CHAPTER III. THE EQUATORIAL PROVINCES. The land of rivers—The Bongo—The Denka—Rumbek—Meshra- er-Rek and Amadi—Lupton Bey—The province of the Equator— Rapids of the Upper Nile—Paradise of botanists—The Makraka— The Bari—The Lattuka—Lado, Dufil6, and Wadelai—Emin Bey. The two most southern provinces that had been brought under the dominion of Egypt, and entrusted to the subordinate rule of European pashas and beys, were those of the Bahr-el-Ghazal and of the Equator. The former of these had come under the command of Lupton Bey, and the latter had been assigned to the charge of Emin Bey. By the victorious progress of the Mahdi’s bands, both provinces alike had been cut off from com munication with Khartoum, and consequently with Cairo and Suakin. The authority of the Khedive had hitherto been sufficiently maintained by the establishment of a limited number of fortified stations defended by small garrisons, varying from lOO to 200 men.