A DILETTANTE IN THE CAUCASUS. 229 



moist, and the beat consequently disagreeable. In the desert of 

 Boz, where there is no humidity, the scorching heat of a blazing 

 noonday sun, in spite of the total absence of shade, does not 

 prevent the air from being crisp and even invigorating. An 

 exceedingly high temperature produces no disagreeable effect, 

 providing the actual skin is not scorched, which may cause 

 great pain. I was able to undergo considerable and prolonged 

 exertion without the slightest discomfort, but the difference was 

 very marked on returning home ; directly the canal-zone was 

 reached, with vegetation, though the temperature was no higher, 

 considerable discomfort was caused, and a profuse perspiration 

 broke out instantly. 



The journey along the banks of the Caspian as far as 

 Petrovsk is not without charm and interest. The scorching heat 

 of the grey terraces between the mountains and the sea, infested 

 by Anopheles and Culex, make it a bad place to live in ; officials 

 and their families at the stations along the line lay gasping in 

 the shade of a hut or umbrella, unable to undertake the slightest 

 exertion before the evening. And yet the conscientious Tartars 

 strictly carry out their law, and during the fast of Eamazan, not 

 a glass of water nor a cigarette touches their lips so long as the 

 sun is above the horizon. For miles no trees, grey hills, a flat, 

 grey terrace, Alhagi, Salsola, Artemisia, and the unceasing shrill 

 of the Cicadas. The famous wall of Derbend is clearly seen 

 from the train ; it runs from the ancient fort on top of the hill 

 down to the sea, embracing the town within its two arms. The 

 walls are about eight or nine feet thick; the composition is 

 stones and brick, faced with blocks of smooth stone about two 

 feet square. The irresistible Peter the Great visited Derbend, 

 coming by sea from Astrakhan, and suggested carrying this wall 

 from the Caspian to the Black Sea, to shut off the raids of the 

 wild tribes of the Caucasus, but the undertaking was too vast 

 even for his colossal abilities. Derbend is mainly a Tartar town, 

 but there are a number of Jews and Armenians, and a sprinkling 

 of the wild highlanders from Daghestan may usually be seen 

 stalking down the streets. The country here assumes a greener 

 aspect, and is intensely cultivated by the patient Tartars, who 

 are fine gardeners, and eke out a permanent sustenance from a 

 tiny plot of land. Sturgeon-fishing is the main local industry. 



