326 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



in order to be earned on, the blockade must be broken 

 which they have established in the prosecution of 

 their nefarious war against these tribes. But few 

 houses, however, are apparent from the sea. The 

 hills are not so precipitous as they are nearer Gagra, 

 and the gorges have widened out into fertile valleys. 

 Immediately en our dropping anchor, the shore, 

 which at first seemed deserted, became thickly dotted 

 with human forms, and we were received upon land- 

 ing with profound demonstrations of respect. Our 

 friend Ismail Bey, however, was ill at his house, 

 and in his absence no great encouragement was mani- 

 fested when we explained the object of our visit. 

 However, we sent messengers to inform him of our 

 arrival, and strolled up to three or four houses hidden 

 among trees, which composed the village ; here we 

 soon became the centre of attraction to numbers of 

 natives, who, seeing from their hill -tops the ships 

 anchored in their bay, nocked down to inspect us. 

 There was an elaborate little rest-house, of a form and 

 construction common at all Circassian villages, open 

 at the sides ; its roof supported by pillars of carved 

 wood, and with seats for tired travellers inside, not 

 unlike a summer-house. Here we held a levee, and 

 discussed the chances of the expedition with chiefs of 

 various degrees of importance and magnificence of 

 attire. There was an evident indisposition on the 

 part of these gentry to assist us in our desire of 

 penetrating into their country, and they looked with 



