PROGRESS OF THE CONVOY. 
63 
look-out towards these objects,) these men, so active in the 
field, allow nothing to disturb their reposing indolence; or 
rather, we might say, the imbruting excess with which they 
indulge themselves in the misuse of spirituous liquors, to the 
temporary annihilation of all their faculties. 
Their national dress and weapons, in general differ little 
from the costume of the Cossacks of the Caucasian line; but my 
military friend of our first convoy, told me he had seen several 
of the Tchetchinzi, carrying short spears and oval shields, with 
small iron scull-caps on their heads, and gauntlets of the same 
metal protecting their lower arm and hands. Those, thus ha¬ 
bited, were, comparatively, few in number. The men are stout 
and robust in their persons, with fine countenances and dark 
complexions. The women are not to be described, being kept 
so close as not to be seen by strangers, even of their own tribe. 
Still it was not improbable that accident might have given Ge¬ 
neral del Pozzo, in his captivity, a glimpse of some of them; 
and I anticipated some information of the sort, when I should 
converse with him ; but I was yet to be deprived of the expected 
gratification. 
The convoy, and my fellow-travellers set forth again, early in 
the morning of October 3d (O. S.), the day after we arrived ; but 
it was under so heavy a rain, that I thought less of my impru¬ 
dence in having decided to remain behind them. At noon, the 
weather began to clear ; and almost at the same instant a courier 
appeared from the general, to inform the officer at the fort, that 
his Excellency’s arrival there was uncertain ; he being detained 
at the new redoubt, negociating with a party of the Tchetchinzi, 
for the recovery of an unfortunate European lady who had be¬ 
come their prisoner. The circumstances of her captivity were 
particularly distressing. Her husband, who was a Cossack officer 
1 
