At early dawn they were in the saddle, and the three rode all day, until towards sunset they stood on the crest of a hill looking down into the valley of the Rhine.
The present aspect of that valley affords but a slight idea of its beauty in those days.

The slopes are now clad with vineyards, which, although picturesque in idea, are really, to look at from a distance, no better than so many turnip fields.

The vines are planted in rows and trained to short sticks, and as these rows follow the declivities of the hillside, they are run in all directions, and the whole mountain side, from the river far up, is cut up into little patches of green lines.

In those days the mountains were clad with forests, which descended nearly to the river side.

Here and there, upon craggy points, were situate the fortalices of the barons.