26 CASUALS IN THE CAUCASUS 



of the penitent at the Confessional relating the ins 

 and outs of a grievous past. 



" When did this terrible affair occur ? " questioned 

 the reverend Father solemnly. 



" Thirty-two years ago last June, Your Reverence." 



" Oh, dear me," exclaimed the priest, brushing the 

 tale aside, " that has been forgiven you long ago." 



" I know it has," murmured the penitent ; "of 

 course I know it has, but I do so love to tell about 

 it!" 



How I am wandering from the point ! And I often 

 think that with travel books it is the prolonged " get- 

 ting there " which for some occult reason has to be 

 gone through before the taking-off point is reached, 

 that frightens away so many would-be readers. Ex- 

 planations of anything are so wearisome. Whenever 

 I see them coming in novels I skip, skip on to where, 

 with large margins and many spaces, the people talk. 



Past beautiful Therapia we steamed slowly, making 

 but little progress against the strong current running 

 from the Black Sea, which lay at the distant end of the 

 winding water-way in a sheet of glittering silver. Be- 

 yond Buyukdere the narrowing strait widened again 

 as its end was neared. Purple-black rocks, jagged 

 and knife-edged, formed a rampart wall on either 

 side, and over their sharp spurs the waves wreathed 

 and curled in a never-ceasing line of foam. Clear of 

 the straits, lying miles apart, haloed by the romance 

 of centuries, we saw the bare Symplegades. A Jason 

 could safely row a fleet of Argos betwixt them now. 



The Black, or Stormy, Sea was just now obligingly 



