the green, luxurious vegetation, which appeared doubly enchanting after the sand and mud which we had lately passed through. When darkness came on, as there was no moon, our way became one of difficulty. Round us echoed the dismal howlings of jackals, reminding us unpleasantly of the possible vicinity of panthers. At length we reached the high-road, and the ponderous gates of a caravansary, after a ride of thirteen hours. The gates were long in giving us admittance, and only turned slowly on their hinges to show that the interior had lately been destroyed by fire. Here was a dilemma! We found out upon inquiry that one dwelling-room was still standing, so we made the best of a bad job, and bivouacked after the most approved fashion of "chez les Arabes." The morrow brought the welcome bells of the diligence, and after a drive of eight hours we caught sight of Algiers, with its tranquil blue waters plashing lazily on the strand, and its white houses warmed with the departing glory of the setting sun. CHAPTER XVIII. BLIDA AND TENIET-AL-HAD. HE first of April saw us once more on our THE travels, bent on penetrating through the Western province to Oran. This is a journey seldom undertaken by tourists, as there is but little to satisfy the lover of the picturesque. At the same time, it is a district that will rise sooner or later into great importance, on account of the natural richness of the soil, and its adaptability to the cultivation of cotton and tobacco. The ten o'clock train from Algiers dragged its weary length along through the plains of the Mitidja as far as Blida. This is the only piece of railway as yet completed, and a wretched specimen it is of that method of locomotion. The route lay |