PLEASURES OF TRAVELLING. 79 



saddles, and we were heartily glad it was 

 over, and the chickens screaming in the hands 

 of the cook. 



Just as the last sounds of the horse.-' 

 feeding seemed to have ceased, and the half 

 dozen drunken peasants to have become too 

 drunk to shout any more — just, in fact, as 

 our eyes seemed closing, and we were sailing 

 away into regions of dreamless sleep, our 

 Jew roused us with the intelligence that the 

 horses were ready, and if we wanted to get 

 to Oni that day we must start at once. 



It was barely dawn, and neither of us 

 were keen to leave our rest so early ; but 

 we did it with a grumble — a grumble which 

 on Frank's part was terribly intensified on 

 hearing we were to have no breakfast before 

 starting ; none, in fact, until the end of our 

 first stage. This, I think, was the point at 

 which Frank first began to doubt the plea- 

 sures of Caucasian travel. 



