698 
ENTERS THE FORESTS. 
Hissar, we found ourselves in the midst of a forest, the deeply 
black road of which brought us by degrees to a vast blazing pile, 
that had indeed been our inviting cynosure from a great dis¬ 
tance. It was shadowed on one side by a party of travellers be¬ 
longing to a caravan ; but the fire they had then lit for a few 
hours’ sojourn, w r as of size sufficient for a company of giants, 
being nothing less than the trunks of five or six felled trees, 
thrown on each other, and which being set in a blaze, flamed 
nearly their whole length. When we arrived we made a 
short halt in so comfortable a bivouac, and found no churlish 
welcome. It was a scene for the pencil of Salvator or Rem¬ 
brandt. From this place the line of country became more 
obscure, from the numerous hilly undulations and their inter¬ 
mingling shadows ; yet as we proceeded, notwithstanding the 
general darkness of the night, I frequently traced the glittering 
Thermodon on our left. Morning was pretty far advanced before 
we arrived at Iss-Cossar, the termination of this day’s march ; 
the distance from the last menzil being computed at fourteen 
hours, which I count to be thirty-six miles. 
November 17th. — We remained at this really respectable 
village no longer than until eight o’clock this morning, when 
the fresh horses were brought to us. Our way from it lay north¬ 
west, over a hilly and partially cultivated country. Having gone 
four miles, we passed the village Armari to our left. The bold 
and rocky mountains we had so long been traversing, now 
softened into gentler forms, and almost totally clothed in woods, 
sloped into the rich valley of our path. After a ten miles’ course 
through this fine country, abundant in springs, fertility and 
villages, we passed close to that of Alma, particularly distinguish¬ 
able by me on account of its extraordinary resemblance to the 
