The gist of the argument was to the effect that even if we did go some way farther, at the risk of our baggage animals rolling down into the torrent—one of them had already slipped, and had a narrow escape—our progress to the head of the valley was out of the question, as the people there were in full revolt, and would not recognise the authority of the Sultan. We were inclined at the moment, and afterwards, to believe that this was a lie trumped up for the occasion; but the story might possibly be true, and, whether it were so or not, it was clearly impossible for us to proceed against the positive and determined opposition of our escort. With feelings of bitter disappointment we dismounted, and ordered that the baggage should return to a village near which we had passed an hour before, while we climbed to the top of a projecting spur of the mountain, commanding a view of the upper valley. For the moment, our interest in the vegetation yielded to the attractions of the scenery, and our curiosity as to the nature of the great mountain chain that rose steeply before us, seamed with snow that nowhere formed wide fields of _névé_, but lay in hollows and ravines forming long vertical streaks throughout the upper zone of several thousand feet in height. About two miles ahead of us the valley forks, the main branch from SSE. receiving a tributary from the S. or SSW. On a lofty spur between the two streams stood a village, conspicuous from a distance. To be turned back at the very moment when the main object of our journey lay before our eyes, and that on pretexts that we utterly disbelieved, was sufficiently aggravating; and it was not in the most cheerful humour that, about mid-day, we retraced our steps down the valley, and, yielding to the suggestions of our escort, halted at the olive grove beside the village which we had noticed during our ascent. This was the first Shelluh village that we had been able to inspect nearly, and it was of the same type which we afterwards found throughout the mountain region. Unlike the Arabs, the Berebers always use stone for building when it is available. The walls are thick and solid below, but rudely constructed, and the upper portions are sometimes put together with mud and small pieces of stone. There is usually an upper story extending over the whole or part of the ground floor, and the roofs are flat and made tolerably water-tight with mortar or cement. In structure and appearance they reminded Hooker of the village houses of the mountaineers of Bhotan.