AN ENLIGHTENED PRINCE. 351 



the comparative virtue of the two men who had held aloof 

 in the dispute at the head of the valley with an extra 

 rouble, and the whole troop departed, after much hand- 

 shaking. 



All our attention was now due to the princes, to whom 

 we apologised for the disturbed state in which they had 

 found us. Our hosts were three brothers, tall fine- 

 looking men, with open and kindly countenances, and 

 dressed in the full Caucasian costume. The younger 

 brother, Hamzet, had been for some time in the Eussian 

 service, and spoke Russian fluently. The interview com- 

 menced with the usual enquiry as to our nationality : 

 instead of the stolid ignorance exhibited by the Mingre- 

 lians at the mention of the English name, Hamzet's face 

 at once brightened up, and he exclaimed, 'Anglicany, 

 karasho (good), Williams Pasha, Kars, karasho.' It was 

 quite like coming back into the world again, from some 

 region where everyone had been asleep for 500 years, to 

 find men acquainted with the events of the Crimean War. 



We recounted our ascent of Kazbek, and our journey 

 across the country (at both of whicli great surprise was 

 expressed), and then explained our wish to attemjit Elbruz. 

 The princes, while admitting Kazbek to be the more pre- 

 cipitous mountain, expressed great doubts of our reaching 

 the top of Elbruz, adducing the very good argument that 

 no one had ever done so. They promised to send for the 

 peasants who had accompanied former Russian travellers 

 bent on exploring the mountain, and said we should be 

 taken at least as far as anyone had been before us. 



Ararat was not unknown to the princes, and they were 

 aware of the legend by which the Caucasian mountain is 

 connected with the Armenian. According to local tra- 

 dition, the Ark grazed on the top of Elbruz before finally 

 resting on Ararat. The correct appreciation of the rela- 



