All was calm in heaven and on earth, calm as within the heart of a man at the moment of morning prayer; only at intervals17 a cool wind rushed in from the east, lifting the horses’ manes which were covered with hoar-frost. We started off. The five lean jades18 dragged our wagons20 with difficulty along the tortuous21 road up Mount Gut22. We ourselves walked behind, placing stones under the wheels whenever the horses were spent. The road seemed to lead into the sky, for, so far as the eye could discern, it still mounted up and up, until finally it was lost in the cloud which, since early evening, had been resting on the summit of Mount Gut, like a kite awaiting its prey23. The snow crunched24 under our feet. The atmosphere grew so rarefied that to breathe was painful; ever and anon the blood rushed to my head, but withal a certain rapturous sensation was diffused25 throughout my veins26 and I felt a species of delight at being so high up above the world. A childish feeling, I admit, but, when we retire from the conventions of society and draw close to nature, we involuntarily become as children: each attribute acquired by experience falls away from the soul, which becomes anew such as it was once and will surely be again. He whose lot it has been, as mine has been, to wander over the desolate27 mountains, long, long to observe their fantastic shapes, greedily to gulp28 down the life-giving air diffused through their ravines—he, of course, will understand my desire to communicate, to narrate29, to sketch30 those magic pictures.
Well, at length we reached the summit of Mount Gut and, halting, looked around us. Upon the mountain a grey cloud was hanging, and its cold breath threatened the approach of a storm; but in the east everything was so clear and golden that we—that is, the staff-captain and I—forgot all about the cloud... Yes, the staff-captain too; in simple hearts the feeling for the beauty and grandeur31 of nature is a hundred-fold stronger and more vivid than in us, ecstatic composers of narratives32 in words and on paper.
“You have grown accustomed, I suppose, to these magnificent pictures!” I said.
“Yes, sir, you can even grow accustomed to the whistling of a bullet, that is to say, accustomed to concealing33 the involuntary thumping34 of your heart.”
“I have heard, on the contrary, that many an old warrior35 actually finds that music agreeable.”
“Of course, if it comes to that, it is agreeable; but only just because the heart beats more violently. Look!” he added, pointing towards the east. “What a country!”
And, indeed, such a panorama36 I can hardly hope to see elsewhere. Beneath us lay the Koishaur Valley, intersected by the Aragva and another stream as if by two silver threads; a bluish mist was gliding37 along the valley, fleeing into the neighbouring defiles38 from the warm rays of the morning. To right and left the mountain crests39, towering higher and higher, intersected each other and stretched out, covered with snows and thickets40; in the distance were the same mountains, which now, however, had the appearance of two cliffs, one like to the other. And all these snows were burning in the crimson41 glow so merrily and so brightly that it seemed as though one could live in such a place for ever. The sun was scarcely visible behind the dark-blue mountain, which only a practised eye could distinguish from a thunder-cloud; but above the sun was a blood-red streak42 to which my companion directed particular attention.
“I told you,” he exclaimed, “that there would be dirty weather to-day! We must make haste, or perhaps it will catch us on Mount Krestov.—Get on!” he shouted to the drivers.
Chains were put under the wheels in place of drags, so that they should not slide, the drivers took the horses by the reins43, and the descent began. On the right was a cliff, on the left a precipice45, so deep that an entire village of Ossetes at the bottom looked like a swallow’s nest. I shuddered46, as the thought occurred to me that often in the depth of night, on that very road, where two wagons could not pass, a courier drives some ten times a year without climbing down from his rickety vehicle. One of our drivers was a Russian peasant from Yaroslavl, the other, an Ossete. The latter took out the leaders in good time and led the shaft-horse by the reins, using every possible precaution—but our heedless compatriot did not even climb down from his box! When I remarked to him that he might put himself out a bit, at least in the interests of my portmanteau, for which I had not the slightest desire to clamber down into the abyss, he answered:
“Eh, master, with the help of Heaven we shall arrive as safe and sound as the others; it’s not our first time, you know.”
And he was right. We might just as easily have failed to arrive at all; but arrive we did, for all that. And if people would only reason a little more they would be convinced that life is not worth taking such a deal of trouble about.
Perhaps, however, you would like to know the conclusion of the story of Bela? In the first place, this is not a novel, but a collection of travelling-notes, and, consequently, I cannot make the staff-captain tell the story sooner than he actually proceeded to tell it. Therefore, you must wait a bit, or, if you like, turn over a few pages. Though I do not advise you to do the latter, because the crossing of Mount Krestov (or, as the erudite Gamba calls it, le mont St. Christophe 15) is worthy47 of your curiosity.
Well, then, we descended48 Mount Gut into the Chertov Valley... There’s a romantic designation for you! Already you have a vision of the evil spirit’s nest amid the inaccessible50 cliffs—but you are out of your reckoning there. The name “Chertov” is derived51 from the word cherta (boundary-line) and not from chort (devil), because, at one time, the valley marked the boundary of Georgia. We found it choked with snow-drifts, which reminded us rather vividly52 of Saratov, Tambov, and other charming localities of our fatherland.
