658 
COURDISH ESCORT 
sort of enraptured passion as that which agitates the wandering 
sons of Helvetia, when they hear their Ranz des Vaches. The 
present scene brought to my mind that of the cavern-hospitality 
in the mountains of Courdistan the preceding winter ; but there 
the strains of the wild piper, his voice, his instrument, his talent, 
were in the most exquisite harmony. In short, it was impossible 
not to think of Apollo amongst the wandering herdsmen of 
Admetus ; or to suppose, when heard from afar in those wilder¬ 
nesses of nature, how readily they would suggest the image of 
a faun breathing his divine notes to Echo, or the nymphs. 
As our next day’s march was allowed by all present to be 
even more perilous than the one we had happily accomplished, 
a mounted escort of twelve men was ordered by my Janissary, 
who, producing our authority to that effect, immediately received 
an assurance that all should be in readiness for early starting in 
the morning. The pass thus dreaded bore indeed a dreadful name, 
being called the Hill of Blood. And while dosing, I could dis¬ 
tinguish, that for a long time after this discussion of our particular 
route had been settled, the conversation continued with tales of 
ambushes, plunderings, maltreatments, and murders ; all of which 
had taken place in different horrid valleys, where, in general, 
the narrator of each story had shared its terrors ; and I must 
confess, bating the catastrophes, I could not help wishing the 
whole party airing themselves in those valleys a while, that my 
poor aching head might find a little rest. 
November 5th. — Savagely rude as the aspects of last night 
were, in the gloomy souterrain, the turn-out this morning of 
my Courdish horsemen, when grouped with the scenery around, 
was far beyond them in every wild and ferocious characteristic. 
Spears, round shields, knives, pistols, with other accoutrements, 
