EN ROUTE FOR DAGHESTAN. 239 



culture easy and profitable, though these natural 

 advantages are not utilised here. Antelopes were 

 tolerably numerous ; and, two or three times, large 

 grey foxes went away in that insolently easy canter 

 peculiar to Reynard when the hounds are not behind 

 him. For nearly a quarter of an hour I tried in 

 vain to stalk a flock of very large reddish birds 

 with a decidedly game look and a shrill pipe, not 

 altogether unlike the curlew's call. What they 

 were I could not find out, as they were extremely 

 shy, and I never saw any like them again. The 

 Tartars did not know them any more than did my 

 Tiflis gamekeeper, and I much regretted that I was 

 unable to procure a specimen. Kariur would be 

 a splendid place to pitch your tent near, if you 

 wanted to thoroughly sate your appetite for fowling, 

 and vary your experiences with the shot-gun by a 

 day or t\vo spent in antelope-stalking with the rifle ; 

 or, in wet weather, when the soil cakes on the 

 flying feet of the antelope, you might join the 

 Tartars in a capital gallop after the greyhounds, 

 with a certainty of a venison supper at the finish. 



Hut much shooting, especially of the antelopes, 

 would, 1 saw at once, cause great jealousy and 

 ui i pleasant ness amongst your few neighbours ; so, 

 having had a capital day, crowned by a varied bag, 

 and, thanks to Ivan's skill, a savoury supper, I 

 drove off in the dark to finish my last stage to 

 (tungha, as the natives call Elizabetpol. If any 



