554 
RETURN FROM THE CAVES. 
from falling over its precipices. Having passed four hours 
within the mountain, and for a few minutes enjoyed the mag¬ 
nificent view from its brow, I descended, well satisfied with the 
day’s travel; and during my ride back, being not less interested 
with the remarks of our conductor, and the judicious observ¬ 
ations of Sedak Beg, saw myself, almost before I was aware, at 
our Courdish quarters. A tent had been pitched for us during 
my absence ; and there I again experienced all the hospitality of 
kindly simple nature, under its sable shade. 
We rested till three o’clock ; when our horses, refreshed as 
ourselves, were again saddled; and having paid our grateful 
returns to the little establishment, found ourselves once more 
on the road. My object was to reach our night menzil before 
sunset, a village to the eastward about two farsangs. Our course 
lay across the mountains, which we could only pass from this 
quarter by an untrodden path. The way was therefore parti¬ 
cularly difficult and wild; for where we had not to scramble 
over loose stones or broken protruding rocks, we found it slip¬ 
pery, from a surface of smooth sun-burnt grass. In this part of 
our track, we did not meet a living creature; nor was the 
vestige of any human habitation traceable. But in such high 
paths, villages are never found entirely out of the way of water, 
and here not a rill pierced the marble rock. On looking around 
during our advance, I saw nothing but arid craggs; while the 
more elevated summits of other mountains, but still of the same 
description, appeared as if crowned with each its respective 
fortress ; time having worn the shattered cliffs into a thousand 
turreted forms. An hour’s ride through these seemingly em¬ 
battled regions, brought us down into a valley watered by the 
Sarak ; the same river we passed the day before, and which 
