10th November:  rain fell in torrents, much to my disgust, as the scenery was very beautiful.  The road, which is a portion of the old road constructed by Omer Pacha, skirts the banks of the river, which winds sometimes amongst steep wooded hills, at others in the smooth green plains.  At one point we were obliged to ford it; the stream was rather deep and rapid, and I certainly experienced a sensation of relief when I saw my baggage pony fairly landed on the opposite bank, without further injury to his load than a slight immersion.  The fishing of the Bosna is not so good as that of the Narento and some other rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Let me not be accused of a partiality for travellers’ tales, when I say that trout of 60 lbs. have been killed in the latter province.  In external colour these are veritable trout, the flesh, however, having a yellowish appearance, something between the colour of trout and salmon; the smaller fish are of excellent quality and are very abundant.  Three hours after leaving Boosovatz we reached Tzenitza, a small town where a little trade is carried on.  While sitting in the public room of the khan, the post from Brod arrived en route to Bosna Serai.  The man who carried it came in wet and mud-bespattered, and declared the road to be quite impassable; a bit of self-glorification which I took for what it was worth.  Had I not been pressed for time I should have myself been inclined to give way to the importunities of all concerned, to postpone my journey to Vranduk until the following day; but seeing no prospect of any improvement in the weather, I deemed it prudent to push on.

Another difficulty, however, here presented itself.  The Tchouch of Zaptiehs positively declined to give me a guide; and it was only by sending for the Mudir, and threatening to write a complaint to the Serdar Ekrem, that I succeeded in obtaining one.  This escort duty is the principal work of the mounted Zaptiehs.  Ten piastres a day, or twenty pence, is what is usually paid them by those who make use of their services.  They, of course, pay for the keep of their own horses out of their regular official salary.  The rain now gave place to snow, which fell in considerable quantities for two or three days.  The cold was intense, and it was only by halting at every khan, generally about three hours apart, that it was possible to keep the blood in circulation.  On the morning of the 20th the sun shone out bright and comparatively warm, although everything bore a most wintry aspect.  Beautiful as the scenery must be when spring has clothed the trees with green, or when the early autumnal tints have succeeded the fierce heat of summer, the appearance of the country clad in its snowy garments might well compare with either of these.  The hills, rugged in parts, and opening out at intervals into large open plains, trees and shrubs groaning with their milk-white burden, or sparkling like frosted silver in the moonlight, and above all the river, now yellow and swollen, rushing rapidly along, produced an effect characteristic and grand.