Page:The Burton Holmes lectures; (IA burtonholmeslect04holm).pdf/145

 THE DILIGENCE IN THE DEPTHS

have been its shroud. Its position at the intersection of six Roman highroads rendered it a post of great importance; and garrisoned as it was by the famous Thirtieth Legion, it held in awe the whole province, and travelers going down into the desert were assured of safety. The desert is not far distant, and the surrounding lands suggest, by their bare, cheerless aspect, the proximity of burning sands. A great loneliness pervades the city and the valleys through which we have made our way to reach it, and as we sit at luncheon, on what was once the most animated square of Timgad, our conversation turns upon the desolation of the region. Once thickly