THE NILE--I


I have already told you how the land of Egypt was first formed by the
river which is still its source of life; but before saying anything
about the many monuments on its banks or the floating life it carries,
I want you to look at the map with me for a moment, and see what we
can learn of the character of the river itself.

The Nile is one of the world's _great_ rivers, and is about 3,400
miles long. As you will see, it has its source in the overflow from
Lake Victoria Nyanza, when it flows in a generally northern direction
for many hundreds of miles, receiving several tributaries, such as the
River Sobat and the Bahr-el-Ghazal, whose waters, combining with the
Bahr-el-Abiad, or White Nile, as it is called, maintain the steady
constant flow of the river.

Eventually it is joined by the Bahr-el-Azrak, or Blue Nile, which
rises among the mountains of Abyssinia and enters the White Nile at
Khartūm.

During a great part of the year this branch is dry, but filled by the
melting snow and torrential rains of early spring, the Blue Nile
becomes a surging torrent, and pours its muddy water, laden with
alluvial soil and forest débris, into the main river, causing it to
rise far above its ordinary level, and so bringing about that annual
overflow which in Egypt takes the place of rain.

It is certain that the ancient Egyptians knew nothing as to the source
of their great water-supply,[4] their knowledge being limited to the