A VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. 
81 
golden eggs. Since the Russians have made the roads prac¬ 
ticable for carriages and horses, and planted military stations 
at convenient distances, with post-houses and well-armed escorts, 
the assistance of these treacherous chiefs and their people is no 
longer needful. The government smoothed the way for an un¬ 
impeded establishing of these settlements, by purchasing, with 
certain sums of money, from these chiefs, the right of exacting- 
toll from merchants, and merchandise. It is now collected at 
Wlady-Caucasus, (which words mean the key of the Caucasus,) not 
only by imposts on all chariots, laden with goods for traffic, but 
each individual whose business is mercantile, pays from ten to 
twenty-five roubles, as his own passport: all other travellers go 
free. 
In hopes to expedite the refitting of my unlucky carriage, I 
walked to the habitation of the village Vulcan, who had its 
repairs under his forge; and so had an opportunity of observing, 
a little closer, the lower order of these people, and the style of 
their abodes. The man himself was a rough, savage-looking 
fellow, black as his business, and with a countenance whose 
gloomy ferocity harmonised well with the burning iron under 
his hammer. His habitation, like that of most of his neigh¬ 
bours, was built of mud, on a foundation of stones, very low, and 
flat-roofed. A sort of shed projected in front, supported by 
uprights of wood : under this, was the work-shop; and at each 
extremity of its roof hung the sculls of horses, while other 
bones of the same noble animal were scattered about near the 
door. At one end of this rude portico, the blacksmith was 
busied with his work ; and, having inspected what he was about, 
I took the liberty of walking into the interior of the house. I 
found a rather large room, excessively dark and dirty, without 
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