 Browning, 46 Bruges, 131 Brunhilde, 96 Bruttig, 124 Buda, 138, 223, 259 Buddhism, 1 Budweis, 166 ]Jurg, camp below, 121 Burgen, 129 liiirger, the poet, 45 Burgkundstadt, 152 Burgundians, 94 Camping ground, ideal, 27, 73, 156, 162 Canadian canoe, 171, 173, 181, 185, 210, 238, 248, 259 ; its advantages, 13, 190 ; damaged, 149 ; repaired at Knlmbach, 150 ; cost of sending to Prague, 167 ; back from Aschafi'enburg and Vienna, ih. ; to Donaue- schingen, 185 ; non- arrival at Donaueschingeu, 186 ; turned into cabin, 141, 204 ; mistaken for a whale, 214 Caunstatt, 61, 65, 67 Cantor, 29 Captain, the, 61 ; his oratory, 78 , his proficiency in German, 78, 97, 117; clears a course in the Neckar, 79 ; his watchfulness, 81, 88 ; breaks an oar, 93 ; his clothes-line, 98 ; goes market- ing at Treves, 112 ; mends keel, 115 Carlshafen, 42, 43 Cascade, 139 Cassel, 39, 45 Chain-steamers, 81 ; their odious character, ih. Chaplain, the, 62, 185; "irrever- end, " 65 ; his strength of mind, 96 ; his archaeological tastes, 73, 222 Charlemagne, 37, 94, 101 Checkmated, likelihood of being, on the Upper Moldau (v. Czech- mated), 167 Chemise en scene, 68 Cherries, effect of, 39, 42 Cherry country, 38 Chief Officer, 62 ; his illness, 84, 86, 87 ; his German hat, 111 ; his opinion about bowing, ib. Clotten, camjD below, 127 INDEX 271 Coal-dust, sliaking oft", 177 Cobern, 129 Coblenz, 106, 107, 130 Cocliem, 108, 124, 125 ; character of Moselle below, 125 Coiucideuce, strange, 186 Cologne, 6, 131, 164 (Jommers, 8 Compeusatiou for trespassing, 77, 114 Complexion, oriental, 259 Congress, well-timed arrival at, 259 Cooking, 4, 62 ; stove, 4, 63 Copper nails, 22 Corps, 8 Corvey, 43 Country policeman, 98, 113 Curried shirt, 65 Curry-powder, its effects, 64 Custom-house, 6, 57 ; Bohemian, 168-170; Austrian, ISO; on Danube, 242 Czech-mated on the Upjier Mol- dau, advisability of being {v. checkmated), 167 Dace, 72 Damoelean drawers, 67, 99 Dankniarshausen, 29 Danube, fall of, 133, 190, 215, 232 ; source of the, 187 ; clear- ness of, 188, 215 ; characteris- tics of, 215 ; steamers on, 215 ; course of, 231 ; colour of, 240 Dark, wadiug in the, 20 ; rowing in the, 85, 101, 209; bathe in the, 36 Dastardly conduct, 225 Deggendorf, 234, 235 Dettingen, 202 Detzem, 116 Deutsche Liebe, 7 Devil's pulpit, 38 ; kitchen, 181 Dillingen, 216, 217 ; fishing and shooting at, 217 Discontented man, story of, 230 Dogs, obtrusive, 191 Dolmar, the, 11 Douaueschiugeu, 133, 185, 186 ; 189, 190, 194, 231 ; start from, 188 Douaustauf, 229 Donauworth, 218 Draclienfels, 165 Drachenschlucht, 33 Drawers, Damoelean, 65 ; cast into the Rhine. 