EN ROUTE FOR DAGHESTAN. 253 



which they bore, reeled and gave way before our 

 chariot's furious course, and though a torrent of 

 abuse, no doubt, followed us, the owners of the 

 charged ones w r ere too taken aback by the sudden 

 onset even to make their reproaches reach our 

 rapidly retreating cars. 



l>efore leaving the town we met a party of musi- 

 cians coming from the night's debauch which here 

 follows every wedding. These greeted us with 

 musical honours, and altogether our departure from 

 Tiflis was considered full of happy omens. As for 

 me, happy or unhappy omens were much a matter 

 of indifference, for, longing as I did for the chase 

 from which I had been so long debarred by trivial 

 difficulties at Tiflis, I was only full of delight at 

 my tardy freedom. 



At the first station on the road we changed 

 horses and drank the stirrup-cup, said good -by 

 to our friends, and settled down to the serious 

 business of travel. To those who have never 

 travelled in Russia by the ordinary travelling- 

 cart it is impossible to give an adequate idea of 

 the miseries the shallow springless carts occasion 

 to their occupants as they jolt over the uneven 

 track that is here dignified by the title of post- 

 road. The traveller's luggage probably fills the 

 cart, and on this, with knees drawn up, lie has 

 to balance himself as well as he can, and con- 

 tinually exercise all the prehensile powers he 



