Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/congofoundingofi02stan_0 H. M. STANLEY. (From a Photograph by J. Thomson, 10a, Grosvenor Street, London, W.) Copyright, 1885, by Harper & Brothers. Ali rigkts reserved. I CONTENTS. {Vol II.) CHAPTER XXVI. TO THE BLACK RIVER. PAGE Bolobo trade — Wealth of the chiefs — Manguru the Rothschild of Bolobo— Scenery of the Upper Congo— Ennui on the voyage — Comparison with travelling on other great rivers — Unvarying food — We lose our way — " Ho, Wy-yanzi, tribesmen of Luko- lela ! " — A poor reception — An improvised market — Tricked by the natives— Buying a crocodile— Cordial reception at Usindi — Irebu the home of the champion traders— Mangombo the chief — Excellent knowledge of trade — The war in Irebu — I am asked to negotiate for peace — Cause of the war — Difference between Stanley and Bula Matari — Medicine to make wealth grow — Cooking the big pot — Troublesome exploration — A threatening dance—" The river is free, but touch not the land " — The Batuki —A new station founded 1 CHAPTER XXVII. FROM THE BLACK RIVER TO STANLEY POOL AND BACK TO EQUATOR STATION. An embarrassing farewell — Chili pepper and tears— Success of a hypocritical stratagem — Sounds of war — Peace-making — Bury- ing the war — The Lukanga river — Mantumba Lake— The Watwa dwarfs — Rescue of a shipwrecked crew — The Abbe Guyot — The lion and his prey— Leopoldville flourishing— Troubles at Bwa- bwa Njali's— A homicidal officer— Lieutenant Janssen and the Abbe Guyot drowned — Troubles at Kimpoko — Troubles at Bolobo— The station burut— We are fired upon — War — A Krupp gun sent for — Weak effects of musketry — Peace restored — Settling the indemnity — Displaying the power of the Krupp — H I and my people will depart from Bolobo forever ! " — The river of Buuga— Lukolela— A magnificent forest — The superstition of Iuka — Excellent condition of Equator Station — My ideal achieved 39 iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVIII. TO THE AllUWIMI OR BIYERRE. PAGE Equipping for a long voyage — The Lnlungu river— Bolombo — Bangala the terrible— Stirring memories — Boleko the chief— "Stop, thief!" — Mata Bwyki — A modern Hercules — "Is this Tandelay ? " — Uncomfortable moments — The appeal of Yumbila — " Bula Matari and Mata Bwyki are one to-day!" — Luxuriant tropical scenes — Immense forest wealth — Unsheltered in a storm —Deserted districts - Nganza— Old Rubunga — l.anga-Langa women — The currency changing — Ndobo — Oyster-shells a sign of former population — Bumba and the chief Myombi — The dreaded Ibanza— A trick with a tiger's skin — Yambinga — Itim- biri river — Yalulima armourers — Hostile natives— War canoes on the look-out— The Aruwimi — Mokulu — An effective salutation— " Bravo, Yumbila ! " 75 CHAPTER XXIX. UP THE BIYERRE. Yumbila returns with an interesting story— Slave kidnappers, pro- bably from the Soudan— Skilful workmanship — Umaneh and Yakui — Conical huts — The course of the river — Metropolitan Yambumba— A sham famine— The rapids — Supposed identity of the Biyerre and Welle — Reasons for this opinion — Arabs in the neighbourhood — Again on the Congo 119 CHAPTER XXX. TO STANLEY FALLS. Predatory Bahunga— An odd means for defence— Deserted villages — Enormous flotilla of canoes — Danger ahead — Ravages by the Arabs — "Cruel man has done his worst "—Remains of burnt villages— A shocking discovery— We overtake the Arab slave- traders — Meditations on retribution —Extent of territory ravaged by the Arabs— Their miserable captives — A harrowing scene — Captives all women and children ; their number — The cause of the trade — Yangambi — The Chofu river — The Wenya fishermen — Cunning policy of the Arabs — Stanley Falls— Description of the cataracts — The district tribes — Their mode of fishing— A dangerous ferry — Drum signals — An industrious people — The fish of the waters— Palavers — Our farthest station founded — Binnie is appointed chief and left in charge — Homeward bound 134 CONTENTS. v CHAPTER XXXI. DOWN THE CONGO TO STANLEY POOL. PAGE Going with the stream— The Arabs send their confidential men with us— Navigability of the Lumami and Lubilash— Wreck of the Royal— Beaching and repairing the wreck— Cold winds on the river — Iboko in confusion— Impudent thieving — A prisoner — "Fast bind, fast find "—A horrified father— Eefusal of a ransom — Cordiality at Ukumira — Mata Bwyki in a passion— More prisoners — Restitution of our stolen property — Freeing the prisoners— A horrible massacre — Young Glave of Yorkshire — Bolobo station again burnt— News from the missionaries — Again at Leopoldville — Troublesome news from Vivi 168 CHAPTER XXXII. RETURN TO VIVI. Starting of our caravan— A promising farewell— Ngalyema's last words— Encouraging resolutions of the officers — Hospitality of the natives as we pass— Nselo ferry— Quarrel between Ngombi and Mbimbi — Peace-making — Forms of our treaties with native chiefs— List of districts and their chiefs — The cut-throat Lutete is changed for the better— An extending and dangerous crevasse — Lava at Kalulu Falls : " Whence has it come ? " — Manyanga u higgledy-piggledy " — Hospitality at the mission-house of Mr. and Mrs. Ingham— A pretty station — Luima and Lunionzo valleys — Climate and health— Congo la Lemba— View of Vivi — Unhappy reflections upon its neglect 189 CHAPTER XXXIH. TO OSTEND. Climate and conduct — Vivi in confusion— A cure for sham illness- Removal of the station — Description of the changes at Vivi — General Gordon's probable work — I embark on the Kinsembo — Loaniro— Sette Camma — Coast trade— Gaboon Gulf — Fernando Po — The Cameroons— Duke Town— Exploring a great "oil" river — Native chiefs buying iron houses — Bonny — Lagos— Quetta — Sierra Leone— My arrival in London — Report to H.M. the King of the Belgians 220 CHAPTER XXXIV. EUROPEANS IN AFRICA. European opinion of African life — Repelled by the absence of comforts — " Amour propre " and " susceptibilities " — Few heroes of labour —Extravagant hopes—" Bah ! 1 did not come for work " — Types vi CONTENTS. of neglected and prosperous stations — Malingering— Unintel- ligent workers — " Nothing like whisky ! " — " Sojering" — A happier theme — The earnest workers of the Expedition — New aspirants— Young officers in search of adventures — A sad acci- dent—Our physician— A plucky Scot— The way to gain a good reputation 238 CHAPTER XXXV. CLIMATE — PART I. Value of reliable knowledge — A youth's welcome to the tropics, and its results — Wet flannels and fever — Intemperance — Careless- ness in Europe — Inquiry into the causes of sickness at the stations on the Congo — The cases of some of our invalids — The best positions to build upon — Captain Burton's advice, " Beef and beer " — European opinion of Africa compared to African opinion of Europe — Banza Manteka : a missionary station — Dangers of low-lying localities — A fatal " pare " — " Observe the native custom — Sickness not all due to miasma— Number of deaths in our Expedition — Instances of how the deaths occurred — Urgent advice to those who wish to thrive in the tropics . . 280 CHAPTEE XXXVI. CLIMATE. — PART II. Dr. von Danckelman's observations — Definition of heat — Cold — Exposure — Advantage of awnings — Equable temperature of the body — Temperature in South America — Inequality of the Congo climate — Long marches and gulps of cold water — A cool place — " He is only joking " — " The White Man's Grave " — Advice to doctors — Food and drink — Daily life — Medicine — Diseases — Meteorological Tables 312 CHAPTER XXXVII. THE KERNEL OF THE ARGUMENT. Extent of the Congo River— Navigable stretches — The maritime region — The mountain region — Elevations, vegetation, and pro- ductions—Population— Interior basin of the Upper Congo ; its extent and altitudes— Navagability of the tributaries— Tables of mileage of navigable waters — Area drained by the rivers — Tables of population of Upper Congo section— Opinions of Dr. Pogge and Lieut. Weissman, Tippn Tib, and Dr. Schweinfurth— The products of the land— Vegetable and animal richness — Minerals —Extent of the Webb-Lualaba section — Navagability of the CONTENTS. vii Webb-Lualaba — Characteristics of the Lualaba country — Living- stone's descriptions — The Tanganika territory — Ujiji markets — Table of the actual knowledge of the Congo basin : its area and population — Possibilities of trade — Table of the value of African produce in Liverpool — Prospects of factories — Advantages of a railway — Efforts to civilise Equatorial Africa — Comparison with other countries — Its future development and greatness . . . . 339 CHAPTEE XXXVIII. THE BERLIN CONFERENCE. Strengthening the fabric — Precedents — Treaties with chiefs : their validity — The Anglo Portuguese Treaty — United States action — Prince Bismarck's views — Position of Great Britain — German and French interests — Freedom of commerce — Berlin Conference — List of Plenipotentiaries — Deliberations and decisions at the Conference — Acquisitions of France and Portugal — Free Trade — A safe jurisdiction — The Royal Founder 378 APPENDIX. PAGE The Commercial Basin of the Congo, as described by the Author before the Berlin Conference 409 Protocol, No. 9 .. 415 Declarations exchanged between the United States of America and the International Association of the Congo 419 Convention between the Empire of Germany and the International Association of the Congo .. .. 421 Declarations exchanged between the Government of Her Britannic Majesty and the International Association of the Congo . . . . 422 Convention between the Government of Her Britannic Majesty and the International Association of the Congo 423 Convention between the Netherlands and the International Associa- tion of the Congo 426 Convention between the Government of the French Republic and the International Association of the Congo . . 429 Convention between Portugal and the International Association of the Congo 431 Declarations exchanged between the Belgian Government and the International Association of the Congo 433 Protocol, No. 10 434 The General Act of the Berlin Conference 440 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. {Vd. n.) FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. KO. PAGE 1. H. M. Stanley. (From a photograph) .. .. .. Frontispiece. 2. An Interview before the Chief's House at Wangata . . ..To face 38 3. A Terrible Disaster .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ,, 55 4. Equator Station .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ,, 71 5. The Banks of the Upper Congo .. .. .. .. „ 95 6 "Finally the ' Ibanza' emerged into view" .. .. .. „ 106 7. View of Bondeh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ,, 126 8. Scene from the Covelet near our Station at Stanley Falls. The Seventh Cataract in the distance .. .. .. .. „ 157 9. Still Haven, Stanley Falls „ 163 10. A Street Scene in Iboko .. .. .. .. .. .. „ 173 11. Execution of Slaves by the Bakuti near Equator Station .. „ 182 12. Kinshassa Station (Stanley Pool) .. .. .. .. .. „ 185 13. View of Le'opoldville Station and Port, 1884. The Baptist Mission on the summit of Leopold Hill. (From a photograph) „ 186 14. View clown the Congo, a few miles above the confluence of the Lubamba with the Congo .. .. .. .. .. „ 192 15. View clown the river from nearly opposite Isangila .. .. „ 215 16. A few of the Women and Children of our Coloured Employe's .. „ 222 17. Sanatorium at Bonny .. .. .. .. .. .. „ 234 18. Mr. A. B. Swinburne, Chief of Kinshassa Station .. .. „ 257 19. The Sectional Steamer Le Stanley leaving Vivi Beach .. .. „ 264 20. Plan of Profile of the Country between the Sea and Ruanda across the Congo Basin .. .. .. .. .. .. „ 362 SMALLER ILLUSTRATIONS. 21. A Specimen of the By-yanzi. ( Jfy Mr. Glave.) 3 22. A very poor Native of Inganda and his Dress .. .. .. .. 31 23. A Native issuing to the War .. .. .. .. .. 37 24. View from the head of Bamu Island down the South branch at Stanley Pool 53 25. A Native of Iboko .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 70 X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. NO. PAGE 26. Plan of the Baugala Settlements 81 27. One of the Bangala 83 28. Native of Langa-Langa .. . 101 29 Old Chief in native-made Hut 108 30. A Type of the Basoko 123 31. View of Mpozo Station and River from Vivi .. .. .. .. 218 32. Mons. del Commune 225 33. La Ville d'Anvers steamer .. .. .. .. .. .. 226 34. Captain Hanssens .. .. .. .. .. 228 35. Laudana 229 36. From Ambriz to the Cameroons .. .. .. .. .. .. 230 37. Old Calabar Factories, near Duke Town .. 232 38 From the Niger to Ostend 235 39. Lieutenant Valcke 263 40. Lieutenant Vangele . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 265 41. Lieutenant Coquilhat .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 267 42. Lieutenant Janssen .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 268 43. Lieutenant Paifoury 269 44. Lieutenant Grang .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 270 45. Dr. Allard .. 271 46. Lieutenant Liebrechts .. .. .. .. .. .. 278 47. The funnel-shaped Gorge of the Lower Congo . . . . . . . . 292 48. Plan to illustrate how the Gorge discharges its winds at Leopoidville 293 49. Political Divisions of the Congo Basin .. .. .. .. .. 365 MAP. A Map of the Congo Basin (second half) In Poshet THE CONGO, AND THE FOUNDING OF ITS FEEE STATE. CHAPTER XXVI. TO THE BLACK RIVER. Bolobo trade— Wealth of the chiefs — Manguru the Rothschild of Bolobo — Scenery of the Upper Congo — Ennui on the voyage — Comparison with travelling on other great rivers — Unvarying food — We lose our way — " Ho, Wy-yanzi, tribesmen of Lukolela ! " — A poor reception— An improvised market — Tricked by the natives — Buying a crocodile -Cordial reception at Usindi — Irebu the home of the champion traders— Mangomba the chief— Excellent knowledge of trade— The war in Irebu —I am asked to negotiate for peace— Cause of the war — Difference between Stan'ey and Bula Matari — Medicine to make wealth grow— Cooking the big pot — Troublesome exploration — A threatening dance — " The river is free, but touch not the land The Batuki —A new station founded. The By-yanzi have a tradition according to Ibaka 1883. that they came originally from Ubangi, a district ^lolo situate south of and near the equator on the right bank. From the number of canoes that I have met hailing from Ubangi, this must be a populous district. Ibaka, who was once there on a trade expedition, believes it to be an island, as, according to him, " on one side is all white water, on the other side it is all black ; " or it may mean that Ubangi is more likely to Vol. II.— 1 2 THE CONGO. L883. Lo situated in a fork at a confluence of two rivers — the May 24. Boiobo. Congo and a white water affluent. He was much con- fused, he said, by the quantity of water and islands there — " there was no end to the water." Two hours' journey inland from Boiobo there is a large market-place called Mpumbu, where dogs, croco- diles, hippopotamus meat, snails, iguanas, fish and red- wood powder are sold in great quantities. Little, however, that is of utility to Europeans and people of more refined tastes is sold at this particular place. Boiobo is a great centre for the ivory and camwood powder trade, principally because its people are so enterprising. The native traders have agents residing at Stanley Pool, to whom the ivory collected here is delivered, and the merchandise from the coast lying in store is consigned to the wealthy traders at Boiobo. One must not be hasty in judging from the poverty of their garb that the chiefs of this trading district are poor. They are frugally inclined, having a certain standard of wealth which they must endeavour to achieve before they bear on their persons in every day life the habit befitting their station and prosperity. Thus Mangi, residing at [vintamo, is the junior chief of Itimba, Boiobo. He visits Leopoldville daily, dressed in a cotton robe of dark blue baft, but he is lord of three villages, and may probably be wrorth £3000. Lugumbila, vizier to Ibaka and his oldest slave, is probably worth an equal amount. But Manguru, of Boiobo, is a nabob ; if his worldly belongings were sold at auction in Boiobo, it is very possible his effects THE ROTHSCHILD OF BOLOBO. 3 would realise double this sum. His canoes and slaves 1883. May 24 exploit every creek and affluent as far as Irebu and Boiobo. Ubangi ; at Kimbangu, on the south bank of Stanle}7 Pool, and at Malima, on the north bank, he has a faith- ful factor ; while at Boiobo he keeps a hundred armed slaves. Yet Manguru, now well advanced in years, paddles his own canoe along the river front of the district, trading from one place to another daily. It is this Rothschild of Boiobo who induced Gratula to A SPECIMEN OF THE BY-YANZI {By Mr. Glave.) choose between two evils — war, or forfeit of money, and by his arguments convinced him that to lose money was a less evil than the loss of his life and property. On the 28th of May the flotilla set out from Boiobo for the establishment of two stations on the Upper Congo. The expedition was accompanied by three guides — Msenne, from Mswata, and two slaves belong- ing to Ibaka, who knew well the countries of Uyanzi and Ubangi. 4 THE CONGO. The upper portion of Bolobo presents many excellent Mav 28. . . , . . , Bojobo sites for stations, with commanding views, but unfortu- nately they are at present beyond our means. To be able to build healthy dwelling houses on these sites one must be well assured that the natives will open their markets to us. If a garrison of 100 men could be stationed at Bolobo, then the place would become an emporium of trade. Until that time, however, we are forced to seek some village or villages, with the chiefs of which we can live in mutual dependence. Beyond Bolobo we have a bluff-faced highland ex- tending for about five miles in a north-easterly direc- tion. In a cove at its upper extremity, where it leaves the river, there lives a tribe of Wa-nunu, who immedi- ately on seeing the flotilla advancing, disported them- selves along their sandy shore most ferociously, judging by their manoeuvres. But, poor souls, how much we were misjudged ! Even had they kept up the fierce play till doomsday we would not have had aught of unfriendliness for them. Such love as we possessed for them was simply immeasureable. The flotilla sheered off a little into deeper water, and passed on with silent and unoffending crews and passengers. Beyond the village was low forested land, which either came in dense black towering masses of impene- trable vegetation to the waterside, or else ran in great semicircles half enclosing grassy flats, whereon the hippopotami fed at night time. The Congo wTas now enormously wide ; from five to UPPER CONGO SCENERY. 5 eight channels separated one from another bv as many 1883! . . . # _ ■ May 28 lines of islets (some of which were miles in length), on Boiobo. which the Landolfia florida, or rubber plant, flourished, of the value of which the natives as yet know nothing. Tamarinds, baobab, bombax, redwood, Elais guineensis, palm-tree, wild date-palm, Calamus indicus, with the hardy stink- wood, made up a dense mass of trees and creepers of such formidable thickness that no one was even inspired to examine what treasures of plants might be revealed by a closer investigation of the vege- table life thriving on these humps of dark alluvium in Mid-Congo, Few could imagine that a slow ascent up the Congo in steamers going only two and a half knots against the current of the great river could be otherwise than mo- notonous. Taken as a whole, the scenery of the Upper Congo is uninteresting ; perhaps the very slow rate of ascent has left that impression. But we were also tired of the highland scenery in the Lower Congo. We de- clared ourselves tired of looking at naked rock cliffs, and rufous ragged slopes 600 feet in height. Before we were through the circular enlargement of the Congo at Stanley Pool we also confessed ourselves wearied ; when we voyaged up along the base of the massive mountain lines above it to Chunibiri we sighed for a change ; and now, when we have a month's journey by islets, low shores, of grassy levels, and banks of thick vegetation and forest, we are menaced with the same ennui. But let us be just. Our feeling of weariness arises from the fact that our accommodations are so 6 THE CONGO. 1883. limited that we are obliged to sit down or stand up May 28. & . Boiobo. the long way. The eyes, the only organs exercised, are easily sated. The weariness is only created by our compulsory inactivity. Our eyes are feasting con- tinually upon petty details, of the nature of which we are scarcely conscious. The flitting of a tiny sun-bird, the chirping weavers at their nests; the despondent droop of a long calamus which cannot find support, and which, like the woodbine, flourishes best when it has a tall stem to cling to ; the bamboo-like reeds ; the swaying-tufted head of an overgrown papyrus ; the floating by of a Pistia stratiotes; a flock of screech- ing parrots hurrying by overhead ; that great yawning hippopotamus lazily preparing for a plunge into his watery bed ; that log-like form of the crocodile, roused from his meditations, loth to go, but compelled by the whirr of paddle-wheels to submerge himself; those springing monkeys, skurrying in their leafy homes away from the increasing noise ; that white-collared fish eagle out-spreading his wings for flight ; that darting diver and little kingfisher hurrying ahead, heralding our approach ; yonder flock of black ibis alarmingly screaming their harsh cries; that little blue-throated fantail which has just hopped away from the yellow- blossomed acacia bush ; those little industrious wagtails pecking away so briskly on the sandy strip by the edge of the forest ; there is a jay which has just fled into the woods; look at those long-legged flamingoes at that spit of land ; and — but the details are endless, for every minute of time has its incident. As for your own THE MISSISSIPPI AND THE CONGO. 7 fancies, during this day trance, created mainly by what 1883. ■ . M;iy 28. you see as the banks glide steadily past, who will Boiobo. dare to fathom them ? They come in rapid succes- sion on the mind, in various shapes, rank after rank. Unsteadfast as the grey clouds which you see to the westward, they pile into cities, and towns, and mountains, growing ever larger, more intense, but still ever wavering and undergoing quick transitions of form. The flowing river, the vast dome of sky ; the aspiring clouds on the horizon ; the purpling blue, as well as the dark spectral isles of the stream ; the sepulchral gloom beneath the impervious forest foliage; those swaying reeds; that expanse of sere- coloured grassy plain ; that grey clay bank, speckled with the red roots of some shrub ; that narrow path- way through the forest — all suggest some new thought, some fancy which cannot be long pursued, since it is constantly supplanted by other ideas suggested by something new, which itself is but a momentary flash. But supposing that a steamer similar to those we have on the Mississippi bore you up the Congo, rushing up stream at the rate of twelve knots an *hour against the current, while you could travel up and down a long, broad deck protected by a sun-proof awning, with luxurious board and lodging at your command, your view of the Congo would be very different. I do believe you would express a preference for it to any river known to you. You would naturally think of comparisons. The Rhine ? Why the Rhine, even 8 THE CONGO. including its most picturesque parts, is only a micro- scopic miniature of the Lower Congo ; but we must have the Rhine steamer, and its wine and food and accommodations to be able to see it properl}\ The Mississippi ? The Congo is one and a half times larger than the Mississippi, and certainly from eight to ten times broader. You may take your choice of nearly a dozen channels, and you will see more beautiful vege- tation on the Congo than on the American river. The latter lacks the palm and the calamus, while the former has a dozen varieties of the palm. Besides, it possesses herds of hippopotami, crocodiles innumerable ; monkeys are gleefully romping on the islands and the main ; elephants are standing sentry-like in the twilight of the dark forests by the river side ; buffaloes red and black are grazing on the rich grass plains ; there are flocks of ibis, black and white parrots, parroquets, and guinea- fowl. The Mississippi is a decent greyish-coloured stream, confined between two low banks, with here and there a town of frame houses and brick. The Congo is of a tea-colour on its left half, and on its right half it is nearly chalky white. You take your choice, tea or milk, red or Rhine wine. And as for the towns, why, I hope the all-gracious Providence will bless our labour, and they will come by-and-by ; meantime there is room enough, and to spare, to stow the half of Europe comfortably on its spacious borders. The Nile ? Ask any of those gallant English soldiers who have tugged their way among the Nile cataracts, what they think of the Nile to spend a holiday upon. The Danube ? WOOD-CUTTING. 9 Ah, it is not to be mentioned with the Congo for 1883. ' ° May 28. scenery ! The Yolga ? Still worse. The Amazon ? By Boiobo. no means. You will have to ascend very far up the Amazon before you will see anything approaching Congo scenery. Well, you must admit then that if the Congo could be seen from the deck of a commodious steamer, this feeling of weariness which we have to contend against now while ascending at this snail's pace against the current, because we have no room to move about, would be replaced by a more grateful and a cheerier mood. At 5 p.m. we generally camp after an advance of from twenty to thirty miles up river. Thirty miles would be unusually good progress, because there is fuel to be cut with axes and saws, and it will take till nine o'clock at night to cut sufficient for next day's steam- ing. From 5 to 6.30 p.m. all hands excepting the cooks are engaged in gathering wood, half-dead logs, or dead trees, which have to be cut into portable sizes for transport to the camp. When darkness falls a great fire is lit, under the light of which the wood-choppers fall to and cut the logs into foot lengths for the boilers. The sound of smiting axes rings through the dark grove, to be re-echoed by the opposite forest, and borne along the face of the river to a great distance. It is varied by the woodman's chant ; a chorus is struck up, and under its stirring vocal notes a new impetus is given, and the axes are struck stirringly rapid. What a moral lesson for vapid- minded white 10 THE CONGO. 1883. men might be drawn from these efforts of untutored May 28. Boiobo. blacks to get through their tasks ! Meantime, at dusk, each steamers crew of white officers and passengers will be found around their dinner-tables on deck or on the bank, if the camp lias permitted it ; the lamplight tinging their faces with a rosier hue than the sallow complexion which the sun has bestowed on them. Of food there is abundance, but not much variety. It may comprise soup of beans or vegetables, followed by toasted chikwanga (cassava-bread), fried or stewed fowl, a roast fowl, or a roast leg of goat meat, a dish of desiccated potatoes, and, if we have been fortunate in our purchases, some sweet potatoes, or yams, roast bananas, boiled beans, rice and curry, or rices with honey, or rice and milk, finishing with tea or coffee, or palm- wine. It is insipid food for breakfast and dinner through- out a term of three years. A few months of this diet makes the European sigh for his petit verve, Astrachan caviar, mock-turtle, salmon — with sauce Hollandaise —filet de bceuf, with perhaps a pastete and poularde mit compote und salat. For if a German, however can he live without his dear compote ? Then, how nice, he thinks, would fruit, cheese, and dessert be on the Congo. How glorious a view of Congo life one could take when exhilarated by half a pint of champagne. I think, indeed, that the eternal " fowl " of the Congo, and the unvarying slices of chikwanga, with which our young officers are fed, deserves three-fourths of NATIVE SURPRISE AT THE STEAMERS. 11 the blame now lavished on " murderous Africa. It i«83. May 28. is only a grand moral manhood like Livingstone's Boiobo. that rises above these petty vanities of a continental stomach. Think of his thirty -two years' life in Africa, and of the unsophisticated mannikins who to-day are digging their eyes out with weeping at the memories of a European restaurant before they have been scarcely three months out ! There is not much to converse about on the Congo after our stomachs are full of the heavy chikwanga, and as we all know that — " The time of life is short ; To spend that little basely were too long." We retire early to spend it well in sleeping, that we may be better fitted for the next day's weary voyaging up the great African river. Ungende was our first night's camp above Boiobo. The By-yanzi were very friendly at first, but at sunset their fears made them hostile, and they were not quieted until all our people were ordered to make their reedy couches near the steamers. The next day we travelled up by very pleasant hills. We passed villages, banana-groves, palmy groups, and deep green forest in agreeable alternations. These are the Levy Hills, and end at the magnificent and airy red bluffs of Iyumbi. The people looked out upon us in stupid wonder from under the shade of their bananas, seemingly saying, " What curious phase of existence have we entered upon now ? Verily, an epoch has 12 THE CONGO. 1883. dawned upon our lives; but what it signifies let those May 29. 1 ° Cngende. answer who can ! " And we, looking out from under our awnings, ap- pear to say, k; Ay, gaze, oh men and women, upon these three symbols of civilisation. Ye see things to-day which the oldest and wisest inhabitant of your land never heard or dreamed of, and yet they are but tiny types of self-moving leviathans that plough, the raging sea by night as well as by day ! " Two hours above Iyumbi we lost our way. The channels were numerous. A reedy flat had appeared above Iyumbi, to which we clung in order not to lose sight of the mainland ; and coming to a narrow creek we ran in, expecting, although its direction was a little too easterly, that perhaps we should emerge on the Congo. There was a sluggish current in it, and we kept on, but after seventeen miles it narrowed, and reeds finally stopped further passage, and we had to return, opposite the village of Ikulu. We had not perceived many villages as we had steamed along ; but in coming back we sighted about twenty canoes in the creek advancing towards us. They had appeared from some direction through the reeds. These, on seeing us, hastily turned back, but wishing to know from them which route to take, the En Avant cast off the whale-boat which she had been towing, and steamed after them at full speed. Not until we had run five miles could we overtake the flying flotilla, and then we found that their crews were women, who to escape us, dashed into the reeds, LUKOLELA. 13 and splashed clumsily with water up to their necks to reach the shore. Not a word would they answer ; but ikuiu. stood, on reaching the shore, sulkily regarding us. As we steamed six knots an hour, an idea may be gained of the speed which the natives when pressed in their canoes attain. These also were mere fishing: pirogues. Had they been war canoes it is likely our steamer would have been beaten in the race. On the 31st of May we had a tolerably fair journey, but the wind blew down river, and impeded us. Two trading canoes with twenty paddlers in each were over- taken, which kept pace with us the rest of the day, and camped sociably with us on a park-like terrace, which showed soft young grass, while the forest ran in a deep black semicircle behind us. The By-janzi canoe-men were bound for Ubangi. On the 1st of June, after following a dense forest for nine hours, we drew near another settlement. Our provisions were running exceedingly low. Eighty coloured men and seven Europeans consume at least 250 lbs. weight of food daily. Since leaving Bolobo, nearly half a ton weight of provisions had been eaten. It behoved us then to prepare ourselves for barter with the community in view, which our guides called Lukolela. The settlement ran along a crescented bend of the river, above a steep clay bank ranging from 5 feet to 25 feet above the water, in a clearing cut out of the finest forest I had vet seen. The trees had not been much thinned, so that from a distance, but for the THE CONGO. grey gleam of huts and the green sheen of bananas, it would have been difficult to tell that a settlement so large as Lukolela existed here. The islands also showed glorious growths of timber. We began steam- ing slowly the while to initiate acquaintance at the very lowest village. There was no answer rendered, but the groups of bronze-bodied people grew larger and more numerous. We unrolled crimson savelist, bright red royal handkerchiefs, striped florentines, lengths of blue baft, held out fistfuls of brass rods, and suspended long necklaces of brightest beads. Msenne of Mswata stood up on the cabin-deck of the En Avant, the observed of all observers, admired for his pose and his action, and delivered his oration with a voice which might be envied by an auctioneer. 44 Ho, Wy-yanzi, tribesmen of Lukolela, sons of Iuka and Mungawa, whose names are beloved by my lord and chief Gobila ! Ho, you men ! Know you not Gobila — Gobila of Mswata, the friend of Wy-yanzi ? " said Gobila to me. " Here, take Bula Matari, the only Bula Matari, the good Bula Matari ! " " Hush, Msenne' ; that is not the way to speak. You are laughing at me," I urged, for my modesty was shocked. " Never mind ; Msenne knows the way into the heart of the Wy-yanzi. Ha ! it takes me to conquer their obduracy." " Wy-yanzi of Lukolela, here sits Bula Matari ! He has come here to make friends with you. He wants food. He is prepared to pay well. Now is the time A POOR RECEPTION. 15 for Inka and Mungawa to show themselves kind friends iss.x . „ June I, to Bula Matan. Lukoieia. Then up and spoke Ibaka's slaver. " See here, men of Lukoieia, we are the servants of Ibaka — Ibaka of Bolobo ! Ibaka has made brotherhood with Bula Matari. Ibaka commanded us to take him to you. Let your chiefs, Iuka and Mungawa, come out and give the good word." The steamers held on their way. The stentorian accents of Msenne were heard far above the escape of waste steam. The cloths were unrolled before every village. At the third village, however, a reply came that all the chiefs were dead, and that small-pox had decimated the inhabitants, and that famine was killing the people that were left ! " Frightful," we exclaimed. " But those men on the banks look too fat to be suffering from famine." We came to the upper extremity of the community, which occupied about five miles of the left bank, and half an hour later we came to where the Congo con- tracted and issued out a stately united flood 1J miles wide from the right bank to the left bank. Hoping that if we camped in the neighbourhood we should be followed, we prepared to put up for the night in the forest. As we anticipated, the natives soon came up, and fowls, goats, ripe and green plantains and bananas, cassava rolls, cassava flour, sweet potatoes, yams, eggs, and palm oil were bartered so speedily that by sunset we had sufficient to last two or three days. Still, as we 16 THE CONGO. 1883. were ignorant how far we might have to proceed before June 2. Lnkoieia. meeting with another market so well supplied as this, we agreed to resume the marketing next morning. At sunrise the following day canoe after canoe appeared, and the barter was so successfully conducted that we had soon secured three dozen fowls, four goats, a sheep, and eight days' rations for each member of the coloured force. The fear the natives entertained of the strange steamer was now changed for liveliest admira- tion. We were no longer supposed to be laden with mischief, but full of "good things." They had informed us that they were dying of famine yesterday, but this day plenty had come back to them, their chiefs lived, and no plague or pest decimated the people ! We asked them slyly what was the cause of this remarkable change. "Oh," they replied, " why do you remember what we said in our fear of you. Neither our oldest people nor their fathers before them ever saw or heard of such things as these," pointing to the steamers. As it was a capital position for a station, we delicately hinted to them that on our return we should have some more words with them. The people of Lukolela some twenty years ago lived on the right bank, but the Irebu warriors, during a little misunderstanding with them, descended the river and attacked and burnt their villages ; upon which, after peace was restored, they crossed the Congo and esta- blished themselves on the left bank in the noble forest along the river. NGOMBR 17 Two hours steaming midday on the 2nd of June took 1883. Juue 2. us through the whole length of this narrow and singular Lukoieia. contraction of the Congo. The left bank rises into a hill probably 100 feet above the river, nourishing mag- nificent timber ; the right bank also shows that it is much higher than the ground above or below this strait-like contraction of the river channel, and is also remarkable for its fine trees. Still clinging to the left bank of the river, we entered a narrow channel between islets exuberant with flourishing forests, and low shores showing alternately prairie levels, and low, tree-clad ridges running perpendicularly to the river. We passed three villages, which sent out scouts to us with fresh fish to sell, and to glean intelligence about the strange craft that made such unusual noises. They were too small and insignificant to induce us to delay our advance. On the evening of this day as we were at camp in a deserted village two hours above the highest of these villages, fourteen dense divisions of small birds were seen flying from the direction of the right to the left bank, and a straggling army of large birds of the size of crows followed till the dusk deepened ; they were too high to enable me to distinguish them. On the evening of the next day, having selected a camp a few miles below Ngombe, two canoes approached us, calling out the name of " Stanley " with excellent pronunciation. They had picked up the name by some odd fashion, and wjould doubtless have hailed the first white with it in the same way. They only wished to sell Vol. II.— 2 18 THE CONGO. 1883. fish and young crocodiles. Our engineers, from pure June 3. NgomW. fim> patronised them, and purchased one young croco- dile, of whose character we came to know a great deal before he deserted us. The crocodilian character, from what we discovered of it, would make a fine one for a novel. The ungrateful little beast, lashed to a strong tree close to the river, despite our kindness to him, deserted our expedition during the night. Lukolela finds the hatching of crocodiles to be remunerative. When nests are discovered, they take the eggs and place them in sand in a locality little disturbed, and when the shell is broken and the young emerge, they are placed in a pond which is carefully covered with a net. They are here fed until they have attained a certain weight and size ; and on market days they are taken out to be sold. On the 4th of June we passed several populous districts, first Ngombe, which is situated at another contraction of the Congo similar to the one described at Lukolela. Below and above Ngombe the river is from four to six miles wide ; but at the strait all the various channels of the Congo are united in one stream, which flows nearly two miles wide with a strong current. On the left bank is Ngombe, high and dry on a level about 40 feet above the river, with a wealth of banana- groves and other signs of abundance. A few miles higher up than the Strait of Ngombe' is the district of Nkuku, inhabited by a people that showed a strong inclination to trade. They followed us for such a distance, offering articles for sale without CORDIAL RECEPTION OF USINDI. 19 success, until they showed us a couple of Muscovy ducks, 1883. which we bought with the value of Is. 4d. each. Nkuekll Two hours later we arrived opposite Butunu, at which the natives raised frantic cries expressive of delight. " Malamu ! malamu ! " (" Good ! good ! ") was echoed from end to end. One hour beyond Butunu we came to the populous district of Usindi, the inhabitants of which were out- rageous in their clamours of applause. These were so irrepressible in their joy that a hearty response from our side was not deemed enough. About a hundred manned their canoes, followed us, bawled at ns, and finally stormed at us in a friendly manner, until we halted. Eleven fellows immediately came aboard the En Avant, sprawled over everybody, shook hands with white and black, old and young, and when they saw the black boiler they seemed to look so earnestly at it that it might have been thought they would embrace it. More of these thoughtless, irre- pressible rogues would have come aboard had we per- mitted it, but as we were already captured we yielded and steamed back again to the landing-place of Usindi, the hardy eleven looking as proud as though they had done a gallant deed worthy of the Victoria or the Iron cross. On the shore a perfect burst of joyful welcoming met us. Such an extraordinary people ! Nkuku smiled on us; Butunu hailed us as friends, but Usindi shot out to midstream to embrace us ! This remarkable and sudden development of friendship 20 THE CONGO. 1883. anions' people 300 miles above Stanlev Pool excited June 4. rsindi. wonder for some hours, until they told us that many of their people had seen Le'opoldville and Kintamo, and had seen our big house and wagons and boats in the port. Our reception at Usindi was so warm and friendly that we passed a very agreeable time there until noon of the 5th. Iuka, the chief, would have given me half of his village had we asked for it — anything, did we but agree to stop and build with them. They were a most polite people, I observed, being all unanimous to abstain from giving the least offence or alarm, and keeping back every warlike weapon from coming into view. I may say this was the first spot out of civilisation that I saw any such polite delicacy. Con- fident in their own strength, I presume, they thought it was not necessary to have recourse to the barbarous art of terrorising. Seventy minutes above Usindi we entered a deep channel 300 yards wide, between a reedy island, as we imagined it to be, and a still larger settlement, or cluster of towns, than the one we had just left. The shore along its entire length was lined with hundreds of bronze-bodied people, but not one voice was heard calling out to us. This we took to be an omen of dis- trust, and affected to pass on ; but we had not proceeded more than a few miles up the channel before we were aware we were pursued. We halted and permitted the canoemen to approach. They bore to us, they said, an invitation to visit Mangombo, chief of Irebu. THE HOME OF THE CHAMPION TRADERS. 21 Of course we knew it was the populous district of 1883. Irebu, the home of the champion traders on the Upper Ir(.hll Congo, rivalled only in numbers and enterprise by Ubangi on the right bank. Irebu traders, descending in canoes, overwhelmed the aborigines of Lukolela, as the latter themselves had admitted. They had mastered populous Ngombe', awed Nkuku, Butunu and Usindi, and we had heard vague rumours that they had taught the fierce Bangala to treat their traders with respect. It was in fact a Venice of the Congo, seated in the pride of its great numbers between the dark waters of the Lukanga and the deep brown channels of the parent stream. There were hundreds of people standing eagerly expectant of the arrival of the flotilla in the covelet of Upper Irebu, men, women and children, from the very old and grey-headed to the young naked copper- skinned gamin. Though so numerous, an instinctive hush governed the crowd into deep silence as the engines stopped and the boats glided to their berths along the shore. Not until the crew leaped over the gunwales with the anchors, and the chains ceased running through the brazen chocks, was the silence broken, and then a muffled murmur of applause was heard as each remarked to the other his admiration of the vessels. Mangombo, with a curious long staff a fathom and a half in length, having a small spade of brass at one end, much resembling a baker's cake-spade, stood in front. He was a man probably sixty years old, but 22 THE CONGO. 1883. active, and by no means aged-looking, and he waited June 6. irebu. to greet me. On going ashore my hand was grasped by Mangombo and about half-a-dozen of the principal men, and we sought the shade of a convenient tree by the waterside to talk. I was very soon impressed by the intelligent appear- ance of the men grouped around me. They had an air of worldly knowledge and travel about them, very dif- ferent from the stupid bewildering wonderment with which we were so familiar. For these people were really acquainted with many lands and tribes on the Upper Congo. From Stanley Pool to Upoto, a distance of 600 miles, they knew every landing-place on the river banks. All the ups and downs of savage life, all the profits and losses derived from barter, all the diplo- matic arts used bv tactful savages were as well known to them as the Roman alphabet is to us. They knew the varied lengths of the sina ("long" of cloth), the number of matako (brass rods) they were worth, whether of savelist, florentine, unbleached domestic, twill, stripe, ticking, blue and white baft ; the value of beads per thousand strings, as compared with uncut pieces of sheeting, or kegs of gunpowder, or flint-lock muskets, short and long. They could tell, by poising on the arm, what profit on an ivory tusk purchased at Langa-Langa would be derived by sale at Stanley Pool! No wonder that all this mercantile knowledge had left its traces on their faces ; indeed it is the same as in your own cities of Europe. Know you not the military NATIVE KNOWLEDGE OF TRADE. 23 man among you, the lawyer or the merchant, the L883. banker, the artist or the poet ? It is the same in Africa, irUbu. more especially on the Congo, where the people are so devoted to trade. There is a slight difference, however, in the features (or rather air diffused over them) of the resident trader and the trading navigator. The resident may be a sharp man at a bargain, but he is as likely as not to be boorish, rustic, or unsophisticated in manner. On the other hand, the Wy-yanzi traders of Usindi, Butunu, Ubangi, and Irebu are sedate and self-pos- sessed in their deportment, while a certain frank business-like directness and open-minded simplicity may be observed in their mode of speech. At the same time they are barbarous enough not to be averse from fighting on occasion. They quite surprised me, after a careful and analytical perusal of their features, by declaring they were even then at war ! Upper Jrebu was at war with Lower Irebu ! The guns could be heard even then at it, though I had not the slightest idea they were fighting. Generally the first day of acquaintance with the Congo river tribes is devoted to chatting, sounding one another's principles, and getting at one another's ideas. The chief entertains his guest with gifts of food, goats, beer, fish, &c. ; then on the next day commences business and reciprocal exchange of gifts. So it was at Irebu. Mangombo gave four hairy thin-tailed sheep, ten glorious bunches of bananas, two great pots of beer, and the usual accompaniments of small stores. The next day we made blood brotherhood. The 24 THE CONGO. i883._ fetish-man pricked each of our right arms, pressed the irebu. blood out, then, with a pinch of scrapings from my gun- stock, a little salt, a few dusty scrapings from a long pod, dropped over the wounded arms, and the black and white arms were mutually rubbed together. The fetish-man took the long pod in his hand and slightly touched our necks, our heads, our arms, and our legs, muttering rapidly his litany of incantations. What was left of the medicine Mangombo and I carefully folded in a banana leaf, and we bore it reverently between us to a banana grove close by, and buried the dust out of sight. Mangombo, now my brother, by solemn interchange of blood, consecrated to my service as I was devoted in the sacred fetish bond to his service, revealed his trouble, and implored my aid. The notables of Irebu were gathered round us, and then Mangombo spoke, of which the following is the substance : " Some time ago I sent three canoes to I boko (Ban- gala). My men traded prosperously ; they had obtained a valuable cargo of ivory, and were about returning, when a sudden quarrel took place between the Bangala and Irebu. Our people were on shore; they fought stubbornly to save their ivory ; out of seventy people thirty-three were killed ; thirty -seven of them managed to save a few tusks, seized one of their canoes, and paddled away to tell us this dismal story. Of course all trade was stopped. Of those thirty-three men who were slain in the fight, twenty-eight were of my town ; but five belonged to Lower Irebu. You must know WAR IN IREBU. 25 that the community of Irebu is divided into three parts 1883. J m June 6. — Lower, Upper, and Central Irebu. Magwala is chief irebu. of Lower Irebu ; Mpika is chief of Central Irebu ; I am lord of the upper portion. Magwala and Mangombo are the principal chiefs, and before this misfortune, wrhich I am about to tell you, occurred, I was con- sidered the superior chief of all. Some months after the massacre of our young men at Iboko, a flotilla of Bangala canoes were seen going down river bound to Xgombe. Mpika heard of this, and giving chase captured a canoe with eight of the Bangala on board. Mpika, forgetting that I had lost twenty-eight men to his five, did not deign to let me have my share of the prisoners, but when I sent to him asking him to be fair, he replied, ' No ; they were my men who captured them. I keep these in revenge for my five. Go you and do likewise, for I will not give you one of my prisoners.' On appealing to Magwala, he answered that Mpika was right, and should keep what he had obtained by force of arms. My people, however, were not satisfied with this ; their loss was too recent and too great, and they forced me to declare war. About ten days ago we began it. I have lost six more of my people in four fights : over twenty of my men have been wounded. Magwala and Mpika have also lost heavily. Irebu lifts its hands against Irebu; friends and brothers slay one another. All trade is stopped. We go out and come in by night only. The women of Irebu are mourning daily ; and if this evil, which is worse even than the small-pox, continues much longer, 26 THE CONGO. 1883. Irebu will be no longer known as the strongest tribe June 6. irebu. 011 ™e great river. " Now, Bula Matari, you have come in good time to save us from this mutual slaughter. We have heard of you years ago. Chumbiri told us your name was Stanley. When you were coming down river with your many canoes, we lay in wait for you behind that large island, but we did not attack you. We heard of Bula Matari building towns at Kintamo, at Mswata, and Bolobo ; but we did not know who Bula Matari was, until Ibaka, some moons past, told us that Bula Matari was Stanley. You belong to Irebu now. You must save Irebu from death and ruin." " Mangombo," I replied, " I should like to do it, but I have other work before me. I must go to Ikengo first, and on my return I will do what I can. Mean- time, stop fighting." "Ah, that is easy to say! but Magvvala and Mpika must also stop fighting. Will you speak to them?" " I will send a boat to tell them that Mangombo has asked me to settle the war, but that I cannot stay now ; and I will ask them to wait until I return to make peace." Enough has been said, as near to Mangombo's own words as the necessities of this book will permit, of this internecine war which was raging in one of the most flourishing and populous districts on the Upper Congo. According to my promise I proceeded in my boat opposite Mpika and Magwala's landing-places, and offered to mediate between the contending factions, on LUKANGA RIVER. 27 the condition that they would refrain from hostilities 1883. June 6. during fifteen days. Mpika consented immediately, as Irebu> it fortunately turned out that he was the blood-brother of Lieutenant Janssen at Mswata, and that he origi- nally owned the large canoe then lashed alongside of the steam-launch Royal. Magwala was not so willing to agree to the compact of truce, but was finally prevailed upon by his friend Mpika. I observed that in the covelet of Upper Irebu there was no current, and 1 suspected that there must be another lake in the vicinity, and on inquiry I ascer- tained that there was " big water " a few hours' journey up the Lukanga ; but the Congo tribes are in daily presence of such large bodies of water, that the vicinity of a lake appears to be nothing extraordinary to them. It is only with inland peoples that it becomes a worthy topic to boast of lakes. This accounts for the great difficulty of exciting sufficient interest in these riverine tribes to draw from them exact information. They always use the terms " plenty of water," " big water,'* " big river," which I find by experience to apply equally to streams furnishing just sufficient water for canoe navigation. The water of the Lukanga is of the same black colour as the Mfini and Lake Leopold II. ; and some of the Irebu stated to me that they could reach G-an- kabi's by navigating the Lukanga, Mantumba Lake, and floating down a river to Lake Leopold II. and the Mfini River. This aroused my curiosity greatly, but I had to defer the investigation of the truth of this 28 THE CONGO. 1883. report until my return from the equatorial district, as I une 6. Irebu I bad not the means to idly feed eighty people. With a guide from Mangombo and Msenne of Mswata, we set out from the mouth of the Lukanga and Upper Irebu, on the afternoon of the 6th of June, up the Congo. Among the topics I heard discussed between the groups of commoners near the landing-place of Irebu was the difference between Stanley and Bula Matari. The majority contended that though Stanley was the first "Mundele" who appeared on the river, and fought everybody who attempted to stop him, yet it was really Bula Matari who sent him to find all about the country, and who owned all the men and canoes. For, look you, Stanley had only canoes like we have, wThereas this Bula Matari has only one canoe ; all the rest are boats that we never saw the like anywhere. No : Stanley must be Bula Matari's vizier, or big captain ; for, you see, Bula Matari has many towns, and thousands upon thousands of bales of cloth. " Stanley gave proper measure of brass rods ; when we go to Kintamo we shall ask for Stanley's brass rods ; they are half as long again as the rods of the Bateke' at the Pool." The notables of Irebu were urgent for the medicine to make wealth grow quickly. I imparted to them the lesson of trading, but this advice they rejected with scorn and contempt. They knew well enough how to trade, but their wealth they confessed never increased. u You," said they, " must have some charm by which COOKING THE BIG FOT. 29 jour store increases without care. We saw at Kintamo 1883. Juue 6. one day your shelves all empty ; the very next day irebu. when wre called they were rilled from top to bottom. We wish to know this secret." The slaves of Ibaka boasted that they knew it, consequently their hut was besieged with applicants, and they made nearly two hundred brass rods by their extraordinary charlatanry. Another subject of interested discussion among the Irebu was, " What was it that turned the paddle-wheels of the En AvantV This was a difficult puzzle to them. Some would have it that there were about twenty men concealed somewhere in the bottom of the steamer. Others doubted that, and hotly maintained that the secret was in that " big pot " (boiler), other- wise why should the cook (engineer) be always near it making up the fire inside. But what was it that the engineer was cooking so industriously ? Ah ! that was another puzzle. " Whatever it is," said they, " it takes a long time to cook. That engineer has been cooking all day, and it is not finished vet. tt must be a strong medicine that ; and all that large pile of wood has been used up. The two other boats have similar pots, into which their cooks shove in fuel continually. Perhaps if wre had also big pots in our canoes, and we had some of the white man's medicine, w^e need not toil any more with tired arms at our paddles, and suffer from aches and pains in our shoulders." Fifty miles above Irebu we came to Ikengo at 30 THE CONGO. 1883. 10 a.m. on the 8th of June. The land between had June 8. ikengo. been almost one unbroken verdant forest of fine timber — teak, mahogany, guiacum, red and yellow wood, fine gum, plane, and bombax abundant, and frequently of enormous girth. The islands were long, and showed forests of equal height and luxuriance, while their sides presented tangled undergrowths of various species of palms and rattan. On the appearance of the flotilla, the Ikengo people dashed out into the stream to meet us, in scores of tiny canoes, all crying out their welcome, and shouting the praises of their various villages, precisely like hotel touters throughout the Levant. " Come to Ikengo/' they cried. "Ikengo is rich; Ikengo has abundance of food." "No, come to Itumbu. Come and see Inganda. Inganda has ivory ? slaves, women, goats, sheep, pigs. Inganda is blessed with abundance. Stanley, have you forgotten us ; we who traded with you years ago ? Ah, Stanley, come on to Ikengo. There is plenty of beer and wine in Ikengo." And thus these extraordinary people extolled the vir- tues of their respective villages, making the river alive with their increasing throng and restless movement. After carefully weighing the various advantages of the villages, since I well recognised the locality, which in 1877 provided me by their impromptu market on one of the islands opposite, I chose Inganda as a tem- porary resting-place. Like all the Wy-yanzi, from the Kwa upward, the people were of a wholesome, healthy bronze colour, but, INOANDA. 31 unlike the others, they affected caps of monkey, otter, j1^* leopard, goat, and antelope skin, while their swords ikengo. hung suspended by broad shoulder-belts of red buffalo- hide. Cotton cloth, however, was rare among these A VERY POOR NATIVE OF INGANDA AND HIS DRESS. people, their dress being a fine or coarse tissue made of grassy fibre. I selected Inganda as a stopping place, whence, while affecting to make preparations for settlement, I might reconnoitre that large affluent the Ikelemba, mentioned in the ; Through the Dark Continent.' Pos- 32 THE CONGO. 1883. sibly I might secure a site at the confluence. If the June 11. inganda. natives were too wild to permit of a settlement there, then I might remain at Inganda, and wait the progress of our influence. Numerous inquiries about the distinctions between the rivers meeting elicited the most confusing replies. The Ikelemba was large ; but when they illustrated the distance between bank and bank by an object near them, the width seemed to vary between 50 and 100 yards. This was incredible. In my former book I had stated it to be about 1000 yards wide. I had viewed it personally. These were the same people who formerly had called the river " Ikelemba," or " Buruki." A com- municative aborigine, hailing from Bungata, on the right bank, drew a curve on the ground, and near the middle of its convex side, at equal distances, joined three lines at right angles to it, the lowest marked as the channel coming from Bungata, the second channel flowing from Lulungu, the highest proceeding from Ikelemba River. The upper horn of the curve he named Buruki or Mohindu. The lower horn of the curve was called Inganda, where we were encamped. This curve, then, seemed to represent a river into which three channels ran ; but when I asked him to describe the Mohindu river — Mohindu signifying black — he contemptuously described it to be about twenty- five yards wide ! Well, then, what great river was that which I saw approaching the broad Congo, attracting my curious gaze by its magnificent breadth ; tea-dark in colour, as BUS UK I. 33 strong a contrast to the flood that bore my canoes 1883. June 1 1 along, as the sable faces of my crew differed from my jngan,ia> own ? I was becoming exasperated at my own obtuse- ness, and I was impatient to settle the doubts which agitated me. Leaving the rest of the expedition at Inganda, 1 steamed up river in the En Avant, in search of that " magnificent " and tea-coloured affluent. Within seventy-five minutes I had arrived near the very spot whence I had viewed it six years previously, and I felt a glow of satisfaction in again looking upon what I conceived to be the greatest tributary of the Congo. I steamed across from the islands to the left mainland, and half-way across the river we entered the tea-hued half of it. On proceeding fairly out of what I considered to be the Congo proper into it, the 1000 yards I reduced to 800 yards, but it was deep, with a three-knot current. Four hours above Inganda, during which the "magnificence" of my affluent was considerably diminished, owing to the fact that three channels had been seen coming from the Congo proper, the river took a decided turn south-east, and then I felt convinced that I was ascending a tributarv. But I was not a whit elated at discovering that the Dark River had decreased to a breadth of about 600 vards. Buruki, which name the aborigines had repeated so often, was a large town situated on the left bank of the Mohindu, about three miles above the confluence. The shores on either side were low, on the right hand too low to be inhabited, the river water penetrating Vol. II.— 3 » 34 THE CONGO. 1883. far over the swampy land. The timber bad a young June 11. Buruki. hut hardy look about it, just such as one would sup- pose would thrive in low lands, although here and there a crown of dark foliage was uplifted high above all others. Islands began to be seen, but the disparting of the stream did not improve its dignity. We were fully three hours en route before the banks appeared, so high had the river risen. Ink water and dense forests of young trees were not interesting; strictly speaking, they approached to the dismal. The En Ava?it, unen- cumbered with a boat astern, proceeded rapidly up the even-flowing current, and not a single incident tran- spired, nor a single object hove in view, up to sunset, when we camped on the first trifling bit of dry bank we discovered. The character of wThat I saw of the river inspired me with the impression that it belonged to a delta, having a number of narrow creeks, of wonderful crookedness, constantly emptying into the river. The lowness of the land, the young, yet hardy look of the forest everywhere ; the blackness of such portions of alluvium as rose to sight, the dead, untroubled silence, the even-flowing, rippleless eddyless current, nay, let us call it the African Styx, assisted to convey that impression. Were it not for the white sun, that gave sheen and greenness to the fresh leafage of the forest, the prospect had been cheerless indeed. The next morning found us, at dawn, under weigh, with an ample supply of red, or rather purple, hard A THREATENING DANCE. 35 wood on board ; but a little before 7 a.m. native huts i883. appeared on the right bank, and on the left the land uplifted into a wholesome height, shaded , by bright green bananas. When we came opposite the huts, we saw that they bore the signs of newness. The forest was uncleared. We looked to the banana groves, and discovered not a single soul in view. Was there a war ? Or had all the villagers gone a-pic nicking into the wild woods ? But the En Avant rushes up the centre of the stream, and as the land improves, rising into clay and rock bluffs, 20 and 30 feet above the stream, a peopled village is seen, first on the left, and then on the right bank, and all at once the edges of the river banks are enlivened with yellow-bodied people, afflicted with a ferocious St. Yitus's dance. They leap upward, like so many acrobats suddenly afflicted with a terpsichorean mania, flankwise and rearward, then forward with a rush, bows in hand, drawn taut until the arrowheads seem to touch the bow. Those armed with a spear and shield only practise a Pyrrhic dance, and, but for the deep river, we would take it that they were charging on us. On the right bank, as well as on the left bank, the people are doing their best to exhibit their know- ledge of war games. It is all very interesting, of course. I have always felt more interest in looking at human nature than in studying other aspects of creation, but just now it is this Black River that I came to see. The En Avant goes plunging on at the rate of seven knots an hour. Village after village turns out its 36 THE CONGO. 1883. dancing corps of copper-breasted braves; the right bank, as well as the left bank, salute us with these exhibitions. There is a mile long stretch of hutted bank, followed by about two miles long of forest ; then a similar village, followed by a similar forest, and over the villages are the bananas, seen to wave softly, with the darker palms nodding in harmony, while the white sun shines steadily over all. At noon we are 0° 6' S. Lat. The day before we were in 0° 4' N. Lat., and in this interval of time we had crossed the Equator twice. The Black River, from bank to bank, was 400 yards in width, with a 2| knot current; the depth, by con- tinuous trial with sounding pole, was unknown. Tiny hills began to appear to relieve the monotony of the level. At about the eightieth mile from the conflu- ence we slackened speed, and tried to open a conver- sation with the people of a pleasant-looking village. A few of the principal men advanced firmly to the edge of the river bank, and one spoke unhesitatingly thus : — " We do not know who you are, or whence you came, or whither you go, or what is your intent. If you come near enough to the shore we will begin fighting. If you wish to go on — go. If you wish to return, the river is free, but touch not the land." Was there ever such candour, so beautifully and clearly expressed, or was it the guide's way of speaking ? We returned the way we came, our departure being accompanied by a shower of sticks, clods, stones, &c, which, however, did not approach within 200 yards of WANG ATA. 37 our steamer. It is probably in this way these equa- ixs ; to rial people express their farewell ! wlngat At 8 p.m. we reached the camp we had left in the morning, and arrived at noon the next day at the A NATIVE ISSUING TO THE WAIi. junction of the Mohindu, or Black River, with the Congo. At Wangata, seven miles below, commanding a view of the junction of three channels— the right going up to Bungata, the middle leading to the Ikel- emba and the Lulungu rivers, the left leading to the 38 THE CONGO. 188». Black River — we halted to converse with the people, une 13. 'angata. an(* were invited to approach the landing-place. Here we learned that we were among the Bakuti, a tribe which begins at Ikengo and ends at Baruki, the town at the mouth of the Mobindu. On the right bank are situated the Bakanga ; the large island of Nsambana, nearly twenty-five miles in length, occupies the centre of the Congo, between the two tribes. The Bakuti soon made friendship with us after the customary forms of blood brotherhood. Land was shown to us to build upon, then after leaving human pledges for our return, we hastened to Inganda. On the next day we packed up and transported the expedi- tion to Equator Station, which is situated in the neighbourhood of Wangata, at 0° V 0" N. lat. Lieutenant Vangele was appointed chief of the new station, and twenty-six men were delivered over to him to form its garrison. Lieutenant Coquilhat, with twenty more men, was appointed to assist Lieutenant Yangele until a further reinforcement of men and goods could be conveyed to him from Leopoldville. We halted a few days to assist with our crews the clearing of the bush from the site of the new station, as well as for the settlement of all claims, payments, distribution of gifts to important persons ; and on the 20th of June we descended the Congo River on our return to Irebu, where we arrived after seven hours and forty-five minutes' steaming. AN EMBARRASSING FAREWELL. 39 CHAPTER XXVII. FROM THE BLACK HIVER TO STANLEY POOL AND BACK TO EQUATOR STATION. An embarrassing farewell — Chili pepper and tears — Success of a hypo- critical stratagem — Sounds of war — Peace-making — Burying the war — The Lukanga river— Mantumba Lake — The Watwa dwarfs — Rescue of a shipwrecked crew — The Abbe Guyot — The lion and his prey— Leopoldville flourishing — Troubles at Bwa-bwa Njali's — A homicidal officer — Lieutenant Janssen and the Abbe Guyot drowned — Troubles at Kimpoko — Troubles at Bolobo— The station burnt— We are fired upon — War — A Krupp gun sent for— Weak effects of musketry — Peace restored — Settling the indemnity— Displaying the power of the Krupp — " I and my people will depart from Bolobo for ever ! " — The river of Bunga— Lukolela— A magnificent forest — The superstition of Iuka — Excellent condition of Equator Station — My ideal achieved. The love which the people of Inganda bore us was so i883. excessive, that we became conscious on leaving Equator j™j,eJ. Station that we were in a difficulty. How could we tell them that the dank forest bight, with its edging of reeds and stagnant spaces around Inganda, was hurtful to the health of Europeans, and that we were com- pelled, on account of sanitary and political considera- tions, to remove from their village to Wangata? This would be a delicate task ! When Msenne — our guide from Mswata — was in- 40 THE CONGO. 1883. formed that, although it was absolutely necessary for Juue 21. x _ Luanda, us to move, still, we experienced a dislike to wound the susceptibilities of the Inganda people, he, after a thoughtful pause, said that we had better leave the matter in his hands, and we should have no further trouble. As he was so confident, and as cheery as a lawyer who has a good case, and as he knew the natives better than we did, we agreed to leave it to him entirely. He communicated his ideas to my ser- vant Dualla and to Umari, and it was through them I learned later how he had accomplished it- Having obtained permission to carry out his design without interference on my part, unless there were visible signs of failure, he proceeded to put in practice what he designed. He first rolled his long cloth tight around his waist as though it were a cord, and then with a Chili pepper touched his eye?, and, having started the copious tears to roll down his face, he assumed such a woe-begone, down-drooping aspect, that I was afraid Dualla had replied offensively to him. No sooner had we arrived at the landing-place of Inganda, than he stepped on shore, deaf to every hail, regardless of everybody, and leaving the boat, he proceeded slowly to an open place on shore, where he stood solitarily conspicuous, while the poor deluded natives gathered around him, urging him mildly, with hushed voices, to respond to the greetings. " Well, Msenne, have you come ? " 44 What news ? " 64 What ill has befallen you?" These were often repeated to the absent-minded HYPOCRISY. 41 Msenne', who was so immersed in his sorrow, that he i883. was heedless of them, until, at last, in a broken voice interrupted by sobs and bursts of assumed anger, lie condescended to unfold the pitiful tale of woe. The story as a story was capitally related ; as a comedy it was surpassingly well done, and proved that in this far away part of Africa there must have been many a Shakespeare and Milton, who have mutely and ingloriously died unwept, unhonoured and unsung by the ignorant civilised world, and whose humble mounds lie nameless under the tropic shade. "Two days from here, up that black river — the — what do ye call it? — there were many villages on the Bakuti side, and a market was held. The wild people invited us in. We ranged the boat alongside the bank. Mangombo' s boy, and one of Bula Matari's men and I sprang on shore, and then — ah, I never saw such a thing before! — Irebu's boy was caught, the Zanzibari was speared instantly, and I escaped by leaping through the treacherous crowd into the river. The boat had already shoved off at the first alarm, and now, tell « me, friends, what must I do? What answer shall I return to Mangombo, of Irebu, when he asks me for his boy? You men of Stanley, why stand ye here ? Let us go. Pack up, and let us go on to the fight, and fight until there is not one of the wretches left alive. Have you people no hearts to feel for your dead friends? How shall we return to Irebu? What, oh, what will Mangombo say to me? Pack up, I tell you ! " and here Msenne actually sobbed aloud. 42 THE CONGO. 1883. Dualla and Umari, who were in the secret, cried out June 21. , inganda. soothingly " Peace, Msenne'. Cease grieving ; can we fight without food? Let us buy food to-day, and to- morrow we shall go to the war." The natives also joined in consolations, and offered to muster all Inganda and Ikengo for the war, and in a little time Msenne hushed his sobs, and finally condescended to smile. It was not until we had settled ourselves at "Wangata that the story was told of how Msenne had deceived Inganda in such an accomplished manner, by our two young men who had thoroughly relished the per- formance. As the boats were being secured to the trees on the margin of the cove of Upper Irebu, the sounds of a musketry volley came sliarply to our ears. We inquired what this firing meant. friendship to Mangombo. Give the pledge of peace, and bury the war. Bula Matari has spoken ! " The council of elders applauded, and Mangombo yielded to the general cry of peace, and gave the pledge demanded. My interpreters were instantly sent away to central Irebu to bring the pledges of peace from the Capulets of that quarter. These pledges were two pieces of unbleached domestic, one gourd of palm-wine, one keg of damp gunpowder, and one broken musket from each faction. Then four elders from Upper Irebu who were neutrals, and four neutrals from central Irebu took charge of the peace pledges, and in the centre of the plain behind Irebu, which was the usual battle-field, a hole was dug in the ground, and the articles were interred. Salvoes of musketry from each rank of the combatants were fired over the grave of the war, and Irebu was saved from the horrors of internal strife, for many long years, I hope. The next day we spent in mutual visits through Irebu. This large town, or congeries of villages, built so close together, that to a stranger there would appear to be no distinctive limits between them, occupies the left bank of the Congo, and the left bank of the Lukanga, running along the bank for a distance of five miles, and having a depth inland of two miles. The population I estimated at 15,000 souls. Irebu has also its suburbs, and if the villages inland 46 THE CONGO. 1883 and along the Lnkanga may be reckoned, being offshoots of Irebu, the figures of the population may reasonably be doubled. On the 23rd, we steamed up the Lukanga River, which we took to be .a river, though in reality it was the tail end, or the sluggish effluence of a lake. It appeared more like a broad and winding canal. The shore, for a considerable distance, was a reedy fen, re- lieved in places by a clump of mimosa, or by a grander height of scrub, and finally by an isleted grove. A few miles up, a humpy rise of reddish clay showed a village with bananas and palms, and gardens of cassava outside. Fishermen were numerous ; canoes being seen returning from or going to the fish-catching. From 300 yards the Lukanga opened out to a mile in breadth, which gradually widened further into a little lake. We were then shown a course varying from one to two miles wide, which we followed ; the shores looming up picturesquely in wooded banks which might almost be called hills. The villages were be- coming more numerous. Presently, when half-way through this arm of the lake, we turned into a narrow channel by the village of Maboko, which was still more narrowed by rows of stakes, sedge, water-lilies, lotus, papyrus and other reeds. Three-quarters of an hour later — after winding in and out a crooked watery path— Lake Mantumba burst into view. We steamed along the northern shore — the southern being distant about five miles — until at 4 p.m., when on the south, the shore disappeared. At sunset, we had reached the MANTUMBA LAKE. 47 eastern shore, and camped on an island near Ugangi ; 1883. . 1 » June 23. whither some natives visited us, and told us of the Mantumba Watwa being many days inland, from whence they Llke' obtained their ivory and camwood. Ten days' steam- ing into beautiful little bays and creeks, past Ibingi and Ikoko, brought us to near Ikulu at 5 p.m., along the eastern shore, and round by the flat southern shore, to a portion of the western shore. By noon of the 25th we had steamed 144 English miles in the circumnavigation of the lake. Mantumba Lake, like Lake Leopold II., is a shallow depression in the lowland of this portion of the Congo basin. The greatest depth ascertained is thirty-two feet. Like the latter, it seems to have been caused by a sudden subsidence of the ironstone substructure, which, at many places, shows the ragged sharp edges of fracture as clearly as though newly made. In other parts again the land rises into low hills, not high enough to attract particular notice, but clothed with fine forests of redwood, for which this country is noted. Where the ironstone crust still shows its ragged front- age to the view, deep cavernous recesses are seen underneath. Over these the stone projects like a shelf of rock, proving its tenacious composition, as it fre- quently supports trees of considerable girth and height. On the western shores, in some of its many baylets, the pebbly beach strewn with round ironstone, and quartz, and reddish, porous, stone pebbles, shows traces of much higher water, and effects of stormy waves. Everywhere the shore is lined by these pebbles. Some 48 THE CONGO. 1883. I ground into powder, and put into a glass of water, nntumba and after stirring up I found the water to be much Lake* darker. This rust and dark red ironstone may account for a little of the inkiness of the lake, though I cannot conceive it to be altogether the cause. Scarcely any clay or sand was visible on the shore, though I minutely examined every indentation in it. The ground above this rocky substratum is a reddish soil, very rich and favourable to tropical abundance. When the shore is not cultivated the forest is dense, but all of an uniform height. The southern shore is very low and sedgy. As the lake rises about fifteen feet, or, at least, the shores show traces to this height, and, as the distance between Lakes Mantumba and Leopold II. is about twenty -two geographical miles, it may be that at the height of the rainy season these two lakes are connected. At Ikenge the natives manufactured a superior kind of pottery. Camwood powder is also extensively made by grinding in mortar, red- wood chips, or rasping small sticks of it on rough slabs. Ivory is purchased from the Watwa dwarfs, who are described as a copper- coloured people. On the 29th of June we halted at the camping-place at Lukolela. Iuka and Mungawa were induced to visit us — to make blood brotherhood, and finally to frame a verbal treaty, agreeing to cede to us sovereignty over their country. They also sold us a fine piece of land, whereon we proposed to build a station, in surety whereof we left two of our most faithful men A SHIPWRECK. 49 ill their hands, and then continued on our voyage isss. June 29. down the Congo. Lukoieia. We were encamped on the grassy terrace mentioned in our journey up river, a few miles below Lukoieia, on the evening of this day, when a large canoe ap- peared laden with forty-four men and a miscellaneous cargo. They reported the wreck of a large canoe laden with thirty-eight men, and a valuable cargo. Over a dozen of the crew of the lost canoe were on board ; the rest were still on an island wandering. Two persons had been drowned, and all the property had been lost. The shipwrecked party hailed from Usindi, and the crew of the canoe that rendered assistance belonged to Ngombe'. They found us in a fit mood and condition to be helpful. We were home- ward bound to Stanley Pool, we had just left Lukoieia, and had abundance of provisions, which we shared with them. At early dawn we were under weigh with three of the shipwrecked crew on board to guide us to the scene of the disaster. At 8.30 a.m. we hauled alongside with our three steamers, whaleboat, and canoe. They pointed the locality and the cause of the accident, which was some thirty yards from shore. It was a stiff snag, slightly covered by water, that ran strongly around it, and was thirty feet in depth. The locality was devoid of anything to which we could cling; and in attempting to secure a steamer near the place we lost our anchor and chain. I recognised the chief of the party as Miyongo of Usindi, whom we had seen at Vol. IL— 4 50 THE CONGO. 1883 Bolobo during our palavers relating to the murder of June 30. . Lukoieia. tw° °f our garrison by G-atula. We requested to know what assistance he wished. After consultation with his fellows, he decided to return to Bolobo with his wife and six companions. We supplied the others with food and native arms, which we had purchased from the Bakuti, and they resolved to make their way to Lukoieia by land. We transported them to the main- land, and then proceeded on our journey to Bolobo, which we reached at nine o'clock at night. The next day we rendered Miyongo and his wife speechless with gratitude by a present of forty days' rations, when, according to native custom, they had become our property. Departing from Bolobo soon afterwards, we arrived at Mswata station after thirteen hours' steaming. During my absence to the equator, Lieutenant Janssen had received a visitor, in the person of the Abbe' Guyot, a Boman Catholic missionary serving under the orders of the Algerian Cardinal. The Abbe had come up the Congo highly recommended to the officers of the Association, with the view of establish- ing a mission. Leopoldville being already blessed with the Protestant missions, the Abbe thought it convenient to seek a virgin field. Upon suggesting the Kwa, in the neighbourhood of the confluence, he expressed himself pleased with the locality, upon which I requested Lieutenant Janssen to proceed up to the Kwa, and establish himself on the left bank of the confluence, and to assist the Abbe G-uyot KIMPOKO STATION. 51 in the founding of his mission on the right bank 1883. . of the affluent opposite. Mswata. On the 3rd of July, with the wind blowing strongly against us, we left Mswata for Le'opoldville. Just above the Wampoko river, on the right bank, we saw a lion crouched, on the sand, watching with curious gaze the descending flotilla. We tried a shot at it and missed it ; and, led by curiosity, we landed at the place to discover that a fierce struggle had occurred shortly before, leaving traces of some heavy body having been dragged over the beach. The evidences were as legible as a highway, and pointed us to a dead buffalo still warm fifty paces from the river's edge, where it had been struck helpless while drinking. Good fresh beef was too rare on the Upper Congo to be rejected, and all hands that day banqueted on the steaks and roast hump furnished by the forest king. Kimpoko station, reached the next day at 10 a.m., was superintended by Mons. Amelot. The place evidently was about to be known as one of our unlucky stations. This was the fourth chief who had been placed in command, and yet the chief's residence had not been completed, and, by the very slow progress which had been made, probably the columns would need renewing before it would be fit for living in. After fifty-seven days' absence we again saw Le'opold- ville, with substantial proofs everywhere visible of the competency of Lieutenant Valcke as chief. A large house, having nine commodious rooms for the lodging of Europeans, had been put up ; a small station 52 THE CONGO. 1883. ha(l ^een established at Kinshassa ; some 500 new Leopold' banana p'an^s were thriving in our garden; and the viiie. community and its belongings were altogether in a "blooming" condition. Thus a proper man proved that he could perform more service in two months than his predecessor had performed within eleven months. Ngalyema and his brother chiefs were also on excellent terms with the staff of Europeans ; the store-rooms of the station were filled with provision cases, cloth * bales, bead boxes, and there were nearly four tons of brass rods — the native currency. On the 13th of July the steamers and boats were again despatched to Bolobo with 150 loads of goods and thirty-two men, in charge of Captain Anderson, in whom I could place implicit reliance. Meantime troubles at Yivi and Manyanga required my atten- tion, and I had to despatch an agent to that place with authority to rectify the mischiefs which ever recurred at that unfortunate station, owing to the utter impossibility of enforcing obedience to orders by letter. " Captain " had, after six months' patient endea- vour to reach his post, finally arrived to take command. At least this was to be hoped, but later letters informed us that he declined the command, owing to a species of triangular disagreement and misunderstanding existing at Vivi, in connection with which each of the three persons involved showered letters in most forcible language upon me. In this predicament it was necessary to commission a deputy, with copies of the BWA-BWA NJALI'S INVITATION. 53 various orders that had emanated from me during the 1883. last six months ; and I consider that the immense Leopold- bother on this occasion drew from me a final order, Vllle' which was an absolute model of its kind, from the great number of propositional u ifs " it contained, providing, I flattered myself, against all mortal possibilities of misunderstanding, misapprehension, and failure. Not VIEW FKOM THE HEAD OF BAMTJ ISLAND DOWN THE SOUTH BKANCH AT STANLEY POOL. having a single soul else within reach that I could trust, I was obliged to deprive Leopoldville of its chief, so that Lieutenant Valcke was the chosen deputy, while Dr. Yau den Heuvel was appointed chief of Leopoldville pro tern. Invited by Bwa-bwa Njali, of the Gordon-Bennett River, to establish a station there, I proposed to a 54 THE CONGO. 1883. young continental officer to undertake the duty. He uopoid- readily acquiesced, expressing himself indeed as ex- ulle* tremely desirous to have his fidelity and capacity tested previous to promotion, and the public recognition of his zeal and intelligence. He and his band of fourteen picked men were transported across the river, and duly introduced to the chief, who consented to receive him as his brother. The young officer received his final instructions with a strong injunction to be prudent, good tempered, and forbearing, and always charitable in his dealings with the aborigines as well as with his own people. Eight days passed away, and then from across the river came a rumour of trouble. A boat was hastily manned and sent to inquire for news, which, in a few hours, returned with the young officer, pale and excited, with his face scratched and his clothes in disorder, and two of his own garrison with him. The coxswain of the boat reported that he had gone across the river, and had found the military officer bound hand and foot. Two of his own men guarded him, and they told the coxswain a curious tale. He had, however, on his own responsibility set the officer at Libert}^ and had brought him, along with his men, to Leopold ville to answer for themselves. The officer related how he had detected a plot to murder him and take the property, upon which he had attempted to shoot the supposed ringleader in the con- spiracy, but had only succeeded in wounding him, A TERRIBLE DISASTER. 55 whereupon his own men sprang upon him, disarmed 1883. and bound him, and were about conveying him to Leopoid- Le'opoldville when the boat fortunately arrived to take them across. He admitted he had been set free from his bonds by the coxswain. The two men who had been found guarding him, in their direct and circumstantial story, proved that their officer had suddenly developed an homicidal mania. He had attempted to shoot poor Bwa-bwa Njali, and had actually shot his chief sergeant in the head, which provoked his own garrison to disarm and bind him. During the night following he had burst his bonds and fled into the woods, where he had been discovered next morning. Being recaptured, and rebound, he was conveyed to the river side, whither soon after the boat arrived, and its crew, taking charge of the prisoner and his guard, brought them to Le'opoldville. My servant Dualla was sent over to Bwa-bwa Njalfs, to transport the party back again to Le'opoldville. On the return of Dualla, corroborating the truth of the charge against the officer, the unfortunate gentle- man was taken under escort to Tivi with an order of dismissal from the service. On the 22nd of July, a courier canoe arrived from Mswata station with the dreadful intelligence that Lieutenant Janssen and the Abbe' Griivot, with eleven of their people, while descending the Congo from the new Kwamouth station 1o Mswata, during a gale of wind, were drowned. On the 31st of July an expedition was sent to 56 THE CONGO. L883. occupy Kwamouth station. It consisted of Lieutenant July 31. Leopold- Pagels, a Swedish officer, and a small garrison for that ville. -i place. Two days later a courier canoe arrived from Kim- poko station, with letters from Mons. Amelot, imploring instant relief. He had had a misunderstanding with the natives, and some shooting had happened, wherein two or three of the natives had fallen. Naturally, I hurried to Kimpoko, and found that G-ambiele and all the natives had fled, and my presenti- ment concerning unfortunate Kimpoko was verified. Unable to induce the natives to return, I ordered the half-built station to be destroyed, and conveyed the garrison down to Le'opoldville. The prospects were most disheartening ; eternal and ever-brewing troubles at Yivi ; two stations destroyed within a few days of each other ; two Europeans and eleven coloured men belonging to another station drowned ! But the end had not yet arrived. On the 21st of August, a courier canoe arrived from Bolobo with a note saying that unfortunate Bolobo — never to be built Bolobo — was burnt to the ground with all the goods belonging to it, as well as the 150 loads recently stored there for the Upper Congo stations Ban gala and Stanley Falls. Fortunately the flotilla, which had been beached for repairs, was now in perfect order for a long voyage, and I was only waiting for an overland caravan, of the near approach of which we had notice, to have started. The danger to these houseless people at Bolobo, how- BOLOBO IN ARMS. 57 ever, spurred us to immediate movement, and on the 1883. 