NOVO-CHEISTIANSKY. 431 



At the same time the rain began to fall in torrents. How 

 we all safely accomplished the next two hours' ride is still 

 a mystery to me. The rain was blinding-, the track was so 

 deep in mire as to be in places almost impassable, the 

 trunks and branches put us in constant fear of concussion 

 of the brain ; yet, holding our horses in hand as best we 

 could, we pushed on at a brisk pace headed by the Cos- 

 sack, who occasionally looked round with an air of surjH'ise 

 at seeing his convoy still keeping up. At last we emerged 

 above the village of Tuganova, built at the foot of the 

 hills on the left bank of a stream which, issuing from a 

 wooded valley, here finds its way to the plain. 



A well-built whitewashed house, with verandahs, was 

 conspicuous at the entrance of the village ; it is the 

 residence of a native chief, who has been gratified with a 

 military rank by the Russians, and is now known by the 

 imposing title of General Tuganova. He is a Mahom- 

 medan, and therefore the owner of several wives, some of 

 whom we admired in passing. It was suggested by the 

 Cossack that we might claim the General's hospitality, but 

 as he also warned us that, should the rain continue, the 

 stream would probably be impassable next morning, we 

 determined to prolong our day's journey to Novo-Christi- 

 ansky, said to be ten miles distant. The questionable 

 stream, a very rapid one, was barely fordable now ; but we 

 managed to get through it safely, though the Cossack's 

 horse went into a hole, and wetted him up to the middle. 

 The wood gradually thinned, until it ceased altogether, 

 and we found ourselves on a dismal steppe, only relieved 

 by occasional mounds resembling artificial tumuli. The 

 ride, on a pouring afternoon, was gloomy enough, and 

 twilight was deepening apace, when we caught sight of 

 the distant church of Novo-Christiansky, a name derived 

 from the late simultaneous conversion of the whole villasfe 



