TRAVELS IN CIRCASSIA. 371 



peaks of the towering Caucasus, and a flood of golden 

 light bordered their irregular outline. Lower down, 

 the glaciers met the dark green of the pine -forest ; 

 and the contrast was the more striking, because the 

 rays of the declining sun fell only on the glittering 

 snow, while the shades of evening were settling fast 

 upon the sombre woods of the lower mountains. 

 From these gushed boiling torrents, and forced their 

 way through narrow gorges, which expanded at our 

 feet into winding valleys, where the hills had ex- 

 changed their dark-green mantle for one in which the 

 many hues of autumn were combined ; and hamlets 

 were embowered amid fruit -trees and orchards ; and 

 the streams, like threads of silver, no longer swept 

 seething beneath overhanging rocks, but rippled 

 calmly under the drooping foliage which kissed the 

 water. Farther to the right the country opened still 

 more, and so they meandered to the sea between 

 variegated margins, formed of patches of yellow corn, 

 brown millet, and verdant meadow. 



We revelled for some time in this glorious pros- 

 pect, for our path kept along the ridge of the hill for 

 some distance, and crossed a saddle before it thought 

 of once more descending into the long-wished-for 

 valley, where we expected to find food and lodging 

 for the night. Meantime the sun had set; and as 

 we turned our backs sharply upon the view we had 

 been admiring, and, rounding a shoulder of the moun- 

 tain, expected to have another and not less interesting 



