THE GLEX OP THE SCENA. 289 



enough to repay its for all the disagreeables of the day. 

 Wrapping ourselves round in the driest folds of our rugs, 

 which shared in the general humidity, we composed our- 

 selves for the night, in hopes that the rainstorm of the day 

 had been too heavy to last. 



July 17th. — The morning was cloudy, but not actuall}^ 

 wet. Our porters assured us that we should arrive early 

 in the afternoon at Jibiani, and, in the still unsettled state 

 of the weather, we looked forward with pleasure to the 

 prospect of again sleepmg under a roof. We had now to 

 mount the valley of the Scena, the most western of the 

 three principal sources of the Zenes-Squali. Our course 

 lay at first almost due west, but after a time the valley 

 bent round to the north, and we began to ascend rapidly 

 by the side of the stream, which foams at the bottom of a 

 deep and narrow cleft. For the first half-hour we were in 

 the forest, which was composed of noble pines, though the 

 trees were not equal in size to those on the further side 

 of the river. A narrow path, always ill-defined and in 

 places scarcely traceable, led across meadows of the 

 rankest herbage, gay with subalpine flowers, lilies, lupins, 

 and vetches, which showered down heavy drops on us as we 

 passed. The ruins of a village, or some huts, could be 

 distinguished amongst the trees on the opposite side of 

 the valley. To our surprise the path grew more distinct 

 the further we went, and gradually assumed the character 

 of a sledge-track. It led through thickets of underwood, 

 and over much marshy ground, the source of numerous 

 springs, which hurry to reinforce the torrent, here leaping 

 noisily over the granite boulders it has brought down with 

 it from the central chain. 



When we reached the level ground at the actual head of 

 the valley, we found that the bridge over the Scena, which 

 the peasant who acted as guide assured us had existed when 



u 



