284 CAUCASIAN GLACIERS AND FORESTS. 



camp was consequently more enjoyable. Paul, with the 

 aid of our little kitchen, prepared us a capital dinner of 

 soup, cold mutton, broiled ham, and tea, which even 

 Moore — who had by this time rejoined us, and recovered 

 from his sickness — was able to enjoy. During the night 

 we were pestered by swarms of mosquitoes, and small but 

 very venomous black flies, which, despite all our endeavours, 

 found their way into the tent, and most effectually mur- 

 dered sleep. 



July 15th. — The valley was filled with clouds, which 

 threatened rain before the day was much older. We 

 packed up our tent, and, after the usual delays, got off 

 about 7.15 A.M. At once crossing the river, we struck 

 the bed of a small stream descending from a hollow in 

 the range on the west side of the valley. The stones in 

 the channel were of no great size, and we made compara- 

 tively rapid progress, ascending gradually until the woods 

 on either side thinned, and we found ourselves in a recess 

 surrounded by steep but not lofty ridges of a loose 

 shaly rock. The deeply-indented gap, through which 

 we must pass to reach the valley of the western Zenes- 

 Squali, was now clearly visible in front ; the ascent to it was 

 at first up an exceedingly steep grass-slope utterly path- 

 less, and for the last 150 feet by a narrow trough. How 

 Herr Eadde's guides can by any possibility have succeeded 

 in getting horses over this pass we could never understand, 

 although the feats performed by Caucasian steeds are 

 truly marvellous, whether on snow or rock. 



When, in two hours from our camj), we reached the 

 summit of the Noschka Pass (8,460 feet), we found that 

 there was a snow-filled trough on the farther side exactly 

 similar to that by which we had ascended. The view 

 must at all times be limited by the higher ranges close at 

 hand, and now even the summits of these were concealed 



