SPORT
IN THE
CRIMEA AND CAUCASUS
LONDON: PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET
SPORT IN THE CRIMEA AND CAUCASUS
BY
CLIVE PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY, F.R.G.S.
LATE BRITISH VICE-CONSUL AT KERTCH
LONDON
RICHARD BENTLEY & SON, NEW BURLINGTON STREET
Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen
1881
All rights reserved
CONTENTS.
| [CHAPTER I.] SPORT IN THE CRIMEA. | |
| PAGE | |
| Outfit—The droshky—A merry party—The Straits of Kertch—Thesteppe—Wild-fowl—Crops—The Malos—The ‘StarrieMetchat’—Game—Tscherkess greyhounds—Stalking bustards—Apicnic—Night on the steppe | 1 |
| [CHAPTER II.] CRASNOI LAIS. | |
| A frozen sea—Swarms of wild-fowl—The Indo-European telegraph—Sledgingon the Azov—A desolate scene—Taman—Journeyinland—Tumerūk—Hotels—A dangerous sleep—Foxes—Wolves—Ahasty retreat—Ekaterinodar—Supper inthe forest of Crasnoi Lais—An exciting night’s sport—Drivingthe forest—Cossack beaters—Wild deer—Other game—Thebag—Rations of vodka—A Cossack orgy—Vulpine sagacity—Wolfstories—Return to Kertch | 15 |
| [CHAPTER III.] ODESSA AND MISKITCHEE. | |
| Mountaineers and Shikaree—Outfit—Journey from London toOdessa—Snipe-shooting on the Dnieper—A drunken yemstchik—Acollision—Prince Vorontzoff—Aloupka—Yalta—Livadiaand Orianda—Miskitchee lake—A Tartar butcher—Nativehovels—A shooting party on the lake—A drearybivouac | 41 |
| [CHAPTER IV.] THE RED FOREST AND BLACK SEA COAST. | |
| Journey to Taman—Downpour on the steppe—Tscherkess bourkas—Long-tailedhorses—Absence of cultivation—The Moujiks—Causesof political discontent in Russia—Veneration for theCzar—Cheapening supplies—A Russian writer on Englishwomen—Poststations—A terrible tragedy—Hotels—Ekaterinodar—Thefair—Russian tea—Russian police—Bivouackingwith Cossack foresters—Exciting sport—Shooting a whiteboar—Sad disappointment—Pheasant-shooting—A Cossackcolonel—An execrable journey—Caucasian women—Greatconsumption of supplies—In a Cossack saddle—Mineralsprings—A scorching bath—Lotus-eaters—Incidents of theroad—An insolent Tartar—Parting | 59 |
| [CHAPTER V.] HEIMAN’S DATCH. | |
| Duapsè—Tscherkess emigrants—By the sea-shore—Superbscenery—Drunken guides—A Cossack station—Bears—Takepossession of a ruined villa—Hiding our provisions—Wildswine—Astray in the jungle—A rough breakfast—Boars infile—A missfire—Forest fruit—Lose our horses—A panther—Night-watch—Shootingin the dark—On the trail—Barse—Afriendly Cossack—Deserted by my servants | 93 |
| [CHAPTER VI.] GOLOVINSKY. | |
| Lunch in the forest—Picturesque riding—A spill—Telegraphshanty at Golovinsky—Robinson Crusoe—Native guns—Tracksof game—Multitudes of pheasants—-Paucity of nativehunters—Tscherkess mocassins—Experiences of forest life—Killinga bear—Cooking him—Another bag—A lost chance—Anecdotesof ‘Michael Michaelovitch’—Shooting a boar | 110 |
| [CHAPTER VII.] DENSE COVERTS. | |
| Unsuccessful sport—Bruin and Stepan—Black bread and onions—Forestmusic—Mosquitoes—Ticks and other insects—Bruin’sfondness for honey—Butterflies—Our larder—Narrowescape of Stepan—Unlucky days—Watching for swine—Otters—Acold vigil—An exasperating march | 132 |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] HUNTING WITH DOGS. | |
| Refitting—Our mongrels—Shipping our spoils—Visitors—Stepan’syarns—The hedgehog—Legend of the bracken—TheEuxine in a fury—Trebogging—Traces of Tscherkess villages—Enormousboars—Their feeding grounds—Lose a bear—Impenetrablethickets hiding the proximity of big game—Arare day’s sport—Shooting in the moonlight—An expedition—Fever—Precautionsagainst it—Unsuccessful sport andhard fare | 145 |
| [CHAPTER IX.] RETURN TO KERTCH. | |
| Return to Heiman’s Datch—Bears—Stepan’s shooting apparatus—Journeyto Duapsè—A delightful dinner—Interview withthe Governor—Insects—German farm—A dangerous adventure—Awedding supper—Leave Duapsè for Ekaterinodar—Krimskyfair—Russian roughs—Peasant women—A showbooth—A hazardous road—Inexpensive travelling—Ekaterinodar—Tabled’hôte at the Petersburg hotel—The treasury—Droshky-racing—A beatenrival—Caucasian fish—Arrivalat Kertch | 165 |
