5 6z TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
to north, but it foon turns to the north-eaft, and, after flowing five or fix miles, joins the Nile and lofes itfelf in that river.
Immediately below this ford of the AfTar is a magnificent cafcade, or cataract. I computed the perpendicular height of the fall to be above 20 feet, and the breadth of the flream to be fomething more than 80 ; but it is fo clofely covered with trees or bufhes,and the ground fo uneven, that it needs great perfeverance and attention to approach it nearly with fafety ; the flream covers the rock without leaving any part of it vifible, and the whole river falls uninterrupted down with an incredible violence and noife, without being anyway broken or divided ; below this cataracl it becomes confiderably narrower, and, as we have faid, in this ftate runs on to join the Nile*
The ftrength of vegetation which the moifture of this river produces, fupported by the action of a very warm fun, is fuch as one might naturally expect from theory, though we cannot help being furprifed at the effects when we fee them before us, trees and fhrubs covered with flowers of every colour, all new and extraordinary in their fhapes, crowded with birds of many uncouth forms, all of them richly adorned with variety of plumage, and feeming to fix their rcfidence upon the banks of this river, without a de- fire of wandering to any diftance in the neighbouring fields : But as there is nothing, though ever fo beautiful, that has not fome defect or imperfection, among all thefe feathered beauties there is not one fongfter ; and, unlefs of the rofe,. or jcfTamin kind, none of their flowers have any fmell ; we hear indeed many fqualling noify birds of the jay kind, and we find two varieties of wild rofes, white and yellow, to which
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