After a great deal of palavering—­I think we must have spoken to every able-bodied man in the churchyard—­I at last induced a young Wallachian to say he would accompany me.  He spoke a little German, which was a great advantage.  I told him to procure himself a good horse, and to take care that all his arrangements were completed before night, as I wished to start very early the following morning.

To this he replied that it would be quite necessary to start early, and begged to know if five o’clock would be too soon; adding that as I must pass through Petrilla, would I meet him at the corner of the churchyard?

To this I agreed, repeating that we were to meet not a moment later than five o’clock.  My friend and I returned to Petroseny, and the afternoon was occupied in making preparations for two days on the mountains.  I supplied myself with a good amount of slivovitz, as a medium of exchange for milk and cheese with the shepherds, who understand this kind of barter much better than any money transactions.

The next day, when it came, brought a continuance of good weather, and I was up betimes, looking forward with pleasure to the mountain ride.  I reached Petrilla a few minutes after five o’clock; but my man was not at the churchyard corner, whereupon I rode all round the churchyard, thinking he might by mistake have pitched on some odd corner, and be out of sight under the trees.  However, I looked in vain—­a man on horseback is not hidden like a lizard between two stones!  Verily he was not there.

I waited half an hour all to no purpose.  I now resolved to try and find out where he lived.  I had understood that he belonged to the village.  After a great deal of trouble and bother, and poking of my nose into various interiors where the families were still en deshabille, I unearthed my guide.  He coolly said that he was waiting for the horse, which was to be brought to him by some other lazy fellow not yet up.

I could not speak Wallachian, and he pretended not to understand a word of my wrathful tirade in German, which was all nonsense, because I found later that he spoke that language fairly well.  I insisted that he should come with me to find the horse, and so he did at last, in a dilatory sort of way, and then it turned out that the animal was waiting at the other end of the village for his rider.

Well, thought I, we shall start now; but no, there were two to that bargain.  The Wallack calmly informed me that he must return to his hut, for he had not breakfasted.  Not to lose sight of him, I returned too.  He then with Oriental deliberation set about making a fire, and proceeded to cook his polenta of maize.  I had got hungry again by this time, though I had breakfasted at Petroseny before starting, so I partook of some of his mess, which was exceedingly good, much better than oatmeal porridge.

In consequence of all these delays it was after eight o’clock before we really started.  The horse which my guide had procured for himself was a wretched animal—­a tantalising object for vultures and carrion-crows—­instead of being a good strong horse, as I had stipulated he should be; but there was no help for it now, so on we went.