a common nature. And perhaps it is not wonderful that
in Germany, of all countries, the features of the rivers should bring this common nature curiously into evidence. And this produces a certain sameness in the descriptions of boating on these different rivers. We have no doubt that in reality, to the Interpreter and his companions, one expedition differed from another as a tour in Switzerland differs from one in Holland, Russia, Norway, or Spain; but even they would not deny that their adventures on each had a strong family like- ness, except that the risks and dangers of the Danube seem to surpass those of any other river. Mills, weirs, and rapids are to be met with everywhere, except, indeed, on the Rhine and the Moselle. The Main has a special terror of its own in the shape of water-wheels, by which, more than once, the canoe narrowly escaped being wrecked.
The first voyage recorded in this book was made by a crew of -three in a pair-oar, on the Werra and the Weser, from Meiningen to Bremen. This was a thorough camping expedi- tion, and meant the conveyance of a large quantity of luggage. It is amusing to note the reduction of luggage in later voyages, till the hardening effect of years has brought our oarsmen to sleeping between two heaps of hay for walls, with their canoe for a roof, or else openly under the stars, with no more mention of tent, tables, hampers, or any necessaries of life except a waterproof-sheet, a few rugs, spirit-lamp, &c. The most remarkable adventure on the Weser voyage was the per- formance of rowing and sailing 105 miles in twenty-six hours, from Minden to Bremen. The navigation of an unknown river on a dark night seems a rash undertaking enough, even though they had it to themselves, and we are not surprised that they were almost caught by a ferry-cable, that they ran into a snag, and all but came into collision with a steam-dredger. Much worse accidents might have been expected, though this may be considered a mild adventure compared with one of the same kind in a canoe on the Danube. It was a party of five, still merrier than those who navigated the Werra---though even they had indulged in many puns and other jokes, and great roars of laughter—who made a voyage in a four-oar down the Neckar and the Rhine, starting from Cannstatt and landing finally at Coblenz. This voyage, from various causes, seems to have made a great impression on the natives. The general appear- ance of the crew, their startling ways, and wonderful camping apparatus, were a totally new experience to people on the banks of the Neckar. On this river they were a good deal troubled by barges, and on one occasion, having pitched their camp in the dark, between the towing-path and the river, the rope of a barge very nearly brought down their tent on their heads.
The same crew proceeded from the Rhine to the Moselle, which certainly, among these rivers, seems to be the most beautiful, the safest, and the easiest. The author speaks of its "wonderful quiet and peacefulness," and adds that it "has between Treves and Coblenz absolutely no obstruction in the way of weirs or locks to retard the progress of the navi- gator." We are not sure, however, that weirs, locks, mill- sluices, even water-wheels, not to mention steamers, barges, and other obstructions, with tolerably constant wadings, wettings, and dangers narrowly escaped, did not very much increase the pleasure of these voyages. If we are wrong, the Interpreter will forgive us ; but for some reason the canoe- voyage down the Danube, almost fuller of narrow escapes than any other, seems to be the one that he remembers most affectionately.
• Camping Voyages on German Ricers. By Arthur A. Macdcmell, LA. With Frontispiece and 20 Maps. London: Edward Stanford. 1890. We do not know why this voyage in a Canadian canoe on the Danube, which took place two years before those on the Moldau, Elbe, and Main, should have the last place in the book, except that it was the longest, and seems also to have been the most delightful. And we are still more puzzled to know why the Main voyage, which came off a few days after that on the Moldau and Elbe, should be described a chapter before them. But the author shows in other ways so much good sense and originality, that we feel inclined to accept his arrangement patiently, believing that there must be some good reason for the oddity of it. At first it seems almost incredible that the upper course of the Main, fifty miles, between Bayreuth and Lichtenfels, "had never been done by boat before," or that in the year 1888 a boat had never before been seen at Bayreuth. Besides this marvellous fresh- ness, the Main has many other attractions, being a fine and quiet stream, with beautiful banks, and flowing by curious old towns,—such as Karlstadt, Wertheim, Stadtprozelten, and Freudenberg. The great drawback of the Upper Main, besides the numerous weirs_ and mills, is its system of water-wheels, which makes the navigation particularly dangerous and diffi- cult. At a mill on the Main, the voyagers suffered their only loss by theft ; and the author remarks :—" Millers' assistants have long had the reputation in German literature of being persons singularly unreliable in the presence of personal pro- perty." The moral we should draw is,—When starting on a camping voyage, leave valuable jewellery at home.
The book ends with a long chapter on the Danube voyage, the most interesting and the most dangerous of all. The boat on this occasion was a canoe, and the distance traversed was nearly 550 miles, from Donaueschingen to Vienna. On the Upper Danube, mills, weirs, and rapids abound; but these seem to be far more easily managed with a canoe than with any other kind of boat. One of the most charming places on the banks is Sigmaringen, which the author recommends as delightful head-quarters for a reading party. Lower down, the canoeists had a narrow escape of being wrecked under the railway bridge at mm; but this is no great wonder when they were rash enough to shoot it at night, without any knowledge of the force of the current. After this they were very nearly swamped at the edge of a swimming-bath, where at last, in the dark, they managed to scramble ashore. Another dangerous adventure was shooting the old bridge at Regensburg, but this was fortunately done by daylight,—otherwise this book would hardly have been written.
It is, of course, a book which will chiefly interest boating men ; and to any one who thinks of following in the track of these voyagers, it will be invaluable. The pages are inter- spersed with charts of each river, on which every mill, weir, and camping-place is marked, the maps themselves being copied from the German Ordnance Survey. There is also a large map of the river system of Germany, an appendix giving much useful information as to distances and other details, and an index; thus the book is complete as a guide to any future voyagers. That vague creature, the general reader, will also find it interesting ; for it is written in a lively style, giving some notion of the individual crazes of the crews, and it never fails to mention anything picturesque, romantic, or historical, by which these rivers flow.
Previous page
