112 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



he was able, we drew our bourkas round us 

 and slept. 



When the sun, gleaming in through the 

 roof, woke us out of our heavy slumbers, we 

 entered on another of those vexatious days 

 of bargaining, worry, and procrastination, 

 which take most of the pleasure away from 

 a tour in the Caucasus. Until eleven we 

 could find no one. Then we lost our inter- 

 preter, who went to find the starchina. Mean- 

 while, appetites of English growth began to 

 murmur and rebel at the delay of breakfast, 

 and my half-famished friend and myself made 

 sorties from our stronghold in turn in our 

 endeavours to obtain food. 



Unluckily the people of Gebi don't speak 

 Russian, so without Platon we were almost 

 helpless. A quantity of small fowls had an 

 utterly demoralising effect on Frank, and had 

 it not been for extraordinary activity on the 

 part of his intended booty, I am afraid my 



