131 
way to the mosque of Muley Edris, and after having said 
our prayers, we separated from each other with tears in 
our eyes. I then mounted on horseback at the gate of 
the mosque, and was followed only by two servants, 
two soldiers on horseback, and one servant on foot. As 
I passed the crowd at a slow pace, the sherifs and other 
people of distinction got time to mount their horses, 
and join me successively. This retinue accompanied 
me tcr two miles distance, where I requested them to 
leave me. They submitted at last with difficulty, after 
having embraced me with the greatest signs of friendship 
and affection. 
It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when we 
left Fez by the road of Mequinez, which we quitted in 
order to take our direction to the west, and approached 
the mountains. At three o'clock we came near some 
salt lakes, which furnish a considerable quantity of this 
production; their shores were filled with numberless 
flocks of wild ducks. Leaving these lakes to our left, 
we continued our road in the same direction, and stop- 
ped at half past four on a hill close to a douar called EU 
mogafra. 
The country contains vast plains towards the south, 
bounded by mountains at a great distance, and towards 
the north the base of the small mountains, which we 
followed, was in sight. 
The ground is composed of a vegetable earth, mixt 
with sand in great quantity; vegetation was so backward, 
that the plants were scarcely two inches above the 
ground, and no flower was yet to be seen. 
The sky was quite covered, and it rained slightly. 
The thermometer was, at half past five, at 12 Q # Reau- 
mur, and the hygrometer at 64°. The wind blew west^ 
but not hard. 
* 57£ Fahrenheit 
