Departure from Milhaïn — Defile of Aïn Tarsil — Dwellings of the troglodytes — Arrival at Mtouga — Gloomy evening — Governor’s return from the fight — Prisoners of war — Their fate — Ride to Mskala — A venerable Moor — Return to the kasbah of Shedma — Poisoned guests — Ride to Aïn el-Hadjar — The Iron mountain — Ancient mining work — Eccentric soldier — Ascent of Djebel Hadid — Ruins of Akermout — Ride to Mogador — A kasbah in ruins — Powder play on the beach — Return to Mogador.
The partial failure of our plans doubtless had a depressing effect on the morning of May 29, and this was increased by the aspect of the weather, which was misty, and before long turned to fine, drizzling rain. At 8 A.M. the thermometer stood at 58° F., and we found the height above the sea of our camp at Milhaïn to be 3,397 feet (1,035·3 metres). We were in no hurry to start; but, as the rain grew lighter and finally ceased, we got under way about 11 A.M. The sheik, who had provided for our wants and those of our escort on a liberal scale, escorted us for a short distance, and we parted with friendly expressions on both sides.
Our course lay somewhat west of due north, over a bare and sterile country. Small hamlets, surrounded by a narrow belt of cultivation, were seen at rather wide intervals; and, save a few olive trees near the houses, we did not pass a single tree during the day. Artemisia Herba-alba, and Chenopodiaceæ of the Salsola tribe, were the prevailing plants, indicating the presence of gypsum and of soluble salts in the soil. About three o’clock we approached a large village, with a massive square kasbah, and soon after, following a dry watercourse, entered the singular defile which, as well as the village, is known by the name Aïn Tarsil. It has evidently been formed by erosion from the limestone strata which dip slightly towards the south. The surrounding country here shows a hilly undulating surface, unbroken by any marked inequalities; but the stream, though dry in ordinary weather, has cut a trench from two to three miles in length, and from thirty to fifty feet in width, between steep walls of rock about equal in height to the width of the trench.
M. Balansa, the only traveller who is known to have passed through this defile, must have been more hurried than we were, as he does not speak of the numerous rare and local plants which grow upon the rocks, most of them, indeed, the same that we had found on the rocks about Seksaoua. But he could not avoid being struck by the singular excavations in the rock, evidently used at some remote period for human habitation, which extend at intervals along both sides of the defile. In some cases there may have been a natural recess in the rock, afterwards artificially enlarged; but the majority appear to be altogether the work of human hands; and in most of them, where the entrance had become difficult owing to the breaking away of pieces of rock from the edge, this was afterwards made good by building up a bit of loose wall of irregular blocks of stone. The height of the entrance does not exceed four feet, and is often less. The most singular point about these dwellings is the fact that they are all near the top of the cliff, where the rock is nearly vertical, in positions that cannot now be reached without a ladder, or other artificial assistance. It might be suggested that since these prehistoric dwellings were abandoned, the work of erosion has deepened the trench, and thus increased the difficulty of access; but unless we suppose that during the same period the climatal conditions have been profoundly modified, this seems a highly improbable explanation. As far as we could afterwards judge, the watercourse running through the defile receives the drainage of only a small tract of hill country, and the marks of water action do not extend to the rocks on either side. It is impossible to see these remains without being reminded of the notions current in antiquity as to troglodytes who dwelt in the neighbourhood of the Atlas mountains, and who could run faster than horses;[1] but until the dwellings can be carefully examined, all speculation as to their date and origin must be vague and unreliable. It seems most probable that the rude savages who fashioned them for their own use deliberately chose positions offering the best security against attack, either from human enemies or wild beasts. Whether to facilitate entrance they used a rude ladder, such as the notched trunk of a tree, or relied on the superior climbing power which the freer use of the foot confers on most savage people, must remain uncertain.
As usual in this country the Moors refer these, as well as all other antique remains, to the ‘Christians,’ and stories of concealed treasure connected with all such monuments, of whatever date, make it almost impossible to attempt to explore or examine them. The work can be undertaken only by a traveller authorised by a special order of the Sultan, who should also be prepared by handsome presents to secure the goodwill of the local authorities.
