Most of the difficulties that attended the exploration of the great rivers were due largely to the character of the countries through which they pa.s.sed. Much of it was, of course, wholly unbroken territory.
Tangled forests, treacherous mora.s.ses, and wild jungles were difficulties that constantly tried the courage and fort.i.tude of the men who formed the exploring parties.
But these were not all they had to encounter in the way of obstacles.
Wild animals, fierce for food, or angered at having their haunts invaded, lay ready to attack them. Hostile savages lurked in the depths of the forests, or pursued them to the water"s edge, eager to shed their blood. Even on the rivers there was no safety; for the enraged natives pursued them in their canoes, and attacked them boldly, trusting to the poisoned arrows which they hurled fiercely at them.
As if these were not difficulties enough to be met and overcome, the hearts of the explorers often sank in dismay as they encountered fresh obstacles in the bed of the streams. Here were dangerous rapids, over which their canoes were liable to be hurled, only to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. Barred by such obstacles, the canoes often had to be carried overland on the backs of the men, till the course of the river became navigable.
Much of the information received from such friendly natives as they found, living in villages along the course of the river, was unreliable.
They were often misled, too, by the various names given to the same river in the different sections of the country.
Many of the rivers make such intricate wanderings as to lose themselves in one section to reappear again in other sections, but under different names. On this account, much time was lost in doubt and speculation.
As we read of the exploits of these explorers, we shall be able to comprehend more fully the extreme difficulty of the work they undertook, and, in many cases, carried out so successfully.
Through the light they shed we shall be able to read the story of Africa. We shall find it both fascinating and instructive.
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 pa.s.ses into Nubia. The river flows on to Khartoom, where it is joined by the Blue Nile, which has been tortuously working a pa.s.sage 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 G.o.djam.
Leaving G.o.djam, 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, pa.s.sing the ruins of the ancient Meroe, 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 quant.i.ties 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 a.s.souan, it forms its last cataract, as it descends.
From a.s.souan 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.