99 Dredgers, deceitful, 219 Dresden, 132, 166, 173, 182 Driving, imaginary, 40 Dundreary whiskers, 247 Diirrenstein, 254 Diisseldorf, 131 Duty paid on boat, 170 ; re- funded, 180 Ebexshausen, 34 Eberbach, 85 Ediger, 124 Efferdingen, 253 Ehingen, 208 Eiffel Tower, 113 Eining, 222 Eisenach, 31, 33 Eisfeld, 10 Eller, 124 Eltville, 102 Eltz, valley of the, 129 Euder, the, 125 Engelhartszell, 242 English Garden at Meiningen, 10 Englishmen, 112, 122; their reason for fishing, 18 ; their enter- jirising character, 26 ; size of, 74 ; restlessness of, 130 Enus, 253 ; the, 246 Equipment, 4, 63, 135 Erbach, 208 Eremitage, near Bayreuth, 134 Eschwege, 37 ; lock at, ib. Etzel (Attila), 252 Eugene. Prince, 218 Exercise, German view of, 44 Express freight route, to be dis- trusted, 167 Falken, 11 ; beautiful scenery near, 35 ; inn at, 36 Falkenstein, 198 272 INDEX Kuust, liis bontiiiK tastes, 193 FiTryiiiaii, 43, If)! Ferry-l)oiit.s, |>(-(-iilinr, 2r»l Fi>litTiiiaii, 1(5 ; old, 24, 34 Fisliiiij;, IS, 72 ; on the Wenn, '111 ; l>y iiioonliglit, 07 Floods, 182 Flushing, 6, 63 Frantoninn wine, \l>', 158 Fraiikfort-on-tht'-Main,r>, (JS. ir>7 ; lioats might lie hired at, 201 J-'ni urn-Coupe, 33 Frederick, late Emiieror, 151 Freudeiilierg, 1(53 Freytag. Gustav, 43 Friedriclishafen, 208 FrUhfichiijipen, 8 Fiigger family, 237 Fulda, 11, 39 Fiirstenberg, Princes of, 187 Furth, on Bohemian frontier, 174 Gandak, the, 1 Ganges, the, 1 Geisingen, 189 Gemiiuden, 160 ; beauty of scenery near, ih. Gentleman, festive old, 6-8 ; his affection for the Professor, 8 German Lloyd's obligingness, 58 Gennan schoolfellows, 2, 181; cus- tom-house, 6 ; Ordnance maps, 5 ; contentment, 70, 224 ; sculler, 112, 122 ; his get-up, 118 Germania, statue of, 102 Germanicus, 48 Germans, fond of bathing in sum- mer, 70 Gij.sy tent, 4, 63 Goihiam, 247 Goethe's lesson in criticism, 231 Oiilteriliimmerunif, novel applica- tion of the word, 47 G;ittingen, 2, 38, 40, 131 Gotz von Berlichingen, 84 (Ifdilus, Neckar, 64 (;ratinburg, 120 Gran, 260 Great Britain, naval prestige of, saved, 13 Grein, 247-250 Oreinfi- Sflnatll, 248-250 Gundelsheim, 84 Gunther, 95, 223 Gutmadingen, 189 Haoen, 223, 252 Hamburgers, 187, 199, 220 Ilameln, 45 Ilnndschnft, die rerlorene, 43 Hanstein, 2, 38 lliirjf, inn at Neckarsteinach, 8C Hassfurt, 155 Hattenheini, 102 Hansen, 153, 154 ; on the Danube, 198 Hayenbach, 243 Head - waiter at BajTeuth, his letter, 133 Heidelberg, 6-8, 65, 87 ; castle, 7 ; tun of, ib. ; camp below, 88 Heilbronn, 77 ; square meal at, ih. Heine, 106 Helbig's restaurant at Dresden flooded, 182 Heldrastein, 36 " Hell-deep " river, 65 Herleshausen, 32, 33 Heron Reach, 75 Hermskretsclien, 173, 178 Hienheini, 222 Hindoo proverb, 193 Hoard of the Nil)ehuigeu, 99 Hochberg, 69 Hochstadt, 153 Hiichstiidt, 216, 218 llofi-ath, the critical, 230 Hoheneck, 69 Hohenzollerii, Princes of, 201 Holberger Riesling, 157 Holzminden, 43 Honburg, ruin of, 195 Hornberg, 84 ; in the Black Forest, 187 Huxter, 43 Human nature, 80, 99 Huns, 83, 94 Idistaviso, site of the battle of, 48 Igel monument, 110 INDEX 27: Igersberg, 237 Iller, the, 208, 210, 219 ; narrow escape at the mouth of, 209 Ilz, the, 240 Imiiieiiiliugeii, 190, 193, 194 ; mysterious disappearance of tlie water of the Danube near, 194 Imperial meadow, cami5 in, 114 Indian Mutiny, 1 Ingelheimerau, 101 Ingolstadt, 96, 220 Inn, the, 216, 240 Insects, 31 Inselsljerg, 12 Interpreter, loses his temjier, 99 Inzighofen, 200 Ips, 251 " Irreverend " chaplain, 65 Isar, the, 236 Islands in the Rhine, 93, 101, 102 ; futile attempt to camii on, 101 Israel, Herr, 23 Jingle, Mr. 21 Jubilee Plunger, 168 Kant, 230 Karlstadt, 160 Katzenbuckel, 85 Katzenj amine r, avoided, 98 Keel-mending, 115 Keel-music, 112, explained, 115 Kelheim, 202, 224 ; magnificent rock scenery near, 224 Kesten, 119 Kilometre marks, 43, 155 Kirchheim, 76 Kitzingen, 137, 158 Klosterlierg, 239 Kiinigstein, 181 Ktinigswinter, 164 Kralup, Czech town, 171, 172 Kreuzburg, 34 Kriendiilde, 95, 96, 252 Kulmbach, famous for its beer, 150 Kuhnbacher Taghlatt, letter in, 151 Kundratitz, 174 Ladenburg, camp below, 89 Laiz, 200 Landsberg, 11 L.indsliut, 119 Langenljronu, 198 Latin inscriptions, 110 Lautten, camp above, 76 Leak, 22, 69, 80, 82, 83, 128, 170 , how to stop, 22, 69, 170, 192 ; mending, 22, 27, 82 ; renewed, 53, 128 : stopped, 84 Lech, the, 218 Lechlade, 2 Leine, the, 2 Leitmeritz, 173 Leiwen, 116 Lengers, 28 Lewis I. of Bavaria, 225, 230 Lichtenfels, 136, 152, 153 Liebfrauenkirche, 95 Liebfrauenniilch, ib. Lilienstein, 180 Lindewerra, 38 Linz, 196, 246 Lobositz, 174 Loca Isch in derei, 175 Lock, first on the Werra, 37 ; at Allendorf, 38 ; at Miinden, 39 ; at Hameln, 46 ; on the Main, 137, 156, 157 Lohr, 160, 161 Lorelei, 74 Loss of property, 145, 148, 151 Louis the Pious, 43, 101 Ludwigsburg, 69 Lvdwifjs-Canal, 138, 155, 226 Luggage, necessity of tying in, 144 Lurlei rocks, 106 ; bathe near, 105 Liistfd.hrt, 44, 47, 55 Luther, 94 Macguegor, John, 4 Mahrbach, 252 Main, 100 ; Red, 133, 146 ; fall of, 133 ; White, 133, 134, 146, 147 ; length of, 136 ; obstruc- tions on, ib. ; advantages of, 137 ; first fifty miles navigable by canoe only, ib. ; scenery on, ib. 274 INDEX Maiiibevg, lo(3 Maiueek, 153 Maiiiletiss, 136, 152 ilaiiiilieiin, 90 ; scenery below, 92 Maiiceuvres, autuniu, 156 Maps, 5, 63 Marbach, camp above, 71 ; Schiller's birthplace, 72 Marienburg, view from, 123 Mark Tapley, 27, 45 Mark Tapleyism, 31, 115 Marlborough, Duke of, 218 Mautern, 253 Mauthhausen, 246 Max Miiller, 7 Medieval towns on the ]\Iain, 137 Meiningen, 3, 8, 10, 11 .Melk, 252-254 ; abbey of, 254 Melkendorf, 146 Melnik, 171, 172 ; its picturesque situation, 172 Meugeu, encampment near, 203 Merry jests, 14, 16, 66, 67, 68, 99, 104, 116, 123, 167, 257 Metz, 110, 112 Meyer's Encyclopaedia, 3 Milila, 34 Miller, 25, 28, 32, 35, 37, 189, 206 ; his erroneous view about English- men, 74 ; at Steinhausen, 146 Miller's men unreliable in ])res- euce of portal)le projierty, 151 Miltenberg, 160, 163 ; Konian quarries at, 163 Minden, 49 Minneburg, 85 Minnesingers, 72, 95 Misgivings, 9, 28, 210, 250, 257 Mist, 116, 157, 179 Mohringen, 194 Moldau, character of the, 170 Money-letter, 40, 49 Moonlight bathe, 71 Moselkern, 128 Moselle, compared with the iNIain, 109 ; compared with the Khine, 103, 109 ; railway, 108 ; cliar, acteristics of, 109 ; scenery, 109, 116, 123, 125 ; great curves in, 116 ; best wine district of, 120 Mosquitoes, 204, 205 Moths, ])lague of, 121 Mowat, J. L. G., 222 Miihlheim, 