73 Section' 4. — Lake No to Gondokoro.

Place.

Milea. Kilometrei.

Bahr El.Tebel...

Ex block* No. 1 Discharge (14.4.00) | 21895 cm. per sec.

Ex block No. 3 „ 4 ...

„ 5 ...

„ 6 ...

„ 10 block No. 11 ... 5 „ 12 ... 3 „ 13 ... 4 „ 14 ... 3 Description.

For description of Lake No, see page 105. For the Sudd, see Appendix B. For detiiiled description and maps of the Bahr El Jebel between Lake No and Gondokoro, see Sir W. Garstin's Report (Blue Book, Egypt, No. 2, 1901, price 'As. dd.), from which much of the following is taken ; also see his Report of 1904 (price 17s.). The entrance to the Bahr El Jebel is about 150 yards broad at the extreme east end of Lake No. The channel, turning suddenly to the south, is bounded on either side by a dense perpendicular growth of rich green papyrus swamp, in whicli ambach trees, and um suf and convolvulus occasionally appear. The papyrus reaches from 10 feet to 15 feet above the surface of the water (Jan.). As the steamer proceeds in its winding course, the channel varies from 70 to 100 yards, whilst tlie breadth of the pajjyrus strip varies from a few hundred yards to several miles. The solid ground (at its best only a few feet above the level of the water) on the far side of the papyrus gradually recedes, and the trees in the distance become moie and more sfKirse, till at last they vanish altogether. Except in occasional instances, no dry land is to be seen thioughout these swamps. Their extent is unknown, but, raoi-e especially to the west of the river, it must be enormous. In all probability the gi'eater portion of the region lying between the Bahr El Jebel and Bahr El Ghazal and its tributaries is, in the rainy season, a vast marsh. To the east their area is more limited, as the country beyond the Bahr El Zeraf gradually rises into alluvial plains, covered with dense grass, and intersected by numerous swamp lines. These plains, as a whole, are above the level of the Nile when in flood. In the long island, lying within the loop formed by the Banr El Zeraf with the main stream, there undoubtedly exists a ridge of ccjmparatively high land. Upon this a Nuer population has settled. Except by occasional glimpses of trees, and, more rarely, of a village, it is impossible to trace this ridge. Its limits are undetermineil. It is surrounded on every side by a belt of almost impassable mora.ss. The only evidence of human beings are the grass fires on the horizon, and, except for an occasional elephant, buck, or girafl'e, visible in the far distance from the top of the steamer, and a few water-birds, bee-eaters, wagtails, &c., animal life appears to have suddenly become extinct. At sunset, hfJwever, thousands of insects make their appearance, but, with the exception of the mosquito, who is always en evidence to a greater or lesser extent (worst from April to November (during the rains) and least from December to March — dry season — grass tires), they vanish after an hour or two. The water of the Bahr El Jebel is dark-coloured, but contains little or no sediment. The depth of the main channel varies from 20 to 24 feet at low Nile. As far as mile 40, the ridge lying between the Zeraf and the Jebel is visible on the eastern bank, at a distance varying from 500 to 3,000 yards. Trees and a few palms appear to indicate the presence of villages. From this jjoint the ridge disappears and the swamps stretch to the horizon upon both sides of the river. The first four of the sudd blocks, cleared by Major Peake's party, occurred within this distance. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth blocks were met witli between miles 50 and 63. Upstream of mile 63, the character of the marsli changes. North of this point comparatively few open lagoons are to be seen, but from here, until Hellet-el-Nuer (mile 139) is reached, these shallow lakes border the Bahr El Jebel in continuous lines. Some of them are of considerable area, as a reference to the map will show. They form nurseries for the growth oi water plants, and are the chief cause of the blocks whicli form in the channel. Their depth larely exceeds 3 feet. As the river is ascended, these lagoons increase in number and size. The channel often passes between two of these lakes, only separated from them by a belt of papyrus. In winter the.se Jagoojis are open 8i)aces of water, but, with the advent of the rainy season (in the month of April), their surfaces Vjecome covered with detached masses of floating vegetation. Many of them are connected by a series of o])enings with the river, and their water level rises and falls with that of the latter. The loss of water, by evaporation, upon these shallow ponds, must be extremely great. It is difficult to say whether these lagoons are old courses of the Bahr El Jebel and long since filled up, or whether they are traces of the vast lake which, it is imagined, once covered this area. The latter supposition appears to be the more probal)le, as the channel of the river is so deep and so sharply defined that it appears hardly possible that it should have utterly disajipeared. On the other hand, there is at least one instance where the river is actually in process of vanishing, i.e., between miles 143 and 165. In this reach the channel is filled with decomposed sudd to such an extent that it is difficult to trace 7.*., where the block formerly existed.