M O 
eompamed by a train of well-armed followers. He was 
diftinguifhed amongft them by his white horfe and his 
drefs ; and there was a flight and fuperficial appearance of 
European breeding about him. Near Stephan Zminda is 
the caftle of the prince, formed by a high wall, enclofing 
his dwelling-houfe and feveral other buildings. The caf¬ 
tle of the Baron in Candide was the fineft in all Weft- 
phajia, becaufe it had a door and windows; and Kafbeck 
is not a little proud of his refidence for the fame reafon. 
The faftnefs, it feeins, wore rather a forbidding afpedl. 
Kafbeck’s retainers came out to meet him ; they were all 
armed ; and they evidently looked on the ftrangers with 
an eye of fufpicion. Englehardt and Parrott did not dare 
to difmount, till the dogs, who were ready to tear them in 
pieces, were driven away. They were then fliown into a 
kind of negledled barn; the walls were damp ; it received 
the light only through a loop-hole; nor did it contain any 
furniture whatever. Preparations, however, were foon 
made for their entertainment. The fervants brought in 
chairs and tables, and beds, and their dinner made its ap¬ 
pearance : it was a European meal, but badly drefl'ed. 
Kalbeck filled a filver beaker with wine, which he drank 
off' to the health of his guefts. When they had finifhed 
eating, the Georgian fervants took pofleflion of the re¬ 
mains of the feaft, and quarrelled and fought for the 
fcraps and bones. The villagers would not give a clear 
account of the relation in which they flood toward their 
chieftain. They laid that “ they were not obliged to obey 
his orders ; they worked freely, and of their own accord ; 
he paid them either in victuals or in money ; and, in their 
turn, they made him prefents of a portion of their crops.” 
The true nature of thefe feudal benevolences, however, 
might be ealily judged from the care which Kafbeck took 
to number the fheaves in the fields; and the chaftifement 
which was infli&ed on two of the villagers, who had at¬ 
tempted to quit the valley, and to carry off their cattle to 
Wladi Kawkas, gave a practical illuftration of their rights 
and privileges. The tributes, however, which Kafbeck 
•can exadt from his vaffals, rauft be of fmall account. The 
Ofletes are miferably poor; they cultivate no other grain 
but rye and barley; and thefe in fmall quantities. Kaf¬ 
beck is proprietor of numerous flocks of fheep; but he 
has no opportunity of turning them into monev. Engle¬ 
hardt therefore conjedlures, that his income arifes, not 
from his chieftainfhip, but from his trade. He is a car¬ 
rier on a large fcale, and fupplies the Ruffian government 
with forage and draught-cattle ; and he is without a com¬ 
petitor in this profitable calling. 
The firft excurfion of Englehardt and Parrott was to the 
fprings of the Terek. The guides on this occafion were 
feven fturdy Ofletes from the village Kobi. Their depar¬ 
ture was accompanied with a certain degree of folemnity. 
Kafbeck ordered his attendants to quit the room; and, 
after having divided amongft the guides the money 
which had been promifed to them, he addreffed their 
leader in the Ruffian language: “ Gegor Machmetiew 
Tawamiew, I deliver thefe men into thy care ; their heads 
are as my head ; lead them truly and faithfully to the 
fprings of the Terek, and conduit them fafely back again ; 
if they feparate from each other, each mu ft be equally pro¬ 
tected; and now depart with the Lord.” The valley of 
the Terek is peopled by the Ofletes. This tribe is laid to 
have been anciently converted to Chriftianity by the 
Georgian miffionaries. But their converfion was proba¬ 
bly little more than nominal; and at prefent they are very 
finful and lukewarm Mahometans. A Turkifh mullah 
ventures among them now and then, to inflrudl them in 
the law of the faithful; and the Ofletes treat the Maho¬ 
metan miffionaries wdth great perfonal refpedl, at the fame 
time that they are wholly lieedlefs of their exhortations. 
The excurfions of Englehardt and Parrott furnifh us 
with ftriking pictures of the manners of the Caucafians. 
