THE LAKE OF CONSTANZ, ETC.

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snow. We could see, too, tlie crooked back of the "Altmann(Old Man), and tlie jagged line of the "Kurfürsten" hüls (the"Prince Elector" mountains—so called from there being sevenof them in number), as well as the tall cone of the " Kantor?These were the principal peaks of the "Appenzeller Alps;"but to the right of them stretched the fine diadem-like lineof the " Beniese Alps," and to the left undulated the billowychain of the " Tyrolese Alps; " whilst in front of the tallerhills — which seemed almost as though modelled out of thewhite clouds themselves —there ran a long dark screen ofa lesser mountain-chain, that contrasted magnificently withthe bright silver peaks of the higher Alps behind. TheLake itself was the colour of blue tempered steel, and as itslittle waves danced in the sun-beams it shone with all thegolden metallic colouring of a mackarel's back.

In less than half-an-hour we were at Meersburg, a townthat, in the distance, seemed like a city of white marblepalaces terracing a steep hill-side. On nearing the shore,however, the marble palaces dwindled into buildings more lik«large white-washed workhouses and barracks. One of thesewe learnt was the " Seminar " (town school) of the place, butanother proved to be a real palace, whilst the remainderwere the prisons and customs-offices of the town. Here wasa small pier with a tiny harbour, and this our steamer entered,while the band played and drew the Sunday-folk to the quay,like bees swarming at the sound of a gong. In a few moments.afterwards the boat, with a heavy addition to its human car'go,steamed out of the haven again, while the boys ran shoutingalong to the end of the pier to see the vessel go by.

Not long after this the island of Mainau began to grow andCrow, risino-, as it were, from out the water; and a few moretwirls of the paddles brought us alongside the little Squarestone tank there doing duty for a haven. High on top of the

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