232 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



for butting at and otherwise maltreating our 

 tent ; the shepherds had supplied a stock of 

 coarse tobacco, and though tired and unsuc- 

 cessful, that Wednesday night was a red letter 

 night in our camp life. 



We slept early that night, but Simon and 

 Yassili were getting keen about the reward 

 they had been promised for the first head of 

 mountain game killed, so I was turned out 

 again at 5.30 next morning to face my old 

 enemy, the hill, again. Frank started with 

 me, though in a different direction, in search 

 of snow partridges. Of course he had no luck, 

 while equally of course I saw quantities of 

 birds, one covey of ten, young birds, too, 

 chuckling; and cluckino; on a hillside all round 

 me, like barn-door fowls, for nearly ten minutes. 



On our way up to the heights where the 

 djikve live we again sighted the big solitary 

 chamois buck, who had cost me a good deal 

 of climbing once or twice before. This time 



