Nor is this all. A torrent that iss

Nor is this all. A torrent that issues from its source in themountains is not the river which reaches the sea. On its longjourney from highland to lowland it receives now the milkywaters of a glacier-fed stream, now A muddy tributary fromagricultural lands, now the clear waters from a limestoneplateau, while all the time its racing current bears a burdenof soil torn from its own banks. Now it rests in a lake, whereit lays down its weight of silt, then goes on, perhaps acrossan arid stretch where its water is sucked up by the thirsty airor diverted to irrigate fields of grain. So with those rivers ofmen which we call migrations. The ethnic stream may startcomparatively pure, but it becomes mixed on the way. Fromtime to time it leaves behind laggard elements which in turnmake a new racial blend where they stop. Such were the sixthousand Aduatici whom Caesar found in Belgian Gaul. Thesewere a detachment of the migrating Cimbri, left there incharge of surplus cattle and baggage while the main body wenton to Italy.