SATISFYING THE PANGS OF HUNGER. 127 



molesting each other. Only in the balcony 

 itself they took then' caps off and spoke softly, 

 until they lost their tempers, when they 

 shouted as freely at their prince as he at 

 them. 



How we thanked heaven that amono;st the 

 ceremonies of visitino; in Svanetia it is held 

 necessary to set some slight refreshment 

 before your guest I need hardly say, when it 

 is remembered that we had not had a square 

 meal for a couple of days I It was not a 

 grand repast, but cheese and claret are things 

 not to be despised by the starving, and the 

 way I treated that light refreshment would 

 have made anyone less kindly disposed than 

 the prince, determine that my first meal at 

 his table should be my last. When the 

 pangs of hunger had been somewhat allayed, 

 we fell to talking, but protest as I would 

 nothing could convince my new friends 

 that love of sport alone had brought me to 



