48 
MIRAGE 
EXTENT op THE PLATEAU. 
mounds marked the graves of children, slaves 
who had perished on the way from inner Africa. 
The mirage was common, but rarely pretty. Some- 
times ridges of low mountains seemed raised on the 
level plain, probably reflected from tlie cliffs that 
edge the plateau. The scattered herbage also 
assumed regular forms — squares, ovals, circles. 
Now and then it seemed as if vast ruins were ahead, 
but as we drew nigh these dwindled into little 
desert-mosques, formed of half-circles of stones, now 
turned to the east, now to the west. Here the 
faithful who may be obliged to traverse these dreary 
regions stop to offer up their simple prayer to the 
Almighty Allah, to whom, they say, the dreadful 
Hamadah belongs. 
The extent of this plateau from north to south, 
varying in our route from S.E. to S.W., is about 
156 miles, or six long and seven short days' journey. 
Sometimes our camels went at the pace of three 
miles, but nearly always of two and a-half miles in 
the hour. It is almost impossible to make the tra- 
verse in less than fifty-six or sixty hours. The camels 
may continue on night and day, but it will always 
require so much time to make the weary journey, 
which is considered the greatest exploit of Saharan 
travelling in this portion of Northern Africa. 
On the road to Tuat from Algeria, or to Ghada- 
mez from Tunis and Tripoli, or to Fezzan from Bon- 
jem or Benioleed, there is no traverse of six days 
comparable in difficulty to that which we have just 