Their guides avoided coming too near to the hamlets. 
j!< The villagers,” as they told the travellers, “ often fire 
.at one another from the towers of their houfes, if .any 
U N T. 331 
trifling difpute has taken place ; and ftrangers are in (fill 
greater danger ” Near Abana they difcovered a mineral 
fpring. Englehardt and his companion tailed the water, 
which is ftrongly aftringent. They wiflied to examine 
the ftrata from whence it fprung; but, when they came 
near to the rocks, the women, who obferved them, fcream- 
ed out their threats and vituperations. The guides feared 
that the male Ofletes would come to the affiftance of their 
fcreaming helpmates; and our travellers withdrew'. On 
their return they had better fuccefs ; and they procured 
fpecimens of the rock ; a clay-flate, which is very rich in 
alum and fulphur. The women w'ere well aware of the 
mineral contents of the rock ; and hence arofe their jea- 
loufy of the ftrangers ; for the Ofletes make their own 
gunpow’der, which is of an excellent quality ; and they 
are very careful to conceal the proceffes which they em¬ 
ploy, and the places where they collect the materials for 
this important manufacture. 
The mountains of Caucafus form two chains running 
parallel to each other. The higheft range is covered with 
perpetual fno.w. The low’er or northern mountains are 
called the Black Mountains. In the fnowy chain, the 
mountains Elbrus and Kafbeck rife towering above the 
reft, the former of which is fuppofed to exceed Mont 
Blanc in height; and its bafe is unapproachable during 
the greater part of the year, when it is furrounded by 
fwamps formed by the melted fnows. The neighbour¬ 
hood of Mount Kafbeck affords greater facilities ; thejr 
were, however, compelled to wait many days before the 
weather was fuch as to allow them to make the attempt 
of attaining the fummit of the fnow-mountain, till at 
length a brifk fouth wind difperfed the clouds which 
hung upon it. “ It is now a good time to afcend the 
mountain,” faid the old Georgian prince; “ and your 
guides are ready.” Thefe guides were two Georgian 
hunters, and an interpreter ; and the travellers were alfo 
furnifhed with a horfe, upon which their inflruments and 
baggage were loaded. The way up the fide of the moun¬ 
tain lay through romantic ravines; and, after they had 
journeyed up bill during fome hours, the top of Kafbeck 
appeared yet more diftant than when it was feen from the 
banks of the Terek, as they were now at the foot of a 
lofty cliff of rock over which it was juft perceptible. 
They relied themfelves in a hut belonging to Kafbeck’s 
fhepherds ; and the two Georgians already began to be 
faint-hearted, and propofed to flop there : but our tra¬ 
vellers were not to be deterred ; and after a toilfome ac¬ 
cent, they found themfelves at the verge of the fields of 
frozen fnow, which perpetually cover the upper parts of 
the mountain. From this fpot they proceeded, accom¬ 
panied only by one of their guides. 
Caucafus is yet the feat of fidlion. The legends which 
have been embelliflied by the inventive fancy of the Arabs 
and Perfians, are found even now amongft the inhabitants. 
Thefe mountains have been confidered as the cradle of the 
nations of Europe and Afia; and, if we knew more of 
the traditions which are remembered in this diftridt, much 
curious illuftration would be given to the mythology of 
the old world. The Caucafians believe that Mount El¬ 
brus is haunted by nutnberlefs fpirits and demons, whole 
fovereign, Dfchin Padifchaw, ftrikes the wretch u'ho in¬ 
vades his dominions with inftant blindnefs. Elchin Pa- 
•difehaw is undoubtedly the Gian ben Gian of the Tarikh 
Tabari, though now lie. is no better than King Puck. 
Elbrus, “ the gracious, the holy, mountain,” is'alfo ve¬ 
nerated, becaufe the ark of Noah firft drifted there ; the 
veflel afterwards floated to Mount Ararat: nor can the 
fummit of the mountain be attained by finful man. Kal¬ 
beck is viewed with equal awe. The neighbouring tribes, 
whofe creed is a ftrange amalgamation of Paganifm and 
Chriftianity, and Judaifm and Mahometry, revere it un¬ 
der the name of C/irifle-'Zup, the Hill of Chrift. It was 
once inhabited by the Virgin Mary ; and an enormous bird, 
a roc, or a fimorgh, watches over the cradle and the gar¬ 
ments which fhe left there. And facrifices are offered up 
b y 