190, 196, 224 Miinchausen, Ba7-oii, 44 Mundelsheini, 73 ; its wine, ib. ; camp below, ib. Miinden, 11, 39 ; fine scenery near, 39 ; distance to Bremen, 41 Munderkingen, 206, 207 Munich, 220, 221, 236 Miinster, village of, 66 Music in Germany, 221 Xahe, the, 102 Napoleon 111, 39 Neckar, as a bathing river, 70 ; scenery of, 84, 86 ; fever, 87 ; similarity with Upper Danube, 194 Neckarelz, 84 Neckarsteinach, 86 i Neckarsulm, 80 ; cami) below, ih. Neckarzinimern, 84 Neidingen, 189 Neuburg, 219 Neu-Drossenfeld, 139 ; lake-like reach at, ih. Xeuhausen, 187 Neumagen, 116 ; landlady and captain at, 118 Neuenhof, 34 Neuralgia, 241 Nibeluugen, 96, 223 Nibelungenlied, 72, 95, 96, 223 ; manuscript of, 188 Niederwald, 102, 104 Nieder-Walluf, 102, 106 Nienburg, 54 Nierstein, 100 Niersteiner wine, 100 Night-shirt, the captain's, 67 ; the interpreter's, v. curried Noah, 2 Nocturnal adventure, 19 ; bathe, 36 ; row and sail, 50-53 ; smoke, 52 Noiinanstein, 36 Noviomagus, 117 Nuremberg, 227 INDEX 275 Obekhaus, 240 Obermiilil, 242 Oclisenfurt, 158 Odemvald, 85 Ofen (Buda), 252 Oppeulieini, 100 Ottensheini, 244 Outfit, 4, 63, 135 Oxford, 2 ; friend at Bamberg, 155 Pabststein, 180 Paddliug, fast, 181 Passau, 196, 202, 239 ; beautiful situation of, 239 ; beautiful scen- ery below, 241 Passjiort, necessity of, for claiming registered letters, 40 Petersau, 101 Pfahlcjrahen, 222 Pfalzel, camp below, 113 Pfalz-Neuburg, Dukes of, 220 Pforeu, 189 Pforingeu, where the Nibelungen crossed the Danube, 223, 252 Philippsthal, 26 ; splendid camj)- ing ground near, 27 Photogi-aph of crew at Meiningen, 12 ; r. frontispiece Photographic surprise, 125-127 Pied Piper, 45 Piesport, 118, 120 Piggott, Messrs., tent-makers, 4, Pilot recommended, 238 Pilsen, 174, 236 Pima, 181 Pledging boat, novel method of, 32 Pochlaru, 251, 252, 253 Police regulations, curious, 134 Policeman, opportune, 225 Pdlz, 152 Pomraern, 126, 128 Poodles, wet as, 152 Porta Nigra, 110 Porta Westphalica, 48, 49 Postlingberg, 246 Potter, r. Stella lamp shop Practical jokes, the victim's opinion of them, 128 Prague, 166, 167 ; many railway stations at, 168 Prebischthor, 179 Presentiment, 147 Prevarication, 74 Professor, the, his calmness, 6 ; draws inhabitants of Walldorf after him, 15 ; his cheap boat- ing-shoes, 20 ; his mackintosh, 22 ; plays the village organ, 29 ; his exhaustion, 46 ; his wrath, 47 ; his scepticism, 49 ; his de- spair, 55 ; his pertinacity, 58 Pliuderich, great curve near, 123 Quarry, 68 Raft navigation on the Main, 136, 152 ; on the Werra, 3 Rafts, 38 ; at night, 81 Raftsmen, 38, 152 ; taken for, 47 Railway, Danube, 236 ; official, Bohemian, 175 Rain, heavy, 54, 141, 177, 178, 179, 182, 237, 241, 245 Rapids, 17, 39, 72, 76, 171, 196, 203, 249, 250 ; character of, 13 ; in Upper Danube, 190 Raspe, 44 Ratisbon, v. Regensburg Ranch, 230 Rechteusteiu, 206 Regeu, the, 226, 229 Regensburg, 226, 227 ; dangerous bridge at, 229 Regnitz, the, 154 Reichenberg, 174 Rent for camping, heavj', 148 Restaurants and fine views in- separable in German}', 154 