398 THEORIES RESPECTING THE NIGER. 
To the earlier geographers, the Nile, and the 
mystery of its distant springs, formed the leading 
object of curiosity and inquiry. It was with refe- 
rence to it only, that the western waters were 
brought into view. We have already seen the opi- 
nion of Herodotus, that the great river, seen by 
the Nasamonians, rolling from west to east through 
the country of the Ethiopians, was the remote head 
of the Nile. He endeavours to support this opi- 
nion by a very ill founded analogy with the Da- 
nube, alleging that, in the same manner as that 
river divides Europe, the Nile ought to divide Afri- 
ca. Upon the whole, there seems nothing to add 
to what was observed on this subject in the preced- 
ing chapter. 
Strabo did not enter deep into this speculation. 
The belief that the early course of the Nile was di- 
rected through the uninhabitable torrid zone, ap- 
peared to place it altogether beyond the reach of 
mortal discovery. He merely mentions, without 
any discussion, as an opinion entertained by some, 
that the Nile rose at a spot not far removed from 
the extremity of Mauritania. This idea is touched 
upon at much greater length by Pliny and Mela. 
Pliny had obtained notions, extensive probably, 
though confused, relative to this part of the world, 
from the conversation of Roman generals who had, 
penetrated into the desert, and from the works or 
traditionary information of Juba, king of Maurita- 
