168 WASHINGTON'S ATTEMPTED ASCENT. ch. vii. 



his winter excursion from this place ; and, what was more 

 curious, we found that a tradition of the visit of Christians 

 who have gone up the mountains here many years before 

 survived among the people. When, in December, 1829, the 

 late Sir J. Drummond Hay was received at Marocco with 

 great distinction by the then Sultan, it was arranged that, 

 after taking leave of the sovereign, the party should enjoy 

 two or three days' hunting towards the foot of the Atlas, and 

 they accordingly encamped somewhere below Tasseremout. 

 Washington and some other officers attached to the mis- 

 sion resolved to take the opportunity for ascending the 

 mountains as far as possible. At starting they evidently 

 thought it practicable to attain the higher peaks from 

 this place by a continuous ascent, and appear to have been 

 surprised to find, after several hours' climbing, when they 

 had reached and somewhat passed the limit of the winter 

 snow, that the ' highest peaks were still far beyond their 

 reach.' To one familiar with high mountain countries, the 

 natural course for attaining to the backbone of a con- 

 siderable chain is by penetrating to the head of one of 

 the deeper valleys ; and the course taken by Washington's 

 party would appear no more promising than the attempt 

 to scale Monte Rosa from the plain of Piedmont by as- 

 cending the mountains behind Ivrea. The mountain 

 stream that flows below Tasseremout seems to come from 

 the SE., where the range presents no conspicuous sum- 

 mits; whereas the higher points visible from our camp 

 at Mesfioua lay nearly due south. We were therefore not 

 inclined to insist on carrying out our original design of 

 making Tasseremout our base of operations ; and when we 

 were told that the valley of Ourika, lying some distance 

 to the west, led to the snowy mountains, we at once decided 

 on moving thither in the course of the afternoon. To con- 

 sole us for our disappointment, the Kaid invited us to a 

 repast which, like the food supplied at Mesfioua, was much 

 better cooked than usual. We especially appreciated 

 some cakes, or bannocks, of wheaten flour that made an 



