TO THE HUNTING GROUNDS 115 



" Has he no money that he dresses so ? " 

 " It is as it pleases him. He has clothes at 

 home." 



" Are they old or yoimg ? " 

 " In truth I cannot say. Judge for yourself." 

 " I cannot," answered the vagrant farer, investiga- 

 ting us from all sides. "They resemble nothing I know 

 of. Why does the tall one wear glass in his eye ? " 

 " That I know not. It is his custom." 

 " Would you say these two are his wives ? " 

 " He treats them well, therefore I think it is not so. 

 She," — indicating Cecily, a propos of nothing — " has 

 hair which falls over her like a cloak of gold. I myself 

 have seen it." 



" It is very strange that he dresses thus ! " murmured 

 the chance acquaintance, gazing disapprovingly at 

 Kenneth, unable to get past the amazing apparition. 



Our inquisitor came as a critic, and it is so easy to 

 criticize. He had no schooling, therefore no pre- 

 judices. He looked from the highest standpoint — the 

 natural aspect. 



We descended, by devious paths, guided by a 

 friendly Tatar riding a piebald horse, the one and 

 only piebald I saw in the country, to the post-road 

 connecting Telav with Signakh. Here, at a cross-road, 

 we found a post-house, where we tried to obtain lunch. 

 It produced some animated eggs, a lump of the under- 

 done bread of the country, and some of the wine which 

 Kenneth understood so thoroughly. For our horses the 

 good postmaster provided what he was pleased to 

 term " oats," and this " extra," for which we had to 



