1872.] COLOUR OF THE WATER. 259 



an ox, and gave a fundo and a half to each of the party. 

 This is our great day, so we rest. It is cold and wet, day 

 and night. The headman is gracious and generous, which 

 is very pleasant compared with awe, awe, and refusing to 

 sell, or stop to speak, or show the way. 



The White Nile carrying forward its large quasi-tidal wave 

 presents a mass of water to the Blue Nile, which acts as a 

 buffer to its rapid flood. The White Nile being at a con- 

 siderable height when the Blue rushes down its steep slopes, 

 presents its brother Nile with a soft cushion into which it 

 plunges, and is restrained by the vis inertise of the more 

 slowly moving river, and, both united, pass on to form the 

 great inundation of the year in Lower Egypt. The Blue 

 River brings down the heavier portion of the Nile deposit, 

 while the White River comes down with the black finely 

 divided matter from thousands of square miles of forest in 

 Manyuema, which probably gave the Nile its name, and is 

 in fact the real fertilizing ingredient in the mud that is 

 annually left. Some of the rivers in Manyuema, as the 

 Luia and Machila, are of inky blackness, and make the 

 whole main stream of a very Nilotic hue. An acquaintance 

 with these dark flowing rivers, and scores of rills of water 

 tinged as dark as strong tea, was all my reward for plunging 

 through the terrible Manyuema mud or " glaur." 



26th December. — Along among the usual low tree-covered 

 hills of red and yellow and green schists — paths wet and 

 slippery. Came to the Lofubu, fifteen yards broad and very 

 deep, water clear, flowing north-west to join Luena or Kisaka, 

 as the Lopopussi goes west too into Lofubu it becomes large 

 as we saw. We crossed by a bridge, and the donkey swam 

 with men on each side of him. We came to three villages 

 on the other side with many iron furnaces. Wet and 

 drizzling weather made us stop soon. A herd of buffaloes, 

 scared by our party, rushed off and broke the trees in their 

 hurry, otherwise there is no game or marks of game visible. 



s 2 



