The lower rooms of the castle have been repaired, and
are used as prisons; and as we passed, arms were stretched forth
from some of the barred windows, and plaintive voices entreated the
passers-by to bestow some trifle upon the poor inmates. Upwards of
140 prisoners are said to be confined here. {56}
About three o'clock in the afternoon the wind abated, and we
continued our journey. The passage is very uniform, and we saw only
flat, bare shores; a group of trees even was a rarity.
September 21st.
When I came on deck this morning the Sound was far behind us. To
the left we had the open sea; on the right, instead of the bleak
Schmoland, we had the bleaker Schonen, which was so barren, that we
hardly saw a paltry fishing-village between the low sterile hills.
At nine o'clock in the morning we anchored in the port of Ystadt.
The town is pretty, and has a large square, in which stand the house
of the governor, the theatre, and the town-hall. The streets are
broad, and the houses partly of wood and partly of stone. The most
interesting feature is the ancient church, and in it a much-damaged
wooden altar-piece, which is kept in the vestry. Though the figures
are coarse and disproportionate, one must admire the composition and
the carving.
