26^) CAUCASIAN GLACIERS AND FORESTS. 



The first sign of life was a troop of horses ; a little lower 

 a distinct path appeared, which we gladly accepted as 

 our guide until it brought us to a brow some height 

 above the stream, and then turned away down a slope to the 

 left. It was already growing dusk, and we had just 

 entered the highest copse of birches ; water was, of 

 course, a necessary adjunct to our halting-place, and 

 hesitating to leave the stream, still close at hand, we 

 determined to go down through the copse and sleep at 

 its foot, beside the water. The chief objection to our 

 camping-ground proved to be the absence of even a 

 square foot of level soil. After treading down the long- 

 grass, it was necessary to break off branches and lay 

 them on the lower side of the sj)ot selected by each for 

 his bed, to prevent the sleeper rolling away down the 

 slope. Having lighted a fire, we ransacked our bags, laid 

 together what little provision there was left, and set 

 aside one roll for the morning; the next thing was to 

 divide the rest into jDortions ; each man got a slice of 

 bread about two inches square, and half the limb of a 

 chicken. After this frugal supper had been disjDOsed of, 

 we covered ourselves as far as possible with our mac- 

 kintoshes, and lay down to court sleep, but v^e had not 

 long dozed off, when several big drops of rain effectually 

 roused us. A thunder-shower had blown up, and the 

 dark clouds which obscured the moon held out very un- 

 pleasant threats of a ducking. Luckily, they passed off 

 without any serious fall of rain, and having exchanged 

 mutual grumbles, vre again drew up our mackintoshes 

 over our faces, and relapsed into uneasy slumbers, or reflec- 

 tions on the work done and the sights seen durmg the 

 past two days. 



The object of our double passage of the mountains had 

 been to discover what lay behind the great snowy wall 



