t seeing a troop of
goats wending their way upward, for to our eyes there seemed not even
the remotest trace of vegetation upon the rocks; and indeed the poor
things looked as if with them existence were truly "a struggle," out of
which little could be gained by natural selection.

Hungry as we were on arriving at El Kantra after our long ride, we could
scarcely take time to breakfast, but hurried on in advance of the
diligence to get our first view of the mysterious land beyond the
mountain-range. The stream which here descends from the hills to the
plain causes the desert, if not "to blossom like a rose," to become at
this point a rich and beautiful oasis. Here, for the first time, we saw
the date-palm in full luxuriance. In the neighborhood of Algiers there
are many fine trees, but the fruit never thoroughly ripens there.

For upward of a mile after passing through the mountain-gorge we skirted
the oasis. It is surrounded by a mud-built wall, and half hidden among
the palms we could discern the mud-built cottages and mosque belonging
to the Arab village. On the other side of our route we observed a forest
of upright stones, rough and unhewn. This was the last resting-place of
the people of the desert, and a sad and lonely sight an Arab
burial-place is, dreary even amid the utter desolation around.

Now and then as we advanced we met troops of camels with their owners
going north ward to the Tell, or cultivated lands, carrying with them
their wives and other goods and chattels. Or, again, we would come upon
the huge bleached carcass of one of those all-important beasts of
burden, which had fallen on one of its weary journeys and left its bones
to whiten upon the sand. Or we would see in the distance a hyena or
jackal prowling about in search of more recent dead.

Everything was so novel and strange to us that for a long time pleasure
and excitement prevented our yielding to, or even feeling, fatigue. As,
however, the day advanced and the heat became more and more intolerable,
as the glare blinded us and the dust half smothered us, again our
spirits sank and the pleasure of "this event in life" assumed a doubtful
hue. Even when the spirit is willing the flesh is weak, and we were
beginning to feel thoroughly worn out when the diligence pulled up on
the top of the range of hills which divides the Little Desert from the
Sahara proper.

At last we beheld it--the Great Desert! "The sea! how like the sea!" we
all excla