INHOSPITALITY OF THE SfVANNY. toi by two nobles and other dependents. I arrested him with six of his retinue. I killed this and five other tours, and then returned home.*
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We left Betcho at 9 a.m., the prisoner from Barsby, whose arms were bound, being led with a thong by a Cossack. Upon reaching the rising ground we kept to the north of the commune of Lataly, where we noticed that several towers were undergoing repair and being whitewashed, and rode through fields of maize and com, until we crossed the Moulachy torrent and entered some delightful woods. At Tzbely-tzkalys, 'warm spring,' we rested for an hour on a sloping meadow watered by the smallest of rills, as it worked its way to the rushing stream that dashed at some distance below, dividing us from a wall of noble cliffs 800 feet to 1,000 feet in height. To the north-west, Oushba excited our admiration, and to the south-east the distant landscape was closed in by Mount Tybery.
As we were preparing to move on, our prisoner appealed to the Chief for his liberty, saying that he should no longer think of shooting his successful rival; the Chief was only too glad of the opportunity to get rid of such a fellow, and he was accordingly set free.
We passed the night in a little dingy room with a muddy-damp floor, in the priest's cottage at Ypary, the best his reverence had to ofler.
The inhospitality of the Swanny was exemplified this evening upon the arrival of two Russians, a botanist and a student from the University of Odessa, who were on a professional tour; for these gentlemen had to pass the night under the widespread boughs of a fine old yew, none of the people caring to afford them the by Google loa shelter they sought, notwithstandJi^ the personal request of tht
Chief, and the official documents with which they were provided.
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We were roused at an early hour this morning by the trusty Sidouia, on his return with despatches from the Governor of Koutals, who approved the Chief's application for the armed support of the troops at Betcho; • Sidonia was also the bearer of some private letters, and while the Chief was engaged in his duties, I enjoyed the perusal of several that had been forwarded by K. at Kilboiiroun in the Crimea, to my address at KoutaTs.
At 8 A.M. we were ^ain in the saddle upon our return journey, and when within a couple of miles of Lalhory, we turned up a steep mountain-path to the right, to visit the Monastery of Kvyryk^ called also Laghvyrka — but more correctly of St Cyriacus and St. Yviyta, the principal sanctuary in Swannety, situated on a peak 800 feet above the Ingour.
With the view of avoiding loss of time, the Chief had sent a message to Lalhory the previous day, to say that he should be at the monastery in the morning, and requiring the tnamasaklyiy and priest to bring their keys; our disappointment therefore was great on learning when half-way up the ascent, that neither thepriestnor the ' elder ' of Lalhory were at the church above; the former had left for Pary before tlu Chiefs message was received, and the latter did not think it worth his while to attend with one Vi^y only, and in this way it was contrived that we should not enter the church. ' Has it always been so difficult for strangers to see the church? ' was asked of the watchmen, 'No,' was the ready reply; 'but since a Russian a few years ago took away with him an old book from
' A in:ba1tem anil 25 men were subsequenllysenl from Belcho, to MTest ihereWlioai Swanny, wlio surremtered and were conduded as prisoners lo Koutais.
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PREVENTIVE MEASURES, 103
the church — it was a very old book and very valuable — nobody is allowed to enter it unless the mamasaklysy and the priest bring their keys, which are different keys, and now the mamasaklysy is responsible to the people, and the priest is responsible to the dtxaacs, that nothing is ever taken away again.' The ' old book ' was a MS. in Greek, on vellum, of the ninth or tenth century, being the Four Gospels, with numerous marginal notes in Georgian in which the name of the church of Korydety (?) frequently occurs.' Since the abstraction of this interesting relic in 1869, it has been established by general consent that two watchmen shall continually guard the church; they are relieved periodically, one watchman being provided by the commune of Kala, because the monastery stands within its limits, and the other is sent from some other commune in Independent Swannety, in its turn.