3£6 THE TCHEREK VALLEY. 



on a bencli, were served with a dish of spelt-bread and 

 toasted cheese, which was not unpalatable to hungry men. 

 Though the Tcherkesses are Mahommedans, the women 

 of the village took small pains to cover their faces, or 

 avoid the eyes of strangers and infidels. They are a well- 

 grown race, but there was nothing in any of their faces, 

 except those of the very young girls, to attract a second 

 look, and our host's wife, who attended on us, was a 

 marvel of ugline&s. 



Having disposed of the food as quickly as propriety 

 would permit, we jumped into the saddle, and set off 

 at a canter across the grassy steppe, leaving the bullock- 

 cart to follow more leisurely, under the charge of Francois. 

 Once on the road, we lost no time, as our horseman 

 was anxious to return the same night to his home, and 

 urged us to push on. To gallop on a Tcherkess saddle 

 is not a very easy or agreeable feat, but we were all 

 tolerably successful, though I suffered shipwreck on one 

 occasion, from rashly opening a map — a proceeding my 

 horse resented with such an unexpected flourish of his 

 heels, as to land me safely on the grass over his head, 

 there to continue my researches at leisure. There was 

 still another large river, flowing from the glaciers of the 

 central chain, between us and Naltschik. This was the 

 Tchegem, the upper valley of which is inhabited by a 

 branch of the same Tartar race as is found at Uruspieh 

 and Balkar. The stream was coming down with great 

 violence, but the frail-looking bridge had, fortunately, not 

 as yet been carried away, although the catastrophe seemed 

 imminent, and the structure was watched by a guard, 

 who would only allow us to pass one by one, and at a foot- 

 pace. 



A low range of wooded hills now bounded the stej)pe 

 we had been traversing all day, and we could see, at 



