CH. XI. A WET AFTERNOON. 277 



and high time to continue our journey. The flora being- 

 somewhat monotonous, we did not, perhaps, lose much by 

 this unusual neglect of duty : but we remembered with 

 regret that we had not ascertained to what species the 

 tamarisk tree belonged under which we had taken our rest. 



The boundary between Amsmiz and Mzouda is here 

 formed by a torrent bed, now nearly dry, called by our 

 escort Asif el Mel. This stream, as was agreed on all hands, 

 joins those farther west that run by Sheshaoua to the 

 Oued Tensift. As we rode onward across the plain several 

 heavy showers passed over, which thoroughly drenched 

 the scantily clothed men of our party, without at all 

 quenching their habitual good-humour, but the soldiers 

 were well provided with woollen coverings that kept them 

 tolerably dry. There was little attempt at collecting 

 plants during the afternoon, as it requires a strong in- 

 ducement to make a horseman whose outer clothing is 

 thoroughly wet set foot to the ground. We found the 

 village of Mzouda rather different in appearance from 

 those we had hitherto seen. The houses — small cubical 

 blocks built of clay dried in the sun — were less solid than 

 the rough stone dwellings of the Atlas mountaineers, but 

 much superior to the miserable huts of the Arab tribes in 

 the plain of IMarocco ; and instead of the unsightly piles 

 of thorny branches commonly used by the latter, these 

 were enclosed within massive hedges of Opuatia whose 

 dimensions showed that they were of considerable age. 



As usual Kaid el Hasbi had ridden forward with one 

 of the soldiers to present the letter to the Governor, and 

 to announce our arrival ; and when, about 6 p.m., we 

 reached the kasbah, quite a mile from the village, we re- 

 ceived a message inviting us to take up our quarters 

 within the building. As the ground outside was already 

 wet, and the evening sky threatened more rain, we at 

 once accepted the offer, and were conducted to two small 

 but clean-looking rooms in a square tower that formed one 

 of the angles of the building. Between the care of the 



