112 Dr. Beke o?i the Sources of the Nile. 



in speaking of the origin of the latter river, they made use 

 of some expression equivalent to the Arabic Belad d Gharb ; 

 which, though the name given by Orientals to Barbary, means 

 literally the wrst country^ Barbary being so called simply because 

 it lies to the west of them. Under this view of the case, the 

 statement must be understood to have been, not that this west- 

 ern arm of the Nile rises in Barbary, but merely that it comes 

 from some country in the west*. 



The fact of the existence of this great western arm, which 

 is beyond all question, gives rise to serious considerations. 

 More especially it requires us to re-investigate a statement 

 made by the historian Herodotus respecting the upper course 

 of the Nile — a statement which geographers of modern times 

 have concluded could only be applicable to the Niger, Joliba 

 or Kwara (Quorra) of Western Africa. 



In treating, in his second book, of the origin of the Nile, 

 the historian says : — " This river flows from the west and the 

 setting of the sun ; but beyond this no one is able to speak with 

 certainty, for the rest of the country is desert by reason of the 

 excessive heat. But I have heard the following account from 

 certain Cyrenaeans, who say that they went to the oracle of 

 Ammon, and had a conversation with Etearchus king of the 

 Ammonians ; and that, among other subjects, they happened 

 to discourse about the Nile, — that nobody knew its sources : 

 whereupon Etearchus said, that certain Nasamonians once came 

 to him ; this nation is Libyan and inhabits the Syrtis, and the 

 country for no great distance eastward of the Syrtis; and that 

 when these Nasamonians arrived, and were asked if they could 

 give any further information touching the deserts of Libya, 

 they answered, that there were some daring youths amongst 

 them, sons of powerful men ; and that they, having reached 

 man's estate, formed many other extravagant plans, and more- 

 over chose five of their number by lot to explore the deserts 

 of Libya, to see if they could make any further discovery than 



those who had penetrated the furthest That when the 



young men deputed by their companions set out, well-furnished 

 with water and provisions, they passed first through the inha- 

 bited country; and having traversed this, they came to the 

 region infested by wild beasts ; and after this they crossed the 

 desert, making their way towards the west; and when they had 

 traversed much sandy ground, during a journey of many days, 

 they at length saw some trees growing in a plain ; and that 

 they approached and began to gather the fruit that grew on the 

 trees ; and while they were gathering, some diminutive men, 



* Algarve, the southernmost province of the kingdom of Portugal oppo- 

 site Barbary, derives its name from the Arabic el-Gharb. 



