Journal of a tour in Marocco and the Great Atlas

by Joseph Dalton Hooker; John Ball

This is the most considerable place on the northern declivity of the Great Atlas, and, from the number of inhabitants, may deserve to rank as a town. It stands on a shelf of flat rocky ground, somewhat above the level of the adjoining plain, and nearly 200 feet above the stream issuing from the mountains close at hand, which, for want of any other name, we have called the Amsmiz torrent. The Governor of this district was, as we learned, a man of some consequence, being a nephew of El Graoui, and brother-in-law of the Governor of Mogador. We considered it a favourable omen that, as we approached our camping ground close to the town, this functionary, with a motley train of torchbearers, came out to meet us, and, with much show of cordiality, welcomed us to his district. He was almost quite black, and of nearly pure Negro type, with the sensual, but apparently good-humoured expression that is common among that race. It was too late to discuss business on this evening; and the less necessary to do so, as we knew that our large and precious collections made in the Aït Mesan valley, and put up in indifferent condition, would require a full day’s work, before we could undertake a new excursion of any importance. An abundant mona was provided; and general satisfaction appeared to prevail in the camp at having reached this Capua of the Great Atlas.

The 20th of May was a day of rest for the men and animals of our party; but of rather hard work for the two botanists, who were for eight or nine hours busily engaged in putting their collections into order, and transferring the specimens from damp to dry paper. The system of ventilating gratings which we adopted, works admirably in a dry climate, and especially when it is possible to expose the parcels to sunshine; and in such conditions most plants may be dried without a single change of paper. The case is different when, owing to rain, or the dampness of the climate, the paper cannot be well dried, and the plants have to be laid in in a more or less moist condition. Artificial heat may sometimes be applied; but this is rarely available for travellers in such a country as Marocco.

It was necessary to interrupt the work during the forenoon, in order to pay a visit to the Governor. This was no matter of mere ceremony, as it was essential to obtain his consent and assistance towards carrying out the design—on which we had fixed our hearts—of penetrating to the head of the Amsmiz valley, and climbing some one of the higher adjoining peaks. We knew, indeed, that in this part of the range, the Great Atlas does not attain so high a level as it does farther east; but as the summits must reach a height of fully 11,000 feet, they could not fail to exhibit the characteristic vegetation of the higher zone, and at the same time, unless we were again pursued by bad weather, command a wide view over the unknown country, on the south side of the chain.

The Governor was courteous and even friendly in manner, and in general terms expressed his readiness to forward the objects of our journey. He seemed pleased with the articles which Hooker presented to him—a musical box, an opera-glass, and a long sheath-knife; but when a thermometer was added, and an attempt made to explain the use of the instrument, he at once returned it, saying that it would be of no service, and that he would much prefer a brace of pistols. The pistols were promised, and an unsuccessful attempt was actually made to forward them a year later. All had gone smoothly so far; but we were much disappointed when, the practical question of our intended exploration of the Amsmiz valley being brought forward, our friendly Governor expressed himself distinctly opposed to it, the only ground assigned being some doubt as to our safety. As the misbehaviour of Kaïd el Hasbi on the previous day had come to our knowledge during the interval, we at once came to the conclusion that the real obstacle was due to his machinations. On returning to our camp, Hooker summoned El Hasbi, and administered a ‘blowing-up,’ which produced the most salutary results. He was told that we were thoroughly aware of his treacherous conduct, and duly warned that if any further difficulty were thrown in the way of our reaching the high mountains, as we were fully authorised to do, a report should be sent to the Viceroy and to El Graoui, with a request that another officer should be sent to take charge of our escort. This drew forth a multitude of excuses, and profuse promises to do all that was possible to carry out our wishes. The effect was soon apparent; for we learned in the course of the afternoon that the Governor had summoned the sheik of the valley, in order to arrange for our visit, while at the same time we received an invitation to sleep that night in the kasbah, which we thought it judicious to accept.

