A PARTY OF SVANS. 215 



one than heretofore, and ran much nearer the 

 river, which was rapidly widening into a very 

 considerable stream, its waters having been 

 reinforced by those of the Nanskera, which 

 flows into it from the southern slopes of 

 Elbruz. 



The event of the day was our meeting 

 with a p'arty of Svans going back to Svanetia 

 from the neighbourhood of Sugdidi. We 

 found them huddled under a stone by the 

 roadside ; eleven as miserably destitute mortals 

 as you could find anywhere. They had none 

 of them any sandals ; they had barely a gar- 

 ment a piece of any kind to wear ; they were 

 emaciated by fever and hunger, and yet, as 

 they smoked the only two pipes they possessed 

 in turn, they seemed fairly cheerful still. 



Poor devils ! They were all of them young- 

 sters under twenty, and were just going back 

 to their native land, after having learnt their 

 first lesson in the ways of civilisation. They 



