DEPARTURE FROM TIFLIS. 465 



CHAPTER XIY. 



TEANSCAUCASIA AND THE CRIMEA : HOME THROUGH 



RUSSIA. 



Borjom — Bad Road — Beautifid Scenery^ — Achaltzich — Across the Hills — 

 Abastuman — A Narrow Valley — The Burnt Forest — Panorama of the 

 Caucasus — Last Appearance of Kazbek and Elbruz — A Forest Ride — 

 Bagdad — Miugi-elian Hospitality — A French Baron's Fami — The Rion 

 Basin — Kutais — The Postmaster — Poti — A Dismal Swamp — Soukhoum- 

 Kale — Sevastopol — The Battlefields — The Crimean Corniche— Bakhchi- 

 Sarai — Odessa — A Run Across Russia — A Jew's Cart — The Dnieper Steam- 

 boat — Kicff — Picturesque Pilgrims — The Lavra — Sainted Mummies — A 

 Long Drive — Vitebsk — St. Peterslnirg — Conclusion. 



August 29 — oOth.—We were able to retain the same 'dili- 

 gence' and conductor we had brought from Vladikafkaz 

 for our drive to Achaltzich. Having already traversed the 

 road between Tiflis and Suram, we determined to start in 

 the afternoon of Saturday, and travel through the night, 

 by which means we hoped to arrive at Borjom at midday 

 on Sunday. At Mscheti we thought ourselves lucky to 

 escape with only a couple of hours' detention ; after this 

 all went well, and we arrived at Suram in time for break- 

 fast. Here we parted from Fran9ois, who was despatched, 

 with some of the luggage, to make his way in ' telegas ' to 

 Kutais, by the aid of a ' podorojno,' and the knowledge of 

 about a dozen words of Russian. 



From Suram to Borjom is a distance of eighteen miles, 

 divided into two stages. Most of the valleys, by which the 

 streams rising in the tablelands of Armenia force their way 

 northwards, are deep, narrow, tortuous, and well-wooded, 



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