VOYAGE TO ALGERIA 165 



pitched, on the Saturday, by Captain Salmond and his 

 intelligent corps of sappers, the instruments being erected 

 on the Monday under cover of the tents. 



Close to the railway station runs a new loopholed wall 

 of defence, through which the highway passes into the 

 open country. Standing on the highway, and looking 

 southward, about twenty yards to the right is a small 

 bastionet, intended to carry a gun or two. Its roof I 

 thought would form an admirable basis for my telescope, 

 while the view of the surrounding country was unimpeded 

 in all directions. The authorities kindly allowed me the 

 use of this bastionet. Two men, one a blue-jacket named 

 Elliot, and the other a marine named Hill, were placed 

 at my disposal by Lieutenant "Walton; and, thus aided, 

 on Monday morning I mounted my telescope. The in- 

 strument was new to me, and some hours of discipline 

 were spent in mastering all the details of its manipulation. 



Mr. Huggins joined me, and we visited together the 

 Arab quarter of Oran. The flat-roofed houses appeared 

 very clean and white. The street was filled with loiter- 

 ers, and the thresholds were occupied by picturesque 

 groups. Some of the men were very fine. We saw many 

 straight, manly fellows who must have been six feet four 

 in height. They passed us with perfect indifference, evinc- 

 ing no anger, suspicion, or curiosity, hardly caring in 

 fact to glance at us as we passed. In one instance only 

 during my stay at Oran was I spoken to by an Arab. 

 He was a tall, good-humored fellow, who came smiling 

 up to me, and muttered something about "les Anglais. 7 * 

 The mixed population of Oran is picturesque in the high- 

 est degree: the Jews, rich and poor, varying in their 

 costumes as their wealth varies; the Arabs more pict- 



