308 RETURN FROM THE FIRST JOURNEY. 



exciting attention and reach the steamer, which fortu- 

 nately had awaited my return. 



On the further journey the strong wind grew into 

 a storm, so that the captain began to fear for his old 

 ship, and sought refuge in the harbour of Sinope. 

 Twice on the following days he attempted to continue 

 the voyage, but was each time driven back into the 

 safe port. Thus I had the opportunity of experiencing 

 by personal observation the correctness of the designation 

 of the Black Sea as the "inhospitable" , which the 

 ancient Greeks had given it. 



In the harbour of Pera I found an Austrian Lloyd 

 steamer just ready to start for Trieste , where we 

 landed on New Year's eve safely and without let and 

 hindrance. On the way, in Syra and Corfu, we had 

 been suspected of being plague - stricken and com- 

 pelled to hoist the notorious yellow flag, because the 

 cholera was raging in Egypt. 



With these two Caucasian journeys I regard my 

 travelling period proper as closed, for the European 

 journeys of to-day in comfortable railway-carriages or 

 post-chaises are only to be called pleasure trips. Also 

 the third journey to Kedabeg, for which I am now 

 preparing , to take my final leave of the Caucasus, 

 will hardly be anything else. 



