Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-11-22
THE GIANT CAUCASUS
4 REGION OF GLOOM AND TERROR
AND OE5oLATIoN.

fh"t Peoples the slopes OF These
Snow Capped Mountains.
Inc traveller who should seek TO cross
from the southern plains OF Russia
over into Persia or Arabia bv the land
between the Caspian ana the Rlack
seas would find himself confronted Inv
sight which for gloom and terror has
hardly any equal In the world. writes
w. u. Hodgson in the London News
hisihg sheer from the vast arid plain.
IKE great foam crested biIlow about
To break ON desolate beach. a billow
10000 feet high and 500 miles long tho
snow capped Caucasus stretches across
from sea to sea with q dreadful. threat.
ening. savage majesty OF mien.
It's peaks are not so high as many OF
the Alps. IL has not the projecting
spurs and isolated. craggy heights
whose groupings give new and beautl.
iul views at every step 1t is Just an
immense mountain chain. an unbroken
fold or crease on the earth's surface.
Though the Alps have higher peaks the
lowest pass across the Caucasus *
nearly double the height of the Anime
crossing places The Caucasus has no
lahe', only turhid. muddy rivers flow
ing from tire Ice fields OF its central
ridge Even these are missing I'm the
east where the ridge lowers toward
the Caspian.
but the terror and doSolation OF the
CausasuS forever kept apart the peo-
pies 10 the north and eouth. ON the
One band civilizations rose and fell
enc Rsnylon.n. the AsSyrian. the
@ro.a. the Egyptian. ,he Roman. the
republics Of she mi.lle gees-but 10
uie north o." --clt plains were ever in
h2ai'"i Is ttr wll. lawlcss nomads.
And So from ,hc very beginnings OF
time the Causasus has STAYED the hui
man tide and. as couquering races
swept all before them below. the weak.
the peaceabie. the vnGt. have been
driven higher ana higher into Inaccessi-
bile gorgcs ana wild. hog covered val
leys.
4 strange mixture Of races. dating
back from immcmorahle antiquity. has
been washed mp ike surf on TO the
slopes of thcS" gian, mountains The
Ia. the Kurin. thc Avar. the Tush. bc-
long To races that persisted before Eu-
rope was discovered. Seven languages
are spoken I'm the Caucasus. each unin-
tclligible 20 the tribes using the rest.
some Of them are related 20 the early
tongues OF Europe: others have no
known aiinitieS and seem 10 be among
the languages OF Babel that did not
"catch ON"
Here amid these mountains we have
the ghosts OF ancient peoples who have
gone under IN the world struggle.
There may well bc trihesmen here
whose ancestor was driven high 10y the
Hood and sc,tlcd within sight OF Ara
rat and his cousin. \oah. There are
still tribes who array themselves in
helmets and chain armor and carry
spears Ike those OF 5000 years ago.
Others have strange ritual practices
that have come down from the dawn
OF the world. mingling their pagan rites
with worship 81 the Christ God" and
the angels n the river. the forest and
the mountain. They have blood feuds
which - on for generations. like those
OF Corsica in tine past.
Ii b. "A mistake 20 suppose that Rus
sia took the Caucasus by general
warlikc movement There was 10
need Divided by religion into Chris.
tianS. MohammcdanS ami paganS. Ill.
vided by languages which made them
mutually Unntcll'g.ble. the tribes Of
this strange museum of bygone races
could take no united action.
Ths..rr.rlfnrsf fhl fsrf f4,r...., ,..r -
the nineteenth century Russia was EN-.
ployed i'm absorbing the Caucasus piece
by piece only two OF the Caucasian
races made anything like strong re
sistancc. In the east a Nohammclau
prophet Shamyl of the Avar stock,
which oycrran a great part Of Europe
In the seventh century and was only
finally conquered 10y Charlemagne. led
the LoSghians of DagheStan ia reli-
gious war against Russia Crafty. daring
and fertile i'm resource. occupying
mountain slopes cut by impossible
gOrgeS. Shamyl was believed 10y his
followers TO have a charmed life. Only
when the Russians built forts and mill
tary roads and gradually Enclosed him
at enormous expense did Shamyl sur
render at lis castle OF Gunih in 1850
lie passed some years Of honorable
captivity near Moscow ANA was then
allowed. as Il dcvout Mohammcdan. 10
end his days in peace nj Mecca.
Very different was the story Of the
TchcrkcSSeS. or CircaSSiauS. who op-
posed Russia in the western section Of
the Caucasus. The CircaSSianS We're
hardly the peaceable race Of whose
golden haired captive princeSses in the
haremS of the east our boyiSh dreams
were fun Warlike. splendid horSemen
and marksmen. they lived almost On.
tirely 10y pillage. In 1861 they submit
ted. and Russia, knowing them 10 be
unmanage3bie in The mountains. gave
them the choice OF coming down into
the plains or cmigrlting into Turkish
territory. They chose the latter course
and were welcomed 10y the sultan, but
rs his ships arrived M the Black sen
ports To meet them long after the prop
err time large numbers persisted of hard.
ship and disease. Some were settled
I'm Armenia. others in Bulgaria, others
in various parts Of Asia Minor, and
wherever they went there has been
trouble since.
TNo sides To IL,