Page:Ossendowski - The Fire of Desert Folk.djvu/290

274 fields and pasturing herds, we came suddenly upon some workings in reddish earth with rectangular basins, or reservoirs, full of water. It was a saltern, in which natives were carrying water in buckets made of goatskin and emptying it in the uppermost basin. There, we found, they left it until evaporation began, when they drew it off into a lower reservoir, allowed it to remain in this for a time and thus carried it down through several levels, until they brought the very heavy solution to the lowest tank, where they left it to form the salt crystals. From this last they shoveled it out to dry in piles.

On our way up the ascent of the second range we passed two kasbas that were real fortresses with thick walls, watch-towers, narrow slits of windows, loopholes and powerful gates. They were perched on the summits of solitary hills, where they were difficult to attack and offered the defenders every advantage in repulsing an enemy. The population of each of these kasbas forms a commune, which is governed by an elected caid or, quite as often, by a Marabout.

This locality we were passing is known as Asni, is very rich but has not been thoroughly explored. The kasbas were surrounded by groves of olives, almonds and fruittrees, while everywhere about the country I saw cultivated fields, vineyards, excellent pastures and an abundance of water in the streams flowing from the mountains. Further up, the slopes were covered with oaks and sandaracs and above the timber-line were faced with bare, gleaming rocks, reaching up under the snows that capped their summits.

Here in this region I saw immense varan, or lizards,