| [CHAPTER X.] TIFLIS. | |
| The Russo-Turkish War—Sukhoum—Alleged abundance of game—Poti—Myfellow-travellers—Sport in Kutais—Arrival inTiflis—Hotels and other features of the town—The BritishConsul—Organ-grinders in request—A ‘happy day’—Drinkinghabits—Native wines—German settlers—Shooting expedition—Acaravan—Kariâs steppe—A lawless country—Fevers—Antelope-hunting—Anunpleasant adventure: runningfor dear life—A wounded antelope—The lions of Tiflis—Museumand bazaar—Schoolboys—Prevalence of uniformsand orders—Phenomena of Russian life—Buying a travellingpass—Professor Bryce’s ascent of Ararat | 186 |
| [CHAPTER XI.] EN ROUTE FOR DAGHESTAN. | |
| Start from Tiflis—My yemstchik—Travelling carts—Caucasianroad-makers—Camel caravans—On the bleak steppe—Persianhawking—Subterranean dwellings—Shooting at Kariur—Elizabetpol—Anexecrable journey—Hawks and starling—Banditti—Curingofficial corruption at Tiflis—Goktchai—Awearying day’s sport—Fear of highwaymen—My guide, Allai—Arrivalat Gerdaoul—Hospitable Lesghians | 231 |
| [CHAPTER XII.] THE LESGHIAN MOUNTAINS. | |
| Gerdaoul—Shooting partridges—Native wine-vaults—Expeditionamong the hills—Native houses—An inhospitable village—Adangerous ride—A welcome reception—Shepherd-boys—TheLesghians—Russian love for the Czar—Unsuitable education—Mountain-climbing—Magnificentscenery—Red deer—Vegetation—Achamois—A weary descent—A happy people—Photographingthe scenery—A ‘Baboushka’—‘Developing’our photographs—A mountain châlet—The snow peaks—Wildgoats and sheep—Difficult mountaineering—Analluring chase—Suspended over a precipice—A bleak night’slodging—Mountain turkeys—Black pheasants—Lammergiers—Adviceto travellers—Return to Goktchai | 255 |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] FROM GOKTCHAI TO LENKORAN. | |
| Rough travelling—Shooting by the way—Shemakha and Aksu—Tarantassesand post-roads—A wretched station—Mudvolcanoes and naphtha springs—Bustards—On the road toSalian—Swarms of wild-fowl—A rascally official—Disappointedhopes—A good Samaritan—Rival hosts—Asiaticfever—The Mooghan steppe—Pelicans and myriads of otherbirds—Tartar orgies—Banished secretaries: the Molochansand Skoptsi—Arrival at Lenkoran—A Persian gunsmith—Fellow-sportsmen | 287 |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] SHORES OF THE CASPIAN.—RETURN TO TIFLIS. | |
| Lenkoran—Abundance of game—Eryvool forest—Native fowlers—Ahunting lodge—Swarming coverts—Wild boar—A paradisefor sportsmen—Pigs at bay—‘Old Shirka’ and his quarry—Adying eagle—Caspian woodpeckers—Festive nights—Watchingfor a tiger—Forest life by night—The eagle-owland his prey—End of a long vigil—The rainy season—Thestreets of Lenkoran—The return journey to Tiflis—Adventureat Adji Kabool—Experiences of post-travel—Bullying astation-master—Armenian Protestants—Russian telegraphservice—In miserable plight—A spill over a precipice—Refittingour tarantasse—Argumentum ad hominem—An awkwardpredicament—Chasing a yemstchik—Renewed life at Tiflis—Greatsnowfall—Running down antelope—The ‘black death’ | 311 |
| [CHAPTER XV.] THE RAINS. | |
| Poti—Chasing wild boar—Red-deer—Turks and Cossacks—Sotcha—Lynxes—Gamein the Caucasus—A hunting party—Awounded sow—Beautiful scene—An unexpected bag—Ourcuisine—The ‘evil eye’—Overtaken by the rains—Ourtent inundated—Surrounded by wolves—Cheerless days—Aterrible catastrophe—Welcome help—Golovinsky—A wildscene—Eluding the storm—Fording a torrent—A refuge—Scantsupplies—Cossack cradle-song—The Cossacks of to-day—Russianplantations—A terrible ride—Struggling for life—Cossackloafers—Ride to Duapsè—Forlorn days—Madwolves—Wrestling a Tartar—Laid up with fever—Return toEngland | 340 |
A verst is equal to three-quarters of an English mile.