On arriving at Ananour, we witnessed a scene of a somewhat exaggerated nature to some at which we had the misfortune to be present on other occasions. We were informed by the stationmaster when we handed to him our padar6jnaya, that we should have to wait an hour for horses, the demand during the last twelve hours having exhausted his resources. He was very civil, and expressed his regret at being obliged to detain us. Twenty minutes later, an officer from Tiflis alighted, and ordered horses. The stationmaster apolc^ised humbly to the uniform before him, and declared his inability to supply a fresh relay for the next four hours. Perhaps the officer was a crazy man — we thought he must be — for he flew into a violent passion, and dared the unfortunate stationmaster at his peril to refuse to serve him instantly. ' I am very sorry indeed,' replied "the veritable martyr of the fourteenth class," ' that I cannot give you horses; I am only doing my duty ' — 3 profound bow — ' the rules being that horses shall rest four hours ' — a bow—* after running a stage, and I have only the horses which ' have just brought this lady and gentleman ' — a very low bow. ' I do not believe such to be your orders; at any rate you shall give me horses immediately for ray kaBySnnaya padar6jnaya' 'The padarSjiiaya of this Englishman is like your own, and he is content to wait '; — a very profound bow. Did the obsequious station-master's imperturbability exasperate the bold officer to such a d^rec as to choke his utterance, or did he suddenly feel ashamed of himself.' Anyhow he gave a theatrical shake all over, a shrug expressive of vengeance deferred, and then disappeared. Poor station-master t Populiis me sibillat, methought was in the expression of his countenance, as he cast his eyes on a group of listening idlers.
by Google
When we quitted Ananour after the lapse of an hour, we left the son of Mars sunk in oblivious sleep, induced in all probability by some soothing narcotic to his taste, possibly the contents of an empty phial that lay on the table beside him.
We halted at Tzylkann to pass the night.
by Google
CHAPTER XXIX.
FORTY-SECOND AND FORTY-THIRD DAYS.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
Having left Tzylkann at ten in the morning and spent an hour at M'zhett, we were in our old quarters at Tiflis by half-past one.
A few of the old Georgian cottages still exist in the capital, and must be looked for on the slopes of rising ground against which they are roughly built, either beyond the Tsavkyssy or in the Avlabar quarter, the more indigent homes, like their prototypes in the hills, being very ill-favoured; these are also without windows, and have an opening in the roof for letting out smoke. The better sort are constructed of the flat bricks peculiar to the country; the roof is supported by timbers of unnecessarily large dimensions that are laid end on a couple of feet apart, and project three or four feet in front of the dwelling, which is plastered over and coloured blue or red; the projection affords shade ani3 shelter, and is surmounted along the top front by a rafter and an ornamental finish of brickwork. The threshold of the door is high above the ground^ and the three or four windows are of the smallest dimensions.
by Google
In the residences of the opulent, the darbaz was the part occupied during the oppressive heats of summer. At a, house in Dvorydnskaya oiilytza, * street of nobles,' in the old quarter of Tiflis, we crossed a small court and descended some steps into a large, lofty, and dismal apartment with a stone floor; the walls and the dome, for the chamber is circular, are covered with panels handsomely carved, as is likewise a large pillar that supports the dome, in the centre of which is a lantern through which daylight dimly pours, for there are no windows. On a divan raised above the floor, the family lounged, ate, and slept, a curtain separating the sexes. Doors lead into the kitchen, store-closets, and winecellar, so that the mistress was enabled to perform her household duties without quitting the darbaz. Of the few darbaz at Tiflis, the most perfect is at the residence of the Loris Melikofl!s, an old Armenian family.