That the long journey, much of it in desert regions, was so replete with material comforts, was due to the great kindness of M. Jean dal Piaz, president of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, and to his able assistants, M. Maurice Tillier, director-general of the company in Paris; M. Robert Hallot, Chef du Services des Auto-Circuits Nord-Africains, and M. Georges Paignon, manager of the North African Tours Department in New York, who generously placed at my disposal all the facilities of their vast organization. It will be noted that in the following pages I have repeatedly called attention to the services provided for the traveler in North Africa by the “Transat.” Not to mention the part played by this company in the opening up of Barbary would be equivalent to ignoring the work of Fred Harvey and the Santa Fé in the development of the American West. I also welcome this opportunity of acknowledging my indebtedness to C. F. and L. S. Grant, authors of “African Shores of the Mediterranean”; to L. March Phillips, Esq., author of “In the Desert”; to Norman Douglas, Esq., author of “Fountains in the Sand”; to Frances E. Nesbitt, author of “Algeria and Tunisia”; to Charles Thomas-Stanford, Esq., author of “About Algeria”; to the late Budgett Meakin, Esq., author of “Life in Morocco”; and to Sir Harry H. Johnston, Frank E. Cana, Esq., and Edward Heawood, Esq., authors of monographs in the “Encyclopædia Britannica” on Tunisia, Algeria, and the Sahara respectively. From all of the above works I have obtained historic and economic data and many valuable suggestions. E. A. P. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. I NEVER SEE A MAP BUT I’M AWAY 3 II. THE GATE TO BARBARY 14 III. THE FACTORY OF STRANGE ODORS 26 IV. MID PLEASURES AND PALACES 42 V. CARTHAGO DELETA EST 56 VI. ASHES OF EMPIRE 82 VII. TO KAIROUAN THE HOLY 100 VIII. TROGLODYTES AND LOTUS-EATERS 119 IX. ACROSS THE SHATS TO THE SANDY SEA 144 X. THE CONQUEST OF THE SAHARA 158 XI. THE LAST HOME OF MYSTERY 179 XII. DOWN TO THE LAND OF THE MOZABITES 203 XIII. BISKRA, DEMI-MONDAINE OF THE DESERT 220 XIV. FRONTIERS OF ROME 238 XV. THE GRAND KABYLIA 263 XVI. THE CAPITAL OF THE CORSAIRS 278 XVII. FOLLOWING THE PIRATE COAST 304 XVIII. THE FOREIGN LEGION 323 XIX. THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN “THE FARTHEST WEST” 339 XX. FROM A FASI HOUSETOP 374