290 ANOTHER VIEW OF THE ATLAS. oh. xu 



diately dismount, but continued to ride some part of the 

 way, only the final ascent being made on foot. 



The view was in many respects very interesting, as it 

 showed us a great part of the main range from an entirely 

 new point of view, and the air on this day was unusually 

 clear. Looking westward, where the horizon, at a distance 

 of at least eighty miles, must have been rather near the 

 Atlantic coast, we were able to assure ourselves that the 

 hills that extend through most of the great province of 

 Haha are all of moderate height, none of them approaching 

 that on which we stood. In this respect Beaudouin's map 

 is much more correct than that of Gerhard Eohlfs, which 

 seems to show that the main chain at its western end is 

 broken up into lofty, diverging branches, some of which 

 extend far through Haha. No prominent object caught 

 the eye to the northward, except the familiar flat-topped 

 hills near Sheshaoua. For the last time we were able to 

 distinguish the site of the city of Marocco, bearing about 

 NE. by E,, and over sixty miles distant. About due east 

 the high range at the head of the Ait Mesan valley showed 

 much more snow than when we viewed it five days before 

 from the summit of Djebel Tezah, while the latter moun- 

 tain seemed pretty much in the same condition in which 

 we had found it. About due south a rugged peak towards 

 the head of the Imintanout valley had snow in rifts and 

 depressions ; and another of somewhat similar aspect, 

 rising farther east and above the head of the Seksaoua 

 valley, seemed to be the highest point in the whole range 

 west of the sources of the Oued Nfys. From their 

 position, and the ruggedness of their aspect, either of 

 these peaks promised well for a naturalist who could suc- 

 ceed in gaining access to them, but we felt that such good 

 fortune was not now in store for us. 



The fresh sheet of snow which had fallen on the Ait 

 Mesan range within the last few days led us to what 

 seemed an explanation of the inconsistent accounts given 

 as well by travellers as by natives as to the existence of 



