another like waves of the sea, overtopped and looked
down upon a succession of valleys, each more striking, both for
richness and beauty, than the first; and forming altogether such a
scene as must be witnessed to be felt, or even understood.

We could not spare much time to repose, even in such a situation as
this; so we quitted our lairs, not without regret, and plodded onwards.
The whole day's journey was, as may be imagined, interesting in the
extreme. Before us was the peak of Schnee-Koppee, sharp, to all
appearance, as the apex of a bee-hive, yet supporting a round tower,
which we understood the burgomaster to have described as a chapel.
Round this peak large fields of snow were lying, but the summit itself
seemed clear. This pleased us exceedingly; indeed, every step which we
took in advance helped to dispel a portion of the gloom in which our
host had endeavoured to envelope the enterprise; for though there was
no path, points of observation could everywhere be taken; and the
woods, of the depths and horrors of which he had spoken so much, all
proved easy of passage. On, therefore, we tramped, nothing doubting,
till, after repeated dips and renewed ascents, each of which opened out
to us fresh glories, some of them almost, but not quite equal, to those
that lay behind, we arrived, about twelve o'clock, at the village of
Kleine Oupa; the most elevated of all the spots on which, in this
country of Bohemia, men have ventured to establish their permanent
dwellings; and raised, I should conceive, little, if at all, short of
four thousand feet above the level of the sea. For round them, in
patches, among the stunted firs, the snow was still lying; even while
the sun beat warmly overhead, and thin crops of rye,--the only grain
fit to be cultivated at such a height from the plain,--seemed advancing
to perfection.

Kleine Oupa is rather a hamlet than a village. It contains, perhaps,
thirty houses, of which one is a parsonage,--for there is a
church,--one a school-house, one a caserne, in which a party of jagers
are quartered, and one which fulfils the two-fold duty of mill and
gasthof. To this latter we bent our steps, and found in its tap-room
rather better than the customary fare, that is to say, good white
bread, as well as eggs and butter. These furnished forth, for hungry
travellers like us, an excellent dinner; at the completion of which our
journey recommenced, not to be delayed again, except for a brief space,