﻿. 
  0(53 
  1 
  ADAMS 
  NILE 
  VALLEY. 
  XI 
  

  

  the 
  historical 
  period, 
  and 
  is 
  still 
  encroaching 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  hank 
  ; 
  for 
  

   at 
  high 
  Nile 
  it 
  rises 
  halfway, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  up 
  the 
  inner 
  wall 
  of 
  a 
  

   grotto 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Amenophis 
  III., 
  about 
  B.C. 
  1430 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  stele 
  on 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  where 
  the 
  lower 
  lines 
  of 
  

   the 
  hieroglyphics 
  have 
  been 
  worn 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  river, 
  during 
  the 
  an- 
  

   nual 
  inundations, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  line, 
  which 
  marks 
  the 
  present 
  limits 
  

   of 
  the 
  Nile, 
  and 
  contains 
  the 
  above 
  king's 
  oval 
  : 
  further 
  northwards, 
  

   at 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  is 
  a 
  grotto 
  bearing 
  the 
  oval 
  of 
  Tuthmosis 
  III. 
  (the 
  

   predecessor 
  of 
  Amenophis), 
  where 
  the 
  Nile 
  once 
  every 
  year 
  washes 
  

   the 
  bodies 
  of 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  River 
  Triads 
  up 
  to 
  their 
  necks, 
  or 
  about 
  4| 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  threshold 
  of 
  the 
  grotto. 
  Soundings 
  showed 
  the 
  river 
  deep- 
  

   est 
  along 
  the 
  left 
  bank, 
  and 
  a 
  deposit 
  of 
  sand 
  going 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  

   and 
  towards 
  the 
  right 
  bank. 
  These 
  examples 
  are 
  given 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  

   of 
  showing 
  the 
  local 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  river's 
  course 
  within 
  the 
  historical 
  

   period 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  Nile 
  is 
  constantly 
  changing, 
  and 
  clearing 
  away 
  

   and 
  making 
  new 
  channels, 
  often 
  running 
  afresh 
  on 
  ground 
  it 
  may 
  

   have 
  abandoned 
  several 
  times 
  in 
  its 
  history. 
  

  

  5. 
  The 
  Granitic 
  Bocks 
  of 
  the 
  Nile 
  Valley. 
  — 
  The 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   granitic 
  rocks 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Second 
  Cataract 
  is 
  at 
  Abhor, 
  where 
  some 
  

   masses 
  of 
  syenite 
  rise 
  above 
  the 
  water, 
  about 
  three 
  miles 
  below 
  Ka- 
  

   labshe 
  (35 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Assuan); 
  and 
  again, 
  a 
  short 
  way 
  further 
  

   down, 
  a 
  ridge 
  of 
  syenite, 
  or 
  red 
  felspathic 
  granite, 
  with 
  veins 
  of 
  quartz, 
  

   rises 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  river 
  

   runs. 
  The 
  strike 
  is 
  E.N.E. 
  and 
  W.S.W. 
  This 
  ridge 
  is 
  about 
  two 
  

   miles 
  broad. 
  Along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  junction 
  the 
  sandstone, 
  which 
  occurs 
  

   on 
  both 
  flanks, 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  is 
  tilted 
  up 
  and 
  much 
  disturbed, 
  

   showing 
  evident 
  marks 
  of 
  the 
  granitic 
  rocks 
  having 
  protruded 
  through 
  

   the 
  latter 
  rock. 
  The 
  Nile 
  flows 
  placidly 
  through 
  the 
  ridge, 
  with 
  

   perpendicular 
  cliffs 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  and 
  makes 
  its 
  exit 
  at 
  a 
  gorge 
  not 
  

   more 
  than 
  250 
  yards 
  broad, 
  where, 
  at 
  midchannel, 
  our 
  lead-line 
  ran 
  

   out 
  63 
  feet. 
  Poll 
  owing 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  contact 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  rocks 
  

   on 
  the 
  left 
  bank, 
  the 
  polished 
  " 
  slickensides" 
  of 
  the 
  granite 
  is 
  seen 
  

   rising 
  at 
  a 
  high 
  angle, 
  with 
  the 
  sandstone 
  shattered 
  and 
  broken 
  up 
  

   in 
  rubbly 
  disordered 
  masses. 
  The 
  joint-planes 
  of 
  the 
  granite 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  to 
  be 
  perpendicular. 
  Throughout 
  the 
  river's 
  course 
  among 
  

   these 
  cliffs, 
  many 
  projecting 
  rocks 
  narrow 
  its 
  channel, 
  but 
  do 
  not 
  

   increase 
  the 
  velocity 
  of 
  the 
  current. 
  Here 
  and 
  there 
  bulgings 
  and 
  

   bays 
  occur, 
  made, 
  perhaps, 
  by 
  back-waters 
  and 
  swirls, 
  when 
  the 
  

   river 
  stood 
  at 
  much 
  higher 
  levels 
  ; 
  all 
  testifying 
  to 
  a 
  former 
  state 
  of 
  

   things, 
  and 
  offering 
  a 
  strange 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  orderly 
  course 
  the 
  

   river 
  is 
  now 
  pursuing. 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  the 
  junction 
  

   between 
  the 
  unstratified 
  rocks 
  and 
  the 
  sandstone 
  is 
  clearly 
  shown 
  ; 
  

   on 
  the 
  left 
  bank, 
  above 
  two 
  Sheiks' 
  tombs, 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  gorge, 
  the 
  

   same 
  phenomena 
  as 
  those 
  just 
  noticed 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  are 
  ob- 
  

   served. 
  Looking 
  northwards 
  from 
  the 
  tombs, 
  nunierous 
  granitic 
  

   masses 
  stand 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  through 
  which 
  ravines 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen, 
  containing 
  huge 
  heaps 
  of 
  alluvium 
  ; 
  the 
  latter 
  run 
  

   along 
  the 
  sheltered 
  windings 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  

   modern 
  inundation 
  of 
  the 
  Nile, 
  and 
  clearly 
  point 
  to 
  ancient 
  chan- 
  

   nels, 
  long 
  since 
  abandoned, 
  — 
  the 
  most 
  westerly 
  being 
  upwards 
  of 
  half 
  

  

  