Revolver, cheap, 18 Rheingau, 102 Rhine, colour of, 91 ; confluence of, with Neckar, ib. ; finest scenery on, 103 ; ruins on, ib. ; beaxit}'' of, overrated, ib. ; advantages of rowing expedition on, 104 ; dangers to navigation on, ib., 106 ; falls of tlie,'lS7 ; wine, potations of, 1S2 Richard I. , 254 Richmond, 2 276 INDEX Rieaiiiigen, 20.'), 206 Kiiitelu, 47, 48 ; innkeeper at, 48 Itipariaiis, their ignorance about ■ their rivers, 3, 34, 134, 219 River-toll, 243 Roh Roy, 4 Rocks, 8r>, 101, ]9(j, 197, 199, 237, 238, 248, 249, 250 Roman settlements, 83, 108, 117, 120, 237, 239, 2r)2, 257 Rope-ferries, 43 ; at night, 51 Rowing club at Worms, 97 ; their enthusiasm, ih. ; clubs, many on tlie Main, 157 Riideger, 252 Ruderspdit-liqueur, 117 Riidesheini, 103 Ruins, 103 ; frequency of, below Cochem, 127 ; and restaurants in Germany, 123, 175, 198 Saale, the, 160 Saatz, 174 Sailing, 43, 44 ; at night, risks of, 51-53 Salter, boatbuilder, 4 Salzungen, 23 ; camp below, ih. Saxon Switzerland, 173, 179 Schandan, 170, 173, 180 Scheer, large weir at, 202 Schillerhohe, near Marbach, 72 Schmiecha, the, 199 Schniieclien, the, 208 Schreckenstein, 175 Schwallungen, 19 Scliwantlialer, 230 Schweinfurt, 137, 155, 156, 158 Schweinsberg, 79 Scylla and Charybdis on the Main, 147 "Second-hand" toothpick, 65 Seething sound in the Danube, 215 September, advantages and draw- backs of, 233 Seven Mountains, 165 Severn, 2 Shallow rapids, 68, 192, 193 Shallows, 18, 79, 194 Shingle banks, 215, 236 Shijiwreck, 148 Shooting low weir, 202 Siegfried, 95, 252 ; opera, 221 Sigmaringen, 190, 196, 200 Singer, the sentimental, 74 Sinn, the, 160 Sleeplessness, 51, 67, 141, 168, 177, 192, 205 Sluices on the Werra, 28 ; .shooting, ib., 36 ; accident while, 37 Sneezing, 64, 225 Snoring, outrageous, 74 ; uncom- promising, 57 ; stratagem to prevent, 75 Soap, a remedy for snoring, 75 ; for leaks, 22, 69, 192 Soldiers bathing in companies, 69 Sonepore, 1 Spessart Forest, 109, 161 Spichra, 34 Sjjielberg, 246 Sportsindnner, 96, 136 Stadt am Hof, 228 Stadtprozelten, 162 Stauf, castle of, 229 Steam-dredger, 52, 99 Steamer, race with, 105 Steamers, disagreeable meetings with, 242, 246, 249, 251, 257, 258 Stein, 251, 254, 256 Steinhausen, 146, 150, 152 Steinirpiii, 160 Stella laini) shop, 4 Stench, mighty, 65 ; incentive to speed, 129 Steppbnrg, 219 St. Goar, 106 St. Goarsliausen, 105 St. Nikolai, 251 Strassburg Cathedral, 95 Straubing, 231 ; sluggishness of the current near, 231 ; acconi- jilished Englishman at, 234 Striking camp, time spent in, 27, 68 Strossendorf, 153 Strudel, its dangers exaggerated, 247 Stuben, ruined mona.stery of, 124 Sulzfeld, mediaeval village, 158 INDEX 277 Supper, "cold but capital," 22 Swabians, distinguished iu litera- ture, 72 Swedes, 229 Table, sleeping on, 36 Table-music, rare kind of, 57 Tallard, Marshal, 218 Tauber, the, 162 Tea, jiound of, surprising rise in the value of, 149 Tea-party, public, 16 Tetschen, 173, 178 Tewkesbury, 2 Thames, 2, 35 ; below Nuneham, 153 Themar, 3 Theres, 156 Thiergarten, 194, 198, 199 