Giant Cistus 269 
to the north-west we could dimly see the white houses of the Isla 
glittering through the haze. 
Turning southward we commenced the ascent of the lower spurs 
of the sierra proper, the track gradually grew more rocky and 
difficult and eventually it became necessary to dismount and lead 
our horses. The scrub grew denser and at places it was no easy 
matter to force our way through it along the narrow track. We 
were now in the region of the palmetto, lentiscus and cistus; and 
what cistus! The slopes bordering on the sandhills near Trafalgar 
Bay are covered with dense cistus scrub often 6 ft. high, 
bearing magnificent white blossoms, some of which measure 
fully 4 in. across. This was in full bloom at the time of our visit 
and hundreds of acres of hillside were covered with its beautiful 
dark green foliage, dotted everywhere with these glorious white 
flowers. Higher up the mountains, a peculiarly beautiful dwarf 
cistus with a rose madder ring encircling its centre was tolerably 
abundant as also were others with white, yellow and crimson 
blossoms. 
Sixteen years is a considerable time to carry precise topo- 
graphical details in one’s head, and it was therefore no very great 
surprise to me upon our gaining the crest-line of the ridge we were 
ascending to find that there was no cliff to be seen of the dimensions 
I had noted in 1884. Sure enough there was a crag or rather a 
series of crags to our front, but none of these was the one 
we were in quest of. To these rocks we however proceeded as 
it was probable that from thence a good view might be obtained. 
Leaving our horses and men amid the cistus scrub below we 
scrambled up the rocks and were rewarded by seeing on the sky 
line to our left front and about a mile distant several serrated crags, 
which might possibly belong to the cliff we were in search of ; but 
I began to have uncomfortable doubts of its existence. 
It was whilst climbling these rocks that we came across a series 
