78 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



cluchan, that is, an open dram shop, a roughly 

 constructed wooden hut, with an open front, 

 in which were displayed half a dozen dirty 

 white bottles partly filled with villamous 

 watki, a bundle or two of dried fish, and a 

 thing like a defunct pig on its back, legs in 

 air, which constitutes the cellar, and is the 

 skm holdins: all the wine of the establish- 

 ment. There is another compartment in 

 which a broad board, covered with matting, 

 off'ers sleeping accommodation to all and 

 sundry, wliile through a narrow partition they 

 hear their horses busily munching at their 

 hard-earned food. AYe have seen better inns 

 than this and tasted better wine than the raw 

 red fluid contamed in the pig skin, but no rest 

 was ever much sweeter, no wine more refresh- 

 ins:, than that we obtained at the end of our 

 first day's march from Kutais. 



Cest le premier pas qui coute, is peculiarly 

 applicable to the first day's ride in Tartar 



