THE LORIAN SWAMP 



be mistaken for the real river, which is at least 60 

 feet across at this place, and 6 to 8 feet deep. 



Thirty miles farther east is the main Lorian 

 Swamp, an enormous bed of dark green reeds. 

 Before entering it the river flows for three miles 

 through a bare alluvial plain, and is about 45 feet 

 broad by 4 deep ; but, once within, it divides into 

 three channels, the centre one being the largest. 

 The northern branch, which was practically dry when 

 I was there, rejoins the river lower down, but the 

 southern branch, as far as I was able actually to 

 ascertain, finally disappears in the mud to the south- 

 east. A small stream, known as the Lak Arro Dima, 

 runs down from the hills to the north and joins the 

 main river bed. In the eastern portion of this swamp 

 the reeds give place to coarse grass 9 to 10 feet high, 

 and equally dense. Finally, in long. 39° 45' 6" E. 

 and lat. 1° o' 615" N., the river emerges once more 

 into an open plain. At this point the bush which 

 covers the Lorian hills comes down to within half 

 a mile of the river and then recedes far back until 

 it is met with once ao-ain at Madoleh. 



It is impossible to say exactly how big this swamp 

 really is, since it varies greatly with the seasons, but 

 to give fifty miles as its circumference would be a 

 conservative estimate. Its northern bank is called 

 Arro Dima ; its southern, Jaffa Wein. Much water 

 is lost by evaporation, but in my opinion the greater 

 part sinks underground. At any rate, the river 

 emerges as a narrow shallow stream flowing between 

 high banks, whose course is marked by a thin line of 

 waja trees. Six miles farther east it enters yet a 

 third swamp near Melka Waja, consisting of tall 

 grass and a few acacia trees, and being in extent five 



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