COSSACKS OF THE BLACK SEA. 
15 
mense plains during winter, when the ground is chap. 
covered with snow : but when any of them have '■ -v—^ 
been opened, the appearance of a sepulchre 
seems to leave the question of their origin 
beyond dispute; and the traveller is left to 
wonder, and perplex himself in conjecture, 
concerning the population requisite for raising 
such numerous vestiges of interment, and for 
supplying the bodies they served to contain. 
Their number greatly increased as we ap- 
proached the Kuban. In the last stage, before 
we reached this river, we counted ninety-one 
of these Tumuli, all at once in view. 
The whole of the soil in this part of the 
Tchernomorski territory is covered with fine pas- 
ture herbage, and supplies hay for all their 
cavalry and cattle '. In our route, we frequently 
encountered parties returning from the war, who Arm y- 
had been dismissed to their respective homes, 
or had thought proper to remove themselves. 
These were all armed similarly to our escort ; 
(l) “ The cattle here are larger and finer than any-where in Russia. 
There are no sheep, not even of the Asiatic breed. The Cossack horses 
are what would be called, in England, good gallowayB. Their masters 
vaunt very much their speed and hardiness. According to them, a 
moderately good horse will go sixty versts, or forty miles, at full speed, 
w ithout stopping. They are seldom handsome.” Heber's MS. Journal. 
