Book 2
20.3
And further, if the Etesian winds were the cause, then the other rivers which flow contrary to those winds should be affected like the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), Africa Nile , and even more so, since being smaller they have a weaker current. Yet there are many rivers in Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria and many in Libya [17,25] (nation), Africa Libya , and they behave nothing like the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), Africa Nile .
21.1
The second opinion is less grounded on knowledge than the previous, though it is more marvellous to the ear: according to it, the river effects what it does because it flows from Ocean, which flows around the whole world.
22.1
The third opinion is by far the most plausible, yet the most erroneous of all. It has no more truth in it than the others. According to this, the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), Africa Nile flows from where snows melt; but it flows from Libya [17,25] (nation), Africa Libya through the midst of Ethiopia [39,8] (nation), Africa Ethiopia , and comes out into Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt .
22.2
How can it flow from snow, then, seeing that it comes from the hottest places to lands that are for the most part cooler? In fact, for a man who can reason about such things, the principal and strongest evidence that the river is unlikely to flow from snows is that the winds blowing from Libya [17,25] (nation), Africa Libya and Ethiopia [39,8] (nation), Africa Ethiopia are hot.
22.3
In the second place, the country is rainless and frostless; but after snow has fallen, it has to rain within five daysIt does not seem to be known what authority there is for this assertion. ; so that if it snowed, it would rain in these lands. And thirdly, the men of the country are black because of the heat.
