OF THE OLD '^ORLD. 457 



try their hands at road-making. Some gatliered 

 stones from the wayside to till up the ruts, others 

 dui,^ up the road so as to make it as level as pos- 

 sible ; and at last, with the assistance of eight extra 

 mules, making a team of fifteen in all, and the com- 

 bined force of our whole party pushing and pulling, 

 amid the shouts, oaths, prayers, protestations, groans, 

 yells, and frantic shrieks of our conductor and driver, 

 we managed to extricate the wheels, and were once 

 more en route. The passengers were, however, 

 obliged to walk in many places ; and some of them 

 accomplished many miles on foot, to avoid, the dis- 

 agreeable jolting of our unwieldy machine. 



We passed through a most beautiful country, the 

 road winding amongst well- wooded hills, to St 

 Charles, a small fortified village about fifteen miles 

 from Philippeville, on the confluence of the rivers 

 Saf-Saf and Oued Zerga. 



Our driver assured us that lions were very numer- 

 ous in this part of the country, that on two occa- 

 sions within the last month he had fallen in with 

 them on the road during the night, and once one 

 followed the diligence for three miles, to the great 

 consternation of the horses and passengers. Leav- 

 ing St Charles we passed through the villages of 

 Gastonville and El Arrouch, where we changed, 

 horses ; and about one P.M. we arrived at El Kan- 

 tour, (the Gap,) where we dined. 



Should the proposed railway be constructed be- 

 tween Philippeville and Constantine, the cost be- 