“Look, there is Krestov!” said the staff-captain, when we had descended into the Chertov Valley, as he pointed53 out a hill covered with a shroud54 of snow. Upon the summit stood out the black outline of a stone cross, and past it led an all but imperceptible road which travellers use only when the side-road is obstructed55 with snow. Our drivers, declaring that no avalanches56 had yet fallen, spared the horses by conducting us round the mountain. At a turning we met four or five Ossetes, who offered us their services; and, catching57 hold of the wheels, proceeded, with a shout, to drag and hold up our cart. And, indeed, it is a dangerous road; on the right were masses of snow hanging above us, and ready, it seemed, at the first squall of wind to break off and drop into the ravine; the narrow road was partly covered with snow, which, in many places, gave way under our feet and, in others, was converted into ice by the action of the sun by day and the frosts by night, so that the horses kept falling, and it was with difficulty that we ourselves made our way. On the left yawned a deep chasm11, through which rolled a torrent58, now hiding beneath a crust of ice, now leaping and foaming59 over the black rocks. In two hours we were barely able to double Mount Krestov—two versts in two hours! Meanwhile the clouds had descended, hail and snow fell; the wind, bursting into the ravines, howled and whistled like Nightingale the Robber. 16 Soon the stone cross was hidden in the mist, the billows of which, in ever denser60 and more compact masses, rushed in from the east...
Concerning that stone cross, by the way, there exists the strange, but widespread, tradition that it had been set up by the Emperor Peter the First when travelling through the Caucasus. In the first place, however, the Emperor went no farther than Daghestan; and, in the second place, there is an inscription61 in large letters on the cross itself, to the effect that it had been erected62 by order of General Ermolov, and that too in the year 1824. Nevertheless, the tradition has taken such firm root, in spite of the inscription, that really you do not know what to believe; the more so, as it is not the custom to believe inscriptions63.
To reach the station Kobi, we still had to descend49 about five versts, across ice-covered rocks and plashy snow. The horses were exhausted64; we were freezing; the snowstorm droned with ever-increasing violence, exactly like the storms of our own northern land, only its wild melodies were sadder and more melancholy65.
“O Exile,” I thought, “thou art weeping for thy wide, free steppes! There mayest thou unfold thy cold wings, but here thou art stifled66 and confined, like an eagle beating his wings, with a shriek67, against the grating of his iron cage!”
“A bad look out,” said the staff-captain. “Look! There’s nothing to be seen all round but mist and snow. At any moment we may tumble into an abyss or stick fast in a cleft68; and a little lower down, I dare say, the Baidara has risen so high that there is no getting across it. Oh, this Asia, I know it! Like people, like rivers! There’s no trusting them at all!”
The drivers, shouting and cursing, belaboured the horses, which snorted, resisted obstinately69, and refused to budge70 on any account, notwithstanding the eloquence71 of the whips.
“Your honour,” one of the drivers said to me at length, “you see, we will never reach Kobi to-day. Won’t you give orders to turn to the left while we can? There is something black yonder on the slope—probably huts. Travellers always stop there in bad weather, sir. They say,” he added, pointing to the Ossetes, “that they will lead us there if you will give them a tip.”
“I know that, my friend, I know that without your telling me,” said the staff-captain. “Oh, these beasts! They are delighted to seize any pretext72 for extorting73 a tip!”
“You must confess, however,” I said, “that we should be worse off without them.”
“Just so, just so,” he growled74 to himself. “I know them well—these guides! They scent44 out by instinct a chance of taking advantage of people. As if it was impossible to find the way without them!”
Accordingly we turned aside to the left, and, somehow or other, after a good deal of trouble, made our way to the wretched shelter, which consisted of two huts built of stone slabs75 and rubble76, surrounded by a wall of the same material. Our ragged19 hosts received us with alacrity77. I learned afterwards that the Government supplies them with money and food upon condition that they put up travellers who are overtaken by storm.
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1
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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2
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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3
choirs
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| n.教堂的唱诗班( choir的名词复数 )；唱诗队；公开表演的合唱团；（教堂）唱经楼 | |
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4
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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5
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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7
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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10
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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11
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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12
chasms
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| 裂缝( chasm的名词复数 )； 裂口； 分歧； 差别 | |
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13
eddying
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| 涡流，涡流的形成 | |
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14
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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15
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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16
sentient
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| adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地 | |
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17
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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18
jades
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| n.玉，翡翠（jade的复数形式）v.（使）疲（jade的第三人称单数形式） | |
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19
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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20
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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21
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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22
gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 | |
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23
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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24
crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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25
diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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26
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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27
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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28
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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29
narrate
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| v.讲，叙述 | |
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30
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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31
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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32
narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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33
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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34
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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35
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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36
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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37
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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38
defiles
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| v.玷污( defile的第三人称单数 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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39
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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40
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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41
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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42
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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43
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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44
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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45
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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46
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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47
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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48
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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49
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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50
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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51
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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52
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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53
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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54
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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55
obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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56
avalanches
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| n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 ) | |
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57
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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58
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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59
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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60
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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61
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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62
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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63
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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64
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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65
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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66
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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67
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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68
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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69
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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70
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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71
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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72
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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73
extorting
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| v.敲诈( extort的现在分词 )；曲解 | |
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74
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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75
slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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76
rubble
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| n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾 | |
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77
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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