NATURAL FEATURES. 297 



limit of Suanetia on the west. Its spurs are separated 

 from those of the Leila mountains, which intervene on the 

 south between Suanetia and the lower country, only by 

 the deeply-cut and densely-wooded gorge through which 

 the Ingur makes its escape. The Leila chain is of con- 

 siderable height; several of its peaks exceed 12,000 feet, 

 and the glaciers on its northern flanks are by no means 

 despicable. Its formidable barrier runs in an unbroken 

 line along the south bank of the Ingur, and is con- 

 nected at the source of that river with the main ridge 

 of the Caucasus, by a grass-covered range (crossed 

 by us in passing from the Zenes-Squali to Jibiani), 

 which thus completes the circle of mountain barriers 

 with which nature has fortified this region. The to]30- 

 graphy of the interior of the Upper Ingur basin is 

 exceedingly complicated, and can only be understood by 

 careful study of a map. The stream of the Ingur flows 

 generally along the foot of the Leila range ; the country to 

 the north, between it and the main chain, is divided by 

 spurs, none of which attain the snow-level, into ravines 

 and meadow-basins, through which flow tributary streams 

 coming from the glaciers above. These are of a greater 

 size, and descend lower into the valleys, than anywhere 

 else on the southern side of the Caucasus. 



The foregoing description will have prepared my readers 

 for the character of the people whom we are about to 

 encounter, and, if read with a map, may assist those who 

 care to follow our wanderings tlirough the intricacies of 

 the Ingur sources. We had not had time to study 

 attentively Herr Radde's volume before leaving Tiflis, and 

 had no reason to anticipate a worse reception or greater 

 diflficulties than we had previously met with ; so that, 

 wearied out with the dawdling ways and monotonous 

 chants of our Gebi men, we had looked forward with 



