FRUIT PUDDING. 205 



like any I have seen elsewhere, the shape bemg 

 different, the berry larger ; and though the 

 colours vary from that of our red to our black 

 currant, the fruit, even when withering, never 

 tastes quite ripe. Once we tried a fruit 

 pudding, being anxious to demonstrate to our 

 natives their folly in never using the fruits 

 round them for cooking purposes. 



Except in its raw state the Svanetians and 

 men of Radcha make no use whatever of the 

 vast quantities of fruit which ripen and fall 

 unused on every hillside in their country. 

 Fond as he is of it, there is such a prodigal 

 supply of raspberries and currants that even 

 Bruin is dainty, picking and choosing as he 

 feeds. 



Unfortunately our efforts at reform in this 

 matter were not as successful as they deserved 

 to be. Neither Frank nor I knew the secret 

 of making a crust, moreover, we had no 

 sugar ; and in the end the huge mess of bluish 