Thirty Years' War, 12, 162, 195, 229 Thunderstorm, 19, 24, 89, 193, 214 Thuringian Forest, 11, 12 Tiefenbach Valley, 120 Tiefeuort, 24 Towing-patli, 88 Towing-ropes, dangers from, 88 Traben, 120 Transformation scene, rapid, 33 Trarbach, 120 Traunthal, 224 Treffurt, 11, 36 Treis, 128 Treismauer, 253 Tremor alcoholicus, 73 Trespassing, 23, 77, 114 Treveri, 108 Treves (Trier), 107, 108 ; amphi- theatre at, 110 ; Basilica at, ib. ; mistaken politeness of the in- habitants of, 111 ; start from, 112 Triberg, 187 Triefenstein, 161 Tulln, 253, 257 Tunnel, Kaiser -Wilhelms, 124 ; tlirough reeds, 139 Tuttlingen, 195-197 Uerzig, 120 Uliland's ballad about the three students on tlie Rhine, 30 Ulm, 190, 210, 213-215 ; danger- ous bridge at, 211 ; perilous landing at, 212 Umbrellas, loss of, 141, 148 Union Jack, 138, 170, 182 Unter-Marclithal, 206 Untermtihl, 242 Upset, 144, 148 Urfahr, 246 Uttewaldengrund, 181 Vacha, 25 ; camp below, 25, 26 Vague message, 34 Vangiones, 94 Varnish, 22, 192, 195 Veal cutlets, 73 Vergen, 223 Viaduct below Marbach, 72 Vienna, 185, 231, 253, 256, 259 ; Congress at, ih. Vilshofen, 202, 235, 237, 238 Virgin Mary, 111 Motho, 49 " Volkach, 157 ; loop in the river at, ib. Wagner festival, 133, 136 Walhalla, 226, 230, 231 Walldorf, 12, 14 ; camp below, 14 Wallenstadt, 153 Wallsee, 246 Wauufried, 29, 37 Wartberg, 79 Wartburg, 32, 33 Warwick, 2 Wasungeu, 17 Walerlili/, Lor/ of the, 156 Water-wheels, 140, 142, 147 ; their hateful character, 142 Weather, 130, 246 Wehlen, 181 Weir-keeper, 156 Weirs, 12, 14, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 68, 69, 77, 79, 136-139, 152, 153, 156, 159, 173, 189, 191, 199, 206 ; number of, on the Upper Danube, 190 278 INDEX Welshpool, 2 Welteiiburg, 197, 202, 223, 224 Wenishauseu, 19, 21, 38 Wernwag, 198 Werra, the, 2, 3, 190 ; obstructions on, 11, 137 Wertheini, 162 Weser, breadth of, 49, r>2 ; liills, 48, 49 Wiener Wald, 256 Whisky drinker, gi'eat, 234 Wildenstein, 198 Wilhelnishuhe, 39 Winipfen, 83 ; ini Thai, il>. Win(l, strong, 42, 45, 46, 55, 157, 174, 257 Wine, extensive experience of, gained on Rliiue, Neckar, Main, Moselle, 100 Wirbel, 247, 249, 250 Wirth, Joseph, boatbuiklcr at Frankfort, 6 W'ir/hshans, story about, 175 Wittelsbach, house of, 234 Witzenhausen, 2, 39 World, smallness of, 31, 50 Worms, 94, 95, 223, 252 ; Diet of, 94 ; cathedral of, ib. ; situa- tion of, 96 ; rowing club at, ih. ; camp below, 98 Wcirth, island of, not surrounded by water, 248 Wiirtemberg jiost-cards, 79 Wiirzburg, 119, 137, 156, 159, 160 Wye, 2 YACHTiNG-bags, 9, 33 Zapfendorf, 154 Zell, 123, 160 Zeltingen, 120 Zwingeuberg, 85 THE END Printed by Edward Stanford, 26 and 27 Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, London, S. IF. STANFORD'S TRAVELLING MAPS. EUROPE. — Stanford's Library and Travelling Map of Europe. Constructed Ly Alex. Kkith Johnston, F.K.S.E., F.U.(4.8. Scale, 50 miles to an inch ; size, 65 iiiclies by 58. Tlie Kailways are accurately and distinctly delineated. 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