CHAPTER XXX.
Snow—The path covered by it—The scenery—Upset in a snow-drift—Nearly down a chasm—Probing the ground—A consultation—Teaching my followers manners—May he die of the plague—A baggage-horse knocked up—Yarbasan—A dirty village—The farmer committing himself to Providence—Visiting his friends—The Zaptiehs—Their remarks—The giaour threatened to beat us—The Inglis giaour is different to the Armenian giaour.
Snow fell heavily during the night. The next morning our path was covered to a depth of quite two feet. In the valley it was as much as our horses could do to force a passage onward; but, as we ascended a mountain path, the snow, though deep, was in a frozen state, and afforded a firm foothold.
The scenery was very picturesque as we gradually climbed the steep. The bushes and pine-trees which studded the mountain's sides were wreathed in flossy snow; crags of all shapes and colours glinted out above the pale white carpet. A thick veil of azure clouds hung on the peaks of the distant hills; then, gradually dispersed by the rising sun, it broke up into a hundred different forms, and, ascending higher in the sky, opened out other mountains to our vision. Layer upon layer of seemingly ever-ascending ranges barred the way in front. They sparkled beneath the rays of the golden orb. They flashed and glittered like the billows of the mighty deep. My eyeballs acted and felt as if they would burst beneath the glare. The village at our feet disappeared in the distance; shrubs and such-like traces of vegetation were now no longer to be seen. We had arrived in the midst of what seemed to be a vast white ocean. The intensity of the light created a kind of mirage along the surface. The various crests and ranges seemed to rise and fall. They became more wave-like than before. Not a living thing was in sight save ourselves. Ever and anon a boom, as of thunder, announced the fall of an avalanche.
The cry of "Look out!" from a Zaptieh in rear of our party awoke me from the contemplation of Nature's marvellous scene. A second later, and I found myself on the broad of my back in a snow-drift; the animal which I had been riding was pawing the air with his fore-legs, like a spaniel the first time he is thrown into the water; before any one could reach my horse's head, over he fell—the soft substance fortunately saving my body from the effects of the collision. It appeared that I had strayed half a yard or so from the track, hence this disaster. The Zaptieh in front of our party dismounted, taking a wand, six feet in length, from his saddle-bow, he began to advance with great caution, and to probe the ground before him at every step he took.
"There are deep holes," said Mohammed, wading through the snow to my assistance. "If we fall down one of them we shall remain there, and in the summer the eagles will pick our bones. It will be better for all of us to walk and lead the horses," he continued. "Even then we shall have great difficulty in effecting a passage. The chief Zaptieh has been saying that it would be better if we were to return to Kotnu and try to cross the mountains to-morrow."
The snow had recommenced falling; it was difficult to see what lay before us. However, we had accomplished more than half of the day's march. In all probability the path would soon become more difficult. I determined at all hazards to push on, and the more particularly as I had no time to waste, owing to my limited leave of absence. Forward we waded through the gradually-rising drifts. Each man followed his neighbour in Indian file; presently the leading Zaptieh who was engaged in sounding the path before him, buried the six-feet wand in the snow; he thrust his elbow down after the stick; there was still no bottom. We were off the track. A false step might at any moment send us down the chasm. A consultation took place between the Zaptiehs, the head man urging forcibly upon our party the necessity of returning. But when we faced the other way, the wind cut against our eyes with great violence. The particles of snow were so blinding that it was clearly much more dangerous to return than to proceed.
"It is our fate!" remarked the chief Zaptieh to the comrade by his side.
"Destruction seize the giaour who may be the cause of all our deaths!" said another.
"Let him die of the plague!" added a third.