382 
THE RIVER SOBAT. 
country through which it passes. " It is a large river, 
and if you were to sail up it for fifteen days, you 
would only be half way to its source in the Bhor 
country." The character of the Nile changes soon 
after the Giraffe joins it; the current becomes scarcely 
perceptible, the width increases from one hundred and 
fifty to two hundred and fifty yards, and you can 
generally land, there being acacia trees on the right 
bank. We observed on both sides of the Nile distant 
mole-like solitary hills, the first seen since leaving 
Gondokoro, which may give some idea of the flatness 
of the land. There were several large islands also, — 
one in particular, to our left, dividing the stream 
above the junction of the river Sobat, which joined 
us from the right almost at an angle of ninety degrees. 
The Sobat (lat. 9° 20' N.) was a hundred yards across 
from bank to bank — a large body of water, its surface 
undisturbed by current or weeds, and sweeping round 
to the left in a remarkable manner as you looked up 
its stream. The left bank of the Sobat was abrupt, 
and from twelve to twenty feet high, with a few 
acacias. Its right bank was lower — say eight feet — 
had more slope, and down to the water s edge grew 
a dense thicket of reed vegetation. From general 
appearance, I judged that the body of water thrown 
into the Nile by the Giraffe during four-and-twenty 
hours was equal to that contributed by the Sobat 
in the same time. The distance between those two 
rivers was calculated to be sixteen miles. We had 
rowed it in 9^ hours, not including the time we 
rested while a gale blew from the east. These gales 
came on suddenly, and detained us generally from 
nine till three o'clock ; the boats stood them well ; 
