Identifier: lakeregionsofcen00gedd (find matches)
Title: The lake regions of central Africa. A record of modern discovery
Year: 1881 (1880s)
Authors: Geddie, John, 1848-1937
Subjects: Rivers -- Africa Africa, Central -- Description and travel
Publisher: London, New York (etc.) : T. Nelson and Sons
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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like those of thedesert which stretches up to the walls of Khartoum.We arc within the zone of regular rainfall, an inter-mediate region that extends to the margin of thegreat lakes, where we meet with the equatorial beltof perennial rains. Henceforth we have not onlyheat but moisture acting upon the face of nature. One may determine which of the two climates istic more tolerable by considering whether lie wouldprefer to be roasted or stewed. The traveller wouldtin 1 it hard to decide whether the desert or theBwamp is the greater bar to his advance. Everymile of progress marks an increase of dampness and of warmth. First of all, we pass through the great mimosa forest, which extends, belt-like, almostacross the continent, marking the confines of theSahara and the Soudan. The reader must notimagine a dense girdle of tall trees and tangledundergrowth, but a park-like country, with wideglades between clumps and lines of thorny shrub-bery. The mimosa, or Arabian acacia — the tree IPI 2 I
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THE SWAMPS OF THE WHITE NILE. 43 from which the gum-arabic of commerce is extracted—has assigned to it the outpost duty in the strugglebetween tropical luxuriance and desert drought;and its lines are extended in skirmishing order. By-and-by it gives place to the ambatch, as thecharacteristic tree of the Nile. The margin of theriver becomes marshy and reedy. The water en-croaches on the land, and the land on the water.The muddy stream rolls lazily between high walls ofrank vegetation, and bearing islands of intertwistedleaves, roots, and stems on its bosom. It breaks upinto tortuous channels that seem to lead nowhereand everywhere. A nearly vertical sun shines downon the voyager as he slowly toils up-stream ; scarcelya breath of wind is stirring to blow away the mala-rious mists that rise from the steaming shores, or toshake out his drooping sail. Worst plague of all,the mosquitoes are incredibly active and numerous.Nothing can ward off their persistent attacks, orsatiate their thirs

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