22nd of August we accordingly departed from Leopold- bolobo ville, with ten tons of miscellaneous goods, and a crew and passenger list numbering fifty men. After fifty- seven hours' steaming we arrived in view of Bolobo on the 29th August. The En Avant being a few miles ahead of the Royal and A.I. A. As the En Avant steamed by the shore I observed the usual crowds of spectators darkening it. Mungolo, Ibaka's favourite village, poured out its bronze-bodied people great and small. Next Biangala, perched on the slope of the hill which separated the Lower from the Upper Bolobo. Next in order appeared the villages of Ururu, Mongo, Manga, Yambula, and Lingenji, and, finally, without a single incident, we arrived at the landing-place of the ruined station, the blackened site of which we saw looked desolate enough. I told the engineer to keep steam at three atmo- spheres until the other steamers had actually arrived, and I was listening to the reports of the burning of the station, when a messenger came from Ibaka, the senior chief, saying that Itimba and Biangala had fired on the two steamers. The news was so astonishing that I could scarcely credit the fact ; for in the Moyal were three natives of Bolobo, who had borne to me the news of the destruction by fire of the station, and had been brought back by us. I had also passed by the shore, and the people had waved their hands and greeted us at several places,, while the chief of the station had reported that he was on terms of friendly intimacy with 58 THE CONGO. 1883. every one at Bolobo. No whisper of ill-feeling had ugust 29. Boiobo. been heard from any one. To emphasise this apparent friendship, Manga's chief had exchanged presents with the station superintendent that morning. Upiti, the chief of Itamba, was cracked up to be " a dear friend — in fact, one of the best fellows in the world." Full of wonder at this sudden outbreak, we made steam again, and proceeded down the river to discover the truth. Five hundred yards below the station landing-place we were passing by Manga's village, and I had barely time to distinguish my protege, Miyongo, of Usindi, by the broad-beaded and glittering haft of his falchion, when a stream of fire was seen issuing from the bushes near him, and the slugs came peltering briskly across, some ringing smartly on the steel hull of the steamer. Presently another shot rang out loudly a few yards below, the missile of which swept over the bow, It appeared to dawn on my mind that all this was a pre-concerted arrangement. For a moment, I fear that I did not wholly exempt my own station chief from some participation in the outbreak. He might have tampered with these savages from some sinister design of his own, because he had called them his dear friends, and, if dear friends of his, why not dear friends of ours ? Absurd as the thought undoubtedly was, we had no time to discuss it, for the En Avant was in a dangerous proximity to these ambushed people, and the muskets roared at us from a long line of sharpshooters hidden only about fifty yards from us. We had only six men aboard, and our rifles had never been used. Arms were FIGHTING ON THE RIVER. 59 taken on board always as a precaution; but during the 1883. in i • August 2 lour years we had run on the Congo not a single native i30]0bo. had fired at us. However, we soon drew them out and began to return the fire vigorously into the bushes, while we charged down river to the rescue of the steamers. In twenty minutes we met the A.I. A.> and soon after the Royal, the crews of which related the narrow escapes they had experienced. One man only had been wounded in the face by a shot from some excited bungler amongst the crew. The steamers were brought up to the station, and the goods then discharged into a small hut that had been hastily constructed and placed under guard. The Royal was then dispatched to Leopoldville to bring up an artillery officer with a Krupp cannon, and some fifty charges of ammunition, with which I hoped by a little fright to make the intractable people of Bolobo less disposed to include us in their future dis- plays of spleen. The reader will have perceived by this that Bolobo had become noted in our books as an unlucky station. It had been established nearly a year at this time, yet it was in a more backward condition than any other. Two members of its garrison had been foully mur- dered ; a fire then utterly consumed the station and village with £1500 worth of property; and now we had what the natives called u a war." All the towns of Bolobo were arrayed against us, except Mungolo and Lingenji, the villages of Ibaka. After waiting forr days, during which no one seemed 60 THE CONGO. 1883. disposed to come to terras, or to offer to effect a recon- Boiobo. ciliation, the En Avant and whale-boat descended the river to reconnoitre, and to endeavour to parley with some of our friends in the villages, but a most mur- derous fusilade greeted us as we came near Manga's and Yambula's villages. This roused our ire again, and we replied at random into the bush, as no person could be seen. On the 3rd of September a few of our party occu- pied an island running parallel with the hostile villages, from which our sharpshooters replied briskly at every locality whence the shots issued. In the evening, Miyongo appeared and related the effects of the firing. A woman, the mother of the young rogue who had first fired at us from Manga's, had lost her front teeth by a bullet. A man had his love-knot of hair scraped clean away. Seventeen pots full of native beer had been smashed ; some houses per- forated, and three or four bananas cut down. At Itimba the firing from the En Avant had been more effective, two men were killed and three wounded, besides one goat and one chicken killed. The Wy- yanzi are too fond of trade not to include everything in their tale of losses. The smashing of a few more pots of beer, by which their courage is inspired, would produce a depression whence peaceful results might be expected. The following day, Ibaka introduced a peace deputa- tion from Itimba, which brought with it a few dozens of brass rods, a goat, and some fowls. Surely a war was NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE. 61 not worth much at Bolobo when they estimated the 1883. indemnity at such a trifle. However, we accepted it, Bolobo. and old Upiti and his brother ambassadors were delighted, and promised to be very good in future. In the afternoon we proceeded again to the island opposite Manga's, and kept up a desultory firing at the white cloudlets emitted from the black bush, and in the evening Miyongo bore to me the bulletin of results. The tale of losses included a chief wounded in the leg" while drinking* beer in the woods with his brother chiefs, one man wounded in both thighs, one in the arms, a gun smashed by a bullet, a canoe damaged, and a few more bananas levelled. The wounding of a chief brought Manga to propose terms of peace, but as this was a second offence I was severe. They offered the same money paid by Itimba. It was rejected with scorn, and they were told that, as they considered it a pleasure to fight, and a hardship to pay for the privilege of firing at people, we must try our hands at it again next day, and every day until the big gun arrived from Stanley Pool, when they would all be blown up to the sky. This awful threat made them surrender the case to Ibaka's hands, but with all Ibaka's real and earnest efforts it cost us nine days' negotiations to induce them to pay the fine of 600 matako, value £15, as an indemnity. On the 13th the peace was duly proclaimed through- out Bolobo, and the next day the Krupp, which had arrived during the last days of the peace negotiations, had to be fired into the Congo, which, opposite Bolobo, 62 THE CONGO. 1883. is 4000 yards wide. All the villages were represented Boiobo. on the occasion by the chiefs in person, accompanied by a few hundreds of people, who honour nie without many weapons. To them there was not much likeness of a gun about the Krupp. ' 6 If it were a gun, where was the trigger, stock, ramrod? And what, in the name of goodness, were the wheels for ? " " Tut," they said ; " Bula Matari is joking. It can- not be a gun ; it bears no resemblance to a gun. It looks like a fine piece of wood with a deep hole in its belly." It was, therefore, decidedly necessary to fire the Krupp. They were turbulent through their unsophis- ticated wildness. They knew no better. A brass rod causes a war ; a drop too much of beer ends in a war. If they have a bad dream, some unfortunate is accused, and burnt for witchcraft, or hung for being an accessory to it. A chief dies from illness, and from two to fifty people are butchered over his grave. When the chief of Move' — the next village above our station — died, forty-five people were slaughtered, and only a short time before Ibaka strangled a lovely young girl because her lover had sickened and died. Two slaves of Ibaka quarrelled over their beer, and one shot the other; the brother of the murdered man demanded twelve slaves, two bales of cloth, and 1500 brass rods ; one of the male slaves was beheaded, and a female slave was strangled, that their spirits might accompany the spirit of the dead slave on its dreary journey to the unknown THE KRUPP SURPRISES THE NATIVES. 63 universe. That we had not been more involved in 1883. Sept. 14 trouble with such people as these of Bolobo has been Bolobo. solely due to our anxious care and large forbearance. Notwithstanding their professions of incredulity as to its power, it was observed that the chiefs took great care to keep at a respectful distance from the Krupp, and, when finally the artillerist, after sighting the piece to 2000 yards, fired it, and the cannon spasmodically recoiled, their bodies also instantaneously developed a convulsive movement, after which they sat stupidly gazing at one another. A second shot was fired to 3000 yards, and the appearance of the column of water heaved by it, satisfied the most sceptical that the implement was a gun of immense power. But the following little episode will well illustrate the character of the Wy-yanzi. After the peaceful exhibition of the powers of the Krupp, I seized the occasion to explain to them how very foolish they were to fight their friends. No white man had yet injured any of them. We had settled at Bolobo only at the solicitation of Ibaka, and all the chiefs had tasted of the white man's liberality. I now would pay for the beer to celebrate a long peace, and I according delivered to each man one piece of cloth and ten brass rods, which, as there were fifteen chiefs and elders, amounted to more than the fine exacted from Lower Bolobo for shooting without provocation at our steamers. They left the goods on the ground, and went aside to consider or hold a palaver, and after all had arrived at an agreement they came back to their seats, 64 THE CONGO. 1883. and Lusnimbila, the senior slave of Ibaka, with an Sept. 14. & Boiobo. unabashed face, dared to say to me : " Bula Matari, we have been considering together, and we are all of one mind that you ought to give each of us two pieces of cloth and twenty brass rods to cele- brate this peace, value £25." Without a word, but feeling unutterable things, I ordered my servant Dualla to take the presents back, and, waving my hand to them, I said : " It is enough. Ibaka, this land is yours. Take it ; I and my people will depart from Boiobo for ever. I am tired of you." Up sprang the chiefs instantly to their feet, while Ibaka hastily arrested Dualla's movement, crying out, " No, no, no. Stop, Bula Matari ! Dualla, stay ! Nay, be not angry with us ; this is but a custom of the Wy-yanzi. If you had given us 4000 brass rods we should have asked for 10,000 ; if you had given us 50,000 we should have asked for ten times the amount. What, Bula Matari leave us ? No, never ! Give us the moneys, and we will go to celebrate the peace. Come, Bula Matari, drive away your anger," and Ibaka came and patted and rapped gently over my watch-pocket, as though my disgust and silent fury was stowed some- where in that region. " And," continued Ibaka smiling humorously, " does not Bula Matari know the Wy-yanzi yet ? Why, the greed of the Wy-yanzi is as insatiable as the appetite of the hippopotamus. The trouble is ended, Bula Matari. Wy-yanzi love money too well to risk fighting any more. Two troubles have cost SETTLING THE INDEMNITY. G5 them money ; they will not care to provoke a third. 1883. * 11 i i> Sept. 1* So live m peace, and let your heart rest. Bolobo Being a guileless, liberal, and susceptible creature, I accepted Ibaka's hand, and then all departed to drink beer, with the strong purpose to live hereafter in peace with the white man and his people. The Wy-yanzi are not a vindictive people, why should I have been ? On the 16th of September we departed from Bolobo, and ascended along the right bank on this journey to Lukolela. Miyongo, of Usindi, and his shipwrecked crew, who had been extremely serviceable to us in the negotiations with the aborigines of Lower Bolobo, accompanied us. Two hours later we passed the Mikene' river. A guide told us that it continued to be navigable for a about a day's journey up by canoe to the junction of two rivers, each of which was impassable on account of rapids. Skirting the shore above the Mikene, we discovered that the firm land was generally a mile inland from the tangle of calamus and bush, weeds and papyrus, which rose in impenetrable masses in line along the river margin. The islets, principally low, were innu- merable, and produced but reedy plants and scrub. When we had proceeded about a third of the distance from Lukolela the land improved in appearance, show- ing a tall forest and a limited grassy terrace or two, in appearance very like the left bank. About 60 English miles above the point opposite Bolobo we passed the Ikubn, or Likuba stream; and Vol. IL— 5 66 THE CONGO. 1883. about 20 miles higher we saw a fine river, called by Bdobo. tne g'uide the River of Bunga, about which he was very enthusiastic, describing its banks as being very populous, and the tribes as possessing an abundance of ivory and food. The people of Busaka, Ikuba, and Bunga, villages near the Congo, exploit this river in their search for ivory. On the 22nd of September we arrived at Lukolela, where Mr. Grlave, a young Englishman, was installed as chief of the new station, with a garrison of twenty- five men. Lukolela station was located about 2i miles above the uppermost village of the native community, in the forest, a hundred yards from the edge of the Congo. As the tall trees, ranging from 60 to 150 feet high, with clean, branchless stems for three-quarters of their gross height, were only from 10 to 30 feet apart, young Mr. Glave had a difficult work before him. We! there- fore, placed the entire force at his disposal for a couple of days, to cut down the thin undergrowth and to clear some .50 square yards, so as to obtain room to construct a couple of native huts which we purchased for him as a temporary residence and magazine. A little exploration I made through this forest, which is scarcely more difficult to penetrate than the Thier- garten of Berlin, enabled me to estimate the number of useful trees in the forest of Lukolela at 460,000, which, allowing only 40 cubic feet to the tree, would furnish over 18,000,000 cubic feet of timber. The plane-trees are numerous ; they would furnish easily A MAGNIFICENT FOREST. 67 workable planks for flat-boats, wooden steamers, tables, 188.3. doors, flooring, rafters, window frames, &c. ; while of L^oku. the splendid teak might be formed keels, stem and stern-posts, decking, and the mahogany, red-wood, and guaiacum for furniture. A steam saw-mill might enable us to furnish all the timber needed for trading houses for generations out of this one forest. Though the timber is not scant in other parts of the Congo banks, it is the only part from the sea to Lukolela that a forest was found wherein there were so few useless trees. This magnificent crop of largest forest trees led us to suppose that this ground was extremely rich, but while planting the posts of Mr. Glave's huts, even the picks could make but little impression on the conglomerate of iron we found it to be. The trees had seemingly grown in hollow cavities in the ironstone filled with alluvium, and most of them were of vast girths and buttresses, .the base expanding to an enormous circle with their roots. The major number tapered upward to an incredible height, with stems as smooth as a planed pine spar. Whatever the station may turn out to be, it is evident that months must elapse before its chief will be able to boast of a garden. Our young officer started on his work, not a whit daunted by the magnitude of the task before him. X\q departed from Lukolela on the 25th of September. Miyongo and his family were on familiar terms with us by this time, and when the rain threatened to interrupt our voyage with its usual black storm-clouds, one of 68 THE CONGO. 1883. his men stood up and dared to brave the elements, and Sept. 25. Lukoieia. to compel them by his powerful charms to go and visit other countries. Upon which Miyongo observed that white men seemingly possessed all things save one, viz., a rain-charm to keep the rain away while travelling. The next day we landed him and his family at Usindi, but in the faces of the hundreds who hurried forward to satisfy their curiosity I perceived no joy or gratitude for the service we had rendered. Had a European Prince been saved from such a distressful position as the one Miyongo had been extricated from, no doubt we should have been dined and toasted ; but then this was Usindi, in Congoese Africa. During our stay here we went through the ceremony of blood-brotherhood with Miyongo, which provoked the jealousy of Iuka, Iuka was also inclined to be surly because I had not delivered Miyongo into his hands, that he, as the senior chief of Usindi, might have had the honour of presenting him in turn to Miyongo's villagers. This occasioned a rhetorical artifice from me, which, by applying the case of Miyongo to Iuka himself, the old 'chief became con- vinced that he had no reasonable cause of offence. " Is Miyongo a slave of Iuka ? Do his wives or his slaves belong to Iuka? Is not Miyongo a free man and a chief? How can Iuka claim authority over Miyongo ? If Iuka was saved from the Balui pirates, or from the river, could Miyongo be displeased that Iuka was not delivered into his hands ? No ; neither THE SUPERSTITIONS OF IUKA. 69 must Iuka be displeased that Miyongo, being a free 1883. man, could travel freely in his own country." afsindi Iuka was a dirty old man, who was wickedly mean without being aware of it. Two hours after sunset he came to me in my cabin on the steamer, and gravely begged for a looking-glass with which he might dis- cover all hostile designs against him. He then asked for a charm by which he could stop the rain from falling on the gardens and fields of the people he disliked ; and was anxious for a medicine with which he could positively secure the fidelity of his queen ! Iuka dreaded Miyongo evidently after the exhibition of his jealousy to him, and, after finding that I had no charms to give him to prevent the evil effects of it, he earnestly implored me to take himself and his com- munity away to colonise some other part on the river. On departing the next day from Usindi, Miyongo gave me a guide, who was reputed to have advanced higher up river than any man in the trading com- munity of Usindi. He had belonged originally to Upoto, and had since often traded with Langa-Langa and Iboko. We had been delayed too long at Bolobo to halt at Irebu for more than a few hours. About ten miles above Irebu we sawr a few canoes belonging to the piratical Balui, who inhabit a district on the right bank, access to which is gained by means of numerous narrow branches of a delta of a river, bearing no other name than that of the tribe. Inland, a few miles from the Congo the Balui's River is said to be of considerable 70 THE CONGO. ins... size and importance, perhaps between 300 and 400 irebu. yards wide. The Balui are a very daring people from all accounts, and their numerous piratical exploits have won for them great notoriety in that section of the Congo lying between Ngombe and Ikengo. On the 29th of September the steam flotilla arrived off Equator Station, from which we had been absent one hundred days. A NATIVE OF IBOKO. No better illustration could be desired to exhibit the effect of industry inspired by good-will and zeal than Equator Station, as it was seen by us after this com- paratively short absence. We had left it a jungle of worthless scrub ; we returned to find an Equatorial hotel — commodious, comfortable, rain-proof, bullet- proof, burglar-proof, and almost fire-proof. In the domestic adornments and fittings, one might have imagined a lady had lent her skilful taste in the arrangement. The two young army lieutenants, after building the solid clay-house, had turned their attention EQUATOR STATION. 71 to making window-frames, doors, tables, chairs, and 1883. stools, but, having no paint, blue and crimson baize, a few yards of gay print and white sheeting, had given Statlon- a look of finish to the door, windows, and furniture ; and, with native matting, the hotel presented a very complete and neat appearance without and within. An observatory, or petite casino, stood perched above an ant-bill, devoted to meditation, or to fond contem- plation of their handiwork and industrious efforts. It was here they drew up their code of laws for the moral government of Equator Station, and the amelio- ration of the wild Bakuti, and here also they discussed on Sundays and rainy days plans for the sanitary im- provement of their little town, and, like a Board of Public Works, sketched out what further duties lay before them. Imitating their young chiefs, the coloured men had also developed singularly good faculties. Each of them had built for himself an impregnable clay hut, in the centre of a garden, wherein the Indian corn was already over six feet high ; the sugar-cane was tall and thriving ; plats of sweet potatoes carpeted with their leaves; while pumpkins, brinjalls, cucumbers, &c, &c., exhibited prodigious vitality. Lieutenants Yangele and Coquilhat also possessed a garden of European vegetables, which supplied onions, raddish, carrots, beans, peas, parsley, lettuce, cress, beets, sweet potatoes, cabbage, &c, &c, for their soups and salads daily. There were also a large kitchen, servants' hall, goat park, and fowl-houses. Their 72 THE CONGO. ^iss;^ goats gave them fresh milk, and their hens produced Equator a supply of eggs. Tims for the first time I saw the realisation of my favourite ideal of a Congo station. Here was a well- governed community of soldier-labourers, impregnable and unassailable by its discipline, and the mutual de- pendence of one upon another ; the chiefs cool-headed, zealous, and prudent, but not too militarily stiff to chill the advances of the aborigines. They possessed sufficient bonhommie to be appreciated for their cordi- ality, yet just distant enough to repress vulgar fami- liarity and prevent infraction of the social distinctions that must ever exist between educated intelligence, governed by Christian morality, and unsophisticated barbarism, too light-minded even to become the slaves to savage passion, or the partisans in factious strife among the natives. Ikenge, the chief, a young bull-necked savage, had caused trouble through a determined misapprehension of the purpose of this station in his neighbourhood. -After my departure he had developed an over-weening ambition, a desire to be hurriedly rich, by slaughtering every man to whom he bore ill-will and seizing his possessions. He had conceived that our friendship meant an alliance offensive and defensive, which might have carried us, by his vaulting spirit and daring schemes, to unlimited aggression. He had provoked two wars, out of which he had emerged weakened in strength, and well hated by bis neighbours for his growing insolence. He had grown rather dishonest MY IDEAL STATION. 73 Station. also, for he had repudiated certain purchases of trees 1883. and bananas that were in the little territory ceded to g^atot us by him. However, through Heliwa his chief slave, who had visited Leopold ville with us, and had been brought back enriched by his voyage, and with his memory weighted with things he had seen, and on which he could moralise, every question was settled in a few days. Thus over the populations of Buriki. Iyambo, Wangata, Molira, Mukuli, Ikengo and Inganda and the garrison of Equator Station, an Arcadian harmony and concord held its sway. On the 11th of October, I indited the following in my diary : — " Equator Station is certainly a happy one, not so situated with regard to view as it might be ; but with that sole exception, many other requisites necessary for well-being are in perfection. We have abundance of food, obtained very cheaply, and the prices are now so established to every one's content, that there is nothing left to complain of. We have apparently friendly and devoted neighbours. Brinjalls, bananas, plantains, sweet cassava, potatoes, yams, Indian-corn, eggs, poultry, goats, sheep, the native productions assisted by vegetables of Europe, flourishing in the gardens, with tea, coffee, sugar, butter, lard, rice, and wheat-flour from Europe, afford a sufficient variety for a sumptuous menu. I have enjoyed puddings every day here, and among other accomplishments of Lieutenants Vangele and Coquilhat, not the least useful is that of knowing 74 THE CONGO. 1883. Low to cook, and how food should be prepared. ►ctoberll. , Equator We have sufficient acreage near the station to be a lon* able, if necessary, to feed everybody abundantly. The climate is healthy also, though they have such moist weathers here, and the ground is so astonishingly rich that one would have thought that fever would be prevalent, yet our officers have been already four months at Wangata without experiencing one hour's indisposition." FOUNDING STATIONS. 75 CHAPTER XXYII1. TO THE ARUWIMI OR BIYERRE. Equipping xor a long voyage — The Lulungu river — Bolombo — Bangala the terrible— Stirring memories— Boleko the chief—" Stop thief! " — Mata Bwyki— A modern Hercules—" Is this Tandelay ? " — Uncom- fortable moments— The appeal of Yumbila— " Bula Matari and Mata Bwyki are one to-day ! "—Luxuriant tropical scenes— Immense forest wealth — Unsheltered in a storm— Deserted districts — Nganza — Old Rubunga— Langa-Langa women — The currency changing — Ndobo — Oyster-shells a sign of former population— Bumba and the chief Myombi — The dreaded Ibanza— A trick with a tiger's skin— Yam- binga — Itimbiri river— Yalulima armourers — Hostile natives — War canoes on the look out— The Aruwimi— Mokulu— An effective salu- tation— " Bravo, Yumbila ! " Our work of founding stations, many of which, if the i883. future were favourable to our designs, would grow into °e°^0*2' cities, had carried us well towards the heart of Africa, Stat,0D- for Equator Station was 757 English miles from the sea, and 412 miles above Le'opoldville. In response to earnest wishes from Brussels, I was now about to steam up the Congo some 600 miles further, to found a settle- ment at Stanley Falls, and endeavour to make verbal treaties with the more populous settlements on either bank as I voyaged upward, leaving to a future occasion the permanent establishment of stations. The Committee 76 THE CONGO. 1883. had also nominated a person for the command at Stanley ictober 12, Equator F&Hs \ thus our poor young friend Lieutenant Coquil- hal;, after bravely working at Equator station awaiting his opportunity to be located at Ban gala station, now saw himself, to his great disappointment, obliged to wait until I could return from the Falls. We had prepared for this long voyage 1600 lbs. of corn and cassava flour, and had purchased 500 dried fish from the Bakuti. Our live stock consisted of three goats, three sheep, and thirty fowls, which were of course for the five Europeans on board, as well as a large store of plantains, ripe bananas, yams, sweet potatoes, and a dozen cases of Crosse and Blackwell's best tinned provisions. A full case of Cognac was distributed among four whites ; besides a five-gallon demijohn of red Portuguese wine. In fact, limited as was the carrying capacity of the steamers, the five Europeans and sixty-eight coloured men on board were as well victualled and equipped at Equator station as a British division of soldiers might be at Chatham, Wool- wich, or Portsmouth. On the 16th of October the flotilla started up the channel leading to Uranga and the Lulungu Eiver. We steamed ten hours. It was fine when we departed from the Equator ; but at two o'clock the sky became overcast, and thunder rolled, but finally the atmosphere cleared again without rain. At noon we were in N. Lat. 0° 9'. As w^e ascended nearly due north, our night's camp was probably in N. Lat. 0° 18'. Following the Uranga channel, we came to the main THE LULUNGU RIVER. 77 channel, and crossed over to the left bank. A few 1883. ip i ti i i -i October 1', hours alter we came to the Ikelemba, a comparatively uranga. small river about 150 yards wide, the colour of its waters being inky. Clinging closely to the left bank, we arrived opposite Uranga at one o'clock on the 17th. This populous community is pleasantly located on an elevated triangle of land to the left of the conflu- ence of the Lulungu affluent and the Congo, com- manding an extensive view up and down the Congo and up the Lulungu. The latter river rather disappointed me, because the natives had usually spoken of it as being a " large " river. We ascended it for about three miles to obtain an idea of its average breadth. I should judge it to be about 550 yards wide ; but the aborigines informed us that one could ascend it a month's journey in canoes, and that the populousness of its banks is much superior to any part of the Congo. It is larger even than the Mohindu they say. Higher up than the point we reached, the Lulungu may be wider than the Mohindu ; but I doubt it being of greater volume. From all I have gathered and personally seen, it appears to me that there must be a connection between the Lulungu, Ikelemba, and Mohindu, but of what character it would be difficult to say. They are all equally black, and their courses are parallel and equi-distant from each other. The country is very flat though densely wooded, and it is quite possible that there may be channels inland con- necting the rivers. 1 would also include Mantumba, 78 THE CONGO. 1883. and the Lukanga. Indeed, if I understood rightly, the October 17. , & . & J9 Uranga. natives of Irebu spoke as though it were possible to travel from the Lukanga to the Mohindu or Buruki. It is rash, however, to place too much reliance upon these native statements, though it would not at all surprise me to learn some day that a few days' journey inland on either the Mohindu or Lulungu there was a labyrinthine system of liquid channels through a low jungly forest, connecting the three rivers Ikelemba, Lulungu, and Mohindu. A short journey up the Ikelemba, we find the stream nearly impassable to row-boats by the wide overhanging branches stretching from either bank. Canoes, however, travel far inland, if their crews are known to the aborigines, who seem to be too free with their arrows. We experienced this disposition of the aborigines on the Mohindu to make it credible that on the Ikelemba they are equally averse to strangers. The Congo tribes are civilised compared to the natives dwelling on the banks of the affluents. The natives of Uranga came out breathlessly and eagerly in their canoes with friendly hails ; but ex- cept returning their greetings, and maintaining a running fire of compliments and amenities, according to the custom of warm friends, we could do no more, as our journey would be protracted indefinitely if we stayed at every populated district we saw. Ascending the Lulungu a few miles, we turned up a narrow channel connected with the Congo. The latter river being bank-full, the shore and islands were flooded, though here and there the mainland THE TERRIBLE BANOALA. 79 showed places where the water had yet to rise two i883. n i-i it- October V, feet before overflowing, which no doubt it would if uranga. the watermarks on the trees are to be trusted. A furious squall of wind and rain compelled us to seek an early camp. On the 19th we travelled all day along a forested mainland, with palmy islets on our left, until, camping a few miles below Bolombo, trading canoes bound down river told us that Iboko was anxious to see us, the Bangala having already heard of our coming. The next day we stopped at Bolombo in N. lat. 1° 23' — forty-three hours' steaming above Equator station. I made a verbal treaty and blood-brotherhood with the chiefs, but there was a famine in Bolombo, and the gifts were poor and scant. The people, how- ever, were very amiable, and as amicably inclined as any we had met. On the 2 1st of October, four hours above Bolombo, I found myself at last in view of the Bangala — the ter- rible fighters who pressed so hard upon us in 1877. The country of the Bangala is called Iboko, though I did not know it then. I have been told that they remem- ber the fight well, but rumour has varied greatly as to their intentions. Some have told us that they have vowed that if ever the Ibanza returns, they will dispute every inch of the waterway with him. Mangombo of Irebu told me that the lesson was so severe that the Bangala had received, that I need only " shake a stick at them." However the negotiations might end, it cannot be denied that I felt some anxiety as the flotilla 80 THE CONGO. 1883. steamed from amongst the islands m view of Iboko, October 21. . , . . iboko. whose multitudes pouring out over the river to war I had no wish to see again. At the same time we could not, while professing claims to manhood, for ever stop in dread of the danger. They were slow to make their appearance, those terrible Bangala. Not a drum nor horn was sounded to raise the alarm of war. Under the pendent green banana fronds on the banks the aborigines seemed to be gathered in idle crowds, as though they had no con- cern with us, even as though a flotilla of smoke-boats was an everyday occurrence to the tribe of Iboko. We were approaching the first projecting point up the shore — which I remembered very well as a place whence the real fury of the battle in 1877 was met by us — when three canoes dashed out with something of elan in their movement. I detached the En Avant from the flotilla and went out to meet them, Miyongo's guide taking position on the cabin deck. " Who are you ? " was shouted. " Bula Matari ; come to see Mata Bwyki " (lord of many guns). " Ah — h — h ! Mata Bwyki is not at home ; he is gone a-fishing." " Is Boleko at home, then ? I am the slave of his brother Miyongo of Irebu." " Yes ; he is in his village." This was all. They had no more to say, and we passed on. They returned to the shore, and in an incredibly short time all Iboko seemed to know that AN IMMENSE SETTLEMENT. 81 the curious smoke-boats contained friends, and great 1883. October 21. and small canoes darted out from the shore to bear us company, until the number of them was absolutely oppressive. How many scores of canoes were out upon the water, ahead, on either side, and astern, we could not begin to estimate. Almost anything answered the purpose for a canoe — from the mere dough troughs of Tribal' Setdemervb PLAN OF THE BANGALA SETTLEMENTS. bakers to the crocodile-snouted war-canoe impelled by forty stout muscular fellows, who sent her skimming gaily past the steamer. Some idea of this immense settlement may be gained when I state that at noon we were abreast of its lower extremity, and at five o'clock we were still two hours Vol. II.— 6 I boko. S2 THE CONGO. 1883. from its upper end, though we had been steadily tober'21. iboKo. steaming. In 1877, while gently paddling with the current, it had occupied us five and a half hours. The guide indicated to us Boleko's village, and also Mata Bwyki's ; but we chose a dismal and dank camp on an islet opposite the former, the channel between being about 500 yards across. Yumbila, the guide, departed to see Boleko quite unconcernedly, leaving us to be gazed at until sunset by a thousand of the Bangala. I could not help wondering in my mind what they thought of the " Ibanza " who had passed through their ranks in 1877, amid so much flame and smoke. In form they were a fine people that we regarded — broad of shoulder, large-muscled, grandly full in the chest, slender-waisted, of rather tall height, to whom life on the river, by the easy manner of their carriage in the generally cranky canoes, must have been an every-day existence. While there were some of them of very black complexion, the majority of them were light bronze, and there were several light as Arabs in complexion. Yumbila returned at sunset with the chief Boleko, who was a young man of about twenty-five, of powerful build. Though he was cordial in manner, and offered to introduce me to Mata Bwyki, who wrould no doubt do all that was in his power to satisfy my wishes, I observed that the young man was furtive-eyed — almost what one may call thievish in look. His hair was dressed in the usual Kiyanzi style, the marks on the face being slight incisions over the upper part of each BOLERO THE CHIEF. 83 cheek, while the centre of the forehead was distin- 1883. October guished by three fleshy lumps. This I learned after- lboko wards to be the special tribal marks of the Bangala. After a night spent in indescribable discomfort on the islet, Boleko came to us early in the morning to introduce us to his own village, forty canoes serving as an escort of honour to the flotilla. What struck me on entering the creek, on the banks of which Boleko's village was situate, was that this was the same creek whence issued the first hostile canoes that attacked me in 1877, and which I took to ONE OF THE BANGALA. be an affluent of the Congo, whereas it is a narrow channel, separated by a large and fertile island from the main right branch. It affords a capital harbour for canoes and boats in bad weather on account of the reeds, which arrest the movement of the canoes, pro- tecting them from being floated down by the current. At Boleko's landing-place trading began in a most lively manner, as provisions were unusually cheap. Six eggs were sold for four cowries ; ten rolls of cassava bread for a brass rod ; a large fowl fetched 84 THE CONGO. 1883. only one brass rod; a 2:oat cost only ten or twelve October 21. J 'to J Pbcko. I'ods = 6$. ; one mat, five feet square, of palm-leaves, was worth only one rod, while a large one made of split rattan fetched only three ; sweet potatoes, yams, and ' bananas were so cheap that a day's ration purchased enough to last five days. Word came from Mata Bwyki in the course of the day. He was inclined to be jealous that a boy like Boleko should dare to take his guest to himself; but Ndinga, chief of Bolombo, soothed his irritation, and an invitation was at last given to the flotilla to lie alongside of Mata Bwyki's shore on the morrow. Warning at sunset was shouted to the crews of the steamers to keep strict watch ; but the night was nevertheless disturbed with a series of cries, such as " Stop thief! " " Ob, my cloth has gone ! " " Some one has stolen my knife ! " &c, &c. ; and there were few messes by morning which had not to bewail the loss of some valuable property, so expert and adroit were the thieves, and so very unaccustomed were our people to this kind of wholesale spoliation. On the 23rd we dropped down river about two miles, and lay up at Mata Bwyki's landing-place. Close by the waterside, on land, were numerous pits of stagnant water, rank with the poison exhaled from the black pits, where the bitter cassava lay decomposing. An equal number of cesspools could not have tainted the air with more abominable odours. In the river were several circular fences, where the cassava was left to soak and decompose, but which were sweetened by A MODERN HERCULES. 85 the constantly-flowing water. Like all other riverine 188:5. J ° , October 23. tribes, the Bangala keep their canoes constantly sub- ibok0i merged, to ensure the longer preservation of them. Under the keels of onr steamers we could see faint outlines of several. The senior chief, Mata Bwyki (lord of many guns), was an old grey -haired man, of Herculean stature and breadth of shoulder, with a large square face and an altogether massive head, out of which his solitary eye seemed to glare with penetrative power. I should judge him to be 6 feet 2 inches in height. He had a strong sonorous voice, wThich, when lifted to speak to his tribe, was heard clearly several hundred yards off. He was now probably between seventy-five and eighty years old. His skin hung about his bones in many wrinkles, but with his nine foot-long staff, that was but a shade less heavy than a dingy 's mast, he walked with an upright carriage, but when leaning on that mighty staff he straightened his stalwart body and pitched that stentorian voice of his over the heads of the hundreds of Bangala, one might see that the grand old man had still a fund of vigour in him. He was not the tallest man, nor the best looking, nor the sweetest- dispositioned man I had met in all Africa ; but if the completeness and perfection of the human figure, com- bining size with strength, and proportion of body, limbs, and head, with an expression of power in the face, be considered, he must have been at one time the grandest type of physical manhood to be found in equatorial Africa. As he stood before us on this day, wre thought 86 THE CONGO. 1883. of him as an ancient Milo, an aged Hercules, an old "tober 23 Ibok0i ' Samson — a really grand-looking old man. At his side were seven tall sons, by different mothers, and although they were stalwart men and boys, the whitened crown of Mata Bwyki's head rose by a couple of inches above the highest head. Kokoro, his eldest son, was begin- ning to show grey hairs, and he had three sons, tall youths, over twenty years old, besides a few chubby- faced young rogues. Considering the depth and length of the curved line of humanity that stood on the shore expecting us, I should estimate the number of people present at about 1700, old and young. A place for welcoming with due ceremony was pre- pared in a street in the village, just fifty yards from the steamers. Mats of split rattan were spread in a large semicircle around a row of curved and box stools, for the principal chiefs. In the centre of the line, opposite this, was left a space for myself and people. We were invited on shore to the assembly place. The concourse was so dense that the atmosphere was stifling. We had first to undergo the process of steady and silent examination from nearly two thousand pairs of eyes. Then, after Yumbila, the guide, had detailed in his own manner who we were, and what was our mission up the great river ; how we bad built towns at many places, and made blood brotherhood with the chiefs of great districts, such as Irebu, Ukuti, Usindi, Ngombe, Lukolela, Bolobo, Mswata, and Kintamo, he "IS THIS TANDELA Y ? " 87 ur^ed upon them the pleasure it would be to me to 1883. & r . . October 23. make a like compact, sealed with blood, with the great iboko. chiefs of populous Iboko. He pictured the benefits likely to accrue to Iboko, and Mata Bwyki in par- ticular, if a bond of brotherhood was made between two chiefs like Mata Bwyki and Tandelay, or, as he was known, Bula Ma tar i. Then a hoarse murmur was heard through the crowd, and Mata Bwyki's deep voice was heard asking : " Is this Tandelay ? " "Yes." For a moment I regretted that I had placed myself, with such unbounded self-confidence, so completely in their power, as I heard my name mentioned, and noted the effect of it upon the overwhelmingly large multi- tude. I was, however, quickly relieved when I remem- bered that Africans cannot act in unison with one another unless they are led by some leader. I was only waiting to hear that leader's angry, stormy, de- nunciative tones to spring out to the boat and begin a combat, for which my cabin contained arms in perfect order. My followers all knew that we were among the warlike Bangala, and I was well aware that every European in the flotilla needed only to hear the alarm- bell of the En Avant to drop his listless manner and affected blandness, and assume a fighting mien with the dangerous breechloader in his hands. The leader, however, was mute, and I found myself feeling decidedly unpleasant under this concentrated gaze, ignorant as I was of the language of Iboko. 88 THE CONGO. L883. Could I but have spokeu tlieir dialect ! I have often October 23, ]boko thought since what an opportunity for a moral lesson was lost by this. It was perhaps fortunate that I did not. Yumbila continued in better form than I could pos- sibly have done. His desire to please soothed and moderated whatever passions might have lain near the' surface of this comparative silence. He described how I had saved Irebu from mutual destruction, how the flag was borne through the ranks of the combatants, and how its bearer passed on unscathed and unhurt. He described my victorious action with regard to Mi- yongo, how I had saved him from the island, fed and clothed him, and restored him to his home with a store of wealth. The war at Bolobo I heard touched upon also ; his gestures, descriptive of the cannon thundering and shooting its huge ball across the wide river, were remarkably effective, and when he dilated upon the rich things which were hidden in the house on the big steamer, on the stores of murderous weapons, with their quick man and beast slaying properties, and the " bub-bub " of their sound, my safety, if danger had existed, which I strongly suspect it did, was secured, and from Tandelay — the dreaded Ibanza who had inflicted defeat on them in 1877 — emerged the form of the genial, world-loving, peace- making, fraternal Bula Matari ! Oh, what a comedy it all was, could it but be written fairly, and with reasonable truth ! A forked palm branch was brought. Kokoro, the MAT A BWYKfS DECISION. 89 heir, came forward, seized it, and kneeled before me, as n }**\ ' 7 7 7 October : drawing out his short falchion, he cried, " Hold the ibok-o. other branch, Bula Matari ! " I obeyed him, and lift- ing his hand he cleaved the branch in two. " Thus," he said, "I declare my wish to be your brother." Then a fetish-man came forward with his lancets, long pod, pinch of salt, and fresh green banana leaf. He held the staff of Kokoro's sword-bladed spear while one of my rifles was brought from the steamer. The shaft of the spear and the stock of the rifle were then scraped on the leaf, a pinch of salt was dropped on the wood, and finally a little dust from the long pod was scraped on the curious mixture. Then our arms were crossed — the white arm over the brown arm— and an incision was made in each ; and over the blood was dropped a few grains of the dusty compound, and the white arm was rubbed over the brown arm. Now Mata Bwyki lifted his mighty form, and with his long giant's stafT drove back the compressed crowd, clearing a wide circle, and then roaring out in his most magnificent style, leonine in its lung-force, kingly in its effect — ■ " People of Iboko ! You by the river side, and you of inland. Men of the Bangala, listen to the words of Mata Bwyki. You see Tandelay before you. His other name is Bula Matari. He is the man with the many canoes, and has brought back strange smoke-boats. He has come to see Mata Bwyki. He has asked Mata Bwyki to be his friend. Mata Bwyki has taken him by the hand and has become his blood-brother. Tandelay 90 THE CONGO. 1883. belongs to Iboko now. He has become this day one of ]lH>ko ' the Bangala. Oh ! Iboko, listen to the voice of Mata Bwyki." (I thought they must have been incurably deaf not to have heard that voice.) " Bula Matari and Mata Bwyki are one to-day. We have joined hands. Hurt not Bula Matari's people ; steal not from them, offend them not. Bring your pro- duce and barter with him. Bring food and sell to him at a fair price, gently, kindly, and in peace, for he is my brother. Hear you, ye people of Iboko ! — you by the river side, and you of the interior ? " We hear, Mata Bwyki ! " shouted the multitude. The rest of the day was spent in obtaining a promise that I should build a station among the Bangala. An entire village of huts and palms and banana-groves was to be sold to me, but I deferred the purchase until I could bring up Lieutenant Coquilhat and his men. Meantime I explained to them that on this occasion I had merely come to reconnoitre, and after examining Langa-Langa, I should return and call on them as I descended towards the equator. We exchanged liberal presents with Mata Bwyki, and our com- panions imitated our example. The ceremony of blood-brotherhood was performed several times over, with the sons and nephews of the patriarchal old chief. On the 25th we continued our journey up river, and struck over to the left bank by the first channel we discovered. It was no easy task, however, to do this, as the islets were so long and so numerous, that we did LUXURIANT TROPICAL SCENES. 91 not finally reach the left bank until we had steamed t883. . October 25. for thirteen hours. Iboko> For purely tropical scenes, I commend the verdu- rously rich isles in mid-Congo, between Iboko on the right bank, and Mutembo on the left bank, with the intricate and recurrent river channels meandering between. There the rich verdure reflects the brightness of the intense sunshine in glistening velvet sheen from frond and leaf. The underwood presents varied colours, with their tufted tops or the climbing serpentine form of the llianes, and their viny leaves. Each and all have their own separate and particular beauties of colour- ing that renders description impossible. At all times I believe the same refreshing gladness and vigour of tropical nature may be observed about this lati- tude. Some of the smallest islets seemed to be all aflame with crimson colouring, while the purple of the ipomasa, and the gold and white of the jasmine and mimosa flowered, bloomed and diffused a sweet fragrance. Untainted by the marring hand of man, or by his rude and sacrilegious presence, these isles, blooming thus in their beautiful native innocence and grace, approached in aspect as near Eden's loveliness as anything I shall ever see on this side of Paradise. They are blessed with a celestial bounty of florid and leafy beauty, a fulness of vegetable life that cannot possibly be matched elsewhere save where soil with warm and abundant moisture and gracious sunshine are equally to be found in the same perfection. Not mere things of beauty alone were these isles. The 92 THE CONGO. 1883. palms were perpetual fountains of a sweet juice, which ftober 25. iboko. when effervescing affords delight and pleasure to man. The golden nuts of other trees furnishes rich yellow fat, good enough for the kitchen of an epicure, when fresh. On the coast these are esteemed as an article of commerce. The luxuriant and endless lengths of calamus are useful for flooring and verandah mats, for sun-screens on river voyages, for temporary shelters on some open river terrace frequented by fishermen, for fish-nets and traps, for field baskets, market hampers, and a host of other useful articles, but more especially for the construction of neat and strong houses, and fancy lattice-work. Such are the strong cord-like creepers which hang in festoons and wind circuitously upward along the trunk of that sturdy tree. The pale white blossom which we see is the caoutchouc plant, of great value to commerce, and which some of these days will be industriously hunted by the natives of Iboko and Bolombo. For the enterprising trader, there is a ficus, with fleshy green leaves ; its bark is good for native cloth, and its soft, spongy fibre will be of some use in the future for the manu- facture of paper. Look at the various palms crowding upon one another. Their fibres, prepared by the dexterous natives of Ban gala, will make the stoutest hawsers, the strength of which neither hemp, Manilla fibre, nor jute can match ; it is as superior to ordinary cord threads as silk is to cotton. See that soft pale- green moss draping those tree-tops like a veil. That is the Orchilla weed from which a valuable dye is IMMENSE FOREST WEALTH. 93 extracted. I need not speak of the woods, for the tall isg i iii«i October ! dark forests that meet the eve on bank ana isle seem to Ibok(1 have no end. We burn specimens of their timber every day ; and engineers may be frequently seen admiring its colour and veining, and inhaling the fragrance of the gum. We are banqueting on such sights and odours that few would believe could exist. We are like children ignorantly playing with diamonds. Such is the wealth of colours revealed every new moment to us already jaded with the gorgeousness of the tropic world. Rarities and treasures of vegetable life are passed by us continuously ; we can do nothing with them, our mission at this time being to hunt up the human denizens, to experiment on human nature. Whatever interest we may profess, after all, in this many-hued splendour of the tropic bush, in the varie- gated beauty and overflowing vegetable life on these river isles, or the bountiful wealth of the Congo forests, it is but secondary to that which one must feel for the human communities, the muscles of whose members have a more immediate and practical value to us. For without these the flowers, the plants, the gums, the moss, and the dye weeds of the tropical world must ever remain worthless to them and to ourselves. In every cordial-faced aborigine whom I meet I see a promise of assistance to me in the redemption of himself from the state of unproductiveness in which he at present lives. I look upon him with much of the same regard that an agriculturist views his strong-limbed child ; he is a future recruit to the ranks of soldier- 94 THE CONGO. 1883. labourers. The Conc;o basin, could I have but enough October 25. . *~ . Mutembo. °* nis class, would become a vast productive garden. That is one reason why I always search sharply for cordiality of demeanour, a certain frankness of expres- sion, from which I can extract hope for the future. I mentally review the faces thus seen, and say to myself, " You are shy and strange now, my friend, but worse looking fellows than you have been made useful to themselves and the world. A few more trips, and you would go anywhere with me." I fancy sometimes the fellows seem to read my thoughts, and smile encourag- ingly upon me, as though they would say in vulgar idiom, " You are right, my boy, but bye and bye." Near Mutembo a trading canoe was met descending the river. We forgot all about the isles of Eden, where we had been feasting royally on the perfume of flowers and blossoms, to talk with its crew. They belonged to Iboko. Rumour had reached them, with its tale of my brotherhood with old Mata Bwyki. We traded with them in eatables, and gossiped, like friends, of auld lang syne, amid lively chaff and laughter. They had eleven large tusks of ivory, but that was an article we did not want, much to their surprise. Before arriving at Mutembo, however, wTe came to the end of the long island that winds parallel with the left bank, and prevented us from viewing Ukumbi and its chief Ibombo. From all accounts, this settlement must be exceedingly enterprising, but inferior to Iboko in wealth, strength, and numbers. It had been a beautiful day, bright as a Mediterra- A STORM. 95 neau summer day, but about camping time the low 1883. October 25. westering sun became quickly obscured, and the clouds Mutembo. seemed advancing from the north-west, north, and north-east with startling rapidity towards the zenith. Looking behind at the south, we saw rank after rank of voluminous cloud rising as though to meet them. We had often seen similar features in the sky towards sunset, but on this day there was an ominous depth of blackness to attract our attention. Still, we could find no place for shelter, the impervious bush sloped from under the overhanging boughs of the forest monarchs down to the river surface with an im- penetrable closeness that would resist the sharp nose of a crocodile. We were in a channel two hundred yards wide, walled in by a bank of vegetation that rose 150 feet high. Two lofty fortress walls could not have been more inhospitable to us. Therefore, while the skies warned us to shelter, the shores on either side positively refused it. The zenith became finally overcast and gloomy, but the northern sky changed its hue to an ashy grey, wherein the tempest brooded. Through some invisible influence, the river's face became unruffled, the tiniest leaf hung still, the tallest reed stood straight, as though " attention " had been ordered, and Nature had stiffened into a petrified still- ness. Only for a few minutes, however, for presently there was a simultaneous n ess of movement. All the millions of leaves in the forests were started into a violent rustling. Millions of others came sailing down before the blast of the tempest, and millions of wave- 96 THE CONGO. 1883. lets broke over the face of the channel, seeming; to October 25. . '. ° Mutembo. ™ce in company with the leaves. The tall trees, the bombax, and copal and palm, streamed, ragged and fraved, while the forests set up a fearful groaning and creaking, almost human in its agony of resistance. We had no time to note further, for the tempest bore down on ns with such overwhelming, overpowering force, that our flotilla was driven down stream, despite the strennous resistance steam opposed to it. We were perforce compelled to edge away to the shore, to the bushes of which we grappled with our boat-hooks, and waited tremblingly and chillily while the rain- squall drowned the scene, in spray and water. From my cabin door I saw the river's face covered with re- bounding jets, which seemed to spring up a foot high, so forcefully did the fierce rain scourge its late calm face. The rollers surged against us, and for a short time we appeared to be tossing heavily in an angry sea. Fortunately, before dark the rain ceased, and we were enabled to find a hole in the bush walls, through which the crew climbed in one after another to make the hawser fast ; but it was too late to search for fuel. A couple of hours' hard work next morning provided us with sufficient wood to last eight hours, and we continued our journey. Mutembo and Imeme, places which distinguished themselves in 1877 by coming out in battle array against us, and then firing on us after we had passed their villages, we discovered to have been deserted for several months. We then came opposite to A BICE COUNTRY. 97 what we formerly considered to be the mouth of the 188.3. •tit October 2 Sankuru Kiver, but which Yumbila, our guide, declared rjkata. to be merely a channel. We ascended by it, since we kuia* did not wish to lose sight of the left bank. Here we discovered that a valuable forest of gum copal trees commenced, the tops of which were draped with or- chilla weed. A general burst of admiration broke out from the lips of the Zanzibaris, who were heard to exclaim : " Ah, friends, this is a rich country ! Copal below, and enough orchilla to make many fortunes on the top. There is nothing like this in our country. And just look at the rubber bush ! " During the whole of the 27th we passed by one con- tinuous copal forest, covered thickly with the precious dye-weed. On the 28th we came to lower Ukatakura, which was also deserted, and, a little above the clearing, arrived at the mouth of a creek about ten yards wide, said by the guide to issue from the Lulungu ! Upper Ukatakura, also deserted, was passed at 4 p.m., and on the banks of another narrow creek just above, issuing from the interior, we camped. The orchilla-covered forest continued nearly all day in view on the 29th. On our right the islands became shorter and more complicated. The river was nearly bank-full now, but still rising ; in many places it had already broken over the low banks and entered the forest, and the highest portion uninundated was not more than 6 inches above the face of the river. This Vol. II.— 7 98 THE CONGO. 1883. was evidently a i>'ood reason why there was so much October 30. ...... Mpaki- unoccupied territory in this direction. Yumbila, the guide, believed that the people of Imeme, Mutembo, and Ukatakura must have been driven away from their country by the warriors of Ubika, who live on the right bank. On the 30th, also, the copal- tree forest continued, with its drapery of dye-weed. In the afternoon we passed the deserted settlements of Mpakiwana. Early on the morning of the 31st we had to lay-by for another squall, for about an hour, and then con- tinuing our voyage, we came abreast of the palisaded village of Diya. Iringi, so well remembered for the absurd and treacherous attack its people made on us in 1877, was discovered at noon quite deserted. Ikingi, a tribe inland, had warred with the people of Iringi, and compelled them to settle at Umangi, on the right bank. At three o'clock we were halted by some small rapids, and compelled to seek another channel. We were finally enabled to steam through deep water unobstructed to Mpa, ruled by Iunga, situate just one mile above the rapids, where we were received with the same amiability that distinguished their neighbours of Rubunga in 1877. We had now arrived at a point 744 statute miles from Leopold vi lie, and about 500 miles of this distance had been traversed along low-forested banks of main- land and islands. But as soon as we came near the small rapids of Mpa, a wide diagonal stretch of river came into view, at the upper end of which rose the REFUSING TRADE. 99 beautiful hills of Upoto, suffused with the tender green 1883. colour of young grass, except at the lower slopes, where Langa- we saw extensive groves of bananas and fields of Lan§fl' cassava. On the next day we steamed up to the village of Nganza, lorded by old Eubunga. It had been moved slightly from the place we saw it five years before through some internecine squabble. We were not long in renewing our acquaintance with the old chief Eubunga, whose own village is several miles higher, and Makukuru, who remains master of New Xganza. As in the old time, Umangi, Mpissa, Ukere, and Upoto from the right bank, and Mpa from the left bank, despatched their representatives with ivory tusks, large and small, goats and sheep, and vegetable food, clamorously de- manding that we should buy from them. Such urgent entreaties accompanied with blandishments to purchase their stock were difficult to resist. The people had become firmly convinced that so many whites ad- vancing from the quarter from which guns and powder, cloth, beads, and wire were known to issue- could not have ventured so far except for that object. Therefore they would not for a considerable time understand a refusal. When at last they fully under- stood that we would not purchase ivory their dis- appointment was naturally very great, and yet they persisted in offering their elephant teeth at such ridi- culously low prices, that it was no wonder the riverine tribes below felt vexed when they saw us pass by them to the far-famed Langa-Langa. 100 THE CONGO. ^1883. According to Yumbila, the populated districts here- Langa- about are known to the Wyyanzi and Bangala as Langa-Langa (the tipper country ?). This is the El Dorado of native ivory buyers, probably from the un- sophisticated aboriginism of the clotheless and over- tattooed beings they met here. Few of our crews believed that there were women of their colour who went about before men's eyes absolutely nude. Naked busts and limbs freely exposed were common, they were aware, through the exigencies of aboriginal life, but this unabashed nudity much astonished them. A word must be uttered in extenuation of this shameless exposure of their persons by the women of Langa-Langa. Perceiving that cloth or other covering is unobtainable to screen their persons from the gaze of men, they have resorted to marring that comeliness of which they originally might have boasted by scar- ring their faces and busts. Or was it the jealousy of the men, who imagined this hideous device to shield their women from harm ? However the folly, nay, crime, originated, it has served the purpose effectually, and the Langa-Langa people, by immolating that smoothness of outline of the face and velvety touch of the skin, have saved themselves from being en- slaved. Strangely enough, the Langa-Langa people think the style of scarring their faces by thousands of little cuts, interspersed with huge tumorous blisters, to be beautifying ; and Maka-kuru, having become my brother, earnestly implored me to give him the oppor- THE CUItliENCY CHANGING. 101 tunity of exercising his skill in this novel art of 1883. Noy. 1. personal adornment on my own face ! Langa- They have many more muskets at Langa-Langa than Langa* they owned in 1877. In that year they only possessed four, with no powder, but the Ban gala have since then extended their influence, and now there may be pro- bably a hundred guns on both banks of the river. Like other natives, even those near to the coast, the loud NATIVE OF LANGA-LANGA. startling roar of powder has a charm for them ; and though they are not bold against Bangala and Irebu warriors, they are willing enough to frighten people in the interior wTho have not yet succeeded in obtaining the much prized musket. The currency here changes. The whole piece (twenty-four yards) of domestics and stripes effectively served us as far as Many an ga. Blue glass beads be- 102 THE CONGO. came then in demand as far as Iyumbi ridge; thence as far as Langa-Langa the brass rod or matako was the most convenient ; but at Langa-Langa the masaro, or sofi, of Ujiji, known to Italians as Cannetone bead, very similar to half-inch pieces of pipe stem, white and black, comes into use with large cowries. Brass rods are slowly coming into favour, but the trader will regret being unprovided with the pipe stems. Cloth, however, will win the day here eventually. We were literally besieged for the very smallest refuse of clout- rag that we possessed. The store of bread, eggs, fowls, obtained for cast-off pieces of cotton dress, was most surprising, while two yards of bright red handkerchief purchased a fat goat. The Langa-Langa natives have only lately learned that ivory is marketable. The visits of the Bangala to them have excited Mpa, Yakongo, Ikassa, on the left bank, and Umangi, Mpissa, Ukere, Upoto, and Iringi on the right bank, to exploit the regions above them, in the same manner as they themselves are periodically visited by Iboko and Irebu. From Nganza our course is eastward as we continue our voyage, and will continue so for about two degrees of longitude. Since leaving Leopoldville Our course has been about north by east as far as the junction of the Kwa with the Congo, thence north for about 130 miles, thence about north by east as far as Iboko, thence east by north as far as Nganza. On the 4th of November, clinging still to the left bank we passed after about eight miles steaming the TIMIDITY OF THE NATIVES. 103 new village of Rubunga, called Yakongo ; at noon we 1883. Nov. 4. were abreast of Ikassa in N. Lat. 2° 1'. The people ^dobo< were too timid to answer our hail, but at Yakongo, despite our friendship with old Rubunga, they seemed to have prepared for flight up a creek, the entrance to which had been palisaded to prevent our approach. I presume the men must have had cause to dread the acquaintance of strangers. The arrival of cloth, however, in greater abundance must undoubtedly seal effectually the virtue of the females. Getting out of the narrow channel running by Ikassa. and Yakongo, we steamed across to the right bank to try our fortunes thence forward on that side. On the 5th all traces of the hills of Upoto had vanished and we had the same flatness of ground again, but of a more habitable height above river, and the forests that rose in such towering walls of dark green vegetation, had been cleared in many places, although the inhabitants were wanting. The next day, after passing several abandoned sites, we came to Ndobo, a very large and newly built village or town, laid in an uniform line of about a mile and a half in length. Immediately beyond rose Ibunda into view, whose people we found seated on the ground with their spears and offensive weapons alongside of each. As these people had evidently but lately settled in the two towns, they were not remarkable for neatness in appearance. The lower half of some of the huts were of wattle and plastered over. Steep ladders strung 104 THE CONGO. 1883. along the upright clay bank, which was from 8 to Ndobo. 12 feet above the river, enabled the natives to step in and out of their canoes. Their dug-outs, though numerous, appeared to be small, and only adapted for fishing. Sloping roads had been carved out of the bank here and there to enable them to drag their vessels up to the safe level of their town, and to launch their new canoes, many of which we saw in process of construction. It was in the neighbourhood of Ndobo we saw the first heap of oyster shells, which will no doubt long remain there in evidence of a former population. Early on the 7th we arrived at Bumba, which in size was a real town. A fog had prevented us from seeing anything until we were close upon it. By the tran- quillity of demeanour observed among the people we deemed it opportune to test their hospitality and friendliness, and succeeded in obtaining an invitation to go alongside the tall bank. Myombi, the chief, was easily persuaded by Yumbila to make blood-brother- hood with me, and for the fiftieth time my poor arm was scarified, and my blood shed for the cause of civilisation. Probably one thousand people of both sexes looked on the scene wonderingly and strangely. A young branch of a palm was cut, twisted and a knot tied at each end ; the knots were dipped in wood ashes, and then seized and held by each of us while the medicine-man practised his blood-letting art, and lanced us both until Myombi winced with pain. After which the knotted branch wras severed, and in some THE DREADED IBANZA. 105 incomprehensible manner I had become united for ever 1883. 1 m Nov. 7. to my fiftieth brother, to whom I was under the Bumba. obligation of defending against all foes until death. Despite, however, these and sundry other precau- tions against imaginary evil, the people were not quite satisfied in their minds, for the dreaded Ibanza must be concealed, they thought, in our boats. What was it that they heard throb and sigh, and groan so heavily as the En Avant came alongside their landing place ? They ranged themselves over and above the boats, lost in silent contemplation of the wonderful structures. Their thoughts struggling for utterance were perplex- ing them, and preventing the usual glib and noisy interchange of ideas. The problems they have to resolve are weighty and difficult, they know of nothing to which they can compare the medley of strange noises issuing from the huge iron pots which hiss incessantly. What unseen power was it that revolved the wheels they saw fly around with lightning speed? What does that iron drum contain ? Why is that white cook throwing in such large sticks ? Does the Ibanza eat wood? Is it the Ibanza cooped up in the iron drum who makes that squeaking noise escaping out of the funnel ? These and such like thoughts trouble the minds of the aborigines of Burnba, so that little trade for food can be made although it is plentiful and cheap. On the 8th, bananas, goats, chickens, sugar-cane, tobacco, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and yams are freely sold, although the multitude is flighty and prone to 106 THE CONGO. ^883. panic, which causes the two chiefs Myombi and Sungo Bumba. Maji to be rushing about crying out " Peace, 0 people ! Sell your produce in security, these whites are our brothers by every bond that can bind us." Withal, however, these hearty efforts to impress their people with confidence the slightest rush of steam, a movement of a white man, the impatient lifting of a helmet off the brow, the scratching of a heated head would send hundreds promiscuously flying like a herd of frightened buffalo. Sacred water was sprinkled along the shore, and over the trees, and towards the boats ; the long hand-bell of Sungo Maji was vigorously beaten, and old men came and muttered their incantations, but yet there was a dread of the " Ibanza." The stifled screams of women testified to a preseniiment that he was present, the uneasy restless rolling eyes of the men searched for the first symptoms that he was advancing the cries of " Be firm, 0 men of Bumba, there is nothing to fear ! " reiterated over and over, by the chiefs, who were ringing their bells like anxious town- criers, denoted vivid expectancy, and finally the " Ibanza " emerged into view ! One of my cabin-boys, enjoying all this extraordinary fright visible in the actions and faces of the natives, while I was engaged talking with the engineer, had gone into the cabin, shutting the door after him. Presently the door was violently burst open, and the splendid form of a royal Bengal tiger crawled out ! A long thrilling shriek rang out, and all at once the hundreds that stood on the shore, casting one hurried A THICK WITH A TIGER-SKIN. 107 glance at the terrible figure, with an unity of move- 1883. Nov. 8. ment fled shrieking and yelling from the river bank. Yambing! When we discovered what had caused this extra- ordinary flight of the aborigines, their yells were immediately followed by roars of laughter from the crews of the boats, which the flying natives heard, and then halted, reassured more effectively by the merriment than by hours of bell ringing on the part of the criers. It brought them back, too, to see a tall young fellow laughing immoderately, while a collapsed tiger-skin lay at his feet in a harmless heap. The laughter became contagious, and one might see an entire population slapping their thighs, staggering convulsively about, and grasping one another for support as they reeled under the spasms which agitated them. An hour and a half above Bumba is an equally populous town named Yambinga. It is on the same bank. As we approached, the lower portion of the town appeared to be disposed to reject us ; but we persevered in bawling out for Mukuku, the chief of Yambinga, whose name we had slyly obtained from Sungo-Maji of Bumba. In about fifteen minutes Mukuku deigned to come out into view on the river bank, a veritable dark Robinson Crusoe, in head- dress and accoutrements. Over his curly head he wore an antelope-skin cap, adorned with a mighty crest of cock's feathers, while a broad shoulder-belt of leopard-skin, attached to which was a miscellaneous assortment of the tags and tassels of fetish mysteries, 108 THE CONGO. 1883. was slung1 over his nianlv breast. He advanced Nov. 8. . . fo . Yambiuga. ringing energetically his long bell, crying, " I am Mukuku, and I have heard of the Ibanza. I wish to see him face to face. Let the Ibanza land, and come to Mukuku." These were brave words ; but anyone might see by OLD CHIEF IN NATIVE-MADE HAT. the manner Mukuku hovered near the thickest of the human throng, that had he not been chief, and been so vociferously hailed by Yumbila, he would have much preferred to remain unseen by the grim spirit whom he so valorously adjured to walk ashore. We set ourselves resolutely to conquer Mukuku's YAM BIN OA. 109 fear of the Ibanza, and with such good results, that 1883. Nov. 8 after the blood-brotherhood ceremony had been de- yambini spatched, not a shadow of doubt of our benignity remained in the good man's head. During our stay here, the information was elicited that behind, or to the north of Yambinga, there flowed a river which emptied into the Congo, east of their town, called by some Itimbiri, by others Ngingiri. They said it was large ; and that traders came from the north, and sold cowries and white beads to the Watumba who inhabited Musanga land. " Yambinga," said our informants, " and all this country round here, is an island (a peninsula ?), for the Itimbiri river is large, and ascends far behind us." They also gave us a vast number of names of places ; but their ideas of locality were so very vague, and as each channel and islet of the main river bears its dis- tinctive title, their information had no practical value. On the 10th of November, at 2 p.m., we continued our journey, and an hour later passed by Upper Yam- binga. At this place, hauled ashore, or floating in the river fastened to stakes, there were 243 pirogues; Lower Yambinga possessed 313 exposed to sight, Bumba nearly 400, Ndobo and Ibunda, perhaps as many, by which we have 1300 " dug-outs," or pirogues. As the smallest of these will likely have a beam of 15 inches, and is about 20 feet in length, an idea may be gained of the supplies of timber furnished by about twenty miles of forest. The war canoes are too valuable to be exposed to risk of loss by 110 THE CONGO. jjJJ8^ flood, so they are submerged and fastened by strong itimbiri. rattan hawsers to poles deeply buried in the clayey bank. By clinging to the right bank, despite the un- promising narrowness of some of the channels, we came in the afternoon, two hours after passing Upper Yambinga, into a broad channel 350 yards wide, which by following up we found led us from a course E.S.E. to N.E., and kept northing very fast until we were running .N.N.E. It was then on waking up that we discovered ourselves to be in the river named to us as the Itimbiri. At Yankau, on its left bank, seated on a bluff with a clear open country about it, where the river still showed signs of further inclination to the north, we retraced our course. This then was the river which the people of Yam- binga said ran behind them, and along which, in its upper course, traders came from the north distributing the Italian cannetone beads, and on whose banks lived the Watumba. The water they said spread out broad in some places, and a man could not be seen on its opposite shore. Could it be a lake, or a mere broad expansion of the river ? The mouth of the river is in N. Lat. 1° 57', and is about 180 geographical miles in a direct line to In- guima, on the Welle-Makua Eiver. Its water is certainly clear, and might well come from a lake at no great distance inland. Yamu-ningiri is the name of a large village about eight miles above the con- fluence, up the Itimbiri. The river forms a delta, and SKILL IN METAL WORKING. Ill many forested islets dot the entrance. Opposite Yankau 1883. J t Nov. 10. it is a deep, navigable river, fully 350 yards wide, of Mutembo. a slightly darker colour than the Congo. On the great river, situate above the confluence about four miles, we discovered Mutembo, consisting of three palisaded villages. Its inhabitants crouched behind their huts, spear in hand, to resist an expected attack, and as we passed by they dashed out into the open and slapped their rearward parts — a method of expressing contempt pretty generally known to vulgar Europeans. On the 12th, in the early morning, we passed by an unusually large clearing, that we at first, from its spacious breadth, took to be a natural plain. A city might have stood on the magnificent site, which was now dreary and desolate. The large population sup- ported upon this wide expanse must have had power- ful reasons for its abandonment, of which we must remain yet awhile ignorant. For the first time we saw the left bank of the Congo, clear across from the right bank. The abandoned plain was once occupied by the Yalulima tribe, whom we shall meet on the left bank as we descend. This tribe is cunning for its iron manufactures, including the spears, the swords, the long bells, single and double, and the tiny dancing bells, which the pro- fessors of fetishism — Mgangaism, Inkissism, Ikiraism, or by whatever name you choose to designate the sorceries known to these natives — love to attach to their snake and iguana-skin-girdles. 112 THE CONGO. N188^2 At the projecting point on the right bank of the Yambungu. river, in the plain which the Yalulima tribe once inhabited, the breadth of the Congo is about a mile and a half, and eight miles of a view up stream is obtained, while as far as Mutembo below, the main channels lie fully exposed for many miles. An island, a few miles above, contains the village of Yambungu, whose natives showed a disposition to be friendly, but their dialect was unintelligible to us, although our guide, Yumbila, comprehended what they said. They showed to us several large tusks of ivory, but, perceiving that we were not purchasers of their precious material, they brought to us enormous yams, and baskets of large healthy sweet potatoes, also sheep with broad fat tails, besides fowls and eggs. Opposite the upper extremity of this island we dis- covered the embouchure of another river — -the Nkuku ? — whose waters verged on blackish in colour. Two hundred and fifty yards would be a fair estimate of its breadth. Not much information that was intelligible could be gained from the natives, but my opinion is that it is a branch of the Itimbiri River. Inland they said that it was of great width. The districts around it are populous. We heard such names of villages as Luika, Yatui, Bwila, Mukanda-Meya, Isako, Bungele, Wanbuna, but as we may have shortly to locate these definitely, it will be better for us in the meantime to leave the districts blank On the 13th we voyaged along a marvellously rich bank of tropical woods, dotted thickly with the fishing APPEAJRANCE OF WAR CANOES. 113 hamlets of the Basaka. The islands of the Congo we also discovered to be peopled. On the 14th we passed by the Bahamba villages, and large war canoes were observed to hover about, some of them being manned by forty men. When they perceived that we steadily pursued our way without attempting to land they returned to their villages. At night we heard the sound of drums up-river, and were reminded of our experiences in 1877. On the 15th we steamed up, and at 8 a.m. came in view of the Baruu villages, situate on high ground, probably 60 feet above the river. There was a con- siderable degree of hostile demonstration with spears and shields along the bank, but our steady progress past them, with our still demeanour, aided by their curiosity to pay more attention to the steamers, quite tranquilised them. A thick fog settled over us for about an hour, and the left bank loomed up into view between the islets. At noon I obtained an observation, and discovered that we were in N. lat. 1° 17', and much nearer the Aruwimi than I thought. Orders were then given to prepare rifles and cart- ridges, to guard against those impetuous spearsmen of the great affluent which despatched its enormous canoe- flotilla against us in 1877. It was not likely that the fierce aborigines would repeat their attempt against a steam-flotilla ; still prudence warned us not to omit pre- cautions, for if we were ever taken unawares in this region so far removed from help, the flood of the Congo Yol. II.— 8 114 THE CONGO, ms. would certainly be the recipient of our mutilated Nov. 15. . . Aruwimi. remains. We are also on this occasion armed with a charm, against which, unless they are hopelessly hostile, they need not hope to contend, and that is a determination on our part to remain passive. Only when nothing else will avail shall we employ our rifles, and if we have to resort to our weapons, we shall remain until their savageness shall be utterly extin- guished. The. forest on our left, as we advance, is grand in its wealth of valuable woods and refreshing vernal appear- ance. The islets are rapidly thinning, the left bank rises boldly into view, and the Congo appears to emerge into one broad united stream. I am observing these features of the landscape, when an immensely long canoe, loaded with armed men, dashes from behind an island, and races rapidly across the stream ; being presently followed by another, and still another. Compared with the petty dug-outs which we have hitherto seen, they are splendid vessels. We, however, advance in close . order; and I doubt much whether these reconnoitring war-canoes, after discovering the strange guise in which the strangers are advancing, have obtained much comfort in the column of smoke-boats. The war-canoes having reached the right bank, con- tinue on their way upward, one after another ; and in this sight our eyes, rapidly taking note of every move- ment, detect in it an augury of good. " There is not going to be a rush this time," we thought. BATTLE ARRAY. 115 Presently passing the abandoned clearing where stood the village which we stormed and took by assault in 1877, and the very spot where we awaited the attack of the flotilla of the Aruwimi, the great affluent gapes open into view. The mighty parent stream also appears, with its magnificent breadth of water. Steadily continuing on our way, we enter the Aruwimi, until rounding* a point which has prevented us as yet from obtaining a view of the villages, we see the town of Mokulu, where the Basoko, or Basongo, our ancient foes, reside. It is extended along a high clay bank about three miles in length. All its males, I should say, are in battle array on the verge, presenting an irregular, bronze-coloured line of fully- armed men. Brave in their war-paint — yellow, red, and white — and holding large shields on their left arms, they disport themselves fantastically before our view, while the great war-drums thunder the alarm, and incite their courage to its utmost pitch by a deep, bellowing sound. Keeping a respectful ad- vance of us are the three war-canoes, now joined by four other monsters of craft of excavated teak, having double rows of upstanding paddlers in each, with their paddle-shafts decorated with round ivory balls, while on the platforms astern dance the naval warriors, and startling blasts, from long ivory horns, sound wild musical notes, which are re-echoed by the tall woods on the opposite side. Arriving opposite the centre of the town, we steered across the river to a small clearing, which I detected in 116 THE CONGO. 1883. the bank, dividing the great affluent from the Congo. lokuinj The steam-launches, Royal and A.I. A., also the whale- boat and canoes, were left here, while the En Avant, detached from her consorts, raced across the stream back again to the warriors, that were so conspicuously outlined on the verge of the bank of Mokulu. Yura- bila, with the promise of a rich reward ringing in his ears if he succeeded in allaying this frenzy, took his position on the top of the cabin, and the steamer having gained the upper extremity of Mokulu, stopped, and floated down stream while the voice of Yumbila rang out clear and loud the words of peace and friendship. They must have been powerful phrases our guide employed, judging from the sudden silence and hush that fell on the crowded river bank. The drums that boomed the sonorous alarum of war ceased their deep sounds. The horns which emitted the dreadful defiant blasts of battle, the angry cries grown hoarse with fury, the frantic forms that leaped and bounded upward with quivering spears, all were hushed and stilled, and an anxiety to advance nearer and nearer to the voice promising peace was evident in the stealthy movement of the masses. And then, although all this time we were quite ignorant what the syllabled jargon actually expressed, we observed — for our task was that of silently noting everything — the people depositing their shields and spears near stumps, or trees, or houses in the rear, as if there were a kind of guilt in the late frenzy that had possessed them. A PEACEFUL CONQUEST. 117 " Bravo, Yumbila ! keep at it, my friend. You have 188:3. ' r . J Nov, 15. done well ! But go on, their ears are hungry to hear Mokuiu. more of your sweet voice," we whispered. And Yum- bila begins again with open palms, bland face, and archness combined with humour, to expatiate, we presume, upon the blessings of maintaining a friendly communion of man with man. Accent and gesture are both so expressive, that they finally extort from a warrior on the bank friendly human tones in reply. They are so modulated and framed that they impress even our ignorant ears and dull senses with a feeling that the speaker of the Basoko is explaining suavely the causes that induced him and his fellows to exhibit themselves so rampantly ferocious. And then we understand, through Yumbila, that we are requested to camp where the other steamers are left for the present, and that after awhile the Basoko would come to us as friends. We waited an hour at our forest camp, and then half-a-dozen tiny canoes, each containing two men, advanced within 250 yards of us. There they hesi- tated, contenting themselves with gently paddling against the current. Yumbila was again required to exert his suasive accents to inspire them with courage to advance nearer. How very patient we all were, watching this slow growth of confidence in their minds, may be imagined when it took those people an hour to approach our shore, a few paces above our camp. Thither Yumbila, and three of the most plausible of our men, marched to US THE CONGO. 1883. meet them, where the ceremony of blood-brotherhood Mokuiu. was enacted, and shrill screams of satisfaction an- nounced that their timidity was at last vanquished. The town of Mokuiu heard the good news, and the great drums now sounded the intelligence around, which presently were responded to with thunderous booms from some other distant community, and thus our intercourse with the wild Basoko commenced. YUMBILA'S BUDGET. 119 CHAPTER XXIX. TJP THE BIYERRE. Yumbila returns with an interesting story— Slave kidnappers probably from the Soudan— Skilful workmanship— Umanek and Yakui — Conical huts — The course of the river— Metropolitan Yambumba — A sham famiae — The rapids — Supposed identity of the Biyerre and Welle— Reasons for this opinion — Arabs in the neighbourhood — Again on the Congo. Yumbila, the guide, crossed over to Mokulu with his isss. ' ° ^ Nov. 16. newly-made blood-brother that evening. When he Mokulu. returned the next morning he was radiant with triumph. The white man had promised to reward him for his signal services, and the Basoko had pre- sented him with two fine tusks of ivory, to show their appreciation of his worth. It may well be supposed that he gossiped until late hours among the Basoko, satisfying them with abundant information respecting the white men and the propel- ling agencies that drove the smoke-boats so far up against the current of the Congo. And evidently the Basoko had something to say which smacked of tra- dition and wonder. Unfolding his budget, Yumbila informed us first of 120 THE CONGO. 