148 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



horn is nearly smooth. When we had seen 

 all he had to show us we took the old man 

 to our camp fire and gave him and our men 

 some whisky to put them in good temper for 

 the morrow, and then rolling ourselves in our 

 rugs prepared for an early start next morning, 

 as our men vowed that unless we could oret 



o 



out of the village without meeting anyone we 

 should have no luck in our hunting. 



Our party consisted of three guides and our 

 three selves, the guides being Red Shirt, the 

 hunter of the prince, and two local men picked 

 up at Latali. Before the men slept, however, 

 they went away somewhere to make a contract 

 amongst themselves as to the division of the 

 blood money they were to receive in case Frank 

 or myself killed a tur, and having made their 

 contract deposited their prayers and a half 

 kopeck (not quite a halfpenny) between them, 

 in front of an eikon at the village Elder's. A 

 four hours' climb in the mornino- took us out 



