at fellow climbing up the
ladder of a steamer from a boat on a blowy day."

"Or dancing to the bagpipe," said Paul.

The sky was cloudy, and the captain seemed irresolute, whether to
advise me to make the ascent or proceed to Banya. The plethoric
one-eyed clerk, with more regard to his own comfort than my pleasure,
was secretly persuading the captain that the expedition would end in a
ducking to the skin, and, turning to me, said, "You, surely, do not
intend to go up to day, Sir? Take the advice of those who know the
country?"

"Nonsense," said I, "this is mere fog, which will clear away in an
hour. If I do not ascend the Kopaunik now, I can never do so again."

Plethora then went away to get the director to lend his advice on the
same side; and after much whispering he came back, and announced that
my horse was unshod, and could not ascend the rocks. The director was
amused with the clumsy bustle of this fellow to save himself a little
exercise. I, at length, said to the doubting captain, "My good friend,
an Englishman is like a Servian, when he takes a resolution he does
not change it. Pray order the horses."

We now crossed the Ybar, and ascending for hours through open pasture
lands, arrived at some rocks interspersed with stunted ilex, where a
lamb was roasting for our dinner. The meridian sun had long ere this
pierced the clouds that overhung our departure, and the sight of the
lamb completely irradiated the rubicund visage of the plethoric clerk.
A low round table was set down on the grass, under the shade of a
large boulder stone. An ilex growing from its interstices seemed to
live on its wits, for not an ounce of soil was visible for its
subsistence. Our ride gave us a sharp appetite, and we did due
execution on the lamb. The clerk, fixing his eyes steadily on the
piece he had singled out, tucked up his sleeves, as for a surgical
operation, and bone after bone was picked, and thrown over the rock;
and when all were satisfied, the clerk was evidently at the
climacteric of his powers of mastication. After reposing a little, we
again mounted horse.

A gentle wind skimmed the white straggling clouds from the blue sky.
Warmer and warmer grew the sunlit valleys; wider and wider grew the
prospect as we ascended. Balkan after Balkan rose on the distant
horizon. Ever and anon I paused and looked round with delight; but
before reaching the summit I tantalized myself with a few hundred
yards of ascent, to treasure