CH. X. HOOKER'S FAME AS A PHYSICIAN. 241 



a plant so different in appearance that, at first sight, 

 no one would suspect very near relationship between 

 them. 



Our camp this evening was fixed on open ground, near 

 the village of Sektana. To the north, between us and the 

 plain, a hill rose some 400 or 500 feet, crowned by a 

 castellated building, somewhat similar to that at Tassere- 

 mout, of which all that we could learn was that it had 

 been built by Christians or Eomans, the same word, as 

 before observed, bearing either interpretation. To the 

 south, the plateau stretched away in rolling downs, un- 

 broken by tree or house, save a few small plants — probably 

 fruit trees — growing near the village, about half-a-mile 

 from our camp. We were received, on our arrival, with 

 some show of cordiality by three native sheiks ; and a 

 mona, on a scale sufficient to satisfy even our greedy 

 soldiers, was forthcoming during the evening. 



It appeared that Hooker's fame as a physician had 

 already spread far and wide, to an extent that might, in- 

 deed, have been inconvenient if we had remained longer 

 in this district. On this evening, and the following 

 morning, troops of applicants for medical relief continued 

 to arrive at our camp, and amongst them a moullah of 

 reputed sanctity, from Moulai Ibrahim, troubled with 

 some painful affection of the eyes. 



Between the ordinary work at our plants, writing up 

 journals, and completing a letter from Hooker to the late 

 Sir Eoderick Murchison, with a brief account of our pro- 

 ceedings up to this point, the evening was fully occupied, 

 and we enjoyed the change of climate that had accom- 

 panied the retm-n of fine weather. The thermometer at 

 8 P.M. did not fall below 58°, and the mean of two closelv 

 accordant observations gave for the height of our camp, 

 4,523 feet (1,378-7 m.) above the sea level. 



The morning of May 19 broke brilliantly. Although 

 on the preceding day we had travelled under a blue sky, 

 the higher mountains had been concealed by dense masses 



K 



