Page:The empire and the century.djvu/845



regeneration of Egypt since the British occupation has been founded on the control of the waters of the Nile. A sound system of irrigation has been the basis of all her rising prosperity. At first there was enough to do in regulating and distributing the water naturally brought down by the river. But as the area of cultivated land increased, and the demands for water began to exceed the supply to be distributed, the need of insuring the present and increasing the future prosperity of the country forced the rulers of Egypt to turn their eyes once more to the upper waters of the Nile, and the reconquest of the Sudan became a political necessity. The Battle of Omdurman was the logical consequence of Tel-el-Kebir.

But the last six years have wrought a great change in the prospects of the Sudan. It is still, and must remain, the key of Egypt, but it is no longer a mere conduit-pipe or line of communication to be guarded at all hazards. Under British administrators it is beginning to justify its existence on other grounds. Conquered for the sake of the Nile, it shows signs of bearing fruit of its own, like the vineyard that was dug over and over for the sake of its hidden treasure.

The obstacles to be surmounted were, indeed, formidable. The vast size of the country, the difficulties of transport and communication, the tropical and, in parts, unhealthy climate, the general ignorance of its resources 800