216 ATLAS MOUNTAINEERS. ch. ix. 



not over five feet high, making it inconvenient for us to 

 move about. In most of the houses there are underground 

 cellars to which the inhabitants retire in winter, as is the 

 custom in Armenia and in some of the higher valleys of 

 the French Alps. 



We scarcely had been settled in the house when 

 several applicants for medical advice presented themselves ; 

 but these were disposed of soon enough to leave some 

 remaining daylight, which was devoted to a stroll up the 

 left, or SE. branch of the upper valley. The flat ground 

 was parcelled into small fields divided by stone dykes, and 

 intersected by slender irrigation channels. The fields 

 seemed to be carefully tilled, rye, barley, and beans being 

 the only crop now above ground. Maize is sown in the 

 latter part of May and ripens in the course of six weeks. 

 We saw with surprise a few vines in this inclement spot, 

 and also Madder {Rubia tinctorum) seemingly wild, but 

 doubtless originally introduced for native use. 



The mountains, as far as we could see them, looked for- 

 bidding, and the scene this evening was even more sombre 

 than it had been two days before. Leaden clouds roofed 

 the valley across, and completely hid the higher ridges ; 

 slight gusts of chilling wind blew at intervals, and all the 

 tokens of impending bad weather warned us not to in- 

 dulge in cheerful anticipations for the morrow. On this 

 occasion we had limited our escort to two soldiers, whose 

 presence showed that we were under the shadow of imperial 

 protection, but who would doubtless have been utterly 

 useless if the natives had harboured hostile designs. Of 

 such, however, there was not the slightest indication. The 

 demeanour of the people was respectful and friendly, rather 

 than the reverse. Our every movement was watched, but 

 from a distance, and there was none of the intrusive 

 curiosity so often complained of by travellers among 

 semi-barbarous people. The men all habitually wear the 

 hooded cloak, of dark-coloured goat's' hair, somewhat 

 looser than the Moorish jellabia, which appears to be 



