72 CASUALS IN THE CAUCASUS 



" Heart's Desire " ran a close second for popularity. 

 Another cellar-hole, got at down earthen steps, had a 

 long title emblazoned in blue letters across a rickety 

 door, and this Cecily would only translate as " Bid me 

 good-bye and go." 



The wines of the country are said to be very good, 

 and Kenneth, who is one of those people who affect to 

 " understand wine," and therefore spend a life of 

 thraldom to a label and a cork, endorsed the general 

 opinion. " Warmer than Bordeaux, but not so full- 

 bodied as Burgundy " is his description, whatever it 

 may mean. 



The making of the various brands is a great industry, 

 but so much wine is got through in the country that the 

 export trade is of little account. The conquerors and 

 the conquered are very fond of " potations pottle 

 deep," as Horace termed it. Which is, I think, such 

 a nice way of putting the case, don't you ? 



Through the Tatar Bazaar a wander below the 

 solemn Avlabar Prison leads on across the river to the 

 old market-place of Turkish days, and hereabouts are 

 the labyrinthine cellars where the wine supply of 

 Tiflis is stored. 



In an evil-smelling little cave room, airless and 

 infinitely gloomy, we found a shaven-headed Tatar 

 worthy converting the whole skin of a calf into a 

 mammoth wine bottle. The hair had been left on 

 the skin, and thickly coated with naphtha of the 

 consistency of train-grease. Next, the industrious 

 worker proceeded to sew the pathetic disembodied 

 creature into a semblance of its former self. 



