674 * 
BANKS OF THE KARA-SOU. 
was to be seen, and scarce a vestige of cultivation on the brows 
of the mountains. At rather more than half-way to our pur¬ 
posed halting-place, (that is, about seventeen miles from Arze- 
room,) we passed a large village on our right, called Alaja. 
During the whole march we had not seen any spot, either pic¬ 
turesque, or particularly cheering from vegetation, though we 
had so continually followed the course of the river. The only 
village we could descry on our left was that of Aurani amongst 
the mountains, at which point our road lay S. 70° W. Having 
proceeded a couple of miles more, we saw a building on our 
right, called the Tomb , a very conspicuous object. Five miles 
farther brought us to the ruined khaun of Gennis. The Kara- 
sou runs close to it, and also bathes the humble walls of the 
little village of Garra-beyuke. Still, however, all appeared com¬ 
paratively sterile, till, at about a mile from our halting-place, 
we crossed the hills more to the south, and descending into the 
lower valley of the river, beheld trees and bushes covering its 
margin, and the fine village of Ash-kala before us. After ford¬ 
ing the stream to its right bank, on the brink of which the 
village stood, we entered our quarters; sharing them, as usual, 
with our horses and the native fleas. We were now out of an¬ 
cient Armenia, the western limit of which used to be the Kara- 
sou, this most north-western branch of the Euphrates; and at 
Ash-kala it was necessary to prepare an adequate guard, to meet 
the predatory dangers of the ensuing day ; the natives of certain 
defiles we had to pass through, reported to be equally barbarous 
with those of the age of Herodotus or Xenophon. With great diffi¬ 
culty, and at a most exorbitant charge, we obtained the promise 
of three horsemen for the morrow; but the heads of the village 
laughed at the serraskier’s order for more, and did not less deride 
