SCIIULAWERI. 173 



falls ; at one spot a tributary leapt suddenly out of the 

 foliage, and tumbled in a slieet of foam into the larger 

 stream, forming one of the most effective ' water-meets ' 

 imaginable. At last the valley opened out a little, and we 

 came upon cornfields, showing that habitations were not 

 very far off. We halted at the village-store, a roadside hut 

 soaked with rain, where we had difficulty in finding a dry 

 corner to eat our lunch in. Here, nevertheless, our horse- 

 men wanted us to stop for the night, and told the usual 

 lies to induce us to accede to theu' wishes. It was said 

 that we had onl}^ ridden halfway, and therefore could not 

 arrive at Schulaweri till long after dark, and that there were 

 wicked people on the road, which was moreover barred by 

 an impassable torrent. We were by this time pretty well 

 used to these bogies, and persisted in starting again as soon 

 as possible. The track at once crossed, by a bridge, the 

 stream we had been following, and then a short but steep 

 climb led to the summit of a low watershed, the valley on 

 the other side of which was broader and more open than 

 that we had just left. 



An utterly-deserted village contrasted strangely with 

 the smiling landscape and frequent cornfields, and the 

 hedgerows, gay with flowering shrubs, often reminded us 

 of England, to the hillier parts of which the features of 

 the country bear some resemblance. Where the valley 

 bent round to the north, and contracted into a defile, we 

 encountered the terrible torrent. The old man in charge 

 of the horses was much alarmed, and declared the water 

 was rolling down big stones, and that the passage was too 

 perilous to be attempted ; but we rode through with 

 perfect ease, scarcely finding it necessary to lift our feet in 

 the stirrups. We had to cross the stream three times, but 

 familiarity, as usual, bred contempt, and even the leading 

 old man did not hesitate twice. The hills gTadually 



