cii. X. HIGH PEAKS CLEAE OF SNOW. 263 



down to the level of about 7,000 feet, and showing only 

 a few crests of precipitous rock here and there protruding. 

 The white mantle had now completely disappeared, and 

 only long streaks of snow filling the depressions of the 

 surface now seamed the flanks of the higher mountains, 

 leaving the summit ridges everywhere bare. During the 

 ascent of the northern face of the mountain, we had kept 

 close to one of these long and comparatively narrow snow- 

 slopes that extended through a vertical zone of over 2,000 

 feet, with a breadth of some 300 to 400 feet, and we now 

 saw a still longer and wider strip of the same character, 

 filling a shallow trough below us, on the east face of the 

 peak. Near to the summit, and on the ridges leading to 

 it, not a trace of snow was to be seen, even in the crevices 

 of the rocks, where it would find partial shelter from 

 the sun. 



We now proceeded to survey the field of view, in order, 

 if possible, to fix the positions of any conspicuous sum- 

 mits. Looking due west, nothing approaching our level 

 lay between us and the dim horizon. A succession of 

 projecting spurs of the Atlas, dividing as many successive 

 valleys, subsided into the plain ; the most prominent, and 

 that extending farthest from the main chain, being the 

 mountain above Seksaoua. Turning the eye a little to 

 the left, about west by south, we saw crowded together 

 many of the higher summits of the western portion of the 

 main range, which was here seen foreshortened, so that it 

 was impossible to judge of their true relative position. 

 The highest of these, seamed with snow, we judged to be 

 about twenty-five miles distant, and higher than Djebel 

 Tezah by 600 or 800 feet. In nearly the same direction, 

 but only about ten miles distant, was a rugged projecting 

 peak, rising some 300 feet above our level, and very many 

 more of somewhat lower elevation were discernible in the 

 space between us and the more distant points. Between 

 SW. and SSE., the range of Anti-Atlas, rising behind the 

 broad Sous valley, bounded the horizon. 



