CH. XII. LAST VIEW OF THE GEEAT ATLAS. 321 



north, did not to our eyes afford any sign of cultivation. 

 Jackson gives a view ' of the Djebel Hadid as seen from 

 the plain of Akermout, with a ruined town in the fore- 

 gi'ound, which he declares to have been utterly destroyed 

 by the plague about the middle of the last century. The 

 ruins, which have been seen by other travellers, being 

 about 30 miles distant from Mogador and fully 15 from 

 the point where we stood, were naturally not perceived 

 by us. 



Along the range of these hills are many saints' tombs, 

 usually standing on some prominent point above the 

 general level of the plateau. One of these was on a 

 slight eminence somewhat higher than that first reached 

 bjf us. Our escort, on this occasion limited to three 

 soldiers, displayed great anxiety lest we should attempt to 

 enter the zaouia, doubtless believing that our presence 

 would profane the sanctity of the spot. 



We strained our eyes to make out as much as possible 

 of the Grreat Atlas range from the vantage ground we had 

 now attained ; but the air was hazy towards the southern 

 horizon. A faint outline was, indeed, distinctly traceable, 

 and was sketched by Ball, but no details of any kind 

 could be distinguished. 



We estimated the height of the hilly range, where we 

 ascended it, at about 1,500 feet above our camp at Ain el 

 Hadjar, which we had found to be 504 feet above the 

 sea-level. It is not likely that any part of the Djebel 

 Hadid much exceeds the limit of 2,000 feet above the sea, 

 but, in a range fully 25 miles in length, it is not possible 

 to compare altitudes accurately by the eye. 



The Cistus tribe was tlie chief ornament of the vege- 

 tation here ; and it was interesting to observe that the 

 species were to a great extent different from those that 



' Like the other illustrations in Jackson's work, this must be de- 

 rived from a very imperfect sketch, or else much altered by the fancy 

 of the draftsman. In this the great city shown in the background 

 is a mere iiction of the imagination. 



T 



