174 THE GEORGIAN HILL-COUNTRY. 



opened as we drew near Scliulaweri, the situation of wliich 

 is very beautiful ; the town stands in the centre of a richly- 

 wooded basin, and is surrounded by walled vineyards and 

 groves of fruit-trees. The g-round on the north falls in a 

 long slope to the Khram, and the eye sweeps over the plain- 

 country to the chain of hills that surrounds Tiflis. A 

 curious natural arch, in some castle-like crags on the top of 

 one of the hills that overlook the town, is a conspicuous 

 feature of the view. We were first shown into a gloomy 

 den, but in a short time got possession of a clean though 

 bare room in a two-storied house, which was but just 

 finished, and still unoccupied. We were not sorry, after our 

 forty miles' ride on tired horses, to spread our mattrass on 

 the floor, and lie down to sleep. 



The next morning (June 18th) we rode out through a 

 fairly-furnished bazaar, and crossing, for the fourth and 

 last time, the stream of the day before, left the vineyards 

 behind, and found ourselves on cornland, where teams of 

 sixteen oxen were ploughing fuiTOws, six inches deep, to 

 the monotonous chaunts of their drivers. Under ordinary 

 circumstances it is an easy day's ride from Scliulaweri to 

 Tiflis, but a flooded stream now barred the direct road, 

 and we were obliged to make a long circuit to the west to 

 find a bridge. The way was enlivened by the frolics of 

 two half-tipsy Georgians, both riding on the same horse — a 

 form of cruelty to animals to which the people of this 

 country are much addicted. They narrowly escaped 

 drowning, in an attempt to ford the stream, half a mile 

 below the bridge. On the bank stood a comfortable farm- 

 house, surrounded by some fine trees, which might have 

 been made into a very pretty place. After crossing a 

 second stream, by a new bridge, we at last passed, some 

 way off on the right, a large building, apparently an old 

 caravanserai. We halted at a village, meaning to lunch ; 

 but, though there were many vineyards in the neighbour- 



