THE NILE, THE MOST ANCIENT OF RIVERS.
The Nile is formed by the union of two rivers, the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
The White Nile has its rise in the great equatorial lakes, together with the Victoria and the Albert Nyanza Lakes. It skirts the eastern border of Kordofan and then passes into Nubia. The river flows on to Khartoom, where it is joined by the Blue Nile, which has been tortuously working a passage for itself through the highlands of Abyssinia.
The White and the Blue Nile, thus united in a single stream, sweep in a circuit through Nubia to form a succession of cataracts in the course of the current.
The stream then descends into Egypt under the general name of the Nile River, and flows on till it reaches the Mediterranean Sea through the far-famed Delta.
As we have seen, the mystery of the Nile had claimed the attention of mankind for ages. For centuries it had been a wonder not only to those who dwelt upon its banks, but to those who came into the country of the Egyptians to profit by their wisdom and learning.
Its mysterious waters flowed from unknown regions; for the last thousand miles in its course not a single drop of water was received from the land on either side of its bed. Only at rare intervals was the blessing of rain bestowed. For nine months in the year the stream flowed between its steep banks, a uniform and majestic flood.
Almost at a stated date each year, for countless centuries, had the river risen and overflowed its banks and spread its waters over the adjoining country. Each year saw the narrow valley of the Nile transformed temporarily into a vast lake.
After some few weeks the flood subsided, and left behind a vast deposit of rich mud which was to fertilize the whole of Egypt.
Little wonder, then, that this most ancient of rivers seemed the most marvelous river of antiquity.
Within the last quarter of a century men have looked to the laws of Nature for an explanation of the sources of this double Nile, as it has been called.
The river with its uniform current is fed from large lakes, or reservoirs. These are so immense that their volume of water does not vary much from one season to another.
At the time of the inundation, or flooding, of the valley the stream must receive its increased volume of waters from its various affluents. These affluents have their rise in mountainous sections subject to an abundant rainfall during a short period of each year. Immediately after this rainfall the Nile waters must begin to rise, from the influence of these swollen streams that flow into them.
Thus has man looked to the great book of Nature to find written on its pages the solution of the problem that so long taxed the minds of the students of past centuries, as well as of the present.
From the earliest annals of history the valley of the Nile was known as the seat of commerce, the arts, and the sciences.
Egypt might well be regarded as the light of the ancient world. In the glow of her prosperity she formed a strong contrast to the rest of Africa, which remained almost unknown, shrouded in darkness.
The ancient Egyptians gave to the Nile a name which signified in their language "The Genius of the Waters." The Hebrews gave it a name which, in their tongue, meant "The Black."
The Nile presents many interesting features as it pursues its course. Rushing from the Lake Victoria Nyanza like a mountain torrent, it finally loses its impetuosity, and runs over extensive flats. These flats gradually expand so as to form a body of water known as the Ibrahim Pasha Lake.
Near Lake Albert Nyanza the Nile forms a series of rapids, between what are known as the Karuma and Murchison Falls. As the river leaves the lake, it begins its northward journey towards the Mediterranean Sea. During this journey the stream does not expand again into a lake, but retains its character of a river current.
At a point in its course between Lake Albert Nyanza and Gondokoro the Nile makes a descent of several hundred feet, from an elevation some fifteen hundred feet above sea level. This descent in the current causes a series of rapids and cataracts.
As the stream leaves Gondokoro it flows tortuously on, winding first to the northwest, then turning to the northeast, during its journey of five hundred miles.
Later, the river is joined by its first large tributary, the Bahr-el-Gazal, which does not seem to make any noticeable difference in the current as it enters it from the west. A second tributary, the Giraffe River, flows into the main stream from the east.
From its junction, with its first great tributary, the Nile flows on for about eighty miles in an easterly direction. It then changes its course, winding south for about thirty miles, where it is joined by a third tributary, which flows into it from the east. This tributary, the Sobat River, has quite a full, navigable current.
Beyond the junction of the Nile with these tributaries the river flows on for a distance of upwards of four hundred miles. It flows through this section in a northerly direction, attaining width varying from one to two miles. At intervals along its course several streams flow into it from the east before it reaches Khartoom.
The town of Khartoom is situated just at the junction of the Blue and the White Nile streams.
The Blue Nile was for many years supposed to be the main stream of the Nile. It is, however, formed by the union of two rivers, the Abai and the Blue River.
The Abai River rises in Abyssinia. Its source lies about fifty miles from Lake Dembea.
It enters the lake from the southwest and emerges from it at the southeast. For about ninety miles it flows on in this direction, and finally describes a semi-circular course around the peninsula of Godjam.
Leaving Godjam, the river winds on in a northwesterly direction for about one hundred and fifty miles, where it is joined by the Blue River from the south.
Under the name Blue Nile the united streams flow on in a single current in a northwesterly direction. During its course the stream receives two large rivers which run nearly parallel to each other.
We have seen that, at the town of Khartoom, the Blue and the White Nile unite to form a single stream. As this stream leaves Khartoom its course is a northerly one for about sixty miles until, passing the ruins of the ancient Meroë, it forms its first cataract. Here, turning to the northeast, it is joined by its last tributary, which bears a name signifying "Black River." It is doubtless so named from the quantities of black, slimy mud which it carries down in its course, eventually to fertilize Egypt.
The Nile, from the point where the last tributary joins it, flows through the thickly populated and fertile district of Berber, with its many villages.
When the stream leaves Berber it enters the desert. As it makes a turn to the west it forms the large island of Mograt. Turning sharply in a southwesterly direction, it describes what is known as "The Great Bend," in which there are two cataracts.
Entering Nubia the stream turns again to the northwest. Here, on either bank, is a narrow strip of fertile land, under cultivation.
