whole
crowd of boozers (with the exception of our driver, who went to bed with
his horses) set about preparing couches for themselves, with a tact that
plainly showed how well they were accustomed to it. The straw was spread
equally over the whole chamber, and each man turned over his heavy oaken
chair, so that its back became a pillow. Divested of boots and coats, we
were soon stretched upon our litters, thirty in a room.

Our morning duty was to shake the loose straw out of our hair and ears,
and then to clear away every vestige of our night accommodation, in order
that a delicious breakfast of rich, black, thick coffee, and plain bread,
might be spread before us in the same room. The country folks were all
at market, and, as far as we could see, so was our driver. He was
nowhere to be found. We had vague notions of his having decamped; but
considering that we had only paid him two zwanzigers out of the five
bargained for, the supposition seemed hardly a reasonable one. After
seeking him in vain through every room in the house, in the crowded
market place, and in the neat little town, full of low, square-built
houses and whitened colonnades, we thought of the stable, and there we
found our friend, stretched on his back among the hoofs of his horse,
who, careful creature, loving him too well to disturb him, never stirred
a limb.

We saw our guide in a new light that day. In spite of all our urging, it
was nine o'clock before we fairly quitted Collin, and he was then already
in an exhilarated state, having taken several strong draughts to cool his
inward fever. We would have given much to have been able to converse
with him; for, as we were about to start, he grinned and gesticulated in
such a violent way--having, evidently, something to communicate which he
was unable to express--that we called the host to our assistance.

"You must not be alarmed," said the landlord in explanation, "if he
should swerve from the high-road, for he thinks of taking you cross
country, and it may be a little rough."

We started at last, and the brave little horse rattled along at a gallant
pace. "Hi, hi, hi!" shouted the Bohemian, and away we went along the
well-beaten high-road, jolted unmercifully; our knapsacks dancing about
our feet like living creatures. We were too much occupied in the task of
keeping our seats, to be able to devote much attention to the country,
until, having passed Czaslau, we turned suddenly out of th