﻿FROM 
  ALGIERS 
  TO 
  THE 
  SAHARA. 
  

  

  115 
  

  

  and 
  the 
  French 
  surveyors 
  have 
  ascer- 
  

   tained 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  lagoons 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  are 
  below 
  the 
  sea-level. 
  

   From 
  inquiries 
  I 
  made 
  at 
  L'Aghouat, 
  

   I 
  ascertained 
  that 
  the 
  plateau 
  on 
  which 
  

   it 
  is 
  built 
  spreads 
  out 
  as 
  a 
  promontory 
  

   in 
  a 
  south-easterly 
  direction 
  towards 
  

   the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  desert, 
  descending 
  

   by 
  slopes 
  and 
  terraces 
  to 
  the 
  sea-level. 
  

   Mr. 
  Tristram 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  red 
  sand- 
  

   stone, 
  which 
  he 
  supposes 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   Triassic 
  age, 
  rises 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  M'Zab 
  

   country 
  to 
  the 
  S.E. 
  of 
  L'Aghouat. 
  This 
  

   is 
  probably 
  a 
  recurrence 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  

   sandstone 
  which 
  comes 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  

   in 
  the 
  Sidi 
  Makhelouf 
  anticlinal. 
  

  

  Although 
  there 
  is 
  good 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   a 
  Posttertiary 
  submergence 
  of 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   trict 
  surrounding 
  L'Aghouat, 
  the 
  high 
  

   level 
  of 
  the 
  sandhills 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  partly 
  

   attributed 
  to 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  wind, 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  which 
  in 
  transporting 
  sand 
  to 
  

   great 
  distances 
  must 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  fully 
  

   realized. 
  My 
  approach 
  to 
  L'Aghouat 
  

   was 
  through 
  a 
  blinding 
  sand-storm, 
  

   which 
  was 
  still 
  in 
  full 
  force 
  on 
  the 
  

   following 
  day, 
  when 
  on 
  ascending 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  rocky 
  eminences 
  over 
  the 
  town 
  I 
  

   obtained 
  my 
  first 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  desert 
  

   plain. 
  A 
  bitter 
  east 
  wind 
  was 
  blowing, 
  

   and 
  the 
  light 
  was 
  quite 
  subdued 
  by 
  the 
  

   sand-storm. 
  Looking 
  south 
  over 
  the 
  

   plain 
  I 
  could 
  but 
  dimly 
  see 
  the 
  level 
  

   horizon 
  through 
  the 
  murky 
  haze 
  ; 
  and 
  

   nearer 
  the 
  sudden 
  gusts 
  of 
  wind 
  were 
  

   picking 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  desert 
  cloud-like 
  

   patches 
  of 
  sand, 
  and 
  whirling 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  away 
  towards 
  the 
  great 
  smoky 
  

   mass 
  of 
  moving 
  sand 
  in 
  the 
  distance, 
  

   and 
  heaping 
  up 
  the 
  nearer 
  clouds 
  in 
  

   talus-like 
  slopes 
  against 
  the 
  boundary 
  

   escarpments. 
  To 
  the 
  north, 
  terrace 
  

   upon 
  terrace 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  of 
  the 
  Hauts 
  

   Plateaux, 
  piled 
  up 
  in 
  receding 
  lines, 
  

   formed 
  the 
  boxmdary 
  (Fig. 
  4). 
  The 
  

   near 
  view 
  was 
  equally 
  remarkable. 
  

   East 
  and 
  west 
  I 
  looked 
  along 
  a 
  broken 
  

   ridge 
  of 
  rocks, 
  completely 
  isolated 
  in 
  

   the 
  plain, 
  crowned 
  by 
  handsome 
  French 
  

   buildings 
  and 
  long 
  lines 
  of 
  fortifica- 
  

  

  «» 
  

  

  « 
  

  

  