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36 THE EXPLORATTON" OF THE CATICASrS 15,400, JWrttB. peak 15,409; Tiktengen, 15,127; Gefffcola, 15,932: Tetnukl, 15,319; Janga, 16,569; Skkara, 17,038; ami a crowd of otlier peaks of between 15,000 and 13,000 feet. In a space aome ten miles square in the Central Grroup there are found to be no less than twenty distinct aummita of over 14,000 feet. To orogra.pher3 anri map-makera the importance of Shkara long remained unrecogni.aed. This noble mountain ia the Monte Puosa of the Caucasus. Conspicuous from, the southern plains from, the seaboard, it culminates like its Alpine and even rival in a five- crested ridge. It has its Gomer Glficier in the Bezingi Glacier, and its Val Anzasca in the glen of the Zena. E am responsible for the erroneous identification (in 1868) of Shka.ra with the Koshtantau of the five-verst map, now called Dykbtau. Twenty-seven yeara ago, when I drew the view from the Shtuluvaek, we saw two great mountaina where only one was ma,rked on the raa,p. Here was a dilemma. Shkara from this point of view wa^ fe.r the more imposing, and we called it Kosh- tantaTi, while the peak that had been measured under that name on the raa.p we called an ' unknown peak.' Con.seqnently, atiidenta of Caucasian literature must be careful to remember that the TT .«] 1*^,1 atau, not only of my Central Caucasus, but also of Mr. book and Mr. Dent's early articles, ia always Shkara. In addition to Shkaxa we have found and climbed, and the surveyors have now measured, three more great peaks on the actual watersherl, and one projecting slightly from it on the aouth towarda Suanetia. These are the broad-fe^ed Janga—an exaggerated PLz Pabi ; the saildle-sha-ped crest of Katuintau ; the cone of Gestola ; and the white pyramid of Tetnuld. All these mountains are between 15,900 and 17,100 feet in height — higher, that ia, than Mont Blanc. On the other side of the trench— at their northern base— filled by the Bezingi and Dykhsu Glaciers, the Dykhtau- Koshtantau ridge rises in the form of a horseshoe, with at least five peaks of over 15,000 feet. Ne:?t In prominence to the Central Group, on the main chain, are to the west the peak of Tlktengen, the Schreckhorn of the Cancasu."*, which dominates the head -waters of the Gara-auz ; the
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAUCASUS 57 summits that cluster about the twin towers of Ushba, the Matter- horn of the Caucasus, which rise less than a mile south of the watershed to a height of 15,400 feet; and the broad mass of Dongusorun. Farther east, the chief glacier group on the watershed is best known from the name assigned, somewhat arbitrarily, to its highest point, as the Adai Khokh group. It consists of half a dozen or more summits, closely approaching 15,000 feet, which, like the mountains of the Oberland, gather CROSSING THE CHAIS round the neves of two great glaciei-s, the Karagom and Zea, both of which drain to the north side. East of the Mamison, all the moi*e important peaks are in the range that continues the line of the watershed, though Tepli, 14,510 feet, is separated from Gimarai Khokh and Kasbek bv a practicable hoi*se-pass, but may be conveniently ti-eated as it has ceased to fulfil tliis function. belonging to the same group. The passes over the main chain of the Central Caucasus ci-ossed by natives are numerous. West of the ^laraisou there are none but glacier passes, while from this point eastwanl hoi-ses can ci-oss
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THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAUCASUS 57<br />
summits that cluster about the twin towers of Ushba, the Matter-<br />
horn of the Caucasus, which rise less than a mile south of<br />
the watershed to a height of 15,400 feet; and the broad mass<br />
of Dongusorun. Farther east, the chief glacier group on the<br />
watershed is best known from the name assigned, somewhat<br />
arbitrarily, to its highest point, as the Adai Khokh group. It<br />
consists of half a dozen or more summits, closely approaching<br />
15,000 feet, which, like the mountains of the Oberland, gather<br />
CROSSING THE CHAIS<br />
round the neves of two great glaciei-s, the Karagom and Zea, both<br />
of which drain to the north side. East of the Mamison, all<br />
the moi*e important peaks are in the range that continues the<br />
line of the watershed, though<br />
Tepli, 14,510 feet, is separated from Gimarai Khokh and Kasbek<br />
bv a practicable hoi*se-pass, but may be conveniently ti-eated as<br />
it has ceased to fulfil tliis function.<br />
belonging to the same group.<br />
The passes over the main chain of the Central Caucasus ci-ossed<br />
by<br />
natives are numerous. West of the ^laraisou there are none<br />
but glacier passes, while from this point eastwanl hoi-ses can ci-oss
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