ee o'clock in the
morning. Now, if there is one thing more than another likely to damp
one's enthusiasm, it is turning out at such an untimely hour. We all
felt this as we wended our way through the cold, dark streets to the
diligence-office; and as we were trundled down the steep hill leading
out of the town, bumping from side to side, it was some time before we
could recover our spirits or stir up again an excitement worthy of the
occasion.

On the route between Batna and El Kantra--"the Mouth of the
Desert"--there is little of interest. It is a weary journey, over roads
either badly made or not made at all, through a bare, barren, bleak,
uncultivated country. One wonders, in passing through such an
inhospitable region, at finding so many remains of the Roman occupation.
What could have induced such a people to penetrate so far into the wilds
of Africa? There is no evidence of the land ever having been more
productive or more attractive than it is at present; and yet at
Lambessa, a few miles from Batna, you find the ruins of a once great and
magnificent Roman city, while even as far south as Biskra itself there
are still to be seen relics of this great conquering nation of
antiquity.

But to return to El Kantra. Here we found a little hotel kept by French
people, and here the diligence stopped for breakfast. It was about ten
o'clock, and what a change! The heat was broiling, and the dry, arid
rocks told of an approach to the desert. In effect, the Pass of El
Kantra is the entrance to what is called "the Little Desert;" hence its
name, "Mouth of the Desert."

At this point the valley seems completely shut in by a mountainous
barrier of rugged rock. On advancing, however, a few steps farther, the
great jagged rocks, which appeared a compact mass, divide, and, like the
transformation-scene in a pantomime, the oasis of El Kantra, which is
situated immediately south of the pass, lies before you. The opening is
so narrow that it affords but room for the road and the stream, which is
crossed by a bridge of Roman construction, restored by the late emperor
Napoleon. It is therefore only when close upon it, when actually within
the pass, that you become aware of the singularly beautiful scene
beyond.[A]

[Illustration: OASIS OF EL KANTRA.]

On each side the great mountain-masses rise, picturesque, even
fantastic, in outline. The heights are inaccessible to any foot but
those of the goat and goatherd. We were astonished a