A HAPPY NIGHT. 131 



When we left the pruice it was only with 

 a promise that after breakfast next day we 

 would come to him and match our rifles 

 against a beautiful little Berdianka of which 

 he was justly proud, and after our shooting- 

 match dine with him at the judge's at 2 p.m., 

 the fashionable hour in this part of the world. 

 As we had secured some native whiskey and 

 tobacco, and screwed up courage to kick all 

 but about half a dozen of the o-reatest amono-st 

 our uninvited visitors out of our tiny room, 

 we spent a fairly happy night. 



Moreover, our reception by the prince had 

 exercised a favourable influence on Platon, 

 thanks to which, after a very serious and 

 quarrelsome argument, we managed to restrict 

 his expectorations and those of his friends to 

 our outer chamber. This beastly habit of the 

 Caucasus, and, indeed, of Russia too, as far 

 as I have seen, caused us more unpleasant- 

 ness than all our hardships put together, and 



K 2 