1883. how the Basoko, many years ago, were alarmed by Nov. 16. Mokuiu. reports of a powerful tribe who were descending the Congo past the Yakusu, commanded by a man with a face as pale as the moon. " In our waters," they said, " we never heard of a tribe moving down with many canoes, unless it came for war. So when we heard of this tribe, we moved out of our river to fight it, but it turned against us just at the meeting of the waters, and though the strangers did not have many canoes, when we bore down on them they dropped our people level with fire and soft iron, which tore us to pieces, that we could not stand against them. They then pursued lis and fought us in our own town, and we could not even see what it was they threw at us, except our dead, who fell down and never rose again. And the tribe went away down the river, and we never heard what became of it until the other morning, while it was quite dark, we heard the dread sound, 4 boom, boom, boom,' which is like the thunder of the sky in our ears, and we felt the flash of the flame in our faces. Waking up from our sleep, we rushed out from our houses, and the darkness was lit up by a thousand jets of fire ; and a crackling noise was heard, louder than a burning plain makes, and more terrible than the most prolonged thunder. There was whizzing and buzzing, as of flying stones, in our ears, and many of our people, on coming out into the light of the burning houses, were struck dead by these things. The same fear came upon us as when we first heard the loud thunder shot at us from the strange tribe, years ago, " WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE f " 121 on the river, and we ran for our very lives into the 1883. depths of the woods, where, in the thickest parts, we Mokulu lay with our faces in the ground, afraid to lift our heads up, lest we might be hit by those iron balls that sang over us and crashed into the trees from our village. When we heard our women and children cry out, we thought we would do something. From our coverts we looked out. We saw that some of our houses were still on fire, and we heard again the long shrieks of our women and cries of our children, and again we heard the startling boom that those long hollow tubes, such as your people make, and again were we frightened and threw ourselves down into the thick bush. By-and-bye there was a deathly stillness ; we got a little bolder, and crept out to see for ourselves what had happened, and when we came to look upon Mokulu, more than half of it was burnt to the ground, as you can see to-morrow ; and as for our women and children, we lost hundreds of them." This was the story Yumbila had gathered, or some of it, which was only completely told when he induced his new brothers to repeat to him again some of its most prominent points. Yumbila had fully succeeded in convincing them that we could not have known of this massacre and ruthless deed of darkness. " Who were these people ? Where did they come from ? Where are they now ? By what river did they come to you ? " " Ah, we know not. We were all asleep when they came, and they departed, no one knows where, in 122 THE CONGO. 1883. canoes. We think they must be the Bahunga. or some Nov. 16. J & Mokuiu. people from the far east, or perhaps they came from the north. Some of our people managed to get a sight of them, and say they were dressed like your people. But you came with Yumbila from below, and Yumbila says he never heard of such people." By dint of patient questioning, we learned also that they heard that there were people wearing cloth north of the Basoko, from whom they sometimes, in the way of trade with neighbouring tribes, obtained a few oi their beads and copper armlets, but they had not seen any of them. Of such a tribe as the Bahunga I had never heard in 1877, and my impression was that these midnight marauders were Soudan slave-traders, who had probably descended the great affluent. This opinion induced me to attempt obtaining some information respecting this river. But even its name they were either unable or unwilling to impart to me, and when they asked me if I intended to follow up the river, and learned that such was my intention, the intelligence nearly became the cause of a rupture in our newly-made friendship. This manifest reluctance to any disclosures respecting the upper course of the river only aroused my curiosity, which was further increased when I learned that they had no objection to our ascent of the Congo. Provisions were exceedingly abundant and were cheaper than at Iboko. White beads and cowries seemed to be the popular currency here until our cloth MOKULU. 123 was exhibited, when, to possess a penny handkerchief 1883. became the object of general ambition. M°okuh Their paddles, knives, and spears, exhibit remark- able skill in workmanship. On a paddle blade may be seen an infinite number of carvings rudely resembling lizards, crocodiles, canoes, fish, buffalo, &c. Their knives are broad swords in size and breadth, and as finely polished as a new razor; while their spears A TYPE OF THK P.ASOKO. are as sharp and bright as though they had just left a Sheffield shop. Almost every man possessed some kind of headdress, either knit out of palm fibre material, or made of the skin of a monkey, or an antelope. A capacious knit haversack was a universal appendage to the shoulder. Physically they are a splendid people for muscular development, though there are some ill-featured, dark in colour, and puny of form among them. During the few days of our mutual intercourse, they gave us a high idea of their qualities — industry after their own style 124 THE CONGO. 1883. not being the least conspicuous. They seemed to me Nov. 17. Umaueh. to be the most valuable people for this characteristic that I had met. Their fishing canoes were witnessed coming in and going out continually, and while the people traded with us, they continued to pursue their knitting of haversacks, hats, fish-nets, or twist twine, after the industrious manner of the traditional grand- dame of England. The town of Mokulu, though large, did not come up to the standard I expected to find in it as the home of that overwhelming force of warriors, which swept down so proudly to meet us in 1877. The reluctance which the aborigines manifested to our ascent of the affluent, the dim ideas that crept into my mind about Soudanese Arabs, all combined to create such a desire to investi- gate the river, that, though our time was valuable, we started on the 17th to explore it. From a breadth of 1600 yards at the mouth, a few miles below Mokulu, the river contracts to 900 yards; then, where islands begin to be a little more numerous, it widens, from bank to bank, to a breadth of about 1400 yards. At 8 a.m. we left our camp opposite Mokulu, and two hours later we halted to cut better fuel. Eesuming our journey at 2 p.m., we found ourselves three-quarters of an hour later abreast of Umaneh, which was superior in extent to Mokulu. A veritable Leviathan among canoes lay alongside the clay bank, and would require at least one hundred stout warriors to propel it at sufficient speed in a river-fight. The stern THE FISHERMEN OF YAKUT. 125 platform was of three-inch teak, while the bow was 1883. . . . Nov. 17. massive enough to sink a merchant ship. The empty umaaeh. canoe showed at least 30 inches of free board, and along its whole length were carved figures of crocodiles and fishes. Umaneh being only two and three-quarter hours above' Mokulu, I began to see how the great affluent could muster a large flotilla. Messengers, no doubt, had informed the natives of our coming, for a more peaceful assemblage than we noticed on the banks could not have been wished. They coolly sat down in groups, or singly, surveying our vessels as though they belonged to Greenwich or Liverpool. I should have been well pleased to exchange views on naval architecture with such indefatigable and scientific canoe-constructors as these Basoko ; but time would not allow of delay. At 6 p.m., of the same day, we were abreast of Yakui, on right bank ; but Yakui on the left bank, which came in view as we steamed past an island, was much larger. At our camping-place next morning at dawn ap- peared the fishermen of Yakui, who sold us fish, and imparted the names of the villages very frankly. They called themselves Basongo very distinctly. When questioned about the river, they gave their hand a south-easterly turn indicative of its course. A few miles above we came to Isombo, and nearly opposite was the first bluff, about forty feet high, from which the shore curved grandly from south-east to 126 THE CONGO. 1883. north-east. About 10 a.m. we appeared in view of Nov. 18. A L Bondeh. Bondeh, among the natives of which we seemed to have created a panic ; for the canoes containing the women and children, and household gods, were crossing over to the left bank by scores. Here, for the first time also, we saw a change in the architecture of the buildings. Many tall conical huts — of the candle- extinguisher type — were seen rising high above the well-known low, ridge-roof style adopted along the Congo, since we left the Atlantic. As these circular huts appeared to be only about five feet in diameter, it was at first a question as to what they were adapted for. Bondeh also is a populous village. The left bank at the upper extremity of Bondeh appears crowned with another important village called Yambi. When this last place appears in sight the river begins another deep curve, which we follow for about two hours and find to be an almost complete semi- circle. My compass course tells me that we have been running almost parallel with the Congo, and bearing the south-easterly indication of the native of Yakui. For a moment, I am half inclined to suspect that the river we are ascending will turn out to be a right branch of the Congo after all. At noon I am anxious to take a correct latitude, and I find we are in N. Lat. 0° 59' 0" ! The day previous we were in N. Lat. 1° 7' 0". With my preconceptions that this affluent must be the Welle, these revelations serve to confuse YAMBUMBA. 127 me ; and now, with curiosity greatly excited, whatever may be the result, we resolve on continuing the exploration to a definite issue. About 2 p.m. appear the populous settlements of Yambua and Irungu, consisting of two series of half-a- dozen villages, each grouped together on the right bank, on low rich land cleared out of a dense forest. An hour later, on account of a steady rainfall, we halt and camp on the right bank. . We start at 6.30 a.m. on the 19th, and at 9 am. the metropolitan town of Yambumba appears, high and dry. on a semicircular line of light-coloured bluff, forty feet above the river, with a multitude of steeply conical huts, whose thatch shows grey amid vivid green foliage of. fig-trees, and mighty bombax, palmgroves, and bananas. Eight thousand would be a fair estimate of the population of the town. Yet despite their numbers, they did not seem strong-minded enough to be able to resist the impulse to fly, which they did as though the eternal enemy of both black and white men was pur- suing them. At first they appeared inclined to gaze upon us as tranquilly as those of Umaneh had done, and accordingly posed in unconcerned attitudes along the verge of the soft sandstone bluff. But they no sooner heard the strange soughing of the steamers than they took to their heels, their shields clattering on their hips in accompaniment to their quick steps. Human foes they no doubt thought they could cope with ; but against the Ibanza puffing and panting so deeply and so strangely, their only recourse was instant flight. 128 THE CONGO. Some hills appeared in the distance, in a north-, easterly direction, seeming to lie in a range running north-west and south-east ; but our course, after arriving beyond the upper horn of the crescent on which Yambumba is situate, still continued easterly. The islands gradually disappeared, revealing a clean breadth of about 800 yards between each bank. We observed also that the river was gradually falling. A thick mist obscured everything until 9 a.m. on the morning of the 20th, which prevented us from pro- ceeding on our journey. An hour later appeared a long range of hills on the right bank of the river. From the lower end of this range, in N. Lat. 1° 16', our course led along a curve which brought us at noon to N. Lat. 1° 14'. Four hours later we came in sight of the Eapids. On the left bank were seen a number of villages, all the huts of which seemed to be of the sharp conical form. We formed a camp about two miles below the rapids, on the right bank, at the sight of which the natives of the villages across made a terrible racket with their drums. Yumbila was urged to try to start a conversa- tion, the effect of which was that the drumming was silenced, and for nearly an hour the creatures kept bawling across the river one to another puerile informa- tion relating to bananas and goats. Yumbila, always hungry, clamoured to the aborigines to bring food to sell for beads — the natives as loudly denied that they possessed any. We went across in the whale-boat next morning to A SHAM FAMINE. 129 attempt to obtain the goodwill of the natives of Yam- isss. buya ; but, after an hour's effort, we were compelled to yJTboya. desist. They reported they were starving, and they acted the part of famished people admirably. A few of our sailors threw some rolls of bread on shore in derisive unbelief of their statement ; but the natives, as quick-witted, affected to rush for the bread, and to eat it with inexpressible satisfaction, at the same time holding out their hands imploringly for more. A few cowries thrown on shore also caused an eager scrambling; but though they could not be induced to sell goats or food, they were not averse to talk. I fear, that as they were such consummate actors, not much reliance can be placed on any information given to us, since while they gave us numerous names of places, they never mentioned, for instance, that their own village was Yambuya, whereas they declared it to be Ngonde. The rapids they also called Ruka or Luka, the river Massua, Kiyo, and Ikongo, whereas our frank friends of Yakui, called the river Biverre. Disinclined, because really unable from the vast amount of work to be done yet, and the time con- sumed in navigating such lengths of riverwater, to pursue investigation among people who so zealously baffled our inquiries, we turned away and rowed up to the rapids. Reaching a point whence I could command full view of them, I concluded that they might be descended easily by men who knew the road. It is one of those rapids that would be simply exhilarating to rush down — there are no treacherous Vol. II.— 9 130 THE CONGO. 4883. whirlpools, eddies, or back-currents ; it is a steep Nov. 21. Yambuya. rolling* of a flood over, probably, a clean reef. They are about 450 yards wide, from the deep bend in the right bank to the low point projecting into the stream from the left bank. Tims we are halted after an ascent of about ninety- six English miles of the Biyerre. As the confluence of the river with the Congo is in X. Lat. 1° 14/, and our camp below the rapids is in N. Lat. 1° 13', our course has been true easterly, notwithstanding the three or four semi-circular bends in the rivers run. Although ail these geographical questions will be presently settled, yet halting from pursuing the search further, I ought to state my reasons for still main- taining the opinion that this river must be the Welle. From these rapids, the distance to tnguima, on the Welle, is about 155 geographical miles in a direct line. The natives of Yankui call the river Biyerre ; the Basoko admitted it also, but stated that only the Upper .Aruwimi was called the Biyerre', that is, that portion of it above the rapids. The Welle of Schweinfurth is called by Miani, Ware and Werre ; another calls it Meri or Bere'. It is a large river, 600 yards wide and 25 feet deep — we have traced it east across one degree of longitude. Over the rapids we see that the hill-range which has caused the interruption runs north-west and south- east. The river has been deflected from its course by the hills, and must flow from a north-westerly direction. IDENTITY OF THE B J YE It HE AND WELLE. 131 Rounding the south-easterly extremity, it runs direct 1883- ° J J Nov. 21. west to the Congo. That there are other rapids Yambuya. up above these may well be imagined ; the great bends wre have already passed make it quite possible that there are many more ; and a mere view, such as we had of this curve above the rapids trending north- westerly, has but little value. But a glance at the large semi-circular bend between the confluence of the Nekke with the Welle', and the junction of the Gurba and the Welle', will serve to show that two inverse bends w^ould about connect the Welle, Bere, or Werre of Schweinfurth, Miani, and Junker wTith the river called Biyerre, which wre have just ascended. The Itimbiri is not large enough to receive such a river as the Welle is figured on the maps of its explorers. The Biyerre" s great volume must absorb, not only the Welle, but most probably the Nepoko of Junker. At this season the river Biyerre discharges 150,000 cubic feet of water per second into the Congo. Now, Dr. Barth describes the Shari, the river which many geographers insist upon as receiving the Welle, thus : — u I found myself floating on this noble river, which was certainly GOO yards across. On the western shore the river sweeps slowly along, and, in general, appears not to be very deep. In the channel the poles of the ferrymen indicated a depth of 15 feet." If we suppose that this " noble " river, the Shari, to be GOO yards wide, of an uniform depth of 15 feet, and a current of two knots an hour, we only obtain 132 THE CONGO. 1883. G7.000 cubic feet of water per second, and this at a Nov. 22. ; ..... irungu. point 810 geographical miles in a direct line from Munza's on the Welle. As Munza's is situated at a place on the Welle which is over 200 geographical miles in a direct line from its source, then wTe have an Equatorial river with a course of nearly 2000 English miles, with only a volume of 67,000 cubic feet of water per second. The Congo, on the other hand, after only 1 COO miles of a course, rolls past Nyangwe a volume of 230,000 cubic feet per second. There is such an incomprehensibility in all this, that I can only record my .belief that, as the Biyerre is only 155 geographical miles from the lowest point known on the Welle, and discharges such a volume of water, the basin of the Welle and the Nepoko must be included within the hydrographic area supplying the Biyerre with water. At a place just five miles below Yambuya, on returning down river, I made a series of measurements of current velocity, and soundings. The central current flowed at the rate of 1150 feet in five minutes; the greatest depth of water was forty-two feet ; the breadth of river was 580 yards. We camped at Irungu and underwent the scarifica- tion of brotherhood. From our new brothers we re- ceived the extraordinary information that the Biyerre after turning to the north-west made another turn southerly and joined the Congo. I presume that this must be the Nepoko affluent of the Biyerre'. At Yakui,so much had our peaceful passage up-river NEWS OF THE ARABS. 133 impressed the people, that we were enabled to purchase i8s.">. eight days' provisions. I heard also sufficient at this Yakui. place to prove that there were Arabs from the East Coast on the Congo, but the locality was so vaguely designated that we did not pay much attention to the news. When, however, they learned that after return- ing to Mokulu we intended to visit the Congo in the same manner, they manifested undisguised pleasure for some reason. The Bahunga marauders were sure to " catch it " they thought, if they were overtaken by us. A little before noon on the 23rd we halted for a short time at our camp opposite Mokulu. We dis- covered that the Biyerre had fallen eighteen inches during our absence. We then continued our journey down to the mouth, and, rounding the low forest point dividing the two rivers, we steamed up the mightier Congo. 134 THE CONGO. CHAPTER XXX. TO STANLEY FALLS. Predatory Bahunga — An odd means for defence — Deserted villages- Enormous flotilla of canoes — Danger ahead — Kavages by the Arabs — " Cruel man has done his worst " — Eemains of burnt villages — A shocking discovery — We overtake the Arab slave-traders — Medita- tions on retribution — Extent of territory ravaged by the Arabs — Their miserable captives — A harrowing scene — Captives all women and children; their number — The cause of the trade — Yangambi— The Chofu river — The Wenya fishermen — Cunning policy of the Arabs— Stanley Falls — Description of the cataracts — The district tribes — Their mode of fishing — A dangerous ferry — Drum signals — An industrious people— The fish of the waters — Palavers — Our farthest station founded — Binnie is appointed chief, and left in charge — Homeward bound. 1883. We have now, while breasting the swift ochreous flood °''23' of the Conor), a wider view of river reach, and a more iyerre. & ' > spacious breadth of stream than we enjoyed between the banks of the Biyerre. Denuded of its islets, the Congo revealed itself occasionally, now with a clear view of two and a half miles of open water, broad enough to absorb a dozen mighty tributaries as large as the Biyerre'. And yet we were, at the confluence just passed, 1266 English miles from the sea, and 021 miles above Leopold vi lie, FREDA TOR Y BAHUNOA. 135 Faithful to our purpose we cling to the right bank, N188(^ which is low, but grand for the forest of massive Biyerr& trees nourished by its fertile soil. We pass a clearing which was once a market-place. It is not used now, a change having come over the people of the land. There are rumours of predatory Bahunga floating throughout the surrounding districts, and distrust, fear, and suspicion lie heavy on men's souls. We have discovered that we ourselves are not above suspicion . We may not be related to the fierce kid- nappers who roam about at midnight on the wide waters and pounce upon sleeping aborigines, but we wear cloth, and we carry the dreadful hollow tubes which belch thunder and ruin to men. " Yes, go up the Mburra [the Congo] when hollow tubes spit fire at one another — could we but see it, it were grand fun ! " So think the natives, while we, utterly igno- rant what strange tribe this is equally matched with ourselves, keep pressing on nearer and nearer to the kidnappers, in admirable bewilderment as to who they may be. At four o'clock we pass another market-place, and think of camping, but the people who spring on shore with the hawsers fall down and show bleeding feet, and we discover that the ground has been defended by pins of dried rattan stuck all over the surface, and we are obliged to steam on another hour until a suitable place in the thick forest has been found. The next day at 9 a.m. we pass the well-known market-place, where, in 1877, the vendors and buyers 130 THE CONGO. iss3. left the profits and pleasures of marketing to attack Nov. 24. Biyem< us in impetuous style, so little did they expect that the descending canoes contained men whose souls had been well tried in resisting such attacks. All of us who had been present on that occasion rehearsed the scene and the events which almost each tree recalled. An hour later a fourth market-place was passed, from which the natives had been seen hastening away to an island or islands near the left bank. The dis- tance was so great, and so much haziness from the humid heat obscured the light, that we could not well discern the outline of the opposite shore. The land rose in beautiful gentle hills, green w7ith the perpetual springtime, and deeply wooded every- where, but bluffy on their river face. Here and there peeped out banana groves, belonging to tiny hamlets occupying the limited clearings. These higher lands belong no doubt to the bluff-browed banks near Yambumba on the Biyerre'. Looking across to the islands which the Congo again bears within its bosom we fancy we see a movement as of paddles — those bright mirror-like flashes of water we know so well on a calm day, and languidly tracing the islet shores upward, a half-formed suspicion creeps into our minds that the shores themselves are widening. But, examining the curious phenomenon through a binocular, such a number of canoes are seen that they create unpleasant thoughts of imminent strife. Sug- gestions arise of conflicts with the terrible Bahunga, of running down an entire flotilla of canoes, plunging ENORMOUS FLOTILLA OF CANOES. 137 and sprawling madly about with marvellous rapidity lsas. of action, while the sharp crack of breech-loaders sound Biyerre. clear above the turmoil. What else could such an encounter mean ? Our men are all conscious that there is a large force of people in the neighbour- hood, notwithstanding that the right bank appears silent and uninhabited. We cast off the whale-boat, and the En Avant dashes on to obtain a clearer view of this immense flotilla. In ten minutes we can trace a long and thick column of ascending canoes, creeping along under the shadows of the overhanging woods of an island. It may be three miles in length ; it may be less, it may be more, but its length dwarfs all that we have ever seen of flotillas. I estimated the number of canoes at about a thousand. We steamed slowly up, parallel with the column, to the distance of a mile and a half. I presumed that they meditated an attack, and I became lost in conjectures as to the result of a determined charge of such a vast force. If there were an average of five to each canoe that would give a number of 5000 ; enough to overwhelm us, even if they came to the attack with naked hands. Discretion is wise in such circumstances as environed us. We had no quarrel with any people, not even with the Bahunga, and our mission could not be prefaced by seeking opportunities for warfare. Argu- ing thus the En Avant returned to her consorts, picked up her boat, and the steam flotilla held on its way. 138 THE CONGO. 1883 At 4.30 a rain-storm halted us0 This was the usual >.ov. 24-. Maucmbc. ending to such a hazy sultry day, and was generally accompanied by vivid lightning, and loud thunder shocks. We had a comfortable camp, however, on a cosy islet, well protected from the tempest that endured the whole night. The next morning (the 25th) we continued our journey. Two hours later we saw a break in the solid wall of forest trees along which we had travelled, and I remembered its position very clearly. On my old map it is marked " Mawembe," and was strongly palisaded ; but now, though I looked closely through ray glass, I could detect no sign of palisade or hut, The clearing was there, it was true, the site of the palisaded village was also there, and notwithstanding its empti- ness it was recognised. As we advanced we could see poor remnants of banana groves ; we could also trace the whitened paths from the river's edge leading up the steep bank, but not a house nor a living thing could be seen anywhere. The exact extent, position, and nature of the village site was unchanged, but the close, bristling palisade, and the cones of fowl-huts, and the low ridge-roofed huts just visible above it — all had vanished. When we came abreast of the locality, we perceived that there had been a late fire. The heat had scorched the foliage of the tallest trees, and their silver stems had been browned by it. The banana plants looked meagre ; their ragged fronds waved mournfully their tatters, as if imploring pity. We slackened the speed TRACES OF RAPINE. 139 of the engines, to contemplate the scene and reflect 1883. Nov. 25. upon its meaning. Mawemw Six years before we had rushed by this very place without stopping, endeavouring by our haste to thwart the intentions of our foes — if foes they meant to be — since which time the history of this land had been a blank to us. Surely there had been a great change ! As we moved up the stream slowly, another singular sight attracted our gaze. This was two or three long canoes standing on their ends, like split hollow columns, upright on the verge of the bank. AY hat freak was this, and what did the sight signify ? Had one of these canoes been weighed, it is certain it could not have been less than a ton. To have tilted and raised such a weight argued numbers and union. It could never have been the work of a herd of chattering savages. As they stand, they are a tacit revelation of the effect of energy and cohesion ; they signify a union of men — and union is force! They are Arabs who have performed this feat of strength, and these upright columnar canoes betray the advent of the slave- traders in the region below the Falls ! We learned later that on this now desolate spot once stood the town of Yomburri. A few miles higher up on the same bank we came abreast of another scene of desolation, where a whole town had been burnt, the palms cut down, bananas scorched, many acres laid level with the ground, and the freak of standing canoes on end repeated. In front of the black ruin there were a uo THE CONGO. 1883 couple of hundred people crouched down on the mburri. verge °f the bank, looking Avofully forlorn and cheer- less, some with their hands supporting their chins, regarding us with a stupid indifference, as though they were beyond further harm, while all seemed to say by their attitude, " Cruel man has done his worst. Having lost all, we are beyond your spite, and greater wretchedness than that which we are now in is impos- sible. How can it profit you to harm us ? " Our guide, Yumbila, was told to question them as to what was the cause of this dismal scene, and one old man stood out and poured forth his tale of grief and woe with an exceeding volubility. He told of a sudden and unexpected invasion of their village, by a host of leaping, yelling men, in the darkness, who dinned their ears with murderous fusilades, slaughtering their people 'as they sprang out of their burning huts into the light of the flames. Not a third of the men had escaped ; the larger number of the wcmen and children had been captured and taken away, they knew not whither. " And where are these people ? " we asked. " They are gone up-river, about eight days ago." " And have these people burnt up all the villages ? " " All ; everywhere, on both sides of the river." " What are they like, these strange people ? " " They are like your people in your boats, and wear white clothes." " Ah ! And who are all those people we saw yester- day in hundreds of canoes near the islands ? " BURNT VILLAGES. 141 "The}' are our people, from our side and from the other, who have gathered together for protection. At Yombun night they go to their fields to get food, but in the daytime they live on the islands, with their canoes ready, lest the wicked and fierce people come back. But go away, go away ; strangers are all bad. Go to them if you want ivory ; go and fight them. We have nothing — nothing." And the old man's gesture, with open palms, was painfully ex- pressive. We continued on our journey, advancing as rapidly as our steamers could breast the stream. Every three or four miles we came in sight of the black traces of the destroyers. The charred stakes, upright canoes, poles of once populous settlements, scorched banana groves, and prostrate palms, all betokened ruthless ruin. At 4 P.M. we halted at a camp in a plain just above the devastated site of Yavunga. We had passed, since leaving the Biyerre, twelve villages utterly consumed by fire. In these eight separate communities had existed. Opposite Yavunga, on the left bank, is the district of Yaporo. Surveying the scene through the bino- cular glass we could assure ourselves that the tale of the old man was not exaggerated. Not one house was visible, although the extensive clearing indicated that Yaporo had been populous. This would have been evident even had I not remembered, by the peculiar red clay banks, which is such a feature of it, that I 142 THE CONGO. 1883. had seen a large and long-extended town here. Just Nov. 27. Vomburri. above, I also remembered, we had had a tough fight with the people, who had cried " Ya Mariwa " as they charged on ns, and there was the Tugarambusa ridge, its outlines not to be mistaken. On the morning of the 27th of November we were delayed by a scantiness of fuel, due to the extent of the clearing, so that departure was not possible until after 7 o'clock. A mile above our camp we detected some object, of a slaty colour, floating down stream. The En Avant steamed towards it, and the man with the sounding-pole at the bow, on arriving near it, turned it over with a boat-hook. We were shocked to discover the bodies of two women bound together with cord ! This tragedy, by the appearance of the bodies, must have occurred about twelve hours previously. Wondering what could have caused the committal of such a crime, we continued to follow the shore, where the current was slack, until we came to the upper end of the crescent bend, which is above Yavunga. At the close of an hour we wTere rounding the point, when looking up river hastily, we saw a white mass fronting the landing-place of a village. I caught up my glass and examined it. Others appeared in a group, as we edged towards the centre of the stream. They were tents ; the Arabs of Nyangwe had been overtaken ! They were evidently in force, for their camp, or village, was evidently large enough for a great number, and a rough palisade seemed to surround it. We OVERTAKING THE ARABS. 143 formed ourselves in line and advanced np-river. As 1883. Nov. 27. ive drew near [ observed through the telescope that yomburn. our presence excited a commotion on the banks, which became lined with a multitude of men in white dress who acted as if flurried. I also saw a large number of canoes fastened to the landing-place, which revealed at once the secret of these sudden midnight surprisals. These people had in some manner descended the river from Nyangwe past the Falls, I felt conscious for a short period of an internal struggle against an impulse, which was almost over- powering, to avenge these devastations and massacres of sleeping people. The picture of those houseless people of Yomburri, the eloquent but most pitiful tale of the old man, the corpses of the two women bound together, which seemed to suggest a cold-blooded deliberate murder — all appealed to me for immediate and complete vengeance. And yet — who am I that I should take the law into my hands and mete out retri- bution ? The devilish deeds are already accomplished — the embers of the burnt houses are cold, the blood shed has long ago been dried. Then, again, came the thought that the captives were still in bondage; the tears of these are still flowing, their sorrow is even yet fresh. And this naked land, raided, and devastated in this cruel fashion, of what possible use would it be when emptied of its people ? But it was useless for me to repeat to myself such forcible reasons for revenging these wholesale outrages. I had not the slightest shadow of authority to vindicate the dictates of justice. I 144 THE CONGO. 1883. represented no constituted government, nor had I the Nov. 27. Vombuni. shadow of authority to assume the role of censor, judge and executioner. Both parties were my friends, at least I hoped so ; one party, being stronger, by force and fraud has almost exterminated the other, but without a commission I may not interfere. Had I appeared on the scene while one of these many tragedies was being enacted I might — so conta- gious is the effect of strife — have assisted the weaker party. After the usual discharge of blank cartridges from the boats, announcing an arrival, followed by re- sponsive salvoes from the shore, a canoe put out from the bank, and hailed us in Swahili, the lan- guage of the oriental coast, to which we replied in terras of peace. We formed a camp below them, and almost imme- diately after we had secured our boats, our Zanzibaris were shaking hands with the Manyema slaves of Abed bin Salim, who had invaded and ravaged the country to obtain slaves and ivory for their master. We discovered that this horde of banditti — for in reality and without disguise they were nothing else — was under the leadership of several chiefs; but prin- cipally under Karema and Kiburuga. They had started sixteen months previously from Wane-Kirundu, about thirty miles below Yinya Njara. For eleven months the band had been raiding successfully between the Con«*o and the Lubiranzi, on the left bank. They had then undertaken to perform the same cruel work THE AliAB CAMP. 145 between the Biycrre' and Wane-Kirundu. On looking; 188.3. ... Nov. 27. at my map I find that such a territory within the Yombum area described would cover superficially 16,200 square geographical miles on the left bank, and 10,500 miles on the right bank, all of which in statute mileage 'would be equal to 34,570 square miles— just 2000 square miles greater than the island of Ireland — inhabited by about 1,000,000 people. The band when it set out from Kirundu numbered 300 fighting men armed with flint-locks, double-barreled percussion guns, and a few breech-loaders ; their fol- lowers, or domestic slaves and women, doubled this force. After spending the morning listening to such of their adventures as they chose to relate, I was per- mitted in the afternoon to see the human harvest they had gathered, as many of my people had exag- gerated the numbers of the captives they had seen in the camp. Their quarters were about 150 yards above the placa we had selected. It was surrounded with a fence made of the hut walls of the native town of Yangambi, which lay without in ruins ; the square plats of raised and tamped earth with a few uprights alone indicating where it stood. The banana groves had been levelled, and their stalks employed to form the fence around about their camp. Within the enclosure was a series of low sheds, extending many lines deep from the immediate edge of the clay bank inland, 100 yards; in length the Vol. II.— 10 14G THE CONGO. 1883. camp was about 300 yards. At the landing-place Nov. 27. Yomburri. below were fifty-four large canoes, varying in carrying capacity. Each might convey from 10 to 100 people. The first general impressions are that the camp is much toe densely peopled for comfort. There are rows upon rows of dark nakedness, relieved here and there by the white dresses of the captors. There are lines or groups of naked forms upright, standing, or moving about listlessly ; naked bodies are stretched under the sheds in all positions ; naked legs innumerable are seen in the perspective of prostrate sleepers ; there are countless naked children, many mere infants, forms of boyhood and girlhood, and occasionally a drove of abso- lutely naked old women bending under a basket of fuel, or cassava tubers, or bananas, who are driven through the moving groups by two or three musketeers. On paying more attention to details, I observe that mostly all are fettered ; youths with iron rings around their necks, through which a chain, like one of our boat- anchor chains, is rove, securing the captives by twenties. The children over ten are secured by three copper rings, each ringed leg brought together by the central ring, which accounts for the apparent listlessness of movement I observed on first coming in presence of the curious scene. The mothers are secured by shorter chains, around wdiom their re- spective progeny of infants are grouped, hiding the cruel iron links that fall in loops or festoons over their mammas' breasts. There is not one adult man- captive amongst them. A HARROWING SCENE. 147 Besides the shaded ground strewn over so thickly 1883. . . . Nov. 27. by the prostrate and upright bodies of captives, Yombun- the relics of the many raids lie scattered or heaped up in profusion everywhere, and there is scarcely a square foot of ground not littered with something, such as drums, spears, swords, assegais, arrows, bows, knives, iron-ware of native make of every pattern, paddles innumerable, scoops and balers, wooden troughs, ivory horns, whistles, buffalo and antelope-horns, ivory pestles, wooden idols, beads of wood, berries, scraps of fetishism, sorcerers' wardrobes, gourds of all sizes, nets, from the lengthy seine to the small hand-net; baskets, hampers, shields as large as doors (of wood, or of plaited rattan), crockery, large pots to hold eight gallons, down to the child's basin ; wooden mugs, basins, and mallets; grass cloth in shreds, tatters, and pieces; broken canoes, and others half excavated ; native adzes, hatchets, hammers, iron rods, &c, ccc. All these lit- tering the ground, or in stacks and heaps, with piles of banana and cassava peelings, flour of cassava, and sliced tubers drying, make up a number of untidy pictures and details, through all of which, however, prominently gleam the eyes of the captives, in a state of utter and supreme wretchedness. Little perhaps as my face betrayed my feelings, other pictures would crowd upon the imagination ; and after realising the extent and depth of the misery pre- sented to me, I walked about as in a kind of dream, wherein I saw through the darkness of the night the stealthy forms of the murderers creeping towards the 148 THE CONGO. 1883. doomed town, its inmates all asleep, and no sounds Nor. 27. 1 Vomburri. issuing from the gloom but the drowsy hum of chirp- ing cicadas or distant frogs — when suddenly flash the light of brandished torches ; the sleeping town is in- volved in flames, while volleys of musketry lay low the frightened and astonished people, sending many through a short minute of agony to that soundless sleep from which there will be no waking. I wished to be alone somewhere where I could reflect upon the doom which has overtaken Bandu, Yomburri, Yangambi, Yaporo, Yakusu, Ukanga, Yakonde, Ituka, Yaryembi, Yaruche, populous Isangi, and probably thirty scores of other villages and towns. The slave-traders admit they have only 2300 captives in this fold, yet they have raided through the length and breadth of a country larger than Ireland, bearing fire and spreading carnage with lead and iron. Both banks of the river show that 118 villages, and forty- three districts have been devastated, out of which is only educed this scant profit of 2300 females and children, and about 2000 tusks of ivory! The spears, swords, bows, and the quivers of arrows, show that many adults have fallen. Given that these 118 vil- lages were peopled only by 1000 each, we have only a profit of 2 per cent. ; and by the time all these captives have been subjected to the accidents of the river voyage to Kirundu and Nyangwe, of camp life and its harsh miseries, to the havoc of small- pox, and the pests which miseries breed, there will only remain a scant 1 per cent, upon the bloody venture. SLAVE TRADING. They tell me, however, that the convoys already 1883. ... Hov. 27. arrived at Nyangwe with slaves captured in the interior y0mimrrL have been as great as their present band. Five ex- peditions have come and gone with their booty of ivory and slaves, and these five expeditions have now completely weeded the large territory described above. If each expedition has been as successful as this, the slave-traders have been enabled to obtain 5000 women and children safe to Nyangwe, Kirundu, and Vibondo, above the Stanley Falls, Thus 5000 out of an assumed million will be at the rate of a-half per cent., or five slaves out of 1000 people. This is poor profit, out of such large waste of life, for originally we assume the slaves to have mustered about 10,000 in number. To obtain the 2300 slaves out of the 118 villages, they must have shot a round number of 2500 people, while 1300 more died by the wayside, through scant provisions and the intensity of their hopeless wretchedness. How many are wounded and die in the forest, or droop to death through an over- whelming sense of their calamities, we do not know, but if the above figures are trustworthy, then the out- come from the territory with its million of souls is 5000 slaves, obtained at the cruel expense of 33,000 lives ! And such slaves ! They are females, or young children who cannot run away, or who with youthful indifference will soon forget the terrors of their cap- ture ! Yet each of the very smallest infants has cost the life of a father and perhaps his three stout brothers and three grown-up daughters. An entire family of 150 THE CONGO. 1883. six souls have been done to death to obtain that small, Nov. 27. Yomburri. feeble, useless child ! These are my thoughts as I look upon the horrible scene. Every second during which I regard them the clink of fetters and chains strikes upon my ears. My eyes catch sight of that continual lifting of the hand to ease the neck in the collar, or as it displays a manacle exposed through a muscle being irritated by its weight, or want of fitness. My nerves are offended with the rancid effluvium of the unwashed herds within this human kennel. The smell of other abominations annoy me in that vitiated atmosphere. For how could poor people, bound and riveted together by twenties, do otherwise than wallow in filth ! Only the old women are taken out to forage ; they dig out the cassava tuber, and search for the banana, while the guard, with musket ready, keenly watches for the coming of the vengeful native. Not much food can be procured in this manner, and w7hat is obtained is flung down in a heap before each gang, to at once cause an unseemly scramble. Many of these poor things have been already months fettered in this manner, and their bones stand out in bold relief in the attenuated skin, wmich hangs down in thin wrinkles and puckers. And yet, who can withstand the feeling of pity so powerfully pleaded for by those large eyes and sunken cheeks? What was the cause of all this vast sacrifice of human life, of all this unspeakable misery ? Nothing, but the indulgence of an old Arab's " wolfish, bloody, starved, and ravenous instincts." He wished to ob- THE CAUSE OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 151 tain blaves to barter profitably away to other Arabs, N1S832- and having weapons — guns and gunpowder — enough, Yombun-L he placed them in the hands of three hundred slaves, and despatched them to commit murder wholesale, just as an English nobleman would put guns in the hands of his guests, and permit them to slaughter the game upon his estate. If we calculate three quarts of blood to each person who fell during the campaign of murder, we find that this one Arab caused to be shed 2850 gallons of human blood, sufficient to fill a tank measure- ment of 460 cubic feet, quite large enough to have drowned him and all his kin ! I now understood why the Basoko of the Biyerre' were so gleeful when they heard we were about to ascend the Congo. Their talk about the Bahunga was that of people bewildered by the suddenness of the attack upon them, who seized upon the first name uttered to them. They hoped, of course, that we would mutually destroy one another, and thus they would be relieved from their fears. We exchanged gifts with Karema and his blood- stained confederates. We also obtained guides from them to speak for us to the people at the Falls, and being in a hurry to leave such dreadful scenes, we departed next morning, the 28th, for the cataract. Yangambi, which we said was occupied by the Arab slave-traders, is beautifully situated on a level terrace, at the foot of the Tugurambusa ridge, which runs parallel with the Congo for a length of eight miles. The summits of the ridge, which are at an altitude of 152 THE CONGO. 1883. perhaps two hundred feet above the river, appear to Nov. 28. Yangambi. offer a charming field for European agriculturists. The slopes are delightfully fresh and green, and where the red bluffs rise, thev are overhung bv verdant masses of shrubbery. The left bank opposite is a flat and level land, with far extended clearings ; it is a land for sugar cane, cotton, rice, maize, and millet. The right bank above the ridge is a land for wheat, being at a dry and healthy altitude. A few miles above the red sandstone cliffs of Tugar- ambusa are Itukn, Yaruche, and Yaryembi, or rather wrere, for at this time mere relics of settlements were shown. And yet I remember well their rampant multitudes on the banks and in the canoe flotillas worrying our force in 1877 with the courage of yelping terriers. Both banks were now empty of their peoples, they were abandoned to the silence of absolute solitude. Soon after rounding the point of Yaryembi, we view before us a straight twelve-mile reach. On the right bank there are three abandoned settlements, and on the left there are five, mere empty clearings. The river varies from 800 to 1600 yards wide, with a strong but steady current. The banks are nearly uniform, from ten to thirty feet high, woods alternating with open sites of towns. Yarukombe' on the right, and a similar town of the same name on the left, stood once at the upper end of the reach. On the 30th of November our course from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. was along the right bank in a channel caused THE CHOFU RIVE1L 153 by the large and fertile island called Busanga, winch 1883. iiT -11 -i r i Nov. 30. I remember to have been occupied by a tribe of the Busanga. Yakusu. Now, however, not one hut is seen. Even the clearings where the huts stood can scarcelv be found. All the villages on the mainland have been utterly destroyed, and there is not one native of a powerful tribe to tell the tale of the massacres. At 2 p.m. Ave arrived at the twin-mouthed river Chofu, each channel having a breadth of about 200 yards, divided by an island whose base line is three miles long. My guide, who has been up the river marauding, states that it is navigable for about twenty-five miles, when a confluence of two branches is seen, both in- terrupted by rapids. The left branch is called the Lukebu ; the right branch being the Lindi. The Wenya procure their large canoes from this river in exchange for heaps of cured fish. It rained abundantly on the evening of the 30th, but about 8 a.m. on the 1st of December the skies cleared, and we were enabled to continue our voyage. We steamed up for about four miles along the right bank, when we struck across the river to the left bank, barely avoiding a small rapid. We held on until noon, when we were abreast of a small island in N. Lat. 0° 30'. We were advised to cling close to the left bank as far as the point nearest the Falls, to avoid frightening the people with the sight of such a flotilla. Arriving below this point, we detache 1 the whale-boat, and sent it up with the guide and one of my servants to speak 154 THE CONGO. 1883. to the natives. By tin's method we succeeded in getting Dec. 1. Stanley touch of the Wenya fishermen, who sent down a few talls* men in two canoes to speak to us. An hour's conver- sation ended with an invitation to us to approach their village. Steaming round the point, the lower rapids of the Falls came into view. We were unable to contend against the current. We therefore tied up alongside of the left bank, two miles below the village, until we could come to an understanding with the assembled WTenya chiefs respecting a settlement. With cunning policy the Arabs in their descent of the Falls, left the Wenya in undisturbed possession of their islands. Even since 1878, after the return of Tipper Tib to Nyangwe from escorting me to Vinya Njara, they made their approaches slowly towards the Falls. Thus they had obtained access to a large island between the Falls, from which, by dint of the exhibition of power coupled with an affectation of leniency — even friendship — towards those who were willing to submit to their impositions, they had succeeded in at last securing the co-operation of the Wenya fishermen. By this means they could descend from Nyangwe to the Upper Falls, and surrendering their canoes into the hands of the Baswa tribe, they could march over- land to Asama Creek, while the Baswa fishermen, through their intimate knowledge of the channels, floated the canoes safely down. Thence embarking, the Arabs descended from the fifth cataract to the sixth, while the Wane Rukura fishermen floated the canoes WENYA FISHERMEN. 155 safely past their cataract. Here the Arabs might ^883. safely embark for the seventh cataract of the Stanley Stanley Falls, whereat the Wenya fishermen stood ready to navigate them safely through the channels to the head of the navigation leading to the Stanley Pool. On their return with their forcibly acquired booty, a few slaves which they were glad to be rid of sufficed to pay the Wenya, Wane Eukura, and Baswa tribes for their trouble of passing their flotilla up in safety to the quiet river leading to Nyangwe. Stanley Falls consists of seven distinct cataracts extended along a curving stretch of fifty-six statute miles in length. At N. Lat. 0° 28' 30", E. Long. 25° 24', we find the . seventh cataract, which, with its smaller rapids, inter- rupts navigation for two miles. Above this fall there is a navigable stretch of twenty-six miles, whence the sixth cataract is reached. This latter cataract, on the left side, presents an absolutely impassable fall ; but on the right it partakes of the character of rapids, which at certain times of the year would offer few more difficulties that vigorous rowing would not surmount. From the sixth to the fifth cataract is another twenty- two mile stretch of easily navigable water with a gentle current. The fifth, fourth, third, second, and first cataracts, are so close together that we only reckon them by the number of distinct waterfalls. Nine miles' journey overland will enable us to pass them all. But judging from the number of times that the Baswa tribe have passed Arab canoe flotillas down- 156 THE CONGO. 1883. wards and upwards in safety, it is evident that there Dec. 1. Stanley are channels on the right bank which render the passage feasible and even free of danger. They are likely to be of the nature of Nile rapids on the right side ; but on the extreme left the cataracts are de- cidedly impassable. At the seventh cataract there are four channels. Beginning from the right bank there is a fordable channel about thirty yards wide, which, at low water, is the leakage between a ridge of loose rocks forming a dam-like barrier at the upper end. The channel runs for three miles between the right bank inhabited by the Bakumu, and an island occupied by the Wenya tribe called Wane Rusari, or sons of Rusari. Beyond the island, which is a quarter of a mile broad, is the main right branch of the cataract, about 500 yards wide, which is separated from the main left branch, 300 yards wide, by a rocky islet occupying the centre. Below the foot of the falls of the main left channel is a rocky isle inhabited by the Wane' Mikunga tribe of the Wenya, separated from the mainland on the left bank by a rough channel about twenty yards wide. From the right to the left bank at the cataract the width, across islands and water, is about 1330 yards. Between the two inhabited islands, Wane Rusari and Wane' Mikunga, the two main channels unite their waters, and rush with inconceivable rapidity through a narrowed channel of perhaps 450 yards, to be diffused below over low reefs and rocky hollows covering a breadth of 1200 vnrds. Two miles below the island CURIOUS METHOD OF FISHING. 157 of Wane Mikunga navigation is interrupted by rock ish shoals and little rapids. On the right navigation may Stanley be continued either up the creek between Wane Eusari and the mainland for a mile higher, or up the main river to a point nearly opposite the lower end of Wane Mikunga. About a thousand yards above the cataract begins the islands occupied by the tribe of Wane Sironga, commanded by the chiefs Lumami and Yanzi. The three tribes number about 4000 people — 1500 on the isle of Wane Eusari ; 1000 at Wane Mikunga ; and 1500 on the islands of Wane Sironga. At the present time they are rapidly on the increase, receiving acces- sions to their numbers from the persecuted Yakusu. These people are all devoted to fishing. The two main channels are almost bridged at the Falls. At very low water they plant poles between the rocks, and by lashing cross poles, and propping up the up- rights, they have secured access towards the centre of the raging waters. With cables of rattan they lash their baskets into which the fish are swept, and each day these are visited by the daring fishermen. The little island in the centre is reached in large broad canoes cut out of the cottonwood from below. It is an exciting sight to see forty stout fellows paddle one of these through the waves, heedless of the boiling and dangerous waters. They advance along the left bank, and then by desperate strokes they edge diagonally across the stream ; the water above the fall being level with their heads. Thev miss the island as often 158 THE CONGO. 1883. as they reach it. If they are unsuccessful, they are Dec. 1. staniov swept down the united channel, which is a' stretch of Falls." roaring water, at " express " speed, to try again the dangerous course. But if they can only succeed in hold- ing their own, by dint of united straining and tearing at the water, they will touch the lee of the island, and a few more rapid strokes will bring them to the shore and to their nets. If the nets are full, the fishermen send up a loud wailing shout, which is gladly echoed by the people on the isles, who have gathered each day to watch the daring venture. Disasters are frequent; the most common being when the canoe has been badly steered, and presenting too much beam to the current, it is soon capsized among the leaping and rolling waves. The people for whose profit they labour, their relatives, and their comrades, who have been regarding them from the rocks then with united voices wTarn all the isles with the news of the disaster, and dozens of canoes shoot from either side to the rescue. They think nothing of crossing the raging waters between the islands from Wane Mikunga to Wane Rusari. The feat is performed every few minutes by men, women, and children. Such a ferry was never seen. From a little distance off the river, so rapid is the movement, so steep the slope, that one might say that the voyagers were skating down an ice-covered hill. The islanders have not yet adopted electric signals, but possess, however, a system of communication quite as effective. Their huge drums, by being struck in A DANGEROUS FE11RY. 159 different parts, convey language as clear to the initiated i883. Dec. 1. as vocal speech ; and all the isles and every soul on stanley them is told what transpires on each island hourly. In appearance the Wenya, Yakusu, and Bakumu hear a strong resemblance to the Basoko, though the Bakumu are slightly lighter in complexion. The Wenya do not cultivate the ground. Their wealth consists solely of fish. Perhaps the average daily catch may be a thousand of from five pounds to half a cwt. in weight, not including the spoils taken by the little boys in the smaller channels, and at insignifi- cant rapids below. Besides what is consumed daily as meat, and what is bartered with the Bakumu for their vegetables, the Wenya have large stores of smoke-cured fish with which they purchase women, child slaves, canoes, and weapons from the Yakusu and the tribes of the Chofu. These fisher tribes are, of course, impregnably situated so far as regards their security against the hostility of their neighbours. The Yakusu of the quiet river below, or the Bakumu of the mid-cataract section, would shrink from venturing near the isles of the Wenya, protected as they are on almost all sides by the surrounding dangerous waters. They are an industrious and an inventive people. In the streets of their villages the fish curers attend their lines of curing-platforms; the old men are weaving purse nets and sieves ; the able-bodied men are at basket-work ; while others weave rattan hawsers. The women are preparing bread, grinding camwood, sifting 160 THE COS GO. 1883. meal, pounding corn, or making crockery. On the Dee. 1. jtanley waterside are the canoe-wrights doing odd jobs — * ' binding a split bow, a split stern, or a leaky crack, or perhaps cutting out a decayed part and preparing a piece of plank to replace it. These are the people with whom we proposed to negotiate for partnership in the proprietory rights over the mainland and the isles of the seventh cataract. With the Arabs for our friends, it was clear there would be no dissentients, since both Arabs and abori- gines perceived possible benefits. Our settlement at the Falls would enable the half-castes of Xyangwe to obtain cloth to wear at a much cheaper rate than they could obtain it from the East Coast, and the same might be said of various trifles, such as knives, powder, beads, wire, broadcloth, cottons, tools, thread and needles. Medicines might be purchased from our establishment at the Falls; while the native chiefs might, by monthly subsidies of cloth, receive considerable additions to their hard-earned wealth, and the tribe itself be rendered much more presentable as cloth-wearing people than they are in their unqualified nudity. On the 2nd we cut a path along the right bank through the jungle, and crossed over to the island of Wane Mikunga. The chiefs of the tribes were all met according to a notice which had been given. They first of all gave us a large present of bearded Silurus, catfish, and a species of the pike. Among the pile there was the well-known scaleless Singa of the Tanganika, and scale fish of the size of A VIOLENT CONFERENCE. 161 mackerel, which Ave found to be afterwards wholesome 1S83. Dec. 2. and sweet. Wane Our palaver was then opened. In brief, we asked to Mlkunsf be allowed to stav with them and build a town, and to live in peace with them as their friends and protectors. This exposition of our purpose elicited a lively response. A speaker stood up, and listening to the words in short sentences from our guides, he seemed to be mechanically repeating them, while the others main- tained a j^rofound silence until the speaker ended, when all at once a furious hubbub commenced. One might have imagined they were about to fling them- selves upon one another, so violent were they in gesture, and so rapid and voluble in speech. This fury subsiding, one after another got up and expounded his views on the matter. If he spoke well and to the point, they who considered his words pertinent and sensible got up and arranged his grass-cloth that covered his rear parts ; those who dissented poured forth a torrent of what we supposed were vituperations. This continued until they exhausted themselves, wdien the palaver was adjourned until the next day at the same hour. Late in the day a messenger from the guide came to inform me that it was very likely an agreement would be arrived at the next day, and that I might prepare the goods and have them ready. They con- sisted of beads, knives, mirrors, cloth, wire, &c. On the 3rd there were some more violent language and furious colloquial torrents, which gradually sub- sided into decent and tranquil manners. A price was Vol. II.— 11 1G2 THE CONGO. 1883. agreed upon, by which full lordship over the isles and win! tne 'e^fc mainland was ceded, with proprietory rights jusan. ajj unoccupied territory. As the lands were common property belonging to the tribe, over £160 worth of goods were placed upon the ground to be distributed by the chiefs themselves, according to rank and power, which I need not say occasioned many bursts of wordy violence. Meantime, in the intervals of these palavers, I had explored, in the whale-boat, both shores, and my choice rested on the isle of Wane Rusari for the station. I was guided to this determination by its extent, its fertility of soil, and the convenience of the access to the right bank, whence provisions could be obtained. We proceeded to mark out a site at the lower end of the island, which was covered with a dense bush, wherein, while we cleared, we discovered relics of former inhabitants. At the upper end, at the distance of 1200 yards from the station, were the villages of the tribe, wherein we had experienced a slight struggle in 1877. Although we had completed all negotiations with the Wenya in a far more successful way than any one could have predicted, it behoved us to provide for the sustenance of the station, and our guide, accompanied by a few of our own men, was sent to Siwa-Siwa, the chief of the Bakumu, who, hearing how happy the Wenya had been made by the white strangers, ad- vanced from the interior, a distance of five miles, with thirty natives, each weighted with cassava, bananas, STILL HAVEN. 163 STILL HAVEN. 164 THE CONGO. 1883. yams, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins, besides which c.2tol0. J . , 1 r . Wand the chiefs' women, at the suggestion of the guide, Rusan. neglected to provide for the necessities of the whites, and had brought eggs and fowls, while a small flock of goats was transported to our new island home. Between Siwa-Siwa and myself it might be said to be love at first sight. Which of us was most effusive it would be difficult to say. His sunny brown face was aglow with so much candour and boyish delight, that probably this caused a warm and spontaneous reci- procity on my part. I admired greatly the loving possessive manner in which his women surrounded me, and cooed their sweetest into each of my ears, without exciting in the least Siwa-Siwa's jealousy, or alarming his susceptibilities. Agreements with Siwa-Siwa re- quired no casuistry to urge his signature. The Wenya had told him everything, and was present to gu%le his judgment if he hesitated. Siwa-Siwa confided solely in my honour that my coming among them boded no evil, but who knows what good? "Your people shall be my children," said he, " in your absence. Go in safety. It will be my task to feed them, and until you return I shall dream every night of you." Good Fortune certainly seemed to have prepared for me pleasant places in the wilderness ! There only remained one more duty, and that seemed for a time the most difficult, viz., selecting a substitute for the person whom I had conveyed to Stanley Falls to take charge of the station, only to hear him at the THE CHIEF OF STANLEY FALLS. 105 Jast, pleading earnestly to be returned to the coast. 1883. 1 & J , Dec.2tol0. There only remained three engineers — two Scotchmen Wta^ and a German — and an English man-of-war's man, Rlsan* who acted as skipper of the A. LA. steam-launch. Binnie, a little Scotchman, about 5 feet 3 inches in height, begged to be appointed, but his very slight appearance caused me to be anxious. However, argu- ing that if a man, after arriving in mid-Africa and bearing the fatigues of the journey, is so enamoured of a residence there that he volunteers to remain, it appeared to me to be evidence that he was possessed of a superior and firm soul that would carry him through any physical weakness, and Binnie, the engineer of the Royal, was accordingly appointed chief of Stanley Falls Station pro tern. AYe cleared about four acres of ground for him, con- structed a dwelling-place for him, furnished him with tools, axes, hoes, hammers and nails, gave him pro- visions of wheat flour, meats, coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, milk, soups, jam, butter, potatoes, bacon, lard, sauce, tapioca, vinegar, brandy, and candles, and stocked his goods store with cloth of various kinds, beads of many colours, cowries, brass wire, rings, wristlets and anklets, tin plates and mugs and pans. Leaving with him thirty-one armed men — soldier- labourers — and a plentiful reserve of ammunition, with abundance of sage advice to be prudent and just in his government, amiable and patient in his intercourse, trustful and courageous, we committed him to the care of Providence, and on the 10th of December we turned 166 THE CONGO. 1883. our faces homeward, leaving the little man all alone Wan($ ' with his grave responsibilities. We thus had reached the utmost bourne of the expedition, only one day later than the date I had given to the Comite at Brussels. Further progress before consolidation and incorporation of the work of the Association would be unwise. What was required now was to turn our attention to obtaining the Pro- tectorship of the districts intervening between station and station, so that we might become masters of one uninterrupted and consecutive territory from Vivi Station to the Falls, which, now that we had sown seeds of goodwill at every place we had touched, and eacli tribe would spread diffusively the report of the beauty and value of our labours, it would be an easy task for an intelligent and patient officer like Captain Hanssens, for instance, to perform. Pure benevolence contains within itself grateful virtues. Over natural peoples, nothing has greater charm or such expansible power. Its influence grows without effort ; its subtlety exercises itself upon all who come within reach of the hearing of it. Coming in such innocent guise, it offends not ; there is naught in it to provoke resentment. Pro- vided patience and good temper guided the chief of Stanley Falls Station, by the period of the return of the steamers the influence of the seedling just planted there will have been extended by the Bakumu far inland, by the Wane' Rukura up to the Baswa at the Upper Falls, by the Yakusu visiting the Wenya with their fruits, to exchange for fish, up the Chofu, and PATIENCE AND GOOD TEMPER. 167 alone* their own ravaged river borders down to the ^ 1883- ° c Dec. 2 to 10. hearing of the persecuted families on the islands. The Wand 11 u sari. Basoko would then hear of it, and regret that such a seedling had not been left with them, to grow up amongst them, and to overshadow them with its benign shade. 168 THE CONGO. CHAPTER XXXI. DOWN" THE CONGO TO STANLEY POOL. Going with the stream — The Arabs send their confidential men with us — Navigability of the Lumami and Lubilash — Wreck of the Royal — Beaching and repairing the wreck — Cold winds on the river — Iboko in confusion — Impudent thieving — A prisoner — "Fast bind, fast find " — A horrified father — Refusal of a ransom — Cordiality at Ukumira— Mata Bwyki in a passion — More prisoners — Restitution of our stolen property — Freeing the prisoners — A horrible massacre — Young Glave of Yorkshire— Bolobo station again burnt — News from the missionaries — Again at Leopoldville — Troublesome news from Vivi. 1883. Being borne down by the current of the tawny flood of akondi. *nc Congo assisted by steam was naturally much more exhilarating than laboriously breasting it. A little after noon on the 10th we were in camp again with the Arabs, who had moved their quarters, and were hutted and stockaded on the left bank, on the site of ruined Yakonde. For reasons of polity I set about persuading the chiefs to send with us to the coast a few of their con- fidential men, that they might witness for themselves what influences were advancing up the river on whose banks they had created such widespread havoc. It appeared to me the best mode of suggesting to them, ARAB RECOLLECTIONS. 169 rather than saying so in many words, that it would be 1883. wiser to abstain from committing these sanguinary Isangi> battues, than to risk meeting some day a gunboat with a police force on board, who probably might deal summarily with such a slave-raiding band as we had found housed so openly on the river banks. Meantime they could send specimens of their ivory, and obtain a few necessaries of which, perhaps, they were in need. They accepted the proposal, and they accordingly sent ten of their confidential slaves with three tusks each. It was exceedingly inconvenient, naturally, while en- gaged in the conveyance of men and stores, and plant ing stations along the river, to engage carrying pas- sengers ; still I regarded it as part of the mission, and by no means the least useful portion of it. On the 12th we continued on our voyage down river ; the Arabs on board could tell us incidents in connection with each of the ruined villages as we glided past. Yaporo was soon passed, and an hour later we came to the mouth of the affluent Lubiranzi. Our passengers had been up this river, and had utterly devastated the country on each side. Twenty-five miles higher up rapids are met, but above these a few miles the Lumami and the Lubilash meet, both being navigable for hundreds of miles. At the large town of Isangi, situated at the left corner of the confluence, the natives had begun to build again, but on our appearance they scrambled and hurried away in quick flight across the river, forming a flotilla with which the Congo might have been bridged easily. 170 THE CONGO. 1883. Probably 1 2,000 natives were afloat, as some of the canoes Dec. 14. J 9 . ' Yaluiima. were very large, containing about a hundred people. The mouth of the Lubiranzi was about 800 yards wide, showing that it ranks in size with the Biyerre. On the 13th we passed by the warrior tribe of the Bahunga, in the district of Bunga, and four hours later spoke with the Barumbu. These are situate on the highlands nearly opposite the mouth of the Biyerre'. We left a promise that the next time the steamers should ascend they would be visited and treated with, and camped at evening below Bungungu among the Bahamba tribe. This was the ultimate point which the Arab raiders had reached. On the 14th my arm was scarified at Iruba, a short time later at Mbungu, and at noon at the new settle- ment of Yaluiima, after stopping an hour at each place in order that our presence on their waters might be understood. On the 15 th we had arrived at the place above Ikassa, whence we crossed over to the right bank in the ascent. Having traced the left bank from Stanley Falls down to Ikassa, and in our ascent traced the re- mainder, we now stretched across the river to continue the exploration of the right bank. In doing so the steam-launch Royal was steered too near the upper extremity of an island, and, striking a snag, sank immediately to her gunwale. The other boats rushed to the rescue to unload her of her passengers and the cargo of ivory belonging to our Arab guests ; and, examining her condition, we perceived that she was WRECK OF THE ROYAL. 171 upborne by the snag. We were obliged to camp, 188.3. and let her remain there until morning. Upoto After eight hours' work on the 16th we succeeded in chipping off the snag ; and, ramming canvas into the foot-wide rent in her hull, we floated the Royal on to a bank, and afterwards hauled her up on the dry land, and turned her over. A space three feet in length by eighteen inches in width was sawn out, as it was hopelessly fractured, and we commenced to rebuild her out of the remnants of dunnage, on wThich we were accustomed to lay our cloth bales. Our tools consisted of a saw, two gimlets, a brace and bits, a hatchet, a rasp, and two dozen screws. By the evening of the 19th the repairs were completed, the boat was again launched, the engines were fixed, and the loads replaced ready for the morrow's departure. The Congo, ever since our start up the Biyerre on the 17th, had been steadil}r falling, and as the Royal was a deep boat, drawing three feet six inches water, we found the exploration was not very easy whenever vre left the mo in channels. At 11 a.m. we were skirting the hills of Upoto. We halted here to purchase provisions, to make brotherhood with Lubungu and Ibanza or Minyoto, and make a treaty. A beautiful piece of ground commanding a magnificent view was also purchased. Representatives from Ukele, Umangi, Mpissa, and Iringi appeared also, and, being neighbours of Upoto, we concluded treaties with them. On the 23rd we passed the river of Ubika, whence 172 THE CONGO. 1883. issued the wild men who had overrun so much of the jec. 23. Upoto. left hank. As the main force of the flood sheered towards the left bank in this locality, we could only occasionally follow the right bank. The cold winds met in our rapid descent by steam and with the current prostrated us. This was the first time I had suffered the slightest indisposition for months, because while ascending the river we had been retiring before the wind. In coming down from Stanley Falls as far as Upoto, we were proceeding towards the flank of the wind-current. AY hen we finally began to descend along the south-westerly stretch — the force of the cur- rent, between two and three knots, blowing up from sea — the six-knot speed of the steamers, increased the force of the wind which we had to face to about nine knots, which at once checked the insensible perspira- tion, and deranged the system. Two whites and a coloured man fell victims to the first day's experience of this peculiar change. Glass windows, which would have served as a protection against the wind, and enabled us to pilot the steamers, would have saved us many a day's illness. On the 24th we passed by other villages of the Wabika, wTho have been in their turn harried by the Bangala. It has taught them to build their village lines along small tributaries of the C'ongo, the mouths of which can be blocked, and by which they present insignificant points to the foe, and secure safe retreats inland when the Bangala are on one of their raiding expeditions. IMPUDENT THIEVING. 173 Passing by Lusengo, we soon afterwards came in sight of the territory of Iboko. Christmas Day found ns halted at central Iboko, at the landing-place of the old chief Mala Bwyki. The ancient of the Ban gala was absent at Bukumbi on the left bank. Kokoro, his son, was suffering from a severe ulcer in the foot. Boleko was removing his village and his belongings in order to occupy a new clearing at the lower end of Iboko. Mbembe, the second son, had departed on a trading tour to Langa- Langa. Kjugu, the favourite nephew, had lost four children in one day by drowning, and was therefore seeking forgetfulness of his sorrows in the beer-pot. The ''cats being away, the mice began to play." Thieving became rampant ; the " unwashed " of Iboko were ripe for mischief ; and they gathered on the bank in great numbers, affecting much joy at beholding the brother of their " Lord of Many Guns." But the strong under-current of motives in pressing so warmly forward presently disclosed itself by the sly abstraction of " unconsidered trifles." A boat^rowlock, a spear, an opera-glass, a cap, a bag of clothes, an umbrella, and in the strangest manner a tin-box, belonging to one of the whites who was always the most unsuspecting of individuals, and who required to be prompted on every occasion not to put too large a faith in affected friend- ships. As continual reports of theft by people who would naturally steal so long as they were tempted by other people's gross negligence of their own properties were 174 THE CONGO. 1883. very irritating, our people received warning that the iboko. firs^ who brought news of a theft would be punished, and he who first caught a thief would be rewarded. For the result of this we had not long to wait : a man was caught in the act, and a dozen willing hands laid hold of him. The Bangala, however, rushed to the rescue, and seized him also, and would have succeeded in wresting him from his captors had I not hurried up to lend assistance. We carried our prisoner away in triumph on board the steamer, and bound him securely on the principle of u fast bind, fast find." Orders were then given to make steam. An hour passed without further alarm. Then a man was caught in the act of abstracting a boat flag, with the intention doubtless of wearing it about his loins. Such an indignity to the golden-starred flag was not to be permitted, and an impetuous rush was made on the prisoner, but he by superhuman exertions escaped. Kokoro, hearing of all these disgraceful proceedings of his father's subjects, came in a canoe, and was paddled up and down the river-side, threatening dire vengeance in a loud, hoarse voice upon the thieves, but no one paid the slightest heed to him, seeing which he advised me to be on the alert, and catch every rogue among them. He advanced alongside of the steamer, to look at our prisoner, and was horrified to find that he was his own son ! His stoicism was that of the slayer of the Tarquins. A HORRIFIED FATHER. 175 He essayed to speak, but the words would not issue. 1883. In a moment of rage he had condemned unwittingly Iboko his own son. Poor Kokoro ! I saw too well what his emotions were caused by. He thought of his son, the heir of Iboko, being a slave conveyed to unknown lands. It was on the tip of my tongue to order his release to relieve the poor fellow's agony, but I desisted, knowing the African too well. However, I said : " Kokoro, if this is your son I shall obtain my pro- perty back, and your boy will be returned safe into your hands." He went away with head bent down and finger on his lips, and never spoke a word, thinking perhaps of what he should say to the mother. With such an important prisoner on board, Iboko was no place for us, and we steamed across to the island opposite. Thither Njugu came, prompted by his cousin Kokoro, to negotiate for his son's release. He offered two tusks of ivory and two slaves if we would free him. " Not for twenty slaves, and twenty tusks of ivory. Look here, you Njugu ! What do you mean by making blood-brotherhood with me and my people and then robbing us. To steal is to make war. War is met with war. Do you forget the Ibanza, who years ago descended by your town ? Have you quite forgotten your trouble with Irebu, caused by the thieving of the Bangala ? Go back and tell Kokoro I am going down river to the Bakuti, and I will take his son with me. On the tenth day ! shall return, when I shall expect 17(3 THE CONGO. ^1883.^ my property back, and Kokoro will get Lis boy safe Urimga. again." Soon after we continued our journey down river. On the 2 8 tb, with many troubles from sand bars, we passed by the populous districts of Usimbi and Ubengo, and at 4 p.m. entered a narrow channel leading to Ukumira. This last community came into view early next morning. Ukumira seemed to have projected itself in one body to greet us. It consists of twelve villages, extending along a ten-mile length of river bank. The land is very low but densely wooded, and the islands opposite are remarkable for the apparent impenetrability of their bush. A. few miles below Ukumira is the well-peopled district of Bungata, extended in a long line along the right bank. From its upper end a spacious channel of the Congo strikes obliquely across towards the left bank, to be deflected along it by the dry airy bluff banks of Uranga at the confluence of the Lukungu and the Congo. No sooner did we appear than Uranga also poured forth its multitudes, who showed effusive de- monstrations of welcome. Our reputation evidently had been widely extended in our absence. Uranga was even more cordial than Ukumira, the left bank vied with the right bank in extending fraternal amenities. Seventy well-manned canoes darted about us, hailing Bula Matari by name, wishing him " more power," dinning his ears with numberless invitations to their different villages, and displaying noisy argumentative- POPULARITY OF BULA MAT A 111. 177 ness about the superiority of their respective chiefs. One of these clamorous canoe-crews was that which swept Iuka of Lukolela alongside of us. He had ventured to Uranga on a trading excursion, and had already acquired a valuable stock of ivory, while the prospect of increase was promising. Being an old friend, we accompanied him to his hotel-village, whither presently all the Uranga chiefs gathered to make blood-brotherhood, to fraternise over huge pots full of beer, and to exchange views for the future settlement of a station, and arbitrament of dis- putes. As every canoe arriving up-river from the cloth-marts of Irebu, Usindi, Lukolela, and Bolobo had been bringing the latest news of Bula Matari's doings, the fruit was ready ripe. We made a treaty with Uranga, while much loud but harmless fusilading celebrated the event. Starting from Uranga at 8.20 a.m., we arrived at Equator Station at 4.20 p.m., to find that Lieutenants Yangele and Coquilhat were well, and that they had extended their improvements by planting an avenue of bananas, besides in many other ways beautifying the station. Ikenge', the native chief, was dead, and no further trouble was anticipated from him. Our prisoner, the grandson of Mata Bwyki, was introduced to Equator Station, to the " big house " of the Mundele, to the other white men and to the garrison, to the piles of goods, including the array of cloths, and the wealth of vari-coloured beads — in order that he might retain the best impressions, and assist us with Yol. IT.— 12 178 THE CONGO. 1884. Ins artless story of what he had seen among the pale- Jan. 1. iboko. faces. On the 1st of January, 1884, we started on our return journey to Iboko, for the sake of our prisoner and the consummation of other projects. Lieutenant Coquilhat accompanied us. We arrived at Central Iboko at 2 p.m. of the 5th. Mata Bwyki was present. He had in fact arrived only thirty minutes after I had departed, bound for Equator Station. He was furious at the manner we had been treated, and now when speaking he was almost suffocated by his own angry passions, when relating to me what he had learned on his return. "As for Kokoro's son, keep him safe until your goods are restored. You took him away — that made us all sorry at first; but now that you have brought him back we have no fear of you. It will do him good, and he will be an example to the rest." The 6th passed away, and still the young fellow was on board, but on the 7th a grand council of the chiefs of Iboko was convened, and a great concourse of men attended. During the sitting Njugu whispered to me that one of the thieves who was known to possess articles belonging to us was present. " If you can trust your men, seize him and hold him fast. Kokoro's son must not be a captive alone." A few whispered instructions to one of my confi- dential servants served to bring twenty of the boats' crews ashore, with cords under their clothes. The thief MOJiE PEISONEBS. 179 was pointed out, and the obedient fellows so manoeuvred 1884. that he was captured amidst the circle of chiefs. Of Iboko> course there was confusion and excitement, wild talk and furious gestures, but nevertheless my men con- veyed the thief aboard, and bound him hand and foot. The council continued its sitting after the subsidence of the alarm, but in a few minutes another thief was arrested from behind one of the chiefs, and, despite menaces, which one time pushed patience to the very narrowest verge of safety, he was carried away captive. Old Mata Bwyki enjoyed himself immensely, Njugu and Mbembe remained strangely quiet at all this, which caused all the chiefs to ask them what it all meant. Mata Bwyki rose, and said : " It only means that Bula Matari knows the customs of the Bangala. If a thief is known, he may be held in bond until a restitu- tion of the stolen property is made. Bula Matari has now got three prisoners, one of whom is my own grandson. He shall keep them, sell them, or kill them — just as he may — unless his property be returned to him. Bula Matari has acted like a brother. He was robbed. He went away for ten days ; he came back to give us another opportunity. Now find the goods you have stolen from him, or else he shall take his captives away and cut them up in little pieces if he likes. I have spoken." Seeing which, the chiefs agreed with him that to do injury to a strong man, to Bula Matari, was very impo- ISO THE CONGO. ;vv": litic. The town-criers were therefore despatched in all Jan. 7. I iboko. directions to announce the doom that wrould surely befall the grandson of Mata Bwyki and two other sons of the Bangala if the goods were not restored. As Iboko is a very large settlement, this restitution could not be effected immediately, but on the 9th, one by one the plundered articles were brought to Mata Bwyki, and the old chief returned them to me. Then when a due inspection of the goods had been made, and not one of the dozens of articles abstracted was found missing, the prisoners were set free, and conducted to Mata Bwyki, who was seen to smile grimly on his wicked grandson, and was heard to admonish the assembled Bangala to leave the property of Bula Matari severely alone in future lest a dreadful fate might overtake the guilty party. On the 10th a treaty was entered into with Iboko ; and, in peace with all the Bangala, at evening we steamed away down the Congo. Arriving at Equator Station, a curious story was related to us by two European eye-witnesses of the proceedings, the narration of which recalls to our memories the sanguinary customs of Dahomey. We had heard of cruel sacrificing of life before ; but the stories were told by Africans, who have the habit of relating events of this kind in the most matter-of-fact manner. When, however, Europeans describe them they strike home to our sense of horror with a shocking force. An important chief of the neighbourhood — an old A HORRIBLE MASSACRE. 181 and long-ago superannuated potentate, of whose exist- ™\\ ence I had previously been unaware — died, and, Equator according to the custom of the By -yanzi and Bakuti, slaves had to be massacred to accompany him to the land of spirits. Accordingly the relatives and free- men began to collect as many slaves as could be pur- chased. Lieutenant Vangele was chief of about fifty men, and on account of the good discipline of the station, and the prompt obedience paid to his commands by the garrison, the Bakuti imagined the soldier- labourers in the pay of the Association to be slaves, and proposed to purchase a few of them. Yangele was curious to know why they wanted the men, and he was then informed of the preparations being made to celebrate the burial of their chief wTith an execution of slaves. Of course the proposal was rejected with horror, and the garrison chased the Bakuti with sticks out of the precincts of the station. The mourning relatives finally secured fourteen men from the interior, and, being notified by the villagers that the execution was about to begin, M. Yangele and his friend proceeded with a few of their men to view the scene. They found quite a number of men gathered around. The doomed men seen were kneeling with their arms bound behind them in the neighbourhood of a tall young tree, near the top of which the end of a rope had been lashed. A number of men laid hold of the cord and hauled upon it until the upper part of the tree was bent like a bow. One of the captives was 182 THE CONGO. 1884. selected, and the dano'linjr end of the rope was fast- Jan. 12. . Equator, ened round his neck ; the tree sprang several inches higher, drawing the man's form up, straining the neck, and almost lifting the body from the ground. The executioner then advanced with his short broad-bladed falchion, and measured his distance by stretching his weapon from the position he intended to strike across the nape of the neck. He repeated this operation twice. At the third time he struck, severing the head clean from the body. It was whipped up to the air by the spring of the released tree and sent rebounding several yards away. The remaining captives were despatched one after another in like manner. Their heads were unfleshed by boiling, that the skulls might decorate the poles round the grave. The bodies were dragged away and thrown into the Congo ; the soil saturated with the blood was gathered up and buried with the defunct chief. However much our young military lieutenant might have wished to exert himself to save these victims of savage usage, since money would not buy their liberty, he had to content himself with knowing that he was as yet helpless. The year of grace will no doubt come in its own destined time, but it may not be hurried. To violently resist the butchers with rifles would simply have been to make them victims instead, and to depopulate the land. On the 13th we left Equator Station, and arrived at Usindi late in the afternoon. Yumbila, the guide, was delivered, with his wages, to his master Miyongo, who BOLOBO AGAIN BURNT. 183 was also made liappy with a munificent reward for the i884. loan or the services or his servant. Ngombi Leaving Usindi, we halted at Ngombe, to exchange friendly gifts, and to oh tain a promise of concessions ; and on the 14th we arrived at Lukolela. Young Glave, of Yorkshire, had not made much of an advance in the construction of his station, as the work was hard ; but he himself, which was of more importance, was in extraordinary condition. He was as fat as a butcher's boy, he had become double-chinned, and amplified a third larger in body. Petted by the natives, he was beloved by his garrison, and was on excellent terms with himself. He had been devoting himself to furni- ture-making— had made chairs, tables, doors, shutters, and shelves. He had a good deal to say of the curious diseases revealed to him during his stay at Lukolela. Fevers were almost unknown ; but whitlows, ulcers, sores, and similar troubles, were frequent and an- noying. The gravest news we received from Lukolela was contained in a note from the chief of Bolobo Station. For the second time the station had been burnt to the ground ! On the 15th. we arrived at Bolobo, and saw for our- selves the relics of the destructive conflagration — the houses, goods, rifles, even the Krupp's carriage had been destroyed, and the ammunition and shells had exploded. The story told to me was that a sick man, getting light-headed, and feeling that his end was approaching, 184 THE CONGO. 