Again a cataract is formed, when the stream bends around to the northeast to form later a fifth cataract.
As the river continues on its course, it gradually grows more and more narrow, till, later, at Assouan, it forms its last cataract, as it descends.
From Assouan to the Mediterranean Sea the Nile has an average fall of two inches to a mile. Its velocity is about three miles an hour as it flows on, watering and fertilizing the land of Egypt throughout its entire length.
The delta, or mouth, of the Nile has an expanse of about one hundred and fifty miles on the Mediterranean.
At the delta the Nile spreads out into numerous streams to enter the sea.
The length of the Nile is about three thousand three hundred miles, if we measure its wandering course from its exit at the lake to its entrance at the sea.
It is a remarkable fact that from the point where the last tributary enters the Nile, a distance of some fifteen hundred miles from the sea, no other waters are received to increase its volume; yet, in spite of this, the stream is able to withstand the scorching sun and burning sands of the Nubian Desert.
Little wonder, then, that the ancient Egyptians held the river sacred. To its influence they owed not only life, health, and strength, but their prosperity and wealth, as well.
Year after year they watched its annual overflow, rejoicing in this blessing of the waters.
At Khartoom the overflow begins in April. Lower Egypt does not become affected by the overflow of the waters till the latter part of June. Here the inundation does not attain its full height for about three months. The waters remain stationary for about twelve days, and then very gradually begin to subside.
The cultivation of the soil of entire Egypt is wholly dependent upon its inundation by the waters of the Nile. Its failure would mean drought and a total destruction of the crops, since Egypt is, practically, a rainless country.
Should there be a continuous wind from the south, then Egypt would be blessed by a year of prosperity. Should there be a continuous wind from the north, it would mean disaster to the country.
During a good inundation, the rise in the waters varies from forty feet, about the Tropic of Capricorn, to thirty-six feet at Thebes. Near the delta it is but four feet.
If, at Cairo, the waters rise to only eighteen or twenty feet, there is a scarcity of water. Should it rise to even twenty-four feet, there is still a deficiency. From twenty-five to twenty-seven feet is counted good for the welfare of the crops. More of an overflow would cause a flood. This would not only be productive, most likely, of plague and fever, but loss of crops and famine would follow in their wake.
During the months of inundation the whole valley is under water. Here and there the villages rise like islands from the surface of the waters.
Just as the Dutch protect their lands from the inroads of the sea, the Egyptians protect their villages from the inroads of this annual flood by means of dykes.
Of late years the overflow of the Nile has been greater than for many previous centuries.
We can trace the rise and fall of the waters of the main stream of the Lower Nile to the influence of the periodical rains in the mountains of Abyssinia and in the Lake Nyanza region.
In the equatorial regions it rains more or less throughout the year. The most abundant fall of rain takes place during the equinoxes, as the sun makes its apparent revolution about the earth during her yearly journey in space.
Could we stand upon the banks of the Nile, we should find them swarming with birds. With interest and pleasure we should watch the movements of the various water or reed birds as they seek their food.
We should listen to the discordant cries of the various birds of prey hovering over its waters. For here we should find not only such birds as the goose, pelican, and ibis, but the vulture and cormorant as well.
Standing on the banks of this most ancient of rivers, we should try to picture some of the scenes of past ages. Visions of Pharaoh and his daughter and the infant Moses would come to us.
Gazing into the depths of the soft waters, pure and sweet, we should be brought back to the present, as, with delight, we should find them teeming with many varieties of the finny tribes that sport beneath the surface. Searching along its banks, we might hope to find traces of the lotus, or Egyptian water lily, that once grew wild in such abundance, but now is rarely seen. It would be almost as arduous a task as hunting for a four-leaved clover, I fear.
It is generally believed that the plant was brought to Egypt from India. It must have been carried there in the very earliest days of the history of the people. The Egyptians regarded it as the emblem of the Nile. It was to them a sacred plant, a symbol of the creation of the world from the waters.
It was the custom to cultivate it in tanks. At the Egyptian feasts the guests wreathed their heads with its flowers, which resemble superb pink tulips.
At an Egyptian funeral each guest was presented with one of the flowers. It was the custom, too, to have the blossoms sculptured upon the tombs.
The lotus has had a very marked influence upon architecture. We find its leaves and buds appearing in the classic columns. In every phase of antique carving we find its flower most frequently chosen to embellish the work.
The lotus has been imported into Japan, and the people seem to have been more inspired in their art work by it than by anything else to be found in the field of nature.
When the petals of the lotus blossom fall, they leave behind a seed cup three inches in diameter. These seed cups contain immense seeds, of such shape that the ancient Greek and Latin writers used to speak of them as "Egyptian beans." They were eaten in large quantities by the people of the valley of the Nile. The Egyptians sometimes made a kind of bread of these seeds.
The question may come to our minds why the problem of the source of the Nile, which had busied the thoughts of students for centuries, should have been so recently solved. Indeed, it does seem remarkable that the source of a river, at whose mouth one of the earliest and most civilized nations of the globe had established a home, should have remained veiled in darkness.
The great want of success in discovering the sources of the Nile was due, no doubt, to the great length of the river and the difficulty of access to the regions through which it took its course. The peculiarities of climate, too, and the danger from the ignorance, barbarism, and superstition of the native tribes, no doubt had their influence in retarding the exploration of the Nile.
Then, it has been discovered, during the course of the exploration, that a river may bear as many names as there are different tribes in the country which it drains.
Each tribe speaks a different dialect. Often these tribes are hostile in their relations with one another. Sometimes tribes, if not hostile, hold no intercourse, or have no means of communication with others.
Each tribe, in its own tongue, gives to the principal stream a name signifying the river. These differently sounding names were for a long time very misleading and very puzzling to the explorers, as they endeavored to trace a river in its wanderings.