পাতা:দানিএল মুনির চরিত্র.djvu/১৪৫

140 The melting of the snows in the mountains of Armenia, where the Euphrates rose, caused that river annually to overflow its banks during the summer. To prevent this, Nebuchadnezzar ordered two canals to be dug, at some distance above Babylon, from the Euphrates to the Tigris, so that part of the water might be carried into the Tigris. He also built within the city, along the banks of the river, thick and high walls, with brazen gates at the end of all the streets that led to the river. From these gates were steps leading down to the river...where boats were waiting to carry over any of the inhabitants who did not choose to go round by the bridge. These walls could not be conveniently built from the “bottom of the river, without turning the water out of its usual channel. So Nebuchadnezzar inade a great lake west of the city, then dug à canal from the river to the lake, and turned all the waters of the river into the lake. By this means the bed of the river being laid dy, the workmen were enabled readily to build the required wall. The lake is said to have been one hundred