One can scarcely form an idea of the continual and extraordinary windings of the river. Half an hour ago we saw, on the right, the Muscovite’s vessel, and on the left the other vessels a-head _on a line_ with us, separated, however, by the high grass, from which their masts and sails joyfully peeped forth. I could scarcely persuade myself that we had proceeded from the one place, and shall steer to the other. There is something cheerful and tranquilizing in this life-like picture of ships seeking and finding each other again in the immeasurable grass-sea, which gives us a feeling of security. It must be a sight to the people of this region that they cannot comprehend, owing to the distance. Those sixteen dhellèb-palms have at last approached to within gun-shot. I had counted them four times, and every time found another, so exactly does one trunk cover the other. I do not call them _handsome_ trees, because they stand there in the green wilderness; no, I find them really beautiful, for there is a peculiar charm in them. They rise like double gigantic flowers upon slender stalks, gently protruding in the middle, and not like those defoliated date-palms, which stand meagerly, like large cabbage-stalks. It is impossible that the latter should delight my poor heart, full of the remembrance of shady trees,—the oaks and beech-trees of Germany; the planes near Parnassus; the cypress on the Bosphorus, and the chestnuts on the Asiatic Olympus. About three o’clock we landed on the left shore, and found it dry, to our astonishment, but still green, and covered with high grasses. Near the palms were four ant-hills, on the tops of which we found the wet blue clay worked up. Some miserable tokuls also stood around, but they were deserted by the inhabitants. To my sorrow, I see again a sürtuk destroyed, for the sake of some splinters of wood, merely to keep up a fire the whole night for amusement, on board the sandal,—not to drive away the gnats, for they let the fire burn in a clear flame. Wherever they have the opportunity of displaying their petulance, our blacks also are ever ready. They are not ever ashamed to have always in their mouths the word “Abit,” although they themselves are slaves, and will be so while they live, though clad in the soldier’s smock frock, for the Turkish soldiery have not yet qualified themselves for an honourable condition.