220 CASUALS IN THE CAUCASUS 



heart of the Caucasus one finds amazing luxuries, and 

 if the insects — the most case-hardened veterans in the 

 world — will allow you, there is nothing to prevent your 

 sleeping indefinitely. Nobody will call you. Atten- 

 dance is not a strong point in these primitive parts. 



The well-built Ananaur aubcrge provided all sorts 

 of unusual remnants of civilization. Mattresses, and 

 even coverlets of sorts, although we were too cowardly 

 to tackle them. We had a room, too, safe from the 

 irruptions of other wayfarers. No small boon this. 



After contriving an excellent supper we removed all 

 the bed trappings, and lay down upon the soft prayer- 

 mats we had brought with us, as being less bulky than 

 mattresses, wrapped up in our boinrkas. 



To say the beds were hard in a denuded condition 

 was to say httle. I tried the floor at last, and found it 

 at least less lumpy. 



A terrific storm brewing on the snowfields broke in 

 majesty, and tore through the valley, shrieking and 

 hissing hke a demon army. Peels of thunder echoed in 

 the hills hke salvoes of artillery. For two or three hours 

 the tempest raged, driving the rain before its gusty 

 breath. Then, as the night died, the rush and the roar 

 sank to nothingness. 



Ananaur has two old churches enclosed in a strong 

 fortress wall which dominates the roadway, and the 

 little town is immortalized by its connexion with the 

 last years of a famous King of Georgia, Irakh, the 

 " thunderbolt of all Transcaucasia," of whom Frederic 

 the Great exclaimed, " Moi en Europe, et en Asie 

 I' invincible Hercule, roi de Georgie." 



