The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-05-27
vts,ase An syrmta.


we mounted the frontier town OF Carlow
itz, the hills. which had crossed, scarce
ten days before; teeming with hustle and ami
nation. The vineyards that skirted the
road, then 50 deserted by living objects,
were all alive with moving human crea-
lures, mounting, descending, gathering,
STOPPING, lying. in every variety Of group.
Our very passage was constantly obsTucted
by the confusion Of the vintage proceedings:
frequently whole troops Of my favoriie
white oxen, IN teams Of two or four, or as
many as six, formed wall across our way,
10 distance, the depth Of which was in
visible and, since all these teams had big,
long. wooden carts al their tails, the solidi-
~ OF these walls seemed at first TO be in
surmountsble to our carriage with its light
Hungarian horses.
After all these hindraDces, We came, al
20, upon troops Of women who were carry
ing loads Of grapes in wondrous fashion.
Over one Of their shoulders they bore bent
piece OF wood, aller the fashion OF that
which milkmaids used 10 carry in other
days, and perhaps still carry in some
places, for the support Of their pals.
From the hooks al each end OF this spe-
cies Of yoke hung large clusters of grapes
reaching almost to the ground, arran-
ged in such wise that each cluster, OF
some hundred grapes or more, looked only
ike one gigantic bunch, reminding one Of
the well known picture Of the two Israel
ties carrying in triumph the miraculous
bunch OF grapes from the discovered land
Of milk and honey | afterwards found
out that beneath each Of these large masses
Of grapes was machine, made of reed and
osier work. large and rounded above, ia
Pering below, upon which the punches
were so fixed and iniertwined as to form
those Brobdignsgian lunches. of which each
woman earned two; the name Of this ma
chine, or structure, or Whatever II may be
called, is, in the Sclayonian dialect OF the
country, eDeylka.
Towards evening, a proposal was made
BY some Of the chateau party, to undertake
3 rambling excursion into the hills behind
the park, IN order 10 witness some OF the
-h1mors' of the vintage in the open air.
Peasant women and their chill
dIen were coming from their own little pc
culiaI vintage with large baskets full Of
grapes upon their heads: and. although they
sometimes staggered with WEAKNESS under
their loads, they did not seem the less gay.
the less full Of the influence OF the abound
ing season for all that Here already the
scene was sufficiently animated. Bot pres
emily we turned up stony gullies from om
road into the upper hills, and wandered
here and there, with curious intrusion, into
1he vineyards on their slopirg sides. Here
the scenes were still more strange and fan
ciful. In some, beneath aedge-rows be-
hung with masses Of creeping plants, were
Uttered down heaps Of straw and dried
leaves, on which groups Of peasants Of both
sexes had lain down, men and women to-
gether peli-mell, for the repose OF the night
here and there sat knots Of girls, munmur-
ing low together and having evidently a
great deal Of important matter 10 talk
about, in their own little coteries, before
they slept in far corners, where the bright
moonlight had difficulty IN piercing some
thicker canopy Of bush or creeping plant,
and where the shade was deeper and darker
we thought we could distinguish something
OF the proceedings OF rural finations, but
these retired hooks we were too discreet to
investigate more closely. In Others, again,
were lighted fires, al which suppers were
being cooked or eaten; and clustering
groups sat round, in the strange fantastic
pictnre-like lighs and shades produced by
tbe struggles Of the moonlight and freight;
In one spot the supper was concluded, and
there was great romping and shouting be-
tween men and maidens some Of the
girls were springing over the still burning
fires 70 avoid 100 hardy lovers. and then
turning round with coquettish laugh, 70
raise up quantity OF lighted wood-embers
IN their regardless hands, and fling them in
the faces Of the aadacions youths. or OF each
other or when some young gentleman.s
conduct was really too naughty, he was
seized by two or three stout damsels, and
dragged. as II through fiery ordeal 10 test
his truth, across the burning wood, If not,
Perchance. flung down upon his back into
H. but all this seemed to be acted in a
spirit OF vast good-humor and good fellow
ship.-Leftsrs from The Danube.
Life Is shortened by indulgence in anger.