Indignant, as we were, at the rapacity of our escort, we assured ourselves, when we came to know more of the country, that there is a great deal of human nature among the Moors, as there is amongst most of the people that travellers make acquaintance with, and that the conduct of the soldiers and their officers was pretty much what might be expected from any other men put in the same position. The pay of a captain in the regular army is equivalent to 4_s_. 2_d_. per month, and that of the men not nearly enough to support life, even allowing for the frugal habits of the people. It is only natural that when the opportunity is offered, along with the certainty of impunity, they should make the most of it, as they certainly do. In some places, as we afterwards learned, they were not satisfied with the large supplies that they requisitioned, but demanded and obtained money from the village authorities. From the summit of the second pass, the track descends about 400 feet into a broad valley, well wooded with olive, carob, and other cultivated trees. Soon after seven o’clock we reached a convenient spot on flat ground, beside a rapid stream, near a village called Tassilunt. The scenery here was very picturesque, although we had no view of the higher part of the chain. The nearer mountains were of a deep red colour—probably sandstone—contrasting finely with the rich green of trees and shrubs that covered most of the slopes. The floor of the valley here, as in most parts of the range that we visited, is chiefly devoted to olive cultivation, poor crops of grain being raised beneath the trees. The sheik of the village soon presented himself, and before long an abundant _mona_ was brought to the tent door, and laid, according to custom, at Hooker’s feet. Five large dishes of cooked meat and keskossou, and piles of wheaten cakes, were designed to stay or to whet the appetites of the party; while a sheep, twelve fowls, fifty eggs, and five pounds of butter formed a provision for their future wants. When it is remembered that nearly as much more cooked food was supplied in the morning, it may be imagined that the tax on the resources of a poor mountain village was not trifling.