OVER THE GREAT CHAIN 233 



unveiled. Frequently the mountain lies hidden for 

 weeks together. Then, in a quick change from the 

 sublime to the ridiculous, he begged us to return 

 within the house and taste some cheese. The establish- 

 ment was renowned for the excellence and flavour of its 

 cheese. 



We viewed the mass of material resembling a con- 

 glomeration of fermenting cream with some suspicion. 

 Why this anxiety for us to consume local cheese — 

 before our dinner, too ? It was unfriendly of us to 

 doubt, but in these degenerate days the milk of human 

 kindness is so often full of pestilent microbes, and it is 

 as well to go warily. However, the only desire our 

 host had in connexion with his much- vaunted mixture 

 was the whole-hearted one of, as Lancashire people 

 say, " getting without it." 



Late that night, standing outside the post-station 

 ere we tackled our hard couches, and waged the inevit- 

 able war on the insect life of the country, our eyes 

 turned to Kasbek again. The grim snow-crowned 

 head, wreathed about its lower slopes in undulating 

 mist, was outlined in clear-cut silhouette against a 

 luminous ultramarine sky. Mystery and majesty sur- 

 rounded it like an aura. And set high among the 

 gods, on the verge of the great swath of light trailing 

 in a Milky Way across the heavens, shone immortal 

 Hercules, gleaming and glorious. 



All through the night the rumble of wheels and the 

 noise of changing horses disturbed us — the sort of 

 thing our ancestors living in the old posting era had to 

 put up with. What with the constant traffic and the 



