134 KHAN ON MOUNT PINDUS. 



the wild, and almost terrific, scenery of Epirus — 

 all of a sudden, on reaching unexpectedly the 

 highest point, the traveller sees, to his astonish- 

 ment, an equally grand, but more extensive pros- 

 pect. All Thessaly is at his feet; a succession 

 of bold mountains, lofty in themselves, but low in 

 comparison with the pinnacle on which he is 

 standing, separates him from the magnificent 

 plain of Thessaly, over which, though distant, he 

 has an extensive and commanding view, and whose 

 distant horizon is scarcely distinguishable from 

 the bright azure of the sky with which it is almost 

 imperceptibly blended. 



The mountains are well covered with trees, 

 particularly pine, in great quantities. Dwarf 

 box also is very plentiful on the Epirus side, but 

 for the last hour of our ascent we were deep in the 

 snow, and consequently no vegetation at all was 

 visible. 



The khan at the top, in which we were glad to 

 take up our abode, w^as desperately cold, and we 

 were obliged to keep a large wood fire burning; 

 but there being no chimney or other outlet for the 

 smoke, except through the holes in the roof, so 

 painful was the effect of it, that not one of us could 



