THE LESGHIAN MOUXTAIXS. 



luit. Seated cross-legged, with a solemn face like 

 an owl by daylight, sat the chief photographer, and 

 Ivan served him with a due gravity. Howls of 

 water, and bottles of various baleful drugs, lent an 

 air of devilment to the whole scene, which, with the 

 wild faces round, was suggestive rather of witch- 

 craft than photography. The iirst plate produced 

 having been carefully washed, was subjected to the 

 developing fluid. Thrice and four times was the 

 dark liquid washed backwards and forwards over 

 the pure surface. Interest in our guests rose to 

 excitement ; diffidence in ourselves to panic. To 

 and fro, to and fro went the black water, but no 

 sign of any sublime peak or picturesque village was 

 slowly shadowed forth upon the glass. 



Horrid suspicions began to take possession of 

 us. Surely no mistake could have happened this 

 time. True, we remembered that on the only other 

 occasion on which we attempted photography we 

 certainly did make n group of Tartars miserably 

 quiet for a quarter of an hour, in all sorts of 

 picturesque (and uncomfortable) attitudes in the 

 main street of Kertch ; that we also kept ourselves 

 and our friends' servants at work for two weary 

 hours in preparations for developing, after which 

 we opened the slides ami found that no plates had 

 ever been inserted. Hut this time there was no 

 mistake about the plates. One after another we 

 opened the slides and poured the developing fluid 



T .' 