We halted for luncheon in a convenient spot, and gave some time to botanising on the rocks, where, along with other plants, we found a beautiful variety of the Stachys saxicola of Cosson, densely covered with very long, white, silky hairs. It was near to five o’clock before we were again under way. For some time the defile continued, the cliff-like walls still showing at intervals excavated rock dwellings, and at one point it receives a tributary stream, with a bed now dry, which had cut a similar trench, and whose cliffs also showed the traces of rock dwellings. As we advanced, always ascending, we gradually emerged from the defile, and found ourselves on the slope of the hills that extend northward from the base of the Great Atlas for a distance of thirty or forty miles, and are probably continuous with the low range that we crossed between Shedma and Aïn Oumast. There must be some change hereabouts in the mineral composition of the limestone rock, if not in its geological age; as from about this point the surface was much less barren, and the vegetation more varied. Among other fine Cynaraceæ we saw here Atractylis macrophylla of Desfontaines, only once before met in our journey.
The sky was overcast, and evening coming on, when we reached the summit-level, which by our observations is 3,905 feet (1,190·2 m.) above the sea-level.[2] It did not appear to us that the surrounding hills anywhere rise more than 200 or 300 feet above the point where we passed, and, as we afterwards assured ourselves, they gradually diminish in height as they stretch northward from the main range of the Atlas. Although the matter is not free from doubt, we incline to agree with M. Balansa in believing that the hills we had now crossed form the watershed between the affluents of the stream running northward by Sheshaoua, and those of the Oued Kseb, which reaches the sea close to Mogador. Beaudouin’s map, usually correct as regards the accessible parts of the country, represents things quite otherwise; according to him all the drainage of this district is carried NNW. by a stream which passes east of the Djebel Hadid, and reaches the sea between Mogador and the mouth of the Oued Tensift; while the Oued Kseb, or Oued el Ghored of Beaudouin, has a course of only some twenty miles, and drains but a small tract of country near the coast. In most countries such a question would admit of no doubt; but, between absorption by irrigation and loss by evaporation, the streams in South Marocco dwindle away on their course so fast, that only at certain seasons it is possible to trace their course. As now advised, we believe that many considerable streams unite in the Oued Kseb, although this, at its mouth, is a mere trickling rivulet, unable to keep a definite course through the Mogador sands to the sea; while the stream laid down east of the Djebel Hadid has not, so far as we could ascertain, any real existence.
A large flowered form of Nigella arvensis, with a few other plants which we had not seen since we approached the mountains, indicated a change in the soil, now much less barren as we descended the north-west slope of the hills; and as twilight had set in we reached the kasbah of the Governor of Mtouga, a large pile surrounded by lofty stone walls. The soldiers, who had ridden forward to announce our approach, found for some time no response to their summons at the gate; and it was after some delay that two or three slaves presented themselves, and we then learned that the Governor and all his men had gone forth to fight against their enemies from Haha. No orders had been given for our entertainment; but we were told that within the enclosure of the kasbah there were rooms which were at our disposal. Our brave escort at once grasped at the prospect of shelter and safety within the walls, and were urgent that we should at once decide on accepting the offer. On inspecting the room to which he was conducted, Hooker had no difficulty, however, in at once refusing the proffered accommodation, and the alternative course of pitching our tents within the enclosure, on ground constantly trodden by cattle, was equally uninviting. Much to the trouble of our followers, the order finally went forth that the tents should be pitched on some moderately level ground outside the kasbah.
Slowly and sulkily the order was obeyed, we meanwhile sitting on our horses, while the night fell gloomily around us. There was no real ground for the uneasiness which our people undoubtedly felt, as night attacks are quite foreign to the usages of the country; but there was a genuine feeling that the Mtouga people were greatly overmatched in their struggle with the Haha tribes, three or four times more numerous than themselves. In the absence of supper every ear was on the alert for the approach of some one with tidings of the fray. At last, about 9 o’clock two men appeared; whether they had taken part in the fight, or judiciously taken flight, did not clearly appear. They claimed a victory for Mtouga, declaring that eighteen men of Haha had been killed, and that many prisoners had been taken, while acknowledging that the victors had also suffered losses. Half an hour later the main body approached, but it was soon evident that the return was anything rather than a triumph. The night was too dark to take account of the whole number that passed by our camp, or to observe their countenances; but the Governor with a good many mounted soldiers, and a file of from twenty to thirty prisoners tied together to bring up the rear, passed close before our tent, and the dark outline of each figure against the sky passed in long succession before us.
There was something weird and uncanny in the deep silence of the nocturnal procession. The Governor, wrapped up in a white haik, did not turn his head, or seem to notice the strangers, and his followers copied his demeanour. Not a sound was uttered until the file of prisoners passed by, when one man made a sudden rush towards us, imploring our protection. Of course the attempt was vain, for they were all securely tied together, and each end of the rope was held by a mounted soldier. With many a blow and curse the wretched man was driven along to share the fate of his companions in captivity.