A MOIST CLBrATE. l7l 



and then crossed a low steep ridge, from tlie top of wliich 

 we overlooked a green tableland filling up the space 

 between the Bezobdal and Lelwar ranges, both of them 

 offshoots of the Anti-Caucasian chain. The rain was falling 

 in torrents, but, happily, Djelaloghlu was at hand. It is a 

 jDlace of some size, laid out in the straggling style common 

 in the Caucasian provinces. Detached cottages are set 

 down in rows on either side of a broad street of mud. The 

 houses, individually, are quite as good as an ordinary 

 English cottage. Here there are, besides, large government 

 stores, and officers' quarters, with some pretence of a garden 

 in front of them. We were directed to the village shop, and 

 found shelter in a sort of back-kitchen, opening out of it, 

 wliich would have been comfortable enough, but for the 

 chilly look given by a damp earth-floor. We shared our 

 quarters with some enormous wine-skins, wliich were stowed 

 in a row along one side of the room. The presence of the 

 military ensured us fair food, and we spent the evening in 

 writing letters, and working ourselves up into an unusual 

 state of patriotism, by drawing comparisons between a 

 Georgian and an English June — all in favour of the latter. 

 Calculations showed that rain had fallen on twelve out of 

 the fifteen days since we left Tabreez, and it fell on each of 

 the three following days up to our arrival at Tiflis. 



June 17th. — We meant to have started early, knowing 

 we had a long day's journey before us ; but in the morning 

 Paul complained of being ill, and would do nothing but 

 groan. It turned out that he had neglected our injunction 

 to change his wet clothes the previous afternoon, and had 

 consequently caught a chill. A strong * pick-me-up ' cured 

 him for the time, and at 8 o'clock we set out once more, 

 to face the rain and mists. Djelaloghlu stands on the 

 brink of a curious cleft, the bottom of which is at least 

 100 feet below the level of the plain, and the sides almost 



