ox Till'; L'l.M ol' Till'; DI'iSKIM" 145 



l''\(ry sioiiu wliicli washes it cames awnAMi ]i(»rliuii i'ldin 

 iIh' iiiicrior. so that it is lioneycomhed with hujhiws iiisi(h' 

 ;tii<l (»ur. The siu'lact' is (lirfiiili'oratcd salt and t-arth, 

 with a while saliuL' cxiKhitiuii which makes the inotiiitaiii 

 contrast strangely witli the red rocks and \-cll(t\v phiin 

 round it. ( liicc well into the mountain, tiic conrusion of 

 iorm caused by its huge trenches and (issures is remarkable. 

 ('ifcuhir craters abound where the soil has fallen in, and 

 here and there w<' came, with startling suddenness, u|)on 

 ch'an-cut perpend icuhtr shafts with walls of green semi- 

 tiansparent salt, closely resendtling the " nioulins "" of the 

 larger glaciers of the Alps. These w^ere of all sizes from a 

 foot to ten f(>et in diameter, and of manv the bottom w^as 

 lost in gloom a hundred feet or more below. They are 

 dangerous places without care, as there is a crund)lino- 

 verge whicli fre«|uently overhangs. The ground gave 

 back a hollow^ sound in many places, but it was easy to see 

 where one could uo with safet\' li\' watchinir for tlie o-azelle 

 tracks, which were freijUenL. kittle grows on the saline 

 soil except a ])lant like samphire, and another tl(^s]iv- 

 leaved plant : but flocks of blue rock-pigeons, wldch breed 

 in the clefts, gave some life to the scene. Brioht-coloured 

 earths, pink and ]>ui-pl", crop dut lio-e and there. ( )n the 

 top there is a less broken part, and someihing of a phiteau, 

 with a little vegetation, and lierc we hoped ti» hnd ^'amc. 

 of wliicli we soon saw ]>lenty of tracks. 



Aftei' our Arab liad disiui'hcd ihj-ee gazelles b}' Jiis 

 noisy walking, we separated, \\'illic taking one side of tlie 

 mountain and 1 tlic other. Snon after I made a »'Ood snv 

 ot three nioutlons on a red clitl'. which faced tlie other 

 eii<] of the Salt ?iIountain, at some distance. A\'c had 



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