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250 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS
as they often do before a storm, and nothing was hidden from us
Tetnuld and its farther
except the aetual tops of the Central Group,
neighbours. Beyond the highest reservoirs of the western branch
of the Chalaat Glacier rose two spires
of snow, part of Chatulntau.
Almost at our feet lay the meetmg-place of the Chalaat and the
Leksur o-laciers. The a;reat basin of the Leksur Glacier and the
ridges round it were spread out as on a map. All '
Free Suanetia '
was laid as a carpet before us— a maze of low smooth ridges and
deep glens, heights clothed in shadowy forests, hollows where the
shafts of sunshine played on yellowing barley-fields and towered
villacres and white ton-ent-beds. The Ions: chain of the Laila
lifted its glaciers on high ; they showed as pale
streaks under the
storm-clouds advancing from the Black Sea. Beyond the Ingur,
far off in Abkhasia, we noticed another glacier-bearing crest, part
of the southern limestones. From these distant objects the eyes
returned to rest on the vast bulk of Ushba, the eastern face of
which was fully disj^layed. From this height its cliffs and ice-
raked slopes looked far more formidable than from the lower
glacier.
The first part of the descent demanded care, for the loose boulders
were particularly troublesome. As soon as it seemed to me safe,
I gave the order to try the snow in the bay on our light. The
slopes were not crevassed, nor was their angle steep enough to
make the tendency of the surface to slide any danger in the descent.
We rode down in fifteen minutes, on little avalanches of our own
starting, a distance we had taken two hours to climb by the rocks.
As soon as the rope could be taken off, I left the guides to
follow at their leisure, and set off at my best pace for the valley.
The great peaks were already black with thunder-clouds, and it
seemed only a qviestion of minutes when the storm would break.
At the foot of the descent I foiuid a camp had been set up
since the morning by Prince Wittgenstein and Prince Shervashidzi.
The former, who has since died, was a Russian ofiicer who had
held high posts in Central Asia. He talked English perfectly.
The latter is a Caucasian noble. Their camp was interesting as
an example of the old native habits in travel. Four solid stems