290 TOUR TO CIBELDA. 



not then known to me that wild hops possess no 

 bitter principle; this is only obtained from the fruit 

 of the female plants when all the male plants are 

 carefully kept apart, which of course is never the case 

 with wild hops. 



Our bridle-path took us upwards the whole day 

 through equally beautiful scenery, untouched by human 

 culture. At the same time we were often refreshed 

 by enchanting distant views of the lofty snow-covered 

 mountain - chain . rising gradually before us, and the 

 glittering mirror of the sea, lying at our feet. Towards 

 evening we reached one of the small fortified Russian 

 encampments , whose continual advance on the newly 

 made military roads was the means whereby the 

 Russian forces finally broke the resistance of the brave 

 Circassians. 



Next morning we continued our ride at sunrise, 

 and now approached the lofty chain. We had fre- 

 quently occasion to admire the bold construction of 

 the roads by the Russians; obstacles were there over- 

 come which appeared altogether insurmountable at the 

 first glance. We reached without much difficulty the 

 border of the district already designated by the name 

 of Cibelda, which forms the foreland of the high 

 stronghold of that name. To this there was only a 

 single entrance along a deep cleft in the mountains, 

 at the bottom of which a wild mountain -river took 

 its raging course. The cleft was bordered on the 

 side whence we came by a rocky wall, certainly more 

 than a thousand feet high, almost perpendicular and 



