TRAVELS IN CIRCASSIA. 335 



the crackling blaze, towards which he has turned the 

 soles of his feet, while his head is pillowed upon 

 a tower of cushions. At first our suspicions were 

 naturally excited at the appearance of so much com- 

 fort, and we feared that our enjoyment of it was 

 destined to be short-lived when we saw what delight- 

 ful receptacles our beds formed for various descrip- 

 tions of animals which generally monopolise all the 

 sleeping accommodation of a savage country. In 

 this respect, however, we were most agreeably dis- 

 appointed, and during the whole period of our trip, 

 with an experience of a great variety of bedding, 

 I never once discovered any that contained another 

 animal in it besides myself. But the traveller in 

 Circassia needs more than ordinary consolation in the 

 shape of comfort to reconcile him to the long period 

 which must elapse between the time of his arrival 

 and the appearance of his dinner. The process is 

 trying to one's powers of philosophical endurance. 

 "When the host has seen that his guests are all 

 comfortably squatted on their quilts round the fire, 

 and has interchanged with, them a few expressions of 

 civility, he makes a dignified exit, and we well know 

 that he has only then gone to order the sheep to be 

 caught, which must be killed and cooked before we 

 can expect to have those ardent cravings satisfied 

 which a long mountain ride has engendered. Gradu- 

 ally the company relapse into a mood of sullen 

 discontent. It is an occasion on which the most 



