ARR'VAL AT GEBI. 269 



opposite Cliiora, where, instead of fording the river, we kept 

 along' the path which continues to follow its right bank. 

 The valley, although of considerable width, is almost 

 entirel}'^ filled by the stony bed of the Eion, and the path, 

 forced to wind over the spurs of the southern range, is in 

 consequence very uneven. After turning the base of a pro- 

 jecting and densely-wooded ridge, about halfway between 

 Chiora and Gebi, the valley ceases to be entirely devastated 

 by the torrent, and the path becomes level. It is shaded by 

 thickets of alders and hazel, the stems of which were girt 

 round by wild hops. Before reaching Gebi, four streams, 

 issuing from as man}^ lateral glens of the Schoda chain, had 

 to be crossed — a matter of some difficulty, as the popular idea 

 of a bridge in the Rion valley seems to be a thin and rough 

 branch laid from bank to bank, to traverse which success- 

 fully requires some training in the customs of the country. 

 The glimpses of luxuriant foliage and snowy peaks up these 

 side-glens more than repaid us for the trouble we ex- 

 perienced with their torrents. The last and largest, the 

 Latkischora, which falls in nearly o^^posite Gebi, has a 

 wide and stony bed, and a considerable volume of water. 

 The E.ion itself is crossed by a wooden bridge before 

 entering the village, which stands most picturesquely on a 

 steep-sided promontory on the left bank of the river, and 

 just above its junction with the Tchosura, the stream 

 flowing out of the valley we had looked down into from 

 the slopes above Chiora. 



Gebi, unlike the other villages of the Rion valley, is pro- 

 vided with towers of defence similar to those which are uni- 

 versal in Suanetia. These towers are built of large unevenly- 

 shaped blocks of stone, and the walls contract towards the 

 top, which is covered with a slopmg roof of wood or slate, 

 like that often put on an unfinished church-tower at home. 

 The}" add much to the picturesque effect of the place, which, 



