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198 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS
He walked in a pink cotton frockcoat, wore a turquoise ring,
and had his eare pierced. He moderated the language or the
zeal of his colleagues, and gave wise coimsel and help at the
critical moment. Truly
the Suanetians are a mixed and variable
race ! The fathers of these men had nearly murdered us twenty
years before : with my present companions I had nothing but
pleasant dealings, and it was with regret we saw theii* bright faces
and dark turbans disappear for the last time as they rode ofi" home.
The descent lies into the glen of the Zeskho, the central
source of the Skenis Skali. At its head the chain in old days
used to be fiequently crossed by Suanetians, bent on lifting their
to '
neighbours' cattle. It must require some enterprise lift
ox over a pass of 11,000 feet. These old disorders are now only
a memory. But they are a very living memory. K any mischief
or misfortune takes place on the north side it is, as a matter of
coiurse, and with or without reason, set down to the Suanetians.
At present what cattle there are in the Skenis Skali are sent there
by their Tartar owners, who pay the Dadian, or chieftain of the
district, a few kopeks for each head of cattle on the pasture.
At the head of the Zeskho, where the disused cattle-pass hes, the
crystalline schists of the main chain present a bare tame outline.
Farther west, however, bold granite horns, the last outUers of the
Central Group, mark the ridge which, on the north side, sweeps
round the hollow of the Ailama Glacier. The only way down into
the valley is by a torrent-bed, full of loose boulders. Ti\Tien the trough
of the main stream is reached, the best plan, supposing the water
not to be in flood—a frequent occurrence— is to plash along among
the pools and half-dry channels. This part of the joiumey is not
without solace. The jvmgle of raspberry and currant bushes that
lines the banks gives excuse for frequent halts for refreshment, in
which the natives set the example. They find further sustenance
in the succulent steins of a huge umbelliferous plant, which they
chew as they walk. Then one of the train raises his voice in song,
the whole body join in chorus, and the woods echo %vith some
old ballad of war or the hunt. The difficulties of the road, however,
generally cut short this entertainment.
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