In the afternoon we went out for a stroll, and were able to form a better idea than we had hitherto done of the character of the scenery. The position of Amsmiz somewhat reminds one of that of villages in Piedmont, that stand at the opening of some of the interior valleys of the Alps, and still more of similar places in the Apennines of Central and Southern Italy. The lofty hills that form the outer extremity of the spurs diverging from the Great Atlas slope rather steeply towards the plain, while the torrent issues from them through a cleft so narrow that no path is carried along it into the valley. Trees, that naturally clothe the outer ranges of the Alps, are here very scarce, and the upper declivity, as commonly in the Apennine, is covered with brushwood and low shrubs; while the lower slopes are partly under tillage, or else planted with olive and fig trees. We descended from the plateau, where our camp stood close to the town of Amsmiz at 3,382 feet (1,030·7 m.) above the sea, by steeply sloping banks to the level of the torrent; and followed this for some distance, collecting plants by the way; and then made a circuit among fields, enclosed by high hedges, in which grew a profusion of climbing plants. The chief prize of our excursion was a curious new species of Marrubium, whose spherical heads of flowers are beset with long stiff bristles hooked at the end, formed by the elongated lower teeth of the calyx.

It was not without misgivings that we quitted our tents in the evening to repair to the Governor’s kasbah. We had hitherto been very successful in escaping the varied noxious insects that prey on the human body, and which the walls of the first house we had seen in Marocco and the concurrent testimony of all who know the country declare to abound throughout the empire; but it now seemed as if we must confront these enemies under circumstances where we could not, without giving offence, resort to energetic measures of precaution. We were, therefore, agreeably surprised, when our host conducted us to a room which, at least to the eye, seemed scrupulously clean. Two beds were arranged, nearly in European fashion, on low bedsteads; of other furniture there was none, excepting a low carpet-covered divan. On the sill of a window we found four or five Arabic books, the only ones which we saw in the possession of a native in this country. Our report the next morning agreed, that we had not been attacked by any enemy more formidable than a few intrusive fleas.

Our slumbers during the night were made more agreeable by the satisfactory information that all the requisite arrangements had been made for our excursion in the Amsmiz valley, on the following day. The sheik, as we were told, would provide a house for our occupation in the highest village; and though nothing definite was said as to the precise limits of our expedition, we relied on luck and good guidance to turn our opportunities to account.

We rose early on the morning of the 21st, and employed some spare time in looking about us. The kasbah was not nearly so large as many that we had seen, but was distinguished by a certain air of neatness, and there were sundry indications that its possessor was superior in general intelligence and appreciation of civilised life to those we had hitherto dealt with in Marocco. In the court there was a small garden, wherein grew some large bushes of a curious variety of the common myrtle, having the young branches and leaves covered with a fine downy pubescence, the leaves were of large size, and much crowded together, giving the plant a peculiar aspect. We did not observe the myrtle in a wild state anywhere in South Marocco; and these plants probably came from some gardens in the city of Marocco.

The sheik of the valley made his appearance in due time, and we at once perceived that he was reluctantly pressed into the service. He presented an example, unusual among the Shelluhs, of genuine religious fanaticism, never relaxing, during the three days which we passed in his company, from an attitude of undisguised aversion to the Christians, whom he was forced to treat with a faint show of outward civility. We afterwards learned that it was by his express order, that his people were prevented from applying for medical advice, and kept aloof from us during our stay in the valley, not even replying to the ordinary courteous salutation. The latter is quite a remarkable incident, and without example in our pretty wide experience of Oriental people.

Our party was as far as possible reduced in number, most of our followers and all the escort, except two soldiers, being left behind. After the usual delay, we were under way soon after 10 P.M. Instead of directing our course towards the cleft by which the torrent issues from the mountains, we left the little town by the side farthest from the stream, and rode across the strip of plain lying between it and the outer range of steep hills. After riding about a mile we came to a place where, according to the usage of the country, the weekly market was being held. A considerable crowd of wild-looking people, most of them apparently mountaineers, formed a busy throng, wherein, under different dress and aspect, human nature showed itself much the same as it does everywhere else. One half of the crowd was intent on business, and hard bargains were driven where the difference between the seller and the buyer may not have exceeded the tenth part of a farthing. The rest were mere idlers, come to while away the time in gossip, or in listening to professional story-tellers, or in beholding the feats of serpent-charmers, who make a precarious living by frequenting these gatherings.