BOOK V. X. 52-54 



become aware of man's proximity it leaps out in a 

 fountain, probably the one called the Black Spring. 

 From this point it forms the boundary Hne between 

 Africa and Ethiopia, and though the river-side is not 

 immediately inhabited, it teems with wild beasts 

 and animal life and produces forests ; and where 

 the river cuts through the middle of Ethiopia it 

 has the name of Astapus, which in the native 

 language means ' water issuing from the shades 

 below.' It strews about such a countless number of 

 islands, and some of them of such vast size, that in 

 spite of its very rapid flow it nevertheless only flies 

 past them in a course of five days, and not shorter; 

 while making the circuit of the most famous of these 

 islands, Meroe, the left-hand channel is called 

 Astobores, that is ' branch of water coming out of 

 the shades,' and the right-hand channel Astusapes, 

 which means ' side branch.' It is not called Nile 

 until its waters are again reconciled and have united 

 in a single stream, and even then for some miles 

 it still has the name of Giris which it had previ- 

 ously. Its name in Homer" is Aegyptus over its 

 whole course, and with other writers it is the Triton. 

 Every now and then it impinges on islands, which 

 are so many incitements spurring it forward on its 

 way, till finally it is shut in by mountains, its flow 

 being nowhere more rapid ; and it is borne on with 

 hurr}'ing waters to the place in Ethiopia called in 

 Greek the Downcrash, where at its last cataract * 

 owing to the enormous noise it seems not to run 

 but to riot between the rocks that bar its way. 

 Afterwards it is gentle, the violence of its waters 

 having been broken and subdued, and also it is 

 somewhat fatigued by the distance it has raced, 



259 



