CHAPTER VII.
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.