1884. resolved to have an honourable burial. When a chief ioiobo. died the body was enveloped in thousands of yards of clotli, and interred with protracted ceremonies. Kegs of gunpowder were consumed in the volleys fired over the grave ; slaves were massacred, and the soil was saturated with the blood ; his favourite wives were strangled, and their bodies laid alongside. He, friendless, sick, and dying, pined for this honour, and crept by night to apply the destructive torch to Bula Matari's houses. Although he was arrested while flying from the scene, nothing could be done to avert or check the catastrophe. Being thatched with grass baked crisp by the tropic sun, the fire fiend rushed up to the sky, and was glutted only when a few crimson embers marked the site of our unfortunate station. To avoid the bursting shells the garrison had to fly to the saw-pits, and to the hollows by the river-side. During the excitement the prisoner fled, to die in the forest beyond Bolobo, satisfied, no doubr, with the honours he had won by his mad freak. But however this second destruction may have been caused, this third event during the administration of the chief of the station appeared to prove that a sinister influence affected Bolobo, which probably might be averted by a judicious change of masters. Lieutenant Liebrechts, who, while at Leopoldville, seemed to be a sufferer from chronic debility, so that he was inelastic in movement, pallid of face, and infirm of step, had been transferred in September to Bolobo. We half expected to hear that he was among the missing, NEWS OF TEE MISSIONARIES. 185 or had departed homewards ; but our astonishment was 1884. •ill* c ^an' very great when a strong, martial-looking figure ap- Bolobo. peared at the landing-place to greet us, in the perfec- tion of health and condition, and disclosed himself to us as Lieutenant Liebrechts. To see a man thus restored to us flushed with strength, a new and richer bloom of manhood on his face, and the light of renovated life glancing from his eyes, reconciled us to hear with patience the tale of the second burning of Bolobo. This is the young gentleman to whom subsequently was intrusted the reconstruction of the station, and, though fifteen months have elapsed since the period of his appointment, nothing has occurred to cause us to doubt that the unkind Fates have not been at last duly propitiated. The news we learned at Bolobo, relating to political and missionary efforts, was that Dr. Ballay had at last emerged at the mouth of the Likuba, and had con- structed a station at Bossi. The chief of the Livingstone Inland Congo Mission had been a visitor at Bolobo prospecting for a site, and had finally selected Misongo, below Chumbiri, as a suitable locality to establish a mission-house. On the 18th wre arrived at Kwamouth Station. The station was well advanced, food was abundant, and the natural advantages wrere many. On the 20th of January we arrived at Kinshassa, and were gratified to observe the station not only in process of erection, but rapidly approaching completion, under the grove of mighty baobab which characterises this 186 THE CONGO. 1884. district. Consistent, patient conduct, and steady for- Kinshassa. bearance had performed wonders, and the most intract- able community on the Upper Congo had been con- verted to have a perfect faith in our honesty and in the purity of our motives. Two hours after leaving Kinshassa, the flotilla steamed into the cove of Le'opoldville, from which it- had been absent 146 days, having meantime travelled 3050 miles on the Upper Congo. Le'opoldville, as might be expected from the happy selection of its chief, Lieutenant Valcke, was a flou- rishing station. For from the matin to the vesper bells, excepting Sundays, work — purposeful work — ran on in a steady, unruffled current. By this means, nature assisting, the gardens teemed with abundance, and the houses lined the terrace in an imposing row, so that our guests from Nyangwe uttered exclamations of admiration which were indeed echoed by everybody on the boats. Nor on searching into details was there any cause found for regret. All the chiefs round about were on excellent terms with the Europeans ; the market held at Leopoldville Plaza supplied all that the community needed. There had been no out- break of temper, and, consequently, there was no marring or inharmonious incident to relate. The magazines were full of goods and provisions, contain- ing enough to supply all the stations on the Upper River, and for the new places to be established on the next journey to the regions above. Meantime, on the Lower Congo, owing to the fact AGAIN AT LEOPOLD VILLE. 187 that the superior person promised to me in 1882 as 188*. . . , . , _ i • /• • • Jan. 21. principal assistant, and second chiei or administrator, i^opoi.i- had not arrived, the confusion had been very great at V1' e' our principal base. " Captain " D had made only a short stay at Yivi, but his reign had been a singu- larly unhappy one. Owing to some incomprehensible reason, Vivi, both with its Europeans and natives, was in a ferment continually. Finally, Sir Frederick Goldsmith had appeared, and had relieved the station of the presence of " Captain " D . Sir Frederick had himself made an inspection of the country as far as Isangila, but had returned to Europe, and the kindly influence that had begun to glow on the Lower River became extinguished at his depar- ture. Chief after chief had tried their fortunes with governing this Augean station, but each and all had failed to relieve me of the manifold complaints that poured to Le'opoldville during my absence. Out of 120 letters awaiting me on my return from the Falls, all but thirty contained the most deplorable accounts, and revealed a state of affairs that compelled me to abandon the hope that it could ever be reme- died while the Chief of the Expedition remained away on the Upper Congo. With an efficient second it might be possible yet, but, excepting the notice of Sir Frederick Goldsmith, who had already returned to Europe, there was no promise or indication that the Comite intended to assist me wTith any one. Therefore, after seeing the steamers and boats duly prepared and equipped, and framing most elaborate instructions for 188 THE CONGO. 1884. the guidance of my deputy, Captain Hanssens, be- L^opoid- S^es seein& that our Arab guests had been con- ville- ducted to the sea and back to Leopoldville, I turned my steps towards Yivi, twenty-four hours before the gallant Captain departed on his long journey to Stanley Falls. GOOD-BYE TO LEOPOLD VILLE, 189 CHAPTER XXXII. RETURN" TO VIVI. Starting of our caravan— A promising farewell — Ngalyema's last words — Encouraging resolutions of the officers— Hospitality of the natives as we pass— Nselo ferry — Quarrel between Ngombi and Mbimbi — Peace-making — Forms of our treaties with native chiefs — List of districts and their chiefs— The cut-throat Lutete is changed for the better — An extending and dangerous crevasse — Lava at Kalulu Falls: "Whence has it come?" — Manyanga " higgledy-piggledy " — Hospitality at the mission-house of Mr. and Mrs. Ingham — A pretty station — Luima and Lunionzo valleys — Climate and health — Congo la Lemba — View of Vivi — Unhappy reflections upon its neglect. On" the morning our caravan was to start for the coast, I was deeply impressed with the proof of LTopoid success which our patient labours had won. For on 'llle" the spacious terrace, covering about 15,000 square yards, which we had carved out of the side of Leopold Hill, and converted into a grand promenade and market-place, were assembled the chiefs of Kintamo and a few hundreds of their people to give me a " good-bye." Ngalyema had long ago emerged out of the state of childish tutelage. He was a complete man in a state of military subordination — as much as an inde- 190 THE CONGO. 1884. pendent aboriginal chief could well be. He knew Lis March 20. Leopold- Sundays as well as any of us, and kept due observance nlle" of them by hoisting" the gold-star flag at sunrise; he paid friendly visits without requiring hostages, and was not averse to picking up trifles of information respecting the sea-lands ; he had dropped his natural petulance and inordinate heroics, and now exchanged gifts without expecting more than their value. A few times also he had surprised me by the utterance of sentiments that caused me to glance sharply at him to detect if possible the spirit that prompted them. For instance, it sounded oddly to be told by Ngalyema that the " gifts of friends should not be examined as to their worth." "A pea-nut from a true friend is better than a bunch of bananas from an enemy." " Among friends you may sleep with open doors." " A look into a friend's eyes is better than a treasure of cloth from a man you doubt." When I had drawn my men in line, Ngalyema pressed forward for a last word. He wished me to charge my white sons whom I was to leave behind not to be rude to him and his people, now that the father was going away ; not to push and smack his children when they came to visit the station, for, said he, "White men differ from one another as much as black men. We are all friends and brothers now, but when the old man is gone the young man's head grows large, and he speaks with a loud tongue; charge the sons you leave behind that they do not forget that we are Bula Matari's brothers." ville. A PROMISING FAREWELL. 191 Whereupon I called Captain Seymour Saulez up, issi. . March 20 and presented him to Ngalyema for nnal words. Lipoid- " See, Ngalyema, this son of mine. Believe in him as you would believe in me. He is slow to anger, not apt to break his word. While he wears this face be not afraid of him. If it turns black you will know that he lias become your enemy. Watch it daily, and when it begins to change its colour you wTill know that the evil spirit is in him ; until that time sleep in peace. Fare you well, Ngalyema, Makabi, Mubi, old Ngako. and you Manswala, Ganchu, Enjeli — good-bye all of you ! " The large caravan lifted its burdens and struck out along the road leading to the coast, many of the men never again to see Leopoldville, which they had as- sisted to build. The parting with the Europeans was affectionate. With Captain Saulez's promise ringing in my ears, that he would distinguish his governor- ship by the industrious improvement of Leopoldville, until it became a model station ; and the assurance of Dr. van den Heuvel that he would complete his sana- torium on the summit of Leopold Hill, and perform his duties manfully and nobly ; wTith the carpenter Schnoor's promise that I should hear no ill repute of him ; with Captain Hanssens' declaration that he would be wary and watchful on the Upper Congo, and patient with the natives; — with good words, in short, of noble resolves from each and all, and loud cheers from the garrison, and waving of hands from the throngs of natives,! followed my caravan now travelling eastward. 102 THE CONGO. Along the road the friendly chiefs had collected topoid- great earthen jars full of fresh and foaming palm-juice. Vllle' At every village the women had prepared pots of cold water to give myself and my people a parting drink, and to hid us kindly adieus. Ngamberengi, Ngoma, and old Makoko were by the roadside with their friends, slaves, and children, to see the last of us, and every village we passed showed the appearances of a general holiday. The acquaintance of many months with them had ripened into a full friendship. Not a shadow remained of the doubt which in old times blinded their eyes and clouded their vision. The fond regard we had mutually con- ceived towards one another was unmistakeably genuine. Their rough hands, often horny from labour and ill- usage, felt as warm to me as any that I had touched elsewhere. On our march to Inkissi we slept first at Ngoma's, a place which rests lovingly under the lee of the shelter- ing mountain of Iyumbi. We crossed the breezy ridge whence we may gaze over a world of lower hill-domes divided from one another by the sinuous lines of dark foliage. We plunged down into the cool forest tangle at its base, and emerged into full sunlight tracing the spines of level ridges. We dipped down into the hollows made fresh with streams and verdure, and then climbed up to rest under Mbe's friendly and grateful palms. Along an elevated and grassy table- land, with the Congo a few miles to our right tearing- down over its successive terraces, we next journeyed. NSELO FERRY. 193 Beyond Kinzila's banana groves we descended to 1884. . March 2 cross the pellucid waters of the brawling Lulu, and Kinzi]. a few miles west camped on a square-browed bill opposite the cones of Nsangu, whence we looked down on winding belts of tall woods crowned with impervious leafage, on which the sunshine broke out in sprays as the breeze kissed the pendulous and deli- cate tops. Over a road which gently undulated and followed, long, grassy ridges we urged our way, being greeted by pleasant peoples who flocked from their happy villages to see us, until we stood over a deep-wooded gorge through which the full-volumed Inkissi River flowed strongly past the ferry to fall lower down in beautiful cascades to the Congo. The guardians of the ferry are at Nselo on the western side, and the word is holload loudly that Bula Matari and his people are come. The chiefs of Nselo are in our pay, and receive monthly subsidies like others. They accordingly hasten to ferry us over with their canoes, assiduously, and in their village give us such further welcome as commend them favourably to kind consideration. Beyond Nselo the country is for a considerable distance level, feeders of the Inkissi skirhng, left of us, the plateau on which we travel. We are too far from the Congo to be annoyed by the deeply-grooved hills. We cross a lovely little stream, and follow a gentle inclined spur towards Mbimbi, near which we see, Vol. II.— 13 194 THE CONGO. 1884. suspended to a tree, a felon whom Judge Lynch of Uarch20. 1 . . 7 . Mbimbi. Congo-land lias condemned for pilfering in the public market. The folks of Mbimbi welcome us with gleeful shouts, for here are our carriers who know us all well. They sweep the huts, and tidy them for their guests, while bowls and foaming pots of palm-wine come forth as a grateful testimony of their regard for us. Ngombi, close by to the right, has excited the anger of Mbimbi, and the chiefs of the latter wish me to advise them how to slake their fury in the best blood of Ngombi. Here is a storm in a teapot, truly ! My work of preaching peace and brotherhood is not yet ended, and so they have to listen to paternal admoni- tions to keep the peace. The road cannot, must not, be closed ! No fighting nor sounds of gunshot must be heard ; the carrier travels with empty hands but loaded back, and they must not be frightened by the noise of strife, the cries of war, &c. So the people of Mbimbi promise faithfully to cloak their wrath. But to ensure their loyal observance of their promises a treaty is made with them, as with each chief along the route, that, in consideration of certain quantities of cloth to be paid to them monthly, they shall abstain from acts of aggression and violence against their neighbours. The purport of this, as of other similar negotiations, may be best understood by the perusal of the following forms : — FORMS OF TREATIES. 195 {Cory.) Expedition Internationale du Haut-Congo. Village of Banza Mbuba, District of Nzunoi, March 26th, 1884. We, the undersigned chiefs of Nzungi, agree to recognise the ig84-. sovereignty of the Association Internationale Africaine, and in sign March 26. thereof adopt its flag (blue with a golden star). We declare we shall keep Nzungi. the road open and free of all tax and inmost on all strangers arriving with the recommendation of the agents of the above Association. All troubles between ourselves and neighbours, or with strangers of any nationality, we shall refer to the arbitration of the above Association. We declare that we have not made any written or oral agreement with any person previous to this that would render this agreement null and void. We declare that from henceforth we and our successors shall abide by the decision of the representatives of the Association in all matters affect- ing our welfare or our possessions, and that we shall not enter into any agreement with any person without referring all matters to the chief of Manyanga or the chief of Leopoldville, or act in any manner contrary to the tenor or spirit of this agreement. Keekuru, his X mark, Witnesses— Chief of Nzungi. Imalla, his O mark, Nseka, his X mark, Chami Pard. Chief of Banza Mbuba. Mwamba, his x mark, Nzako, his X mark, of Makitu's. Banza Mbuba. Insila Mpaka, his X mark, Of Banza Mbuba. Iriaki, his X mark, Chief of Banza Mbuba. (Treaty.) Henry M. Stanley, Commanding Expedition du Haut Congo, acting in the name and on behalf of the " Association Internationale Africaine," and the king and chiefs of Ngombi and Mafela, having met together in conference at South Manyanga, have, after deliberation, concluded the following treaty, viz. :— Art. I— The chiefs of Ngombi and Mafela recognise that it is highly desirable that the " Association Internationale Africaine " 196 THE CONGO. should, for the advancement of civilization and trade, be firmly established in their country. They therefore now, freely of their own accord, for themselves and their heirs and successors for ever, do give up to the said Association the sovereignty and all sovereign and governing rights to all their territories. They also promise to assist the said Associa- tion in its work of governing and civilising this country, and to use their influence with all the other inhabitants, with whose unanimous approval they make this treaty, to secure obedience to all laws made by the said Association, and to assist by labour or otherwise, any works, improvements, or expeditions which the said Association shall cause at any time to be carried out in any part of these territories. Art. II. — The chiefs of Ngombi and Mafela promise at all times to join their forces with those of the said Association, to resist the forcible intrusion or repulse the attacks of foreigners of any nationality or colour. Art. III.— The country thus ceded has about the following boundaries, viz., the whole of the Ngombi and Mafela countries, and any others tributary to them ; and the chiefs of Ngombi and Mafela solemnly affirm that all this country belongs absolutely to them; that they can freely dispose of it; and that they neither have already, nor will on any future occasion, make any treaties, grants, or sales of any parts of these territories to strangers without the permission of the said Association. All roads and waterways running through this country, the right of collecting tolls on the same, and all game, fishing, mining, and forest rights, are to be the absolute pro- perty of the said Association, together with any unoccupied lands as may at any time hereafter be chosen. Art. IV. — The " Association Internationale Africaine " agree to pay to the chiefs of Ngombi and Mafela the following articles of merchandise, viz., one piece of cloth per month to each of the undersigned chiefs, besides present of cloth in hand ; and the said chiefs hereby acknowledge to accept this bounty and monthly subsidy in full settlement of all their claims on the said Association. Art. V.— The " Association Internationale Africaine*' promises: — 1. To take from the natives of this ceded country no occupied or cultivated lands, except by mutual agreement. 2. To promote to its utmost the prosperity of the said country. 3. To protect its inhabitants from all oppression or foreign intrusion. 4. It authorizes the chiefs to hoist its flag ; to settle all local 1884. April 1. [tfanyanga. FORMS OF TREATIES. 197 disputes or palavers; and to maintain its authority with 1884 the natives. April 1. Agreed to, signed and witnessed, this 1st day of April, 1884. Henry M. Stanley. Witnesses to the signatures — Tonki, his X mark, E. Spencer Burns. Senior Chief of Ngornbi. D. Lehrman. Mampuya, his X mnrk, Dualla. Senior Chief of Mafela. We, the undersigned chiefs of the districts placed Opposite our names below, do hereby solemnly bind ourselves, our heirs and successors, for the purpose of mutual support and protection, to observe the following articles : — Art. I. — We agree to unite and combine together, under the name and title of the u New Confederacy," that is, our respective districts, their towns and villages, shall be embraced by one united territory, to be henceforth known as the New Confederacy, Art. II. — We declare that our objects are to unite our forces and our means for the common defence of all the districts comprised within the said territory ; to place our forces and our means under such organization as we shall deem to be best for the common good of the people and the welfare of the confederacy. Art. III. — The New Confederacy may be extended by the admission of all such districts adjoining those mentioned before, when their chiefs have made application, and expressed their consent to the articles herein mentioned. Art. IV. — We, the people and the chiefs of the New Confederacy, adopt the blue flag with the golden star in the centre for our banner. Art. V. — The confederated districts guarantee that the treaties made between them shall be respected. Art. VI.— The public force of the confederacy shall be organized at the rate of one man out of every two men able to bear arms ; of native or foreign volunteers. Art. VII. — The organization, the armament, equipment, subsistence of this force, shall be confided to the chief agent in Africa of the " Association Internationale du Congo." To the above articles, which are the results of various conventions held between district and district, and by which we have been enabled to understand the common wrish, we sovereign chiefs, and others of the 198 THE CONGO. 1884, Afcril 1. Manyansa, Congo district hereby append our names, pledging ourselves to adhere to each and every article : — Mark of Matanga. „ Mahimpi Mbeza. District of Khionzo District of V\ District de Nsanda District de Boete District de Mgangila 1 Mbambi. Mbango Mpanibo. Mkote. Mango Mbando. Mbango Mkote. Mpanibo Kionzo. Mtimpi Mavungo. Mtimpi Mpanibo. Mambouko Ntamo. Massala. Vivi Mavungu. Kapita. Benzani Congo. Yivi Mku. Mambuku. Ngufu Mpanda. Dedede. Samuna. Sanda Mundele. Sancla Mallele. Sanda Mpolele. Mkandu. N'Sanda Manena. Nebangi. Nekumbi. Ngomi. Netzima. Suka Madrata. Makaya. Mganga. Kapita Nsanda. Kapita Fontula. Sanda Nlelle. Boete Nzita. Fulula. Mavinga. Nzau. Ngombi. Pambu. Makambu. Kapita. Nimpangi. Nekinga. CONGO DISTRICTS AND CHIEFS. District de Msuka . District de Sadika Banzi. District de Lefuna. District de Yellala. District de Kinzalu District de Lusalci Kindunga District de Vivi District de Isangila District de Ngoma District de Chiama Mbongo Mark of Msuka Mkwete. „ Msuka Mazinga. „ Msuka Mavungu. „ Sadika Banzi. „ Banza Manzi. „ Mku. „ Mzita. „ Mtona. „ Matanga. „ Kapita a Matanga. „ Singa Maka. „ Madiata. „ Mavinga. „ Nefula. „ Ntete Yellala. „ Ngombi. „ Mambnku. „ Moemba. „ Mbenza. „ Sakala Konzo. „ Makaya. „ Mekukwe. „ Mavinga. „ Netunga. „ Mavinga Kindonga. „ Mavinga. „ Mku. „ Matumbo Nipombo. „ Nelomle. „ Nefuka Mozza. „ Nigombe. „ Nematta. „ Nicombbe. „ Ncsukka. „ Matouks. „ Kapita Chiama. „ Nalafimdi Kinkele. „ Mangofo. „ Massuna Mampuya. „ Nzaulelo. [ „ Ngoma. „ Nzadi. „ Chiama Mbongo. 200 THE CONGO. 1884. April 1. District of Jzenda Nzendi. Manyanga. District de Li mama Mayoukona District de Lutete . District of Ndarribi Mbongo „ Mhinda „ Chionzo „ Kibwanda „ Kineati . Kimbunda District de Maswamba. District de Natuma District de Xtombo District de Yon;, a . District de Kikai . i Mark of Izenda N'Zendi. „ Ne Linza. „ N'Zanzi. „ Limama Mayukona. „ Lutete Kimprika. „ Tedede. „ Ndambi Mbongo. „ Mazau Chama (Bindu). „ Chionzo. „ Matanga Sissul^va (Kimbwanda). „ Icliiaknndama (Kineati). „ Ichiamboma (Banza Kimbunda). „ Ichiama Mbongo. „ Lengo Mbenza. District de Ganya District de Sellele .... Monauganda. Ichimo Mvangu ) Lakali Bwadi J Matombukele. Ntete. Sellele. Loanda Maswambu. Nassoma. Natela. Ichiama Kimpioka. Chiomkiandu i Kilonda). Lussala Yori I _ T , . , c Kussala. Ichiamambourn I Busalla Busundii Ichiamkumama Sakola Lema (Makanga). Ichiamdebe (Melonde). Salamamboina (Makanga). Lussala Wala. Inkelia Lubrofa. Kingoma. Sukibola. Lutete Mayungi. Kinkela Lenga (Nsanda Ntombo; Malonore. Mavindi. Ichiampanzu. Mavambu. Ichiakundama (Nganda). Lutete Ngoma. Lutete Nsona. Tiama Sumpa. Naboela (Xsundi). Kikundama. CONGO DISTRICTS AND CHIEFS. 201 (Mark of Kinkela Nzita. District de Moinzi . District de Kissimba District de Kompola District de Wunki District de Mkundu Mputu . -{ District de Banza-Kivumba . District de Kimbuda . District of Mkundu a Mputu. Kinkela Loko. Sakala Yeta. Mavamba Bevakela. Lussala Mkento. Malanda Mbako. Sakola Bato. Mavambo Msebwa. Sakala Nianda. Sakala Guila. Cheka Navundi. Babambu Mkumba. Lutete Landu (Kulukingo). Thama Lutila. Lutete Makundu (Makai). Kinkelu Baku (Kmanye). Zikidole (Kavunda). Sakala Masefo (Muswambu). Miku Niema (Mbota). Kinkela Many an ga (Banza). Ichiama Mbonga (Monizi). Nsakala Ronko (Banzahungo). Nsakala Mpanza (Kaizi). Ichiama Lebula (Kissimba). Lutete Mliondi (Kissimba). Kenkala Kaji (Kempampala Kinzras). Lutete Nzemla ( „ Kionzo). Lutete Matanka ( „ ). Ichiama Likombe ( „ Moanza). Ichiama Mbota ( „ Kissimba). Lutete Msyala ( „ „ ). Kenkella Mpossi ( „ Moanza). Sakala Libemba. Lutete Masiona (Kissemba). Suzi Moka (Monakila). Sakala Libemba. Hussala Salu. Sakala Maviamu. Ntalenta. Kinkela Mbenda. Lutete Ngoma. Ichiama Kanzu (Monakidi). Matuna Manza (Mbindi). Mavambu Luswaanza (Melonde). 1884. April 1. Manyanga. 202 THE CONGO. 1884. April 1. Manvanga District de Ntombo District de MoJcanga District de Makunga District de Glonala District de Bemha District de Ngombe District de Kimpiri Mark of Ionia Mboma (Ngombe). Lutete Mavungu (Kiamba). Sakala Mbwoka (Kaiji) Movemba Motunda (Ntando Ngombe). Siku Zambi (Makanga). Lutete Mokidi (Nakaji KunaZoele), Kinkela Makinzi (Kinkongo). Mivinze (Kissinga). t „ Sakala Makanza (Mankamba). Mkanda (Banza Nyunga). Mkanda (Banza Nyunga). Kassungwa (Banza Makango). Chiko Mayaka (Niviza). Bako (Mbanza Tampala). Icliiama Kundi. Bangazi. Matunda Mkassa. Kussala Mputu. Nsuki a Mbongo (Mavula). Msuka Banza ( „ ). Malembessa ( „ ). Chiama Lutuba (Madioka). Nampollele ( „ ). Glonalla Makuta Didela (Nsala). Chiama. Naowami (Monasala). Mayemba (Mokinanga). k „ Kinsiola (Kinkinka). „ Yandudu. Namampuia. Mangomole (Nsieka Mavalu). Bikandu. Banumi. Nampampuia (Kunango). Makaia ( „ ). Kivesna (Kimbuku). Mandangi (Kimbongo). Qualuka (Unatiba). Mayemba (Kissenga). Zenga (Ngola). Moyola (Kinkulu). Nialubu (Koisefu). Nalekete (Kintoko). Mbuku (Kujaji). CONGO DISTRICTS AND CHIEFS. 203 District de Bidu . [ Mark of Sumbu (Bulu). Makito. Nabukutu. District de Kibonda . District de Kalemba . District de Losi District de Kihindika . District de Ntoinbo District de Banzi Kimbuho District de Ngoya . District de Lemha . District de Mbu 1884. April 1. Manyanga. Nausudi (Kaladi). Nawaji. Nzilabonda (Ntandu). Kebawele (Kimbonda). Namoina (Mantoba). Mayossa (Mbindi). Bemba (Kiboli). Mswela (Kimpange). Betani (Nsandu). Minina (Broende). Kwemsunga (Kulonde). Sukula Mbonga. Tambele. Yenga. Nampuia..^ Nzangi (Makaji). Gampoia. Lussilo (Konzo). Monayendi. Kiboli (Kibunga). Kimponda (Kitunda). Lomba. MakioDa. Matari. Niangana. Mayella. Kwaka.Ha. Makitu. Filankoum. Longozi. Masuka. Baghidi. Petelo. Lovamba. Lufuanzu. Borgi. Kimbwanga. Petolo. Komingo. Makwata. Gornantade. Gongoulu. Jos. 204 THE CONGO. 1884. April 1. Manvanga. _ . . . . _ „_ District de Ndandai District de Nyombi District de Mpanya District de Lutete Mark of Tanglongo. District de Sello Matuso Mbongo. Kanza. Mkossa. Mavungu. Luvouma. Petelo. Zoa Manipuya. Mswalu. Tong. Tunzo Mivembo. Mballa. Petelo. Yinda. Lolowe. Missanga. Melengo. Ngombe (Ngombe). Makitu (Banza Kandoke). Lutete (Lufunchou). Issa. Dongo (Banza Kindingo). Tiamutulu (Kinangilwa). Kinonga. Nsumbu (Kimbacda). Dolorwala. Ntoba (Funzou). Chiakambongo (Nzoundon). Petelo Secca (Nkoko). Petelo Sumba (Kinibenza) Bemba. BolotoYO (Kindemba). Tusa. Challa. Copy of Mr. Stanley's remarks. N.B. At Isangila Messrs. Morgan, Parminter, Van Kerchoven, and Hortwig were present. From Isangila to Lulu on South Bank, in presence of Messrs. Morgan and Par m inter. Lutete Kuna, a native of Nsanda, present as interpreter. Originals sent to Brussels with Mr. Morgan, who sent receipt to Lieutenant Valcke. Gen. Goldsmith received copy. I received a copy. H. M. S. FORM OF THE A TIES. 205 {Copy.) Expedition Internationale du Haut-Congo. Pallaballa, April, 1884. « A Supplementary Treaty made this day between H. M. Stanley, Chief 1884. Agent of the Association Internationale Africaine, and the undersigned April 19- chiefs of the districts of Pallaballa, to explain the meaning and spirit Pallaballa. of term " Cession of Territory," found in the Treaty made 8th January 1883, between Lt. Van de Yelde and the said chiefs of Pallaballa. I. — It is agreed between the above parties that the term " Cession of Territory " does not mean the purchase of the soil by the Associa- tion, but the purchase of the suzerainty by the Association, and its just acknowledgment by the undersigned chiefs. II. — It is well understood by the undersigne 1 chiefs that the right of arbitration between the chiefs and natives of Pallaballa and all foreigners of any colour or nationality, is conceded to the Associa- tion Internationale Africaine ; that the right of governing, of arranging all matters affecting strangers of any colour or nationality and the natives of Pallaballa ; of deciding in all affairs when appealed to by the undersigned chiefs ; of deciding what Europeans shall settle in any part of the district of Palla- balla, is conceded in full to the Association Internationale Africaine. The undersigned chiefs also declare themselves as accepting the flag of the Association Internationale Africaine, as a sign to all men that the Association is their accepted suzerain, and that no other flag shall be hoisted within the limits of the district of Pallaballa. In consideration of which the undersigned chiefs are entitled to and shall receive the monthly pay promised them in the first treaty made with Lt. Van de Yelde. All these being fully explained to the undersigned chiefs, they have affixed their marks in testimony of their adhesion to the terms and spirit of this supplementary treaty. H. M. Stanley, Commanding Expdn. du Haut-Congo. Witnesses — (Signed) Henry Craven. LiviDgstone Mission. Dualla. Noso, his X mark. Kiangala, his X maik. Talente, his X mark. Nefutila, his X mark. Nelombe-Katende, his X mark. 206 THE CONGO. (Copy.) Expedition Internationale du Haut-Congo. South Manyanga Station, March 31st, 1884. L884. We, the chiefs Dongosi and Kukuru of Voonda, sole masters of the March 31. district of that name, having applied to Henry M. Stanley, Chief of the Manyanga. Expedition Internationale du Congo, to enter into that confederacy of native chiefs now established between Stanley Pool and South Manyanga, and all the responsibilities and privileges undertaken or enjoyed by the members of that confederacy being explained to us, we hereby enter into an agreement with the said Henry M. Stanley, and bind ourselves, our heirs and successor?, to observe the following articles :— I —We shall keep all roads passing through our district free of duty, tax or impost to all strangers, white or black, who shall have the recommendation or good-will of the Association Internationale Africaine. II— We surrender all right to collect taxes or imposts to the agents of the said Association. III.— We agree to recognize the sovereignty of the said Association, and adopt the flag of the Association, blue, with a golden star, as a sign thereof. iy< — We shall refer to the said Association all matters relating to the government, all questions affecting the peace of the country, all troubles between ourselves and neighbours, or between ourselves and strangers of any colour or nationality, to the arbitration and decision of the Agent of the Association Internationale Africaine. y._We declare that we have not made any agreement, oral or written, with any person that would render this agreement null and void in any particular. YI. — We declare that from henceforth we and our successors and subjects shall abide by the decision of the Chief-Agent of the Association Internationale Africaine in all matters affecting our welfare, our possessions, or our relations to our neighbours, or strangers of any colour, and that we shall not act contrary to the spirit of this agreement in any particular, on pain of forfeiting all subsidies, gifts, or presents made to us by the agents of the Association. In witness whereof we have sent our confidential servants as our proxies to sign this agreement, having understood its contents and given our consent verbally in presence of our people to do and act precisely as the chiefs of Ngombi, Lutete, and Makitu have already done. Witnesses — Mdombasi Luboki, his X mark, Dualla. Proxy for the chief Dongosi. Lofunsu li Mbulu, his X mark, Proxy for the chief Kuturu. THE CUT- THROAT LUTETE. 207 From Mbirabi we descended slowly threading our 1884. way through luxuriant grass until, passing the hill- Mbimbi. cone of Kizalu, we crossed the stream to which the natives have no other name to give but the 44 Stream," or " Njali," from whence we follow a lengthy spur, on which the villages of Mani, Ngoma, Kimbenza, and Mpika, at respectable distances apart, are found secluded amid, their own particular banana groves and palms. Banza Mbuba comes next, on a com- manding height overlooking a wilderness of hills, between which, however, there runs a narrow neck, or saddle of a ridge. Nzungi, a village of carriers, lies to the left. Fat black pigs roam about freely amid the abundant * ground-nut fields, and Nzungi's position, if anything, is on a breezier hill than that of Mbuba. Several lucent streams are passed before we come to Kimpemba, which we find we have viewed several times when on the north bank in our camp at Mpakambendi. It is close to the verge of the Congo canon, and a certain grand picturesqueness of view is obtainable. From this spot we soon strike in an oblique direction from the river, into the plain of the Mulwassi River, and up over much reddish land to the more promising uplands of Ngombe, of Lutete. I cannot help smiling when I remember Lutete"s bold remark when he first saw one of our agents in 1882. For the pleasure of decapitating the pale-faced man, he was willing to make conditions. Swaggering under a load of palm wine, he affected a loud voice, and 208 THE CONGO. L884. said to the coloured escort, " Give me that white man, March. . 9> LUtete. and you may go away in peace. " What do you wish a white man for ? " asked the men, rather astonished at the unparalleled insolence of the demand. " To cut his throat," replied the chief brutally. He had so often levied blackmail on other wayfarers, and badgered them, and this white being looked so innocent and guileless, that to slit such a man's jugular seemed no great crime to him. The escort, however, did not share his opinon, and took him away safely. On the return of the escort, however, towards the Pool, Lutete laid an ambuscade, and commenced firing. To his utter discomfiture, however, few as were the numbers, they returned a sharp fire, and captured nine of his people, who were kept as prisoners, and for whose release he had to make humble apology. But to-day Lutete presents an example of what may be made of these men. We have a station, a neat and happy station, governed by a British man-of-war's man — a boatswain's mate, who leads as jolly a life as ever he lived aboard any of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's vessels. With onlv twelve men he lives in peace just one mile away from the " ferocious " chief; and this same throat-cutter of two years ago now furnishes carriers and table-servants, besides sending his children to the Baptist School. In fact, he is a most exemplary individual in every respect. Between Lutete' and Mpangu we pass by several villages inhabited by men for whom I have great GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCES. 209 regard. Toonda, in the hollow, enchanting for its 188-t. cosiness and delicious bits of domestic life among the MpangTJ; Bakongo, and Iyenzi, with very tall palms, which promise gifts of their effervescing juice, will not soon be forgotten by men who have seen their open spaces shaded by the glorious leafy trees. By the time he arrives at Mpangu it will have dawned on the mind of the traveller that both the north and south banks of the Congo originally formed one plateau. And if he has intelligently reflected on what he has seen, he will be able to interpret the geological story told by the deep furrows which time has inscribed in the canon of the Congo, and the com- plicated system of profound gorges trending towards it from the southward and northward. For instance, close to Mpangu I stand upon a spot like many I have seen north and south of the river. It is equal in height to the thousand ridges and hill- tops I see around, with the exception, perhaps, of half- a-dozen cones, which may be a few feet higher. A peculiar crevasse near me reveals the nature of the soil for at least 150 feet deep. The sides of the crevasse are perpendicular, a stone dropped from an outstretched arm would fall straight to the bottom without beino- diverted from its course by a single projection. The crevasse is apparently extending ; it has encroached on the public path. At any moment during the rainy season the caravan road at this place may sink to the bottom with the fall of a mass of clayey and sandy conglomerate, which will be pulverised into dust by the Vol. II.— 14 210 THE CONGO. L884. shock of the descent from such a height. Another rain, March. f . Mpangu. an(l the powdered debris will be swept into the next runnel, thence into the more impetuous stream next to it, and thence into the Congo, to give a little browner colour to the already brown water of the great river. This crevasse will extend deeper into the heart of the narrow plateau ridge on which I stand ; it will yaw7n wider and w7ider wTith each years rains ; it will then exchange the perpendicular for a slope, and the cre'vasse will become a gully, afterwards a wide ravine, and finally a valley. In a heavy rainstorm it will collect water enough to plough deeper down, until the rock base of this great bed of clay and sand is revealed. In such a manner, I understand, has the geological history of this section been disclosed, at least, if I read it in the light of facts obtained by our overland journey. But if I descend into the bottom of the Congo canon, and look up to the precipitous walls of solid rock that frequently are seen rising 200 and 300 feet (as in the Pocock basin, and all along that tortuous narrow channel between Mpakambendi and Mbelo), the ages which have elapsed since the plateau above was frac- tured, carries a calculation back through such an im- measurable time that one wTould fain relegate the in- computable problem to those savants who find them- selves at home among decimals and recondite conjec- tures. I can see watermarks as high as 100 feet above the present water-surface ; and yet the highest river rise cannot exceed twenty feet above its present level ! How many years would be required to wear away APPEARANCE OF MANYANGA. 211 rock of such a durable nature eighty feet down ? would i88+. be a first question. There is also lava still to be found Mpangi at low water about Kalulu Falls. Whence has it come ? There have been rock slides, as well as earth falls, and at the Inkissi Falls one may see a complete islet which has dropped down, or rather sunk, an intact mass of rock and earth, a clear 400 feet ! It is from amid such scenes as this, between Mpangu and Manyanga, that we view the lofty Mount Beri ; in the distance is Sphynx Eock, a little to the east of it and on the range of a plain grooved deeply by the small tributaries of the Mpioga river, which empties into the Congo below our station of South Manyanga. It would be difficult to conceive of a land so fertile as this, and yet presenting such an ungrateful aspect. The valleys are rich, but there is so much slope of red, hard, sterile clay visible everywhere that we are chilled to the heart, as though we were looking at so many blank walls, which hid a fair prospect of luxuriant gardens. We stopped long enough at South Manyanga to enable me to cross over to North Manyanga and measure the amount of work performed during my absence at that station since its foundation in 1881. I found it in a " higgledy-piggledy " state, without any order or design, which compelled me to order the new chief to pull it all down and rebuild it anew. It was in such a backward condition that any station a month old on the Upper Congo was more advanced. And yet this 212 THE CONGO. 1884. place alone must have cost the Association £10,000 ! April 2. . Manyanga. F°r s,lcn a sum, and in three years, a European with thirty labourers ought to have been able to present something worth viewing ; but here was a " hotch- potch " of rickety-looking structures which one would have imagined to have been made by a lot of poor squatters preparatory to prospecting. Here I met Mr. Spencer Burns and the gallant Croat, Mr. Lehrman, fresh from an expedition which they had made from the mouth of the Kwilu. Mr. Lehrman was commissioned with the command of PhilJippeville on the Kwilu-Niadi. Mr. Burns, who had specially distinguished himself on this occasion, was sent down to Yivi by the river, while his natives were led overland along the south bank by myself. April 2nd. — We continue our journey from South Manyanga westward, edging away from the chilly gorge, over the well- washed hills, down over the mur- muring waters of the Ngaku, and up along steep slopes to the more fertile levels in the vicinity of Ndunga. A few miles beyond this favoured and amiable com- munity of Xdunga we begin the descent into the broad valley of Lukunga, where we are hospitably received by Mr. and Mrs. Ingham, of the Livingstone Mission. I should have wished that my " chiefs, ' who have affected to labour at Manyanga, had seen the pretty little station which this soldier missionary had constructed with half- a-dozen men, or rather, boys. The mission cottage was as dainty wTithin as any residence need be. A spacious garden behind it presented a vivid promise ; a well- A MISSION-HOME. 213 kept court or plaza in front was surrounded by store- 1884. rooms, kitchen, and schoolroom. Under the shadowy Lukanga eaves were to be seen the mission children, who have a striking likeness and family resemblance to the black mission children seen at Zanzibar, Sierra Leone, Old Calabar, and the West Indies. They have the same sub- dued air, as though they were impressed with the awful mysteries of the alphabet. I think it rather encouraged me to believe that the Congo climate, even in that low hollow of Lukunga, was endurable, when I here saw a delicate-looking lady bear herself so bravely. I utter literal truth when I say that my sojourn for twenty hours was enjoyed with the most exquisite pleasure. Ten men might have utterly stripped and carried away the veneer of civilisation on that mission-house, and left it bare and barbarous ; but the art was in the lady's hands, and the rich gift of taste, inherited in far-away England, had diffused attractiveness over the humble home. £100 was probably the value of all I saw, but then the £10,000 expended at Manyanga failed to excite pleasure or admiration in my thoughts. From the cheerful mission-house of Lukunga the caravan climbed the steep slopes leading up to the plateau-land once more. A day's journey carried us over miles of level expanse, which might, if cultivated, supply thousands of people with wheat and corn ; and if its dense crops of wild, tall grasses were superseded by what industry could sow, plant and build over the great waste, then we might see more of beauty and richness displaying the fertility of the soil better than 214 THE CONGO. 1884. the dead monotony of aspect which now enshrouds its April 3. . Vombo. potent powers of production. Yombo is situated on the verge of one of these plains overlooking the Lukunga valley ; Mwembe stands on its western edge. The next day's march takes us over narrower grassy ridges separated by small streams, until we arrive on the grass-robed plain of Muluangu, whence we descend into the trough of the Kwilu River, which a few years before we ascended in the steam-launch Royal, It is possible to descend to the Congo from the ferry of Kondo, but the navi- gator must beware of hidden snags. Beyond the Kwilu we discover the broad valley of the Luima, which is remarkable for its exposed bed of calcite and shale projections. One of these broader valleys may at a future time be utilised for routes to Stanley Pool, as almost all these rivers start from a broad, uniform ridge, which is the wrater-parting be- tween the tributaries of the Kwa and the Congo. Between the valley of the Luima and the next valley — that of the Lunionzo — there is an easy pass by which a railway might lead from Voonda at the head of the long reach above Isangila. Crossing the Luni- onzo, we pass under the cool sable shades of Xtombo Lukuti grove, and then over a grassy expanse to the station of Banza Manteka. Close by the station is the settlement of the Livingstone Inland Congo Mission, in a steamv hollow, too well sheltered from the breezes blowing over the western uplands. From any of the hilly remnants of the ancient con- THE LUFU VALLEY. 215 tinuous plateau at Banza Manteka we see the groves of many villages, such as Mubangu, Banza Nkosi, Manteka Kinkanza, Banza Kulu, Ntombo Lukuti. These vil- lages are great producers of ground-nuts, which are carried to the Lower Congo factories to exchange for cloth and gin. Six hours took us from Manteka station to Isangila station, where I witnessed much to grieve me, in the inertia under which our own people had fallen through the lack of superintendence. A house remained still unroofed that had been fourteen months building. Into the store-house the rain leaked through the rotten grass roof, spoiling a valuable stock of goods. There were over 400 bales within, yet our gentleman in charge, rather than add to the grass covering or re-roof it completely — which five days would have done — preferred to unroll the bales and dry the cloth ! The next valley we meet westward of the Ntombo Lukuti is that of the Lufu, a considerable stream with a rapid current, from whose woody fringes we rise to breast rock-strewn slopes and cross pebble-sown hill- summits, until after a short series of these we thread the twilight aisles of a forest-covered mountain side. Ascending here we view a, wild world of ruined upland, rent, torn, fissured and disfigured, in line after line, cone after cone, top after top, until the eye is fastened upon Pallaballa, and Nokki, and Vivi, at such distances that we distinguish only their blanched and meagre outlines. The irregular canon of the Congo is traced 210 TEE CONGO. 1884. far below Yivi. On the south side lie these disinte- isangiia. grated heaps of utterly useless land. On the north side the plateaus of Mgangila, Sadika Banzi, and Kionzo present a deceptive appearance of level. What a lesson about the climate Europeans could be taught from this tall mountain pulpit ! For here they have before them at one glance of the rough and uninhabitable land the causes which render them weak- knee'd and faint-hearted. With collapsing frames and stomachs feebly nourished by tough goat-meat and insipid bananas, they press on over those heart-breaking hills, with the endless ascents and descents, through winding labyrinths of suffocatingly tall grass, and each time they emerge into light and glare the cruel sun strikes their pale and tender half-dressed bodies, burns their white arms, scorches their necks, and roasts their backs. Presently they are hid from sight at the bottom of grassy tunnels, to issue reeling from the terrible atmosphere of reek and slop and humid heat, to quench their thirst in oceans of cold water from the sparkling runnels that thread the gullies. Some of them, under the fiery impulses of getting on, on, and on, will march their fifteen miles per day, and on arriv- ing at the Pooi at the end of their journey, they will turn round and deliberately curse the land, the climate, and the people, but never their own idiotic frenzy. Yet, if I could take them through such a land as this in twenty-four hours, they might live as long in Africa as in moist England. These are the men who in England take cabs and hansoms to drive a mile ; CONGO LA LEMBA. 217 who partake largely of beer and brandy ; who eat 188+. enormously of beef and mutton ; whose every waking; Congo i hour is devoted to the consideration of the kind of Lemba a lunch or tiffin they will take, or to serious medi- tations upon the best viands to be consumed for dinner ; who have baths frequently; whose hardest labours have been inditing scented letters to friends; and whose happiest moments have been passed in ogling the pretty dames of the theatre. Surely, then, this sudden rush, this frantic pace, these endless climbings and furious gulpings of water, do not indicate the wisest course to adopt. It were well to be a little more cool and deliberate in movement than to en- courage these wanton and wilful attempts at suicide. A few miles beyond we come to Congo la Lemba, and from this pleasant village we descend to the Luizi valley and river. Yellala mountain is in view on our rights and Pallaballa mountain in our front. The latter we have to climb about a thousand feet, to find our- selves five miles from Vivi, on a height 1700 feet above the sea. On this fortress-like plateau a community of natives, in the midst of which another English mission is planted, lives in peace and plenty. Its airs are cool, its atmosphere bland, the surface of the earth is a rich reddish loam; groves of tall trees crown it, affording a grateful shade; plantations of bananas and clusters of palms add to the beauty of the scene ; and good and cool water is found. The native disposition is amiable ; the mission has its pupils ; and the old chief Nozo has erected a lodging-house for strangers, a miniature 21S THE CONGO. 1884. caravanserai, the walls of which he has garnished April. ' to >ng0 ia with ancient chromographs for the amusement of his Lemba. guests. We rest one night amid this respectable community, and take the road next morning for Vivi. We descend about five miles, and from the crest of a hill overlook- VI KW OF MPOZO STATION AND RIVER FROM VIVI. ing Yellala Falls we view the upper Yivi Rapids, Yivi Station, and all the well-known features of the locality. I seat myself, glass in hand, to scan what improve- ments have been made during our long absence in the interior ; and I confess with regret that I cease from the survey, wishing earnestly that T could sponge out the history of this unhappy place from my tablet VIVI IN NEGLECT. 219 of facts. Were it possible to do so, I should be relieved 1884. from a burden of knowledge which infects my opinion Vivh of the Europeans. It is unnecessary to select and specify which of these from among the many deserve the lash of censure for their ineptitude. From among the currents of European life that streamed to Vivi in the course of five years, some were fixed here mainly by their own election, others by appointment. But, like him who sat and brooded and grieved over the ruins of Carthage, I can only grieve that my memory is haunted by so many shadows of puerile manhood, and of figures of youth without substance. I have wistfully searched for one small evidence of progress ; one finite proof that a strong and willing soul has attempted to modify the pristine ruggedness of the place, or wrestled with its wilfulness of irregu- larity. Were it but a yard of graded roadway even, or a rocky obstruction pulverized or removed, I should be grateful. But, so far as I can see, not even a hut has been thatched. What a poor result after the passage of 260 Europeans of all nationalities through the station ! Grieving and sad at heart, I continue my descent to Mpozo Station, whence I take boat, and cross over the Congo to Vivi. 220 THE CONGO. CHAPTER XXXIII. TO OSTEND. Climate and conduct — Vivi in confusion — A cure for sham illness — Eemoval of the station — Description of the changes at Vivi — General Gordon's probable work — I embark on the Kinsembo — Loango — Sette Camma — Coast trade — Gaboon Gulf — Fernando Po — The Cameroons — Duke Town — Exploring a great " oil " river — Native chiefs buying iron houses — Bonny — Lagos — Quetta — Sierra Leone — My arrival in London — Eeport to H.M. the King of the Belgians. 1884. Ox the Upper Congo the marvellous richness of the y1V]' soil seemed to have infused something of its own prolific vigour into the souls of the gallant young gentlemen at Equator Station, Kinshassa, Leopoldville, Mswata, and those detailed for other duties than station building ; and I presume, if this is true, then the ste- rility of the soil around "Vivi, and the hard, stern profiles of naked hills, had dwarfed and contracted the souls of those at the latter station. There are people who are so impressionable that they reflect their surroundings. In England, with its moist climate, I am told there is a vast majority of people who are afflicted ' with a desire to moisten their throats continually with beer ; and I believe Belgium and Germany are very much alike in that respect. But THE STATE OF VIVI. 221 in the dry Arab lands we have a people who drink 1884. but rarely ; in the moist climate of the palmy Congo Vivi. land palm-wine is drunk in prodigious quantities ; but south of the Zambesi we have people who drink but little save a small quantity of milk, or occasionally water. Well, then, perhaps it is the barrenness of Vivi to which the barrenness of results of five years' labour may be attributed ! On landing on its shores I find that the gentlemen of Vivi have erected a store-room and residence for the accountant, close to the "beach." The material mostly has been taken from a frame mansion-house, costing £2000, the other portion of which has been lying nine months about, and no one seems to know why it came, or what its purpose was. Letters from Europe informed them it was for a hotel lor the residents' comfort and convenience ; but then, to a lot of people without a leader, of what use can it possibly be ? So the accountant shall have his share of it ; the carpenter may build a shed out of it; the hospital may have other fragments of it, and the rest may rot ! I ascend the original road which was made five 'years ago for temporary convenience, to roll my wagons up, and I see that it has remained untouched to this day. On the top of the hill there are two houses less than I built ; the garden is a waste, the fence broken down, the mangoes and papaws and oranges and tropic pears are now large trees, but then that is Nature's work. The houses look squalid, dilapidated and unpainted. There are about twenty- THE CONGO. 1884. five whites, most of whom appear as if they did Vivi. not know how on earth they came, or what business they had there. A few bear a truculent scowl on their faces, as though they were labouring under an uncommon load of trouble, which they would gladly shuffle off' in some manner. At the table cThote I find them all assembled, and when the red wine of Portugal has taken due effect there is a strain of vivacity perceptible in their manner, and when the meal is finished many of them hasten to bed, even in mid-day. Wine and heat, I observe, make them somnolent. I do not see any work performed, although perhaps the coloured labourers may be doing something in a shiftless manner, since no European is supervising them. In the morning, when the matin-bell sounds to muster, I observe there is an extraordinary sick-list; about thirty -five of the coloured people require boluses, potions and salves — just thirty per cent, of the entire force ! Fearing an epidemic is raging of which I had heard no report, I examine more closely into their faces, and find — for seventeen years amongst black people furnish one with a great deal of knowledge respecting negro characteristics — that the colour is rich, and their skins freely effusing oil, the eyes are bright also, although the contortions of pain evinced by their features are enough to evoke pity. The veterans from up-river, inured to toil, and who are models of discipline, understand a certain signal, and the steady approach of a dozen of these in martial CURING SHAM SICKNESS. 223 array attracts the attention of the sick, the crippled, 1884. the cholical and the dysenteric patients, who no sooner Vivi> see them coming than with a rush the doctor's window is cleared. Duke Humphrey of Grlo'ster's miraculous cure was only performed on one man, but here were thirty feeble creatures restored to perfect health by merely looking at a few men gravely advancing towards them ! Shocked by the condition of Yivi, I resolved to remove it bodily away to the larger plateau. Pre- paratory to this a new road was made, with an easy grade to the Xkusu, which was spanned by a bridge. We then lay a Decauville railway between the two plateaus, and the work of construction of the new station was commenced. The new Upper Congo steamer having been dis- mantled, was placed on its several wagons and rolled up the hills from the landing-place to the plateau, and Lieutenant Yalcke having returned from his temporary leave of absence, was constituted chief of the transport force, to convey the steamer to Stanley Pool. Reorganisation of the staff was urgently required. Many of the Europeans had not the least idea of their work or of their duties. This was all due, of course, to the fact that the Chief of the Expedition had been absent, and no fit person had appeared able to maintain Yivi in order, and to control such a large number of undisciplined whites fresh from their homes in all lands. The following quotations from letters to the Pre- 224 THE CON GO. 1884. sident of the Association will serve to explain this April. Vivi and several other matters. " Mr. E. Massey Shaw has been appointed Chief of Vivi Station, and Mr. John Eose Troup Chief of Police. " Major Parmenter, who was the most superior chief of Vivi we have had yet, was obliged to retire owing to domestic matters at home. He was a man of luarvellous industry, but the regret of it is that 1 have lost him just as he was restoring this place to order, which needs a strong man. "Mons. Monet's capabilities are of a very high order. He fills the place of the retiring accountant. Mons. del Comune is the Chief Transport Agent of the Lower Congo, and I feel assured the Expedition will feel the benefit of this change. His headquarters will be at Boma, and he will be responsible for all goods received in future, and for the good behaviour of the staff on the steamers." " Vrvi, 23rd April " Two days ago I reached Vivi, and I have been since in a fever of dismay at what I have seen here. The buildings are precisely as they stood in 1882. I exempt the accountant's, of course, which does look pass- able. I found twTenty-nve whites here. The new house, which cost 29,000 francs, is utterly ruined, many sections of it having been employed for trivial and pitiful purposes. I am informed by a humorous person that each of the many chiefs who have retired during the several months that have elapsed since its arrival has expressed boundless thanks for the gift of the timely and munificent donation. What is left of it, how- ever, now will make a small frame-house or cabin thirty-five feet long. " Two events occurred to-day which inform one greatly of the state of mind these young gentlemen are in who have been so long without a leader. One declares that he will not leave the station, though he has been dis- missed for four gross offences, and mutters strangely about violence. Another says, ' Well, I don't care ; I will go and do that little job at Boma, then I will go home and explain to the ComiteV " At dinner-time I took advantage of their presence and delivered a lecture to them upon the lamentable state I discovered the station and themselves were in. I sketched out the state of Vivi as I left it, and how I found it. I repeated the dismal tale of changes and scenes that had occurred in my abseDce. I took the trouble of defining what was generally understood by the term duty, and how each was legally and morally bound to perform that which he had contracted to do to the best of his ability. Mine was to execute the orders of the Committee ; theirs to abide by their contracts; if they failed to do so they must abide the consequences. " I had arrived at Yivi to bring order out of chaos before leaving the GENERAL GORDON. 225 command of the Expedition to General Gordon, who will be as little 1884. likely to sympathise with indolence and thriftlessness as I am. A,>"1 2 " We have been so extremely patient, paternal and lenient with them, ^ lvi* and they have been left so long without a chief, that the conduct of # some of them has been most shameful. " The new steamer Ville d'Anvers is a capital little steamer, and exceed- ingly staunch. If well looked after she will be a great acquisition. " ie Stanhij, stern wheeler for the Upper Congo, will be at once dis- mantled for transport to her destination. " Mons. del Commune has to-day informed me that he has treated suc- cessfully with the natives of Boma for the Protectorate. Mods. Kirk- hoven has extended our territory until Yivi is now joined to Boma. " Between Nokki and Stanley Pool the sovereignty has been ceded to the Association by the native chiefs. Thus, from Boma to the Lubamba MONS. DEL COMMUNE. River on the right bank, and thence north to the Kwilu — Niadi, through the efforts of HaosseDs, Van de Yelde, Destrain, Mickic, Grant Elliott, and Spencer Burns, the territory is all one — intact ; and from Nokki on the left bank to Stanley Falls. Such places as are already unoccupied on the left bank Hanssens will complete by July. Signor Massari goes up the Kwa to perform the same services for our political interests. "While coming down the south bank, I learned enough to satisfy me that three-fourths of the transport required for up river will be accom- plished by our enlistments of natives ; the rest will go up by north bank as before. Yoonda Station, on south bank, will be established to give more employment to the boats on the mid-section of river. " I beg to enclose copies of the Treaties securiDg the sovereignty to the Association of all the districts between Nokki and Stanley Pool. All Vol. II.— 15 226 THE CONGO. has been done that is possible on the Congo, and Europe should be the theatre of operations now to secure the recognition of the Association by the Powers. " I am obliged to express my surprise that in the letter announcing the immediate departure from Europe of General Gordon for the Congo, no instructions are furnished to me as to what his particular mission is to be here. It would be desirable in a matter of such importance to be told whether he is to be Chief of the Expedition, Director-General, Adminis- trator, Special Commissioner, &c, &c. I have received only a few brief words introducing a man already well known to me. Before turning over the command to him, it would be well for me to know precisely how to address him in clear and distinct phrase. Finally, the letter* I received LA VILLE d'aNVERS STEAMER. from himself makes it still more difficult forme to understand his mission. I gather from him that he has some views hostile to the slave-trade in the Soudan. A very laudable purpose, undoubtedly, but I am not told " Brussels, 6th January, 1884. "My Dear Mr. Stanley, — " His Majesty has asked me to go out and join you in your work, which I have gladly assented to, and come from Lisbon on 5th February. I will serve willingly with and under you, and I hope vou will stay on, and we will, God helping, kill the slave-traders in their haunt, GENERAL GORDON'S INTENTIONS. 227 whether we are to abandon the Congo, and be diverted from our work of 1884. settling, extending, and consolidating along this river, to make raids APril 23- upon Soudanese slave-traders in the Nile basin. In short, the whole Vivi- affair is very mysterious to me. " As I have already intimated to the Committee in October, 1882, January, July, August, 1883, and January. 1884, my intention of leaving the Congo, according to the original understanding at Brussels in 1878, I have arrived at Vivi, in the strong hope that I should find General Gordon here ; but I hear by this last mail that he has accepted a com- mission under the British Government to go to the Soudan. I am com- pelled to stay here then until I am relieved by a fit person." "Vivi, lltfi May, 1884. " Colonel de Winton arrived here a few days ago, since which time he has been occupied in acquiring the knowledge of the details necessary for comprehending thoroughly the situation. " Though it is better late than never, I cannot refrain from expressing my keen regret that such a person as Col. de Winton was not sent fifteen months ago to assist me. " I hope to be able to leave the Congo about the latter part of this month, by which time Col. de Winton will have understood his duties, and grasped the situation. It will be well to remember that Sir Francis de Winton, as Chief of the Expedition, cannot leave the Lower Congo, otherwise the troubles of Vivi will commence again. An occasional residence at Leopoldville, and an inspection of the intermediate route, will be all that is necessary. You may rely on Capt. Hanssens fulfilling his mission well on the Upper Congo." "Vivi, June 2nd, 1884. "The new station at Vivi is advancing rapidly. Five houses have been erected, and a banana plantation set out. The bridge is a great success. A railway connects old Vivi with the new place, though to be completed we ought to have about 500 yards more of rails. " The steamer Le Stanley is now six miles from here. The hauling force numbers 269, of whom 10 per cent, will be daily ailing." for if we act together in the countries where they hunt, and make treaties with the chiefs, we can prevent their raids and truly stop the slave-trade, All the slavers are now engaged with Baker & Co., and so if we can (D. V.) push on we will find the field free. " No such efficacious means of cutting at root of slave-trade ever was presented as that which God has, I trust, opened out to us through the kind disinterestedness of His Majesty. " Yours sincerely, in haste, "(Signed) C. G. Gordon." 228 TEE CONGO. j84 " Banana Point, Jane Sth, 1884. ae 8. (l j jiave to inform y0U that I left Vivi on the 6th of June, accompanied na l>t by Col. Sir Francis de Winton. At Boma I saw your new Sanatorium. I admire very much the building and its position, and Dr. AUard's devotedness and provision for sick men's comforts deserve great praise. It is really like a respectable hotel." CAPT. HANSSENS. On the 10th of June the British and African steamer Kinsembo departed from Banana Creek north- ward along the coast, and as I had a strong curiosity to understand more of West Africa, and to compare it with the Congo banks, I proceeded with her as a passenger. I do not propose to give more than a few useful jottings by the way. LANDANA. 229 Seven hours' steaming brought us to Landana, a 1884. June 10. beautiful place judging from the external view. White Landana. factories, alternate with dark green masses of vege- tation. From the summit of a tree-clothed upland peeps out the mission of the French peres, whose gardens and orchards of fruit-trees are admired by all visitors. The next day at 4 p.m. we halt at a cluster LANDANA. of factories called Black Point, and after receiving a certain amount of produce, pass on to Loango, which we reach at noon on the 12th. Here I receive reports from the officer in charge of the KwTilu-Niadi division. On the 13th we anchor abreast of Myumba, or Mayomba, a fine baylet open to the west, and the next day's run brings us to Sette Camma, situate 230 THE CONGO. 1884. south of a river called Sette. The huge breakers [yumb^ rolling and pounding the shore do not deter the shippers, who bring puncheons of palm-oil and rubber, and a young gorilla on board. The 15th brings us to Inipango, where there is a custom-house established, as we have now entered abreast the Gaboon colony. On the 16th we arrive in the Gaboon Gulf, and FROM AMBRIZ TO THE CAMEROOSTS. anchor abreast of the town of that name, which is the seat of Government for the French colony. There are also present in the roadstead a guardship and three French men-of-war, four colliers, a few small coast and harbour steamers and lighters. On shore, conspicuously in view, are three brickbuilt Government buildings, a brick church with a corrugated iron roof, a great pile of coal, and the commencement of FERNANDO PO. 231 the erection of a stone pier. An irregular line of 1884. June 15. buildings attached to eight or ten factories, a French Gaboon. (Catholic), and an American (Protestant) mission, with a small store or two, and a boarding-house, show us the whole of the French settlement established since 1842. Mangoes planted perhaps some sixteen or twenty years ago are also conspicuous for their globes of dense foliage, and are seen in uniform lines in front of the mission and public buildings. Altogether the aspect of the place is pretty and agreeable. The little hills along the shore, dotted with white houses and green groves, shining clear amid tropical vege- tation, assist the general attractiveness of the view. On the 18th we arrived at Elobey Island (Spanish), situated at the entrance to the River Muni in Corisco Bay. The island is about an hour and a half s march in circumference. German and English factories absorb most of the trade, which is all similar in character. Four or five small steamers coast about collecting produce. From Elobey Islet we strike west to deep water, and rounding Cape S. Juan bear northward to Fernando Po, a lofty island in the Bight of Benin. We anchor in Clarence Cove, a rifle-shot distance from shore. The island is called after its discoverer Fernando-Poo, a Portuguese. It is about 600 square miles in superficial extent, and principally famous for its towering cone, whose summit is 10,190 feet above the sea. Westward about twenty miles the Mount Albert of the Carneroons Mountains begins, and lifts 232 THE CONGO. 1884. its bold outline to the height of 13,800 feet. The Fernando lower slopes and shores of Fernando Po are a marvel of tropical vegetation ; but the upper tracts appear to be grassy and denuded of trees. The inhabitants seem to be more degraded and forbidding in features than any I have seen in Congo-lands. The 21st of June we arrived at Duke Town in the Old Calabar or Cross River. This is said to be one OLD CALABAR FACTORIES, NEAR DUKE TOWN. of the best oil-producing rivers. About 500 casks of palm-oil had been shipped only a week before we arrived, and there was a freight of 300 casks ready for the Kinsembo. As a cask weighs about 15 cwt., it may be imagined what tonnage of palm oil leaves this river. Through the kindness of the traders I was enabled to proceed up and 6 'explore" this oil river. For EXPLORING AN OIL RIVER. 233 company I had Mr. James Mimroe, Dr. Mackenzie, 188+. Mr.- Albert Grillis, and Captain Jolly, of the Kinsembo. Duke I saw Creek Town, and a Scotch mission there. We Town' wandered amid sea-washed creeks, and then returned to Duke Town. The sketch on the opposite page will enable the reader to imagine Duke Town. But what struck me was its miniature reproduction of the Upper Congo. Could I have been suddenly lifted in the En Avant at night, and deposited on the river near Ikunitu, I should have seen nothing very dif- ferent to the scenes which the darkness of ni^ht had hidden from me. There were the same palms, perpen- dicular, inclined, .or fallen over into the stream ; the same density of forest, the same sweetly green verdure, the same rich reddish loam, the same kind of clear- ings, and the same architecture of huts. But at Duke Town and Creek Town I observed a sight which was priceless to me. I saw that the residences of the native chiefs had been constructed in England, and transported section by section and erected here — one costing £4000, one £3000, one £2000. This was the result of peaceful barter of palm-oil — corrugated iron buildings for African chiefs ! They were furnished, too, in European style with carpets, chairs, mirrors and window curtains ! Conquer that horror of the march from Yivi to the Stanley Pool, and I can conceive Ngal- yema, Makabi, Bank w a, Ibaka, Mangombo, Mugwala, Mata Bwyki, and a host of Upper Congo chiefs order- ing corrugated iron houses and furniture from Europe for their ivory, their palm-oil, their rubber, their gum, 234 TEE COXGO. 1884. camwood powder, orchilla weed, beeswax, grains and une 24. Duke spices. Duke Town snows now remarkable a civil iser is fair trade. There is no government here. Now and then a man-of-war steams up and returns. The Consul was absent, but still all lived in unity and concord. On the 28th of June the Kinsembo anchored in Bonny River. The great hulk Adriatic, commanded by Captain Bell, lilts its giant form, and displays the magnificent model of one of the old Collins's Trans- Atlantic steamers. At Bonny, also, there are houses worth £3000, owned by native chiefs. There is a cluster of factories on shore : numbers of old hulks are in the river, and a prosperous trade seems to keep every one busy in one of the saddest and most gloomy climates I have ever experienced. The great fear of the climate, however, is vanishing from the minds of men. The factors live well, and in comfortable houses. It is the fashion now to build corrugated iron houses, framed within with wood, and appropriately furnished. One inhabited by Mr. TVhitehouse, 50 by 34 feet, possessed a covered verandah 11 feet broad, which is as near perfection as the genius of its designer had attained. Another story added, and each story three feet higher, with uniform and prudent life, and a fuller conquest would be achieved over the vitiated and destructive atmosphere which clings to the muddy shores of the rivers in the Bight of Benin. From Bonny River, which is the main channel to Xew Calabar River, we proceed north-west, and \ FROM THE NIGER TO OS TEND. 235 anchor on the 2nd of July in the roadstead ten miles 1884. off Benin River. Benin B, The steamers Biafra, Dodo, and Formosa, were discovered at anchor. While rolling* in the troughs of large and languid sea-waves undulating shoreward, 4Q 30 2Q 10 O 10 FROM THE NIGER TO OSTEND. the produce from the Benin River conveyed by the Dodo was transferred to the Kinsembo, while continued rains wetted the decks and cargo, and imparted a gloomy feeling by their tedious monotony. The next 236 THE CONGO. day the SS. Loanda appeared from England with dates up to the 11th of June. On the 5th we passed Lagos roadstead, where three steamers and two sailing vessels were at anchor, and on the 6th we arrived off Quettah. By this time the Kinsembo, collecting produce at these various small ports, had been well nigh filled by the bountiful ship- ments from the Bonny and Benin Rivers. Nun River, the main channel of the Niger, we did not see, owing to the inscrutable bye- laws which govern these various steamship lines from Liverpool. The local news at Quettah is that a white man has been sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment for whip- ping a negro ! At Bay Beach we passed the Mowe, a German war vessel, at anchor. On the 12th we arrived at Sierra Leone. My friend, the harbonr-raaster, who once mistook my steamer for a pirate ship, is still flourishing, and Her Majesty's coloured subjects still continue to dwTell with exasperating emphasis on the merits of " this colony." Captain Jolly, of the Kinsembo % however, differs from the coloured gentlemen of Sierra Leone. He obtained a slight hint that there was a pestilence in the town, and hastily proceeded to sea after only a three hours' stoppage, and we thus saw the last of the African continent, On the 29th of July the directing managers of the British and African Steamship Company kindly per- mitted the Kinsembo to land me at Plymouth, whence I hastened to London. Four days later I presented REPORT TO. HM. KING LEOPOLD. 237 my report to His Majesty the King of the Belgians, i884. who was spending the summer at Ostend, that the gjrra mission he had given me to perform in the Congo Leone' Basin was accomplished, with vastly greater success than the most sanguine of those gentlemen who sat in the Council held at the Royal Palace in Decem- ber, 1878, could ever have anticipated; and I have no reason to believe that His Majesty was displeased with the results of these long years of bitter labour. 238 TEE CONGO. CHAPTER XXXIV. EUROPEANS IN AFRICA. European opinion of African life — Repelled by the absence of comforts — "Amour propre" and "susceptibilities" — Few heroes of labour — Extravagant hopes — "Bah! I did not come for work" — Types of neglected and prosperous stations ■ — Malingering — Unintelligent workers — " Nothing like whisky ! " — " Sojering " — A happier theme — The earnest workers of the expedition— New aspirants — Young officers in search of adventures — A sad accident — Our physician — A plucky Scot — The way to gain a good reputation. Europeans " Wijen in FJurope we were men who believed ourselves in Africa. L capable of heroic work and immense effort, could we but have the opportunity of proving our strength, our natural wit, our native valour, onr acquired intelligence, and our fortitude under privations ; but, alas ! when we landed in Africa, we discovered that most of us were without nerve, without wit or fortitude ; that our strength and much of our native valour on which we had prided ourselves had vanished, and that our acquired intelligence was valueless, since we had never known the practical art of living away from the guardianship and sympathy of our parents ; and when privations confronted us we completely collapsed." Such a confession might be truthfully written by some AFRICAN LIFE. of the young men who returned home, after the dis- Europeans covery that they had simply been seduced by their own fancies and super-fervid imaginations to believe that their limited experience of a few smoothly gliding years in their own perfect lands had prepared them for the rough life of the pioneer in Equatorial Africa. As they appeared on the Congo, one after another, singly or in threes, or in larger groups, supremely ardent, grandly proud that at last the mettle of which they boasted was about to be proved in distant Africa, it was an interesting study to note how the sudden or slow descents to far below zero — often from the topmost altitude of assurance — were effected ; to observe how the exaggerated anticipations, by which they had duped themselves, took quick flight before the revelations of reality. Instead of meeting the usual conveniences of civili- sation, which they seem to have taken for granted already existed, they found themselves confronted and repelled by the task of preparing these for later comers, and by the drudgery and toil it involved. They were quite prepared to enjoy the labour of the earliest pioneers, but they were extremely loth to undertake to do for their successors what they had inconsiderately assumed was already accomplished for themselves. In the presence of this astonishing revelation I began to hear words and phrases that sounded strangely to me, because I had been abroad, alone for so many years that I had well-nigh forgotten them. These were 240 THE CONGO. Europeans "amour-propre" — self-love ? "susceptibilities" — vanity? in Atrica. which were shot forth like so many delicate antennae, and when touched by the imperative necessity of some one being appointed to undertake the work caused them to shrink back offended and alarmed if a delicate hint was given that it wras their " turn." Little by little we discovered that these magnificent men not only lacked the necessary attainments, but wTere also most poor in the spirit of endeavour. Of those heroes of labour wTho distinguished them- selves by intense striving in the work-markets of Europe, I encountered but a few. Of those noble aspirants for bread or for honour of whom we read so much about in the annals of industry, I regret to say it was not my good fortune to meet many examples. For the first three years I may say their number was only about four per cent. And the rest — well, they did not allow me to forget their existence. Can any man have read this book so far as these pages, and taken into due consideration the character and nature of our work, without readily perceiving and admitting how very necessary a strong and willing soul was to me in the matter of assistance, how such would have been honoured and blessed by me, how devoutly I should have admired him for his devoted- ness, and courted his company for the vital value of his presence ? Many Europeans no doubt succumbed from physical weakness ; others had simply mistaken their vocation. The influence of the wine or beer, which at the first EXTRAVAGANT HOPES. 241 offset from Europe had acted 0:1 their impulses like Europeans in Africa. the effect of quinine on weakened nerves, soon evapo- rated in a wineless land, and with their general igno- rance of adaptation to foreign circumstances, and a steady need of the exhilarating influence of customary * stimulants, an unconquerable depression usurped the high-blown courage it inspired, which some called nostalgia, and some hypochondria. Many had also, as they themselves confessed, come out merely to see the river ; their imaginations had run riot amid herds of elephants, lions, buffaloes, and hippopotami, while the tall lithe-necked giraffe and the graceful zebra occupied the foreground of those most unreal pictures. Their senses had also been fired by the looks of love and ad- miration cast on them by their sweethearts, as they declared their intention to " go out to the Congo," while many a pleasing hour must have been spent as together they examined the strange equipments, the elephant- rifles, the penetrative "Express," and described in glowing terms their life in the far-off palmy lands watered by the winding Ikelemba or the mighty Congo. Thus they had deluded themselves as well as the Comite', whose Members looked up with eyes of com- mendation, as the inspired heroes delivered with bated breath their unalterable resolution " to do or die." But death was slow to attack the valorous braves while the do able lay largely extended before them. The latter was always present with its exasperating- plainness, its undeniable imperativeness which affronted their "susceptibilities," and ignored their titles and Vol. IT.— in 242 THE CONGO. Europeans their rights to distinction. The stern every-day reality, in \ti'ic& the meagre diet and the forbidding aspect, humbled their presumption. When they hear that in this land there is neither wine, nor beer, nor comforting cognac to relieve the gnawing distressful hankering they suf- fered for their usual beverage, their hearts beat more feebly ; and they see that those bright African images and beautiful dreams of tropic scenery and excitement are replaced by unknown breadths of roadless regions, exuberant only with tall spear-grass and jungly scrub. The hot sun dares them to the trial of forcing a way through such scarcely penetrable growth; but the distance and fatigue, seeming to be immense, over- masters their resolution ; and, alas ! there are no fair maidens with golden hair to admire their noble efforts at doing and dying. Conscience, or the prickings of shame, may whisper to a few not quite abandoned and shameless, that there is brave work to be performed, and that they may experience the colonist's pleasure of seeing the vege- tables and fruit-trees and plants grow instead of that cane grass and jungle now covering the broad acreage. " Bah ! I did not come to work ; I came to hunt, to play, to eat, and to receive a big salary from the Comite'," some answer. "Do you feel fatigued? Try some hot tea or coffee." "What!" shriek they. "Try Congo water! No, thank you ; my stomach was made for something better than to be a nest for young crocodiles." EQUIPMENT OF A STATION. 243 Let me illustrate a few instances. One, who has Europeans loudly professed himself to be heroic, is conducted to the site of a station. Forty docile, disciplined black men are delivered over to his control. Three com- panions of white colour are allotted to his assistance. A stack of bales of cloth, bags of beads, and enough brass- wire to ballast a large boat are given to him as currency to barter, and to put into circulation with the aborigines for provisions such as the country may fur- nish. The river close by swarms with fish which, if he will, he may catch ; the villages around about possess fowls, among which, doubtless, laying hens will be found ; sheep and goats are also procurable, and a sufficient number of she-goats will supply him and his white companions with fresh milk ; the natives in the neighbourhood will sell him sweet potatoes, which when boiled or fried, roasted or stewed, are nutritious ; fields of cassava are extensive, and its edible root may be prepared in a variety of agreeable ways. Tomatoes, beans and pumpkins are not difficult to obtain, which, augmented by a store of rice, tinned vegetables and wheaten flour, besides tea, coffee, butter, jam, and con- densed milk, tinned fish, meats and soups from Europe, may well permit a sumptuous diet to be enjoyed, provided there is a little exertion and personal superin- tendence directed in the preparation of the food. To start the station fairly, we build a strong block- house and a native village before our departure, to house the whites and their goods. Milch-goats are collected, and laying hens are purchased. The abori- 244 THE CONGO. Europeans gines are invited to a solemn palaver, at which both 111 Africa. . . . . , . whites and natives are initiated into the groove of social relationship. The instructions, few and simple, to him are : " See now, sir, this is your domain, legitimately acquired. It- has become, by the power invested in you as chief, your estate, over which you have absolute control, subject to none other than myself. I must leave you as master and sole arbiter in all questions. Let justice attend your dealings ; be kind to your people, for remem- ber you are their father and their mother. Show me on my return that a fit choice was made when I selected you. By industry you may make your place a model to be followed by others less experienced than yourself ; by due care you may make it the happiest place in Africa. You have sufficient native moneys, and abundant provisions. On this paper you will see the plan which I wish you to follow." I am absent ten months from the scene, but I find on my return that the condition of the place is far worse than when I departed. The warm promises made by him created in me an ideal paradise ; but instead of my bright, and, alas ! too florid an ideal, I see the wild grass has overrun our native village, so that it is scarcely visible. Not one house has been added to those structures we had raised for him. The station is also in a state of siege ; a palisaded circle shows that once an alarm had bestirred him to spasmodic action ; famine beleaguers the garrison ; four days searching far and wide only brings enough to last a few hours ; the stores NEGLECTED STATIONS. 245 are empty 5 there are only enough brass rods to last European three days. The natives leave him and his station so severely alone that he is in actual risk of starvation. What a great contrast it is altogether to that beautiful ideal of mine ! How very reverse to those glowing promises, letters, and reports ! u Why, how is this ? Good heavens, this is a very ruin of a place!" I exclaim. " See the village — the road, the street, the station, is buried in grass ! " Oh, this is a too harsh vibration on the fine-fibred susceptibilities! The immaculate and stiff-starched gentleman cannot, and will not, stand this. He writes : " 1 have the honour to send you my resignation ;" which, of course, is accepted, for he is too high- stomached to accept a position where he will be less harmful, and which I would willingly give him, so that he would be powerless for harm. A change of masters brought about a happy result. The station soon began to be worthy of its importance. There are now large flocks of sheep and goats browsing around it ; scores of fowls and ducks in the fowl-yard. The table menu is as good as that which might be obtained at any second-class hotel in Europe. A grand market is held every morning in the plaza of the station, where I can see the little ebon children play at my door. From the assembly of native women, 500 persons could purchase fresh native bread every twenty-four hours. The houses devoted to the accommodation of the officers are 630 feet of aggregate length ; the gar- den is about 200 acres in extent, where there are 3000 246 THE CONGO. Europeans bananas, 500 papaw-trees, and ]i me, orange, guava, and in Africa. mango trees, in a flourishing condition. European and native sweet potatoes, yams, and a variety of vegetables are produced in sufficient quantities. Nine thousand square feet are devoted to a grand esplanade, and the approach to the station is along a broad, clear road. All these results, with other numerous improvements, prove the character of the changes which patient in- dustry, in conjunction with wakeful diligence, can create in a wilderness. In the above will be found the type of those exter- nally magnificent creatures who suffered from an in- curable hunger for a diet which rustic Africa could not furnish in its present stage of undevelopment ; and who were unwilling, despite fair wages and bounden duty, to practise a little exertion to start the improvement of their position. On the contrary, they allowed unnatural bilious humours to ferment within them until they became a living eyesore to their friends and a torment to themselves. Another type of futile manhood was the malingerer. The art was carried to perfection by one who deceived every one for weeks, and might — so annoying to some men is unnecessary rupture and rage — have protracted his skilful shamming to an indefinite length of time, had he not voluntarily ended a long period of successful malingering by an abrupt and unexpected letter of resignation. Nine weeks had this cunning artist prac- tised his histrionic art to perfection ! What soothing blandishments had I not lavished on the first artful MALINGERING. 