A TRUE SVAN. 15 



he Tvas thirty, and built him a hut. His wife, 

 of whom we caught a glimpse, was no beauty. 

 I don't think any of the Svan women are ; 

 but she seemed well dressed for one of her 

 race, and in her ears were earrings of silver, 

 as laro;e as Eno;lish bracelets, throuo-h which 

 the plaits of her hair were drawn. 



In the early summer, before the snow had 

 left the land round his home sufficiently free 

 from snow, for agricultural purposes, Georgi 

 was in the habit of crossing by one of the 

 passes which mountaineers alone know, and 

 can travel, into the neighbouring and com- 

 paratively lowland region of Radcha. Here 

 he got a little work and picked up a few 

 roubles until the snow had so far gone that 

 his eleven dissatines of land at home were 

 again bare and fit to work upon. Then he 

 returned to Ushkul ; and when after four or 

 five months' time he threshed out his barley 

 on an already frozen threshing floor, he had 



