312 CASUALS IN THE CAUCASUS 



certain radius, outside of which they were useless as 

 guides, and to venture alone involved great difficulties. 

 The awkwardness of negotiating the often impassable 

 unknown was too much for us, and left no time for 

 tracking. 



One fine day, when out with Keebeet and a couple of 

 beaters, we insisted on shooting a wood which was not 

 ours at all ! We had pursued various creatures all 

 the morning with no sort of success, and at last told the 

 garde-chasse to take us to the next covert, never 

 dreaming that there could be a limit to this vastness. 

 There was, and we had, in our energy, reached it ! 

 Keebeet started excusing himself, but Cecily would 

 not listen, thinking he was trying to get out of it, 

 being tired or bored or something, and shortly told him 

 to do as she bade him. 



After a most successful afternoon, in which we bagged 

 a beautiful chamois, one of a little band asleep in the 

 shade, and a mighty boar, whose tushes were the best 

 we had until then obtained, Keebeet told us we had 

 no business really to be where we were at all, and that 

 we were trespassing on the hunting-grounds of a certain 

 Russian Grand Duke with whom our host was at 

 daggers drawn ! 



Ali Ghirik, in his simplicity, could not understand 

 why we, who loved hunting so much, ever left off. 

 Why go home at all, he asked, mystified and bewildered. 

 Why not interminably pursue something ? In the 

 Caucasus game was afoot all the year round, and would 

 be for years and years. He was a poor student of human 

 nature, to say nothing of the Game Laws, and could 



