The Value of the River. 41 



islands in the river, which are covered at high Nile, and 

 aftei^ards prove of the utmost value for cultivation. 

 So rich is the land on these islands that even the lazy- 

 Soudanese find it worth their while further to utilise 

 the river by raising the water with the *' shadoof," and 

 so continue cultivation during the dry season. At the 

 time of our journey these islands were almost the only 

 green spots in a wilderness of brown and sun-scorched 

 land. At long intervals only, did one or two " shadoofs " 

 keep green some small patches of onions, water melons 

 or beans on the mainland. 



As a highway, the river is extremely valuable. Sail- 

 ing boats of various kinds — gyassas, feluccas, nuggars 

 and even dahabiehs — are continually travelling up and 

 down laden with corn and other produce, while rafts 

 of all sizes are numerous. The timber forming a raft 

 is generally of the " sont " tree, a species of acacia, and 

 is cut by a few natives who join together for the pur- 

 pose. When the wood is cut and floated, and the raft 

 completed, they thrust it out into the river, and are then 

 entirely at the mercy of the current, which flows some 

 one or two miles an hour in the dry season. These men 

 make their home on the raft, protecting themselves from 

 the sun by improvising awnings of the cloths which they 

 wrap round their bodies at night. Eventually the 



