294 TOUR TO CIBELDA. 



As the sun was going down we reached at last 

 a narrow rocky gate, which forms the entrance into 

 the proper natural fortress of Cibelda. When we had 

 passed it, there spread before us a spectacle of 

 such grandeur and beauty, that it almost over- 

 whelmed me at the first moment. Before us in the clear 

 evening glow lay the mighty Elbrus, covered far down 

 with snow. Right and left beside it a number of 

 further snow -mountains was visible, which developed 

 into a long chain especially on the right. Far below 

 us, partly still illuminated by the sun, lay a rocky 

 river-valley, which bordered the foot of Elbrus, whose 

 steep treeless slope descended towards it in a broad 

 expanse without any visible break. It reminded me 

 somewhat of the view one obtains from Grindelwald 

 over the sun-illumined Alpine chain; only the mighty 

 Elbrus was enthroned in the centre of the picture, as 

 if two Jungfraus were piled on one another. 



After we had refreshed ourselves with this asto- 

 nishing and incomparably beautiful view, we traversed 

 the rather extensive plain, which spread out before us 

 and contained the village of the tribe of the Cibeldians, 

 who had emigrated the year before. It was not easy 

 to advance on the plain, densely overgrown with 

 burdock of more than a man's height, and to find 

 the way to the village. A w r ay broken by bears 

 through the shrubs stood us in good stead. That it 

 had been so made could be inferred from the kernels 

 of the fruit of the cherry -laurels lying about, which 

 form a favourite food for the bears of the region. The 



