The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-29


ing. In it's cultivated spots and it's
| many little hay fields the farmers
| were making the most of the morning
Further along to the northeast an old
| castle stood out upon craigs that pro-
| jected above the river; and the i'm
agination could easily go back to the
time when these pristine strongholds
had each it's garrison of free hooters,
and fighting, plundering and devasta-
tion were the rule and the business Of
| the land. But now all was peace and
repose. There was no garrison, no mil
itary display, and no flag flying from
any pinnacle. There was no indica-
ton that even policeman was with
| in call, yet every one felt that the pow
er which had reduced the half savage
| tribes of the mountains to order, was
there to maintain and protect the CIV
| ilization whose foundations 1t had laid.
1t was long as well as a slow road
| and presently, as we approached the
summit, the SHOWS began to appear in
| heavy drifts along the sides of it,
| When we reached our first change Of
horses we had nearly gained the ridge
| of the Krestovaya Cora, the 'moun-
| tain of the crosses" so-called because
| two stone crosses have been erected
| there, one of them very ancient, at
| tributed to Queen Thamara, and the
| other a modern creation of sixty years
| ago. There is a village of some shops
and several houses, with an attractive
| old church that invites the traveller to
come in and say his rpayers. The
| height of this mountain, by the way,
| Is 5000 feet above the sea level, and 1t
| is only a short distance beyond the
summit that the descent begins, lead
| ing down into the valley Of the impet-
| uous north flowing Terek. and through
| a series of mountain landscapes of
peerless and almost dnexpressIble
| magnificance.
| INCOMPATIBLE LANDSCAPES.
In truth. have never behind any
| thing to be compared with them in
| any other country. From the top of the
| Krestovaga Cora, past Kasbek
| through the gorge of Darial, until the
| crossing of the mountains is completed
and we find the Terek flowing in peace
| and quiet through green meadows
| near Vladikavkaz, the very opposite
| of the fury with which it forces itself
among the mountain reefs, there is a
| continuous scene of rocky peaks, of
noble mountain openings and gorges,
| of portentous overshadowing cliffs, of
broken and dilapidated old castles,
| which make of this roadway of forty
| or fifty miles one of the wonders and
| marvels of the earth. 1t is impossible
to think of it without longing to be
there again, dashng along the riverside
| and through the narrow mountain de-
files, with the same spirited horses,
and the same enthusiastic giant of a
Caucasian guide. The traveller who
has not yet had this experience, is to
be envied provided it is still in his pow
er to procure it for himself; and he or
she to whom it is possible and who does
not ait once set out to drive over the
| Krestovava Cora, and through the
| Darial Pass, is to be pitied indeed.
We arrived in the village of Kasbek
at about O'Clock, but the glory of the
| mountain was all hidden in the clouds.
Even the monastry, which is at a
point ON the mountains flank about
1,SO0 feet higher than the village, could
not be seen; and it was not possible
| even to speculate at what elevation
the antique story had fixed the point
where Prometheus was chained to the
| rock and vultures came to torment
MIN. 1HtSe were SERIOUS prlNduOnS IOr
which a very good luncheon afforded no
satisfactory indemnity, But all such
losses seemed trivial when we resumed
our drive and began once more TO pass
| between the barriers of the ever-vary-
ing peaks, which hemmed in our way
| on either side.
| These peaks rose on the east and west
to a height of 1000 to 5000 feet above
the level of the road. They were bare,
sharp pointed, and often as slender in
appearance as a mans fingers held up
against the light; and far below them
the massive forest came down almost
to the river along whose banks we
were driving, II was a tremendous,
an amazing, spectacle, and we were
through with altogether too soon.
About 3 O'Clock we came to an enlarge
ment of the narrow valley, with lit
tie low fort of queer construction, evi-
] IDENTIFY designed to block the road