376 LIFE AND EXPERIENCES CHAP. 



terranean. This ceremony consists of praying for the 

 souls of those who are lost at sea, and takes place on 

 the first Sunday of the year. The priests, after holding 

 service within the Church, form a procession, accom- 

 panied by acolytes, many of whom are negroes, and 

 walk down the few steps that separate them from the 

 end of the rock. Here a large marble sarcophagus 

 has been constructed, and after covering it with a black 

 pall, the priests recite the prayers for those who died 

 at sea without the comfort of the last offices of their 

 Church. 



Determined to see something of the country on the 

 way to Biskra we halted twice, passing the first night at 

 Bueira, and the second at El Gueira. The accommo- 

 dation at both of these places was exceedingly primi- 

 tive, but the cooking was excellent. The journey was 

 full of varied interest ; in places we saw the spring 

 wheat being sown, and were reminded that in the 

 days of the Romans this huge expanse of country 

 formed the granary of Italy. The husbandry is still of 

 the most primitive character, and now and again one 

 might see the Arab at the plough-handle, his team 

 consisting of his wife and his ass. 



The varied character of the scenes and country 

 through which we passed needs no description from 

 me, as it has been painted to the life in the Garden of 

 Allah by Robert Hichens. The most striking point 

 in the whole journey is, perhaps, the approach to the 

 desert by the defile of El Kantara, where the contrast 

 between the mountainous, sterile country and the 

 green valley with its almost tropical vegetation is most 

 wonderful. For there the stream from the mountains 

 creates an oasis in the desert in which tens of thousands 

 of date palms flourish, providing sustenance and wealth 

 for the Arab population. 