247 dodger who chose to ply his art on the Congo ? The Europeans tit i • • i • in Africa. number of paces I had walked on my visits to him during his supposed affliction by computation amounted to several miles. The value of the medical stores, condensed milk, jam, .marmalade, butter, soups, wine, biscuits, which were held in reserve for men who — sickened of goat-meat and cassava bread, accompanied by hourly transitions from heat to cold — required the delicacies which were consumed by this specious rogue, amounted to some hundreds of pounds sterling. When he assumes the air of a convalescent, what promises of promotion are not made to him ? What encourage- ments are not held out to him when he adopts the tone of one being discouraged by protracted sickness ? How strenuously I lay myself out to dissipate his mock moodiness and dispute his hypothetic unfitness ! And, when the medical luxuries are nearlv exhausted, and signs of worn-out patience are visible, he rounds it all off with a letter of resignation ! In few but intelligent phrases he is told to dismiss all hopes of an early return to the coast — something is muttered of an unfulfilled contract, services due, excel- lent shamming, necessity of caution, triangle, &c. And our " artful dodger " is seen at work half an hour later, with jacket off and sleeves rolled up; and his after his- tory contains a good deal of work fitly done. Another of these Europeans, who have troubled me not a little, can be best described by an extract from my diary dated October 14, 1880. " Poor man — let us call him Frank — like all other un- 248 THE COX GO. Kuropeaus intelligent men, regards his beautifully easy life on the Congo as almost unendurable. Were he the sole reporter of his experiences since last November, people would scarcely credit the fact that Africa was pretty well ex- plored, so many new discoveries could be furnish them with — of the soul-harrowing kind. His face daily in- creases in length, and seems to approach day by day nearer in resemblance to the melancholy features of Don Quixote, which I have seen somewhere. And with increasing length of face there is an increasing ill- humour. But sick men are always peevish and grumble, and are notorious for entertaining unjust feeling towards their physicians. " The conditions of a healthy enjoyment of life in Africa, are very little understood, if at all, by 'Frank' and his class. It is a difficult thing to impart to them the rudiments of* the lesson of life. It is a most thank- less task, and the effort is so ungraciously received that I have been often repelled by the visible signs of non- appreciation. Rarely have I been encouraged to pro- ceed by those to whom counsel was addressed. They do not seem to take any interest in what concerns their own health. They duly acknowledge that it is a duty they owe to themselves to be as careful as possible, and to be prudent and circumspect ; they are civil in their re- plies, and are ready with promises of amendment. But they never practise what they promise, and that active zeal and watchful prudence which would seem to govern one who loves his own life I never see exhibited. The -performance appears to be too irksome, and neither their UNINTELLIGENT WORKERS. 249 intelligence nor their conscience are provoked to assist Europeans them. I remember Frank Pocock also, on the second expedition, who must (almost as the sound of my advice died away) have been meditating on that step by which he lost his life, and caused me for months a pang of sorrow, each time I thought of his sad end. " I have observed also that not only in matters of self- preservation is this apathy evident, but that it is present in the every-day duties of the expedition, which they are pledged to perform, and for which they receive re- muneration. Any single order they will perform well and creditably ; but if I accompany it with the expres- sion of a hope that they will consider it as a daily duty, the order becomes at once inoperative, for it is never observed. " If I command a native to convey such and such a box to a certain camp, and assist him wTith it until he feels its weight properly balanced on his head, off he departs cheerfully, and deposits the box faithfully ac- cording to the order. But if I add, " and on your return take this box also in the same manner," experience has taught me that. I have tasked his memory or his intelli- gence beyond his capacity, for I shall undoubtedly be compelled to await his coming, and repeat the opera- tion of placing a box on his head. In the same manner if I tell Europeans, who in Europe would be supposed to possess sufficient intelligence to understand any reasonable order of the kind, to mend all sails, tar- paulins, tents, or baggage-covers, the order to do so is never observed, but any particular rent in a tarpaulin, 250 THE CONGO. Europeans tent, or baggage-cover indicated will be repaired to my in Africa. , . satisfaction. Or if I say to such a person : ' Just cast your eye about the camp, and see what ought to be done,' I have discovered that such an order is too general to be followed ; but any particular order will be mechanically obeyed. A promise of promotion, or higher pay, or a display of tender solicitude, create no impression, and as yet I know no motive powerful enough to excite the European or West African abori- gine to distinguish himself by what I call an assiduous interest in his work. The only people on whom my words take due effect and create a prolonged impression are the foreign coloured employes. " Now, to what may I attribute this absence of intelli- gent interest in their work which is characteristic of the European and the West Coast native ? Is it to the climate ? Then why does it not affect -Albert and myself ? I admit to enjoying a vitality unusual to me in Europe — to a buoyant feeling, to an irresistible desire to be on the move, for bodily activity, and for personal exertion of every description. As for Albert, he is never otherwise than full of life and action." But perhaps Frank and others may feel strange yet, or— " May be they are not well. Infirmity doth still neglect all office Whereto our health is bound ; we are not ourselves When nature, being oppressed, commands the mind To suffer with the body. I'll forbear ***** To take the indisposed and sickly fit For the sound man." "NOTHING LIKE WHISKY: 251 But of all the rabid absurdities I have encountered huropeans in the tropics, the preaching of a young fool on the merits of intoxicants, who has heard from some old fool that there is nothing like whisky, astonishes me most. Mr. Puffy face, while in a semi-maudlin state, has been heard declaring, in the hearing of our youthful enthu- siast, that " after fourteen years acquaintance with the African fever, despite all that may be said against it, there is nothing like whisky after all for the curing of it." It reminds me very much of what I heard in ' the ague regions of the South-western States, and recalls to my memory the South-western saddle-bag with its inevitable whisky-bottle. But, for the benefit of the after-comers, let me prick this bloated bubble. Show me one of these old bloaters on the West Coast of Africa, and I will show you a sham and a delusion ; I will prove to him and to all spectators that his supposed immunity does not rise from his devotion to whisky, but simply to his expertness in the art known to nautical men as " sojering." A few hours hard work or marching in the interior would lay the lazy lion as low as a dead donkey. Gin and whisky " topers " have lived long elsewhere than on the Niger and the Congo. But if you meet him on the African coast, a glance at his shirt or linen, after twelve hours wearing, will tell the whole truth to you as clearly as similar evidence would be deemed invaluable by a police-detective. You will be able to gauge the amount of bodily exertion he has been undergoing. If it is free from stains of body exudation, then he has been simply " sojering," and it 252 THE CONGO. Europeans would then be difficult to say how long a time must in Africa. , elapse before the liver shows a deadly abcess, or becomes indurated. But, if you want to do humanity a kindness, trot him out with you on a ten-mile march through the African wilderness, and then note the result. A little war which occurred between traders and natives lately on the African coast, supplied me with valuable details, which seemed to be of no special interest to any one but to myself, as confirmatory evidences. With us on the Congo, where men must work, and bodily movement is compulsory, the very atmosphere seems to be fatally hostile to the physique of men who pin their faith on whisky, gin, and brandy. They in- variably succumb, and are a constant source of expense. Even if they are not finally buried out of sight and out of memory, they are so utterly helpless, diseases germi- nate with such frightful rapidity, symptoms of insanity are numerous ; and, with mind vacant and body semi- paralysed, they are hurried homeward to make room for more valuable substitutes, lest they draw down a few more objurgatory phrases on Africa, which should be justly applied to themselves. Military commanders during their campaigns or manoeuvres, great journals which have despatched a body of special correspondents to report the incidents attending these campaigns, large firms who have com- missioned a number of travellers to secure business, wealthy companies who own numerous factories along the African coast, will all have good reason to know the great difference that exists between man and man, "LIQUORING UP: 253 of those under authority or in their employ. They Europeans will doubtless know what broad lines may be drawn between the one who " lushes," or " perpetually sips," and who seems to think that the whole duty of man lies in 64 liquoring up," and the sober, earnest worker, who knows when to temper the harsher experience of life with a needful sedative or stimulant. If I in this genial manner relate my experience of the last six years, it is most certainly not with a view of making allusions to any of those who fell by the way, or were returned to Europe. Far from it. That would be too painful ; sufficient for those who were failures have been the consequences to themselves. Their own sins have in many cases proved their Nemesis. If any have scented after impurities, or wallowed in mud, proved incompetent and intemperate, or bristled over with susceptibilities, allowed spleen to mar their prospects, or been indifferent to their duties, lacked manliness or were of depraved nature, all I can say is — may their own regrets be their reward. It is well, however, for many of them that the ex- pedition did not belong to some national government, otherwise extreme measures would often have been taken to curb the excessive licentiousness to which some were too prone, and punish severely the many sins of omission and commission of which some were guilty. All we could do was to discharge them quickly, to keep the expedition as pure as possible. That good order and quiet prevailed generally was only due to the rigorous exercise of the sole means we possessed to 254 THE CONGO. Europeans enforce due respect to moral laws. But had we in our in Africa. . service on the lower river some superior officer, capable not only of governing men, but also of self-government, much that shocked and grieved me during the first four years would have been impossible. The evils of brandy and soda in India need only to be remembered to prove how pernicious is the suicidal habit of indulgence in drinking alcoholic liquors in hot climates. The West Coast of Africa is also too much indebted to the ruin effected by intemperance ; and despite the frequent reprieves given by a generous government — furloughs of six months after only a service of twelve months — valuable lives are destroyed. But it is my belief that the other extreme is unwise. To abstain entirely from drinking wine because intem- perance is madness is by no means what I endeavour to inculcate, nor even do I recommend what is called moderation. Once we admit this last word, irreflective people may suppose that I advocate " liquoring up " moderately at any time, provided the imbiber always keeps within the limits of sobriety. I suggest nothing of the kind. In the tropics I advise no one during the hours of daylight to touch liquor, unless a medical man prescribes a certain quantity to be taken when it is absolutely necessary ; that wine — good red or white wine — should be taken only after sunset, at dinner; half-a-pint, watered, if more agreeable, is what I con- sider as a moderate quantity, that may be safely taken as soothing to the nerves, and provoking early sleep. After a full night's rest one will rise with a clear head, FAITHFUL OFFICERS. 255 clean tongue, and can as easily do a full day's work in the tropics as he can in temperate latitudes. But now let us turn to a happier theme, and en- deavour to show that human nature is not all weak and vile. There are scores of officers now on the Congo who are distinguished for their gallantry and moral courage, and for the noble virtues of manliness and steady well- doing. It is a proud and pleasing task to me to review the unblemished careers of those who have served their term faithfully and with honour, though it is still too early to speak of many most promising among those who yet remain there. The first who served his full term well and honour- ably was Albert Christopherson, a young Danish mariner. He came out in July 1879, and returned home in July 1882. From the first starting of the flotilla from Banana Point to the founding of Mswata Station and the discovery of Lake Leopold II., he accompanied me. Ever prompt in duty, uniformly civil in his deportment, he proved himself to be a young man who gloried in his strength and enjoyed his African life intensely. The first year he could not impress the foreign African employes with his value, as the country, its manners and language, were all novel to him ; but as soon as he understood sufficiently the vocabulary, he was not long before he became a general favourite with our employes, and his frank manners and hearty manliness won the hearts of the aborigines. There was no duty such as one of his capacity could perform that he did not carry out with willingness and thoroughness. When requested to undertake any duty, 256 THE CONGO. Europeans if he gave me an affirmative — lie seemed to Lave a in ~\ t r i l ' i certain code of honour to which he religiously adhered — I never had reason to doubt that the work should be done conformably with the order, barring accidents. Had his education and other attainments been equal to his goodwill, Albert Christopherson would to-day have been in an enviable position. The young fellow was as free from the stupid vice common to most of his calling as his constitution was free from defect. A Paladin for his strength, perfect in good humour, almost boyish in his frankness, he taught the natives to discern in him from amongst the Europeans a guileless friend.* The next was Captain Anderson, a Scandinavian mariner. He also served a term of three years. The very movement of this man was a great pleasure to me. No coloured employe could resist, in his presence, the wish to do his level best. When he lent a hand to haul a heavily-weighted wagon up a steep hill, his keen eye glanced along the lines of tugging, panting * I remember one day that a moody Zanzibari appeared before me to complain of Albert for having struck him. His lips were swollen and face disfigured, as evidence that something unusual had occurred during my absence. Albert was called, and appeared with his sleeves rolled up above the elbows— a fair- skinned young giant. " Well, what is this, Albert ? I hear you have been striking this man ?*' " Yes, sir, I have. This man had been boasting to his fellows that he could tackle me, and he sought an occasion of it, by language and looks of defiance, when I told him to be a little more lively. The last time I told him so I gave him a little push, when he at once turned on me in a box- ing attitude, learned among the sailors at Zanzibar, I suppose. I could scarcely believe it, but, seeing every one else look up, I saw that the whole thing was planned by Kungarugwa for a little sport. I gave him one from the shoulder, which felled him. He was some time coming to, and he did not try another round." MR. A. B. SWINBURNE, CHIEF OF KINSHASSA STATION. MB. A. B. S WINB UBNE. 257 men, and detected immediately the slack arm and European* almost despairing owner. To this place he sprang with a shout, threw himself forward, and by his gestures inspired the company to renewed effort, until the hill's summit was at last attained. While another might have stormed and threatened, and become frantic with rage, he merely electrified his company by the healthy spirit of work that was in him. Captain Anderson had been too long in command of ships not to know the value set upon honest goodwill in the performance of duty, consequently he knew no shirking, and thus left the Congo with an unexception- ably good character, and a more substantial testimonial for excellent service rendered. The third is Mr. A. B. Swinburne, formerly a student of Christ's Hospital, London. He has now served forty- one months on the Congo, first as clerk, then as camp storekeeper, and afterwards as chief of Isangila station. Young as he was, he constructed the first brick store- house above Boma, and was the only station chief who could for some years be taught that a vegetable garden was a valuable adjunct to a station. He impressed me very favourably by his gentleness and his quiet, mild disposition, by which he effected a marked impression on the aborigines in the neighbourhood of his station. His small company grew attached to him — there was peace, and an utter absence of jarring in his place, until it grew to resemble a family circle. His house afforded a quiet, cool resting-place for people bound up-river. The little decorations and finical " nattiness " bespoke Vol. II.— 17 258 THE CONGO. Europeans the young creature fresh from home influences. On in Africa. his spare bed one could repose surrounded by a neat- ness which conjured up memories of civilisation. The Congo canon, with its chill winds, proved at last too depressing for him ; he was sent to England to recruit. But, after only a few weeks' stay, he returned again, bringing with him a large detachment of coloured recruits, which he led to Stanley Pool in good order. He was then appointed to Kinshassa station, and was the best young man that could have been chosen for the peculiar qualities of sweetness and gentleness, which endeared him to black and white. Being a man who had the moral courage not to resent native arrogance with pistol shots, the place was safe. From the day he planted his flag there, noisy clamour and suspicion were hushed, and the Association had gained an important post through the qualities which alone could have won and maintained it in peace.* * A letter from Mr. Swinburne, January 1885, relates what progress he has made in gardening, which will be interesting to those who wish to know what may be grown in Central Africa : — " If I had only a sufficient variety of seed I could have almost anything here. The ground is really splend;d, and most favourable to European vegetables. A few English potatoes Teuz gave me are in an advanced state. I tried an experiment with them by cutting shoots, and sticking them in the ground ; and the other day I pulled up one, and was astonished to find three potatoes of the size of marbles ; the originals are thriving, though they had been carried all the way from England here. The eschalots are magnificent. I have also a small field of rice, another of sorghum, another of Indian corn of prodigious growth. Sugar-cane is abundant. Cabbage, onions, carrots, English turnips, cress, and parsley and parsnips, have been tried successfully. At Leopoldville they are doing wonders at gardening. The mangoes, oranges, and papaws are springing up almost visibly. Dr. Sims is pleased with his coffee experi- ments. A gardener is coming, from whom I shall beg more seed." FRANCOIS FLAMINI. 259 The last of the first pioneers was Francois Flamini, an Europeans Italian. This was also a hard-working, striving man — a mechanician who concentrated his affections on his wife and his engine. With the last piece of mechanism, he proved himself in beautiful harmony, judging by the happj results : the senseless iron seemed to respond to his love; it obeyed him, it seemed to sympathise with him. To it I believe he disclosed the fact that he had a supreme love for a woman who was in far blue-skied Italy, but it was not so absorbing that he and it could not do their duty. Therefore they laboured lovingly, affectionately together, without discord or jar. For the first time I possessed a delicate little engine, which, though slight and slenderly made, ran smoothly yet perfectly, while the patient soul of Flamini affectionately governed its motions. Among the later arrivals on the Congo to fill the void created by desertions and disease there are nume- rous aspirants of superior rank, intelligence, and capacity, and the equal of the first pioneers in their devotion. When the International African Association assumed direction over our affairs in the western part of Africa, the Comite d'Etudes du Haut Congo was displaced by the Comite' of the Internationale Association du Congo, which carried on the vast work inaugurated under the auspices of the president and officers of the Comite d'Etudes du Haut Congo. The first to arrive were Belgian military officers, who, able to obtain leave, utilised their leave of absence by enlarging their views 260 THE CONGO. Europeans with the lessons derived from a rough campaign in in Africa. t , Africa. From among their ranks the worthiest men advance steadily to the front, " fit to do anything or go any- where/' as the English say when with laudation of their gallant soldiers they close their festivals. I name these at random, not necessarily according to merit : Captain Hanssens, Lieuts. Yalcke, Janssen, Parfoury, Grang, Yangele, Coquilhat, Destrain, Dr. Allard, &c. Captain Hanssens, besides the mechanical duty of paying exact military obedience, possesses the com- mendable forward spirit of proving himself above the common place. His impulse is to aspire to show his fitness and capacity. With a lofty mind he overcomes the harsh unlovely matter of his surroundings, and disdains to notice the numberless wearying though trivial impediments to the perfect enjoyment of the life he has chosen. Before adventuring into the region he seems to have taken pains to reflect upon the character of the life he was to lead, and clothed liimself with the only armour that would be proof against the pitiful circumstances that he would meet, viz., an honourable moral courage. He comes amongst us well prepared to find that as yet there are no grand hotels with their captivating menus and luxurious chambers. There- fore he enters his tent or his thatched cabin and seats himself between mud walls with a collected dignity as though he had a life-long experience of the camp of a pioneer. If he is ordered on an expedition into unknown districts to build stations he sets about it in CAPTAIN HANSSENS. 261 a workmanlike manner ; he omits nothing in the memo- Europeans randa, from a needle to a rifle ; and when he departs the compactness and completeness of his column is our assurance of his success, and we hear no more of him until we receive his happy bulletin. Lieut. Valcke was an earlier comer into our ranks — a mere youth from the engineer corps, wherein, strange to say, Captain Hanssens was his examiner. His first essay in pioneering was but feeble. He was asked to blast about a dozen rocks that were in the roadway at Ngoma. He fell sick, and was afterwards put in charge of our first camp at Isangila, where his inexperience of practical details in the conduct of the camp and con- tinued ill-health caused him to be sent back to Yivi. Kept there for six months to acquire a little more experience, he was then permitted to join the advance party. He was taken to Stanley Pool on a reconnais- sance, where we learned that a few more articles of finery would be a boon, and consequently he was de- spatched to Loanda to purchase these, and to return with them as quickly as possible. He bought the goods and shipped them to me, but he himself, falling ill again, departed homewards. I have no further knowledge of him until eighteen months later, in January 1883. He has grown more manly in appearance, and, though doubting his ability, I despatch him on a little mission, which I am com- pelled to admit is well performed. I try him in a different field, and here also, although it is unusual for him, there is an exhibition of intelligence and 262 THE CONGO. Europeans pleasing fidelity. Merit wins quick promotion in in Africa. such a work as ours. Lieut. Yalcke is appointed chief of Leopoldville, which sadly needed some man of calibre ; and in a little over two months a wonderful change has come over the most important station of the Upper Congo. The rising buildings, the expanding terrace, the utter absence of discord, prove that the place has found a fit master. There are no complaints from Europeans of poor diet, no murmurs from native employes of severity and cruel injustice, nor do I hear of any controversies with the aborigines. The plaza is alive with marketing and innocent chaffering; the aboriginal chiefs are in perfect confidence assembled by his side ; the garden is green with growing bananas, plots of potatoes and other vegetables ; the caravans are regular in their coming and going, and the store-rooms are filled with goods and provisions. Then comes a different trial. Yivi, the only weak link in an otherwise perfect chain of stations, is in dis- order for want of a similar faithful agent. The letters from the lower river show that there is a crying need for the presence of some one possessing firmness and capacity. Lieutenant Yalcke is selected with full powers to act as my deputy, and the effect of his presence is such that I am enabled to devote my atten- tion to the pressing duties up-river. He is hastened to his duties at Leopold ville, which by this time is the centre of a large area, and in the district of Stanley Pool there are three other stations, directed by the presiding officer of the principal station. Hence this LIEUTENANT VALCKE. 263 group of four stations, influencing an area of 2000 Europeans square miles, is called the Division of Stanley Pool, the political interests of which are becoming of greater importance every day, so that only a person of tried ability can be intrusted with it. Lieutenant Valcke is LIEUTENANT VALCKK. therefore appointed Divisional Commander. For five months he governs it admirably, and executes the various and manifold duties which the government of such a constantly fermented district implies, with pre- cision, intelligence, and unflurried patience. From none of the two scores of chieftains of Bambundu, 264 THE CONGO. Europeans Bateke, and Babari do I hear the slightest whisper of in Africa. dissatisfaction. Finally comes the last trial of his abilities. The sectional steamer Le Stanley for the Upper Congo has arrived. By a fatal accident to Captain Anderson we are deprived of that officer's invaluable services. Captain Hanssens is appointed to a mission requiring certain abilities which eminently distinguish him alone. Therefore Lieutenant Y alcke is selected for the serious task of transporting the vessel overland to Stanley Pool. With sufficient power such a task is by no means difficult ; it is the exasperating tedium of operations which include the transport of the sections piece by piece, the oft-repeated marching and counter-marching, the painful care of the countless miscellanea attached to the steamer (the loss of a single atom of which might lead to grave consequences), which, united with many other troublesome manoeuvres, make the respon- sibilities attaching to the work most onerous. That he was not unequal even to this mission is proved by his arrival with the steamer halfway, at last accounts, to Stanley Pool. He is still very young, but the qualities that have marked him are neither common nor usual ; and no doubt this well-deserved recognition of such merits as he has developed will spur him on in a career which to-day abounds with hope. Lieutenants Yangele and Coquilhat are a pair of most promising young officers of the Belgian army, who have employed their " leave " manfully. Few officers in Belgium will ever be called upon to dis- CONGO LIFE VERSUS BARRACK LIFE. tinguish themselves in the manner English officers European* • *n Africa. are called upon to do in the Indies and m Africa, or like the French in Tonquin, Madagascar, Tunis and Algiers, and the Americans in the spacious West. A barrack life from youth to old age, it appears to me, with all its charms of uniform and military title, can- not offer the advantages and excitements which the adventurous young and brave crave after with an in- LIEUTENANT VANGELE. satiable hunger. It may suit the predilection of some to be the warders and armed police of order and peace in a quiet country like Belgium ; but, in whatever civilised country the literature of adventure is diffused, there must be many young men whose hearts beat high as they read the stirring tales — " Of moving accidents by flood and field, Of hair-breadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach." Incipient chivalry is found in numerous youthful breasts, well tired of the daily routine of marching 266 THE CONGO. Europeans from barrack to park, and park to barrack, with no in Africa. higher purpose than being drilled. To be drilled from year to year, from the cradle to the grave! Good heavens ! think of some 500 millions of Asiatics, 300 millions of Africans, and 50 millions of Indians and Pacific Islanders requiring some small share of that drill which is so lavishly given to thousands of accomplished officers, who perhaps would be better for a little less of the training and a little more of the sight-seeing in the big world without ! So the young officers came out to Africa, both un- speakably excited at the prospect of adventures in the far interior. Like many others, they had but a dim idea of the real truth ; still, when the vain fancies had vanished, there was enough of sterling worth found in them. They became sobered by the grim painful realities of wretched diet, and the intercourse w?ith the unlovely natures of thousands of savage brutal ised beings among whom they had to live, often putting their natural politeness to a hard test. With their ignorance of native languages, they could only discern the kernels of the humanities which they met. They had to learn the meaning of Ba, Ki, and Wa and M, and no sooner had these profound studies been mastered than they were pushed amongst other tribes whose gabble sounded excessively unintelligible; and before long they were shifted still higher up the river; but little by little they detected, by the slim knowledge they had gained, that underneath these crude bronze masks of faces there beat warm impulses varying LIEUTENANTS VANGELE AND COQUILHAT. 267 from anerer to ioy, hate to friendship. And lo ! what Europeans ° J J r . in Africa. with honest striving and fast purpose, the goal of happy contentment was reached in triumph. Now if gold medals should ever he struck by the Association to reward industry, Lieut. Vangele should receive the first and Lieut. Coquilhat the second, for the construction of the best well-made station on the Upper Congo. These two officers are the founders of LIEUTENANT COQUILHAT. Equator Station. To know the intrinsic value of the rich land of Africa, visitors cannot begin their estimate until they see the bananas grow in the fat soil around this station. An accident, sad in the extreme, deprived me of a brilliant young officer after he had shown nearly three years of assiduous effort to win an honourable name for gallantry, good conduct, and industry. This young gentleman was Eugene Janssen, lieutenant in the Royal Belgian Army. He had come out as inexperienced as 268 THE CONGO. Europeans a boy. In eighteen months he was so far ahead of his in Africa. _ compeers that lie was selected to occupy Mswata, near the confluence of the Kwa and the Congo. After fifteen months at this place he had been so successful as a com- mandant, through his gentle arts of pleasing suasion, that old Gobila, the chief, consulted him in everything he undertook. He had become the pet of old and young, male and female, and his sobriquet, the "White LIEUTENANT JANSSEN. Chicken," had been borne up the river for a distance of 500 miles, as the name of one who was the good friend of all. The canoes fastened at the landing-place of his station, either bound up or going down river, contained hundreds who had simply halted to say good day to Nsusu-Mpembe (white chicken). He was requested to build a station a little higher up than Mswata, and to show the Abbe Griiyot a portion of ground where he might have his mission-house erected. Their canoes, returning in a hurry to Mswata LIEUTENANT PARFOURY. 269 in the teeth of a gale of wind, foundered when opposite i Ganchu's Point, and both the young lieutenant and the Abbe, with several of the coloured men, were drowned. One of the most excellent men was Lieut. Parfoury. He lived long enough to show that in him were con- tained all the elements that make men greatly esteemed for intrinsic worth, moral bravery, and the indefatig- able spirit of capacity ; and yet, being a little indiscreet LIEUTENANT PARFOURY. one day under a burning sun, he was gone from us, just as I was beginning to feel comforted at the number of worthy men nocking to the standard of the Association in Africa. Another estimable, honest soul was Lieut. Grang. For fifty days he lived in the same camp with me, and during this period I had gathered, by the light such close intercourse with him had given me, that I could count a true man in him ; for every spring within his character was set moving by downright honesty — honest motives, 270 THE CONGO. Europeans a nd honest intentions. In all his composition there was in Africa. not a grain's- weight but what was pure manliness. His frame was as grand and true as his nature. And yet, while I was only waiting for a few finishing touches to a steamer that was building in the port of Leopold ville, to take him with me — he was too trusty a man to be left behind when the Upper Congo was still vacant — he forgot something at a camp ten miles from Leopold- LIEUTENANT GRANG. ville. Travelling back in a pelting rain-storm which overtook him, he was wetted, and afterwards chilled for want of an immediate change of clothing. He fell ill, and daily grew worse, and the first grave at Leopold- vilie was dug to bury the remains of this noble man. Dr. Allard deserves warm praise from me, as one of the most amiable men living, and as one of the most painstaking physicians it has been my lot to meet. To some men work is as necessary as food, and to this gentleman's active mind any restraint in the pursuit DR. ALLARD. 271 of some task it had set upon accomplishing would be a Europeans cruel deprivation. Fortunately we have been able "* to accommodate him in this respect ; and the con- struction of the hospital at Boma has been an intense gratification to him. It was essential for the general good of wayworn travellers and sick officers that some such commodious building as this, with its ample verandah, airy rooms, and civilised conveniences, should DR. ALLARD. be within easy reach of men distressed by bodily fatigue, enervated by climate, or reduced by wretched diet. But without Dr. Allard it would have been most diffi- cult to have found a person on the Congo capable of directing the construction. To him, however, it was a labour of ove, and a sick man must indeed be far gone if, with Dr. Al lard's cheeriness and the pleasant surroundings of bed, board, and attention, he cannot recover. Years of acquaintance with him have but deepened my sense of his rare and invaluable qualities. THE CONGO. Europeans I should mention Lieut. Destrain and Mr. Hodister, in Africa. of the Kwilu-Niadi Valley, as further examples of man- liness and indefatigability among the Belgians ; but I have no intimate knowledge of these gentlemen. I infer so much from the number of years they have been engaged in the service, from the reports of officers from that locality and from a knowledge of Destrain' s frequent tours of inspection and survey in the valley, and the value of the details which he has furnished to us. Among the later British arrivals who have been conspicuous for their capacity and their all-round fit- ness for special fields of labour — although it would be premature as yet to detail at large their services — are Captain Seymour Saulez, Major Francis Vetch, Major Parmenter, Mr. E. Massey Shaw, Mr. Spenser Burns, Mr. John Rose Troup, and Engineer Binnie. Captain Saulez, on Lieutenant Valcke's appoint- ment to the command of Le Stanley Transport Force, assumed the command of the Divisional District of Stanley Pool. He has been tried only for a few months, but, although the district was at one time the centre of an adverse effort, he has contrived through his calm behaviour and consistent, watchful, prudent conduct to preserve the peace. Major Vetch is the chief officer of the Native Trans- port. To him is intrusted the conveyance of the ten tons of goods and provisions, sent monthly from Vivi to Stanley Pool along the south bank. He is a great favourite with the natives, and the most onerous, BRITISH OFFICERS. 273 services have been uniformly and unexceptionally well Europeans in Africa. rendered. Every one who has come in contact with Major Parmenter has been impressed by his extreme suavity of manner. From some of those whose evidence may be considered of weight, I have learned that he is regarded as " a complete gentleman." To which I must add the very favourable impressions derived from his reports, which I venture to say were the fullest and the most detailed descriptions of events occurring at Yivi that I ever received. While he was in charge of our lower station, every courier bore a perfect record of events, written in an excellent, nervous style, through which I felt that Yivi was drawn nearer to me, and within my control. Personally I have not had the pleasure of seeing him. Mr. E. Massey Shaw, of London, deserves honourable mention at my hands for some months of excellent governorship of Yivi during a term which, I fear, gave him more pain and anxiety than comfort or pleasure. For his sturdy, calm conduct under distressing cir- cumstances, this hearty acknowledgment is due him. TVTe had been unfortunate enough to have accepted the services of an applicant who, through an alleged long term of service in the United States Navy formerly, and latterly as American consul at St. Paul de Loanda, was supposed to be well worthy of this important appointment. If one may judge by results, a very serious error was committed by me when I accepted this person and appointed him to Yivi. After a short, but Yol. II.— 18 274 THE CONGO. disastrous term, he was dismissed. To repair the many mischiefs resulting from mismanagement, and to restore confidence in the minds of the panic-stricken natives and frightened employes, was a task which fell to his successor, Mr. Shaw. Vivi had received such a check in its career that rebuilding was slow work, consequently Mr. Shaw has not had a fair opportunity to distinguish himself. While expressing my utter dissatisfaction with the state of our principal station on the Congo in April 1884, I entirely absolve Mr. Shaw from blame for its condition. I would rather express my pleasure at the visible signs of restored confidence which I met after my long absence in the interior, and which was solely due to Mr. Shaw's excellent temper and method of treatment. It is my belief that in Mr. John Eose Troup we have a thoroughly good officer. No doubt in a short time, as opportunities offer, his services will be more fully recognised, and a position befitting his superior qualities may be found for him. Mr. Spenser Burns has unfortunately been out of my immediate control, otherwise my very short acquaint- ance with him leads me to believe he would have held a prominent place in the record of notable and worthy pioneers. And now, before closing the list of the British worthies on the Congo, I come to a little Scotchman named Binnie, a hero in spirit, and, although physi- cally not of heroic mould, great as the greatest in courage. Those who read the account of how I estab- LEFT ALONE. 275 lished Stanley Falls station and left this mite of a Europeans volunteer all alone in the very heart of Africa, removed a twenty days' journey from the nearest station, and doomed to at least six months' isolation from the sym- pathetic world, with only the thought of a large work before him, while his only companionship had to be found among some 1500 barbarians 400 yards off on the same island, with more than 10,000 within easy reach of him, will at once acknowledge that the brave heart merits honourable notice here. Though it might be supposed that when lie volun- teered he knew not that 44 he was taking arms against a sea of troubles;" but when at parting the tears stood in his eyes, it was a proof that the little fellow was fully conscious that he was in a critical position. I know not what his " bringings up " may have been, but, as he was a Scotchman, he may have learnt a prayer in his childhood ; and it may be that his feeling of loneliness that first evening recalled half-forgotten words, and forced him to his knees in the silence of his thatched hut. I cannot say, for I have not seen him since I saw the tears in his eyes over a year ago. But on the steamer's return, the little man was. discovered to have done nobly. He had enlarged his possessions ; he had extended his clearing, and built an entire village ; he had been planting and making gardens, and the savage natives round about him acknowledged him as their friend. Binnie was the umpire in all arguments, the arbiter in all political 270 THE CONGO. Europeans controversies — in short, he was the general referee in all the disputes which occurred in the locality. This case of manly endeavour ought surely to be taken to heart by some of the many puling fellows who returned to their homes and friends to curse Africa and to frame excuses for their own utter want of the quality which raises a man from the low level of incapacity. Here was an engine-driver who volunteered from his lathe at a Scottish machinis s', and came out to Africa — by no means a strong man, not quite nine stone in weight — to win bread for his old mother. He rises to the top rank of proper men through sheer pluck and bravery of spirit. What had he to say of "amour propre " and " susceptibilities'' ? It is doubtful whether he heard such fine phrases. A Scottish machine-shop is not the place where one would expect to hear them ; yet he acts bravely and loyally, through a correct understanding of the term amour propre — self-respect. He feels that he has given his word to be a true man, and that no one in after years, or at any time, can twit him with acting disloyally to his promise. So jealous is he of his self-honour or self-respect that he becomes the mainstay of my forlorn hope in an hour of need. Germany was also represented by a man equal to the best from any land. This was Frederic Drees, a mechanician, but a very nobleman in working dress. Quiet and gentlemanly in demeanour, and gentle in language, he seemed to have put on a working garb just to show how well dignity befitted honest labour. GERMAN OFFICERS. 277 He never even used rough language to liis black fire- Europeans in Africa man, and that is great praise if you know the usual bilious humours of the average engineer. Throughout three years of service he performed his duties with the gravity of a philosopher, the dignity of a gentleman, and the general character of an honourable man. There is a gentleman named Lehrman, a Croat, who, by the remarkable power of development that he possesses, has taught me not to be too rash in judging from externals. For certainly no one bore such an unpromising exterior and seemed so utterly inex- perienced as Mr. Lehrman, yet to-day he deservedly ranks very high in my estimation as a thoroughly valuable officer. Energetic, bright, alert in mind and body, possessing a fine control over his men, and en- joying splendid health, no better man could be found to take the command of Phillippeville, on the Kwilu- Niadi. It was so isolated in its position that no one seemed willing to accept the appointment, but Mr. Lehrman, seeing the reluctance of others, and pre- viously too modest to obtrude himself upon my notice, volunteered for the post, and has kept me ever since free from anxiety about himself, his own men, or the natives. There are many officers yet deserving of notice. Foremost among them are Lieutenant Liebrechts, Mr. Monet, and Count Posse. Their trial, however, has scarcely been sufficient yet. The " roll of honour " must not be too loosely kept. The labourer is justly entitled to his hire, and the trustworthy agent or officer 278 THE CONGO. Europeans must not be slighted after full proof of his worthiness. in Africa. In the above sketches of noble characters, others who may aspire after distinction in the fields of work may discover what special attributes are necessary for honourable mention and are most appreciated. All of them are beautifully and clearly summed up in the words of Solomon, the wisest of men : " Seest thou a man diligent in his business ? He shall stand before kings ! " LIEUTENANT LIEBRECHTS. A wise Greek said to a friend that " the way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear/' A wise Briton has said : " The most unhappy of all men is he who cannot tell what he is going to do, who has got no work cut out for him in the world, and does not go into it. For work is the grand cure of all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind — honest work which you intend getting done." DILIGENCE IN BUSINESS. 279 Surely if what the Jew, Greek, and Briton uttered Europeans , . . - _ in Africa. each to his own nation is true, it must be also true ior the two hundred and sixty Belgians, British, French, Germans, Swedes, and Americans who during the last six years have tried their fortunes on the Congo. Let those who are yet there, and still hesitating, think of this. 280 THE CONGO. CHAPTER XXXV. CLIMATE — PART I. Value of reliable knowledge — A youth's welcome to the tropics, and its results — Wet flannels and fever — Intemperance — Carelessness in Europe — Inquiry into the causes of sickness at the stations on the Congo — The cases of some of our invalids — The best positions to build upon— Captain Burton's advice, " Beef and beer " — European opinion of Africa compared to African opinion of Europe — Banza Manteka: a missionary station — Dangers of low-lying localities — A fatal " pare " — " Observe the native custom " — Sickness not all due to miasma — Number of deaths in our Expedition — Instances of how the deaths occurred — Urgent advice to those who wish to thrive in the tropics. climate— The clearer I can make this chapter, the better Parti. ... ... suited it will be for those individuals who, either now, or perhaps in the course of the coming years, may have intercourse with the regions under and near the African Equator. There are so many wrong and utterly absurd conceptions abroad regarding the African climate that it is about time some one capable of speaking from experience should utter his opinions bravely and plainly ; and as this book, as may be judged, has its purpose, it would be incomplete without this chapter. It should be begun with a confession by the author of having himself lived ignorantly for many years in Africa, just as there are men along the African A TROPICAL WELCOME. 281 coast, and up the oil rivers, the Niger and the Congo, Climate— Part L living at this minute m the densest ignorance of the dangers around them, and of the simple philosophy of living healthily and well amid these dangers. It may be presumed, also, that if 1 live in Africa again, I shall still be in ignorance of many things, despite my accumulated experience of seventeen years. But, un- like many others, I have an intense desire and strong inclination to acquire as much of the wisdom of life as a man's naturally slow wit can acquire In the same measure as my past conduct, which has been a com- pound of ignorance, indolence, indifference, and natural ineptitude, has been more than frequently scourged with the pains and the penalties due to my dulness, rashness, and temerity, so shall I be in the future a victim to punishments, unconsciously self-inflicted^ whenever I shall trespass against the silent and unwritten laws of health. The young European — His mother's joy, his father's sole delight That with much cost, yet with more care was bred," sighing after adventure, volunteers his services, and sails hopefully to the Congo. He is evidently in splendid health on his arrival, but what to do with that priceless blessing, which has been, if possible, bettered by the long sea voyage, he knows no more than (if the Darwinian theory is right) his long-tailed progenitor. He has heard that it is slightly warm on the Congo— at least, so the meteorologists say ; but in Europe, he smiled at this; thought he could well endure 282 THE CONGO. ciiniate— that heat, since Europe in summer was u ever so much Part I ' . hotter." Still, after the ship drops anchor in Banana Creek, an uncomfortable quantity of perspiration exudes through the pores of his skin, and the flannels that were endurable at sea become almost intolerable. On stepping ashore this warmth increases, the flannels absorb the perspiration until they are wet and heavy, and cling uncomfortably to his body. The underclothes are full ; the outward clothing has begun to be damp, and dark streaks along the seams of his coat show that they are actually wet, until in fact he represents a water-jug covered with wet flannel such as we sling up in the tropics as a water-cooler. The youth is innocent of any idea if aught should be done by him as a precaution against the furtive influences of the new climate. The temperature without is perhaps 105°-110° Fahr. ; but it will be cooler in the verandah. And now, having arrived and being hospitably invited to take a chair, he gladly accepts the invitation, at the same time doffing his helmet, wiping his red, parboiled face, and fanning himself with his pocket kerchief. He himself observes that the temperature is near 25° cooler than outdoors. No one would offer water to a stranger, but wine, schnapps, beer, gin, seltzer, &c. See the unsophisticated home-bred youth, how bash- fully he accepts ! Is he not in Congo-land ? Why may he not ape the moustached and brave manhood about him ? "I will take wine, if you please." Thanks ! and a glass of black-red Portuguese wine WET FLANNELS AND FEVER. 283 is handed to him, which after trial he discovers to be Climate— more potent than a bottle of champagne. This strong draught of wine has infused courage in him ; it leads to conviviality and apparent loss of strangeness. He sits longer, and becomes interested in the gossip of the coast, which, with men of his class, is usually made up of fevers, frivolous localisms, of crocodiles, or hippos, or " niggers," and such recitals as would outlast a Lapland night. But it is now evening and dinner time. The ill-fated youth has enjoyed his dinner and potent wine, and a comfortable arm-chair receives his repleted form. The night is cool, and gracious, and bland ; the stars shine brightly, but there is an unaccountable chilliness in the air, and the poor young man has long ago forgotten the wringing- wet state of his flannels, and could not discern, through his verdant experience, that he was like a water-cooler. At last he seeks the couch . offered him by the hospitable trader, on which he tosses about till cockcrow with disturbed dreams. In the morning he feels unwell ; his tongue is furred, and a strange lassitude has taken possession of him. This feeling grows into a nauseous sickness. He is visited about the time of dejeuner, and is discovered with flushed face, watery eyes and a rapid pulse, and declared to have a fever ! Then there is the medicating of the sick man in a rude unskilful way, and a rough but kindly nursing of him. But the personal attendant is a black negro, to whom the white man is an absolute stranger. The 284 THE COS GO. Climate— scene ends after a few days with convalescence perhaps, Part I. and a slow recovery, or, id an extreme case, with death, when the body will be interred at the Point among the remains of other unfortunates. But no lesson will be drawn from that death any more than from the many preceding deaths, until those who can read and learn will obtain it from this chapter. Truly it is extremely discouraging to feel that of the twenty other young or mature gentlemen who may have seen this youth, and perhaps enjoyed his society for this one evening, there is not one of them can make an approachable guess at the real cause which cut him off so prematurely. Each will have his opinion : the old veteran will remark that it was a pity such a boy should have left his mother ; another will hazard a remark that, no doubt, it was some form of organic disease ; another will attribute it to hereditary weak- ness, and he will quote De Bloeme and Greshoff and Muller, and several others who came out as boys and throve marvellously on the climate. One thoughtless man will cry out, "Another victim of Africa ! Cruel, murderous Africa ! " while one may perhaps venture to utter his belief that it was the Portuguese wine, which, if not very much diluted, is as bad as brandy ! And so on — all mere surmises, as far opposite to the truth as the truth is to lying ! The fever was caused by sitting in his wet flannels in the cold night air. We know how a young man in Europe, returning home in wet clothes, feeling shivery, may be attacked with inflammation of the lungs, and, CARELESSNESS IN EUROPE. 285 despite the most loving attention and highest medical Climate— skill, may be carried off by death.* Life in Africa does not exempt another young man from a like effect arising from a similar cause. Strange to say, young men fresh from Europe are very prone to believe that if their flannels are made " wringing wet "from violent perspiration, they are not liable to the same dangers as one who has been wetted and chilled by a wintry rain-storm. On their return to Europe, however, they have rather inverted their opinions, preferring to believe that a sudden exposure of xhe body when perspiring to a cold draught is not so dangerous as a similar experiment would be in Africa. Many will say that this is incredible, but such errors of judgment occur nevertheless. There are about twenty cases to my personal knowledge to prove the statement. One case, resulting in pneumonia, was lately telegraphed from Berlin over to England, and a friend of mine died but a short time ago from inflammation of the lungs, after successfully enduring several years' work on the Congo. Several of my English friends have also lost coloured men from Africa through their rash forgetfulness of avoiding draughts when heated by the warm temperature of their rooms. I have been a victim to my own care- lessness repeatedly, and though I know well what the * A medical authority in New York has lately drawn attention to the fact that the violent exercise indulged in by 20,000 young people at the skating rinks every evening has caused an alarming increase of pneumonia, 149 deaths in one week being reported. This exercise induces copious perspiration and fatigue, and, thoughtless of consequences, the young have sallied out from the rinks to encounter the keen cold blasts. 286 THE CONGO. ciimato— tedious, exasperating consequences of such thought- less folly will be, an unlucky abstraction of mind or some hapless oversight has caused me to look out of the window of a warm room ; or some bore has button-holed me before an open door through which the gusty wind enters ; then comes the tedious catarrh, the painful bronchitis, and their protracted chest affections, tempting me to exclaim, like the Roman patrician of old, who denied zealous duty to his Im- perator in cold, chilly, feverish Albion, " Ob, England ; cruel, murderous England!" At Yivi, for instance, I would undertake that the strongest man would have a fever within a few hours, but it will depend on the condition of the man's system how severe or how mild it will be. Given a case, having blood already impoverished by poor food, with system sapped and weakened by various trifling little African " colds," the fever that could be inflicted on him might prove dangerous to life, while the strongest man, with all his fresh blood, his splendid physique, and pro- phylactic precautions, would be sure to regret during five or six days that he had exposed himself to it. At Yivi there is an excellent place to prove the above truth ; let some Dr. Koch try it. I should say in this manner : " Go down to the Nkusu Yallev, or Yivi landing place, become well heated, perspiring, walk briskly up hill, which will no doubt increase your per- spiration ; then seat yourself on the brow of the station hill in a comfortable cane chair, and occupy your mind with Fothergill's, Fayrer's, or Lauder Brunton's ex- CAUSES OF SICKNESS. 287 planations of malaria, say, for an hour, until you are well chilled, then go to dinner that evening with what appetite you may." I have suffered during my long African experience over 120 fevers, great and slight, and I may have suffered over one hundred before suspecting that many of these were preventible in other ways than by taking quinine, and its preliminary remedies, and that there were other causes productive of fever besides malaria, and miasma. The last six years in Africa have enlarged my experience greatly. Added to my own personal sufferings have been those of about 260 Europeans as ignorant as myself of the causes of these fevers. The sick lists of various stations have been inspected by me, and the inspection has created a desire to know why fevers and sickness were more frequent at one place than another. I have been astonished to discover that fevers were more rife at a station near which no one could possibly find sufficient putrefying vegetation to account for the sickness. Old Yivi, for instance, is situated on a rocky plat- form, with a sudden drainage on three sides, and only during the rainy season does the wind come from the north-west, where rises the towering mass of Castle Hill. For a distance of forty miles, between us and the low ground near Boma, the Congo flows between the rock slopes of two mountain lines, which rise from 200 to 800 feet above it. Yet, old Yivi, excepting Manyanga, is the most sickly spot in all our possessions, if the sick list is at all reliable, and I personally suffered more 288 THE CONGO. climate— vexatious "little fevers," at that station than at any Parti. . . J other. The third most unhealthy station is Le'opoldville, though during the last year there has been a decided improvement in it. But if our old-fashioned ideas of the cause of fever were correct, it should have presented a much cleaner health-bill than several of the stations on the Upper Congo, some of which are situate only about ten feet above high water, with perhaps many hundred square miles of black fat loam or damp forest on three sides of it. Yet to despatch debilitated persons from Leopold ville to these upper stations, in apparently un- healthy situations had the same effect as sending them to a sanatorium of established repute. Young Glave, of Yorkshire, while at Le'opoldville, is seen gradually becoming cadaverous, his form becomes less and less rigid and upright ; his pallid face, white lips, and dark lines under the eyes, warn us that he undergoes the strange vicissitudes common and necessary to unfledged Europeans. At his own request he is commissioned to build a station at Lukolela, and the change in two months is simply astounding — he becomes at least three stone heavier in weight, living light is in the eyes, his form is pliant, vigorous, his movement quick ; his every action betokens lusty young life. Lieut. Liebrichts, at Le'opoldville, is a subject creating great anxiety to me. I whisper my suspicion to the medical man in charge, that this is another unfit case for Africa. Suggestions are not wanting, but the doctor is himself inclined to despair. He is taken to Bolobo on my way to Stanley Falls. My return down river is haunted by a fear that INQUIRY INTO SICKNESS. 289 bad news of him await me there, instead of which a climate— magnificent specimen of manhood greets me, and after a wondering gaze from all of us on the steamers, something in the tone and manner remind us of our sure-to-be buried friend. Why, it is Liebrichts him- self, a hearty, sleek man, who has a strong grasp, and a bright cheery welcome to all of us. Mr. Swinburne, one of the " faithful " among the expedition, is always ailing, ulcerous or feverish con- tinually, at Yivi, Manyanga, or Leopoldville ; but being dispatched to Kinshassa on Stanley Pool, only five miles above Le'opoldville, he lives eighteen months, to my knowledge, without a single attack of indis- position— a constant marvel to his friends, that a low- lying station like Kinshassa can preserve such a man alive and well. Lieutenants Vangele and Cbquilhat, the builders of Equator Station, and the vanguard of the Europeans on the Upper Congo, each time we visit them, are anxiously asked, " What of the climate ?" " Splendid !" the gallant young officers cry. " No- thing could be better. Do not trouble yourself about us ; give us a little coffee or tea, and enough to have a petit verve occasionally for our cafe noir — that is all we want ; our own gardens produce all the rest. As for health, we two ought to satisfy any one of the salu- brity of this region." W^hen I examine the muster-roll of those along the Upper Congo since 1882, I find there have been twenty -nine Europeans above Leopoldville, out of Vol. II.— 19 290 THE CONGO. whom two have been drowned and only one died of sickness, and twenty have either served their three years' term of service, or are nearly completing their term. Only one has resigned through reason of severe illness. Considering that the further they have advanced into the interior, the less certain the Europeans are of receiving external aid and supply of customary adjuncts to their economic fare from Europe, the above statement is most creditable to the climate. Leopoldville. — which, since 1883, has been steadily improving its sanitary condition by the increase of its comforts and conveniences, through the enlarged views which the natives entertain of white men, added to the immensely greater ability and experience of the Euro- peans in charge, — despite the larger extent of cultivated area, and the more perfect order and cleanliness of its surroundings, is still subject to light waves of sickness occasionally, although they show nothing approaching the former severity, which sometimes, in one day, incapacitated one half the number of whites at the station. In the moral atmosphere of Leopoldville there is no fault to be found. The conduct of all the people is decidedly virtuous and above reproach. Neither can they be charged with liberal consumption of the strong wine or ardent spirits, which are so plentiful on the coast, because these cannot be transported in such quan- tities as to permit of such extravagance. The houses are large, commodious, cools airy, well ventilated, and THE HEALTH OF VI VI. 291 well protected against the heat of the sun. With more Climate— labour, and in time, many additional improvements may be effected in draining and clearing all that remains uncleared in the immediate neighbourhood of the station. Every square yard of clean open ground will be a little gain in health. Yet, at the same time, I doubt if it will ever be perfect in its present position. Yivi, again, to which the steamers from the seaport bring constant supplies of necessaries, even luxuries, never lacks wines or spirits, and is many degrees better, for furniture-equipment of its buildings than Leopold- ville, is much inferior for the salubrity of its position. This cannot be ascribed to the fact that it is nearer to the lowlands of the sea-coast than Leopoldville, because Lutete' Station, situate on the plateau eighty miles nearer the sea-coast than Le'opoldville, is one of the healthiest stations on the Congo. Nor can it be attributed to the fact that immoderate indulgence in wine and spirits might be charged to some that have disgraced themselves, since the most virtuous and well-conducted have also suffered, though not nearly to the same extent. The rocky composition of the site of the station, the innumerable means of drainage around, the entire absence of anything likely to vitiate the atmosphere from putrefying vegetation, render the problem still more difficult to resolve, with- out the key to the solution afforded by a comparison of the sick lists and the positions of each station. The truth is that the sickness of Yivi is attributable to various causes, but first and principally to its defective 292 THE COXGO. Climate— position, being situate on a projection in the neck of a mountain funnel. The mouth of this funnel gapes about fourteen miles to the Atlantic Ocean, then contracts just above Boma to about a mile in width, and at Vivi to about 1300 yards. The pier platform on which the old station was built projects about 300 yards across this breadth, receiving the cold south-west sea-breeze, which, blowing a five-knot breeze at Banana, is felt of the force of fourteen knots at Vivi. THE FUNNEL-SHAPED GORGE OF THE LOWER COXGO. Manyangn, another unhealthy station for its un- fortunate position, is only higher up the neck of the funnel. Leopold ville again is placed slightly better, but still defective, being on the slope of a hill by which the plateau winds and the upper strata of canon blasts escape, to be diffused over the expanse of Stanley Pool. Boma is superior to Vivi for its position, because near it the Congo Valley is less confined, and would be con- sequently more salubrious were there some drainage of A SEA- COAST POSITION. 293 the flats around it effected. Banana Point ought to climate— Part I. be superior to both, because the hills are still farther removed, were it not so low, and its neighbourhood so offensive. The site consists of sea-sand, through which the sea and river water percolate underneath ; the hollows within present malodorous abominations, and perhaps the absence of strong moral public opinion has conduced to its past evil repute. At the same time, a wise expenditure of money, and good order, FLAN TO ILLUSTRATE HOW THE GOUGE DISCHARGES ITS WINDS AT LEOPOLD VILLE. would greatly improve the chances of life on the sandy point. It is certain that a position on the sea coast, if well chosen, with cleanly living, aided by wisdom in the petty details of life, ought not to be more unhealthy than any other place on the globe ; because the mere heat is no worse than mere cold — it is the careless ex- posure to both that invokes its malignancy. The heat is as cruel to the unprotected body as it is to the head 25)4 THE CONGO. ciimato— of a European, but so is the extreme cold. It is the wise government of conduct that renders both equally harmless. An open position then, especially if its surroundings are happy — that is to say, removed as much as possible from all deposits and deleterious influences of putrefy- ing vegetable matter, with the air freely diffused around, with careful provision against accidents from the ex- treme heat, with changes of temperature guarded against by the same precautions that are adopted in Europe, with good food, with work to amuse or interest the mind, with due means to check the influences resulting from such a total change in life as the tropic climate demands, and with proper moral conduct, 1 maintain, will enable the European to thrive in a hot climate as well as in any climate under the sun. Travellers vary in their estimation of what is fitting for the intending immigrant to the tropics. Captain Burton, after a brief visit to the Congo, cries out for " Beef and beer." However startling at first sight this may be, yet there is some truth in it. " Beef," by all means, that is good substantial nourishing food. Let there be a variety of fresh animal food ; well cooked beef, mutton, game, fish and fowl, with vegetables- potatoes, turnips, cabbages, beets, carrots — and good bread, butter, jam, tea, or coffee, with all sensible dishes that the cook's skill can furnish. Even although other externals are not quite perfect, good food will better enable one to live and withstand the troubles of climatic change than bad food. But about u beer " I differ. MODERATION IN FOOD AND DRINK. 295 The English beers are too bilious for Africa, and the Climate— German beers are not absolutely necessary, so long as red and white wines — claret and Madeiras — are obtain- able ; and I would strongly recommend that these should be taken moderately, with dinner, and never — abso- lutely never — during daylight. If one exception should be allowed it would be after a severe strain of the system, when you will be compelled to confine your- self to your house until the effect produced by it has completely passed away. For, however small this effect may be, whether a slight exhilaration, or com- plete intoxication, it emboldens or inspires you with a false courage that may be fatal, if you are tempted to defy the direct sun-heat while under the elevating influence of the beverage. The Duke of Wellington's receipt for the promotion of health in India, is also applicable to the Congo. " I know but one receipt for good health in this country, and that is to live moderately, to drink little or no wine, to use exercise, to keep the mind employed, and, if possible, to keep in good humour with the world. The last is the most difficult, for as you have often observed, there is scarcely a good-tempered man in India." All those officers on the Congo who have reflected at all will admit that a moderate life has been proved to be more successful than an immoderate one. Modera- tion in food, as well as in drinking ardent liquor. To drink little wine is excellent advice, but I am not yet prepared to admit that total abstinence from wine 296 THE CONGO. Climate— is better than temperance, either in Africa or in Part I. r Europe. Employment for the mind I have already urged; and if a man can keep in good humour with the world it means that he is in good health from wise living, a happy situation, agreeable employment, and that the world is pleasant with him. It must be remembered, however, that if a man in a violent state of perspiration subjects his unprepared person to a cold draught of wind while in such a con- dition, the fact that he is temperate in his life and habits, and has always dieted his body wisely, richly, and nobly, will not save him in Africa from a fever, any more than that it will save him in northern Europe from a cold and its tedious pains. Neither " beef and beer " or " beef and brandy," nor all the drugs of the pharmacopoeia will save him. Or, if the position of his house is so unwisely chosen that his body is perpetually subjected to violent changes of temperature — one minute in a state of profuse perspiration and the other minute outdoors without additional clothing, exposed to a chilling blast that closes the pores, and chills the damp flannel pressed against the body — his perfect diet will not avail him. My wonder is, not that so many have returned to Europe disheartened at the weakness of the resistance their constitutions were able to offer to the vicissitudes which their ignorance subjected their own persons to, but at the fact that there are still so many who bravely endured all. And, now that so much has been cleared of what was before so mysterious to us in Africa, let us try how it would answer in well- SICKNESS AT SIERRA LEONE. 297 drained and well-fed London, or any other English ciimat Fart city. Let us heat our sitting-room, until the under- clothing gets thoroughly soaked with perspiration, then walk outdoors to a street corner, and stand on a windy day without additional clothing, and wait till next morning for the result. Or go to a London ball, become heated with dancing in a crowded room, then walk home in the same dress, and tell me honestly if, in addition to months of this experience, you add months of poor diet, bad cooking, and other inde- scribable discomforts, you wonder that the African continent has an evil character, and that so many un- fortunate pioneers of trade and exploration have left their bones in its earth. Let future governors of Sierra Leone bear this great cause in mind, and see if they cannot rectify the posi- tion of their residence, and that of the barracks in their town. It may be, a new light will dawn on them, to the great benefit of themselves and the com- fort of their families. I have said that Yivi owed its unheal thiness prin- cipally to its defective position, to its exposure to the cold blast blowing up the mountain funnel from the south-west. I have taken Vivi as a type — and the same is applicable to any similarly exposed camp, station, town, or city in equatorial Africa. Another singular illustration of this is the fact that in ascending tlie Congo, notwithstanding the long array of swampy islands and shores, and the want of exercise on such small boats, we enjoyed excellent health. But when 298 THE CONGO. 1 ijnnto- descending the river at full speed the wind, sharp, cold, and chilling, frequently prostrated us. Under shelter, in the cabin, or when protected by the bulwarks, the temperature was warm enough to induce an insensible perspiration, but when we emerged for some duty from behind our shelter, the wind produced that feeling which ended in fever. A glass barrier in front of our bodies while piloting the steamers down river would have saved us from these distressing attacks. I have said, also, that this exposure, and the quick and frequent transitions we thereby experienced, though the principal, were not the only causes of fever ; and I have also asserted, and proved, that the warm tempera- ture of equatorial Africa is not dangerous ; that the ill- effects suffered indirectly through it are easily remedi- able, provided circumstances will permit it, and mostly all other causes are preventable. Europeans going into Africa are precisely in the same state of ignorance as Central African aborigines coming to Europe. Both commit the gravest imprudences, and being severe sufferers through their imprudent follies, they ignorantly blame the country and its climate. " Cruel, murderous Africa ! " exclaims the northern European. " Deadly and hateful Europe ! " exclaims the dark aborigine from the African tropics, when the first cold draught from the open window or door visits him with a protracted bronchial sickness. I have pointed out our short-comings in judgment, and the sick lists at Boma, Vivi, Isangila, Manyanga, Bayneston, and Leopoldville will prove my words. But VALLEY STATIONS. 299 I must now point out another cause of sickness, to climate— illustrate the long-suffering and numerous calamities which purchase experience, although nothing short of dynamital terror moves the majority of mortal men to immediate action. I will take Banza Manteka, a station of the pious, hard-striving, long-enduring missioners, belonging to the " Livingstone Inland Congo Mission," as a type of another cause of sickness. It is situate in a hollow, like a bowl deep sunk in the bosom of enfolding hills. Perhaps from one hill crest to the opposing hill crest, a line drawn exactly bisecting the station would be a mile and a quarter in length. On one side, however, that opposite to the prevailing winds, it is open, having access to the valley of Ntombo Lukuti. Here, one would say, is a snug nest, where the howling winds cannot chill to death the pale-faced European ; and to make it still more snug and cosy the poor fellows in their zeal for work have planted gardens of bananas and papaw trees, whose beautiful fronds and leafage almost hide the dwelling of these God-serving men. In the high, exposed places we consider the rainy season as the healthiest. Some have supposed it to be so from the greater clearness and purity of the atmo- sphere whereas in fact it is only because the cold winds are hushed and we enjoy an uniform warmth. But if this season is the healthiest at Vivi and other stations in the Congo canon, it is the most unhealthy in hollows like these of Banza Manteka and Lukunga stations. After a rain-fall the atmosphere is clear and the sky 300 THE CONGO. CHmate— is of an Italian hue. During this temporary clearness Part J. the atmosphere offers the least obstruction to the direct power of the sun. If powerful on the hill-tops it must be of baking heat in these bowl-like hollows. It is shot forth relentlessly through the thickest cork-helmet. If an umbrella is used, while increasing the safety from danger above, it only causes a more profuse perspira- tion by the confinement to the body of the ascend- ing cloud of warm vapour which surges upward from the damp earth, and encompasses the person at every step. According to the nature and quality of the inorganic bodies in the neighbourhood, it either rises in denser or in a more heated volume. If the neighbour- hood is rocky the heat blazes in the face almost insufferably and bakes the clothing ; if of wet grass or damp earth, there is an excess of moist, penetrating- warmth, which soon deluges one with perspiration. The top of that swathe of dead grass is nearly dry, but put forth your hand and place it underneath, and the astonishing warmth of the moisture, whose tem- perature is like that of an oven, will illustrate the means by which rapid decay is caused in these lands. Have you never tested the heat to be found in your own dung-heap at home, even in mid-winter ? If you inhaled the stifling atmosphere long you suffered what no con- stitution could endure with impunity. Well, then, at Banza Manteka station, the hot, muggy, steamy atmo- sphere rising up with the clouds of moisture, and bear- ing the deleterious influences upward in a continued, undrifted volume from old decaying grass at the base A FATAL " PARC: 301 of the green shoots, or from decaying leaves gathered Climate — at the base of the beautiful bananas, is more pernicious to health than life on a dunghill in an unfloored house in Europe would be, unless you put a great hot stove inside to equalise the quantity of malaria — bad air — that is inhaled in the sickly hollow cf Banza Man- teka, It is reported that such and such a missionary^ was obliged to go home after suffering from a " per- nicious" fever, that is, a bilious fever of unusual severity. A young military officer built a native cabin in the Nkusu ravine, near Yivi, in the middle of what he romantically called a " pare." He had caused avenues — " Avenue de Valcke," " Avenue Stanley," " Avenue de Bruxelles " — to be formed in this " pare," and, to enjoy the romance thoroughly, he dwelt in his native chalet to luxuriate in his beautiful romance. Poor fellow, he was soon taken ill of a bilious fever, and he died about sixty hours later. This trough of the Nkusu was still more confined than the bowl of Banza Manteka. On open ground, during the rainy season, the air dif- fuses this pestilential vapour, heavy with putrefaction and decay. Movement over it is not only a relief from the dangerous heat from above, but from that which, when a person stands still, rises up in a thin, invisible column to the face behind the bulwark of the person. But some one, hard to satisfy and prone to doubt, remarks that on open high land there is sickness also. You cannot call "open high land," a plateau, or plain, where the face of it is uncleared of its forests of tall grass and obstructing scrub. The grass of the tropics 302 THE CONGO. ^Suti~~ *s severa^ ^ee^ higlier than the height of a man's person ; the more confined the cleared area in which you stand is, the more unhealthy is your position. Begin at the narrow foot- wide path, with the grass from two to five feet above your head, with a hot sun glowing burn- ingly on the earth, and your position will be unendur- able if you stand still long. Advance into a small open market-place in its midst, relief is instantly felt. But could you suppose that you Lad an area of a few square miles of plain, or gently-rolling land, without swamp, lagoon, or stagnant body of water, that the dead grass was clean cleared off, and only vegetables and grain growing, that your two-storied house was prepared with windows to admit light, and could like- wise admit the cool air without admitting draught, and that the roof projected broad and ample from its walls, your consequent good health would then teach you, and teach the coming generations, that a tropic home can be made as healthy and as comfortable as any home in your own dear native land. Observe the native custom, and let the dark abori- gine teach you by his example. Do you, therefore, as one should expect from your education, improve your surroundings after the elementary lesson derived from his example has been well acquired. In what part of the Congo canon do we find a native village after passing Mussuko ?. Let us cast our eyes on the chart. All the way from Mussuko both banks are abandoned. On the shores of that expansion of the Congo called Stanley Pool, we find Kintamo, Kinshassa, Kimbangu, Kimpoko, Mfwa, and Malima, SITES OF NATIVE VILLAGES. 303 but these are peopled by ivory traders who have climate— business with the Wy-yanzi River men. Near Mswata are the first evidences of population ; but as far up as the boundaries of Bolobo district the people are but scanty in number along the river. The highland levels are more or less inhabited according to the advantages offered by the neighbourhood, such as accessibility to water, fertility of soil, presence of shade, and security from violence. Their weak numbers, and their dread of stronger neighbours, have left many things undone that a sanitary inspector would condemn as a neglect cruel to themselves and their families. So long, however, as choice was permitted to them, we observe that they have elected to leave the river and its banks, and build on the high, comparatively open plateau and plain. At Banza Manteka, for instance, we have an illus- tration of the manner in which the natives have rejected the unhealthy hollow, and the curious contrast of the white man's choice. All around, and within view from the white man's mission-house, are the groves under which nestle the native villages. There is only one native village within the hollow ; but the white man's house is almost at the bottom, as though he might be in possession of a charm to drive away the foul air and gases exhaling from that close inland basin. Experience has proved that his charms, his potion and his drugs will not avail the white man to contend against such deadly influences, any more than the fetish absurdities availed the black man in his efforts to live there. 304 THE CONGO. climate— Lono- after I had constructed Le'opoldville's block Parti ° , . f house, the natives of Kintambu district informed me that a village once stood on the same spot. A few oil palms and pieces of crockery had caused me to suspect this. Since I have been enlightened by my sick lists, and followed up this interesting research into the causes of the disastrous sickness experienced there, I have often condemned myself for my remarkable blindness. As an excuse I could only plead that I was searching after a totally different cause in a diametri- cally opposite direction. I was searching for things and places that bred miasma, such as decaying vegetable bodies, deposits of ooze, stagnant creeks, flat-bottomed gullies, fat with damp alluvium, quick breeding hollows, rank masses of vegetation, that I might avoid tliem, if possible ; for doctors, by their many books, of which I had a store, gave me the benefit of their collective wisdom — and what is wisdom but aggregate expe- rience ? — and pointed out to me that such places were productive of malaria. I wished to avoid the sources of malaria, and at Yivi I built, 340 feet above the river, on a solid concrete platform of rock, and dared to defy the tropic heat. I constructed Manyanga on the crown of a hill, and nothing stagnant or malarious could possibly exist within several days' journey of the station. But when my white comrades began to droop and fade away, when their strength, their youth, their morality, and their unimpeachable virtue seemed of no avail, and death claimed its victims one after another, I must admit that utter bewilderment took possession COLD DRAUGHTS. 305 of me. At length the upper station's extraordinary Climate— good sanitary condition awoke my interest, while the station of Kinshassa, only five miles from Le'opoldville, seemed also to afford me a clue ; and passing rapidly througli the entire lines of the stations, obtaining from each officer in charge his reports, and noting clearly as I went the position of each, I saw that our stations were in a strange comminglement of the healthy and unhealthy. By arranging these in tabular order, a clearer idea of the truth flashed upon me. This I have endeavoured in plain simple language to convey to the general understanding of such men as may now reside on the Congo, or may choose in future time to emigrate there, whether as agents of the new State, missionaries, traders, tourists, explorers, agriculturists, or miners. . Added to the victims of these cold draughts, which greatly outnumber all others, were those whose con- stitutions failed by living in malarious hollows, followed by those who led impure and intemperate lives, next by those who required more nourishing pabula than our present circumstances would enable us to supply them with, and lastly, those who fell through accidents, caused by carelessness, indolence of mind, unreasoning rashness, natural helplessness, and constitutional physi- cal weakness. It is satisfactory to know that there has been a re- markable improvement in the health of the Europeans who have during the last six years resided on the Congo. In glancing over the lists of names on the Vol. II.— 20 30G THE CONGO. climate— muster-roll of those whites who left Europe breathing undying valour, and high courage, I find that up to the present date no less than 263 have arrived on the banks of the great African river as follows : — Nationalities of the Agents engaged. Number. Nationalities of the Agents engaged. Number. Americans 6 French 6 Arab 1 German 32 Austrians 5 Italian 3 Belgians 81 Portuguese 2 Danish 6 Swedish 37 Dutch 3 Swiss 1 English 80 263 Year. No. of Whites engaged. No. of Deaths from Sickness. No. of Deaths from Accidents. Returned from various causes. Remaining in the Service at the end of the Year. 1879 18 2 4 13 1880 13 2 7 28 1881 13 1 7 32 1882 33 3 2 12 69 1883 93 8 2 25 151 1884 83 7 37 142 1885 10 1 1 Total. 263 24 5 92 The deaths were in many cases avoidable. Some have been the result of downright madness. There are few that I know of which might not serve to point a moral and a lesson. Not many of these deaths can be excused on the ground of old age, or CAUSES OF SICKNESS. 307 original physical weakness. They were all men in the climate— prime of life. Fatigue, want of proper nourishment, exposure to the sun, inveterate intemperance in a few cases, in conduction with the ignorance of conduct of life in the tropics, which I strive to combat in this chapter, and which is pardonable, since we have all been guilty, were the causes which led to this mortality. I do not wish to offend the susceptibilities of sorrowing relatives, therefore I will not name the rash unfor- tunates, but my first duty is to the living, whom I must warn against committing follies leading to self- destruction. A European, proficient in his duties, willing and devoted after nearly two years' successful work with the expedition, during which he enjoys unusually good health, returns from a voyage up river, and suddenly falls sick of a mild form of dysentery. In a few days it is cured, when through some strange cause he has a relapse. Two medical men use their utmost endeavours to cure him ; the best attention during many weeks is given to him, and he recovers strength enough to be able to be conveyed to the coast. He arrives in a more hopeful condition, and after a few days' stay at the hospital, is declared fit to proceed to Europe. That same evening, in the absence of the nurse, he barters a coat for a bottle of gin, drinks it, and twelve hours afterwards he is buried at Boma. Another, by being kept up river, serves three years admirably, is sent home with honours, returns after a while for another period of service at higher pay. 308 THE CONGO. Climate — But meantime some unaccountable thirst for ardent Part I.. spirits Las possessed him, and a few days after his arrival he falls overboard into the river while intoxi- cated, and is drowned. Another appears on the Congo with a character for proficiency and steadiness, but within two months after commencing work, he is discovered dead, sitting behind a shed with an empty liquor bottle at his feet. Two friends visit the coast, go on board the mail steamer, hob-nob socially, and depart for the shore. Both are taken seriously ill, but fortunately recover, remaining, however, very emaciated and weak. One departs for Madeira and lives to tell the tale ; the other, on the first evening of his convalescence, indulges too much in the potent wine, sits out too late in the night-air, becomes a victim to tetanus, and dies in excruciating agony. Two friends meet in the interior. One has a bottle of Burgundy, another a bottle of Cognac. They agree to dine together to celebrate the event. Until a late hour they sit and talk, and, I suppose, drink. The coast-bound friend departs, the other resumes work and duty. By-and-by the sun appears powerful, with a merciless burning strength — the young man is sud- denly stricken down, conveyed to the nearest station, and twelve hours afterwards is buried. It is not necessary to recite other illustrations of the incidents which show how men become their own worst enemies. In all lands there are instances of suicidal indifference, and gross recklessness of the consequences VIOLENT TRANSITIONS. 