quitted Asni we left behind us the olive and almond,
and passing through the belt of prickly oak, gum-cistus
and arbutus, reached the juniper and *arar; and then
the walnut region, beyond which the hill-sides are bare
save for tufts of a horny scrub and grass which afford
NEARING THE SUMMIT.
Photograph by D r. Rudduck.
subsistence for scattered herds of goats, sheep and cows.
Not a horse or mule did we see, and very few donkeys.
But on it all the sun shone, and the snow-streaked peaks
before us, gleaming, glorious, fed sparkling rivulets
which human hands diverted for the watering of narrow
cultivated terraces wherever the valley widened. A s for
geological surroundings, Thomson felt assured that here
is to be found the oldest part of the range, the nucleus
o f elevation, with its metamorphic and igneous rocks,
and sedimentary formations east and west. The most
abundant rocks, far more so here than in the valley
o f the Iminan, were porphyries and diorites in wonderful
variety.
Next morning, having engaged three guides with the
promise of a dollar apiece if we reached the top of
Tubkal, we set off on our mules for Shim- .
harosh, where those who mean to reach the Episodes.
summit should pitch their camp, if not as far
as possible up the valley to the right; but this feat
should not be attempted before midsummer, unless made
over the snow. As we_ left the village we were stopped
b y an armed crowd demanding money. Riding ahead
and inducing our men to follow, we hoped we were free,
but as we dismounted at Shimharosh- seven of the men
appeared with demands for a dollar apiece as guards
and guides. This I flatly refused, declaring that if they
turned us back they would have to suffer, but not another
coin would I pay, and took the precaution of
leaving cash and watch with a trusted servant in charge
o f the mules and provisions. Thrice on the way up they
stopped us and tried their game without success, at one
point demanding the cost of a sheep to sacrifice to the
local saint. A t last we attained Timlilt— a shoulder
never before reached by Europeans, from which we saw
that it would be impossible to make the summit that
day, especially as clouds were falling and wind was
rising: before we had finished a lunch assisted by mouthfuls
of snow, it grew piercingly cold, so we regretfully
turned. Straight up the valley before us stood Mount
Wagan, also tempting untrodden ground.