What is the most likely reason many civilizations developed around rivers? People could dispose of their waste in rivers.

Rivers offered people a way to defend their cities.

Many businesses used rivers to import and export goods.
The river provided people with water, food, and transportation.

The answer is "he was bad enough in all conscience, but the devil himself could not temp him to turn slave-trader. satirical is a synonym for sarcastic. so when the author says that tom walker could not be tempted by the devil he does not literally mean "the devil" but he means that he is too morally upright to become a slave-trader.