| | |banks. This river, which rises in | | |the N.W. slopes of the Abyssinian | | |mountains, brings down a large | | |volume of water when in flood. It | | |enters the Nile at an angle of | | |70°, and its bed in February was 3 | | |feet higher than the water surface | | |of the Blue Nile at that time. The | | |Rahad, with the exception of a few | | |pools, is dry for many months of | | |the year. Its banks at the | | |junction are steep and high, quite | | |39 feet over the bed, which has a | | |width of 71 yards. The flood-marks | | |show that the rise of the Rahad is | | |from 15 to 19 feet in height. The | | |Blue Nile at this junction forms | | |an “S” curve, taking a sharp bend | | |to the W., and again another to | | |the E. Its width, is measured, 595 | | |yards. The banks of the Rahad | | |River are covered with thick and | | |dense jungle, as are both banks of | | |the Blue Nile in this reach. | | |Shortly before Wad Medani is | | |reached, the W. bank becomes open | | |again, but the forest on the E. | | |bank is continuous. | | | Wad Medani | 5 | 144½ |L. Large and flourishing town, | | |largest in Sudan after Omdurman. | | |Head quarters of Sennar Province. | | |Post and telegraph offices. A few | | |European shops and good market. | | |Civil population about 30,000. | | |Soil limestone with sand and | | |gravel—healthy; Mosque with high | | |tower. Country S. of Wad Medani | | |becomes thick jungle especially on | | |E. bank. | | |