The Nile 



miserable hovels, it is true, raise their heads 

 above the grass and call themselves a village ; 

 but these are deserted for hiaher eround in the 

 rains, when the floods come down and the water 

 spreads itself over all the face of the land. 



The road to Masindi from Mruli is banked up 

 to a height of six or eight feet for some ten 

 miles, for use in the wet weather. 



The Nile flows north from here, rounding 

 "Tattenham Corner" with the same left-handed 

 bend near the Karuma Falls or rapids — which- 

 ever it pleases one to call them — and Foweira ; 

 whence navigation ceases once more, and with 

 placid or broken surface in turn it approaches 

 the Murchison Falls. For some five miles or so 

 above the latter rocks and rapids impress one 

 with her (old Nile is always a lady) supreme 

 power and force, till at the falls she surpasses 

 everything seen before. From the face of the 

 rocks at Fajao ferry, below the falls, where there 

 used to be a fort in the Mutiny days, one can 

 understand that the overpowering smashing force 

 of the great volume of water compressed into a 

 small space has gradually, through cycles of wear 

 and tear, eaten away the rock, and thus caused 

 the Murchison Falls to recede. They are said to 

 be now a mile further back than in bygone ages, 

 and at the present day present a stupendous 

 cataract divided into two falls, one below the 

 other. 



41 



