178 VEGETATION OF THE 



in providing himself with a supply of the dried leaf 

 of the best Nicotiana tabacum, though he may not be 

 himself addicted to its use. There have been a few 

 instances of some unfortunate Gibraltarians being 

 earned off by a gang of robbers from the neigh- 

 bourhood of St. Roque, and only ransomed by 

 large sums of money ; but these instances are very 

 rare, though it may be as well to be prepared for 

 emergencies. The stranger may also find it conve- 

 nient to engage a guide at St. Roque ; at all events 

 it will be prudent to enlist in his cause a kind friend 

 from Gibraltar who is well acquainted with the 

 country, for in many parts it is as wild and unculti- 

 vated as the forests of America. 



Having passed extensive beds of Cachrys ptero- 

 chlsena, the Spanish lines are approached. These 

 lines consist of a few houses and barracks for soldiers 

 stationed here, under the command of a colonel. 

 There is scarcely a tree to be seen on this spot, and 

 beyond it, is the little sandy desert spoken of in a 

 former part of this book. The aridity of the soil 

 prevents any extensive production; but such is the 

 nature of the climate that, with a little care, a few 

 vegetables are successfully cultivated. For more 

 than a mile this bed of sand extends, and only near 

 the lines are there any green patches to be seen. 

 Here the Ononis Gibraltarica, O. natrix, Cachrys 

 pterochlaena and Delphinium peregrinum grow in 

 great abundance. On the left, near the western 

 beach, there is scarcely any other plant than the 

 lovely Pancratium maritimum, which continues to 



