START FOR SVANETIA. 73 



I was up at six, and by seven had 

 manao^ed to rouse a waiter and send him into 

 the bazaar to make inquiries for horses to 

 take us as far as Oni. By ten a very mag- 

 nificent Jew, in a shiny peaked cap and dia- 

 mond studs, came to see us. A glance at him 

 sufficed. He was not the man I wanted, but 

 a rascal who, owning no horses himself, offers 

 to supply them to the unwary at twice the 

 bazaar tariff. If a stranger to Kutais closes 

 with him, he of course sublets his job to a 

 regular horseboy and himself pockets half the 

 money. He very soon found his way down 

 stairs, and unfortunately was so much an- 

 noyed at not having been able to do the 

 Englishman, that he went straight off to the 

 assemblage of horseboys, and I believe told 

 them of my imperative need of horses at once, 

 and advised them to put the screw on accord- 

 ingly. However that may be, it was not till 

 late that I managed to find a man who would 



