182 VIEW OF THE MAHOCCO PLAIN, ch. viii. 



tillage, they produce good crops of red-bearded wheat. 

 From the first pass we descended rather steeply to cross a 

 narrow torrent bed, and reascend to a second somewhat 

 higher pass, reached at 6 p.m., which we found to be 3,590 

 feet (1,094-3 m.) above the sea, or just 700 feet above the 

 river at the mouth of the Ourika valley. The country 

 here appears to be fully peopled. We saw several villages, 

 and one or two quadrangular buildings of larger size, pro- 

 bably the dwellings of local sheiks. We had during most 

 of the way wide views over the plain of Marocco, and were 

 able to distinguish the city itself, with the great tower of 

 the Koutoubia and the extensive palm groves on its 

 western side. Slight undulations of the ground are not 

 perceptible when seen from above ; but it was quite clear 

 to us that nothing deserving to be called a hill breaks the 

 uniformity of the gentle slope with which the plain sub- 

 sides from the base of the Atlas to the region traversed by 

 us on our road from Mogador. 



The monotony of the march was diversified by another 

 furious quarrel between the officers of our escort. What- 

 ever may have been the pretext, the cause was doubtless 

 the mutual iU blood arising from the disputes over their 

 respective shares of the spoil obtained from the villagers. 

 Not content with volleys of guttural abuse, and seemingly 

 ferocious threats, they appeared intent on serious mischief, 

 and proceeded to unpack their long guns. Luckily these 

 were securely wrapped up in complicated covers of red 

 cloth, and, before the combatants were ready for action, 

 prudence once more restrained valour, and the storm passed 

 away in sullen growlings and mutterings of future ven- 

 geance. It sometimes struck us that if there were such 

 things as professional brigands in Marocco, we might have 

 been robbed or murdered with perfect safety before one of 

 the guns of our escort had been extracted from its case, 

 and made ready for use. 



Indignant, as we were, at the rapacity of our escort, 

 we assured ourselves, when we came to know more of the 



