490 
TOMB-STONES OF ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS. 
not one of them had the slightest resemblance to man or woman, 
or bore even a mark of having been hewn. They covered a 
square of half a mile ; and no one knew when, nor why they were 
so placed. The description of my young Courd led me to sup¬ 
pose them the graves of some of the early inhabitants of this 
part of the country; and, from the way of erecting the stones, 
not unlikely of Armenian Christians ; who may have been mas¬ 
sacred by the first propagators of Mahomedanism, and their 
town afterwards destroyed. The probability, therefore, falls so 
far in with the legend of the dervise ; and an eastern imagina¬ 
tion might very easily turn the head-stones of the martyrs into 
their marbled remains. I lamented that the great depth of the 
snow, and the hourly augmenting inclemency of the season, 
prevented myself exploring so singular a spot. 
December 20tli. — Winter now appeared set in with such 
thorough determination, that to await a milder day seemed 
waiting for the spring; and therefore resisting all farther per¬ 
suasions from the khan and his intelligent sons, this morning, 
at about eleven o’clock, we recommenced our march in the face 
of a few flying flakes of snow, and a most piercing wind. Our 
course lay about N. 10° E., but the light shower soon augmenting 
to a thick fall of driving sleet and snow, I could not see five 
yards before me. However, now and then there was a short 
cessation, when I could just discern we were travelling through 
a serpentine valley, or rather a succession of valleys, for six 
hours, during which we crossed two hills by very steep and 
rocky passes. The country then partook more of a plain, for a 
distance of two succeeding hours, when we forded the Tattawa 
river at a width of thirty yards, the depth then trifling. It was 
now about eight o’clock; and soon after, the evening became so 