309 resulting from misconduct. To many preaching avails Climate — Part I. but little ; therefore for ages yet to come people may expect to hear of such lamentable and premature deaths. Were there a moral society formed to critically inquire into the fatal cases along the African coast, a fearful catalogue of human frailties might be published, and it would then be discovered that much that is attributed to the climate ought justly to be ascribed to far different causes. But if there are any young men now in Europe destined to spend a portion of their lives on the Congo, let them remember — in addition to what is already written about the inconveniences arising from circum- stances beyond their control, such as from unhealthy sites which, as in the case of Vivi, were compulsory — that by exposure to any cool temperature after violent exercise and copious perspiration, or by getting chilled by a draught after leaving a warm room — all rooms are comparatively warm in the tropics, however agree- able they may be, — they unnecessarily increase these inconveniences. Few constitutions are able to with- stand these violent transitions from open pores to closed pores, or from equable warm temperature to sudden chill. The philosophy of this is, that the high temperature induced by exercise under a hot sun is soon cooled on resting, and the excessive perspiration has reduced the normal temperature of the body in the same manner as water in a porous vessel is sooner cooled when exposed to the sun's rays by the evaporation which is at once 310 THE CONGO. started when the humid surface of the cooler feels the effect of the heat. Water thus exposed becomes agreeably cool, but the physical system of a man by the same process becomes deranged ; the perspiration is stopped, the pores are closed, and the body feels disagreeably chilly. If the woollen garments have become wetted by perspiration, rain, dew, or some accident in the water, the process of deranging the system is much more rapid. Exposure to the sun causes the moisture on the garments to evaporate, and at the same time conducts the normal heat from the body, leaving it a prey to disease. You may now see the reason why clerks, factory-men, and traders, who rarely take exercise in the hot sunshine, can show a better health list than Vivi officers, who have been exposed during all hours to the sun in a hilly position, the descent and ascent of which provoked unusual perspiration, and subjected them to continual and ex- traordinary effects of the organic functions. Now another prime cause, which is also remediable, of fevers all along the Congo canon, is that 90 per cent, of the winds, as has been discovered by Dr. Danckelman, blow from seaward up river, passing over the miasmatic isles, swamps, and black mud deposits between Boma and Banana, and tainting the air of all the more healthy uplands that lie directly in the track of the pest. Residences placed to leeward of this draught, and openly exposed to it without some bar- rier or shelter, are liable to be visited by the disease which it engenders. The best protection against it ADVANTAGE OF TREE PLANTING. 311 is the planting of trees a little distance in front to Climate — i i ii PartL serve as a screen, and to attract the miasma to them by the foliage ; even a hedge is supposed by Sir Thomas Watson to be better than nothing. Sir Thomas also advises cultivation of the soil in front, and if possible around, the residence. Prevention, it is said, is better than cure ; and I profess to be able, not perhaps to teach you how to prevent all, but at least to reduce many, of these tedious illnesses to which the carelessness and ignor- ance of the white man in Africa makes him so liable. The climate being so new and novel to you, as yours is to the pure African, this ignorance is pardonable ; but now that your reasoning powers are properly directed, the longer you live in the tropics the better you will be able to appreciate the grand maxim of Shakespeare, " To a wise man all places on this earth are ports and happy havens." But those who seek to commit deliberate suicide and wanton self-destruction through the insane practice of hob-nobbing with every vinous friend they meet, I cannot pity. Nay, I solemnly warn them that to drink any wine, liquor, or other intoxicating beverage, in a tropical country during the day, except when ad- ministered under the direction of medical authority, is the height of a folly that is dangerous to sound health, and consequently to all bodily enjoyment. 312 TEE CONGO. CHAPTER XXXYI. CLIMATE. — PART II. Dr. von. Danekelman's observations — Definition of heat— Cold— Exposure — Advantage of awnings — Equable temperature of the body — Tem- perature in South America— Inequality of the Congo climate — Long marches and gulps of cold water — A cool place — " He is only joking " — " The White Man's Grave " — Advice to doctors — Food and drink — Daily life — Medicine — Diseases — Meteorological Tables. p An intending emigrant from Wasco County, in far Oregon, has sent me the following questions, and I am glad to receive them, since they afford me a reason for popularising the information collated with vast in- dustry by Dr. von Danckelman during his stay at one of the stations on the Lower Congo. Those who prefer to study the scientific brochure in the original must be referred to the " Me'moire sur les Observa- tions Meteorologiques, sur la Climatologie de la Cote sud-ouest d'Afrique en general, par A. von Danckelman, Di\ Phil. Berlin : A. Asher et Cie. 1884." * The emigrant says :— " Will you please give information as to soil, climate, natural produc- tions, general health, and adaptation to the wants of the civilised white people? * The full and copious index attached to these volumes will enable any one to discover the amount and variety of information contained within the text. DR. VON DANCKELMAN'S OPINIONS. 313 "Please give us the average rainfall, how many inches, and how climate- distributed ; how many months wet, and how many dry ; how many Part II. inches of rain falls each month, and docs rain fall gently or in torrents? Is the country good for stock-raising and farming ? Is that African pest the Tsetse fly, that kills stock, found in the Great Interior Basin ? What kinds of stock have you? How is agriculture carried on, and what varieties of grain and vegetables are grown ? Have you plenty of timber, and what varieties that is and will be valuable ? Do you have severe winds and thunderstorms ? Is Africa very hot ? Please state the greatest heat, and whether great heat continues long, and please give the tem- perature throughout the year. Are the natives favourable to the whites settling in their country ? How can one procure land from them or the International Association to get genuine title, and at what cost per acre, section, or league ? What tax is there on the citizen or the settler ? Are there many poisonous reptiles or very dangerous wild beasts ? Is game, fishes, and wild fowls plenty, and of what kinds ? Does the Association wish to encourage immigration ? " Please give names of stations of the International Association, and state whether on a river or lake, in the valley or plains, or in the mountains." Another inquisitive person, who probably has an idea that his constitution could stand the Congo climate asks me " What kind of a heat is that of the Congo ? " As perhaps the observations of Dr. Danckelman may convey to such an inquirer but an imperfect idea of the subject, I cannot do better than reprint the very popular definitions of heat given by James Bruce, the traveller. He writes : — " No. 1. It is warm when a man, so clothed, does not sweat when at rest, but, upon moderate motion, perspires and cools again. "No. 2. It is hot when a man perspires while at rest, and excessively on moderate motion. " No. 3. It is very hot when a man with thin or little clothing perspires much though at rest. " No. 4. It is excessively hot when a man in his shirt perspires exces- sively, when all motion is painful, and the knees feel feeble, as if after a f ver. "No. 5. It is extremely hot, when the strength fails, a disposition to faint comes on, a straitness is found in the temples, as if a small cord was 314 THE CONGO. Climate— drawn tiglit aronnd the head, the voice impaired, the skin dry, and the Part II. head seems more than ordinarily large and light. From 70° to 78c Fahrenheit is cool, from 79° to 92° temperate ; at 92° begins warm. The degree of the thermometer conveys this very inadequately." With such very clear definitions it will not be diffi- cult for the rustic reader to understand the quality of the heat of the Congo. The mean of the highest observations of temperature is only 90° Fahrenheit, while the mean of the lowest is only 67°. Clad in clothes suitable for work, an European could perform as much work on the Congo as he could in England, provided a roof or awning was above his head. The heat of the sun on a clear day rises from 100° to 115°, which is naturally dangerous if a person stands still and exposes himself to its influence. On the march it is not to be feared for immediate fatal results. But though not immediate, it excites violent perspiration, consequent prostration and loss of energy little likely to be recuperated rapidly in a new country like the Congo. Hence in all my African records it will be observed that I have confined my marches to the early morning between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. For three months of the year it is positively cold, and during the rest of the year there is so much cloud, and the heat is so tempered by the South Atlantic breezes, that we seldom suffer from its intensity. After a rainstorm which has cleared the atmosphere, exposure to the direct force of the sun-heat would soon prove the power of the equatorial sun. The nights are cool, sometimes even cold, and a blanket is, after a short time, felt to be indispensable for comfort. DANGERS OF EXPOSURE. 315 At the stations, missions, or factories, there is no necessity for exposure ; a double thickness to the umbrella affords ample covering, and there are few localities where the shade of a tree is not conveniently near while superintending the out-door work. Euro- pean artisans would not be compelled to expose them- selves except on rare occasions ; but no precautions can be too great if they prevent sunstrokes. The car- penter, boat-builder, blacksmith, engineer, stone-mason, bricklayer, and all such craftsmen, would be working under sheds, where there is absolute safety. European labourers or navvies are not and will not be needed. If any skilled workman for road-making, in such labour as blasting, may ever be required, the first duty will be the corstruction of movable sheds. The sun is the only real enemy to the European. To raise a safe protection against its malign influences is always pos- sible, though seldom practised The factory clerks position is the safest, but it is not infrequently dan- gerous from other than climatic causes. The mis- sionary also ought to be safe ; but before he arrives at his destination he has generally strained his strength by insane pedestrian exercise and exploration of the depths of grassy tunnels, to which the heat of a Turkish bath bears no comparison. In one day's march, too, he has several times filled his stomach with cold water, and has undergone numerous transitions and variations of temperature, the mean of which may amount to 40° Fahrenheit. Bruce's No. 1 definition of warmth describes the 316 THE CONGO. Congo climate. When the body is at rest the perspira tion is imperceptible. But violent exercise, travelling up and down hill, all powerful exertions under the direct action of the sun, soon force copious perspiration. In itself this might not be dangerous. The danger is incurred when hastening for relief and coolness — the shade of a tree or a verandah is sought, and the heed- less exposure to the cold winds chills the clothing and the body suddenly, effectually closing the pores of the skin, to the utter derangement of the system. Immunity from these derangements can easily be ob- tained by the resident of a station, mission, factory, plantation, or farm, by remembering to keep the tem- perature of the body as equable as possible. In hotter portions of the globe, such as at Para, under the South American equator, where the variation is only 9° Fah- renheit, the temperature renders the climate valuable to invalids and conducive to old age. Observations of the Para temperature, by a Mr. Norris, show during the months of June, July, and August, a mean temperature for June 80°, highest, 86°, lowest, 77°; July, mean, 80°, highest, 8G°, lowest, 77°; for August, 81°, highest, 86, lowest, 77°. W. H. Edwards says, " Moreover, we were never incommoded by heat at night, and invariably slept under a blanket. This equality of temperature renders the climate of Para peculiarly favourable to health. The average of life is as high as in the city of New York." It is the inequality of the climate of the Congo that must be guarded against. If the resident pays less TEMPERATURE. 317 attention to malaria and miasma, and devotes himself Climate — • • Part 11 more to the study or preserving his system against the pernicious influences of these excessive variations of temperature, he need entertain but little fear of the Congo. A book might be written illustrative of this one fact. Who that will visit the scene of Tuckey's travels will wonder now at the fatal results of his ex- pedition ? One of his day's marches is over thirty miles in length ! He plunges into the grassy ravines when the temperature is about 110°. He breasts the hill slope, and the sun's heat is 1150. He strides across the scorching plateaus into the depths of grassy tunnels ; he descends to another ravine, at the bottom of which there is a rivulet of clear cold water which indicates 69°. With his stomach full of this cold water he again climbs a steep slope at an angle of 45°, under a sun-heat approaching to 115°, to arrive at the summit of a hill 600 feet higher, near which there is a shady tree where the temperature is 72°. Here he rests himself under its grateful shelter. The wind forces his chilled flannel against his heated body ; but having rested he again starts on his dreadful journey, to expose himself several times during the day to these incredible transitions. Late at night, 9 p.m., he arrives, worn out with the excessive strains to which his system has been subjected, and implores shelter at a native village. Out of our 250 people we know several who have performed the same extraordinary feats ; but they, like Tuckey and his companions, have paid the last of all earthly penalties, and it is sad to think that 318 THE CONGO. chmate— they have given away their lives through avoidable causes. On some men destined to perform great deeds in the Congo State, these chapters on the climate will create a desire to protect themselves against the effects of these inequalities, or variations of temperature ; on others, destined to be failures, either to return, and rail ignorantly against they know not what, or to enrich the already fertile soil of Congo-land with their bodies, they will have no effect. There are men who can read, but know not how to reflect, who have eyes but see not, and who have ears but hear not. As was said of old, it is no less true to-day, that those whom the Fates destine for early death, they first make mad. I shall have to say to some one again, most probably, what I said lately to a colonel fresh from England, " That exposed corner is not conducive to good health ;" and like the colonel he will reply, " Oh, nonsense, you are chaffing me ! This deliciously cool place fatal ! Doctor, what do you say ? " And the doctor, who was a traveller himself, a wanderer over many lands, replied, " He is only joking." Yet both colonel and doctor were, for a few days after- wards, but little disposed to appreciate joking, despite copious doses of Hop Bitters. I shall have to say again, as I did to an engineer fresh from England, "My friend, that little black saucer cap of the British mercantile service, though I dare say very comfortable in a ship's engine room, is but a poor protection against an African sun." And INATTENTION TO PRACTICAL ADVICE. 319 some engineer will answer as he did, " I don't think climate— ° Part II. so, sir. I feel very comfortable. I have been always used to it." But that engineer never returned to Europe. I shall have to say again, I am sure, to some English sailor, or Scotch engineer, " My friend, be warned by me ! Cease that tippling which I hear you are accus- tomed to. Scotch whisky, or Old Tom, however bene- ficial in your native land against raw mist and icy sleet, do not agree with an African sun ; " and the sailor or Scotch engineer will reply, as before, " Oh, I take very little, sir, it will do me no harm." But neither the sailor or Scotch engineer returned to gladden the eyas of the anxious mother at home. Doctors who have written books of five and ten pounds weight, containing a vast amount of learned matter about the bacillus malaria? and other matters, will declare me to be an empiric ; but I will guarantee that I can cure any one of them from that fanatic faith in the prophylaxis which they support. While I do not deny that there is a certain quantity of miasm in the air, my belief is that it was the least of the evils from which the members of our expedition suffered. At Banana and Boma, in the midst of marshy exhala- tions, situate almost at the water's edge, the Europeans have enjoyed better health than our people at Yivi, on that singular rock platform 340 feet above the river. At Kinshassa, just ten feet above high-water, better health has been enjoyed — indeed, almost complete im- munity from sickness — than at Le'opoldville, five miles 320 THE CONGO. Climate— below, situate eighty-three feet above the river. At Partn- • Equator Station, with a river only five feet below its foundations, creeks sable, as ink surrounding it, the ground unctuous with black fat alluvium, Europeans enjoy better health than at Manyanga, 240 feet above river, and 1100 feet above the sea. Fourteen miles away from Manyanga, and eight miles removed from the river, we have a station on the plain of Ngombi, 1500 feet above the sea, where our people have enjoyed better health than at Manyanga Hill, 150 yards in diameter, and ravines 200 feet deep are around it on all sides, except at a narrow neck thirty yards across. Banana Point (six degrees below the Equator) only five feet above the brackish water of its creek, is proved to be much healthier than Sierra Leone, over eight degrees north, which has been called the " white man's grave," despite the number of medical inspectors who have employed their best judgment and experience in endeavouring to modify the fatal influences that seem to surround the latter place. But the residents of that colony may now know by studying the dia- grams of the preceding chapter, that the fearful sick- ness which has frequently decimated the European inhabitants has not been due so much to the malaria as to the fact that their town is surrounded by the Lion Hill and its hilly neighbours, between the gaps of which sweep the sea breezes, suddenly chilling the bodies of people who are enveloped by the close heat engendered within its bowl-like position. I have been so frequently rebuffed by the callous in- INDIFFERENCE TO LIFE. 321 difference of those I had hoped to save, that my interest Climate— in the preservation of life has become briefer, much less acute, and not so universal as it was formerly. For I may well ask, why should I be anxious about the health of a person who is utterly indifferent to it himself? Why should I care whether people prefer to lounge in draughty corners to cool their heated bodies, whether they fire their brains with alcoholic liquors, or wear little saucer-shaped caps, and invite the equatorial sun to scorch their heads ? In Congo-land, as elsewhere, a man may do as he pleases with his own person; and if he be disposed to blow his brains right out of his head, Heaven knows I should be tempted to agree wTith him, that after all it would be the wisest plan. To such, however, as love their duty even better than they love their life, my remarks may tend to pre- serve that life for the performance of that duty, and possibly may also tend to stimulate an endeavour to discover other causes that are deleterious to health, to be followed by the discovery of methods reforming the medical treatment now pursued with such poor success. Our doctors would also do well to study what are the best foods required by those who live in the tropics, A fertile physiological field for exploration and dis- covery lies in this direction. I would gladly essay to attempt something in this line were I not convinced that a medico, blessed with a little common sense, might write with greater authority. Personally, I would wish to impress a few things upon the mind Yol. II.— 21 322 THE CONGO. riimnte- of the medical explorer, as they relate to those " other causes deleterious to health. We know from bitter experience that alcoholic liquor taken in the daytime invite sunstroke and sun-fevers. To avoid these we have to rely upon tea and coffee. But tea is an astringent, and unless it is pure, has a depressing tendency. Coffee, commonly believed to be stimulating, is more frequently the reverse. The oily skim on the cocoa again, apart from its insipidity, creates a distrust of its bilious properties. Milk as yet is not to be obtained, although perhaps, in the future, it may be more plentiful. Soup presupposes some animal meat from which it could be concocted ; and ox-beef or mutton are precisely what the Congo cannot furnish away from the Lower River, while a compound extracted from goat-meat three or four times a day cannot be very satisfying, even if varied with chicken broth. Besides this, their dietary education has predis- posed the majority of temperate Europeans to some- thing different, principally tea and coffee. The former, however, as I have said, if taken inordinately, is also a source of trouble. Palm wine exercises a dangerous effect upon the kidneys and stomach unless drunk when perfectly fresh. Not the least among our failings on the Congo is the decided distaste we all of us soon entertain for the potted " American, Australian, and Xew Zealand'' beef and mutton and fish, despite the loud exaggera- tive phrases bestowed upon these delicacies by the food preparers. A native goat, however tough and rank TINNED MEAT. 323 its meat may be, is invariably preferred. The potted eH*aat«^ • -iini Part If- sardines, swimming m sweet-oil, or the yellow salmon, in its yellower unctuous matter, do not provoke the appetite, but suggest biliousness. All that is left which may be said to be perfectly safe is limited in the extreme — home-made bread, rice, a few vegetables, fruits, and condensed milk. What we need most on the Congo is some harmless, mild liquid, which is agreeable and palatable, unine- briating as tea and as inoffensive to the stomach as milk, which neither affects the nerves nor kidneys, and is a portable food easily assimilated by the digestive organs. Until some earnest physiological student can assist our deficiencies, I propose the following simple rules to be observed by those to whom the preserva- tion of their lives has some interest. 1. In the building of your house, mission, or factory, observe well its position. Never build, if you can avoid it, in a gorge, valley, ravine, or any deejo derjression of land that may serve as a channel for collected wind currents. A free diffusion of air is required in your surroundings. The nearest points to the sea, plains, extended plateaus, as far removed as possible from any dominating superior heights that would cause irregular air-currents, are the safest localities. The lower story should be clear of the ground, unless you have made the floor imporous by cement or asphalte. In a grassy plain the floor of your living room should be at least twelve feet above the ground. 2. Avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun. 324 THE CONGO. Climate— 3. Guard against the fogs, dews, and chills of even- Part 11. ing and night. 4. Let your diet be as good as your circumstances will permit, but be prudent in your choice. Butter, cheese, and dishes swimming in oleaginous matter, are unsuitable to the conditions of the climate. Eoasted ground-nuts are a mistake. Always reject the fat of meats on your plate. All fats cause bile, rancidity, and nausea in the tropics. Never begin the day with an early meal of meats. Bread made at the station is better than biscuits. The continental cafe or the au lait, is the wisest meal w^ith which to break your fast. At 11 a.m. cease work, and eat your wise dejeuner — lean of meats, fish, vegetables, dry bread, and weak black tea with condensed milk. At 1.30 p.m. proceed to your work, and at 6.30 p.m. take your prudent dinner — boiled fish, roast fowl, roast mutton, vegetables, dry bread, rice, tapioca, sago, and macaroni pudding, with weak claret, or two ounces of Madeira in wrater, or so much champagne and water. Amuse yourself with social conversation or reading until 9 p.m., when you may retire to your dreamless couch to rise up next morning with brain clear and muscle primed for toil, and with a love for all the world. 5. Sleep on blankets, and cover up to the waist with a blanket or woollens. 6. If marching, rise up at 5 a.m., take your cafe or the au lait, and be ready for the road at 5.30 a.m. Halt at 11 a.m., in mercy to yourself, your men, and your ADVICE ABOUT DAILY LIFE. 325 animals, and do no more for the day. On halting put on your paletot or wrapper, to allow you to cool gradually. If your camp is on an exposed situation, get under shelter as quickly as though it were raining. You may perform 4000 miles per annum at this rate. 7. Observe the strictest temperance. Drop all thought of tonics, according to the rules of " west coasters,'' u old traders," " African travellers," or your own self-deceiving fancies. If you are in absolute need of a tonic apply to the doctor, or to the simple rule of never during daylight taking more than one ounce of any liquor or wine. Your best tonic would be two grains of quinia, as prepared by Burroughs and Welcome,* of Snow Hill Buildings, London. If thirsty at a station or factory, prepare a glass of sherbet. If marching, drop a compressed tablet of aciduous powder, as prepared by these chemists, in your cup of water, or quench your thirst from your sweetened and weak tea in the bottle. 8. If engaged in outdoor work superintending coloured labourers, never for an instant be in the sun without a strong double umbrella — a large one fastened to your piked staff, like a small tent, would be better still. For head-dress you have a choice of cork helmet, topee, or Congo cap,f the latter of which is the best of all. * These chemists have prepared drugs which I can conscientiously recommend as adapted for tropical regions. They have prepared small doses in tablets of nearly every medicine that may be required, which may be taken without creating nausea, a valuable desideratum, as all will admit who have suffered from the foul nauseating smell of medicines as commonly prepared by druggists. t Observe cap in photograph of author. 826 THE CONGO. Climate— 9. If during the march you have been so imprudent as to be without an ample umbrella, a wetting need not necessarily be dangerous ; but it becomes positively so if after excessive perspiration, rain, or an accident at a river crossing, you remain any time quiescent with out changing your dress. 10. When on the march the lighter you are clad the better, because at the halt you will be reminded of the necessity of your paletot or overcoat. Very light flannel will be quite sufficient for your dress, owing to the exercise you take. Light russet shoes for the feet, knickerbockers of light flannel, a loose light flannel shirt, a roll of flannel round the waist, and a Congo cap for the head, will enable you to travel twelve miles per day without distress. 11. At the station, factory, or mission, your clothing should also be light, though not in the undress uniform of the road, because you know not what work you may take at any moment causing profuse perspiration, which should be avoided when circumstances do not compel it. 12. It is to be presumed that you will not forget your exercise. Between 6 and 7 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. are safe hours if your principal work is indoors. 13. Do not bathe in cold water unless you are but newly arrived from a temperate climate. The tempera- ture of your bath is not safe below 85°. Let your bath be in the morning, or before dinner. The tepid bath is the most suitable. 14. Fruit, if taken at all, should be eaten in the morning — before the cafe or the au lait — such as MEDICINE, ETC. 327 oranges, rxiangoos, ripe bananas, guavas, and pa paws ; only the juice of the pine-apple is to be recommended. Never eat any fruit in the tropics at dinner. Medicine. — Obtain your medicine pure and well pre- pared. Messrs. Burroughs and Welcome will equip you with tropic medicines in chests or cases, with sup- plies to last you one month or ten years. They have sought the best medical advice, and really seem dis- posed to study the special needs of the East, West, Central, Northern, or Southern African traveller, soldier, trader, and missionary. I have informed them of the few diseases such as have fallen under my obser- vation, and they have prepared such medicines as have been tried during the last seventeen years of my African experiences. The same prudence that is required for protection against draughts, sudden chills, catarrhs, bronchitis, and pulmonary diseases in Europe, should be exercised, with the only difference that in the tropics the clothing necessary to effect due care should not be so heavy. On proceeding to tropical Africa, most inexperienced people arc victims to chaff from the officers of the steamers that leave Europe. Such " guys " in costume and manner ask so many silly questions that they pro- voke the officers to take advantage of their inexperience, which results in creating vague fears of unknown and fatal diseases, so that by the time they arrive on the coast, their morale is frequently destroyed, and their systems unnerved. The diseases on the Congo are very simple, consisting 328 THE CONGO. Climate- of fevers and dysentery. The fevers are of three Part 11. . kinds, common ague, remittent, and a pernicious bilious fever. The common ague is less to be feared than an English cold. I have never known it to end fatally. It lasts generally from one to three days. This may result from a small quantity of miasm in the air ; but the remedies are so very simple that the initiated may cure themselves in a short time. In nine cases out of ten the initiated may also ward it off completely, warned in time by certain symptoms which inform them that there is a slight derangement. The remittent fever is simply an exaggeration of ague, brought on according to the degree of exposure to the sun, perspiration, and chill. This form may last several days. The pernicious bilious type is an aggravated remit- tent fever. It is more violent in its symptoms, is attended with serious complications, and consequently more dangerous. Its severity depends upon the habits of the patient, and the amount of exposure, excessive fatigue and prostration incurred. This form may be al- together prevented by living wisely and well, by bearing in mind and implicitly following the above simple rules. Many attempt self-cure by drinking brandy, whisky, or gin, and smoking tobacco to excess. But liquor and tobacco are not prophylactics against any disease. Some brief extracts from Dr. Martin's book, 4 In- fluences of Tropical Climates,' will corroborate all that I have written here. DR. MARTIN'S OBSERVATIONS. 329 I. "Care in diet, clothing, and exercise are more essential for the climate- preservation of health than medical treatment." Part II< '2. " The real way to escape disease is by observing strict temperance, and to moderate the heat by all possible means." 3. "After heat has morbifically predisposed the body, the sudden influence of cold has the most baneful influence on the human frame." 4. " The great physiological rule for preserving health in hot climates is to keep the body cool. Common sense points out the propriety of avoiding heating drinks." 5. "The cold bath is death in the collapse which follows any great fatigue of body or mind." 6. " Licentious indulgence is far more dangerous and destructive than in Europe." 7. " A large amount of animal food, instead of giving strength, heats the blood, renders the system feverish, and consequently weakens the whole body." 8. " Bread is one of the best articles of diet. Eice, split vetches, are wholesome and nutritious. Vegetables are essential to good health, such as carrots, turnips, onions, native greens, &c." 9. " Fruit, when sound and ripe, is beneficial instead of hurtful." 10. "The same amount of stimulant undiluted is much more in- jurious than when mixed with water." II. " With ordinary precaution and attention to the common laws of hygiene, Europeans may live as long in the tropics as elsewhere." One more observation will suffice. However well the European may endure the climate by wise self- government, years of constant high temperature assisted by the monotony and poverty of the diet, cannot be otherwise than enervating and depressing, although life may not be endangered. The physical force, vigour, or strength becomes debilitated by the heat, necessi- tating after a few years recuperation in a temperate climate. To preserve perfect health, I advise the trader, missionary, coffee planter, and agriculturist, who hopes to maintain his full vigour after eighteen months' residence, to seek three months' recreation in Northern Europe ; for the same reason that a man de- voted to absorbing business in a European city for THE CONGO. Climate— eighteen months would do wisely to take a few months' holiday. Beyond what has been told above, there is nothing in Congo-land to daunt a man ; indeed, far less than in many parts of India, South America, or the West Indies. My object, as will have been seen, is to eradicate this silly fear of the climate. The above rules, if observed, will prevent at least three-fourths of the maladies that have punished our imprudent youths. Possibly the judicious will find reward in following their guidance as nearly as possible, the injudicious and unreflecting will also have their reward. The following tables contain portions of the valuable meteorological observations of Dr. Danckelman relating to the climatology of the Congo region : — Temperature observed at Yiyi.* 1882. Fahrenheit. Maximum. Fahrenheit. Minimum. Variation. o 90 ° 70 o 20 February 94 68 26 March 92 69 23 93 68 25 94 67 27 86 60 26 July 84 56 28 85 56 29 89 67 22 93 68 25 97 69 26 91 70 21 Mean highest. 90-7 67-3 Mean variation — 25 Highest temperature in) 97 1882, on 5th Nov. 1882 . f Lowest 29th Julv, 1882 . 54 „ 19th July, 1883 . 57 * By Dr. Danckelman. OBSERVATIONS OF TEMPERATURE. 331 Annual Variation of Barometer in Millimetres. 1882. May June July . . August . September October . 1882. November December 1883. January . February . March April . Climate- Part II. Yivi Station, by boiling point, is . . 427 feet above sea level. „ by Fortin's barometer . 430 „ „ by three large aneroids . 428 „ Height of river level at Yivi ... 84 „ „ station above river by tri-i 0751 gonometry . . . . f 2 " „ station above river by aneroid 343 „ Influence of the State of the Sky on Temperature.* Yivi, 1882-1883. Number of Clear Days. Temperature. Clouded Days. Temperature. Fahrenheit. January .... 0 0 4 c 76 February 8 80 3 77 March .... 0 79 1 74 0 78 0 0 May 8 77 3 76 June 5 73 8 71 Julv 12 71 7 70 August .... 7 71 8 70 September . 2 76 9 74 October .... 2 77 4 75 November . 1 83 2 75 December . . 1 81 4 77 1882-1883. Number of Days. Sky entirely overcast 44 „ nearly „ 115 „ gloomy 135 „ nearly serene 58 „ quite „ 10 Of 109S observations of direction of wind at Yivi, by Dr. Danckelman, he records the following : — Calm. N. NN.E. N.E. E.N.E. E. E.S.E. S.E. S.S.E. S. S.S.W. S.W. 195 86 1 8 10 3 13 3 3 11 32 422 W.SW. W. W.N.W. N.W. N.X.W. 102 106 16 19 8 * Observations by Dr. Danckelman. 332 THE CONGO. climate— At noon the direction of wind currents are between Part II. west and north, as follows : — W. W.N.W. N.W. N.N.W. N. 32 per cent. 11 per cent. 16 per cent. 12 per cent. 13 per cent. At 3 p.m.:— W. W.N.W. N.W. 74 per cent. 10 per cent. 6 per cent. At 9 p.m. and with stronger force : — s. s.s.w. s.w. w.s.w. w. 10 per cent. 26 per cent. 21 per cent. 14 per cent. 18 per cent. He also observed how often the wind blew in such force as to make the wooden structures of Vivi tremble.* May, 1882 . 11 times. December, 1882 2 June „ • 17 „ January, 1883 . 6 July • 13 „ March » . 4 August „ . 12 „ April a . 0 September „ . 15 „ May }> . 9 October „ 17 „ June )> . 8 November „ • 2 „ July if . 17 The velocity of the wind measured by the anemometer as recorded by Dr. Danckelman is as follows : From 2 June to 12 June 12 „ 22 „ 2 July 12 „ 22 „ 1 Aug. 11 „ 21 „ 31 „ 22 „ 2 July 12 „ 22 „ 1 Aug. 11 „ 21 „ 31 „ 10 Sept. 145 • 1 miles per day. 146-6 109-4 98-4 142-0 106-0 lll'l 183-5 166-4 166-1 * Such strong blasts would scarcely be noticeable on the sea-coast, which proves how the funnel-shaped gorge or canon collects the gentle sea-breezes, and draws them up until the wind becomes a strong gale. WIND OBSERVATIONS. 333 From 10 Sept. to 20 Sept. , „ 20 „ „ 30 „ „ 30 „ „ 10 Oct. „ 10 Oct. „ 20 „ „ 20 „ „ 30 „ „ 30 „ ta 9 Nov. „ 9 Nov. „ 19 „ ?5 19 » » 29 „ „ 29 „ „ 9 Dec. 9 Dec. 19 ,, „ 19 „ „ 29 „ „ 29 „ „ 8 Jan. „ 8 Jan. „ 18 „ „ 28 „ „ 7 Feb. „ 7 Feb. „ 17 „ „ 17 „ „ 27 „ „ 27 „ „ 9 March „ 9 Mar. „ 19 „ >> 19 55 55 29 „ „ 29 „ „ 8 April At Vivi the strongest winds blow at night, from south-westerly up the Congo. Between Stanley Pool and the expansion of the Congo above Chumbiri be- tween 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., during which time the wTinds are strong gales frequently. At night it is calm, and the native canoes resume their journeys. Above the Equator the strongest winds are between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. About rains on the Lower Congo, Dr. Danckelman makes the following observations : — "At Vivi the most copious rains fall during the months of November and April. In 1882 the rains ceased on the 12th of May, but a small shower was observed on the 18th of May. Then appeared the dry season, which continued till the 10th of October. A month later serious rains began on the 10th of November, lasting till the 27th of November. There was a cessation in the rainfall until the 6th of December. "Between the 27th of December and the 11th of January there was another dry interval, and between the 29th of January and lGth of 1 K9 i O -i-v->i"li~ici loA a miles per \.ja / » AAL i AAO 1 " 10 J A >> 100 J >» 1114. 111 1 55 on - 1 55 DO U 55 \JO o » too a 110 1 5> 191 '(\ 1A1 O » OO 1 W A » 749 »» 85-3 55 102-4 55 95-2 55 75-0 55 Climate — Part II. 334 THE CONGO. Climate— February 110 ra*n fell- in March rainy days were separated by many Part II. dry dftye, but in April the rains were nearly continuous. The greatest rainfall measured on one day 0*433 inch, on the night of the 17th December, 1882, and lasted 2 hours 50 minutes." Dr. Danckelman has tabulated the rainfalls as follows : — English Inches. January 2-888 February 1-404 March 5-616 April 9-009 May 1-989 June 0-000 July ........ 0-039 August 0-000 September 0-000. October 0-507 November 11 '232 December 8 "853 Inches . 41-537 While travelling I observed the rainfalls by lime, and the result may be seen in the following table : 1880-1881. Months. H. 31. September 5 0 October . 11 15 November . 40 0 December . . 42 0 January . . 28 0 February . . 73 0 March . . 30 30 April . . 28 0 May . . . . 24 0 281 45 1881-1882. Months. h. jr. September . 27 30 October . 27 50 November 56 5 December . . 15 30 January . . 25 10 February . . 49 30 March . . 15 0 April . . . . 25 0 May . . . . 9 0 250 35 RAINFALL OBSERVATIONS: 335 Kainfall 1880-1881. Climate— Part II. Date. Character of Kain. H. M. Hours per Month. 1880. Sept. 9 . Misty rain, lasting . 0 15 „ 11 . 0 20 „ 12 . 0 10 „ 13 . 0 5 „ 14 . >> 0 10 „ 15 . 1 Strong shower (thunder) 2 0 ( and lightning) . . ( » iy • Slight shower 1 0 O \J\J i Heavy rain (thunder) Oct. 19 . 4- 0 \ and lightning) . . ( „ 24 . Slight shower . . . 0 15 „ 2o . Heavy rain .... 3 0 „ 27 . Slight rain .... 2 0 „ 28 . .... 1 0 tin „ 29 . .... 1 0 11-15 Nov. 1 . Much rain .... 3 0 „ 2 . Smart shower . 1 0 „ 3 . Heavy rain .... 6 0 n 4 . • Slight shower . Heavy rain .... 5 0 u 5 . 1 0 „ 10 . 5 0 Between Vivi and „ 11 . Smart shower . 2 0 Isangila. » 12 . Slight shower . 1 0 „ 14 . Showery 2 0 » 15 • Heavy rain . 10 0 >> 1" • Slight rain .... 0 30 „ 25 . >» .... 0 cO Cl') ft 28 . Steady rain .... 3 0 ■±u uu Dec. 2 . Heavy rain .... 5 0 „ .... 9 0 >, 5 . Steady rain .... 5 0 n „ b . >> • • • • 3 0 9 lit/oiVj' olio wci . . . 1 0 » 11 • Heavy rain, lasting 4 0 12 . 1 0 „ 15 . Heavy rain .... 6 0 „ 18 . Moderate rain . 2 0 „ 20 . Heavy shower and storm 0 30 „ 21 . Storm and rain . 1 0 „ 23 . Slight rain .... 1 0 „ 28 . Heavy shower . 2 0 „ 30 . 1 30 42-00 / 336 THE CONGO. Climate — Tart II. Date. Character of llain. H. M. Hours per | Month. 1881. Jan. 4 . >> 8 • „ 9 . „ 15 . „ 28 . Eain JJ >»•••••• 1 Light rain .... 2 0 6 0 7 0 3 0 10 0 28-00 l Between Vivi and. Isangila. Feb. -4 . it 5 . „ 6 . „ 11 . „ 13 . „ 14 . 28 . .... Heavy rain .... Light rain .... Heavy rain .... Slight rain .... 12 0 4 • 0 11 0 7 0 10 0 16 0 13 0 73-00 Mar. 4 . „ 6 • „ 7 . „ 9 • „ 11 . „ 18 . „ 19 . » 23 . „ 30 . „ 31 . Light rain .... j, .... )> .... >} .... Heavy rain, lasting Heavy shower . Light rain .... 6 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 12 0 0 30 2 0 30 -SO April 2 . „ 4 . „ 5 . „ 7 . „ 8 . „ 9 . n 10 • „ 14 . n 18 • 19 n 21 : n 22 . „ 23 . 9 t )> .... )> .... >) .... >) .... )> .... Heavy rain .... Light rain .... jj .... »> .... 55 .... 55 .... it k . . . Heavy rain .... Light rain .... 0 30 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 30 1 0 2 30 10 0 1 0 0 30 3 0 2 0 9 n A U 28-00 Between Isangila , and Manyanga. May 4 . „ 7 . 11 • | Heavy rains, about 24 0 24-00 n 13 • j RAINFALL OBSERVATIONS. 337 Rainfall 1881-1882. Climate- Part II. Character of Rain. Heavy rain (thunder) and lightning) . . / Light rain . Moderate Heavy shower Shower . . Heavy shower >> • Light rain . Heavy shower )> Slight shower Light rain . Showery Heavy rain Slight showers Very slight . Light rain . Heavy rain . Showery . Violent rainstorm Showery . Steady rain . Slight shower Moderate rain 8 0 2 30 8 0 2 0 7 0 0 10 0 10 2 30 2 0 2 0 8 0 8 0 6 0 4 0 3 0 10 0 5 0 6 0 3 0 7 0 0 5 12 0 4 0 3 0 1 30 0 30 3 0 3 30 Hours per Month. 27-30 27-50 56-5 15-30 25-10 49 30 Between Manyanga and Stanley Pool. Leopoldvillc. Vol II.-22 338 THE CONGO. Climate — Part II. Date. Character of Rain. H. M. Hours per Month. Mar 12 „ 20 . „ 24 . „ 26 . » 27 . ti 28 . Slight showery . Violent raiustorrn 3 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 3 0 2 0 15-00 j Leopoldville. April 2 . „ 4 . „ 18 • M 20 . „ 26 . „ 27 . Violent rainstorm . Slight shower . Light rain .... Violent rain and storm. 2 30 1 30 2 0 8 0 7 0 4 o ZD uu Between Leopoldville and Kwa Eiver. May 3 . „ 4 . „ 5 . Light rain .... Heavy rain .... Light rain .... 2 0 4 0 3 0 9-00 General Meteorological Table. Rainfall by Time. Number of Days. Rainfall by Tinie, in Hours. Rainfall in Inches. Wind*. Mean Velocity in Miles per day of 24 hours. Winds from Westerly direction. Annual Tempera- ture, Fahrenheit. Mean Highest. Annual Tempera- ture, Fahrenheit. Mean Lowest. Mean Annual Variation. 1880- 81 . 80 281 45) 1881- 82 . 59 250 35 j 41 h 125 Per cent 90 o 90 O 67 0 25 NAVIGABLE STRETCHES OF THE RIVEli. 339 CHAPTER XXXYII. THE KERNEL OF THE ARGUMENT. Extent of the Congo River— Navigable stretches — The maritime region — The mountain region — Elevations, vegetation, and productions — Population — Interior basin of the Upper Congo: its extent and altitudes— Navigability of the tributaries — Tables of mileage of navigable waters — Area drained by the rivers — Tables of population of Upper Congo section— Opinions of Dr. Pogge and Lieut. Weiss- man, Tippu Tib, and Dr. Schweinfurth — The products of the land — Vegetable and animal richness — Minerals — Extent of the Webb-Lua- laba section— Navigability of the Webb-Lualaba - Characteristics of the Lualaba country — Livingstone's descriptions — The Tanganika territory — Ujiji markets — Table of the actual knowledge of the Congo basin : its area and population — Possibilities of trade — Table of the value of African produce in Liverpool — Prospects of factories — Advantages of a railway —Efforts to civilise Equatorial Africa — Com- parison with other countries — Its future development and greatness. The Congo River is over 3000 statute lllllt'S 111 The Kernel length, measured as follows : From the Atlantic Argument, ocean in a navigable length of 110 miles, as far as the station of Vivi, thence upward to Isangila, the lower .series of the Livingstone Falls, 50 miles ; from Isangila to Manyanga we have a tolerably navigable stretch of 88 miles ; between Manyanga and Le'o- poldville is the upper series of Livingstone Falis, along a length of 85 miles ; from Le'opoldville up- 340 THE CONGO. The Kernel ward to Stanley Falls we have a navigable length of Argument. 10G8 mi les ; from the lowest fall of this last series to Nyangwe there is a course of 385 miles ; from Xvangwe to Mweru the river course extends 440 miles; the length of Lake Mweru is 67 miles; thence to lake Bangweolo is 220 miles ; Lake Bangweolo, or Bemba, is 161 miles long ; and thence to its sources in the Chibale' Hills, the Chambezi has a length of 360 miles; the full total of these several courses being 3034 miles. For convenience of description, as well as in accord- ance with the physical characteristics of the Congo basin, I am compelled to divide the river's course into five sections, thus : The LowTer Congo from the sea to Leopoldville, which includes the maritime and a por- tion of the mountain region ; the Upper Congo, ex- tending from the Livingstone Falls near Leopoldville to the Stanley Falls ; the Webb-Lualaba * region, the Chambezi section, and the basin of the Tanganika. In the Lower Congo section the river is navigable for a distance of 110 miles. First by an estuary- like expansion 70 miles long, varying from two to seven miles and a third in breadth, and then by a deep channel in some places over 300 feet deep, and about 1500 yards wide. The present seaport is on the right bank of Banana Creek, at the mouth of the river. What might be called a strictly maritime region of the Congo is a very narrow belt lying between * So called by Dr. Livingstone in honour of W. F. Webb, Esq., of Newstead Abbey, Nottingham. THE MOUNTAIN REGION. 341 the sea and the hilly region. In the neighbourhood The Kernel of the of Boma the mountainous region commences with Argument numberless lines or groups of inferior hills which are yet attached to one another, and rise gradually after an infinite number of undulations to the height of 2300 feet above the level of the sea. In reality the breadth of the mountain region direct east and west is 240 geographical miles ; but the course of the Congo is diagonally through it, in a fissure-like trough running from north-east to south- west, into which ships may penetrate a depth of 50 miles from above the estuary of the lower river, while on the eastern side there is a navigable diagonal course of 174 miles leading into the plain-like lands of the Upper Congo. From the height of Iyumbi ridge, for instance, which is 2276 feet above the sea, by sweeping the horizon round with a theodolite horizontally, the topmost altitude of the boldest hills which appeared in view throughout an area of 2000 square miles did not vary 50 feet in height, although there were a countless number of hilltops and grey swells of upland separated by crevasses, gorges, and long sinuous watercourses, proving that the land we surveyed was a disintegrated plateau, denuded in the course of ages of its rich loam by numberless tropic rain seasons. On the larger levels where the loamy soil was still retained, groves of palms and bits of tropical forest were seen, indicating what the land might have been originally. The hollows^ into which some of the soil has been washed 342 THE CONGO. The Kernel or interrupted in its descent are easily traceable by of the Argument, the dark wavy lines, belts and bars of foliage, which appear more and more shadowy as they recede. If we step near the verge of one of these and look down into the depths of the gorges, we view a lengthy sunken bed of evergreen vegetation so dense and dark that one wonders whether they are penetrable. In brief, almost every tabular hill of any dimension is crested with a palm-grove and forest clump ; the smaller hills and slopes are mere wastes of sere grass ; the hollows, ravines, gorges and valleys teem with a marvellous wealth of vegetable life. The productions of the mountain region which are suitable for commerce are very simple. The levels in the vicinity of the palm-groves and villages produce the ground-nuts of commerce ; from the crimson-yellow nuts of the palms (Elais guineensis) is extracted the palm-butter ; in the gorge-forests the india-rubber creeper is found ; some orchilla-weed and gum-copal are also present. In the neighbourhood of the sea and the navigable part of the lower river the country has been fairly well exploited. There are certain well developed lines of native travel, such as the trade routes leading from Stanley Pool to Zombo, to San Salvador and the coast, and to Loango ; but the larger part of the region is but slightly influenced, except in a very indirect manner, by the establishment of trading depots at the Lower Congo and the coast. The superficial area of the maritime and mountain TEACHABLE NATIVES. 343 region of the Congo, which includes all that portion The Kernel of the basin extending between the sea and the lower Argument, end of Stanley Pool, measures 33,000 square miles. The population, from the effects of the slave-trade and internal wars, cannot be estimated at more than nine souls to the square mile — say, 300,000, governed by at least 300 chiefs. We have proved them to be tractable during six years of most peaceful intercourse, during which we have experienced only two interrup- tions with those immediately under our control. The happy condition of our native transport column is an evidence that the natives of this region are teachable, and amenable to improvement and discipline. The latest reports of 1885 prove that about 1500 porters are employed monthly. The next section we have to consider is the interior basin of the Dpper Congo, beginning from the longi- tude of Le'opoldville at the lower end of Stanley Pool,, and ending at the longitude of Stanley Falls. At Stanley Falls we find the altitude of the river to be 1511 feet above the ocean. * In a curving course of 1068 miles from east to west, and from twenty- eight miles north of the Equator to 2° 13' N. and down to 4° 17' south of the Equator, across nine degrees of longitude, the slope of the descent has been four inches to the mile. The concave of this almost perfect bow-like course of the Upper Congo is distant from the sources of the tributaries, flowing into it from the south, 913 geographical miles in * Later measurements do not vary 30 feet from the above. 344 THE CONGO. The Kernel a direct line. The convex of the bow is distant Argument, from the water-parting which supplies its tributaries from the north 330 geographical miles in a direct line. Of the southern tributaries flowing into the great river the largest are the Kwa, Mohindu, Ikelemba, Lulungu, and Lubiianzi. By ascending the Kwa we obtain a navigable length of 281 miies to the upper extremity of Lake Leopold II. The Mbihe and Ngana branches will add a further course of 220 miles. Two hundred and fifty miles above the Kwa the Lukanga is discovered, which leads us into Lake Man- tumba, whose populous shores must not be neglected by the future trader in the Upper Congo. From the confluence of the Lukanga with the Congo to the extremity of Lake Mantumba is seventy miles. Sixty miles above the Lukanga we arrive at the fine river Mohindu. We only explored it for about eighty miles, but, considering its magnitude and the native reports, we may estimate its navigability to be about 650 miles. About thirty miles higher up the Congo is the Ikelemba, which I estimate will furnish 125 miles of river course accessible to trade. It is the commercial reserve of the Bakuti tribe. The next river we arrive at is the Lulungu, which will probably be found, with its tributaries, Lulua and Lubi, navigable for over 800 miles. Its banks are TRIBUTARIES OF THE RIVER. 345 reported to be more populous than those of the Congo. The Kernel of the This river is exploited by the Bauranga and Bakumira Argument, mostly. The next river is the Lubiranzi, which is navi- gable only for twenty-five miles, when it becomes interrupted by rapids ; and, although they are very slight, they are sufficient to impede the navigation. Beginning at Stanley Pool to survey the naviga- bility of the northern tributaries, the first river is the Lawson-Lufini, which is navigable for thirty miles. The next is the Mikene'-Alima, which we can ascend for thirty miles. Above this is the Likuba, navigable for perhaps fifty miles. A few miles higher up the mouth of the river, variously called Is.anga, or Bunga, which is probably the Likona of Ballay, is reached. From all reports this river may be ascended for 120 miles. Nearly opposite the mouth of the Lukanga is the Balui Biver, a large water entering by a delta. My friend, Miyongo, of Usindi, has led me to believe by his itinerary that it will be navigable for 350 miles. The next river as yet discovered above the Balui is the large river of Ubangi, and above this is the Ngala, flowing from the east into the Congo, half-way between Upoto and Iboko. Some fifty miles of an ascent leads me to expect that, writh its affluents, wTe shall find navi- gation for about 450 miles. Numbers of large towns are on its banks. Above the Ngala is the Itimbiri, explored for thirty miles. So far from its magnitude, and from the native reports, I should estimate that we shall find 346 THE CONGO. the Kernel navigable water of the aggregate length of 250 miles. of the Argument. The Nkuku, its immediate neighbour, probably may be ascended for sixty miles, while the Biyerre has been proved navigable for ninety-six miles, and the Chofu is known to be impassable after an ascent of twenty-five miles. Thus the navigation uninterruptedly available, after leaving the river bay let of Leopoldville, is as follows: — Left bank From Leopoldville to Stanley Falls direct . Kwa Eiver, Kwango and Lake Leopold II. The Lukanga and Lake Mantumba . Mohindn Eiver Ikelemba „ Lulungu and its tributaries Lubiranzi Nseleh, Wampoko and Lagoons, left bank . English miles. . 1063 . 500 70 . 6.:o . 125 . 800 25 . 200 'Lawson-Lufini River Mikene-Alinia Eight / bank 30 30 Likuba 50 Isanga-Bunga, or Likona Eiver 120 Balui 350 Ubangi Eiver, and its affluents 350 Ngala and its affluents 450 Itimbiri and its tributaries 250 Nkuku Eiver 60 Biyerre „ 96 { Chofu 25 Total 5249 miles. From the following table of the length of the rivers, and their principal tributaries, which flow into this section of the Congo basin, may be inferred what additional mileage to navigation will be furnished to commerce after the development of geographical know- ledge. TABLES OF MILEAGE. 347 Eight Bank. Name of River. Lawson-Lufini Mikene-Alima Isanga-Likona Balui West branch . Ubangi . . . Ngala . . . West branch . Itimbiri Nkuku . Biyerre . Nepoko . Bornokandi Nan da . Chofu . . . Lindi . Length of Sub-Tributary. 200 500 520 250 170 300 Length of Principal ! Tributary. 150 170 260 510 850 510 340 765 350 Total. 150 170 260 710 500 1350 510 340 1705 650 6345 The Kernel or the Argument. Left Bank. 600 Mfini and Lake Leopold EL . 281 | 1200 Eastern branch 320 Mohindu or Kwilu .... Lulo 530 850 [ 1380 Ikelemba 280 280 1275 Lufua 250 585 | 2535 425 Lubiranzi or Lubilash . . . 935 765 | 2125 425 7520 Total . 13,865 348 THE CONGO. The Kemei From the Lubilash and the Lumani alone, which Argument, form the Lubiranzi, I have a strong conviction that 800 miles more of navigable water will be obtained, since the Arabs of Kiburuga informed me that they had crossed it several times, and navigated many days on the waters. They knew only of the rapids twenty- five miles above its confluence with the Congo. The superficial area drained by the various rivers above mentioned is 1,090,000 square statute miles, into which we have direct navigable access by steam of 5250 miles. This, by passing one rapid, we may increase to over 6000 miles. The wealth of equatorial Africa lies in this section. It is bisected by the equator, over which the rain-belt discharges its showers during ten months of the year. As we recede from the equatorial line, either north or south, the dry periods are of longer duration. At S. Lat. 4° the long dry season lasts four months, from the middle of May to the middle of September ; the shorter season lasts six weeks, from the middle of January to the end of February. At S. Lat. 6°, the dry season is about three weeks longer in the year. The population of this enormous area of the Upper Congo section may be approximately ascertained by estimating the number of inhabitants at each district according to our observations, on the right bank and on the left of that great curve of the Congo between Stanley Pool and Stanley Falls, and of the Biyerre, the Mohindu, the Kwa, and the Lukanga, dividing the entire area by the belts which were explored. TABLES OF POPULATION. 349 Eight Bank. Ascending the Congo. Name of District or Village. Gordon Bennett to La wson ) River J Lawson Eiver to Mikenef River \ Mikene River to opposite) Lukolela . ) Thence to Bungata . Bukoko Ukumira Ubeng.) . . Usimbi Iboko % Lusengo Ubika Thence to Iringi . TJmangi ...... Ukele Upoto and Ngombe" . . Luku Ndobo Ibunda ...... E>timated Population. 13,000 15,000 10,000 50,000 4,000 15.000 3; 000 3,000 30,000 3,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 5,500 6,000 2,000 8,000 8,000 207,500 Name of District or Village. Bumba Lower Yambinga . . Upper „ . . Ngingiri Villages Old Yalulima. Bungele Basaka Boruu Basoko of Mokulu . . Upper and Lower Yom-i burri ) Intermediate Villages . Yangambi .... Yaruche Yaryembi Yarukornbe .... Yakusu Wenya and Bakumu The Keruel of the Estimated Argument. Population. 207,500 10,000 8,000 8,000 5,000 3,000 300 2,000 2,000 6,000 15,000 13,000 8,000 5,000 3,000 2,000 2,000 11,000 3,000 313,800 Left Bank. Ascending the Congo. Kin tamo Kinshassa Lema KimbaDgu Mbama and Mikunga Kimpoko and neighbour-* hood ] To Wampoko Eiver . . Wampoko Eiver to Ms wata Mswata and neighbour-) hood f Kwamouth .... Kwa Eiver to Bolobo Bolobo to Lukolela . Lukolela Ngombe Nkuku . . . . . \ Butunu I Usindi j Irebu J Thence to Mohindu Eiver Uranga Bolombo Bukumbi Bunga Mutembo . . . . Imeme . Marunja . . . . Mpakiwana . Mpa . . . . - . Old Eubunga. . . Yaknngo . Ikassa Villages . Yalulima . . . . Irubu Mbungu and Islands Bahamba . . \ . Bandu . . . . Bahunga . . . . Bungungu Isangi Yaporo . . . . Ukanga . Yakonde . Yarukornbe . Wenya . . . . 212 2 ,000 ,000 500 500 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,500 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,500 ,000 319,000 350 THE CONGO. The Kernel ot the Argument. The Biyerre Eiver. Explored length 96 miles. Umaneh, right bank . . . 15,000 Village, left bank . . . . 1,000 Yakui, left bank . . . 10,000 „ right bank . . . 4,000 Isombo, right bank . . 4,000 Villages . . 2,000 Yarabi . . 2,000 Bondeh . ; 10,000 Irungu . . 5,000 Yambua . . 5,000 Villages . . 500 Yambumba . . 20,000 Villages . . 1,000 Thence to Yambnya . . . . 15,000 94,500 Kwa Eiver and Lake Leopold II. To Lake Mantumba .... 54,000 25,000 Arranged in a tabular form, the populations thus estimated would present the following numbers : — Along 1068 miles both banks of the Congo . . 632 , 800 96 „ „ „ Biyerre . . 94,500 281 „ „ „ Kwa Eiver and) ^ qqq Lake Leopold II.) 70 1515 2 „ Lukanga Eiver) 25 000 and Lake Matumbaf 2030 miles. Total population of both banks = 806 , 300 If we estimate these 806,300 people as being settled along a belt 2030 miles long with a breadth of ten miles, and suppose the same density to exist through- out the area of the Upper Congo section, our quo- tient in population will amount to 43,294,000. Of the southern portion of this section, Dr. Pogge and DENSITY OF THE POPULATION. 351 Lieutenant Weissman, who crossed the upper Lubilash, The Kernel of the Write l Argument. " The country is densely peopled, and some of the villages are miles in length. They are clean, with commodious houses shaded by oil-palms and bananas, and surrounded by carefully divided fields, in which, quite contrary to the usual African practice, man is seen to till the soil whilst woman attends to household offices. "From the Lubilash to the Lumani there stretches almost unin- terruptedly a prairie region of great fertility, the future pasture-grounds of the world. The reddish loam overlying the granite bears luxuriant grass and clumps of trees, and only the banks are densely wooded. u The rains fall during eight months of the year, from September to April, but they are not excessive. The temperature varies from 63° Fah. to 81° Fah., but in the dry season it occasionally falls as low as 45° Fahrenheit." Tippu Tib, the great Arab trader in the interior, who has traversed the south-east portion of this section, described to me personally his astonishment at the den- sity of the population. He told me hew he had passed through several towns which took a couple of hours to traverse, of the beauty of savannah, park, and prairie country he saw, and how the site of the camp left in the morning might be seen from the evening camp after a six hours' march. From the north-east of this section we have the testimony of Dr. Schweinfiirth in the following words : 44 From the Welle to the residence of the Monbuttu king, Munza, the way leads through a country of marvellous beauty, an almost unbroken line of the primitively simple dwellings extending on either side of the caravan route. He estimates the Xyam-Xyam country to be about 5400 square miles in extent, populated by 2,000,000. 352 TEE CONGO. The Kernel wliicli would be equal to the extraordinary number of of the , Argument. 3 ( 0 per square mile ! The Mohindu and Itimbiri rivers, a certain portion of which we explored, confirm what Miyongo of Usindi related respecting the Lulungu, viz., that the further we travelled from the immediate banks of the great river the more numerous became the people. The vegetable productions of this section are rich and varied, but until intercourse is facilitated little use will be made of them. This might be readily surmised from the country's bisection by the equa- torial line, the ten months' rains and the humid warmth which nourishes vegetation with extraordinary prolific power. The most remarkable among the vegetable growths are the palms, of which there are an immense variety, but the most useful to commerce is the oil-palm (Elais guineensis). Its nut supplies the dark red palm-oil so well known on the wrest coast, while its kernel is valuable for oil-cake for cattle. Not a grove, nor an island scarcely, can be found without this beautiful and most useful palm; in some places, such as the district between the Lower Lumani and Congo, there are entire forests of it. On the Biyerre the Raphia vinifera usurps its place. The larger number of its islands are wholly forests of this palm. As the oil- palm yields annually from 500 to 1000 nuts, the quantity that might be collected from this section is enormous, and would well repay transportation by rail to the coast. VEGETABLE WEALTH. 353 The next most valuable product of the forest, as yet The Kernel untouched in this region, is the gum of the Laudolphia Argument. florida, or india-rubber plant. There are three kinds of plants producing this article, but that which exudes from Euphorbia is not so elastic in quality, although it may have its uses. On the islands of the Congo, which in the aggregate cover an area of 3000 square miles with 8000 square miles of the banks of the main river, I estimate that enough rubber could be collected in one year to pay for a Congo railway. Other gums, such as those of the Trachylobum and Guibourtia species, are useful for varnishes. The fossil transparent white and red gum copal are too well known for their value to need remark. There are large deposits of these known to the natives. Among the Wenya I discovered large cakes over 18 inches in diameter of pure white gum copal. At some fishing villages they contrive to make torches of it, but of its other uses they know nothing. Vegetable oils are extracted from the Arachis hypogea, or ground-nut, the oil-berry, castor oil. The first is used for lights, the second for cooking and gravies, the third is medicinal, as with us. Vast extents of forest are veiled with the orchilla moss. Between Iboko and Langa-Langa I saw a strip of forest about 60 miles in length draped with orchilla lying on the woods like a green veil. Every village contains its manufactured rolls of redwood powder, and few settlements between the equator and the Kwa could not furnish a few hundredweights at Vol. II.— 23 354 THE CONOO. lenel the first order. Every trading canoe floating on the ent* Upper Congo possesses among its saleable wares a certain store of this universally-demanded article. The vegetation of the Upper Congo is also remark- able for the quantities of fibres it produces for the manufacture of paper, rope, basket-work, fine and coarse matting, and grass-cloths; these are furnished by the Papyrus antiquorum, aloes, Stipa tenaccissima, Calamus indicus, Phoenix spinosa, Raphia vinifera, and Adansonia. Just as Lake Mantumba furnishes the largest quan- tity of redwood powder; Iboko palm-fibre matting; Irebu, Calamus fibred sunshades nnd floor mats ; Yalu- lima, double bells ; Ubangi, swords ; so Lukolela is famous for its tobacco coils, with which product they conduct an extensive river trade. Lukolela is also remarkable for its fine timber and its wild coffee. In this region, among the many minor items avail- able which commercial intercourse would teach the natives to employ profitably, are monkey, goat, ante- lope, buffalo, lion, and leopard skins ; the gorgeous feathers of the tropic birds, hippopotamus teeth, bees- wax, frankincense, myrrh, tortoise-shell, Cannabis sativa, and lastly ivory, which to-day is considered the most valuable product. It may be presumed that there are about 200,000 elephants in about 15,000 herds in the Congo basin, each carrying, let us say, on an average 50 lbs. weight of ivory in his head, which would represent, when collected and sold in Europe, £5,000,000. To some, perhaps, this would IVORY, RUDDER, AND PALM-OIL. 355 appear a large estimate, but it is much more moderate ■ fhe Kerne than a statement made the other day to rne by a gentle- Argument, man, who solemnly declared he had met a herd of at least 300 elephants in a small river, and that he and his servant had slaughtered so many that the river had overflown its banks, and, like another angry Sca- mander, threatened to engulf him and his confederate. Mr. Ingham, a missionary, lately shot twenty-five elephants, and obtained money for the ivory ; and Major Yetch, at another locality not far off, shot twenty. As the Congo basin is a large area, and considering the tons upon tons drawn for the last eighty years from the eastern half of Africa, it may be that I have under-estimated the number of elephants still living in the unexploited and virgin western half of the continent. In my opinion the ivory, however, stands but fifth in rank among the natural products of the basin. The total value of the ivory supposed to be in existence in this region to-day would but represent 107,500 tons of palm-oil, or 30,000 tons of india-rubber. If every warrior living on the immediate banks of the Congo and its navigable affluents— which are of the aggregate length of 10,800 miles, within easy reach of the trader above Le'opoldville — were to pick about a third of a pound in rubber each day throughout the year, or to melt two-thirds of a pound weight of palm-oil, and convey it to the trader for sale, £5,000,000 worth of vegetable produce could be obtained without exhaus- tion of the wild forest productions. Or if, in the same 356 THE CONGO. The Kernel manner, each native warrior picked half a pound of of the Argument, gum-copal per day, or collected half a pound per day of orch ilia- weed, or made his wife grind out half a pound of camwood or redwood powder, ample proof would he given that any one of the productions of the forests alone as articles of commerce have a value greatly superior to ivory. Although ivory is such a precious article, it is by no means inexhaustible, and therefore it cannot be rated very high. By the most trifling labour of the able-bodied warriors living on the edge of the bank of the navigable river more of either palm-oil, rubber, gum, orchilla-weed, or cam- wood, could be produced in one year than all the ivory in the Congo basin is worth. At the same time, although limited, it is a valuable product, and as such will be an object to commerce. If 200 tusks arrived per week at Stanley Pool, or say £260,000 per annum, it would still require twenty-five years to destroy the elephant in the Congo basin. In minerals this section is by no means poor. Iron is abundant. Yalulima, Iboko, Irebu, and Ubangi are famous for their swordsmiths. The Yakusu and Basoko are pre-eminent for their spears. In the museum of the Association at Brussels are spear-blades six feet long and four inches broad, which I collected among those tribes. The copper mines near Phillippeville supply a very large portion of Western Africa with their ingots. At the market of Many an ga several hundredweights of these change hands. The south-eastern portion of MINERALS, SUGAR, RICE, ETC. 357 the section of the Upper Congo supplies numerous cara- The Kernel vans with their stores of smelted copper. Plumbago Argument, is also abundant. Gold has been found by the roving Arabs in the beds of streams, and some of those met by me returning from their slave raids possessed small glass bottles which contained the treasures of small gold nuggets they had found. Every native village on the Upper Congo has its sugar-cane plats and maize. Bananas and plaintains naturally thrive marvellously. In the Kwa valley the natives eat bread of millet flour ; but the cassava or manioc, sweet and bitter kinds, furnishes the staple farinaceous food of the people along the main river. The leguminous plant most in favour is the black field bean, which is very like the grain of India; it is most prolific and hardy, needing but little cultivation. Among the vegetables are yams, sweet potatoes, brinjalls, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, &c. Lately the cabbage, the European potato and onion, have been introduced, and thrive most promisingly at Leopoldville and Kinshassa. On the eastern edge of this section the Arabs are fast introducing the large-grained upland rice with extra- ordinary success. At Wane Kirungu they harvested in 1882, 30,000 bushels of rice, and about 500 bushels of wheat. While the Association has advanced from the west with mangoes, papaws, limes, oranges, pine- apples and guava, the Arabs have made remarkable progress from the east with the same fruits. There is a countless number of valuable plants use- 358 THE CONGO. The Kernel ful for their oils, like the " candle-berry " tree, &c. ; of the Argument, and for medicinal uses, like the Cashew, the Jatrophe purgans, the Strychnas, the Amomum, &c. There are also to be found the wild ginger, and nutmeg, the Semicarbus anacardiuin, or marking-ink plant; but these have no value to commerce, and more properly belong to the botanist. Cotton, however, is discovered wild and indigenous everywhere, especially on the sites of deserted settlements, and may in the future be considered something more than a curiosity in a broad and spacious region so well adapted for its growth. The next region to be considered is the Webb- Lualaba section, which embraces the greater part of 54 square degrees, included between 28° N. lat. and S. lat. 12° 30', and between E. long. 25° 20' and E. long 30°. The superficial measurement of the area amounts to 246,000 square statute miles. The course of the great river from the debouchure of the Chambezi into Lake Bangweolo down to the last Cataract of Stanley Falls is from S.W. to N.W. a distance of 1260 English miles. Within this section I include — until further light is thrown upon the subject— Lake Muta-Nzige, not the Lake Albert discovered by Sir Samuel Baker. We have voluminous affluents flowing into the Webb-Lualaba, directly west of the lake discovered by me in 1876. They require drainage area, which, if we exclude Lake Muta-Nzige, we have not sufficient space to supply such large rivers as the Low-wa, the Ulindi, and Lira. From native accounts, which, though extremely unreliable, must, in the absence of definite information, be accepted, r THE WEBB-L UAL ABA COUNTRY. 359 this lake may be estimated to cover an area of 5400 The Kernel square miles. Lake Bangeolo, according to Livingstone's a rgument. rough survey, is of the superficial extent of 10,200 square miles. Lake Mweru, according to the same authority, covers an area of 2700 square miles. Lake Kassali and its chain of lakelets cover altogether an area of 2200 square miles. Beyond the Stanley Falls the Webb-Lualaba is navi- gable to within six miles from Nyangwe, a length of 327 miles. On the right as we ascend, the first affluent met is the Le'opold River, which may be ascended thirty miles ; the next is the Low-wa River, an affluent of the first class, which is formed a few miles up by the junction of two streams. South of the Low-wa about fifteen miles we meet the Ulindi — which we ascended in 1877 a few miles— a river with a breadth of 400 yards at the mouth. About ninety miles further south we see the Lira emptying into the Webb-Lualaba, 300 yards wide, a deep and clear stream. A little north of S. latitude 5° we come to the Luama, a stream which has a knowrn course of 250 miles. Forty miles further south is the Luigi, of half that length, and thirty miles beyond the Luigi is the Luindi, or Lukuga, which is the outlet of Lake Tanganika. Commencing again from the Baswa cataract, the uppermost of the Stanley Falls series, the first on the left bank we meet is the small Black River, and the next from the bend, which I supposed was the Lumami, but which, the Arabs inform me, is the Lufu, a stream similar to the Kasuku, emptying at S. lat. 4° into the 3(30 THE CONGO. The Kernel Webb-Lualaba. The next great river flowing into this of the Argument, section of the river is the Lacustrine Kamolondo. The Webb-Lualaba section, out of its aggregate length of main river and larger tributaries, which amount to 5000 miles, may be divided into two navi- gable sections of 550 miles each ; the first included between the Baswa Falls and Nyangwe Falls, and the second between the Kasongo Falls and the rapids below Mweru Lake. This region, mainly along the river banks and in a vast part of its interior, has been subjected to the dete- riorative influence of slave-raiding for the last twenty years. Whatever its population may have been before the desolating system of capturing communities of people by the slaughter of the males, it would not be safe to estimate more than twenty souls to the square mile, by which we have a population of nearly 6,000,000. The principal tribes in that region are the Bakumu, Balegga, Banyema, Bakonde, Bagenya, Barua, Bakuss, Bamarungu, and Balunda. On the lower navigable section of the Webb-Lualaba there are four trading communities of Arabs and their slaves established at Kasongo, Nyangwe, Yibondo, and Wane Kirundu. To the commercial trader from the west coast these communities are easily accessible, and would be valuable auxiliaries to the extension of trade over the region ; inasmuch as they have hosts of disci- plined slaves, hundreds of whom have been educated during the last twenty years in the art and practice of trading. The tastes of these people would be superior, ARAB TRADING COMMUNITIES. 361 naturally, to that of the aborigines. Through their assistance, the cattle of Usige, Ruanda, Urundi, and Argument. Ujiji might be brought, in a few weeks' march, to the Lualaba; also the cattle of Nyangwe', which have increased at last accounts to respectable herds, prov- ing that there is nothing fatal to their growth and successful propagation in the valley of the Congo. The natural productions of the land are similar to those enumerated as belonging to the Upper Congo section. The next section for consideration is that of the Cbambezi, having a superficial area of 46,000 square miles. It is drained entirely by the Chambezi and its tributaries, which are the headquarters of the Congo. It lies in a basin elevated about 3800 feet above the sea, walled around by the Losanswe range of mountains on the north, and to the south and east by the Lokinga mountains, or plateau wall of Bisa, and the Chibale' range. The river is described by Livingstone to be 400 yards wide at the place of his crossing, with a clear current of two knots and a depth of three fathoms. One of its affluents, the Lubansenzi, is described as being 300 yards wide, and three fathoms deep. The Lokulu is described as being a still larger affluent. A few quotations from Livingstone's own words will give a better idea of the country than can be gathered in any other manner. " Immense swampy plains all around except at Kabende." •'The water in the country is exceedingly large; plains extending 362 THE CONGO. Tho Kernel farther than the eye can reach have 4 or 5 feet of clear water, and the of the adjacent lands for 20 or 30 miles are level." Argument. f< We went through papyrus, tall rushes, arums, and grass till tired out. We were lost in stiff grassy prairies from 3 to 4 feet in water for five hours." "The country is all so very flat that the rivers down here are of necessity tortuous. Fish and other food abundant, and the people civil and reasonable." " One sees interminable grassy prairies with lines of trees occupying quarters of miles in breadth, and these give way to plain again. The plain is flooded annually ; but its vegetation coDsists of grasses." From the above it will be perceived that the basin of the Charnbezi is principally a level country like prairie land sloping very gradually on all sides to the Bangweolo Lake, and during the rainy season inun- dated in its lower depressions, especially in the vicinity of the lake. Midway of its course, however, the country rises in beautiful gradations of undulating pasture land, on which browse the cattle herds of the Babisa, as far as the foot of the Mambwe plateau, on the north-east, and the Chibale mountain chain east, the latter being 7,000 feet high. The population of this region cannot he estimated at more than ten to the square mile, which would give 460,000 souls to the territory. The remaining section of the Congo basin to be described is the Tanganika territory, which covers a superficial area of 93,000 square miles, of which the lake itself being 391 English miles in length, with an average breadth of twenty-four miles, absorbs 9400 square miles. In some portions of this section the population is dense ; as for instance, in Usige, Urundi, Uhha, Eastern THE TANGANIKA TERRITORY. 363 Itawa, Ujiji, and some portions of Umyamwezi ; in Th^f^nel others, again, as in Kawendi, Marungu, Ufipa, it is but Argument- thinly populated. By a moderate estimate, it would be twenty-five to the square mile, making a population for the entire basin of 2,325,000. The surface of the lake is at an altitude of 2750 feet above the sea. On the north-west it is bounded by mountains rising 2500 feet higher, to the south- west by heights ranging from 1500 to 2000 feet. Along the east the average height of the table land is 1500 feet above the lake ; on the north is a broad, funnel-shaped valley leading to the lofty uplands of Ruanda. On one half of this territory cattle are bred in numerous herds. The Warundi, Wahha, Wazige', and Wanya-Ruanda, a very superior race of people, could not exist without their cattle. The Wajiji and Wan- yam wezi, who are allied to them, also affect a pastoral life, while they do not neglect the production of cereals, sorghum, millet, maize. At Ujiji, Uvira, and Uzige, are trading communities of Arabs ; on the west side of Tanganika is a London Missionary station. About midway on the east is a station of the African International Association. At Ujiji ends the oil-palm, the other productions of the land being similar to the Upper Congo section. On the eastern portion of the basin cereals form the staple food of the inhabitants, while on its western portion the principal food consists of bananas and cassava. 364 THE CONGO. The Kernel At the markets of Uiiji may be seen a number of of the m . . Argument. tl)e principal products for sale — ivory, maize, sesame, millet, beans, ground nuts, sugar-cane, chilies, wild fruit, palm-oil, bananas, plaintains, honey, goats, sheep, cattle, fowls, fish, tobacco, fish-nets, copper wristlets, iron wire, bark cloth, bows and arrows, hoes, spears, slaves, &c. At Uvira, on the north-west side, are great smelting works, and manufactures of iron wire and ware. At Usanzi, a little south, the best tobacco is raised ; in Ukawendi the largest store of honey and wax is to be found ; from Urungu to Mambvve the finest ivory arrives ; from Marungu the largest number of slaves are brought ; Urundi and Uhha supply the largest number of cattle ; while Ujiji supplies goats and sheep. The following table will present in a compact form the state of our actual knowledge of the Congo basin : — Sections. Area in Square miles. Population per Square mile. Number of Population. Length of Naviga- tion. Area of Name of Lake, £ake. Square miles Lower Congo . Upper Congo Lualaba Chambezi, withi Bangweolo .J Tanganika . 33,000 1,090,000 246,000 46,000 93,000 About 9 40 20 10 25 297,000 43,884,000 4,920,000 460,000 2,325,000 noj 5,250| i,iooj 40o| 391 Leopold 11. 950 Mantumba. 400 Bangweolo. 10,200 Mweru . . 2,700 Kassula and j chain of }2,200 Lakelets . j Tanganika. 9,400 Mutu Nzige 5,400 Kuta Kebir 444 31,634 I,508,0(i0 Average 34 51,886,000 7,251 The subjoined form will illustrate how the Congo POLITICAL BOUNDARIES. 365 basin is at present divided, according to the Berlin The Kernel 1 ' ° of the Conference : — Argument. Divisional Areas. Population. Total area of Congo basin — French territory .... 62,400 2,121,600 Portuguese territory . . 30,700 276,300 349,700 6,910,000 Free State of the Congo . 1,065,200 42,608,000 1,508,000 51,886,000. ■■ UNCLAIMED W?MM PORTUGUESE I I FRENCH ■■■TERRITORY I TERRITORY Efillll TERRITORY POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF THE CONGO BASIN. The above is a concise description of the basin, about the resources of which I lectured about fifty times in the larger cities of France and England in 1878. More minute exploration, and more intimate 366 THE CONGO. The Kernel knowledge of the peoples during my six years later Argument, intercourse with them have but intensified my con- victions. The clever practical people of Manchester ask me, " And what can the natives give us in exchange for our cloth ? " I answer, that the trade of West Africa amounted to £32,000,000 last year, out of which there were probably about £17,000,000 exports, which sailing ships and steamers were able to carry away to Europe from a line of sea coast only 2900 miles long. I have shown, after due care for exactitude obtained after some four hundred astronomical observations, patient exploration, personal investigation, bold essays into as yet wild regions with our small steamers, as- siduous questioning of native navigators, that there are 5250 statute miles of uninterrupted navigable water, which may by overcoming a little trouble at one rapid be increased to (3000 miles in the Upper Congo section of the Congo basin. The area through which these navigable channels flow is over 1,000,000 square miles superficial extent, and is throughout a fertile region unsurpassed for the variety of its natural productions. It is peopled by about 43,000,000 of native Africans, whom, from our experience among 1T000,000 of them, lead us to believe will prove as amenable to reason and prudent treatment as any natives we have encountered. As we have ascertained that along 2030 miles of river banks there dwell 806,300, we may estimate then that POSSIBILITIES OF TRADE. 367 The Kernel 4,483,000 souls inhabit the two banks of the navigable Argument, mileage of 6000 miles, or 12,000 miles of river shore. These 12,000 miles of Congo banks excel in quality the sea shore. In this book, I speak of having found oil-palms and rubber creepers, the dyeing powder of the red-wood and of the orchilla-weed, ot copal deposits, and forests of gum-producing trees at every place I visited ; I speak of eager native traders following us for miles for the smallest piece of cloth. I mention that after travelling many miles to obtain cloth for ivory and red- wood powder, the despairing natives asked, " Well, what is it you do want? Tell us, and we will get it for you." On venturing before that body of practical, sober, intelligent men incorporated into a Manchester Chamber of Commerce, I am confronted with the singular question, " What can the natives give us in exchange for our cloth?" For a first answer I append the following list of produce from the Congo. If sailing ships and steamers can be sent to the Upper Congo basin by the Manchester people, they will obtain three times at least more of West African produce than they obtain from the whole of the West African coast, extending from the Gambia to St. Paul de Loanda, or £50,000,000 worth of produce. Since they cannot send either sailing or steam vessels, they must build two sections of narrow-gauge rail- way respectively fifty-two and ninety-five miles in length, connected by steamboat navigation, or a connected railway 235 miles long, and they will 368 THE CONGO. The K.inei obtain as much produce as such a railway can con- ofthe r _ J Argument. vev? from their trading agents on the Upper Congo, who will collect it from over a million native Africans, who are waiting to be told what further produce is needed beyond ivory, palm-oil, palm kernels, ground- nuts, gum-copal, orchilla-weed, camwood, cola-nuts, gum tragacanth, myrrh, frankincense, furs, skins, hides, feathers, copper, india-rubber, fibre of grasses, beeswax, bark-cloth, nutmeg, ginger, castor-oil nuts, &c. Memorandum from Hutton & Co., The Temple, Dale Street, Liverpool, 12th March, 1885. Value of African Produce in Liverpool. Palm oil (Congo) . „ kernels „ . Ground-nuts, shelled „ in the shell Copra . India rubber . Ivory teeth „ scrivelloes Barwood . Camwood . Ebony . Coffee, small berry „ large „ Cotton .... „ seed Bermiseed . . . Gum copal, red Angola „ white Loanda „ Sierra Leone Guinea grains Chillies . Ginger . Castor seed Croton „ Beeswax . Orchilla weed, Angola £1 £ *. 23 5 12 5 14 10 12 0 16 0 Is. 4d. to 2 £45 to 60 0 £25 „ 45 . . 3 £21 to 23 0 10 0 £6 „ 14 10 £1 5s £ 17s. U to to 10 12 0 10 5 15 15 0 0 19 2 10 d. 0 per ton. 0 „ 0 „ 0 „ 0 „ 1 per lb. 0 per cwt. 0 „ 0 per ton. 0 „ o ,; 0 per cwt. 0 „ 5} per lb. 0 per ton. 0 per 384 lbs. 0 per cwt. 0 „ 6 j per lb. 0 per cwt. 0 0 0 0 0 0 AFRICAN PRODUCE IN LIVERPOOL. 369 £. s. d. The Kernel of the Argument. Kola nuts (fresli^ Eattan canes Porcupine quills Monkey skins Calabar beans Morse teeth ....... Adansonia, or Baobab bark or fibre 11 0 0 per torn 0 7 0 per cwt. 0 10 0 „ 10 0 per cwt. 8 0 0 per tor. 0 14 0 per 1000. 0 10 apiece. 0 0 4 per lb. 0 2 0 „ (Candle-berry) .)Nom.nal ed .... J Ground Nuts, decorticated or shelled, come from the Congo; unshelled from Gambia, Senegal, and the rivers north of Sierra Leone. Coprah, or Copra, comes from different parts of the coast ; it is the sun- dried flesh of the cocoanut. India- Rubber. — The best and cleanest, worth 210s. per cwt., comes from the Congo, and is called " thimble." Ivory. — The dearest is the greenish Gaboon; large teeth fetch £60 per cwt. and upwards ; Angola large teeth fetch £55 to £60. Bermiseed is a seed like the Gingelly seed. Guinea Grains are used for adulterating beer. Kola Nuts. — Only saleable when fresh ; our sample is dried up ; they come red and white. Calabar Beans were worth 2s. (jd. per lb. a few years ago ; they only fetch 3c?. to id. per lb. now, having been imported too plentifully ; they are used for pharmaceutical purposes. Baobab, or Adansonia Fibre, used for paper-making, is imported prin- cipally from the Congo and south-west coast. Oil Nuts are little imported ; they are of the size of pigeons' eggs, and contain some oil. Egusi Seed, little known, contains oil ; is imported now and then ; resembles melon seed. Ebony. — Imported from Old Calabar, worth £6 to £6 17s. 6c?. per ton; imported from Gaboon, it is worth £7 to £14 10s., according to size of pieces. By the very simplicity of the question of the Manchester merchants, it is evident they require very simple answers. For the benefit of these as well as for others, I submit the following exceedingly simple method of replying. Supposing a few factories were established on the Upper Congo, a few at Isangila, and a few at Man- Yol. II.— 24 370 THE CONGO. The Kernel yanga, and judging from what is being done on the Argument. Lower Congo, the following produce was shipped : — Factories where Stationed. Produce. Gross Value. Weight. lsangila . . - . Manyanga .... lsangila and Manyanga Stanley Tool, &c. . Upper Congo . . . )> ... a ... Lake Leopold II. and( Mantumba . . . } Kwa Mouth . . . Ground nuts s> • • Palm-oil .... Orehilla-weed . Ivory .... Hippo teeth . Rubber .... Skins .... Palm-oil .... Beeswax .... Copal-gum . . Camwood Sesanum seed . £ 370~000 870,000 310,000 450,000 260,000 11,200 1,530,000 20,000 1,240,000 5,000 600,000 480,000 20,800 Tons. 25,000 25,000 10,000 10,000 232 20 10,000 1,800 40,000 50 10,000 . 20,000 4,000 5,667,000 156,102 The tonnage thus adduced by the above estimate would be equal to 427 J tons per day, which would task the resources of such a railway. At one penny per ton per mile freight, the gross revenue of the railway would be equal to £152,000, and if we esti- mate the revenue derived from the freight of goods going into the interior for commerce, State, and missions, we may well conceive that the aggregate for up and down freight would amount to £300,000 per annum, exclusive of passengers. From Yivi to lsangila is a distance of fifty-two miles, and such a railway as wTould be required for this section at the cost of £4000 per mile, would require a capital of £210,000. Four steamers at £5000 each would connect lsangila with Manyanga, which secures 00,000 tons of ground-nuts and palm- ESTIMATE OF PROBABLE EXPORTS. 