The land of the Moors; a comprehensive description . to enlighten the fortunate the first place it must be remembered that this isan absolutely roadless country, and that the travellerrides on and on,—not across a pathless waste, by anymeans, for the multitudinous and oft-diverging tracks aremost perplexing, — but with no other indication of hisbeing on a permanent highway, even between two im-portant towns, than an occasional bridge or ferry-boatacross an otherwise impassable river. The approachesto these are often almost impassable, and one frequently * For an account of Moori
The land of the Moors; a comprehensive description . to enlighten the fortunate the first place it must be remembered that this isan absolutely roadless country, and that the travellerrides on and on,—not across a pathless waste, by anymeans, for the multitudinous and oft-diverging tracks aremost perplexing, — but with no other indication of hisbeing on a permanent highway, even between two im-portant towns, than an occasional bridge or ferry-boatacross an otherwise impassable river. The approachesto these are often almost impassable, and one frequently * For an account of Moorish hospitality, see The Moots, ch. xvii. APPROACHES TO IVUNS 415 sees a bad ford preferred to a good bridge close by, on account of the quagmires at either end. The bridgesare few, and far between, being placed only where abso-lutely necessary almost all the year round, for if a riveris fordable during the greater part of the year, the Mooris content not to pass that way during the remainder,resignedly exclaiming Ma sha Allah!—What Godwills!. TRAVKLMNG COMPANIONS. Photograph hy Dr. Ru,hiu,k. The same course is adopted with the entrances totowns, and with the specially bad places on the mainroads. The more important the town, the r , ? , . , Approaches more awtui its approaches are m wet weather. /,, To7uns. in consecpience of the continual traffic, tillthe time arrives when they become absolutely impassable,and fresh provisions rise inside to almost famine the rains, Fez itself is often for days almostwithout fresh meat,—or when none is to be found inthe market. The well-to-do are then obliged to goshares in purchasing cows kept in town for their milk,to kill for themselves, and the poor have to go daily visit to the country pasturage of the cattleand animals in the towns works the roads up into afearful state, and none can come out or in but such as 4i6 REMINISCENCES OF TRAVEL are content to do so barefooted, and that with immenselabour. The re
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