CRASNOI LAIS. 15 



CHAPTER II. 



CRASNOI LAIS. 



A frozen sea Swarms of wild-fowl The Indo-European telegraph 

 Sledging on the Azov A desolate scene Taman Journey in- 

 land Tumeruk Hotels A dangerous sleep Foxes Wolves 

 A hasty retreat Ekaterinodar Supper in the forest of Crasnoi 

 Lais An exciting night's sport Driving the forest Cossack 

 beaters Wild deer Other game The bag Rations of vodka 

 A Cossack orgy Vulpine sagacity Wolf stories Return to 

 Kertch. 



IT was in February of 1876 that I first made 

 acquaintance with the Caucasus. Once or twice 

 before then it is true that I had crossed over to 

 Taman and had a day's pheasant- shooting on the 

 reedy shores of the Kuban. As we poled our flat- 

 bottomed boat along its sluggish waters, I had a 

 glimpse every now and again of the track of boar 

 or cazeole (roe), that made me long for a chance of 

 a longer stay on its banks. But it was not until 

 the February of 1876 that my wish was granted. 

 For weeks we had had all business stopped by the 

 frost. The whole of the Azov was frozen as hard 

 as the high-road, and it was only beyond the forts 

 and well into the Black Sea that any open water 

 could be found. Here the wild-fowl swarmed. 



