252 EN ROUTE FOR DAGHESTAN. 



to the owner's cattle in storms or at night. Here, 

 when Allai had made known who and what we 

 were, the village elder came out to welcome me and 

 bid me to his house, where, near a cheery hearth, 

 on which the huge logs glowed, cushions and 

 carpets and slippers invited to repose. Unluckily, 

 none of the good men of the village spoke a word 

 of anything but Tartar, of which Ivan knew but 

 little, and I only the words picked up during the 

 last two days. To the hungry man and the 

 sportsman a knowledge of the native language is 

 not, however, an absolute necessity, though it is an 

 immense advantage. Signs go a long way, and 

 amongst a race who care for sport as the Lesghian 

 Tartars do, sympathy for a brother sportsman does 

 the rest. 



It was not long before tea was brought to me, 

 and as one after another the swarthy villagers 

 trooped in, I soon had quite a large assembly 

 round me. Each man as he cnme in gave me a 

 courteous greeting, and then, crossing his legs or 

 drawing them up under him, so as to squat on his 

 heels, he took up a meditative position on the floor. 

 Amongst themselves they were very tac turn, and 

 never spoke to me unless I made some remark to 

 them. When I did, instead of being amused at 

 my mutilation of their language, they looked grave 

 and did their best to puzzle out my meaning 

 amongst them. Jn the course of time a bowl of 



