22 Blue Nile.

Detailed Description.

(Marno, February to August, 1870, and others.)

The usual limit of navigation for nuggers on the Blue Nile upstream of Omdurman is Karkoj, and this portion of the river is traversed by them mostly in the dry season,

i.e., from about the end of October to the end of May. Between June and October the flood, coupled with strong south winds, is sometimes too much for loaded nuggers. On the other hand, during the dry season there is often not enough water for navigation.

The country on the banks of the river above Khartum

is for the first 100 miles or so uninteresting. The banks

are steep and high (February) and in places bare and

sandy. Numerous villages, mostly on the left bank, and chiefly composed of tukls. Cultivation of cotton, dhura, &c, alongside the river. For journeys by land the left bank is generally ased.