316 SUANETIA. 



agreeable. They did not, however, inspire us with the 

 amount of confidence requisite to induce us to use their 

 village as a base for the attack of Tau Totonal, and to leave 

 our luggage at their mercy during our absence. From the 

 character we afterwards found them to deserve, our caution 

 was fortunate. We were obliged occasionally to ask the 

 crowd to leave us a little breathing room, but they quite took 

 the point of the suggestion, that the wider the circle the 

 more would be able to see, and both parties were perfectly 

 good-humoured. Paul's appearance with the first batch of 

 l3av3S was greeted with enthusiasm, for the rations ser\'^ed 

 out at breakfast had been scanty, and we were all ravenous. 

 The flat unleavened cakes of the Caucasus are very 

 palatable when hot, and have the advantage of being 

 seldom sour, like the detestable black bread common in 

 Russia. On the present occasion we made short work 

 of the first baking, and were perfectly ready for a second 

 supply of a superior character, with a layer of warm 

 cheese in the centre, very nice and indigestible. 



When the time for paj'ment came there was of course 

 a difiiculty, or would have been one, had we not preferred 

 to pay three times their value for the loaves we had 

 consumed, rather than engage in another dispute. It did 

 not seem to us a case where, in the interest of future travel- 

 lers, we were bound to resist extortion ; and we preferred 

 laying ourselves open to the ordinary charge against 

 Englishmen of raising prices wherever they go, to 

 running the risk of being stuck by the dagger of an 

 indignant Adischer for the sum of sixpence. Despite, 

 however, our peace-at-any-price policy, we were followed 

 out of the village by one man, with an absurd demand, to 

 which we refused to listen. 



The valley of the ^.disch-Tshalai below the village 

 is contracted to a mere gorge, the sides of which are 



