H El MAN'S DATCH. 95 



balance, with a shifting basis under you, almost as 

 much so. 



The road lay between the base of the cliffs 

 and the sea, and as these two were in close 

 juxtaposition, your horse had at one time to wade 

 and at another to creep from boulder to boulder, 

 in places where even a goat would have to move 

 with caution. This lasted for fifteen versts, and 

 these fifteen have in rough weather to be avoided, 

 and a long circuitous route in the hills substituted 

 for them. After leaving these stony places, the 

 road winds up into the hills, and here the eye had 

 a feast indeed. All the way from Ekaterinodar 

 the scenery had been beautiful, but here it was 

 superb. Range upon range of hills, as far as the 

 eye could see, one behind another, and each range 

 higher than the last, until far away one caught the 

 sheen of snow-peaks against the sky. The autumn 

 foliage was a never-ending glory. One shrub in 

 particular caught my eye, of stunted growth, with 

 a long oval leaf, which was now of the most bril- 

 liant shades of red. This shrub grew in immense 

 clumps, and the effect at a short distance was that 

 of vast beds of scarlet geranium. 



But the road in the hills was almost as bad 

 as the road by the sea, and after having done some 

 twenty-eight versts in the whole day, our horses 

 were done up, and so were we. Just after noon 

 my men stayed behind for some time, and 1, think- 



