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TO ARPA-CHAI AND LENINAKAN 163
sides, close to the walls, were there a few stones or dry places
where one could walk. It was a damp pilgrimage—the
tunnel was 2| kilometres long.
At first I could see the engineer’s white cap in front, and
some of my companions when they passed the electric lamps ;
but before long they disappeared in the crowd and I was left
alone in the crush. As I trudged on, doing my best to avoid
the deepest water by keeping close to the wall, I became aware
of an elderly grey-bearded man of decidedly cultured appear
ance. He was trudging along with the rest of us, and was
constantly bumped and pushed aside by the young ruffians
who raced up the tunnel, usually where it was deepest in the
middle, splashing the water in all directions. I heard him say
something to them now and again, probably admonishing
them to be more careful ; but otherwise he bore it all with
exemplary patience.
Wc met a whole section of soldiers going in the opposite
direction to the crowd. They showed even less consideration
than the boys—as is the way of the military, whether Red or
White—and often drove us ordinary ununiformed mortals
into the deepest water while they passed by at the side, where
it was dry.
At length the tunnel began to get lighter in front of us,
and in due course I was out in the day again. Here I found
Captain Quisling and Mr. Ersingian, the Commissar for
Agriculture. Also the elderly grey-bearded man whom I had
noticed in the tunnel. Mr. Ersingian introduced me—it was
the President of the Georgian republic.
A little later Mr. Dupuis turned up, too. Not contented
with the tunnel wc went through, he had also explored the
short continuation of it just below. As for M. Carle and
M. Lo Savio, wc had not seen anything of them since the early
morning.
Wc now made our way up on to the plain again, where
the car was waiting for us, and drove back to the precipice
over the dam. Descending the cliff, wc crossed the suspen
sion bridge a second time, and proceeded to a place underneath
the high raisedplatform which had been erected for the speakers,
on the steep stony slope opposite. Here wc were welcomed
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