LATALI. 117 



painted by or when they were painted, except 

 in a general way that the chapel was probably 

 built in the time of Queen Tamara, and by her 

 orders. We were refused admission to the 

 interior, but a glance through the windows 

 from an extemporised platform on Platon's 

 shoulders convinced me that we lost little by 

 this. 



The last big village passed by us on our 

 way to Betclio was Latal, or Latali as the 

 natives call it, a rather pretty and verj' ancient 

 village, which seems to centre round a gigantic 

 walnut tree. All the world of Latali seemed 

 busy thrashing out the newly-gathered grain, 

 and in every compound at the back of each 

 villaofer's hut, the solemn oxen were drao:o;inor 

 the wooden sledge over the ears of corn, while 

 father or mother led the patient beasts, and a 

 half naked youngster screamed to them orders 

 and encouragements from his perch on the 

 sledge behind. But though the village seemed 



