my
neighbour for a criticism on the poetry. "That last song," said he,
"is like a river that flows easily and naturally from one beautiful
valley to another."

In the evening we went out, and the countless fires lighting up the
lofty oaks had a most pleasing effect. The sheep were by this time
cut up, and lying in fragments, around which the supper parties were
seated cross-legged. Other peasants danced slowly, in a circle, to the
drone of the somniferous Servian bagpipe.

When I went to bed, the assembled peasantry were in the full tide of
merriment, but without excess. The only person somewhat the worse of
the bottle was the threadbare priest with the gallows look.

I fell asleep with a low confused murmur of droning bagpipes, jingling
drinking cups, occasional laughter, and other noises. I dreamed, I
know not what absurdities; suddenly a solemn swelling chorus of
countless voices gently interrupted my slumbers--the room was filled
with light, and the sun on high was beginning to begild an irregular
parallelogram in the wainscot, when I started up, and hastily drew on
some clothes. Going out to the _makaa_, I perceived yesterday's
assembly of merry-making peasants quadrupled in number, and all
dressed in their holiday costume, thickset on their knees down the
avenue to the church, and following a noble old hymn, I sprang out of
the postern, and, helping myself with the grasp of trunks of trees,
and bared roots and bushes, clambered up one of the sides of the
hollow, and attaining a clear space, looked down with wonder and
pleasure on the singular scene. The whole pit, of this theatre of
verdure appeared covered with a carpet of white and crimson, for such
were the prevailing colours of the rustic costumes. When I thought of
the trackless solitude of the sylvan ridges round me, I seemed to
witness one of the early communions of Christianity, in those ages
when incense ascended to the Olympic deities in gorgeous temples,
while praise to the true God rose from the haunts of the wolf, the
lonely cavern, or the subterranean vault.

When church service was over I examined the dresses more minutely. The
upper tunic of the women was a species of surtout of undyed cloth,
bordered with a design of red cloth of a liner description. The
stockings in colour and texture resembled those of Persia, but were
generally embroidered at the ankle with gold and silver thread. After
the mid-day meal we descended, accompanied by the mon