78 TKANSCAUCASIA. 



to call liim by tlie more familiar appellation of ' Paul,' by 

 whicli he had gone when in European service. In the 

 afternoon time hung heavy on our hands, and, having 

 exhausted our last ' Saturday Review,' we had recourse 

 to a cafe, kept by a Frenchman, which offered some bad 

 beer and an atrocious billiard-table. 



Towards evening the little steamer arrived from Poti. 

 It had been detained to aid a vessel, laden with the iron- 

 work for the railroad bridges, which had stuck on the bar. 

 No certain intelligence could be obtained as to when we 

 should start, and we were finally allowed to turn in with 

 the impression that we were not to be disturbed tiU the 

 morning. The captain, however, changed his mind, and at 

 midnight we were awoke, and told to go on board the small 

 boat. Meantime, Francois and Paul, in preference to 

 sleeping on the deck, had gone ashore to seek quarters in 

 the town, and no one knew where they were to be found. 

 We sent off men to go the round of the lodging-houses, 

 and promenaded the quay ourselves, shouting theii- names 

 and ' jodeUing' at the top of our voices. All was in vain— no 

 trace or sign of the truants was to be had. The little 

 vessel got its steam up, and we were obliged to go on 

 board. Of course we complained loudly to the of&cers of 

 their mismanagement in first giving notice that we should 

 not leave till mornmg, and then routing everybody out of 

 bed at midnight. While we were venting our indignation, 

 the ropes were cast loose, and the paddlewheels began to 

 revolve; we had actually gone a hundred yards when 

 a movement took place on the shore, and the burly 

 outline of Francois was seen standing like Lord Ullen, 

 when left lamenting on the waterside by his heartless 

 daughter. I made a last energetic appeal; the engines 

 were stopped, and the lost ones were brought off rapidly 

 in a boat. Francois nearly tumbled into the water in his 



