As we approached the opening of a considerable valley, it was apparent that the escarpment ridge here comes to an end, and is not again traceable as a distinct feature in the scenery on the west side of the Ourika river. The name Ourika, with which we now became familiar, appears to be that of a district, governed by a Kaïd under the orders of El Graoui, which includes a fruitful valley running deep into the heart of the Great Atlas. Having descended from the hummocky ground over which our course lay, we struck the valley just where the stream issues from between the hills below a village named Achliz. Nearly all the water was at this season diverted from its natural bed into irrigation channels that are carried through the plain of Marocco. We rode some way along one of these channels, bordered by tall reeds, and a grand _Senecio_, fully eight feet high, but not yet in flower, probably _S. giganteus_ of Desfontaines. The wide bed of the stream, nearly quite dry, afforded the most convenient situation for our camp, which, by the mean of two observations, stood at 2,889 feet (880·6 m.) above the sea. Though the more we afterwards knew of him the less we liked him, we observed, on this and some other occasions, that our disagreeable Marocco leader, Kaïd el Hasbi, shared in a quality that is common enough among uncivilised people, and especially noticeable among the Moors, of which due account should be taken by travellers. It is not the desire to please, still less real benevolence; but a certain impressionableness, an involuntary sympathy, that makes these people thoroughly uncomfortable when they see a stranger annoyed or disappointed. In common phrase, ‘they can’t bear to see you put out.’ An Englishman, a German, or a Swiss may travel with you the whole day, when you are suffering from annoyance, perhaps at something in his own behaviour, but will either not notice, or, if he do notice, will not heed, your humour. In this country a man who would see you killed or tortured with perfect composure, can be made more uneasy than you are by seeing you vexed or out of spirits. The disappointment we felt at our first failure to penetrate the inner recesses of the Atlas from Tasseremout, had been very perceptible during the afternoon; and though our Kaïd was quite resolved to let us go no farther than he could possibly help, he wished to do what he could to keep us in good humour. Accordingly, we were scarcely housed in our tents when El Hasbi appeared with a supply of fruit, oranges, dates, and walnuts, that he wished us to regard as a present from himself, but were doubtless part of the ample _mona_ that was obtained from the village authorities. Later on, the Kaïd of the valley made his appearance, civil, but no way cordial, and the result of the interview was not very favourable to the prospect of penetrating to the head of the valley.