276 CAUCASIAN GLACIERS AND FORESTS. 



vated land of the inhabitants of Gebi. Rude wooden huts 

 have been constructed bj the peasants, as shelters for the 

 night when they come up either to sow, or to gather in their 

 crops. The valley now makes a sudden bend to the north, 

 and several small streams fall into it from the sui-rounding 

 mountains. The path becomes very uneven, winding up 

 and down on the steep broken slopes on the right side of 

 the river, which flows rapidly in a broad stony channel. 

 Before long the track was altogether lost, and we followed 

 out the ideas of the leading porter as to the best line 

 of march — now forcing our way through the forest, now 

 scrambling over the boulders of the river-bed. Several 

 strong torrents had to be waded, and the heav}" rain 

 which began to fall completed our wetting, and made us 

 look forward with some dread to camping-out. 



The valley contracted almost to a gorge before it opened 

 out slightly, and left space on the right bank for ameadoiv 

 and two log-huts, which mark a summer station of the 

 herds, known to the natives, according to Herr Radde, by 

 the name of Sassagonelli. The huts were in a very dirty 

 and dilapidated condition, and we decided at once, despite 

 the wet, to pitch our tent, and leave such accommodation 

 as they offered to the men. It is not a pleasant thing to 

 put up even so small and easily-managed a tent as ours 

 was in pouring rain. We had brought away with us from 

 Gebi a winebagful of the liquid called wine in these parts, 

 and we now had some of it mulled, in which form it was by 

 no means nasty, notwithstanding a strong flavour of gutta- 

 percha. We had taken over eight hours to reach Sassa- 

 gonelli from Gebi, and it grew dusk soon after our ari'ival ; 

 so soon therefore as we had supped, we tied up the tent- 

 door, wrapped ourselves round in our rugs, and made 

 things as snug as possible for the night. Our men found 

 at least shelter inside the hut, which some of the porters 



