MOORE JOIXS US. 177 



US, T could get no definite information, or promise of 

 assistance, beyond the postliouse of Kazbek, wliere the 

 Governor of Tiflis told me lie boped to meet us in a week's 

 time. There seemed even to be a question whether we 

 should get thus far, for at the post our ' crown-podorojno ' 

 was laughed at, and we were told no carriage could be 

 promised us for an indefinite period. 



The Grand Duke Alexis (the son of the Emperor) was 

 expected from St. Petersburg on a visit to the Caucasus, 

 and consequently all the oflBcial world were in motion to 

 meet him, and no one without epaulettes and a band round 

 his cap had a chance of meeting with the slightest atten- 

 tion. After several efforts I gave up the post in despair, and 

 sought out a German carriage-master, who agreed to let us a 

 ' tarantasse ' with four horses, to travel voiturier- fashion. 

 We had also to make several visits to the police to enquire 

 about rran9ois ' passport, which the officials at Poti had 

 promised to forward. The authorities would hold out no 

 certain prospect of its restoration, and seemed to wish him 

 to buy of them a Russian document, costmg two roubles, in 

 its place ; so we commissioned the master of the hotel, who 

 was going back to Europe, to stir up the Poti police, and 

 he succeeded in recovering the missing passpoi-t. Travel- 

 lers anxious to avoid that fever-stricken swamp, Poti, often 

 go straight through, trusting to the promise of the police 

 to send their passports after them — a promise which, in the 

 cases which came under our personal knowledge, was in- 

 variably broken. 



On the 20th, the day fixed on for a rendezvous with my 

 friend Moore, who was to come out straight from England 

 by the Danube and Constautinople, a telegram from 

 Kutais announced to us the welcome news of his arrival 

 in the country, and on the 21st he appeared in person, 

 having been most fortunate in getting brought on from 



