the difficult pass. The mountain of Ellyria, between
two and three thousand feet high, rose abruptly on our
left, while the base was entirely choked with enormous
fragments of grey granite that having fallen from the
face of the mountain had completely blocked the pass.
Even the horses had great difficulty in threading their
way through narrow alleys formed of opposing blocks,
and it appeared impossible for loaded camels to proceed.
The path was not only thus obstructed, but was broken
by excessively deep ravines formed by the torrents
that during the rains tore everything before them
in their impetuous descent from the mountains. To
increase the difficulties of the pass many trees and
bushes were growing from the interstices of the rocks §
thus in places where the long legs of the camels could
have cleared a narrow cleft, the loads became jammed
between the trees. These trees were for the most part
intensely hard wood, a species of lignum vitas, called
by the Arabs “ babanoose,” and were quite proof against
our axes. Had the- natives been really hostile they
could have exterminated us in five minutes, as it was
only necessary to hurl rocks from above to insure
our immediate destruction. I t was in this spot that
a trader’s party of 126 men, well armed, had been
massacred to a man the year previous.
Bad as the pass was, we had hope before us, as the
Latookas explained that beyond this spot there was
level and unbroken ground the whole way to Lato'oka.
Could we only clear Ellyria before the Turks I had no
fear for the present; but at the very moment when
success depended upon speed, we were thus baffled by
the difficulties of the ground. I therefore resolved
to ride on in advance of my party, leaying them to
overcome the difficulties of the pass by constantly
unloading the animals, while I would reconnoitre in
front, as Ellyria was not far distant. My wife and
I accordingly rode on, accompanied only by one of the
Latookas as a guide. After turning a sharp angle of
the mountain, leaving the cliff abruptly rising to the
left from the narrow path, we descended a ravine worse
than any place we had previously encountered, and we
were obliged to dismount, in order to lead our horses
up the steep rocks on the opposite side. On arrival on
the summit, a lovely view burst upon us. The valley
of Ellyria was about four hundred feet below, a t about
a mile distant. Beautiful mountains, some two or
three thousand feet high, of grey granite walled in the
narrow vale; while the landscape of forest and plain
was bounded at about fifty or sixty miles distance to
.the east by the blue mountains of Latooka. The
mountain of Ellyria was the commencement of the
fine range that continued indefinitely to the south.