His house was not a large one. It consisted of two rooms, a kitchen and a reception-room. The latter apartment was used for all purposes. The owner remarked that he was going on a shooting expedition the following morning; he proposed that I should join his party. There were, according to him, a great many partridges and hares in the neighbourhood. However, my cartridges had been probably all of them spoiled in the river, so I was obliged to decline the invitation. I was rather tired, and wished to go to bed. On expressing a wish to this effect, a mattress was produced, and put down in one corner, and a second the other side of the room for the Caimacan. Three or four servants were present. No one seemed to have any intention to retire. I took off my clothes, lay down on the mattress, and drew over myself a marvellous thing in the way of _yorgans_, a silk counterpane of as many colours as Joseph's coat, and lined with feathers. "Are you warm?" said the Caimacan. "Yes." "Every one is warm with that _yorgan_," he continued. "It is light, and there are no fleas in it. You will sleep well." He now prepared to go to bed. The four servants assisted him. First they drew off his boots, and then his nether garments; the Caimacan glancing from time to time at me out of the corner of his eye, probably wishing to see what impression the fact of his having four servants to put him to bed had produced on my mind. He had been astonished when I undressed myself, and had remarked,— "Why, you have two servants, and you take off your own clothes! What is the good of having servants if you do not make them useful?" By this time he was in bed. His attendants lay down by his side; Radford and Osman in another corner. The one tallow dip which lit the room was carefully extinguished; soon nought could be heard save the snoring of the slumberers. I arose at daybreak, and unpacked the wet cartridges, then, taking my gun, I tried some of them; snap—snap—they would not explode. It was no use stopping for the shooting party; so desiring Osman to commence loading the horses, I took leave of my host. CHAPTER XV.