CH. XI. CAMP NEAR SEKSAOUA. 283 



above the village a rocky spur projects from the mass of 

 the Atlas towards the plain, and is backed by a mountain 

 mass rising some 2,500 or 3,000 feet above the valley. 

 At the eastern base of this rocky promontory, in a stony 

 field planted with young olive trees, we pitched our tents 

 on very rough ground, where it was not easy to find a 

 level spot to sleep upon, but where we promised ourselves 

 good botanising in the immediate neighbourhood, even if 

 unable to penetrate far into the mountains. 



Some unusual precautions were taken this evening to 

 guard against a niglit attack upon our camp, and the 

 Kaids assumed an air of importance befitting men who felt 

 that the time had at length arrived for a display of their 

 professional skill and prowess ; but, as we fully expected, 

 the night passed without the slightest molestation. A 

 few musket shots discharged at a distance were heard, 

 exchanged between the hostile parties, or more probably 

 fired in terrorem to show that the defenders were ready 

 for action. As we heard no more on the subject, it is 

 probable that no further disturbance ensued during our 

 stay in the neighbourhood. 



On the morning of May 26 our first anxiety was to 

 ascertain what might be our prospect of reaching from 

 this point the head of the valley, and making another 

 ascent of the main range. We had already heard rumours 

 of disturbances among the native tribes in the upper part 

 of the valley, so that our expectations of success did not 

 run high ; and when the sheik of the valley was forth- 

 coming we were not much surprised to hear him declare 

 that an excursion in that direction was utterly imprac- 

 ticable. We at once suspected Kaid el Hasbi of practising 

 his usual machinations to defeat our intentions ; but with 

 the difference that on this occasion there was probably 

 some foundation in fact for the tales that were told us of 

 conflicts between the neighbouring tribes, and of possible 

 danger for travellers. With an escort furnished by the 

 orders of the Sultan, and quite numerous enough to 



