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232 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS were sheepskins, or rags and tatters, theii* coats as often as not sleeveless, their headgear dirty hashliks tied up into turbans, or small shapeless pieces of cloth, from the size of a crovm-piece upwards, fastened on the top of wild, un- STKEET rs rSHKUL kempt locks. The women were as a rule hideous, and their dress was shapeless ; the children wore a single piece of sacking, or nothing at all. We could not sit outside our bam without being mobbed : if we retreated for peace into the black interior, we were pur- sued by individuals who planted themselves a yard oflP, took a steady stare which lasted any time from five to fifteen minutes, and then began to ovei'haul our persons, with as little scruple as if we had been figuies in a waxwork show. Here a line had to be drawn and the sightseers requested ' not to touch any of the objects exhibited.' But still, on one pretext or another, visitors crowded in, and as the day wore on, grew more and more aggi'avating. Towards evening a short revolver practice, and a bold statement b}' om- Mingrelian in- terpreter, an old servant and ti-avelling companion of Giftbrd Palgrave, that our weapons were self-loading, produced a certain pause in the persecution. But we barricaded ourselves in for the second night, not without some apprehension as to how it would pass, or how we should get away from the place next morning. Our final departure was a singularly dramatic scene, and gave promise at one time of a tragic ending. After an attempt on the part of the people to separate us, by shutting our interpreter
TRAVEL AND MOUNTAINEERING IN SUANETIA 233 and our Chamoniard, Francois Devouassoud, up in the barn, had failed, we succeeded in hoisting our slender baggage, partly on the one horse forming we had secured, partly on our own shoulders. Then in close order, and holding our revolvers in our hands, we made readv for a sudden start. Meantime some of the inhabitants, yelling and jabbering, barred the way, othere brandished swords, daggers, and pistols on either wall of the sunk lane which led woiild fetch through the %Tllage : a few ran off" making signs they their guns. The women, screaming and apparently endeavom-ing to restrain the passions of their relations, added to the picturesque confiision. Things seemed getting worse and worse, and the issue more and more doubtfvd, when a demand of some sort, shouted out by a man on the right-hand wall, suggested a simple stratagem. I flung a handful of kopeks into the crowd, and at the same moment we all made a sudden push down the lane. The crowd scrambled and fought for the coppers, the men in tie roadway yielded as the cold muzzle of the revolver touched their faces, and in less time than it has taken to describe the incident, we were outside the hamlet and among open fields. With our fifteen barrels we now felt com- paratively safe. When roused to passion, the Suanetian will occasionally use his dagger in open fight — I have more than once seen daggers drawn—but he much prefei-s the safety of a neighboming thicket, whence he can take a deliberate aim with the help of his forked gun-rest, and shoot his enemy unobserved. The owner of our horse, a native of another village, who had disappeared during the disturbance, now came up to tender his services and his con- gratulations, whUe our Mingrelian interpreter explained to us the ' Let us tie them up, let us rob, let us kill.' voices on the wall : Such was my first introduction to Suanetians. It wiU be allowed that, if I have written some hard things of them, it has not been without provocation. There is no doubt, however, that in the last twenty-five years the Suanetians have changed very much for the better. But readers who may be disposed to consider my early descriptions overcharged, because more recent experiences do not correspond with them, may do well to look into narratives contem-
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TRAVEL AND MOUNTAINEERING IN SUANETIA 233<br />
and our Chamoniard, Francois Devouassoud, up in the barn, had<br />
failed, we succeeded in hoisting our slender baggage, partly on the<br />
one horse<br />
forming<br />
we had secured, partly on our own shoulders. Then<br />
in close order, and holding our revolvers in our hands, we<br />
made readv for a sudden start. Meantime some of the inhabitants,<br />
yelling and jabbering, barred the way, othere brandished swords,<br />
daggers, and pistols on either wall of the sunk lane which led<br />
woiild fetch<br />
through the %Tllage : a few ran off" making signs they<br />
their guns.<br />
The women, screaming and apparently endeavom-ing to<br />
restrain the passions of their relations, added to the picturesque<br />
confiision.<br />
Things seemed getting worse and worse, and the issue more and<br />
more doubtfvd, when a demand of some sort, shouted out by a man<br />
on the right-hand wall, suggested a simple stratagem. I flung a<br />
handful of kopeks into the crowd, and at the same moment we all<br />
made a sudden push down the lane. The crowd scrambled and<br />
fought for the coppers, the men in tie roadway yielded as the cold<br />
muzzle of the revolver touched their faces, and in less time than<br />
it has taken to describe the incident, we were outside the hamlet<br />
and among open<br />
fields. With our fifteen barrels we now felt com-<br />
paratively safe. When roused to passion, the Suanetian will<br />
occasionally use his dagger in open fight — I have more than once<br />
seen daggers drawn—but he much prefei-s the safety of a neighboming<br />
thicket, whence he can take a deliberate aim with the help of<br />
his forked gun-rest, and shoot his enemy unobserved. The owner of<br />
our horse, a native of another village, who had disappeared during<br />
the disturbance, now came up to tender his services and his con-<br />
gratulations, whUe our Mingrelian interpreter explained to us the<br />
'<br />
Let us tie them up, let us rob, let us kill.'<br />
voices on the wall :<br />
Such was my<br />
first introduction to Suanetians. It wiU be<br />
allowed that, if I have written some hard things of them, it has not<br />
been without provocation. There is no doubt, however, that in the<br />
last twenty-five years the Suanetians have changed very much for<br />
the better. But readers who may be disposed to consider my early<br />
descriptions overcharged, because more recent experiences<br />
do not<br />
correspond with them, may do well to look into narratives contem-