371 oil, the gross value of which is £1,050,000. Of ivory The Kernel and rubber, £300,000 might easily be bought, because Argument, the great depot of trade would then be at the ter-. minus — Manyanga — and the service of the 800 carriers now conveying goods between Yivi and Stanley Pool (235 miles), would be utilised in carrying produce between the Pool and Manyanga, ninety-five miles. The aggregate revenue of the up and down traffic from commerce, State, and missions, exclusive of passengers, would be about £120,000, for an outlay of £230,000. The fuel would be obtained at the Bundi, and Ngoma forests, through which the line of railway would run. It would of course be a surface railway, the extraordinary outlay being only for a few bridges. Were the railway to be direct from Yivi to Stanley Pool, the distance being only 235 miles, the expense of construction at £4000 per mile would only amount to £940,000. The gross revenue of £300,000 per annum for such an outlay is surely large ! Once such a railway is constructed a million square miles must contribute to its support. The trade by 5200 miles of uninterrupted river navigation flowing through it would chiefly consist of heavy produce in exchange for as bulky goods, cotton goods, beads, muskets, gunpowder, cutlery, china, and iron ware, inasmuch as bullion, cheques, bank-notes are useless in the Congo basin. As a mere speculation there is nothing in the whole wide world offering so remunerative an in- '312 THE CONGO. The Kernel vestment of capital as this small railway. Animals of the Argument, of all kinds, and human carriers have been tested, and have proved to be failures ; the cataracts are impassable ; aerial navigation, unfortunately, cannot compete with the railway as yet, and until that time arrives every article that a mortal man needs must pay toll of freight to this iron road. To-day £52,000 are paid per annum for porterage between Stanley Pool and the coast, by native traders, the International Association, and three Missions, which is equal to 5| per cent, on the £940,000 said to be needed to construct the railway to the Pool. But let the Vi'vi and Stanley Pool railroad be constructed, and it would require an army of Grenadiers to prevent the traders from moving on to secure the favourite places in the commercial El Dorado of Africa. The equatorial regions of Africa have for ages defied Islamism, Christianity, science, and trade. Like the waves beating on a rocky shore, so Islamism has dashed itself repeatedly from the north in its frantic effort to reach the line of the Equator. Christianity has also made ineffectual attempts for the last three centuries to obtain a footing in the same region, but ignorance of the climate caused its retirement. Science has directed strategic assaults upon the closely-besieged area, and has succeeded in retiring with brilliant results ; its success, however, has been only temporary, as Trade which ought to have followed stood dazed with the difficulties which the pioneers encountered. Thus the equatorial region, which offers such large AFRICA RECLAIM ABLE. 373 prospects to the enterprising, Las been left to stew i n Tha Kernel . . P . . .,. . . of the its own juice or fatness. Civilisation, so often baffled, Argument, stands railing at the barbarism and savagery that presents such an impenetrable front to its efforts. It feigns to forget by what process England, Gaul, and Belga3 were redeemed from barbarism ; and because at this late hour there still emerges into light the great heart of Africa with its countless millions without the slightest veneer of artificialism over man's natural state, it thoughtlessly exclaims that the African savages are irreclaimable. How is it possible that these natives of Africa, whose bonds have been fixed in such an inac- cessible area, could have been otherwise ? No people that we have any record of have ever risen out of the slough of barbarism without external help. Europe has been compounded out of the relics of many nations and tribes — Celts, Huns, Goths, Vandals, Greeks, Romans, Franks, Saxons, Normans, Saracens, Turks, who have become involved with one another a thousand times in commotions and contentions during many centuries. It is out of the fragments of warring myriads that the present polished nations of Europe have sprung. Had a few of those waves of races flowing and eddying over Northern Africa succeeded in leaping the barrier of the Equator, we should have found the black aboriginal races of Southern Africa very different from the savages we meet to-day. But until the latter half of the nineteenth century the world was ignorant of what lay beyond the rapids of Isangila, or how slight was the obstacle which lay 874 THE CONGO. The Kernel between civilisation and the broad natural highway Argument, which cleaved the dark virgin regions of Africa into two equal halves, and how Nature had formed a hundred other navigable channels by which access could be gained to this her latest gift to mankind. As a unit of that mankind for which nature reserved it, I rejoice that so large an area of the earth still lies to be developed by the coming races ; I rejoice to find that it is not only high in value, but that it excels all other known lands for the number and rare variety of precious gifts with which nature has endowed it. Let us take North America for instance, and the richest portion of it, viz., the Mississippi basin, to compare with the Congo basin, previous to its develop- ment by that mixture of races called modern Americans. When De Soto navigated the Father of waters, and the Indians were undisputed masters of the ample river- basin, the spirit of enterprise would have found in the natural productions some furs and timber. The Congo basin is, however, much more promising at the same stage of undevelopment. The forests on the banks of the Congo are filled with precious redwood, lignum vitas, mahogany, and fragrant gum-trees. At their base may be found inexhaustible quantities of fossil gum, with which the carriages and furnitures of civilised countries are varnished ; their boles exude myrrh and frankincense ; their foliage is draped with orchilia-weed, useful for dye. The redwood when cut down, chipped and rasped, produces a deep crimson DEVELOPING THE COUNTRY'S RESOURCES. 375 powder, giving a valuable colouring; the creepers The Kernel which hang in festoons from tree to tree are generally Argument, those from which india-rubber is produced (the best of which is worth 2s. per lb.) ; the nuts of the oil palm give forth a butter, a staple article of commerce ; while the fibres of others will make the best cordage. Among the wild shrubs are frequently found the cofTee-plant. In its plains, jungle, and swamp, luxuriate the ele- phants, whose teeth furnish ivory worth from 9>s. to lis. per lb. ; its waters teem with numberless herds of hip- popotamus, whose tusks are also valuable ; furs of the lion, leopard, monkey, otter ; hides of antelope, buffalo, goat, cattle, &c, may also be obtained. But what is of far more value, it possesses over 40,000,000 of mode- rately-industrious and workable people, which the Red Indians never were. And if we speak of prospective ad- vantages and benefits to be derived from this late gift of Nature, they are not much inferior in number or value to those of the well-developed Mississippi Valley. The copper of Lake Superior is rivalled by that of the Kwilu-Niadi Yalley, and of Bembe'. Rice, cotton, tobacco, maize, coffee, sugar, and wheat, would thrive equally well on the broad plains of the Congo. This is only known after the least superficial examination of a limited line which is not much over 50 miles wide. I have heard of gold and silver, but this statement requires further corroboration, and I am not disposed to touch upon what I do not personally know. For climate, the Mississippi valley is superior, but a large portion of the Congo basin at present inaccessible 376 THE CONGO. The Kernel to the immigrant is blessed with a temperature under Argument, which Europeans may thrive and multiply. There is no portion of it where the European trader may not fix his residence for years, and develop com- merce to his own profit with as little risk as is incurred in India. It is specially with a view to rouse the spirit of trade that I dilate upon the advantages possessed by the Congo basin, and not as a field for the pauper immi- grant. There are over 40,000,000 native paupers within the area described, who are poor and degraded already, merely because they are encompassed round about by hostile forces of nature and man, denying them con- tact and intercourse with the elements which might have ameliorated the unhappiness of their condition. European pauperism planted amongst them would soon degenerate to the low level of aboriginal degradation. It is the cautious trader who advances, not without the means of retreat ; the enterprising mercantile factor who with one hand receives the raw produce from the native, in exchange for the finished pro- duct of the manufacturers loom — the European mid- dleman who has his home in Europe but has his heart in Africa is the man who is wanted. These are they who can direct and teach the black pauper what to gather of the multitude of things around him and in his neighbourhood. They are the missionaries of com- merce, adapted for nowhere so well as for the Congo basin, where are so many idle hands, and such abun- dant opportunities all within a natural '; ring fence." A GOSPEL OF ENTERPRISE. 377 Those entirely weak-minded, irresolute, and senile people The Kerne who profess scepticism, and project it before them Argument, always as a shield to hide their own cowardice from general observation, it is not my purpose to attempt to interest in Africa, Of the 325,000,000 of people in civilised Europe there must be some surely to whom the gospel of enterprise preached in this book through the medium of eight languages will present a few items of fact worthy of retention in the memory, and capable of inspiring a certain amount of action. I am encouraged in this belief by the rapid absorption of several ideas which I have industriously promulgated during the last few years respecting the Dark Conti- nent. Pious missionaries have set forth devotedly to instil into the dull mindless tribes the sacred germs of religion ; but their material difficulties are so great that the progress they have made bears no proportion to the courage and zeal they have exhibited. I now turn to the worldly wise traders, for whose benefit and convenience a railway must be constructed. 378 TEE CONGO. CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE BERLIN CONFERENCE. Strengthening the fabric — Precedents — Treaties -with chiefs : their validity — The Anglo- Portuguese Treaty — United States action- Prince Bismarck's views - Position of Great Britain— German and French interests— Freedom of commerce — Berlin Conference— List of Plenipotentiaries — Deliberations and decisions at the Conference — Acquisitions of France and Portugal— Free Trade- A safe juris- diction— The Royal Founder. The Berlin Xhe building of the Congo State may be likened to Conference. ° ° ^ the construction of an edifice. We of the expedition may be compared to the labourers clearing the ground, levelling the site, reducing the approaches into order, digging the trenches, laying the foundations, and finally building up the walls to the designed height, while Colonel Strauch and Captain Thys, of the Bureau of the Association, supplied us with tools and mortar. But the edifice in such a condition if lone: exposed to the elements cannot stand. The labourers, bricklayers, and stone-masons must retire, and the owner must apply to the carpenters and slaters to put on the roof, and place the doors and windows in their places. When these have finished their parts, the cabinet-makers and upholsterers must be called in STRENGTHENING THE FABRIC. 379 to render the house habitable. The Expedition of the The Berlin Conference. Upper Congo and the Bureau had now performed their duties, but the Royal Founder of the State was com- pelled, in order to insure its prosperity and continuity, as the work advanced, to apply to the various Go- vernments of Europe and America for recognition, and for security and peaceful safeguard of its frontiers, to make treaties with France and Portugal, which would delimit the boundaries, and arrange with all of them for the preservation of neutrality. The precedents of the English Puritans of the May- flower in 1620, of the New Hampshire colonists in 1639, of the East India Company, Sarawak, Liberia, and Borneo favoured the right of individuals to found and establish states upon the cession of territory with its sovereignty to them by the independent sovereigns, chiefs, rulers, or assemblies, who were the original owners or holders of it. The Association were in possession of treaties made with over 450 independent African chiefs, whose rights would be conceded by all to have been indisputable, since they held their lands by undisturbed occupation, by long ages of succession, by real divine right. Of their own free will, without coercion, but for substantial considerations, reserving only a few easy conditions, they had transferred their rights of sovereignty and of ownership to the Association. The time had then arrived when a sufficient number of these had been made to connect the several miniature sovereignties into one concrete whole, to present itself before the 380 THE CONGO. a world for general recognition of its right to govern, and hold these in the name of an independent state, lawfully constituted according to the spirit and tenor of international law. The Committee on Foreign Relations with the United States, in their Report to the forty-eighth Congress, say : " It can scarcely be denied that the native chiefs have the right to make these treaties. The able and exhaustive statements of Sir Travers Twiss, the eminent English jurist, and of Professor Arntz, the no less distinguished Belgian publicist, leave no doubt upon the question of the legal capacity of the African International Association in view of the law of nations to accept any powers belonging to these native chiefs and governments which they may choose to delegate or cede to them." "The practical question to which they give an affirmative answer, for reasons which appear to be indisputable, is this, * Can independent chiefs of savage tribes cede to private citizens (persons) the whole or part of their States, with the sovereign rights which pertain to them, conformably to the traditional customs of the country ? ■ " u The doctrine advanced in this proposition, and so well sustained by these writers, accords with that held by the Government of the United States, that the occupants of a country, at the time of its discovery by other and more powerful nations, have the right to make the treaties for its disposal, and that private persons when associated in such country for self-pro- VALIDITY OF NATIVE TREATIES. 381 tection, or self-government, may treat with the inhabi- The Berlin Conference. tants for any purpose that does not violate the laws of nations." In consequence of negotiations entered into between the British and Portuguese Governments, beginning November, 1882, and ending February 25, 1884, a treaty was finally concluded, by which the whole of the south-west African coast, between S. latitude 5° 12', and S. latitude 5° 18', was recognised by the British Government as Portuguese territory. This included the Lower Congo, of course, by which the territory of the Association became excluded from the sea. The treaty was signed on the 26th of February, 1884, by Earl Granville on the part of Great Britain, and by Senhor Miguel Martins dAntas, on behalf of the Government of Portugal. Earl Granville, however, declared, previous to the signature of the treaty, that the acceptance by other Powers of the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty was indispens- able before it could come into operation, and that there was reason to believe that this acceptance would be refused, which would necessarily delay the ratification. Hitherto this territory proposed to be given up to Portugal, so far as Great Britain was concerned, bad been regarded as neutral, and the treaty, thus con- cluded, marked a radical change in British policy ; for a long series of British ministers had, during over half a century, peremptorily declined to recognise the Portuguese claims. On the publication of the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty, 382 THE CONGO. ;i the European powers, especially France and Germany, emphatically protested against it, and in England men of all shades of politics combined to denounce it, princi- pally through a fear that the restrictions imposed upon trade in other colonies belonging to Portugal would be so severe as to render commerce impossible in the Congo region. The most signal protest to the • Anglo-Portuguese Treaty was, however, from the United States of America. One of the faithful coadjutors of the Committee of the International Association, General H. S. Sanford, of Floiida, formerly United States Minister to Belgium, in the latter part of 1883, had, by means of the press and his intimate acquaintance with the authorities, succeeded in rousing a genuine public interest in the Congo question. The American people had evidently forgotten that it was through the philanthropy of their fellow citizens that the Free States of Liberia had been founded to the establishment of which they had con- tributed $2,558,987 of their money to create homes and comforts for the 18,000 free Africans they had de- spatched to settle there. This state, which they might regard with honest pride, had now an area of 14,300 square miles, and a revenue of $100,000. They had seemingly forgotten also that it was to .the munificence of one of their fellow citizens, and that it was to the discovery and rescue of Dr. Livingstone by another of their fellow-citizens, that popular attention was drawn to Africa, and that they had a half share in the honour of the exploration of the Congo basin which had now AMEBIC A AXD THE ASSOCIATION. 383 culminated in attracting the attention of the world. The Berlin . Conference. When General Sanford reminded his countrymen of these facts, and held out to them a prospect in re- building their once important trade in West Africa, it was not difficult then to induce Congress to examine the question soberly, and after a patient investigation of every fact bearing upon it, the United States Senate, on the 10th of April, 1884, passed a resolution authorising the President to recognise the International African Association as a governing power on the Congo River. The recognition of the United States was the birth unto new life of the Association, seriously menaced as its existence was by opposing interests and ambitions ; and the following of this example by the European Powers has affirmed and secured its place among Sovereign States. This act, the result of the well- considered judgment of the American statesmen, was greatly criticised abroad, as was the participation of the United States in the Berlin Conference, to which it directly led up, by the press of America. It was an act well worthy of the Great Republic, not only as taking the lead in publicly recognising and supporting the great work of African civilisation in history, and in promoting the extension of commerce, but of significant import, in view of its interest for the future weal of the 7,000,000 people of African descent within its borders. The British Chambers of Commerce, notably those of Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow, resolutely opposed the treaty concluded with Portugal, but 384 THE CONGO. The Berlin withal the strenuous opposition maintained to it in Conference. commercial circles and in the House of Commons, had not the Roval Founder of the Association obtained the assistance of the German Chancellor and the sympathies of the French Government, it is doubtful whether any- thing done in England would have succeeded in averting the effectual seal being put upon enterprise in the Congo basin by this treaty. Much more liberal terms would be needed to tempt commerce within its borders than any provisions that the treaty contained. Some such arrangement as that made by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, whereby liberty of navigation was proclaimed to the great rivers of Europe, such as the Rhine and the Danube, would be necessary ; and now that an Association had absorbed unto itself hundreds of petty sovereignties along a large portion of it, and France had proceeded in the same manner to absorb other portions of the Congo banks, while Portugal pressed her claims to territories washed by the great African river, it was absolutely and imperatively in- cumbent on the Powers to step forward and impose such obligations on the riverain Powers as would not imperil or strangle the commerce already thriving on the banks of the Lower Con 2:0. On the 7th of June, 1884, Prince Bismarck set forth his objections to. the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty to Count Munster as follows : — " I do not think the Treaty has any chance of being universally recog- nised, even with the modifications which are therein proposed by Her Majesty's Government. " We are not prepared to admit the previous rights of any of the BRITISH EXPLORERS. 385 Powers who are interested in the Congo trade as a basis for the negotia- The Berlin tions. Trade and commerce have hitherto been free to all alike, without Conference, restriction. We cannot take part in any scheme for handing over the administration, or even the direction of their arrangement, to Portuguese officials. " In the interests of German commerce, therefore, I cannot consent that a coast of such importance, which has hitherto been free land, should be subjected to the Portuguese colonial system." Hitherto Britain had been the most enterprising nation in African fields of exploration and commerce. In the annals of exploration of the Dark Continent, we look in vain among other nationalities for a name such as Livingstone's. He stands pre-eminent above all ; he unites in himself all the best qualities of other ex- plorers, the methodical perseverance of Barth, Moffat's philo-Africanism, Rohlf's enterprising spirit, Duvey- rier's fondness for geographical minutiae. Barton's literal accuracy, Speke's charming simplicity and seductive bonhommie with the aborigines ; he is a rare piece of human mosaic, a real glory to England. But to English Burton, Germany can show Barth, and France Duveyrier; and to Speke the first can show Rohlf, and the latter Bene Caillie ; to Cameron Germany can oppose Nachtigal ; and to Baker, Schwein- furtb, thougli two greater opposites can scarcely be imagined; and France can also boast of De Compeigne and De Brazza. But Britain, after producing Bruce, Park, Clapperton, Denham, the Landers, excelled her- self even when she produced the strong and perse- verant Scotchman, Livingstone. In West African trade also Great Britain stood almost alone at one time. Macgregor Lnird exploited Vol. IT.— 2-S 386 THE CONGO. TheBerimthe Niger in 1841; her traders were busy on the Conference. , .. Gambia, on the Boquelle, on the Gold Coast, at Lagos in the oil rivers, at Gaboon and Kabinda, and the Glasgow and Liverpool and Bristol merchants were represented by a host of agents, who had planted themselves at various points along 2,900 miles of coast, but of late years, through the apathy of English merchants, Germany by her enterprise had also estab- lished herself at various places, and great houses like that of Woerman's were looming upward, overtopping all individual English firms, which could number their factories by dozens and their agents by scores. Ham- burg and Bremen were outri vailing Liverpool and Glasgow. Thus Germany had solid and substantial reasons for watching and jealously guarding her mer- cantile interests ; and France, aided by the energy and talents of Monsieur de Brazza, in territories beyond and contiguous to the Gaboon colony, naturally wished to establish herself, beyond dispute, in the districts acquired by the devotion and intelligence of her agents. The political talents of the German Chancellor, Prince Bismarck, are not of the ordinary standard. Those who profess to follow the beaten paths and prescribed rules of diplomatic art, mere obsolete principles of Machiavelli, are confused by the con- sistent, direct, coherent sincerity which dictates his policy, and lose themselves in profound speculations as to what his drift is, when in plain literal characters his purpose lies written in legible letters and inr PRINCE BISMARCK. 367 tellicrible lauffuaire. German savants had explored The Berlin fo fo fe 1 Conference. territories unclaimed by any Power ; German merchants were honestly established at certain places on the West African coast ; out of the most intelligent and enter- prising of the sons of Germany twenty-four Geo- graphical Societies had been formed, and a dozen Colonial Associations, besides African societies, were being constituted in Germany. Already Bastian, Gussfeldt, Peschuel Loesche, Buchner, Von Mechow, Pogge, Weissman, had been equipped by a German African Society, and it was preparing to despatch more. These facts were published in their reviews and magazines. There was no secrecy in the move- ment ; all was honest and above-board, and all the world was told of the modest effort Germany was making to expand its colonial strength. Like the great statesman he is, Prince Bismarck felt this strong throb of modern German life. He applied his stethescope to listen to the murmuring and latent passion of his era, and having discovered it, be bent his genius to create a sound system of colonial policy, not rashly, though to those without the orbit of his genius it might be supposed to be eccentric. He is zealous in all he undertakes, he seeks advice from those competent to give it. This is his eccentricity; it is unusual for statesmen to convene a number of experts to consider the best course to pursue. The Woerrnans and the Meyers of Hamburg and Bremen were sum- moned to Varsin to see the Prince. During the visit they paid him, Prince Bismarck, through his receptive 388 THE CONGO. The Berlin gifts, imbibed such a vast amoimt of local knowledge Conference. • respecting the little known territories of West Africa, that I venture to say few Foreign Ministers ever possessed. On September 13th Prince Bismarck writes to Baron de Courcel, French Ambassador at Berlin — " Like France, the German Government will observe a friendly attitude towards the Belgian enterprises on the banks of the Congo, owing to the desire entertained by the two Governments to secure to their countrymen freedom of trade throughout the whole of the future Congo States, and in the districts which France holds on this river, and which she proposes to assimilate to the liberal system which that State is expected to establish. These advantages will continue to be enjoyed by German subjects, and will be guaranteed to them in the event of France being called upon to exercise the right of preference accorded by the King of the Belgians in the contingency of the acquisitions made by the Cod go Company being alienated." It should be observed here that the International Association, after the publication of the Anglo-Portu- guese Treaty, and perceiving no other way to escape the consequences of it, had signed an agreement, to which was attached a map, with France, fifty-seven days later, or on April 23rd, the text of which is as follows : — " The International Association of the Congo, in the name of the Free Stations and territories which it has established on the Congo and in the valley of the Niadi-Kwilu, formally declares that it will not cede them to any Power under reserve of the special Conventions which might be concluded between France and the Association with a view to settling the limits and conditions of their respective action. But the Association, wishing to afford a new proof of its friendly feeling towards France, pledges itself to give her the right of preference, if through any unforeseen circumstances the Association were one day led to realise its possessions. (Signed) " Strauch." Mons. Jules Ferry, President of the Council, re- plied in terms which formally pledged France to respect the territories of the Association. FRANCE AND GERMANY. 389 Prince Bismarck continues — Tho Ber]ili Conference. " The exchange of views which I have had the honour of holding with your Excellency proves that the two Governments are equally desirous of applying to the navigation of the Congo and the Niger the principles adopted by the Congress of Vienna, with a view to assuring the freedom of navigation of several international rivers, and subsequently applied to the Danube. In order to secure at the same time the regular development of European trade in Africa, it would be useful to arrive at an agreement as to the formalities to be observed with a view to new occupations on the coasts of Africa being regarded as effective. I beg that your Excellency will have the goodness to propose to the Government of the Eepublic that it should recognise the identity of our views on these points by means of an exchange of notes, and should invite the other Cabinets interested in African commerce to pronounce themselves in a Conference to be convoked to this intent upon the stipulations agreed upon between the two Powers. (Signed) "Von Bismarck." The French Ambsssador, Baron de Courcel, in replying to this communication, states that he has not failed to convey to his Government Prince Bis- marck's note, which in substance was similar to the views exchanged between them at Yarzin. Also that the French Republic is completely in accord with the Imperial Government of Germany about the desir- ability of arriving at a mutual understanding respect- ing the delimitation of territory over the West Coast of Africa, especially where the German possessions border on those of the French. He likewise acknow- ledges that the friendly accord between the two Govern- ments is connected with principles of the highest importance to trade in Africa, of which the chief are those which must govern the freedom of trade in the basin of the Congo. He also assents to the idea that whereas the African International Association, which has established a number of stations on the 390 THE CONGO. The Berlin Congo, declares itself ready to admit that principle Conference. _ over all the territory under its control, France should grant freedom of trade over that which she now owns, or may hereafter own on the Congo, and that France declares her willingness to permit this freedom to continue in the event of her reaping the benefit of the arrangements touched upon by the Prince, which assures to France the right of preference in case of the alienation of the territories acquired by the Asso- ciation. He defines freedom of commerce to mean free access to all flags, and the interdiction of all monopoly or differential duties ; but not excluding the establish- ment of taxes to compensate for useful expenditure incurred in the interests of commerce. AVhile freely extending these beneficial concessions to commercial enterprise in the Congo basin, Baron de Courcel states that France is not willing that Gaboon, Guinea, or Senegal should share them ; but solely the Congo and the Niger. With other views expressed by Prince Bismarck, the French Government we are told, holds identical ideas, and Mons. Jules Ferry acquiesces with the Prince in sending an invitation to the other Cabinets interested in African trade, for the purpose of convening a Conference which shall pronounce upon the respective stipulations mutually agreed upon by France and Germany. On the 2nd of October Baron de Courcel replies to a letter addressed to him by Prince Bismarck : — " My Prince, — I have lost no time in informing my Government of the views expressed in the communication of your Serene Highness, dated PLENIPOTENTIARIES AT BERLIN. 391 September 30th, respecting the meeting at Berlin of a Conference of the ^he Berlin representatives of the different nations interested in the trade of West Conference. Africa. The Government of the Eepublic instructs me to inform you of its acquiescence in your suggestions regarding the date of the opening of the Conference, and the procedure to be followed for the invitation. M. Jules Ferry thinks, like your most Serene Highness, that besides France and Germany, the Powers which ought first of all to take part in this Conference are Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and the United States of North America. He also concurs in your opinion, that in order to assure the general assent to the resolutions of the Conference, it would be advisable to invite later on all the great Powers and the Scandinavian States to associate themselves with the deliberations. (Signed) "Alphonse de Courcel." Accordingly, invitations were issued to the under- mentioned Governments, and on the 15th of November there were gathered at Berlin the following plenipo- tentiaries, who were empowered to take part in the Conferences. For the German Empire and Otho, Prince de Bismarck, President of the the Kingdom of Prussia . Council of Ministers, and Chancellor of the German Empire. Paul, Count Hatzfeldt, Minister of State and Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Dr. Auguste Busch, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Herr Henri de Kusserow, Counsellor in the Department of Foreign Affairs. For the Austrian Empire, Emeric, Count Szechenyi de Sarvari Felso- Kingdom of Bohemia, and Vidck, Ambassador Extraordinary and of Hungary .... Plenipotentiary. For the Kingdom of Belgium Gabriel, Count von der Straten Ponthos, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. August, Baron Lambermont, Minister of State, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. For the Kingdom of Denmark Emile de Vind, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. For the Kingdom of Spain . Don Francisco Merry y Colom, Count de Benomar, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. 392 THE CONGO. The Berlin For the Republic of theUnitcd Conference, states of North America . For the Republic of France John A. Kasson, Esq., Envoy Extraordi- nary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Henry S. Sanford, Esq., formerly American Minister to Belgium. Alphonse Baron de Courcel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. For the UDited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Empire of India. For the Kingdom of Italy . Edward, Count de Launay, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. For the Kingdom of the Phillippe Frederic, Jonkheer Van der Netherlands and the Duchy Iloeven, Envoy Extraordinary and of Luxembourg. . . . Minister Plenipotentiary. For the Kingdom of Portugal Senhor da Serra Gomes, Marquis de Pena- and the Algarves. . . . fiel, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Senhor Antoine Serpa de Pimentel, Coun- cillor of State. For the Empire of all the Pierre, Count Kapn^t, Privy Counsellor, Russias Envoy Extraordinary, and Minister Plenipotentiary to the King of the Netherlands. For the Kingdom of Sweden Gillis, Baron Bildr, Lieut.-General, Envoy and Norway Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo- tentiary. For the Empire of the Otto- Mchemed Said Pacha, Vizier and High mans Dignitary, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. In the suite and attached to these high and puissant functionaries were the various delegates and experts who were either appointed by their respective Govern- ments or by the Plenipotentiaries themselves. With the German Representatives . French Ambassador . . British Ambassador Italian Ambassador Herr Adolphe Woerman. Mons. Dubuisson. Mons. Engelhardt. Dr. Ballay. Hon. Robert H. Meade. Henry Percy Anderson, Esq. Mr. Hemming. Mr. W. E. Crowe. Count Christoforo Negri. Senator Montegazza. THE MAIN OBJECTS OF THE CONFERENCE. 393 With the Spanish Ambassador . . Col. Coello y Dusada, President of The Berlin the Spanish African Society. Conference. „ Dutch Ambassador . . A. D. Bloeme, Esq., of Banana Point, Congo Kiver. „ Portuguese Eepresenta- Senhor Luciano Cordeiro. tives Capt. Carlos du Bocage. „ Belgian Ambassador . . Col. Strauch. Mons. Emile Banning. „ American Plenipotentairies The Author, as Technical Adviser. The secretaries of the Conference were Mons. Raindre, of the French Embassy, Count Wm. Bismarck, and Vice-Consul Dr. Schmidt. The sittings were held in the German Chancellor's palace on Wilhelmstrasse, in the same room where the Berlin Congress sat in 1878. When the members of the Conference had assembled, the afternoon of the 15th of November, Prince Bismarck rose to formally open it, and in his short address he declared that the Conference had met for the solution of three main objects, namely 1. The free navigation, with freedom of trade, on the River Congo. 2. The free navigation of the River Niger. 3. The formalities to be observed for valid annexation of territory in future on the African continent. Sir Edward Malet replied, that while he echoed the philanthropic sentiments of the Prince, and accepted the above three points for discussion, his Government was willing to see the principles of Free Trade ap- plied to the Niger, but stipulated that the surveillance over the execution of those principles should not be conceded to any international body, as that was the duty and privilege of Great Britain, being the chief 394 THE CONGO. The Berlin if not the sole proprietary Power on the Lower Conference. . -N lger. In order to make a consecutive narrative of the principal events connected with the sittings, I append a brief diary of the events which led to the final act.* November 1 9th. — Portugal declares its acceptance of the principle of freedom of commerce. Count de Launay declared his adhesion to the prin- ciples of Free Trade and navigation. The American Minister makes a speech in harmony with the principles for which the Conference has been invoked ; is complimentary to the author, and informs his colleagues that the author has been appointed technical delegate for the United States. A Commission is to be appointed to consider the boundaries and the extent of the territories in Western Africa in which Free Trade is to be established. The plenipotentiaries are entertained at dinner by Count Hatzfeldt, Secretary of Foreign Affairs. November 20th. — A Commission composed of the plenipotentiaries and delegates considered the definition of the Congo basin. There was a curious reluctance to speak, as though there was some grand scheme of State policy involved. Finally Mons. Banning briefly stated that the Congo basin signified the area of land drained by the river. Colonel Strauch acquiesced in Mons. Banning's remarks. I being next on the roll of delegates wTas asked, and replied at length (see * See Appendix. DEFINITION OF THE CONGO BASIN. 395 Appendix), arguing for a broad commercial delta 380 miles wide to a free commercial basin, that is, from the mouth of the Loge river to 2° 30' S. Lai, and also suggested, quite unexpectedly to the members, that it would be wise to extend the same liberty for trade across Africa to within one degree from the sea- coast from N. Lat. 5° to and inclusive of the lower Zambezi. Mr. Anderson, of the English Foreign Office, endorsed mv remarks about the breadth of the free outlet to the commercial basin of the Congo. Mons. de Bloeme, on the part of Holland, also warmly sup- ported the proposition. The Portuguese delegates pro- posed to narrow the outlet solely to the river-mouth. Dr. Ballay argued that the outlet to the commercial basin should be restricted to the affluents flowing to the Congo below Stanley Pool, which near the mouth would be only twenty miles wide. Xovember 24th. — The Commission finally accepts the definition of the free littoral or debouchure of the commercial basin as proposed by Mr. Anderson, M. de Bloeme and myself, and agreed that the same freedom of commerce should be extended east as far as the Indian Ocean, with due reserve to the rights of suzerainty now existing along the Oriental coast. Mons. de Bloeme delivered an interesting speech respecting the Dutch commerce on the Congo, and Herr Woerman gave evidence as to the character and extent of the trade on the West Coast. This evening I dined with Prince Bismarck. I am 396 THE CONGO. The Berlin glad to have seen the grand man, but I am still more Conference. rejoiced to discover that the grandeur to which he has attained is due solely to his honesty, resolution, and clear-eyed common-sense, unalloyed by any one grain of cant or false sentiment. November 30th. — An unanimous decision was arrived at in favour of freedom of trade throughout the newly- defined Congo basin (see Appendix for the Declaration). I made a speech about the religious and missionary enterprise in the Congo basin. December 3rd. — The special sub-committee continued its deliberations for the Actes de Navigation. The day before Sir E. Malet, on the part of England, declared that " Great Britain engages herself to protect mer- chants and foreigners of all nations engaging in com- merce in those portions of the course of the Niger which are or will be under its sovereignty or its protectorate equally as if they were its own subjects, provided always that these merchants conform to the regulations which are or will be established in terms of that which precedes.'1 Mr. Wm. H. Tisdel, appointed by the United States Government, has just set out for the Congo to report upon the advantages to American trade. December 13th. — The Grand Committee of the Con- ference approved the Congo and Niger Acts of Navi- gation. December 17th. — On the 8th of November Germany recognised the International Association, and to-day Sir Edward Malet, on behalf of Great Britain, followed THE ACTES BE NAVIGATION 397 her example on conditions nearly similar to those of The Berlin . . . Conference. Germany. The question or delimitation of course is not touched upon until some agreement has been arrived at with France and Portugal. December 18th. — There was a full meeting of the plenipotentiaries to-day, at which the Actes de Navi- gation for both Niger and Congo were approved. December 19th. — Italy signed the Convention with Colonel Strauch to-day, recognising the International Association. A scheme was brought out at the Conference for the enforcement of temperance on the Congo by Italy, but it was strenuously opposed by Germany and Holland. Baron de Courcel produced a counter-motion, which is more likely to be accepted. December 22nd. — The Commission discussed and approved the " motion " on liquor traffic. December 23rd. — The Conference accepted the ap- proval of the Commission regarding the liquor traffic, but added that measures taken to prevent its abuse shall not be taken as a breach of the Free Trade principles already accepted ; after which an adjourn- ment until the 5th of January was agreed to. December 24th. — Austria recognised the flag of the International Association as that of a friendly State in terms similar to those of Germany, with reserving clauses respecting Consular jurisdiction like those of England and Italy. The diplomatic agents of the Association are at work in Paris about a treaty with France. 398 THE CONGO. The Berlin January 5th, 1885. — The Conference resumed its Conference. , . . labours to-day, and discussed the propositions relating to the slave trade tendered by Sir E. B. Malet and Mr. John A. Kasson. As recast, these embody both proposals, and will form a separate declaration. January Gth. — The plenipotentiaries received at a Conference held this day the draft Declaration relating to the formalities to be observed when taking possession of new territory on the coasts of Africa. It enjoins the necessity of a simultaneous notification to all the other signatory Powers to obtain recognition, and to make possession valid, and recognises the obligations of such annexing powers to establish and maintain a jurisdiction sufficient to ensure the observ- ance of peace as well as respect for acquired rights, and as the case may be for the conditions under which freedom of trade and of transit shall have been guaranteed. January 7th. — The Declaration prohibiting slave trade in the Congo basin was adopted by the Con- ference. It says : " Each of the Powers exercising sovereign rights or influence in the regions forming the conventionally established Congo basin declare that these regions shall not be used as markets or routes of transit for the trade in slaves, no matter of what race. Each of these Powers binds itself to use all the means at its disposal to put an end to this trade, and to punish those engaged in it." A large assemblage from the Rhine Province and Westphalia honoured me with a banquet to-day, and LECTURES AND BANQUETS. 399 listened to my remarks about the advantages offered The Berlin _ _ 1 _ Conference. to commerce m the basm ot the Congo. January 8th. — I lectured to a remarkably enthusiastic audience at Frankfort this evening, on Central Africa, and the benefits likely to accrue to Europe, from the labours of the Conference, A diploma from the oldest established Geographical Society in Germany, and another from Prince Hohenlohe Langenburg. on behalf of the German Colonial Association, were bestowed on me. January 9th. — I lectured at Wiesbaden to-day, and was honoured with a banquet. The plenipotentiaries discuss the Declaration respect- ing formalities, and several days' delay are caused principally through Sir E. Malet not having received definite instructions from the British Foreign Office upon the points mentioned. January 19th. — Prince Bismarck entertained the plenipotentiaries and delegates at a banquet given at his palace. An interesting feature at these banquets are the elaborate menus in fashion illustrating the Congo and African scenery, January 28th. — After a long delay the third point, which referred to the foundation required on taking possession of a portion of the African coast, in the programme of the West African Conference, was dis- posed of to-day. January 31st. — The official report on the regulations to be observed in regard to future annexations was approved at a plenary sitting of the Conference. 400 THE CONGO. The Berlin February 5th. — France concluded a treaty with the Conference. . t» • ' l International Association to-day at Paris, by which the frontiers between their respective territories are recog- nised to be as follows : On the north the course of the Chiioango river, thence from its source to near Man- van ga, thence the River Congo, upward through the centre of Stanley Pool, and along the Upper Congo as far as and inclusive of the basin of the Likona. The flag of the Association is to be regarded by France as that of a friendly State, and the Government of the Republic is to use its good offices in the effecting an amicable understanding between Portugal and the Association. February 6th. — Russia formally recognised the Asso- ciation Internationale du Congo to-day, and signed a Convention with its President. February 10th. — Sweden recognised the Association to-day, and signed a Convention with it. February 13th. — The Acte Glenerale was discussed at a meeting of this day's Conference. Mr. Kasson, on behalf of the United States, opposed the proposal to give it the form of a Treaty. February 14th. — The Commission sat this afternoon to deliberate upon the neutrality question. February 15th. — A Delimitation Convention has been at last signed between Portugal and the Associa- tion, by which the former obtains all the south or left bank of the Congo from the sea as far as the rivulet at Uango-Ango. The line between these territories runs south through the mouth of this rivulet, to the latitude DELIMITATION CONVENTION. 401 of Nokki, thence east to the Kwa or Kwango. On The Berlin Conference, the littoral north of the Congo, Portuguese territory begins at the little stream near Cabo Lombo, or Red Point, and thence extends along the sea-coast to Mas- sabe'. In depth this territory extends inland about 35 miles, forming an enclave into that ceded to the Association. The International Association has obtained through these late Conventions with France and Portugal a strip of sea-coast extending from Banana Point to Cabo Lombo, twenty-two miles in length. All of the north, or right bank, as far as the Cataract of Ntombo Mataka, three miles above Manyanga Station, with back country inland, as far as the Chiloango River. On the south, or left bank, the territory of the Association begins at Uango-Ango rivulet, and ends at Lake Bangweolo. Inland it runs south from the mouth of the Uango- Ango rivulet to the latitude of Nokki, thence east along that parallel to the Kwa or Kwango, thence the line ascends the Kwa to S. lat. G°, which it follows to the River Lubilash. Ascending the Lubilash, it runs south to the water-parting between the Zambezi and the Congo, which it follows to Lake Bangweolo. From the eastern side of the lake the line runs to Lake Tanganika, and follows its western shore to the Rusizi influent, and up along its course until it touches east long. 30°, as far as the water-parting between the Congo and Nile waters, whence it strikes westward to East long. 17°, and thence along that meridian south- ward to the Likona Basin. Vol. II.— 26 402 THE CONGO, The Berlin February 19th. — The Commission was engaged this on ennce. afternoon jn deliberating upon the French neutrality proposal. February 21st. — The neutrality question has been adopted. Baron Lambermont's report on the final Acte was read. February 23rd. — Belgium has formally recognised the International Association, the Treaty being signed to-day. Denmark has also declared by treaty its* recog- nition of the new State of the Congo. Dr. Busch, the acting President, communicated to the Conference the fact that nearly all the Powers assembled had concluded Conventions for the recog- nition of the International Association, and declared not only his personal gratification at the news, but also that the German Government entertained the warmest sympathy with the magnanimous efforts of King Le'opold II., which had been so signally crowned with success. The assembled delegates expressed their cordial assent, and on their part recorded in the protocol a similar testimony of their appreciation of the great work of the King of the Belgians. (See Appendix.) February 26th. — The final plenary sitting of the Conference took place to-day. Prince Bismarck occu- pied the chair to formally close the meeting of repre- sentatives of the Powers whom he had convoked to deliberate upon the important questions now settled. The final Act, which is engrossed on vellum, was signed by the nineteen plenipotentiaries representing CLOSE OF THE CONFERENCE. 403 fourteen European Powers. Prince Bismarck then The Berlin Conference, rose and introduced Colonel Strauch, the President of the International Association, to the members, and an- nounced that he, on behalf of that Association in its recognised quality as the Congo State, had expressed and signed its adhesion to the General Act of the West African Conference. After reviewing the labours of that high diplomatic body, the Prince concluded by thanking the plenipotentiaries in the name of the Emperor. Count de Launay, as doyen of the plenipotentiaries, returned the thanks of his illustrious associates, saying that the success of the Conference was in a large measure due to the efforts of the German Chancellor. My own remarks upon the labours of the Conference must be brief. Two European Powers emerge out of the elaborate discussions protracted for such a long period, principally through the adroitness and skill of Baron de Courcel, and the concurrence of Prince Bismarck, with enormously increased colonial posses- sions. France is now mistress of a West African terri- tory, noble in its dimensions, equal to the best tropic lands for its vegetable productions, rich in mineral resources, most promising for its future commercial importance. In area it covers a superficies of 257,000 square miles, equal to that of France and England combined, with access on the eastern side to 5200 miles of river- navigation ; on the West is a coast-line nearly 800 miles 404 THE CONGO. The Berlin long, washed by the Atlantic ocean. It contains within Conference , . . . its borders eight spacious river basins, and throughout all its broad surface of 90,000,000 square hectares, not one utterly destitute of worth can be found. Portugal issues out of the Conference with a coast- line 995 English miles in length, 351,500 square statute miles in extent, a territory larger than the combined areas of France, Belgium, Holland, and Great Britain. On the Lower Congo, its river bank is 103 miles in length. It can now boast of healthy pastoral lands to the south, oil and rubber producing forests northward, mineral fields in the north-eastern portion of its territory, and valuable agricultural regions in its eastern borders. If her own population were added to the aboriginal population of this African colonial territory, and distributed over its area, there w^ould still be sufficient to give 32§ acres to each Portuguese white and black subject. Her home and colonial populations of all colours number now 8,300,000. The area of her territories in Africa, Asia, and the oceans, measure 741,343 square miles, or 474,500,000 acres, sufficient to give each subject 57 acres. Great Britain, on the other hand, with all her vast acreage of 5,056 millions of acres, can only give to each of her 249,000,000 of people the small portion of 20^ acres. The International Association surrendered its claims to 60,366 square miles of territory to France, and to Portugal 45,400 square miles, for which consideration 600 square miles of the north bank between Boma ACQUISITIONS TO FRANCE AND PORTUGAL. 405 and the sea were conceded to it, besides cordial recog- The Berlin . . . . . r Conference. nition of its remaining territorial rights from two powerful neighbours. To the world at large, the two powers above men- tioned have been also duly considerate, for the territo- ries surrendered to them by the Association have been consecrated to free trade, which, along with those recog- nised as belonging to the Association and which were pre-ordained for such uses, and those as yet unclaimed by any Power, but still reserved for the same privi- leges, form a domain equal to 1,600,000 square miles in extent, throughout which most exceptional privileges have been secured by the cordial unanimity of the riveraine of the United States and European Powers for commerce. With due reserve for the sovereign rights of Portugal and Zanzibar, this Free Trade area extends across Africa to within one degree of the East Coast, thus enlarging the privileged commercial zone to 2,400,000- square miles. Cynics may declare, on glancing over the large mile- age proudly claimed to have been reserved for free development and trade, that the advantages are only prospective ; that there are no traders within the boundaries to be benefited by these liberal endow- ments. That is true enough ; but the absorption of Africa by European Powers was rapidly advancing, and considering that of the coasts there remained but little unoccupied, it is something surely to have rescued such a large portion of Africa from final closure to possible commercial enterprise. 406 THE CONGO. The Berlin Philanthropists argued very rationally in this wise: Conference. " Africa is already popularly supposed to be the most unhealthy continent in the world. A general dread of its climate prevails in the minds of men. It has been but lately explored in its interior, and to all except a few geographers it is comparatively unknown. If European Powers are permitted to seize the coasts round about the Continent, and levy the usual differen- tia] customs and high tariffs, they will for ever prevent commercial enterprise from essaying the exploitation of any part of it. If, however, we can guarantee these fertile and naturally productive territories larger privi- leges and absolute immunity from oppression, a few bold enterprising spirits may be tempted to venture inland, and their success will induce others to follow, until the continent is fairly won from barbarism and unproductiveness." These philanthropic views have been realised. The merchant adventurer is fenced all around with guaran- tees against spoliation, oppression, vexation, and worry, and his Consul, the representative of his Government, is charged with the jurisdiction over his person and property. At the gateway to the free commercial realm the Commissioner, with his colleagues, will take position, and will remain there close at hand to protect his interests. These officials will constitute a Court of Law called the International Commission, to whom he can always appeal for redress and protection. Only on the exportation of the produce he has collected can a moderate sum be charged, sufficient to remune- SATISFACTORY DIPLOMACY. 407 rate the riveraine Government for its expenditure. Th Cor The liquor traffic may not be abused ; slave-trading- is prohibited ; the missionary is entitled to special pro- tection ; and scientific expeditious to special privileges. To all these numerous privileges in behalf of commerce and humanity, the European Powers, and the United States, as well as the International Association, other- wise the Congo State, unanimously gave their approval, and every political Power left the Conference with unqualified satisfaction. The author of this record likewise feels called upon to express his unbounded satisfaction with all that has been irrevocably fixed by the decrees of the assembled representatives of Europe. He expresses also his per- sonal thanks to His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck, and to the German representatives, Dr. Busch and Herr von Kusserow, for the remarkable patience they mani- fested during the protracted sitting, which gave time for the most advanced ideas to mature and bear fruit, which the least impatience would have endangered ; to Baron de Courcel, for the exquisite tact he displayed throughout his Presidency of the Commission, which charmed all who came within his circle ; to each and all of the assembled plenipotentiaries for their many kindnesses and their enlightened co-operation. All men who sympathise with good and noble works — and this has been one of unparalleled munificence and grandeur of ideas — will unite with the author in hoping that King Leopold II., the Royal Founder of this unique humanitarian and political enterprise, whose wisdom 408 THE CONGO. The Berlin rightly guided it, and whose moral courage bravely on e ence. gug^ne(j am^ varying vicissitudes to a happy and a successful issue, will long live to behold his Free State expand and flourish to be a fruitful blessing to a region that was until lately as dark as its own deep sunless forest shades. FINIS COROXAT OPUS. APPENDIX. The Commercial Basin of the Congo, as described by the Author before the berlin conference. To define the geographical basin of the Congo, whether explored f^e Berlin or unexplored, is a very easy matter, since every schoolboy knows Conference, that a river basin — geographically speaking — includes all that territory drained by the river and its affluents, large and small. The Congo, unlike many other large rivers, has no fluvial delta ; it issues into the Atlantic Ocean in one united stream between Shark's Point on the south and Banana Point on the north, with a breadth of seven miles and an unknown depth; soundings having been obtained over 1300 feet deep. The Niger has a fluvial delta extending over 180 miles of coast-line ; the Nile and the Mississippi have deltas extending over a considerable breadth of coast-line. But when you ask me as to what I should consider as the commercial basin of the Congo, I am bound to answer you that the main river and its most important affluents running into it. from the north and south and from the north-east and north- west, east and west, south-east and south-west, constitute means by which trade ascending the river and its affluents can influence a much larger amount of territory than is comprised within the geographical basin. For all practical purposes the geographical basin of the Congo might be permitted to stand for the commercial basin of the Congo as well. When, however, we begin to consider the com- mercial outlets from this basin of the Congo, we must bear in mind that they extend, as a commercial delta to a commercial basin, from St. Paul de Loanda to the south of the mouth of the Congo, as far north and including the Ogowai Kiver. Whereas 410 APPENDIX. The Berlin niueh of the littoral through which the commercial delta de- Conference. bouches is already occupied, we find that the breadth of what may be considered as the free commercial delta of the commercial basin of the Congo extends along the coast-line from 1° 25' S. lat. to near 7 50' S. lat., 385 geographical miles. For the following reason : at Stanley Tool, 325 miles up the Congo from the sea, we encounter fleets of trading canoes which have descended the main river from as far up as the Equator from the affluents Mohindu or Black River, and the Kwango or Kwa, who wait patiently months at a time for the caravans from Loango, the Kwilu, Landana, Kabinda, Zombo, Funta, Kinzao, Kinsembo, Ambrizette, and other places on the coast, which bring European goods from the coast to Stanley Pool to exchange for the produce of the Upper Congo, notably ivory, rubber, and camwood powder ; and after a time, having exchanged their goods, march back with such produce of the Upper Congo as will repay transport, to the European traders settled along the free coast-line of 385 geographical miles just mentioned. These various channels of trade, formed by un- instructed barbarism, may then well be compared to a commercial delta. To define the commercial basin of the Congo by boundaries is very simple after the above remarks, and I will describe them as follows: Commencing from the xVtlantic Ocean, I should follow the line of 1° 25' S. lat. east as far as 13° 13' Ion. east of Green- wich, and along that meridian north until the watershed of the Niger-Binue is reached, thence easterly along the watershed separating the waters flowing into the Congo from those flowing into the Shari, and continuing east along the water-parting between the waters of the Congo and those of the Nile, and southerly and easterly along the watershed between the wraters flowing into the Tanganika and those flowing into the affluents of Lake Victoria, and still clinging to the watershed to the east of the Tanganika southerly until the water-parting between the waters flowing into the Zambesi and those flowing into the Congo is reached ; thence along that watershed westerly until the head waters of the main tributary of the Kwango, or Kwa, is reached, whence the line shown runs along the left bank of the river Kwango, or Kwa, to 7° 50' S. lat. ; thence straight to the Loge River, and thence along the left bank of that river westerly to the Atlantic Ocean. By this delimitation you will have comprised the geographical or commercial basin and its present commercial delta. Baron de Courcel asked what might the value of the trade in APPENDIX. 411 the Congo basin be estimated at, to which Mr. Stanley replied : Tjie Berlin " The Lower Congo and the immediate free littoral make a shore- Conference, line 388 English miles in length. This mileage produces a present trade of £2,800,000 annually. The Upper Congo is much more fertile, and, as it has a river shore of 10,000 miles, it ought to produce, if equally developed, a trade worth £70,000,000 annually. Or, if we reckon it in this manner, from the river Gambia to Loanda, along a coast-line of 2,900 miles in length, there are employed forty-five steamers and eighty sailing vessels every year. The Congo basin, with river banks over three times longer, ought to employ, if equally developed and equally ex- ploited, three times that number, or say 135 steamers, and 240 sailing vessels." The Hon. Mr. Kasson, Minister for the United States, asked Mr. Stanley if he would be good enough to explain to their Excellencies if a further extension of the free commercial territory to the eastward wrould not be advantageous to commerce, to which Mr. Stanley replied : I journeyed in the year, 1874, 1875, 1870, and 1877 acrobs Africa from east to west — that is to say from Bagamoyo, opposite Zanzibar, to Lake Victoria. I circumnavi- gated that lake, and thence proceeded west and discovered Muta- Nzige. Retracing my steps to Lake Victoria, I journeyed to Lake Tanganika, which lake I also circumnavigated, and then pro- ceeded to Nyangwe and down the Congo River to the Atlantic Ocean. This journey was made across 25° of longitude and up and down 11° of latitude ; and I declare solemnly to you that, from a distance of ten miles from Bagamoyo, my starting-jilace on the east coast' of Africa, until I sighted an English flag at the mast- head of a merchant river-steamer on the Congo, along a journey of 7600 miles, I never saw a flag, or an emblem, or symbol, flag- staff, erection of wood, stone, or iron, to indicate that I had come across civilised, or semi-civilised, power or authority; the authority I encountered everywhere being the authority of in- dependent native chiefs, exacting tribute on the eastern half, and opposing violence on the western half. At Ujiji and Nyangwe I did meet a trading community of Arabs settled at each place. But they were isolated and cut off by want of connection from their parent state at Zanzibar, and all comers hither had been compelled to submit to pay tribute to the Wagogo, the Wahha, the Wavinza, and the Wakaranga, independent native tribes who demanded the tribute in recognition of their rights to the soil over which the caravans passed. Therefore, this being the case, I wrould propose 412 APPENDIX. The Berlin that the free commercial territory across central Africa should be Conference, comprised within the following limits : Beginning at the Atlantic Ocean at S. latitude 1° 25', this line should run along that parallel east to longitude 13° 30' from the Greenwich meridian, thence north along the meridian of 13° 30' to N. latitude 5° ; thence along that parallel of latitude continuously east to within one geogra- phical degree from the Indian Ocean. From this point the line should continue parallel with the east African coast at the distance of one geographical degree down to the right bank of the Zambesi, and the following rivers piercing this eastern line and having their exit into the Indian Ocean: The Jub, the Tana, the Pangani, the Wami, the Kufiji, or Lufiji, the Kovuma, and the Zambesi— the latter as far up as five miles above the confluence of the Shire and the Zambesi should be declared free to naviga- tion; thence from that point on the right bank of the Zambesi, across that river and along the water passing between waters flowing to Lake Nyassa, and those flowing direct to other affluents of the Zambesi, northerly as far as the Congo and Zambesi watershed ; thence westerly along that watershed until the head waters of the Kwango or Kwa shall have been reached, whence the line shall follow the left bank of the principal tributary to S. latitude 7° 50', and from that point the line to extend west- ward of the Loge river, and following the left bank of that river westerly to the Atlantic Ocean. Within the above described limits, the Congo basin, in addition to the lacustrine basins of the Lakes Victoria, Albert, and Nyassa, and the river basins of the lower Jub, the Tana, the Pangani, the Wami, the Lufu, the Rufiji, and the Rovuma, are comprised ; and I respect- fully submit that the more unrestricted this spacious commercial domain shall be the sooner it will be subjected tD the influences of Christianity, civilisation, and commerce. It bears within itself nearly all the products required by the necessities of Europe, and all the elements that might be needed for its conversion from being an unproductive waste to be a material and moral profit to humanity. Within its bosom it contains nearly 80,000 square miles of lake water, the second largest river and river-basin in the world, fertility that no equatorial or tropical regions elsewhere can match, a population I should estimate at ninety millions of people, great independent native empires, kingdoms, and republics, like Uganda, Ruanda, Unyoro, and the pastoral plain country like the Masai Land ; gold and silver deposits, abundant copper and iron mines, valuable forests producing priceless timber, APPENDIX. 413 inexhaustible quantities of rubber, precious gums and spices, The Berlin pepper and coffee, cattle in countless herds, and people who are Conference, amenable to the courtesies of life provided they are protected from the attacks of the lawless freebooter and the murderous wiles of the slave-traders. These facts, I respectfully submit, are sufficient to justify me in suggesting that the more comprehensible yet simple limits just described should form the boundaries of the free commercial territory of Equatorial Africa, and that free, un- restricted means of access should be secured to it, both from the east as well as from the west. Baron de Courcel questioned Mr. Stanley as to the actual trade at present in the Upper Congo by which it might be known what existing inducements there were for the construction of a railway. Mr. Stanley replied that at present on the Upper Congo, according to his calculations, the goods and articles required by the French settlements, the two English Mission Societies, the International Association, and native caravans would, if constrained to pay the railway the same prices as now paid for human transport, be suffi- cient to pay 5 per cent, on a capital of £860,000, which was ample for the construction of a light railway from Yivi to Isangila, four steamers at £10,000 each, between Isangila and Manyanga, and a railway section 95 miles long between Manyanga and Leopold- ville. If, however, it was necessary to construct a direct line to Leopoldville from Vivi, the cost would be £1,500,000, inclusive of all expenses, and a flotilla to ply between the sea and Vivi. Sir Edward Malet asked Mr. Stanley if, in his opinion, the line of railway from Vivi to Stanley Pool would be sufficient as a com- mercial outlet for the commerce of the Congo basin? Mr. Stanle}7" replied : Certainly not. It might be a sufficient outlet for the main channel of the river and the lower portions of the affluents flowing into that channel, but it would not be a sufficient outlet for the upper portions of the southern affluents, inasmuch as those find an outlet by the caravan route, via Bihe to Benguella and Angola, and Cassange to Angola, and the northern portions of the north-western streams flowing into the Congo would naturally seek the caravan routes to the Gaboon, the Ogowai, and the Kwilu-Niadi. I therefore strictly adhere to my delimitation of the commercial basin which I have already had the honour of de- scribing to your Excellency. His Excellency the Plenipotentiary for the Government of the Netherlands remarked that Mr. Cameron had written a book wherein it was stated that canals might be constructed with advantage. 414 APPENDIX. The Berlin Ho would be obliged if Mr. Stanley would inform him whether he Conference. had Been ajjy localities where canals might be advantageously con- structed. Mr. Stanley replied that he knew only of one place, and that was between Lake Mantumba and Lake Leopold II., by which a canal might easily be constructed, of a length of 25 miles, to connect the two places along a depression which showed that at high water it was possible the two lakes might even be now connected. Baron de Courcel inquired whether there were any tunnels to be made along the proposed railway between Vivi and Stanley Tool ? Mr. Stanley replied in the negative. After some remarks from Dr. Ballay depreciatory of the value of the produce of the Congo basin, and of the Ogowai river as a channel for transporting produce from the upper Congo to the sea, Mr. Stanley replied as follows : Whereas Dr. Ballay ascended the Ogowai river, crossed the watershed, and descended the Alima river to the Upper Congo with a steamer and large quanti- ties of goods, and whereas M. de Brazza likewise ascended the Ogowai river and descended the Alima river, and on a former occasion struck across to Stanley Pool, it is evident that the Ogowai river must also be considered as a stream belonging to the commercial delta of the commercial basin of the Congo. And whereas in 1881 I received from M. de Brazza a letter wherein he stated that he strongly recommended my sending by the Ogawai route my letters, and officers incapacitated by sickness from further work, as from experience he judged that route to be shorter and superior to the route by the Congo to the sea, I am bound to take M. de Brazza's own written statements, and Messrs. de Brazza and Ballay's successes by the Ogowai-Alima route and Ogowai-Stanley Pool route as indisputable proofs of the correctness of my assertions that if the commercial basin of the Congo, with its various outlets to the sea, shall be declared free for commerce to come and go untaxed, the free littoral should have its northern limit at S. lat. 1° 25' to long. 13° 30' east of Greenwich, and thence north along that meridian to the water-parting between the waters flowing to the Niger-Binue and those flowing to the Congo, and that the southern limit of the littoral will be just if fixed at the mouth of the Loge river, thence east along that river easterly to the left bank of the Kwango or Kwa river at S. lat. 7° 50'. APPENDIX. 415 PROTOCOL, No. 9. February 23rd, 1885. The sitting opened at half-past Three o'clock, under the Presidency The Berlin of M. BUSCH. Conference, The President, before proceeding to the order of the da}-, com- municated to the High Assembly a letter which had been addressed to His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck by the President of the International Association of the Congo, and which was in these terms : — " Prince. — The International Association of the Congo has concluded treaties in succession with all the Powers represented at tho Berlin Conference (except one) which among their clauses contain a provision recognising its flag as that of a friendly State or Government. The negotiations in progress with the remaining Power will, there is every reason to hope, have an early and favourable termination. I bring this fact to the knowledge of your Serene Highness in accordance with the wishes of His Majesty the King of the Belgians in his capacity as Founder of the Association. "The meeting and the deliberations of the 'eminent Assembly now in session at Berlin under your High Presidency have materially contributed to hasten this felicitous rosnlt. The Con- ference, to which I beg to offer due homage, will, I venture to hope, be disposed to consider the accession of a Tower whose exclusive mission is to introduce civilisation and commerce into the interior of Africa as an additional token of the results due to its important labours. " I am, with the profoundest respect, " Your Serene Highness's most humble and most obedient servant, " Strauch. "Berlin, 23rd February, 1885. " To His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck, " President of the Berlin Conference." 416 APPENDIX. n ,. M. Buscii having read this communication spoke as follows: — The Berlin & ... Conference. " Gentlemen, — I lolieve I am expressing the unanimous feeling of the Conference in welcoming as a happy event the communica- tion which has been made to us and which informs us of the almost unanimous recognition of the International Association of the Congo. AVe all of us do justice to the elevated purpose of the work to which His Majesty the King of the Bolgians has lent his name ; we all of us recognise the efforts and sacrifices by means of which he has guided it to the point it has reached to-day ; we are all desirous that the most complete success may crown an enter- prise which can support so usefully the objects the Conference has had in view." Baron de Courcel then spoke as follows : — "As representing a Power whose possessions border on those of the International Association of the Congo, I note with satisfaction the step taken by that Association in informing us of its entrance into international life. In the name of my Government I beg to express the wish that the State of the Congo as now territorially constituted within definite boundaries will soon provide regular governmental organization for the vast domain whose prosperity has been entrusted to it. Its neighbours will be the first to l-ejoice at its progress, for they will be the first to profit by the development of its prosperity and by all those guarantees of order, safety, and good administration with ™hich it has undertaken to endow the interior of Africa. " The new State owes its birth to the generous aspirations and enlightened initiative of a Prince respected throughout Europe. It hns been devoted from its cradle to the practice of every liberty. Assured of the unanimous goodwill of the Powers here represented, let us join in the hope that it will fulfil the destiny promised for it under the Avise direction of its august founder, whose con- trolling influence is the best assurance for its future." Count Kapnist desired to join, in accordance with his instruc- tions, in the homage rendered by his colleagues to the enlightened and fertile initiative of His Majesty the King of the Belgians. Sir Edward Malet then spoke as follows : — " The part taken by Her Majesty's Government in recognising the flag of the Association as that of a friendly Government enables me to express the satisfaction with which we view the constitution of this new State due to the initiative of His Majesty the King of the Belgians. For many years the King, for purely philanthropic motives, has spared nothing, neither personal effort APPENDIX. 417 nor pecuniary sacrifice, that could contribute to the realisation of 1885. his object. The world in general regarded his efforts with iti- *eb- ~': „ difference. Here and there His Majesty received a little sympathy, Berlin but it was rather the sj'mpathy of condolence than that of encou- ragement. It was thought that the undertaking was beyond his strength, that it was too great to succeed. It is now seen that the King was right, and that his idea was not Utopian. He has brought it to a successful ending, not without difficulties, but these very difficulties have made the success more striking. In acknowledg- ing the obstacles which His Majesty has had to contend with, we most cordially greet the new-born State, and give expression to our sincere desire that it may flourish and increase under his protection. " I may also be permitted on this occasion to express our acknow- ledgments to the Government of Portugal and to the Minister of Portugal at Berlin for the friendly reception which they accorded to the suggestions we had the honour to address to them on the subject of an arrangement between Portugal and the Association, and for the spirit of conciliation with which they have brought those negotiations to a successful close." The Marquis of Penafikl, as representing a Power bordering on the Congo State, declared his participation in the sentiments expressed by Baron Courcel in his address of welcome to the new State. Count de Launay joined most cordially in what had been said by the President, by Baron Courcel, and by Sir Edward Malct. The Powers here represented had already almost unanimously recognised the new State which had just been founded under the august patron- age of a sovereign who during eight years, with a constancy rare and worthy of great praise, had spared neither trouble nor personal sacrifice for the success of a noble and philanthropic enterprise. The whole world bore witness by its sympathy and encouragement to this work of civilisation and humanity, which was an honour to the nineteenth century, and of which mankind in general would fur ever reap the benefit. The Italian Ambassador also joined with pleasure in the senti- ments expressed by the British Ambassador, with regard to the Portuguese Government and its Plenipotentiaries at the Con- ference. Count Szechenyi spoke to the same effect as his colleagues, in whose sentiments he shared in every respect. Count Benomar said that Spain was the possessor of territories Vol. II.- 27 418 AFPEXDIX. 1885. in the neighbourhood of those under the control of the Interna- eb- ~> >' tional Association of the Congo. As representing a neighbouring Beilin- state, he, in the name of his Government, fully supported all that the President had said in favour of the work of humanity and civilisation originated by His Majesty the King of the Belgians. M. de Yind was happy to join in the good wishes which had already been expressed for the happiness and prosperity of the new Congo state. The humanitarian and civilizing object of its founders was highly appreciated by the Danish Government. The Plenipotentiary of Sweden and Norway also joined in the good wishes at the birth of the new State, and in favour of its development. Mr. Sanford said that the Government of the United States of America had been the first to publicly acknowledge the great civilizing work of King Leopold II. by recognising the flag of the International Association of the Congo as that of a friendly govern- ment. He was happy to find that this example had been followed by the Powers of the Old World, and it only remained for him to express his hope that he would see the crowning of the work in the participation of the Association in the Acts of the Con- ference. Said Pasha regretted that he was not yet able to join officially in the sympathetic declarations of his colleagues. Only a few days had elapsed since this question of recognising the flag of the Inter- national Association had arisen. There had not been sufficient time for him to receive his instructions on the subject, but while await- ing those instructions, he could say that personally he had no objection to the constitution of the new State. Count Van der, Straten Ponthoz thanked the President for the terms in which he had spoken of His Majesty the King of the Belgians. The sentiments thus expressed would be gratefully received by the King and the Belgian nation; and Count Tan der Straten Ponthoz would convey those sentiments to them without delay. He was also bound to tell the Members of the High Assembly how deeply he was sensible of the sympathetic and unanimous approbation they had given to what had fallen from M. Busch. The praise bestowed on the initiative pursued by the King of the Belgians despite so many obstacles, was praise well merited. The Acts of the Conference gave practical expression to His Majesty's bold and generous ideas. The Government and the Belgian nation would adhere with gratitude to the work elaborated by the High Assembly, and thanks to which there was henceforth ABPENDIX. 419 assured the existence of the new State at the same time as regula- 188 tions were laid down in the general interest of mankind. Feb- Baron Lambermont spoke as follows : — " If the President of the International Association of the Congo had the honour to sit amongst you, it would fall to him to reply to the words we have heard to-day, and which are so appreciative of the King of the Belgians and of his work. In his absence, and although representing His Majesty under another title, my col- league and I thought we might be allowed to testify how fully we are sensible of the compliment you have paid to the Founder of the Association. " Count Van der Straten has expressed his sentiments, and in them I cordially join. We are well aware that we cannot go too far in expressing in advance our gratitude, for we do so in His Majesty's name, in recognition of the support that his enterprise has received amongst you, and which support is not the least important guarantee of its success." The President announces that the letter of the President of the International Association of the Congo, and the various declarations it had given rise to would become the Protocol of the sitting. It is considered convenient by many of the Plenipotentiaries that in order to complete Colonel Strauch's communication, copies of the different treaties by wrhich the International Association had ob- tained the recognition of the several Governments should be bound together and annexed to the Protocol. DECLARATIONS EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CONGO. The International Association of the Congo declares by these presents, that in virtue of the treaties concluded with the legiti- mate sovereigns, in the basins of the Congo and Niadi-Kwilu and in the territories bordering on the Atlantic, there has been ceded to it a territory for the use and profit of the Free States, already established, or in course of establishment, under the protection and surveillance of the said Association in the said basins and adjacent territories, and that the said Free States succeed to the full rights of this cession. That the said International Association has adopted as its flag as 420 APPENDIX. 1884. well for itself as for the said Free States the flag of the International April 22. African Association, that is to say, a blue flag with a golden star in tl.e centre. That the said Association and the said States have resolved to levy no customs dues on goods or products imported into their territories, or carried on the roads that have been constructed round the cataracts of the Congo ; this resolution has been taken so as to encourage trade in making its way into Equatorial Africa. That they assure to strangers who settle in their territories the right to buy, sell, or lease the lands and buildings therein situated, to establish houses of business, and to trade on the sole condition of obeying the laws. They undertake in addition never to accord an advantage to the citizens of one nation without immediately extending the same to all other nations, and to do all in their power to stop the slave-trade. In witness whereof, Henry S. Sanford, duly authorised to that effect by the said Association, acting for it, and in the name of the said estates has hereto affixed his signature and his seal the 22nd of April, 1884, at the city of Washington, (Signed) H. S. Sanford. L.S. Frederic T. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State, duly authorized to that effect by the President of the United States of America, and in conformity with the advice and consent given to that effect by the Senate, acknowledges to have received from the Association of the Congo the above declaration, and declares that in accordance with the traditional policy of the United States, which enjoins their careful attention to the commercial interests of American citizens, avoiding at the same time all interference in the controversies engaged in between other powers, or the conclusion of alliances with foreign nations, the Government of the United States declares its sympathy with and approbation of the humane and noble object of the International Association of the Congo, acting in the interest of the Free States established in that region, and commands all officers of the United States, either on land or sea, to recognize the flag of the International Association as that of a friendly Govern- ment. In witness whereof, he has hereunder affixed his signature and his seal this 22nd of April, 1884, in the city of Washington. (Signed) Fred. T. Frelinghuysen. L.S. APPENDIX. 421 1884. Nov. 8. CONVENTION Brussels. BETWEEN THIS EMPIRE OF GERMANY AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CONGO. Article I. The International Association of the Congo undertakes to levy- no duties on articles or goods imported director in transit in their possessions, present and future, in the basins of the Congo and the Niadi-Kwilu, or in its possessions situated on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. This freedom from duties shall especially extend to goods and articles of commerce which are transported on the roads established round the cataracts of the Congo. Article II. The subjects of the German Empire shall have the right of re- siding or settling in the territories of the Association. They shall be treated on the same footing as the subjects of the most favoured nation therein, including the inhabitants of the country, in all that concerns the protection of their persons or their goods, the free exercise of their religion, the claiming and defence of their rights, in matters of the navigation as well as in those of commerce and industry. Especially they sball have the right to buy and sell, and lease lands and buildings situated on the territories of the Association, to found houses of business, and to engage therein in commerce and coasting trade under the German flag. Article III. The Association undertakes never to accord the least advantage to the subjects of another nation, unless such advantage is immedi- ately extended to German subjects. Article IV. In case of the present or future cession of the territory of the Association or of a part of that territory^, the obligations contracted by the Association towards the Empire of Germany shall be trans- 422 APPENDIX. 1884. ferred to the acquirer. These obligations and rights granted by Sov- 8- the Association to the Empire of Germany and to its subjects ruesels. shaii remain in force after every cession to each new acquirer. Article V. The Empire of Germany recognises the flag of the Association — a bluo flag with a golden star in the centre — as that of a friendly state. Article VI. The Empire of Germany is ready on its part to recognise the frontiers of the territory of the Association, and of the new state about to be founded, as indicated on the map annexed hereto. Article VII. This Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged with the least possible delay. This Convention shall come into force immediately after the exchange of the ratifications. Done at Brussels, the 8th of November, 1884. (Signed) Count de Brandenbourg. Strauch. DECLARATIONS exchanged between the government of her britannic majesty and the international association of the congo. Declaration of the Association. The International Association of the Congo, founded by His Majesty the King of the Belgians with the object of encouraging the civilization and commerce of Africa and also with humani- tarian and philanthropic intentions, declares by these presents as follows : — 1. That by treaties concluded with the legitimate sovereigns whose States are situated in the basins of the Congo and the Niadi-Kwilu, and in the territories bordering on the Atlantic, there has been ceded to it certain territories for the use and profit of Free States established or to be establised in the said basins and adjacent territories. APPENDIX. 423 2. That in virtue of these treaties, the Association is invested 1884 with the administration of the interests of the said Free States. 3. That the Association has adopted as its flag and that of the Brussel Free States a blue flag with a golden star in the centre. 4. That with the object of allowing commerce to make its way into Equatorial Africa, the Association and the said Free States have resolved to levy no duty on articles of commerce or mer- chandize imported direct into their territories, or introduced by the roads which have been constructed round the cataracts of the Congo. 5. That the Association and the said Free States guarantee to foreigners settled in their territories the free exercise of their religion, the rights of navigation, trade, and industry, as well as the right to buy, sell, and lease land, buildings, mines and forests on condition of obedience to the laws. 6. That the Association and the said Free States shall do all in their power to put an end to the slave trade and suppress slavery. Done at Berlin, the 16th of December, 1884. (Signed) Straucii. In the name of the Association. Declaration of thk: Government of Her Britannic Majesty. The Government of Her Britannic Majesty declares that it accords its sympathy and approbation to the humanitarian and philanthropic objects of the Association and, by these presents, re- cognises the flag of the Association and the Free States under its administration as the flag of a friendly Government. (Signed) Edward Mai.et. In the name of Her Kajcstys Government. CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CONGO. Seeing that the Government of Her Britannic Majesty has recog- nised the flag of the Internat'onal Association of the Congo and the Free States under its administration as the flag of a friendly Government ; 424 APPENDIX. 