CH. XI. NATIVE NAMES OF MOUNTAINS. 295 



peaks, while inferior in absolute height, are more isolated ; 

 and the valleys, or at least that of Imintanout, now opening 

 in front of us, seem to be more deeply excavated. We 

 certainly heard the names of the two mountains men- 

 tioned above, which appear on Beaudouin's map ; but no 

 name at all resembling Djebel Aithadius, which M. Bal- 

 ansa gives for one of the higher snow-seamed peaks in 

 this part of the range. 



We were here again struck by the difficulty of catching 

 the sounds from native lips, a feat to be achieved only by 

 repeated trials. At a first essay two Europeans will often 

 write down a name in ways so utterly different that they 

 cannot be recognised as intended to represent the same 

 sound. Though some of the Shelluhs understand and use 

 the word Gebel (or Djebel) for a mountain, the native word, 

 at least in this district, seems to be certainly Ida, probably 

 connected with Idrarn, the plural form of Adrar, a moun- 

 tain. Idram Drannisthename given by the Shelluhs to the 

 whole, or some considerable portion, of the Atlas range; and 

 etymologists, when they come to know more of the Bereber 

 dialects, may consider whether the name Dyris, by which this 

 part of the Atlas was known to the Eomans, is connected 

 with the same root. Captain Beaudouin, the author of the 

 French map, seems to have been misled by natives of this 

 region, who would sometimes call a great mountain well 

 known to them by the generic name Ida, and sometimes 

 by a special local name, and was thus led to consider these 

 as alternative names. Thus he writes the names of three 

 mountains, Ida ou Ziki, Ida ou Mahmoud, and Ida ou 

 Mahmed. 



When it was clear that nothing was here to be effected 

 in the way of mountain exploration, and it was seen that 

 the day was too far gone to reach Mtouga, we decided on 

 proceeding to Milhain, a place, as we were told, standing 

 close to the foot of the mountains. Only a slender stream 

 which we crossed, issues from the valley above Imintanout, 

 and conflicting statements were made as to the course of 



