88 THE RED FOREST AND 



forty versts from Enem, beautifully situated near 

 the Pscekupz, with high, well-timbered hills all 

 round. Most of the trees are young oaks, which 

 were now lovely in their russet robes. But there 

 are, besides, wild pear and apple, with everywhere 

 a thick undergrowth of hazel. At the mineral 

 springs is a Russian military hospital, and the 

 doctor in charge was our host for the night. The 

 hospital is built to hold some 300 people, and it 

 was believed that this place would in time become 

 a fashionable bathing-place for the Caucasus. 

 Hitherto, however, the military have had it all to 

 themselves. There are a few good houses in the 

 place, and Government is erecting baths over 

 the springs. The springs themselves are of hot 

 water, strongly impregnated with sulphur, which 

 comes down from the hills at a temperature of 42 

 Reaumur. I saw some of the water, which was 

 colder, of a dull bluish grey, and stank horribly. 

 These baths are supposed to cure rheumatic affec- 

 tions, and my friend the Cossack pretended to 

 have obtained great relief from them. Nay, so 

 enthusiastic was he that, after taking them both 

 internally and externally, he insisted on my doing 

 the same. Being in extreme need of a tub, 1 

 complied with his whim as far as an external ap- 

 plication went, and was parboiled for my com- 

 placency, feeling a good deal worse when I came 

 out than I did when I went in. 



