CHAP. I.] 
ABYSSINIAN AFFLUENTS. 
5 
showing the origin of their floods and their effect upon 
the inundations in. Lower Egypt. 
I followed the banks of the Atbara to the junction 
of the Settite or Taccazy river: I then followed the 
latter grand stream into the Abyssinian mountains in 
the Base country. From thence I crossed over to the 
rivers Salaam and Angrab, at the foot of the magnificent 
range of mountains from which they flow direct into 
the Atbara. Having explored those rivers I passed 
through an extensive and beautiful tract of country 
forming a portion of Abyssinia on the south bank of 
the river Salaam ; and again crossing the Atbara, I 
arrived at the frontier town of Gellabat; known by 
Bruce as “ Bas el Feel/' Marching due west from that . 
point I arrived at the river Bahad in about lat. 12° 30'; 
descending its banks I crossed over a narrow strip of 
country to the west, arriving at the river Hinder, and 
following these streams to their junction with the Blue 
Nile, I descended that grand river to Khartoum, having 
been exactly twelve months from the day I had left 
Berber. 
The whole of the above-mentioned rivers, i. e. the 
Atbara, Settite, Salaam, Angrab, Bahad, Hinder, 
and Blue Nile, are the great drains of Abyssinia, all 
having a uniform course from south-east to north¬ 
west, and meeting the main Nile in two mouths; by 
the Blue Nile at Khartoum, 15" 30', and by the Atbara, 
in lat. 1.7° 37'. The Blue Nile during the dry season 
is so reduced that there is not sufficient water for the 
small vessels engaged in transporting produce from 
Senaar to Khartoum; at that time the w r ater is beau¬ 
tifully clear, and, reflecting the cloudless sky, its colour 
has given it the well known name of Bahr el Azrak, or 
Blue river. No water is more delicious than that of 
the Blue Nile; in great contrast to that of the White 
river, which is never clear, and has a disagreeable taste 
of vegetation. This difference in the quality of the 
waters is a distinguishing characteristic of the two 
rivers; the one, the Blue Nile, is a rapid mountain 
