5§4 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Dec. 7, i? 



sky-line. At their arrival at the city of Marakish the 

 real difficulties of the trip commenced, as they were on 

 the threshold of untrodden paths. The base of the 

 mountains was reached at the small ruinous town of 

 Sidi Rehal, where an interesting geological feature 

 attracted their attention in the occurrence of a continuous 

 boss or dyke of basalt, which, as investigation showed, 

 extended from Demnat to the Wady Nypes. Words 

 faiied him to describe the charming valley in the centre 

 of which the little town of Demnat stood. Irrigation 

 channels spread themselves in a perfect network over 

 the entire valley, everywhere spreading fertility. In 

 their first excursion from Demnat they were led up this 

 picturesque valley, and some miles above the town, 

 where the first narrowing valley seemed to end, they 

 discovered the wonderful natural bridge aqueduct of 

 Iminifiri. On reaching this strange natural phenomenon 

 they saw what appeared to be the mouth of an enormous 

 cave, as its name denoted, from which rushed the Wadi 

 Demnat in a boisterous torrent. On entering they found 

 themselves under a magnificent arch hung with stalac- 

 tites, with walls presenting all the aspect of clustered 

 pillars. Pushing their way in, they soon discovered that 

 it was no cave, but nothing more than an arch, springing 

 at a height of over ioo ft. from one side of a mountain 

 gorge to another. The rocks around Iminifiri had an 

 added interest in being clad in masses of the gum 

 euphorbium. Above Iminifiri they crossed a valley 

 broken by numerous hills which ended in sharply tilted 

 limestone peaks, rising abruptly into mountain masses 

 6,000 ft. or 7,000 ft. high. The most prominent of those 

 peaks they ascended, and discovered the ruins of a 

 so-called Christian church, which, in his opinion, be- 

 longed to a pre-Christian era. But the goal of their trip 

 was Tasimet, a place south-west of Demnat. That 

 proved to be a lovely and picturesque spot cradled 

 among mountain heights. Around were magnificent 

 groves of walnuts and pine woods crowning various 

 rocks and heights. It was an occasion of no small 

 anxiety when the day arrived for leaving Demnat, and 

 starting for the point selected for the first serious attempt 

 to cross the mountains. Before starting they secured the 

 services of a Jewish interpreter, who made them per- 

 fectly independent of the services of their men. It was 

 only when they were well into the mountains that the 

 situation dawned upon the latter, and then their faces 

 were a sight to nee. In a short time they reached the 

 glens of the Lar and the Lemulha cut through purple 

 shales, the bright colours modified by patches of bush or 

 grass. Passing through the village and market of Enzel, 

 they struck the Wad Gadat, up whose rugged glen their 

 way lay into the heart of the mountains. Along this 

 track there were no villages, and the sides of the glen 

 were well clothed with callitris and juniper and at places 

 an evergreen oak. Further up the glen, which soon 

 became a gorge, lay the picturesque district ot Zarktan. 

 There the Gadat divided and spread itself in radiating 

 tributaries on the northern face of the central range. 

 From Zarktan the road to Glauwa zigzagged up a high, 

 narrow ridge which soon brought them to the foot of the 

 Atlas crest. Far below on their right ran the Gadat, the 

 gorge of the Asif Adrar-'n-Iri flanked then on the left, 

 while the bright-hued ridge they stood on led to the 

 entrance of the gorge, which ended in the pass across 

 the mountains. Struggling up the gorge of the Adrar-'n- 

 Iri, over rugged, angular blocks for some time, they 

 arrived at the district of Tetuta, where the gorge ex- 



panded and ended in the very heart of the Atlas range. 

 A more desolate prospect could never be seen, irre- 

 sistibly reminding them of Aden. Hardly a tree or bush 

 was to be seen, only a little grass on the small, irrigated 

 terraces. The next day a sharp climb oi an hour brought 

 them to the top of the pass, the Tizi-n-Teluet, at the 

 height of nearly 9,000 ft. A view of magnificent extent 

 spread itself out before them. Southward the eye roamed 

 far into the hazy distance over the basin of the Draa, 

 and northwards scanned the glen of Gadat, the plain of 

 Marakish, and rested on the mountains of Bahamna and 

 Srarna. As far as the eye could reach there was only a 

 slightly broken plateau region 7,000 ft. to 8,000 ft. in 

 altitude, without a conspicuous feature to catch the eye. 

 Even in colour it was mournful and monotonous in the 

 extreme; a deadly gray which spoke of friable shale 

 and general barrenness, unrelieved by green forest or 

 bush. The one refreshing feature of this disappointing 

 landscape was the little valley of Teluet, which lay 

 3,000 ft. below them, resembling the dried-up, grass- 

 grown bed of a mountain lake, which, indeed, it might 

 have been. On either side of the pass the moun ains 

 rose 2,000 ft; above, like the rugged pillars of a gate. 

 In the valley of the Teluet the Kaid of Glauwa had his 

 castle, where they were hospitably entertained for some 

 days. Being foiled in their attempt to proceed west 

 along the southern aspect of the main axis, they recrossed 

 the Tizi-n-Teluet and passed down the glen of the Gadat, 

 reaching the Kasbah of Misfiwa in two big marches, and 

 in a single march of fourteen hours they went straight 

 from Misfiwa to the Kasbah of Gurguri, arriving early 

 the next day at Amsmiz. From that point they again 

 went into the mountains, their object being to reach the 

 small mountain province of Gindafy, and their route lay 

 up the Amsmiz. At midday they succeeded in reaching 

 the top of the Tizi-Nemiri at an elevation of 9,600 ft. 

 On crossing the Tizi-Nemiri Mr. Thomson said he had 

 seen a very conspicuous snow-clad peak to the west, and 

 a great desire to ascend it had taken possession of him, 

 as it was evidently the highest point between Wady 

 Nyfis and the Atlantic. Leaving his friend — who was at 

 that time ill — behind, and taking only three men and a 

 soldier guide, he went west to the Wady Nyfis, and 

 reached Marossa on the same day. From Marossa he 

 turned east, skirting the base of the main axis to Eduz, 

 and then started for the district of Ogdinit at the foot of 

 the peak. Even the most faithful of his three men were 

 in a terrible fright at having to venture into a more than 

 semi-independent district. But he was not to be turned 

 from his purpose, and succeeded in reaching his destina- 

 tion. He was, however, at the time placed in a most 

 critical situation, the ascent of the peak developing into a 

 race in which he was chased by the natives and had more 

 than one narrow escape of being shot. It took him some 

 time to recover sufficiently to take any observations, but 

 when he was able the prospect displayed sufficiently 

 repaid him. From that vantage point, 12,500 ft. above 

 the sea, he could see 10,000 ft. below him the river Sous 

 in glittering reaches, winding seaward through the grove 

 and field mottled valley, gathering within its banks a score 

 of streams from the mountains. The chief attraction, 

 however, was the sight of the massive elevation of the 

 Anti-Atlas, whose table-like top formed an almost straight 

 line on the horizon. East, west, and north a bewildering 

 assemblage of snow-streaked peaks, sharp barren ridges, 

 gorges, and glens rocky and desolate above, grove fringed 

 and terraced below, met the eye, making description 



