ity of water.

The people of the district are nearly all Catholics, which may be
attributed to its proximity to Dalmatia and the convents of Bosnia. They
are orderly and well-behaved, according to the Mudir's account; but I
also gathered from some Catholics to whom I spoke that this good
behaviour results from fear more than love, as the few Turks have it all
their own way. In the centre of the plain are some old tombs, some of a
sarcophagus shape, others merely rough flat stones, whilst here and
there interspersed may be seen some modern crosses--a strange admixture
of the present and the past. After a somewhat uncomfortable night in the
one khan which the town possesses, I presented myself with early dawn at
the house of the Mudir. Although not yet 8 o'clock, I found him with the
whole Medjlis in conclave around him. Thence the entire party
accompanied me to inspect the fort, or such part of it as had escaped
the ravages of time. It was rather amusing to see the abortive attempts
at climbing of some of these fur-coated, smoke-dried old Mussulmans, who
certainly did not all equal the Mudir in activity. The fort is a
quadrilateral with bastions, and gates in each of the curtains; in two
of the bastions are eight old guns, dismounted: these are all of Turkish
manufacture, some having iron hoops round the muzzles.

In the SW. corner is a round tower, evidently copied from the Roman, if
not of genuine Roman origin. For what purpose the fort was built, or by
whom, I was unable to learn. It is said, however, to have been
constructed about two centuries ago[U], and there is a Turkish
inscription on it to that effect; but, as I have said before, no
reliance can be placed upon these. There are many buildings within the
walls, and one mosque is reputed to have existed a hundred years before
the rest of the fort.

Shortly after leaving the village we arrived at the frontier line of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is, however, unmarked. Already the country
presented a greener and more habitable appearance, which increased as we
continued our journey. Towards evening we stopped at a little village
named Vidosa, where the uncle of my hunting companions held the post of
parish priest. Having sent one of his nephews in advance to warn him of
my arrival, he was waiting to receive me, and invited me to stay at his
house with great cordiality. Notwithstanding that the greater portion of
it had been destroyed by fire a few months previous