ZACCA. 217 



around ; there was nothing", however, to prevent horses, so 

 accustomed to snow- work as those of the Caucasus, from 

 crossing the pass. The view looking back towards 

 Kazbek, and forwards to what must, I supj)ose in deference 

 to the Five Verst Map, be called the Adai Khokh group, 

 ought to have been fine ; but unluckily clouds hid all the 

 more distant summits, and we saw little more than the 

 bold mass of Zilga Khokh close at hand on the south. 

 Thissummit (12,645 feet) was ascended, in 1852, by General 

 Chodzko, who spent several days near the top for the 

 purpose of the government survey. He describes the 

 expedition as a difficult one, and seems to have encountered 

 considerable glacier obstacles. The path, on the western 

 side of the pass, first bore away to the right, and then 

 descended rapidly into a green basin, such as is familiar 

 to all Alpine travellers ; a pass lower than that we had 

 just crossed led out of it .on the south, across the water- 

 shed, immediately to the west of Zilga Khokh. 



We looked forward with mingled pleasure and dread to 

 the necessity of making fresh arrangements for the trans- 

 j)ort of our baggage : on the one hand we were only too 

 delighted to be rid of the Res men, who had been most pro- 

 vokingly insolent during the descent; on the other, we 

 dreaded a prolonged wrangle before a fresh bargain could 

 be concluded. On reaching Zacca we succeeded in finding a 

 house, the owner of which was willing to get us something 

 to eat, and on a raised terrace outside, we sat down and col- 

 lected together our luggage. A crowd immediately sur- 

 rounded us, and soon, not content with staring, pushed in 

 and jostled us so roughly, that we asked the man who had 

 promised to secure us some bread whether he could not 

 also find us a room to rest in. He pointed out one close 

 by, and by stationing Francois at the door, we managed 

 to free ourselves from the inquisitiveness of the mob, and 



