402 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Maynard Owen Williams 



MOUNT ARARAT IS THE HOARY SUMMIT LOOKING DOWN UPON THIS STRATEGIC 



RAILWAY 



This picture was taken when the Russians were^ retreating from the Caucasus front, thus 

 giving- over the Armenians, who had formed their conquering vanguard, to the cruelty of 

 the Turks. 



simplicity, "for all I know, sir, 'ee may 

 be making insulting remarks about me." 



now the; Georgian entertains 



I have mentioned the "lounging hour." 

 In fact, there are some sixteen of these 

 to the Georgian's day, and perhaps it 

 would be simpler to speak of the working 

 hour. Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the 

 afternoon, down go" the steel lattices 

 which guard the shop windows — win- 

 dows which present to your amazed 

 glance a fifth-year war stock of cham- 

 pagne, liqueurs, and articles de luxe of 

 every kind; then . Tiflis resumes its na- 

 tional pastime of joie de vivre until 6 

 o'clock of the following morning; for 

 that is the hour when the Georgians' all- 

 night parties break up — break up, I mean, 

 with a crash of china and with shots ex- 

 changed across the table. 



The Georgian is renowned for his hos- 

 pitality. His customary greeting is, 



"While in Tiflis you will consider my 

 home yours" — an offer which was ten- 

 dered us so regularly that we suffered, I 

 may almost say, from an embarrassment 

 of homes. 



The Georgian dinner-party, a mighty 

 matter of courses and wines, begins at 

 2.30 in the afternoon and lasts until 5. 

 Then there will be a dance in the evening, 

 refreshments commencing at 9 o'clock 

 and continuing between dance-numbers 

 until the company reels homeward in the 

 dawn. 



Occasionally the floor is cleared for a 

 dagger-dance, a picturesque and barbaric 

 business performed to a rhythmic accom- 

 paniment of hand-clapping by some tall, 

 beskirted native, who prances murder- 

 ously about with from five to seven dag- 

 gers held between his teeth. 



The Georgian public function is a 

 superb affair of uniforms, healths drunk, 

 huzzahs, celebrities carried shoulder- 



