The morning of May 27 broke brilliantly, and, though the sun’s rays were already hot, the thermometer in the shade at 6 A.M. did not rise above 60° F. Another attempt was made to induce the sheik to take us for an excursion up the main valley; but he held fast to his declaration that the country in that direction was too dangerous, and repeated his offer of the previous day to lead us up the nearer mountain. Failing anything better, we resolved to accept this. The declivity of the hill immediately west of our camp being much too steep for horses, we followed a circuitous track, at first NW. and then SSW., chiefly along steep slopes, on which, among other novelties, we first gathered _Erodium atlanticum_, discovered in this district by M. Balansa. After an ascent of some 1,500 or 1,600 feet the track turned again nearly due west, and we found ourselves on the southern slope of the mountain, which we now saw to be almost completely detached from the main range of the Atlas. The slightly convex ridge on which we stood inclined gently to the south, forming the watershed between the Seksaoua valley and that of Imintanout which adjoins it on the west. The slopes of the mountains enclosing both those valleys are better wooded than usual in the Atlas, some variety of evergreen oak being apparently the prevailing tree. Behind us, as we stood facing the great range, the mountain rose some 1,200 feet above our present level, and as the sun was hot we did not immediately dismount, but continued to ride some part of the way, only the final ascent being made on foot.