There are two grottoes on the table-land of the Tchadyr-dagh, that present features of great interest, and are known by the names of Byng-bash and SouvIoun-(5da,or Soghouk-sou. The first Is a stalactite hall of great size and beauty, adorned with superb columns and some noble specimens of hanging spar; it is reached throi^h a passage 70 feet in length, sufliciently large to admit a man crawling on all fours; the floor is strewn with human remains, said to be those of a number of Genoese who here sought a refine from the pursuit of the Tatars and Turks, and met their death at the hands of their enemies by being suffocated with smoke; many by Google skulls — whence the name of the cave given by the Tatars, Byng-bash, ' one thousand heads' — were in perfect condition. The Soghouk-sou is a large cavern of such a size that its dimensions are tost in the obscurity; about the floor are some stalagmites remarkable for their ^ize and conical shape, and there is also a spring of the most limpid water at 46°, the temperature in the grotto being 50°. A pistol was fired in each cave, but in neither was there any reverberation.
We returned to Byouk AnkoY on foot, and proceeded in the carriage to Kylboiiroun.
SOUKCE OF T
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CHAPTER XLIV.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
The Legend of iioghouli-sau — Church of St. Cosmas and Si. Damian — Rusmu Hmuiteries— The MadJira—'RoaA lo the Monastery— Pilgrim!— A Penitent— Talat Wedding— Bride pays her Fooling— Departure from Kylbouroun— Valley of the Salghyr- Fruil Produce— Aloush la —South-coast Vineyards — Parlenite — Chnrcli of the Ei{^lh Century— Arrival at ^'aUa— Livadia — Favourite Drives— The Police at fault— An Aide-de-camp of Ihe Emperor— Journey Over llie Yayla -Gravestones *l Bya-sali— Arrival at Baghtchasarai.
It does not often occur that Mahomedans and Christians repair to the same shrine, from being guided by like feelings of faith in its sanctity; yet such is the case with regard to the holy well called by the Tatars SogJioiik sou, ' cold water,' at the monastery of St. Cosmas and St. Damian.
There is a tradition, that in ancient times a Greek who performed marvellous cures with herbs that he used to gather in the forest, was eclipsed in fame by the still greater success of two of his own pupils, and the demon of jealousy having entered his soul, he forthwith slew his dangerous rivals. Being subsequently tormented by remorse, he ascended a high mountain, and cried aloud, ' O! Thou great GoD, who art ever just, grant that the tears shed by my victims may be turned into streams of water for the healing of mankind, deprived at my hands of two such eminent men! ' No sooner were these words uttered than two springs gushed forth, which are now the sources of the Alma.
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The Tatars add, that the old Greek was so transported with joy, that he embraced IsIamUm and died at Byouk Lambat, where his tomb is shown to this day. The springs are now the resort of the afflicted, Mussulmans and Christians, who plunge into the miraculous water, drink of it, and are immediately restored to vigour! In 1857 a church was built near the springs, and dedicated to the martyrs and saints, Cosmas and Damian.' The monastery to which the church belongs is enriched by the offerings of numerous pilgrims who flock to the holy wells, and much of the money thus accumulated has been invested, with the permission of the Crown, in valuable land at Sably, to the great benefit of, the
' A church 'degli SS. Cosimo c Damiano,' is in [he forum at Rome. Medical men ate utxler liie e>|>etial proteclion of these sainls, uho were selecleil lo br their palruns by Ihc princXy family of (he Medici.
t, Google well-to-do and indolent monks. To this revenue should be added another source of income, that of percentage on moneys lent at exorbitant interest — a common enough practice among priestly and cenobitic communities in Russia. It is calculated that the offerings made to monasteries annually, throughout the empire, amount to 10,000,000 roubles, an equal sum being derived from invested capital; this total of 20,000,000 roubles being enjoyed by about 30,000 monks and nuns, their assistants, the novices, &c.
Our chief object in visiting the monastery was that we might enjoy what is considered the prettiest forest scenery in the Crimea. We hired a Tatar madjdra, a heavy cart without springs, as beii^ best adapted for travelling over a distance of 30 miles along the stony bed of the Alma, and because the ladies of the party were anxious to give the novel conveyance a trial. Space for seating four or six persons in the madjdra, is made with hurdles that are fitted to the sides, and the place thus enclosed is filled up with cushions after the manner oi drabas in Turkey,