76 CASUALS IN THE CAUCASUS 



weight of years. Our requirements were extremely 

 simple, for we sought no professed courier, but a hard- 

 as-nails fellow, willing to saddle and picket horses, 

 fetch and carry, cook for us on occasion, talk for us, 

 translate for us, and assist us in the carrying through 

 of any project. 



Our would-be servant spoke Avar, his own tongue, 

 and claimed acquaintance with Tatar, Georgian, and 

 Russian. Of English he knew a few words ; one in 

 particular, " Look ! " pleased him mightily. An 

 excellent stock-in-trade for a guide, too, and I wonder 

 where he picked it up. He often used it when there 

 was nothing to look at, and smiled as though realizing 

 how often he sprung the allusion and how much he 

 liked it. 



He had a " character," a chit given him by a 

 Russian officer. The worn old piece of paper set forth 

 that Ali had many excellent qualities, counter-balanced 

 by many failings. He was very truthful, a somewhat 

 negligible point, the writer added, among the Eastern 

 tribes. Ali Ghirik counted this as something to be 

 proud of, and pointed out the words to us with a 

 henna-stained forefinger. Well, he was right. A 

 Washingtonian character is the most valuable asset 

 to which a servant can aspire. It enables him to tell 

 as many fibs as ever he pleases. 



The lengthy credential went on to hint that had Ali 

 been a Christian he would have been perfect morally. 

 As it was, a half-hearted Mahommedanism demoralized 

 him. 



But Christianity, to my mind, is not comprised of 



