a08 SUANETIA. 



hopeless, wiien a trifling demand, screamed out by a man 

 on tlie right-hand wall, suggested to us an imitation of 

 our predecessor Jason's policy in the same country. We 

 scattered our dragon's -teeth, in the shape of two or three 

 small copeck-pieces, among the group, and our foes began to 

 scramble and squabble ; their attention being for a moment 

 diverted, we pushed on as rapidly as possible, and before 

 they had recovered their surprise at our sudden move, 

 were clear of the village. A portion of the crowd came 

 in pursuit, but two of us faced round in the narrow path, 

 and brought them to a halt until the horse had gained a 

 slio-ht start, when we followed it. We passed hurriedly 

 through Tschubiani, where most of the inhabitants seemed 

 to be out, or amongst the Jibiani crowd. The owner of 

 the horse had rendered us no assistance, and was now 

 loitering somewhere out of sight ; the villagers, who fol- 

 lowed us, motioned us to halt, but we kept straight on, 

 and having crossed the bridge, passed underneath the 

 houses of Murkmer, and along the bank of the stream. 

 We were row in open country, and might consider our- 

 selves fairly out of the clutches of the men of Jibiani. 

 Paul told us, that when he was released from the bam, the 

 villagers said to him, ' If it was not for those wonderful 

 pistols of yours, we would have tied you all up, and taken 

 everything you had,' and there is no doubt that our 

 revolvers alone saved us from open robbery. The know- 

 ledge that you have fifteen barrels at your disposal has 

 a moral ejffect even on the most barbarous race. The 

 difficulty lies in enforcuig the impression while keeping 

 clear of actual fighting. Had a shot been fired, we must 

 inevitably have lost our luggage, and, considering the odds 

 ao-ainst us, might have had great difficulty in effecting our 

 own escape. 



The horseman now came up, of course professing enthe 



