THE LESGHIAN MOUNTAINS. 255 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE LESGHIAN MOUNTAINS. 



Gerdaoul Shooting partridges Native wine-vaults Expedition 

 among the hills Native houses An inhospitable village A 

 dangerous ride A welcome reception Shepherd-boys The 

 Lesghians Russian love for the Czar Unsuitable education 

 Mountain-climbing MagniBcent scenery Red deer Vegetation 

 A chamois A weary descent A happy people Photographing 

 the scenery A ' baboushka ' ' Developing ' our photographs 

 A mountain chalet The snow peaks Wild goate and sheep 

 Difficult mountaineering -An alluring chase Suspended over a 

 precipice A bleak night's lodging Mountain turkeys Black 

 pheasants Lammergeiers Advice to travellers Return to 

 Goktchai. 



THK entire population of Gerdaoul is Armenian, 

 nnd the village, like most Armenian villages, is a 

 thriving one. The Armenians are almost as good 

 colonists as the Germans ; thrifty, sober, hard- 

 working, and astute, they are invariably better off 

 than their neighbours, who as invariably call them 

 thieves, and detest them heartily. In the case of 

 the Armenians of Gerdaoul I hoped they wronged 

 them, for I was certainly very hospitably received 

 and honestly treated there. The women of the, 

 village kept out of our way for the most part, 

 though we constantly caught glimpses of their 



