He was kindly received all along, and had he accepted one-third of the invitations to entertainments, some months would have been required to finish the voyage.

On one lonely stretch, he saw a solitary countryman standing on the bank.
"Ho, ho; my good friend," he shouted.
"Who is there ?" asked the startled farmer.
"The devil." "Where are you going ?" "To Lyons." "Well, get along, then; you are going home." Probably the farmer had visited Lyons, and was not pleased with that city.
Paul entered Lyons at two o'clock, having been twenty-four hours under way.

He was tendered a splendid reception and presented with several rich souvenirs.

Resuming the journey, he traveled at the rate of fifteen miles an hour and many people accompanied him in boats for quite a distance down the stream.

At places along the route, the banks were broken, the river flooded the lowlands, and he was frequently carried among groves of trees, requiring no little exertion to keep from being pounded against them by the force of the current.