Ahu Hamed — Khartoum. 45 The current here runs at the rate of from 2 to miles per hour ; but above it, where the river increases in width, a proportional decrease in the rate of the stream takes place, and it does not exceed 2 miles.

The Atbara River, at its point of junction with the Nile, has a deep, well-defined section, and a bed- width of some Athara 400 yards ; the banks are steep and high. Although the channel is dry in summer, the flood marks register a height confluence, of 25 feet above the bed. The velocity of the Atbara current in flood is so great that it forces the water of the Nile across on to the western bank. The sandbank thus formed causes considerable difficulty to navigation, and in the early spring of 1898 caused the division of the fleet of gunboats into two isolated halves, neither of which could have moved if required to the assistance of the other.

South of the junction lies the town of El Damer, formerly celebrated for its learning and university. It is now El Damer. again a town of growing importance, and is to supersede Berber as the headquarters of the Province. Railway bridge over the Atbara here. The Nile-Red Sea Railway branches oil up the right bank of the Atbara, north of the bridge.

From the Atbara to Khartoum the distance, by water, is about 200 miles. On this reach the slope of the river is separated by the Shabluka Cataract into three portions. This cataract begins at some 35 miles from Khartoum, and continues as far as Wad Habashi, 55 miles further north.

The average bed-slopes are : — From Khartoum to head of Cataract Cataract and Rapids . . From Wad Habashi to Atbara TTTrrriF 1 _ 5 5"T)0 Ta 500 Between the Atbara and Shendi (86 miles) there is little variety in the river scenery.* The average height of the banks over the river is from 25-28 feet ; the channel is broad and interspersed \vith many sandbanks and islands. The eastern bank is flat, and covered with a thick growth of scrub and thorn bushes ; the soil is good, but the halfa grass, owing to years of neglect, has got such a hold that very considerable labour is necessary in order to remove it and render the land fit for cultivation. The western bank is lower, and the strip of cultivable land much narrower than on the eastern shore. In places, ravines or " khors " run back from the river, and these in flood must be full of water. The whole tract has a most desolate appearance ; villages are few and poor ; inhabitants and cattle are wanting, although a few small flocks of sheep and goats are occasionally met with ; here and there a sagia is at work ; but the cultivation is confined chiefly to the foreshore of the river and to the islands. At certain points low ranges of hills, such as Jebel Egerdan and Jebel Umali approach the river on either side. Fuel is fairly plentiful, and everywhere the thorn jungle has encroached and swallowed up the areas which were once under cultivation. The depopulation of this district must date from a period anterior to the Dervish rule. Sir Samuel Baker, on visiting the country in 1869, noted the deterioration and desolation which had ensued since his visit of a few years previous. He attributed this ruin to the misgovernment of the Turkish Governor-General.

The " Pyramids of Meroe " are passed about the 17th parallel ; they lie close to villages named Maruga and Sur. The district here between the Atbara and the Nile was in ancient times termed the " Island " of Meroe. [See Chap. IV and Appendix D.)

Shendi, 86 miles from Atbara mouth, situated on the right bank of the river and on rocky ground, which extends Shendi. for half a mile above and below the town, was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Meroe, and is said to have been the residence of the famous Queen of Sheba. Ismail Pasha, son of Mohammed Ali, was here burnt in his hut by the Jaalin in 1822, in revenge for his barbarities. The town and inhabitants were destroyed in 1823 by Mohammed Ali. It is now reviving considerably, and is the headquarters of the Cavalry in the Sudan ; it owes its selection chiefly to the fine grazing, the gravel soil, and the level country around it.

Four miles beyond Shendi, on the left bank, lies Metemma, the terminus of the trans-Bayuda route from Korti Metemma. (vide Vol. II), used by the Desert Column in 1885. The town was not assaulted or taken by our troops on that occasion, but was the object of a reconnaissance in force, 21st January, 1885 ; it lay dormant until 1897, when it became the headquarters of a projected rising against the Dervishes by the Jaalin tribe. Mahmud, however, was warned in time, and exterminated the conspirators and all their belongings. Over 2,000 Jaalin were killed and the town was destroyed. It is still a deserted ruin, lying over a mile from the river, but is easily recognisable by the solitary grove of date palms which stands out as a landmark in the flat and treeless plain. Here the western desert approaches the water's edge, but a httle cultivation is carried on upon the foreshore and the large island in front of the town. The remains of five Dervish earthworks still exist upon the bank up-stream of the town, and another (masked) upon the island. Oneand a half miles up-stream lies the former village of Gubat, the furthest point reached by the Desert Column in 1885.

Between Metemma and Wad Habashi the whole country appears to be deserted, and there is a complete absence of hfe. At one point a series of honey-combed cliffs approaches the river, and runs parallel with it for some 5 miles.

Wad Habashi (left bank), 42 miles from Shendi, was the starting point of the 1898 Omdurman Expedition. The * A broad road or clearing has been made along both banks from Shendi to Berber. This is to be extended to Abu Hamed. H 2 Wad Habashi.