108 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



next storey and largest of the three was a 

 quarter of an hour's climb up the hill, 

 and apparently half an hour's climb above 

 that, on the very summit of the range, was 

 a third small collection of houses, which 

 completed the village called collectively 

 Ipari. 



Once during the day we stopped in a 

 clearing on the mountain side to eat a crust of 

 bread and turn our animals loose to forage for 

 themselves. No Svan thinks of giving his 

 horse a feed during the day's journey, so it is 

 little to be wondered at that the poor beasts 

 insist on feeding at every step on whatever 

 chance herbage comes handy. Having 

 crossed the hills of Ipari, we looked into a 

 valley through which ran a small river, 

 to which our horseboys gave the name of 

 Tchala. At the northern end of the valley 

 were the peaks and glaciers whence the 

 stream issued, and grim mountam giants, 