1884. Being of opinion that it is advisable to regulate and define the )ec. 1G. rjghts 0f British subjects in the territories of the said Free States, 1,01 lin' and to provide for such matters concerning the exercise of civil and criminal jurisdiction as shall be indicated hereunder until the Association shall have provided in a sufficient manner for the administration of justice with regard to foieigners, It has been agreed : Article I. The International Association of the Congo undertakes to levy no duties of importation or transit on articles of commerce or mer- chandise imported by British subjects into the said territories, or into the territories which hereafter may be placed under its Government. This freedom from duty shall extend to merchandise and articles of commerce which shall be transported by the roads and canals established or to be established round the cataracts of the Congo. Article II. British subjects shall at all times have the right to reside and settle in the territories which are or shall be under the government of the Association. They shall enjoy the same protection as sub- jects or citizens of the most favoured nation in all matters which affect their persons and their goods, the free exercise of their reli- gion, and the rights of navigation, commerce, and industry. Espe- cially they shall have the right to buy, sell, lease, and let lands, buildings, mines, and forests within the said territories ; to found houses of business, and to engage in commerce and coasting trade therein under the British flag. Article III. The Association undertakes to accord no advantage, however trifling, to the subjects of another nation, unless such advantage is immediately extended to British subjects. Article IV. Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britan and Ireland may nomi- nate consuls or other consular agents in the ports or stations on the said territories, and the Association undertakes to protect them therein. APPENDIX. 425 Article V. 1884. Dec. 10. Every British consul or consular agent who shall have been duly Berlin, authorised by the Government of Her Britannic Majesty, shall have power to establish a consular tribunal for the district assigned to him, and shall exercise sole and exclusive jurisdiction, civil as well as criminal, with regard to the persons and property of British subjects within the said district, in accordance with the British laws. Article VI. Nothing contained in the preceding article shall, absolve any British subject from the obligation of observing the laws of the said Free States applicable to foreigners, but all infraction of those laws on the part of a British subject shall be referred to the British consular tribunal. Article VI I. If the inhabitants of the said territories which are subject to the Government of the Association do any injury to the person or property of a British subject, they shall be arrested and punished by the authorities of the Association conformably to the laws of the said Free States. Justice shall be administered equitably and impartially on both sides. Article VIII. A British subject having grounds of complaint against an in- habitant of the said territories, subject to the government of the Association, shall apply to the British Consulate and there detail his grievance--. The Consul shall make an inquiry to ascertain that the com- plaint is well founded, and will do his utmost to arrange it ami- cably. In the same way, if any inhabitant of the same territories shall have cause of complaint against a British subject, the British counsel shall hear his complaint and do his utmost to arrange the matter amicably. If differences arise of such nature that the British Consul cannot arrange them amicably, he shall have re- course to the authorities of the Association to examine into the matter and end it equitably. 420 APPENDIX. 1884. Article IX. Dec 16. Berlin. If an inhabitant of the said territories subject to the govern- ment of the Association should fail to pay any debt contracted Avith a British subject, the authorities of the Association shall do all in their power to bring him to justice and procure the recovery of the said debt ; and if a British subject should fail in the pay- ment of any debt contracted with one of the inhabitants, the British authorities shall in the same way do their utmost to bring him to justice and procure the recovery of the debt. No British Consul and no authority of the Association shall be held responsible for a debt contracted by a British subject, nor by any inhabitant of the said territories who is subject to the government of the Asso- ciati Article X. In case of the cession of any tarritory which now or in the future shall be under the government of the Association, the obligations contracted by the Association in the present Convention shall apply to the grantee. The engagements and rights accorded to British subjects shall remain in force after every cession with regard to every new occupant of every part of the said territory. This Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged with as little delay as possible. This Convention shall come into force immediately after the exchange of the ratifications. Done at Berlin, the 16th of December, eighteen hundred and eighty-four. (Signed) Edward Malet. Strauch. CONVENTION BETWEEN THE NETHERLANDS AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CONGO. Article I. The International Association of the Congo undertakes to levy no duties of importation, or transit on merchandise, or articles of commerce, imported by Dutch subjects within the present or future possessions of the Association. The freedom from duties shall ex- APPENDIX. 427 Brussels. tend to merchandise and articles of commerce transported on the 1884. roads or canals which are or shall be established round the cataracts ^)oc• 27' of the Congo. Article II. Dutch subjects shall at all times have the right to reside or settle in the teiritories which are or shall be subject to the Association. They shall enjoy the protection accorded to subjects or citizens of the most favoured nation in all matters concerning their peisons, their property, the free exercise of their religion, and the rights of navigation, commerce and industry ; they shall especially have the right to buy and sell, let and lease land, mines, forests, and build- ings in the said territories; to found therein houses of bu-iness, and carry on commerce and coasting trade under the Dutch flag. Article III. The Association undertakes to grant no advantage whatsoever to the subjects another nation, unless such advantages are im- mediately extended to Dutch subjects. Article IV. His Majesty the King of the Netherlands has the right to nominate Consuls or Consular Agents in the ports or stations of the said territories, and the" Association, undertakes to protect them. Article V Until the administration of justice shall have been organized in the Free States of the Congo, and until that organization shall have been notified by the Association, every Dutch Consul or Con- sular Agent, who has been duly authorized by the Government of His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, may establish a Consular tribunal for the extent of the district assigned to him, and in that case will exercise sole and exclusive jurisdiction, civil as well as ciiminal, with regard to the persons and property of Dutch, sub- jects within the f-aid district, conformably to the laws of the Netherlands. Article VL Nothing contained in the foregoing article shall absolve any Dutch subject from the obligation of observing the laws of the 428 APPENDIX. 1884. Free States applicable to foreigners, but all infractions thereof on *ec- - '• the part of a Dutch subject shall be referred to a Dutch Consular lusse,s- tribunal. Article VII. If the inhabitants of the said countries, who are subjects of the government of the As>ociation, do any injury to the person or pro- perty of a Dutch subject, they shall be arrested and punished by the authorities of the Association, conformably to the laws of the said Free States. Justice shall be administered equitably and impartially on both sides. Article VIII. A Dutch subject having grounds of complaint against an in- habitant of the said territories subject to the government of the Association shall apply to the Dutch Consulate, and there detail his grievance. The Consul shall proceed to enquire if the same be well- founded, and do all in h;s power to arrange the matter amicably. In the same way, if any inhabitant of the said territories has any complaint concerning a Dutch subject, the Dutch Consul shall hear the complaint, and do his utmost to arrange the difficulty amicably. If differences arise of such a nature that the Consul cannot arrange them amicably, he shall then have recourse to the authorities of the Association, for them to examine into the matter and end it equitably. Article IX. If an inhabitant of the said territories subject to the government of the Association shall fail in the payment of a debt contracted with a Dutch subject, the authorities of the Association shall do all in their power to bring him to justice, and procure the recovery of the debt, and if a Dutch subject shall fail in the payment of a debt contracted with one of the inhabitants, the Dutch authorities shall do all in their power to bring him to justice, and procure the recovery of the debt. No Dutch Consul nor any authority of the Association shall be held responsible for the payment of a debt contracted by an in- habitant of any of the territories subject to the government of the Association or by any Dutch subject. Article X. In the event of the cession of the territory now under the government of the Association, or which shall be so at any future APPENDIX. 429 time, or of any part of the said territory, all the obligations con- 1884. tracted by the Association in the present Convention shall be ^ec" 27 binding on the grantee. These arrangements and rights accorded russe to Dutch subjects shall remain in force after the cession with re- gard to any new occupant of no matter what part of the said territory. Article XL The Association and the Free States engage to do all in their power to put an end to the slave-trade and suppress slavery. Article XII. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, according its sympathy to the humanitarian and civilising object of the Association, recognizes the flag of the Association and the Free States placed under its administration — a blue flag with a gohlen star in the centre — as the flag of a friendly Government. Article XIII. This Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged with as little delay as possible. It shall come into force immediately after the exchange of the ratifications. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed it, and to it have affixed the seal of their coat of arms. Done at Brussels, the twenty-seventh day of the month of December, of the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-four. (Signed) L. Gericke. Strauch. CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CONGO. Article I. The International Association of the Congo declares that it extends to France the advantages it has conceded to the United States of America, to the Empire of Germany, to England, to Italy, to Austro-Hungary, to the Netherlands, and to Spain, in 430 APPENDIX. 1685. virtue of the Convention it has concluded with the several Powers PaHs5* of tbe resPective dates of the 22nd of April, the 8th of November, the 16th, 19th, 24th, and 29th of December, 1884, and the 7th of January, 1885, and of which the texts are annexed to the present Convention. Article II. The Association undertakes, in addition, to accord no advantages of any nature whatsoever to the subjects of another nation without immediately extending those advantages to French citizens. Article III. The Government of the French Eepublic and the Association adopt for the frontiers between their possessions : The River Chiloango from the ocean to its most northerly source ; The crest of the water-parting of the Niadi-Kwilu and the Congo as far as the meridian of Manyanga ; A line to be determined, and which, following as much as possible, a natural division of the ground terminates between the station of Manyanga and the cataract of Ntombo Mataka in a point situated on the navigable portion of the river ; The Congo to Stanley Pool ; The centre line of Stanley Pool ; The Congo to a point to be determined up the stream of the River Licona-Nkundja ; A line to be determined from that point to the 17th degree of longitude east from Greenwich, following as much as possible the line of the water-parting of the basin of the Licona-Nkundja, which forms part of the French possessions ; The 17th degree of longitude east from Greenwich. Article IV. A Commission composed of representatives of the contracting parties, equal in number on both sides, shall be entrusted with executing on the spot the laying out of the frontier conformably to the preceding stipulations. In case of dispute the matter shall be referred to delegates nominated by the International Commission of the Congo. APPENDIX. 431 Article V. 1884. Feb. 5. Under the reservation of the arrangements about to take place Paris, between the International Association of the Congo and Portugal for the territories situated to the south of the Chiloango, the Go- vernment of the French Republic is disposed to recognise the neutrality of the possessions of the International Association within the frontiers shown on the annexed map, subject to the discussion and regulation of the conditions of that neutrality in accord with the other Powers represented at the Berlin Conference. Article VI. The Government of the French Republic recognises the flag of the International Association of the Congo — a blue flag with a golden star in the centre— as the flag of a friendly Government. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, and to it affixed their seals. Done at Paris, the 5th of February, 1885. (Signed) Jules Ferry. (L.S.) Comte Paul de Borchgrave d'Altena (L.S.) CONVENTION BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OB1 THE CONGO. Article I. The International Association of the Congo declares that it extends to Portugal the advantages it has conceded to the United States of America, to the Empire of Germany, to England, to Italy, to Austro-Hungary, to the Netherlands, to Spain, to France and to the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, in virtue of the Conventions it has concluded with these several Powers of the re- spective dates of the 22nd of April, the 8th of November, the 16th, 19th, 24th, and 29th of December, 1884, the 7th of January, the 5th and 10th of February, 1885, and of which the Association un lertakes to remit authentic copies to the Government of His Most Faithful Majesty. 432 APPENDIX. 1885. Article IT. Feb. 14 Berlin. The International Association of the Congo undertakes in addi- tion to accord no advantages of any kind whatsoever to the sub- jects of another nation without immediately extending thoee advantages to the subjects of His Most Faithful Majesty Article III. The International Association of the Congo and His Most Faith- ful Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves adopt for frontiers between their possessions in Western Africa the follow- ing :— To the north of the River Congo (Zaire) the right bank of the mouth of the river which enters the Atlantic Ocean to the south of the Bay of Cabinda, close to Ponta Vermelha, at Cabo-Lombo ; The parallel of this last point prolonged up to its intersection with the meridian of the junction of the Culacalla with the Luculla ; The meridian thus determined to its meeting with the River Luculla ; The course of the Luculla to its junction with the Chiloango (Luango Luce) ; The course of the Congo (Zaire) from its mouth to its junction with the small river of Uango-Uango ; The meridian which passes through the mouth of the small River Uango-Uango between the Dutch factory and the Portuguese factory, so as to leave the latter in Portuguese territory up to the meeting of the meridian with the parallel of Nokk ; The parallel of Nokk to its intersection with the River Kuango (Cuango) ; From this point southwards the course of the Kuango (Cuango). Article IV. A Commission composed of representatives of the contracting parties equal in number on both sides shall be intrusted with the execution on the spot of the laying out of the frontier conformably to the foregoing stipulations. In case of dispute the matier shall be referred to delegates nominated by the International Commis- sion of the Congo. APPENDIX. 433 Article V. 1885. Feb. 14. His Most Faithful Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves Berlin, is disposed to recognise the neutrality of the possessions of the In- ternational Association of the Congo, subject to the discussion and regulation of that neutrality in accord with the other powers repre- sented at the Berlin Conference. Article VI. His Most Faithful Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves recognises the flag of the International Association of the Congo— a blue flag with a goldon star in the centre - as the flag of a friendly Government. Article VII. The present Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Paris within three months, or sooner if possible. In witness whereof the Plenipotentiaries of the two contracting parties, and His Excellency the Baron de Courcel, Ambassador Ex- traordinary and Plenipotentiary of France at Berlin, as representing the mediating Power, have signed the present Convention, and thereto affixed their seals. Done in triplicate at Berlin, the fourteenth day of the month of February, eighteen hundred and eighty-five. (Signed) Marquis de Penafiel. Strauch. Alph de Courcel. DECLARATIONS EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE BELGIAN GOVERNMKXT AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CONGO. The International Association of the Congo declares by these presents that in virtue of treaties concluded with the legitimate sovereigns in the basin of the Congo and its tributaries, it has been ceded the sovereignty of vast territories with the object of founding a free and independent St ite ; that Conventions define the frontiers of the territories of the Association as regards those of Vol. II.— 28 434 APPENDIX. France and Portugal, and that the frontiers of the Association are eb. 23. s]10wn on ^.])e aimexec1 map. That the said Association has adopted as the flag of the State administered by it a blue flag with a star of gold in its centre. That the said Association has resolved to levy no customs duties on merchandise or products imported into its territories or transported on the roads which have been constructed round the cataracts of the Congo ; this resolution has been taken so as to encourage trade to make its way into Equatorial Africa. That it assures to foreigners who settle in its territories the right to buy, sell, and lease ground and buildings situated thereon, to establish houses of business, and trade under the sole condition of obeying the laws. It undertakes, in addition, to accord no advantage to the citizens of one nation without immediately extending it to the citizens of all other nations, and to do all in its power to put down the slave trade. In witness whereof the President of the Association acting for it has hereunder affixed his signature and his seal. Berlin, the twenty-third day of the month of February, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-five. (Signed) Strauch. The Belgian Government takes note of the declaration of the International Association of the Congo, and by these presents recognises the Association within the boundaries stated, and recog- nises its flag as that of a friendly State. In witness wrhereof the undersigned, duly authorized, have affixed their signature and seal. Berlin, the twenty-third day of the month, of February, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-five. (Signed) Cte. Aug. van der Straten Ponthoz, Baron Lambermont. PEOTOCOL, No. 10. Sitting of the 26th of February, 1885. Present : For Germany : Prince Bismarck ; M. Busch ; M. de Kusserow. For Austro-Hungary : Count Szechenyi. For Belgium : Count Van per Straten Ponthoz ; Baron Lamber- mont. APPENDIX. 435 For Denmark : M. de Vind. 1885. For Spain : Count de Benomar. Feb' 26 For the United States of America : Mr. John A. Kasson ; Mr. Berlin" Henry S. Sanford. For France : Baron de Courcel. For Great Britain : Sir Edward Malet. For Italy : Count de Launay. For the Netherlands : The Johkheer van der Hoeven. For Portugal : Marquis de Penafiel ; M. de Serpa Pimentel. For Eussia : Count Kapnist. For Sweden and Norway : General Baron Bildt. For Turkey : Said Tasha. The sitting opened at half- past two o'clock, under the Presi- dency of His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck. The President expressed his regret at having been prevented by the state of his health and the pressure of business from sharing in the whole of the labours of the High Assembly which he, how- ever, had followed with much interest. His Serene Highness then delivered the following address : — " Gentlemen, — Our Conference after long and laborious delibera- tions, has reached the end of its work, and I am glad to say that thanks to your efforts and to that spirit of conciliation which has presided over our proceedings, a complete accord has been come to on every point of the programme submitted to us. " The resolutions which we are about to sanction formally secure to the trade of all nations free access to the interior of the African Continent. The guarantees by which the freedom of trade will be assured in tho Congo basin, and the whole of the arrangements embodied in the rules for the navigation of the Congo and the Niger, are of such a nature as to afford the commerce and industry of all nations the most favourable conditions for their development and security. 11 In another series of regulations you have shown your solicitude for the moral and material welfare of the native population, and we may hope that those principles adopted in a spirit of wise moderation will bear fruit, and help to familiarise those populations with the benefits of civilisation. " The particular conditions under which are placed the vast regions you have just opened up to commercial enterprise have seemed to require special guarantees for the preservation of peace and public order. In fact, the scourge of war would become par- ticularly disastrous if the natives were led to take sides in the 436 APPLXDIX. 1885. disputes between the civilised Powers. Justly apprehensive of the °h" 7" dangers that such an event might have for the interests of com- er m' merce and civilisation, you have sought for the means of with- drawing a great part of the African Continent from the vicissitudes of general politics, in confining therein the rivalry of nations to peaceful emulation in trade and industry. "In the same manner you have endeavoured to avoid all mis- understanding and dispute to which fresh annexations on the African coast might give rise. The declaration of the formalities required before such annexations can be considered effective introduces a new rule into public law, which in its turn will remove many a cause of dissent and conflict from our international relations. " The spirit of mutual good understanding which has distin- guished your deliberations has also presided over the negotiations that have been carried on outside the Conference, with a view to arrange the difficult question of delimitation between the parties exercising sovereign rights in the Congo basin, and which by their position are destined to be the chief guardians of the work we are about to sanction. " I cannot touch on this subject without bearing testimony to the noble efforts of His Majesty the King of the Belgians, the founder of a work which now has gained the recognition of almost all the Powers, and which as it grows will render valuable service to the cause of humanity. " Gentlemen, I am requested by His Majesty the Emperor and King, my august Master, to convey to you his warmest thanks for the part each of you has taken in the felicitous accomplishment of the work of the Conference. " I fulfil a final duty in gratefully acknowledging what the Con- ference owes to those of its members who undertook the hard work of the Commission, notably to the Baron de Courcel and to Baron Lambermont. I have also to thank the delegates for the valuable assistance they have rendered us, and I include in this expression of thanks the secretaries of the Conference, who have facilitated our deliberations by the accuracy of their work. " Like the other labours of man, the work of this Conference may be improved upon and perfected, but it will, I hope, mark an advance in the development of international relations, and form a new bond of union between the nations of the civilised world." Count de Launay then spoke as follows : — " Gentlemen, we are all of us very pleased to see His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck once more amongst us. APPENDIX. 437 " We have the honour to thank him for his speech, which bore 1885. the mark of such perfect courtesy, and for his flattering opinion ^ ~( of the efforts which have resulted in our general agreement. " As you have just heard, he has been prevented, much against his inclination, from presiding in person at all our sittings, but his mighty mind has hovered over this assembly. If he lias been obliged to delegate his functions, he knew beforehand that he was putting them in good hands. In fact, Count Hatzfeldt and Under Secretary of State, M. Busch, have successively carried out their instructions with an intelligence, a tact, and a spirit of con- ciliation that we are all of us pleased to acknowledge. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Both of them have thoroughly entered into the principles that have been brought before us with equal precision and elevation of view ever since the beginning of the Conference. "Whatever may be reserved for our work in the future — it remains subject to the vicissitudes of all things human — we can at present at least bear witness that we have neglected nothing that was at all possible to open up into the interior of the African Continent a broad road for the moral and material progress of its native races and for the development of the general welfare of commerce and navigation. " We have, simultaneously, served the cause of religion, of peace, of humanity, and enlarged the domain of public international law. " Such was the object we had in view. If we have succeeded in attaining it, a large part of the merit is due to our illustrious President, the promoter of the meeting of this Conference, the author of the programme which formed the basis of our delibera- tions. " I am thus secure of the unanimous assent of the members of this High Assembly in expressing to His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck our cordial acknowledgment for his having, whether present or absent, given our labours their best direction. " As we are about to part, I think, gentlemen, that I am your faithful interpreter in offering the homage of our respectful grati- tude for the kindly welcome we have received from His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia, and also from his august family." At Count de Launay's suggestion, the members of the High Assembly rise from their seats to mark their hearty assent to what 438 APPENDIX. has boon said by the Italian representative with regard to His Majesty the Emperor. Prince Bismarck thanks Count de Launay for his appreciative remarks. lie expresses a wish that the Plenipotentiaries and himself will in the course of their political life have frequent opportunities of meeting in that unanimously friendly spirit which has distinguished the Berlin Conference. His Serene Highness ■ bears witness to the satisfaction he has experienced at the excellent relations to which the Conference has given rise. The president consults the high assembly as to whether it will be convenient before proceeding to the signature of the general act to have the document read. The general act already adopted in its entirety by the Conference has been printed and distributed to the Plenipotentiaries for their mature consideration. The high assembly may perhaps under the circumstances think it well to omit the formality of the customary reading. Should that be the general feeling, it will be in accord with the opinion of the president. Said Pasha considers the reading superfluous. The high assembly unanimously agrees to the suggestion offered by Prince Bismarck. The president formally announces that the high assembly having given the general act its definitive sanction, without wishing to hear it read over for the last time, it will perhaps immediately pass to the signature of the documents. However, before inviting the Plenipotentiaries to proceed to this formality, Prince Bismarck, in order to simplify the order of business, desires to bring before the Conference a communication which ought strictly to follow the signing of the treaty, and which is to this effect : — "Referring to Article XXXVIT. of the Act just accepted by you I have the honour to make a communication to you which has just reached me. This is the adoption by the International Association of the Congo of the resolutions of the Conference. I will take the liberty of reading this document, as well as a letter from Colonel Strauch, the President of the Association." The President reads these documents, which are as follows : — 1. Act of Adhesion of the International Association of the Congo to the General Act of the Berlin Conference, of date the 26th of February, 1885. " The International Association of the Congo, in virtue of Article APPENDIX. 439 XXXVII. of the General Act of the Berlin Conference declares by 1885. these presents that it adheres to the provisions of the said General Feb- 2i)- Act. Berlin- " In witness whereof the President of the International Associa- tion of the Congo has signed the present declaration and thereto affixed his seal. " Done at Berlin the twenty-sixth day of the month of February, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-five. " Colonel Strauch." (L. S.) 2. Letter from Colonel Strauch to his Serene Highness Prince Bismarck : — " Prince, — In virtue of the powers given to me by His Majesty the King of the Belgians, acting as founder of the International Association of the Congo, powers sent herewith, and in conformity with Article XXXYII. of the General Act of the Berlin Conference, I have the honour to forward to the Government of the German Empire the Act by which the International Association of the Congo adheres to the said General Act. " I trust that your Serene Highness will in accordance with the stipulation which forms paragraph two of the same Article notify this adhesion to the States that have signed the General Act or who will adhere to it. The International Association of the Congo will regard the favourable consideration given to its request as another proof of the friendliness of the Powers towards a work destined by its origin, its conditions of existence, and its object to aid in the accomplishment of the generous ideas of the Conference. 44 1 am, with profound respect, " Your Serene Highness's most humble and most obedient servant, Colonel Strauch. " The President of the International Association of the Congo." " Berlin, 26th February, 1885." 3. Powers conferred on Colonel Strauch. t; We, Leopold II., King of the Belgians, acting as Founder of the International Association of the Congo, give by these presents full powers to M. Strauch, President of that Association, to sign the Act of accession to the general treaty adopted by the Berlin Conference. "Leopold. (L. S.) " Brussels, 15th February, 1885." 440 APPENDIX. 1885 . His Serene Highness Prince Bismarck then speaks as follows : — Feb. 26. Berlin " Gentlemen, — I believe I express the feeling of the Assembly in greeting with satisfaction the step taken by the International Association of the Congo, and in acknowledging its adhesion to our resolutions. The new Congo State is destined to be one of the chief protectors of the work we have in view, and I hope it will have a prosperous development, and that the noble aspirations of its illustrious founder may be fulfilled." At the President's invitation, the Plenipotentaries then proceed to the signature of the final Act. The President announces that the sitting is at an end, and the High Assembly separates at half-past Four o'clock. (Signed) SzECHENYI. F. P. VAN DER HOEVEX. Cte. Augte. Van der Marquis de Penafiel. Straten Ponthoz. A. de Serpa Pimentel. Bn. Lambermont. Cte. P. Kapnist. E. VlND. GlLLIS BlLDT. COMTE DE BENOMAR. SAID. John A. Kasson. V. Bismarck. Alph. de Courcel. Busch. Edward B. Malet. V. Kusserow. Launay. Certified as agreeing with original, Raindre. Comte W. Bismarck. Schmidt. THE GENERAL ACT OF THE BERLIN CONFERENCE. In the Name of Almighty God. His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia, His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, &c, and King Apostolic of Hungary, His Majesty the King of the Belgians, His Majesty the King of Denmark, His Majesty the King of Spain, the President of the United States of America, the President of the French Republic, Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom APPENDIX. 441 of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, His Majesty the 1885. King of Italy, His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, Grand F(Jb> 26 Duke of Luxemburg, His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Bcilin Algarves, &c., &c., &c, His Majesty the Czar of all the Kussias, His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, &c, &c., and His Majesty the Sultan of the Turks. Desirous of settling in a spirit of mutual goodwill the most favourable conditions for the development of commerce and civili- sation in certain districts in Africa, and ensuring to the natives the advantages of the free navigation of the two chief African rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean ; desirous, moreover, of preventing misunderstandings and disputes which may in the future arise as new territories are annexed on the African coast, and at the same time anxious to promote the moral and material welfare of the native races, have resolved at the invita- tion addressed to them by the Imperial Government of Germany, in accord with the Government of the French Eepublic to meet for these purposes in a Conference at Berlin, and have nominated as Their Plenipotentiaries the following : — His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia ; Le Sieur Otho, Prince Bismarck, His President of the Council of Ministers of Prussia, Chancellor of the Empire ; Paul, Count Hatzfeldt, His Minister of State and Secretary of State for the Department of Foreign Affairs ; Le Sieur Auguste Busch, His Privy Councillor of Legation, and Under-Secretary of Stite for the department of Foreign Affairs ; and I^e Sieur Henri de Kusserow, His Privy Councillor of Legation of the Department of Foreign Affairs. His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, &c, and King Apostolic of Hungary ; Le Sieur Emeric, Count Szechenyi de Sarvari Felso-Videk, Cham- berlain and Privy Councillor, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. His Majesty the King of the Belgians ; Le Sieur Gabriel Auguste, Count Van der Straten Ponthoz, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia ; and Le Sieur Auguste, Baron Lambermont, Minister of State, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. 442 APPENDIX. 1885. His Majesty the King of Denmark ; ^K f6, Le Blear Emil de Yind, Chamberlain, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. His Majesty the King of Spain ; Don Francisco Merry y Colom, Count de Benomar. His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty Emperor of Germany. King of Prussia. The President of the United States of America ; Le Sieur John A. Kasson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of North America, to His Majesty the Emperor of German}-, King of Prussia ; and Le Sieur Henry S. Sanford, Ex-Minister. The President of the French Republic ; Le Sieur Alphonse, Baron de Courcel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France, to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India; Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, Her Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. His Majesty the King of Italy; Le Sieur Edouard, Count de Launay, His Ambassador Extraordi- nary and Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxemburg, &c ; Le Sieur Frederic Philippe, Jonkheer Yan der Hoeven, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves, &c. ; Le Sieur du Serra Gomes, Marquis de Penafiel, Peer of the Realm, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prus>ia ; and Le Sieur Antoine de Serpa Pimentel, Councillor of State and Peer of the Realm. His Majesty the Czar of all the Russias ; Le Sieur Pierre, Count Kapnist, Privy Councillor, His Envoy Ex- traordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Netherlands. His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, &c. ; APPENDIX. Le Sieur Gillis, Baron Bildt, Lieutenant General, His Envoy Ex- 1885. traordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the *eb' 26 Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. His Majesty- the Sultan of the Turks; Mehemed Said, Pasha, Vizier and High Dignitary, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia. Who, furnished with full powers, which have been found to be in good and proper form, have successively discussed and adopted. 1. A declaration relative to the freedom of trade in the basin of the Congo, its mouths, and circumjacent districts, with certain arrangements connected therewith. 2. A declaration concerning the slave-trade, and the operations on land or sea, which supply the slaves for the trade. 3. A declaration relative to the neutrality of the territories com- prised in the said basin of the Congo. 4. An act as to the navigation of the Congo, which takes into consideration the local circumstmces affecting the river ; its afflu- ents, and the waters that are similar to tliem, the general principles set forth in Articles 10S to 116 of the final Act of the Congress of Vienna, and intended to regulate between the signatory powers to th^t act, the free navigation of navigable watercourses that separate or traverse several States ; principles that have once been generally applied to the rivers of Europe and America, and notably to the Danube with the modifications foreseen by the Treaties of Paris of 1856, of Berlin of 1878, of London of 1871 and 1883. 5. An act for the navigation of the Niger, which also takes into consideration the loc;d circumstances affecting this river and its affluents, on the same principles set forth in Articles 108 to 116 of the final Act of the Congress of Vienna. 6. A declaration introducing into international relations uniform rules with regard to annexations which may take place in the future on the African continent ; And having decided that these various documents could be use- fully combined in a single deed, have collected them in a general act composed of the following articles. CHAPTER I. Declaration relative to the freedom of commerce in the basin of the Congo, its mouths, and circumjacent districts, with certain arrangements connected therewith. 444 APPENDIX. Article I. 1 885. The trade of all nations shall be entirely free : eb. 26. In all the territories constituting the basin of the Congo and Berhn. affluents. The basin is bounded by the crests of the adjoining basins, that is to say, the basins of the Kiari, of the Ogowe, of the Shari, and of the Nile towards the north ; by the line of the eastern ridge of the affluents of Lake Tanganyika towards the east ; by the crests of the basins of the Zambesi and the Loge towards the south. It consequently embraces all the territories drained by the Congo and its affluent comprising therein Lake Tanganyika and its eastern tributaries. 2. In the maritime zone extending along the Atlantic Ocean from the parallel of 2° 30' j-outh latitude to the mouth of the Loge. The northern limit will follow the parallel of 2° 30' from the coast until it reaches the geographical basin of the Congo, avoiding the basin of the Ogowe, to which the stipulations of the present Act do not apply. The southern limit will follow the course of the Loge up to the source of that river, and thence strike eastwards to its junction with the geographic-*! basin of the Cmgo. 3. In the zone extending eastwards from the basin of the Congo as limited above herein, to the Indian Ocean, from the fifth degree of north Latitude to the mouth of the Zambesi on the south ; from this point the line of demarcation will follow the Zambesi for five miles up stream to the junction with the Shire, and continue by the line of the ridge dividing the waters which flow towards lake Nyassa from the tributary waters of the Zambesi, until it rejoins the line of the water-parting between the Zambesi and the Congo. It is expressly understood that in extending to this eastern zone the principle of commercial freedom, the Powers represented at the Conference bind only themselves, and that the principle will apply to territories actually belonging to some independent and sovereign state only so far as that state consents to it. The Powers agree to employ their good offices among the established Governments on the African coast of the Indian Ocean, to obtain such consent and in any case to ensure the most favourable conditions to all nations. Article II. All flags, without distinction of nationality, shall have free access to all the coast of the territories above enumerated, to the APPENDIX. 445 rivers which therein flow to the sea to all the waters of the Congo 1885. and its affluents, including the lakes, to all the canals that in the Feb' %' future may be cut with the object of uniting the watercourses or Beilin the lakes comprised in the whole extent of the territories described in Article L They can undertake all kinds of transport, and engage in maiitime and fluvial coas'ing, as well as river navigation, on the same footing as the natives. Article III. Goods from every source imported into these territories under any flag whatsoever, either by way of the sea, the rivers, or the land, shall pay no taxes except such as are an equitable compensa- tion for the necessary expenses of the trade, and which can meet with equal support from the natives and from foreigners of every nationality. All differential treatment is forbidden both with regard to ships and goods. Article IV. Goods imported into these! territories will remain free of all charges for entry and transit. The powers reserve to themselves, until the end of a period of twenty years, the right of deciding if freedom of entry shall be maintained or not. Article V. Every Power which exercises or will exercise sovereign rights in the territories above-mentioned, cannot therein concede any monopoly or privilege of any sort in commercial matters. Foreigners shall therein indiscriminately enjoy the same treat- ment and rights as the natives in the protection of their persons and goods, in the acquisition and transmission of their property, moveable and immovable, and in the exercise of their professions. Article VI. Prolusions Belative to the Protection of the Natives, to Missionaries and Travellers, and to Religious Liberty. All the Powers exercising sovereign rights, or having influence in the said territories, undertake to watch over the preservation of the native races, and the amelioration of the moral and material 446 APPENDIX. L885. conditions of their existence, and to co-operate in the suppression ob. 26. 0f slavery^ an(j above all of the slave trade; they will protect and l ollin' encourage, without distinction of nationality or creed, all institu- tions and enterprises, religious, scientific, or charitable, established and organised for these objects or tending to educate the natives, and lead them to understand and appreciate the advantages of civilisation. Christian missionaries, men of science, explorers, and their escorts and collections, to be equally the object of special pro- tection. Liberty of conscience and religious toleration are expressly guaranteed to the natives as well as to the inhabitants and foreigners. The free and public exercise of every creed, the right to erect religious buildings and to organise missions belonging to every creed, shall be subject to no restriction or impediment what- soever. Article VII. Postal Arrangements. The Convention of the Postal Union revised at Paris on the 1st of June, 1878, shall apply to the said basin of the Congo. The Powers which there exercise or will exercise rights of sovereignty or protectorate, undertake, as soon as circumstances permit, to introduce the necessary measures to give effect to the above resolution. Article VIII. Might of Surveillance conferred on the International Commission for the Navigation of the Congo. In all parts of the territory embraced in the present Declaration, where no Power shall exercise the rights of sovereignty or protec- torate, the International Commission for the navigation of the Congo, constituted in accordance with Article XVII., shall be entrusted with the surveillance of the application of the principles declared and established in this Declaration. In all cases of difficulties arising relative to the application of the principles established by the present Declaration, the Govern- ments interested shall agree to appeal to the good offices of the International Commission, leaving to it the examination of the facts which have given rise to the difficulties. APPENDIX. 447 CHAPTER II. Feb. 26. DECLARATION CONCERNING THE SLAVE TRADE. Berlin. Article IX. In conformity with the principles of the right of nations as recognised by the signatory Powers, the slave trade being forbidden, and operations which on land or sea supply slaves for the trade being equally held to be forbidden, the Powers which exercise or will exercise rights of sovereignty or influence in the territories forming the basin of the Congo declare that these territories shall serve neither for the place of sale nor the way of transit for the traffic in slaves of any race whatsoever. Each of the Powers under- takes to employ every means that it can to put an end to the trade and to punish those who engage in it. CHAPTER III. DECLARATION RELATIVE TO THE NEUTRALITY OF THE TERRITORIES COMPRISED IN THE SAID BASIN OF THE CONGO. Article X. In order to give a new guarantee of security for commerce and industry, and to encourage by the maintenance of peace the de- velopment of civilisation in the countries mentioned in Article I. and placed under the system of free trade, the High Parties signa- tory to the present Act, and those who will accept the same, hereby undertake to respect the neutrality of the territories, or parts of the territories dependent on the said countries, comprising therein the territorial waters, for so long as the Powers which exercise, or will exercise, the rights of sovereignty or protectorate over the territories, avail themselves of the right to proclaim them neutral and fulfil the duties that neutrality implies. Article XI. In cases where a Power exercising rights of sovereignty or pro- tectorate in the countries mentioned in Article I. and placed under the system of free trade shall be involved in war, the Hi^h Parties signatory to the present Act and those who will accept the same hereby engage to use their good offices so that the territories be- longing to that Power, and comprised within the said boundaries where free trade exists, shall, by the mutual consent of that Power 448 APPENDIX. 1885. and of the other or others of the belligerent parties, be held to be el>' neutral for so long as the war lasts, and considered as belonging to Ber*n' a non-belligerent state; the belligerent parties will then abstain from extending hostilities into such neutralised territories as well as from using them as a base for operations of war. Article XII. In the event of a serious disagreement originating on the sub- ject, or arising within the limits of the territories mentioned in Article I., and placed under the system of freedom of trade, between Powers signatory to the present Act or Powers accepting the same, these Powers undertake before appealing to arms to have recourse to the mediation of one or several of the friendly Powers. Under the said circumstances the said Power reserve to them- selves the option of proceeding to arbitration. CHAPTEE IV. ACT OF THE NAVIGATION OF THE CONGO. Article XIII. The navigation of the Congo, without any exception of any branches or issues of the river, is to remain entirely free for mer- chant shipping of all nations in cargo or ballast, for the carriage of goods or the carriage of passengers. It shall be in accordance with the provisions of the present Act of navigation or of the regulations established in execution of the said Act. Jn the exercise of that navigation the subjects and flags of all nations shall under all circumstances be treated on a footing of absolute equality as well as regards the direct navigation from the open sea towards the interior ports of the Congo, and vice versa, as for grand and petty coasting and boat and river work all along the river. Consequently, throughout the Congo's course and mouths, no distinction shall be made between the subjects of the river-side States and those not bordering on the river, and no exclusive privi- lege of navigation shall be granted either to societies or corpora- tions or individuals. These provisions are recognised by the signatory Powers as henceforth forming part of public international law. APPENDIX. 449 Article XIV. The navigation of the Congo shall not be subjected to any 1885 restraints or imposts which are not expressly stipulated for in the Feb- 2tJ- present Act. It shall not be burdened with any duties for har- Berlin, bourage, stoppages, depots, breaking bulk, or putting in through stress of weather. Throughout the length of the Congo ships and merchandise passing along the stream shall be subject to no transit dues, no matter what may be their origin or destination. There shall not be established any tolls, marine or river, based on the fact of navigation alone, nor shall any duty be imposed on the merchandise on board the vessels. Such taxes and duties only shall be levied as are of the character of remuneration for services rendered to the said navigation. That is to say : 1. Taxes of the port lor the actual use of certain local establish- ments, such as wharves, warehouses, (fee. The tariff of such taxes to be calculated on the expenses of construction and support of the said local establishments, and in its application to be independent ol the origin of the vessels and their cargo. 2. Pilotage dues on sections of the river, or where it appears necessary to establish stations <»f certificated pilots. The tariff of these dues to be fixed and proportionate to the services rendered. 3. Dues in respect of the technical and administrative expenses, imposed in the general interest of the navigation, and com- prising lighthouse, beacon, and buoyage dues. Dues of the last description to be based on the tonnage of the ships according to the papers on board, and to be con- formable to the regulations in force on the Lower Danube. The tariffs of the taxes and dues mentioned in the three preced- ing paragraphs are not to admit of any differential treatment, and are to be officially published in each port. The Powers reserve to themselves the right at the end of five years, by mutual agreement, to inquire into the above-mentioned tariffs in case the}' require revision. Article XV. The affluents of the Congo shall under all circumstances be subject to the same regulations as the river of which they are the tributaries. Vol. II.— 29 450 APPENDIX. L885 The same regulations shall apply to the lakes and canals as to el'- ">tj- the rivers and streams in the territories defined in Article I., Keillu- paragraphs 2 ami Nevertheless the powers of the International Commission of the Congo shall not extend over the said rivers, lakes, and canals, unless with the assent of the States under whose sovereignty they are placed. It is also understood that for the territories mentioned in Article I, paragraph 3, the consent of the sovereign States on whom these territories are dependent remains reserved. Article XV J. The roads, railways, or lateral canals which shall be established for the special object of supplementing the innavigability or imper- fections of the water-way in certain sections of the Congo, of its affluents and other watercourses held to be like unto them by Article XV., shall be considered in their capacity as means of communication as dependencies of the river, and shall be likewise open to the traffic of all nations. And as on the river there shall be levied on these roads, railways, and canals, only tolls calculated on the expenses of construction, maintenance, and administration, and on the profits due to the promoters. In the assessment of these tolls foreigners and the inhabitants of the respective territories shall be treated on a footing of perfect equality. Article XVII. An International Commission is instituted appointed to ensure the execution of the provisions of the present Act of Navigation. The Powers signatory to this Act, as well as those who after- wards accept it, shall at all times be represented on the said Com- mission each by a delegate. No delegate shall have more than one vote even in the event of his representing several Governments. This delegate shall be paid by his own Government direct. The salaries and allowances of the agents and servants of the International Commission shall be charged on the proceeds of the dues levied conformably to Article XIV., paragraphs 2 and 3. The amounts of the said salaries and allowances as well as the number, position, and duties of the agents and servants shall appear in the account rendered each year to the Governments represented on the International Commission. APPENDIX. 451 Article XVIII. The members of the International Commission, as well as the 1885. agents nominated by them, are invested with the privilege of in- Feb- -h violability in the exercise of their functions. The same guarantee Berlin* shall extend to the offices, premises, and archives of the Com- mission. Article XIX. The International Commission for the navigation of the Congo shall be constituted as soon as five of the signatory Powers of the present General Act shall have nominated their delegates. Pend- ing the constitution of the Commission, the nomination of the delegates shall be notified to the Government of the German Empire, by whom the necessary steps will be taken to manage the meeting of the Commission. The Commission will draw up without delay the arrangements for the navigation, river police, pilotage, and quarantine. These regulations as well as the tariffs instituted by the Com- mission, before being put in force, shall be submitted to the approbation of the Powers represented on the Commission. The Powers interested shall declare their opinion therein with the least possible delay. Offences against these regulations shall be dealt wiih by the agents of the International Commission, where it exercises its authority direct, and in other places by the riverside Power. In case of abuse of power or injustice on the part of an agent or servant of the International Commission, the individual consider- ing himself injured on his person or his rights, shall apply to the Consular agent of his nation. He will enquire into his complaint, if prima facie he finds it reasonable, he shall be entitled to report it to the Commission. On his initiative, the Commission represented by three or fewer of its members shall join with him in an enquiry touching the conduct of its agent or servant. If the Consular agent considers the decision of the Commission as objectionable in law, he shall report to the Government, who shall refer to the Powers represented on the Commission, and invite them to agree as to the instructions to be given to the Commission. Article XX. The International Commission of the Congo entrusted under the terms of Article XVII., with ensuring the execution of the 452 APPENDIX. 1885. present Act of Navigation shall specially devote its attention Feb. 26. t0_ Berlin. ^ THe indication of such works as are necessary for ensuring the navigability of the Congo, in accordance with the requirements of international trade. On sections of the river where no Power exercises rights of sovereignty, the International Commission shall itself take the measures necessary for ensuring the navigability of the stream. On sections of the river occupied by a sovereign Power, the Inter- national Commission shall arrange with the riverside au hority. li. The fixing of the tariff for pilotage and of the general tariff of navigation dues, provided for in the second and third paragraphs of Article XLV. The tariffs mentioned in the first paragraph of Article XIV. shall be settled by the territorial authority within the limits provided for in that Article. The collection of these dues shall be under the care of the inter- national or territorial authority, on whose account they huve been established. 3. The administration of the revenues accruing from the appli- cation of the foregoing paragraph 2. 4. The surveillance of the quarantine establishment ins'ituted in compliance with Article XXIY. 5. The nomination of agents for the general service of the navi- gation and its own particular servants. The appointment of sub-inspectors shall belong to the tenitoiial authority over sections occupied by a Power, and to the Inter- national Commission over the other sections of the river. The riverside Power will notify to the International Commission the nomination of its sub-inspectors which it shall have appointed, and this Power shall pay their salaries. In the exercise of its duties as defined and limited above, the International Commission shall not be subject to the territorial authority. Article XXI. In the execution of its task, the International Commission shall have recourse in case of need to the vessels of war belonging to the signatory Powers of this Act, and to those which in the future shall accept it, if not in contravention of the instructions which shall have been given to the commanders of those vessels by their respective Governments. APPENDIX. 453 Article XXI I. The vessels of war of the Powers signatory to the present Act 1885. which enter the Congo are exempt from the payment of the *eb" 2i navigation dues provided fur in paragraph 3 of Article XIV. ; but Beilin they shall pay the contingent pilotage dues as well as the harbour dues, unless their intervention has been demanded by the Inter- national Commission or its agents under the terms of the preceding Article. Article XXIII. With the object of meeting the technical and administrative expenses which it may have to incur, the International Com- mission, instituted under Article XVII., may in its own name issue loans secured on the revenues assigned to the said Commission. The resolutions of the Commission regarding the issue of a loan mu>t be carried by a majority of two-thirds of its votes. It is undei stood that the Governments represented on the Commission shall not, in any case, be considered as assuming any guarantee nor contracting any engagement or joint responsibility with regard to the said loans, unless special tieaties are concluded amongst them to that effect. The proceeds of the dues specified in the third paragraph of Article XIV., shall be in the first place set aside for the payment of interest and the amortisation of the said loans, in accordance with the agreements entered into with the lenders. Article XXIV. At the mouths of the Congo thete shall be founded, either at the initiation of the riverside Powers, or by the intervention of the International Commission, a quarantine establishment, which shall exercise control over the vessels entering and departing. It shall be decided later on by the Powers, if any, and under what conditions sanitary control shall be exercised over vessels navigating the river. Article XXV. The provisions of the present Act of Navigation shall remain in force during times of war. Consequently, the navigation of all nations, neutral and belligerent, shall at all times be free for the purposes of trade on the Congo, its branches, its affluents, and its 454 APPENDIX. 1885. mouths, as well as on the territorial waters fronting the mouths of reb-26- the river. The traffic shall likewise remain free, notwithstanding the state of war, on its roads, its railways, its lakes, and its canals as men- tioned in Articles XV. and XVI. The only exception to this principle shall be in cases in connection with the transport of articles intended for a belligerent, and held in accordance with the law of nations to be contraband of war. All the works and establishments instituted in execution of the present Act, particularly the offices of collection and their funds the same as the staff permanently attached to the service of such establishments, shall be treated as neutral, and shall be respected and protected by the belligerents. CHAPTER V. THE ACT OF NAVIGATION OF THE NIGER. Article XXVI. The navigation of the Niger, without excepting any of the branches or issues, is and shall continue completely free for mer- chant vessels of all nations, in cargo or ballast, conveying goods or conveying passengers. It shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the present Act of Navigation, and with the regulations established in execution of the same Act. In the exercise of th it navigation, the subjects and flag of every nation shall be treated under all circumstances on a footing: of perfect equality, as well as in the direct navigation from the open sea to the interior ports of the Niger, and vice versa, as for grand and petty-coasting, and in boat and riverwork throughout its course. Consequently throughout the length and mouths of the Niger there shall be no distinction between the subjects of the riverside states and those of states not bordering on the river, and there shall be conceded no exclusive privilege of navigation to any society or corporation or any individual. These provisions are recognised by the signatory Powers as henceforth forming part of public international law. Article XXVII. The navigation of the Niger shall not be subjected to any obstacle, nor duty based only on the fact of the navigation. APPENDIX. 455 It shall not be subject to any duties for harbourage, stop- L885. pages, depots, breaking bulk, or putting into port through stress of Feb' 21 weather. BerliQ- Throughout the length of the Niger vessels and goods passing along the stream shall not be subject to any transit dues, whatso- ever may be their origin or destination. There shall be established no sea nor river toll based on the sole fact of navigation, nor any duty on the goods which happen to be on board the ships ; only such taxes and dues shall be levied as are of the nature of a payment for services rendered to the said navigation. The tariffs of these taxes or dues shall admit of no differential treatment. Article XXVIII. The affluents of the Niger shall in every respect be subject to the same regulations as the river of which they are the tributaries. Article XXIX. Roads, railways, or lateral canals, which shall be established with the special object of supplementing the innavigability or other imperfections of the waterway, in certain sections of the course of the Niger, its affluents, its branches, and its issues, shall be considered in their capacity of means of communication as dependencies of the river, and shall be similarly open to the traffic of all nations. As on the river there shall be levied on the roads, railways, and canals, only such tolls as are calculated on the expenses of con- struction, maintenance, and administration, and on the profits due to the promoters. In the assessment of these tolls, foreigners and the inhabitants of the respective territories shall be treated on a footing of per- fect equality. Article XXX. Great Britain undertakes to appl y the principles of freedom of navi- gation enunciated in Articles XXVI., XXVII., XXVIII., XXIX., to so much of the waters of the Niger and its affluents, branches, and issues, as are or shall be under her sovereignty or protectorate. The regulations she will draw up for the safety and control of the navigation shall be designed to facilitate as much as possible the passage of merchant shipping. 456 APPENDIX. 1885. It is understood that nothing in the engagements thus accepted el J,>- shall be interpreted as hindering likely or to hinder Great Britain llin. from making any regulations whatever as to the navigation which shall not be contrary to the spirit of such engagements. Great Biitain undei takes to protect foreign traders of every nation engaged in commerce in those parts of the course of the Niger which are or shall be under her sovereignty or protectorate, as if they were her own subjects, provided that such traders con- form to the regulations which are or shall be established in accoid- anco with the foregoing. Article XXXI. France accepts under the same reservations and in identical terms the obligations set forth in the preceding Article, so far as they apply to the waters of the Niger, its affluents, branches, and issues, which are or shall be under her sovereignty or protectorate. Article XXXII. Each of the other signatory Powers similarly undertake that they will similarly act in such cases as they exercise or may here- after exercise rights of sovereignty or protectorate in any part of the Niger, its affluents, branches, or issues. Article XXXIII. The provisions of the present Act of Navigation shall remain in force during times of war. Consequently the navigation of all nations, neutral or belligerent, shall at all times be free for the purposes of trade on the Niger, its branches and affluents, its mouths and issues, as well as on the territorial waters fronting the mouths and issues of the river The traffic shall likewise remain free notwithstanding the state of war, on its roads, its railways, and canals mentioned in Article XXIX. The only exception to this principle shall be in cases in con- nection with the transport of articles intended for a belligerent and held, in accordance with the law of nations, to be contraband of war. APPENDIX. 457 CHAPTER VI. DECLARATION RELATIVE TO THE ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS FOR NEW AN- NEXATIONS ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT TO BE CONSIDERED EFFECTIVE. Article XXXIV. The Power which in future takes possession of a territory on 1885. Nthe coasts of the African continent situated outside its actual pos- Feb' 20 session, or which, having none there, has first acquired them, and Berlm- the Power which assumes a protectorate, shall accompany either act by a notification addressed to the other Powers signatory to the present Act, so as to enable them to protest against the same if there exist any grounds for their doing so. Article XXXV. The Powers signatory to the present Act recognise the obliga- tion to ensure in the territories occupied by them on the coasts of the African continent, the existence of an adequate authority to enforce respect for acquired rights, and for freedom of trade and transit wherever stipulated. CHAPTER VII. GENERAL PROVISIONS. Article XXXVI. The Powers signatory to the present general Act reserve to themselves the right of eventually, by mutual agreement, intro- ducing therein modifications or improvements the utility of which has been shown by experience. Article XXXVII. The Powers who may not have signed the present Act shall accept its provisions by a separate Act. The adhesion of each Power shall be notified in the usual diplo- matic manner to the Government of the German Empire, and by it to those of all the signatory and adherent States. The adhesion shall imply the full right of acceptance of all the obligations, and admission to all the advantages stipulated for in the present general Act. 458 APPENDIX. Article XXXYIII. 1885. The present general Act shall be ratified with as short a delay eb. lb. ag p0ssiijie5 an(j jn 110 case shall that delay exceed a year. It shall come into force for each Power on the date of its ratifi- cation by that Power. Meanwhile the Powers signatory to the present Act bind them- selves to adopt no measure that shall be contrary to the provisions of the said Act. Each Power shall send its ratification to the Government of the German Empire, which nndeitakes to ratify the same to all the signatory Powers of the present general Act. The ratifications of all the Powers shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the German Empire. When all the ratifications shall have been produced, a deed of deposit shall be drawn up in a protocol which shall be signed by the Representa- tives of all the Powers that have taken part in the Beilin Confer- ence, and of it a certified copy shall be sent to each of all those Powers. In consideration of which, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present general Act and hereto affixed their seals. Done at Berlin, the twenty-sixth day of the month of February, one thousand eigl.t hundred and eighty-five. DISTANCE and TIME-TABLE from Banana Point to Stanley Falls. From Banana Point at ihe, sea to Ponta da Lenha. ) Ponta da Lenha to Boma Boma to Mussuko Mussuko to Xokki . . Nokki to Vivi . . . Vivi to Leopoldville, over-} land j Leopoldville to Kimpoko . Camp Camp Mswata Station .... Mswata to Kwamouth Sta-) tion I Camp Camp Bolobo Station . . . Bolobo to Ungende . . . Camp Camp Lukolela Station . . . Lukolela Station to De-) serted Village . . ./ Ngombe Station . . . Usindi Irebu Camp Equator Station . Carried forward . . unci- in Etig-iish Dp. 110 235 121 770~ 7 0 3 30 3 30 3 45 1 15 1 10 94 0 94 0 9 0 | 10 0 V14 0 10 o I 2 30| 13 0 10 0 10 0 1 30 8 0 10 0 10 0 7 0 5 0 10 0 6 45 1 15 10 0 10 45 243 45 tHUce in English Miles. Brought forward . . . 770 Kquator Station to Camp . Urauga .. Camp •• Camp | .. Bolombo Bangala Station.Central Iboko 122 Camp I .. Camp Gamp i .. Camp Camp Camp Kubunga, orUpoto Station 208 >e\v Kubunga . . . .1 •• Camp I Camp ■ • Ibunda Lower Yambinga Old Yalulima .... 99 Yambungu •• Basaka ** Barun •• Basoko 72 C;imp Camp • C;imp | .. Gamp I .. Camp at mouth of Chofu . Stanley Falls Station . . 142 Total 1413 Up. town. H. M. H. SI. 243 45 162 5 10 0 7 0 10 0 10 0 |22 0 7 30 7 0 33 35 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 4 20 14* 5 2 30 O !• . . 10 ol .. 6 25! .. 3 50 8 10 17* 0 8 15 8 0 8 0 7 15 15*30 10 0 10 o 10 0 10 o 10 45 5 15 INDEX. Abed bin Salem, slave trader, ii. 144 Aborigines, study of the, i. 313, 314 ; ideas of barter among, i. 463 Accident to Lieut. Braconnier, i. 316 Accidents few, i. 226 Accusation, unjust, against the expedition at Mali ma, i. 299 Actes de Navigation, ii. 396, 397 Adage, error of an old, i. iy8 Adamoli, Signor, i. 35 Adansonia, i. 355 ; ii. 354 Aden, i. 51 Advice for the tropics, ii. 323 ; inattention to health, ii. 320, 321 Africa, climate wrongly abused, i. 66; climate of, ii. 281 ; crossing, i. 59 ; Europeans in, ii. 238 ; past isolation of 1 equatorial, ii. 372 ; reclaimable, ii. 373 ; | stations on the east coast, i. 35, 36 ; unjust abuse of, ii. 252 African and European life, ii. 238, 239 Association International, ii. 259 ; fitst expedition of, i. 3u chiefs, absurd grandeur of, i. 291, 305 climate, abuse of, ii. 284. 298 dialects not understood among the staff, i. 196 — gardens, what may be grown in, ii. 258 hill scenes, loneliness of, i. 95 International Association, i. 38; ii. 363 ; its foundation, i. 33 ■ life, delusions regarding, ii. 241, 242 ; life, conditions of enjoyment of, ii. 248- 250 produce : table of value in Liverpool, ii. 368, 369 society, the German, ii. 387 sunshine, i. 94, 95 Trading Company : see Afrikaansche Handels-Yereeniging. Africans, incapable oi' acting in unison, ii. 87 Afrikaansche Handels-Venootschap, i. 29, 38, 51, 72, 450 Afrikaansche Handel-- Yereeniging, i. 29; otters free conveyance and accommoda- tion, i. 35; 38, 51*. 72, 156 Agricultural prospects, i. 158, 391, 393, 412, 414 Ague, ii. 328 u A. I. A." steam launch, i. 477, 484, 501 ; ii. 57, 59, 116 Ajakkas invade Congo, i. 11, 12 Albert Mount (Cameroons), ii. 231 Albion, the ss„ i. 28, 38, 39, 49, 57, 63, 61, 67, 79, 83, 88, 91, 103-105, 107, 108 Alfonso, King, i. 35 Alima River, i. 233 Allard, Dr., i. 202, 228 ; his services, ii. 270. 271 Alliances, difficulty of forming, i. 388 Aloes, ii. 354 Amazon Eiver, i. 86 ; comparison to the, i. 401 ; ii. 9 Ambacca, i. 454. Ambassi capital of Congo-land, i. 11 Ambeze', see Ambassi Ambrizette River, i. 17 Ambush at Boloho, ii. 58 Amelot, Mons., ii. 51, 56 America, i. 28 Amomum, ii. 358 "Amour-propre" on the Congo, ii. 240, 276 Anchorage at Banana Point, i. 64 I Anglo- Portuguese treaty, ii. 381-384 Angola, i. 14; Governor.— General of, i. 453 ; boundaries of, i. 455 '< Animal life, i. 176 Animals, domestic, i. 394 Anderson, Captain, i. 239, 258, 264, 268, 284, 478, 481 ; ii. 52, 264 ; his services, 256, 257 Mr. (English Foreign Office), ii. 395 Ankoli, a guide, i. 415, 421, 424, 425, 429, 433, 441 Antelope, i. 176, 509 ; skins, ii. 354 Anzichana, literally people of the interior, i. 3 460 INDEX. Anzichi, literally " Inland," i. 3 Arabs. — camp of slaves, ii. 145 ; character- istics, i. 40; dhows, employment of, i. 4S ; incidents of slave-trading:, ii. 169; slave-traders, ii. 124, 133; cunning of, ii. 154; on the Congo, ii. 139; over- taken, i:. 142 ; stations to be avoided, i. 40; trading communities, ii. 360, 303 Arabs taken down river, ii. 168 Arachis hypogea, ii. 353 Area drained by rivers, ii. 348; by navi- gable water, ii. 366 Ariel, 1 1. M.S. i. 86 (note) Armament of an expedition, i. 47 Armed followers of Ngalyeraa, i. 362, 363, 365 Armlets, i. 428 Arntz, Professor, on treaties, ii. 380 "Artful dodgers," ii. 246, 247 Arthington mission, i. 496 Artieles for baiter and trade, i. 156, 157 included in the stores, i. 285 Aruwimi River, ii. 115 Assistant chief, qualifications of an, i. 466 Assistants, disappointing, ii. 244-246; successful, ii 245 ' "Association International du Congo," its objects, i. 51, 52; sovereignty ceded to the, ii. 225 Austro-Hungarian committee, i. 36 Avarice of aborigines, i. 46 Axle tree, a rotten, i. 316 Ba-bangi tribe, the, i. 295 Babari tribe, i. 506 Babwende territory, i. 30 Bacillus Molarite, ii. 319 " Bad spirits in the woods," i. 223, 224 Bagamoyo, i. 40, 45, 48 Bagrnyu tribe, ii. 360 Baggage of Europeans, i. 285 Bahamba tribe, ii. 170 ; villages, ii. 113 Bahunga tribe, ii. 122, 151, 170; marau- ders, ii. 133, 134, 137 Bakanga tribe, ii. 38 Baker, Sir Samuel, ii. 358 Bakonde tribe, ii. 360 Bakongo, i. 137, 148, 220 ; ii. 209 ; traders, jealousy of, i. 309; ivory traders, i. 321 Baknos tribe, ii. 360 Bakumira, ii. 345 Bakumu tribe, ii. 360 Balegga tribe, ii. 360 Balh.y, M., i. 231 ; ii. 185, 395 Balui, ii. 43 ; pirates, ii. 68, 69, 70 ; river, ii. 70, 345 Balunda tribe, ii. 360 Bamarungu tribe, ii. 360 Bambarre, i. 43 Bamtumu or Wambundu, i. 323 Bamu Island, i. 389, :-i95, 396, 505 Banana, i. 75, 76, 79, 81, 83, 87, 92 ; ii. 310, 319, 320, 310 Banana Creek, i. 77, 85, 109, 116; ii. 228, 282, 468 ■ garden, a, i. 500 groves, i. 432, 518; ii. 99, 136, 193 Point, i. 29, 31, 59, 62-64, 71, 91, 105, 108, 14tf Bananas, ii. 246, 357 Banfunu tribe, i. 406, 505 Bangala. tribe, ii. 21, 24, 25, 44, 56, 76, 79, 80-83, 85, 172 ; justice., ii. 176 Bangweolo, ii. 340 ; lake, ii. 358, 359 : see also Lake Bemba. Bankruptcy of Congo merchants, i. 50 Bankwa of Kinshassa, i. 375 Banning, Mons., ii. 394 Banquet at Vivi, i. 153, 154 Banunu tribe, i. 518 Banyema tribe, ii. 360 Banza, a village, i. 161 ; Chibweta, i. 165; Kimpunzu, i. 162, 163; Kinle'le', i. 165; Knlu, i. 135, 161, 163, 165; ii. 215; Lungn, i. 161, 162, 165; Manteka, ii. 214, 299, 303; Mbuba, ii. 207; Mgan- gila, i. 165; Nkosi, ii. 215; Sombo, i. 161, 163 ; Uvana, i. lol, 162, 165, 197, 198, 199; Vivi, i. 129, 133 Baobabs, i. 355, 504 ; ii. 5 Bapti&t missionaries, i. 225; missions, i. 496; at San Salvador, i. 13; Missionary Society, i. 13 ; school, native children at the, ii. 208 Barga, ss. i. 29, 67 Bargaining in Congo-land, i. 137 Barometer variations, ii. 331 Barrack life ami Congo life, ii. 265 Barter among aborigines, i. 463 ; and trade, articles for African, i. 156, 157 Bartering, i. 374, 383, 384, 444, 500 ; ii. 15, 16, 83 Barth, Dr., the explorer, ii. 385 description of the Shari River, ii. 131 Barua tribe, ii. 360 ; villages, ii. 113 Barumba tribe, ii. 170 Basaka fishing hamlets, ii. 113 Basazza people, i. 429 Basoko or Basongo, ii. 115, 119; spears, ii. 356 Basokos, a fine people, ii. 123 Basongo : see Basoko. j Bastian, Dr., the German traveller, i. 13, 34 ; ii. 387 Basundi, i. 73 Baswa Falls, ii. 359; fishermen, ii. 134 Bateke, i. 73, 137, 148, 513 ; ii. 28 ; tribe, i. 295, 407 ; ivory traders, i. 294 ; sign of. " not guilty," i. 373 ; ivory trade of the, i. 384 Baths, advice about, ii. 326, 329 Batuki tribe, ii. 38, 43, 71 Bavranga, ii. 345 Bayneston, i. 253; ii. 298; hill, i. 254, 255 Bays of Lake Leopold, i. 437 INDEX. 4G1 Bazombo traders, jealousy of, i. 309; ivory traders, i. 321 Beads as currency, ii. 101, 102 Beamont, M. Boutkchier de, i. 35 Beans, ii. 243, 357 Bed of the Congo, survey of the, i. 402 " Beef and beer,'' Burton's advice, ii. 294, 296 Beer, ii. 242, 282, 294, 295 ; of Mantu, i. 512 Beeswax, ii. 354 Behaim, Martin de, the explorer, i. 1 Belgarde, the Abbe, i. 16 Belgian' officers, i. 239; military officers, ii. 259 ; colony, Congo-land not a, i. 54 ; enterprise, ii. 388 Beh/ique, La, ss., i. 68, 83, 91, 103, 104, 107, 121. 144, 145, 149, 152, 196, 208, 469 Bekiqus Creek, i. 145 Belgium, i. 26, 28; tue first to establish a national committee, i. 33; foimatiou ot its International Committee, i. 34, 35 Bemba, Lake,- i. 8 Benevolence, a valuable virtue, ii. 166 Bengo River, i. 454 Benguella, i. 456 Benin, Bight of. ii. 231 ; river, ii. 234 Bentley, Mr., i. 250 Benzani Congo, a chief, i. 130, 161 Bere, another name for Welle River Beri Mount, ii. 211 Berlin Congo Conference, ii. 391-403 Beverage wanted, a, ii. 323 Biangala, i. 518; ii. 57 Bin Kassim, Sultan, i. 43 Binnie, a Scotch engineer, ii. 165, 272, 427, 275, 276 Birds, i. 207, 417, 419, 436; ii. 6, 8; im- mense flocks of. ii. 17 ; feathers, ii. 354 Bisa plateau, ii. 361 Bismarck, Prince, ii. 384, 386, 387, 388, 389, 3H0, 393, 396, 399, 402, 403, 407 Biverre River, i. 70, 514; ii. 129, 130-132, 170, 349; identical with the Welle, ii. 130 Blnck babies, our " fondness " for, i. 239 M Blackmail's pot," i. 101 Black's, Mr. Wm., novels, i. 401 Black Point, ii. 229 rivers, ii. 77, 359 Blandy, Mr., of Madeira, i. 153, 154 Blankets, ii. 324 Block house at Leopnldville, i. 375, 376 Bloeme, Mr. de, i. 32, 73; ii. 395 Blood-brotherhood, i. 30, 306, 385 ; ii. 23, 38, 48, 68, 79, 86, 89, 90, 104, 132, 171, 177 Blood-money, i. 525, 527 Bloodshed, reasons against, i. 523, 524 B.deko of Bangala, ii. 80, 82, 83 Bolobo, i. 102, 507, 515-519, 521; ii. 2, 4, 26, 50, 52, 288 ; serious disturbances at, i. 521; assembly of chiefs, i. 528; centre of ivory trade, ii. 2; frugal chiefs at, ii. 2; departure of a flotilla from, ii. 3; burning of, ii. 56; in arms, ii. 57, 58; second burning of, ii. 183 Bolombo, ii. 79 Boma, i. 30, 31, 74, 86-89, 91-93, 96, 102, 103, 105, 109, 113. 116, 132, 133, 143-145, 156, 168, 171, 513 ; ii. ^87, 298, 310, 319, 341 ; a zareeba, i. 46; its history, i. 96- 101 ; protectorate at, ii. 225; sanatorium at, ii. 228 ; hospital at, ii. 271 Bonibax, ii 5, 30 Bondeh village, ii. 126 Bonny River, ii. 234 Borneo, ii. 379 Bossi missionary station, ii. 185 Boundaries of Congo Free State, ii. 401 ; of territories, ii. 400, 401 ! Braconnier, Lieut., i. 243, 253, 258, 273, ! 276. 279, 286, Biti Brand v, ii. 252, 254 Brass collars, i. 297, 428 rods as currencv, i. 294, 374, 384, 488, 524; ii. 22, 28, 44, 52, 62, 64, 84, 102, 243 Brazils, shipment of slaves to the, i. 14 Brazza, Le Comte Savorgnau de, i. 292, 231-234; ii. 385 Bread, native, i. 431 Breadth of the Congo, i. 89 Bridge making, i. 226 Bridges, — across ike Bundi, i. 18(5; Bula River, i. 187; Luendu, i. 187; Lulu, i 187; across the Nkusu, i. 154, 186; de- stroyed, i. 448; Loa, i. 201; Nkusu, 223; Lukuluzi River, i. 312; Inkissi, i. 316; Utuvn, i. 318 British Expedition of 1816 : see Tuckey's Expedition. cruisers and the slave-trade, l. 451 ; officers, ii. 273 Government, action of the, ii. 380 exploration, ii. 385 Bronchitis, ii. 327 Brotherkood-blood ; see Blood-brotkerhood. Broyon, Mons., i. 39, -10 Bruce, James, ii. 385; definitions of heat, ii. 313 Brusk circles, i. 356 Brussels, i. 25 ; meeting at tke palace, 26 ; Conference, i. 33, 36 Buehner, ii. 387 Buffalo, i. 395; river, l. 212; Soudi killed by a, i. 253; skins, ii. 354; and lion frigkt, ii. 51 Buftaloes, i. 176, 177, 509 ; ii. 8, 241 Bugnku of Ubuma, i. 18; son of Gankabi, i. 422 . Buka Islaud, i. 110 Bukala, l. 315 Bula River, i. 180, 223, 224, 229 ; bridge across tke, i. 187 462 INDEX. " Bula Matari " (Breaker of Rocks), i. 148, 109, 231, 382, 383 ; ami Makoko, i. 328- 331 ; lirst use of the name, i. 237 ; recon- ciled to Ngalyema, i. 343 ; dealings with Ngalyema. i. 357 ; welcome from Go- bila, i. 507 ; acts as peacemaker, ii. 20, 27 ; and Stanley, difference between, ii. 28 ; and Mata Bwyki. ii. 89, 90 Bula-mbemba Point, i. 05, 81 Bulangungu, i. 477 Bumba, ii. 104 Bundi, the, i. 10 1. 179, 180 ; river, i. 172- 175, 192, 207, 213, 220, 221, 322, 403; bridge across the, i. ISO ; valley, i. 180 ; forest, i. 192 ; camp, i. 227 Banga River, ii. 00 ; district, ii. 170 : see also Isanga. Bungata, ii. 32, 37; district, ii. 170 Bunsen, Dr. George Von, i. 34 Burial, custom, ii. 184; place of Turkey's officers, i. Ill Burns; Mr. Spencer, ii. 212, 225, 273, 274 Burnt Rocks or Montes Quemadros, i. 17 Burroughs and Welcome (London), ii. 325 Burton, Captain R. F., i. 102 ; ii. 385 Buruki River, another name for the Ikel- , emba, q.v. a town, ii. 33 Burying a war, ii. 45 Busanga Island, ii. 153 Busch, Dr., ii. 402, 407 Bush Fences, around camps, i. 46 Butter, ii. 324 Butuuu, ii. 19,21,23 Bwa-bsva Njali, the Chief, 290, 291, 292, 303, 304, 377. 378 ; ii. 53 By-yanzi, i. 137, 148; ii. 1, 11, 13; ivory sellers, i. 290 ; tribe, the, i. 295 ; love of grandeur, i. 527 Cabbage, ii. 357 Cabo Lombo boundary, ii. 401 Cadiz, i. 408 Cafe best for breakfast, ii. 321 Caillie Rene, ii. 385 Calamities at Leopoldville, i. 480, 487 Calamus Indicus, i. 510 ; ii. 5. 0. 92, 354 Calavanga Islet, i. 115, 120, 120, 128 Calcite, ii. 214 Callewart, Mons., rumoured murder of, i. 488 Cam, Diego, i. 1, 9, 14 Cambier, Lieutenant, i. 39 Cameron, ii. 3»5 Cameroons Mountains, ii. 231 Camoens' reference to the Zaire, i. 2, 103 Camp, native, i. 174 Camps, bush fences around, i. 46 Camwood powder, i. 384 ; ii. 48, 356 '• Candle-berry " tree, ii. 358 Cannibalism charged against the expedi- tion, l. 375 Canoe, pnee of a i. 43 ; wreck of a, ii. 49 Canoes, dragging overland, i. 190 ; towing native, i. 416; speed attained by native, ii. 1H ; kept subtn. r . ed, ii. 85 ; at villages, number of, ii. 109; war, ii. 114. 115; an enormous flotilla of, ii. 136, 137; stand- ing on end, ii. 139, 141 Canoe-wrights of Wenya, ii. 160 Cao, Diego, the explorer, see Cam Caoutchouc plant, ii. 92, 97 Capes, Lopez, i. 73 ; Palmas, i. 78 ; S. Juan, ii. 231 Capital subscribed fur the expedition, i. 26. 27 Captives taken by slavers, ii. 148 Capuchin Expedition, the, i. 4 ; chronicle, i. 9 ; monks in Congo-land, i. 16 Caravans at native markets, i. 282 ; between stations, i. 385 Caravanserai at Pallaballa, ii. 218 Cargoes of ocean steamers, i. 92 Carter and Cadenhead, massacre of, l. 216 Cashew, the, ii. 358 Cassava, ii. 243, 357 ; bread, i. 374 ; plan- tations, i. 414 ; decomposing, ii. 84 Castle Hill at Vivi, i. 115, 117-120, 123- 127 ; ii. 257 Castor oil, ii. 353 Casualties during a year, i. 241; in the expedition, i. 283 Catarrhs, ii. 327 Cattish, ii. 160 Cattle, ii. 301 Cemetery at Banana, i, 75, 70 Ceremony of Blood-brotherhood, ii. 24 : see also Blood-brotherhood. Chambezi, ii. 340; described by Living- stone, ii, 302 ; river, identical with the Congo, i. 8, 358; region, extent of, ii. 361 ; its character, ii. 362 Character of the natives, i. 29, 30 Cheese, ii. 324 Chibale mountains, the, i. 8 ; ii. 340, 361, 362 Chief, a jealous, i. 522, 533 ; a brutal, i. 218-220 ; a Herculean, ii. 85 ; of Stan- ley Falls Station, ii. 165 Chiefs. — of Congo, i. 17; in an expedition, i. 48 ; on the east coast, the obstructive, i. 40, 41, 43; subsidised, i. 54; of Vivi. i. 129, 130. 142 ; of Nsanda, meeting of the, i. 104-170; jurisdiction of, i. 295; military strength of, i. 350; treaties with, i. 473-477 ; power of native, i. 508, 509 ; of Bolobo, assembly of, i. 528 ; wealth of native, ii. 2, 3 ; frugal, ii. 2 ; (native) farewell at Leopoldville, ii. 191 ; forms of treaties with native, ii. 195-197, 205, 200 ; (native) and districts, list of, ii. 198-204 Chigoes, i. 214 Chikombo, i. 46 Chikwanga (Cassava-bread , ii. 10, 11 Chili pepper and tears, ii. 40 INDEX. 403 Chills, dangers of, ii. 2S6, 287, 296, 297, 30.4, 324, 327, 329 Chilungu, i. 475 China, the 88. i. 455, 45G, 4G0 Chinsalla, i. 139, 161; creek, i. 110; plateau, i. 127; village, i. 119, 123, 124 Chioiizo district, i. Ii5, 161, 163, 166; plateau, i. 120, 125, 126 Chofu Kiver, ii. 153 Christianity, conversion of the Congo king to, i. 11 Christmas Day at Iboko, ii. 173 ; presents, i. 374 C'hrit topherson, Albert, Danish sailor, i. 71, 107, 208, 224, 238, 239, 258, 264, 268, 275, 347, 414, 44y ; his seivices, ii. 255, 256 Chronicle of the Capuchin expedition, i. 9 Chroniclers, unreliability of the old, i. 5 Chumbiri, i. 514, 515; ii. 5, 26 Chunyu, i. 45 Civilisation, absence of conveniences of, ii. 239 Clapperton, ii. 385 Clarence Cove, ii. 231 Cliffy Point, i. 487 Climate, abuse of the African, i. 66; ii. 284, 298 ; and conduct, ii. 220, 221 ; of Africa, ii. 280 ; of Upper Congo regions, ii. 289 Cloth markets, ii. 177 payments in, i. 193 ; station stores of, i. 284 Clothes in Africa, European old, i. 130, 131 Clothing in the tropics, i. 65; ii. 326 Coal-trade, the, i. 74 Coa>t, the, at the mouth of the Congo, i. 61, 62 Cocoa as a beverage, ii. 322 Coffee, ii. 375: as a beverage, ii. 322; shipped at Benguella, i. 456 Cognac, ii. 242, 308 ; dangers of the petit verre, i. 66 Cola nuts, i. 384 Cold and heat, influence of, ii. 293, 294 in Conma, i. 91 ; at B >nny, ii. 234 ; at Elobey Island, ii. 231 ; at Gaboon, ii. 231; at Ivi.ssanga, i. 81, 82; at Mussuko, i. 112; at Porta da Lenha, i. 82, 83; at Nokki, i. 113; barter at, i. 85; for the Upper Congo, ii. 36J; na'ive trade at, i. 55 ; on the Congo, i. 63, 64 Factory, coloured help at a, i. 73 ; a dinner at a, i. 72, 73 ; managers, i. 73 ; stores, i. 74, 75 ; work at a, i. 74 Fair dealing with the natives, i. 170 Faithful officers, ii. 255-279 Famine, a sham, ii. 16, 129; at Bolombo, ii. 79 Fantail, ii. 0 Fares from Loanda to Lisbon, i. 445 Farquhar Islands, i. 82 Fathomless Point, i. 81 Feathers of tropic birds, ii. 354 Fernandez. Senor, i. 15 j Fernando Po, ii. 231, 232 Ferry at Nsekyii. 193; Kondo, ii. 214; on Lumbamba River, i. 28S ; on the Gordon Bennett, i. 290 ; traffic at Nsang'i, i. 479 Ferry, M., Jules, ii. 388 Fer iving, dangerous, ii. J 57 Fertile land, i. 186 Fetish, i. 200 ; customs, i. 385 ; rock, i. 89, 90 Fetishism, i. 305 ; ii. Ill Fever, i. 444, 445 ; at Manvanga, i. 271, 272 Fevers, ii. 2S3, 284, 283-2S8, 296, 301, 310, 322. 328 Fibres, ii. 354 Ficus, ii. 92 Fiddler's Elbow, i. 112 Fighting, — at Bolobo, effects of, 60 ; not to be rashly begun, i. 46 ; power of chiefs, i. 350 Fine, a heavy, i. 472, 473 Finery of chiefs, i. 202 Fines for bloodshed, i. 524 Fiote law, i. 220 Firefly, H M.S., i. 86 (note) Fires, annual, i. 316 ; destructive of vege- tation, i. 94, 180, 197 Fi5h, ii. 2, 243; presents of, ii. 1G0; smoke cured, ii 159 Fish-eagles, i. 397, 436 ; ii. 6 Fishermen, i. 256 ; at Manyanga, i. 267 ; Baswa, ii. 154; Wenya, ii. 154; Yakui, ii. 125; on Lake Leopold, i. 438, 439, 440; on the Lukanga, ii. 46; Wane Rukura, ii. 154 Fisher tribes, 154-159 Fishing hamlels, i>. 113; minnow, i. 262; nets, natives milking, ii. 159 ; Wenya method of, ii. 157, 158 Flag, employment of the Association's, i. 495 ; importance of a recognised, i. 37, 38; national, of Congo, i. 17; of the Association, i. 3-5, ii. 42 ; the choice ot a, i. 35 Flamingoes, ii. 6 Flamini, Francesco, mechanician, i. 68, 152, 238, 2 .9, 244, 284, 381 ; his services, ii. 259 Flamini Island, i. 253, 254 Flannels, wet, ii. 284, 2S5, 310 Flood, possible, at Banana, i. 78 ; precau- tions against, i. 83 Flotilla of steamers, the expedition, i. 68; its cost, i. 68 Fog-; to be guarded against, ii. 324 Food, abundant, i. 257 ; consumption of, i. 221 ; for a voyage, ii. 76 ; for the tropics, the best, ii. 294; influence of, on work, i. 154; in the tropics, i. 65, 199, ii. 321, 322, 323, 324, 329 ; on the Congo, i. 103: on the Upper Congo, ii. 10, 15: quan- tity consumed daily, ii. 13 ; scant at Mfwa, i. 295 : scarcity of, i. 430, sqq. ; scarcity at Leopoldville, i. 480; supply stopped, i. 302, 303; want of variety, i. 211 Foraging, free, i. 222 Forest, a dense, ii. 13; a submerged, i. 443; at Luknlelt, ii. 66, 67; cutting through the, i. 221; Lama Lankori, i. 390; lost in an unexplored, i. 177, 192; ii. 30, 91, 92, 93, 97, 98, 114, 215, 341, 353, 374; scenery, ii. 5; of the Lower Congo, i. S8, 89 ; seen from the coast, i. 62 Fortifying villages, i. 524 Fowls, ii. 243 ; as food, ii. 10 France, i. 26-28; action of, ii. 381-390; ag eement of the Assoc'ation with, ii. 388; territories of, ii. 400, 403, 404 Frankincense, ii. 354, 374 Franktown, i. 476 Free commeice on the Congo, ii. 390-993 INDEX. 4G7 Freemen, in Congo-land, essentiality of, i. 52 Free State territory, ii. 3G5 Free State not a Belgian colony, i. 51 ; Free State boundaries, ii. 401 French. — Catholic Mission at Bonia, i. 100 ; expedition, i. 159; flag, Malameen's, i. 292; Missions in Congo-land, i. 16; ten i- tory, ii. 3G5 ; compel the withdrawal of the Portuguese, i. 14 ; traders, i. 92 ; treaty with Makoko, i. 292 Freive, Sir Bartle, i. 36 Fruit eating, ii. 326, H27, 329 Fruits, i, 103, 148, 151, 152, 381, 393; ii. 71, 258, 357 Fuel, scarcity on the Kwa, i. 423, 428 Fumu Ntaba, Chief of Bateke, i. 507, 508, 509, 510 Furs, ii. 375 Fyne, Loch, in Scotland, i. 400 Gaboon, ii. 230; factories, ii. 231 ; mis- sions, ii. 231 Gad-flies, i. 214, 419 Gamankouo, Chief of Malima, i. 295-300, 380 Gambielc, Chief of Kimpoko, i. 298, 506 ; ii. 5G Game, i. 205, 20G, 213, 222 Gampa, a rival of Bwa-bwa Njali's, i. 308 Ganchu, i. 304, 30G, 381, 406, 407, 490 ; ii. 191 Ganchu's Point, i. 408 Gandelay, a Banfunu chief, i. 4^5, 406, 407, 510 Ganges, comparison to the, i. 401 Gankabi, Qu< en of Musve', i. 415, 417, 418, 421, 422, 424-42G, 433, 445; ii. 27 Gantiene', i. 507 Ganto village, j. 430 Gardening, season for, i. 381 Gardens, making, i. 379, 4o9, 500 Gardens, ii. 245 ; at Fquator, ii. 71 ; at Leopoldville, ii. 52 ; at Vivi, laying out, i. 147, 148 ; what may be grown in Cen- tral African, ii. 258 Garrison, importance of a, i. 121 Garrisons of stations, i. 285 Gastric fever, i. 213 Gatula, a Bolobo thief, i. 516, 517, 521, 524, 525, 526, 527 ; ii. 3 Geographical expeditions inadequate, i. 24 Geology, ii. 209-211, 214; at Lake Man- tuojba, ii. 47-48 German Expedition, 1873-75, i. 418; ex- ploration, ii. 386, 387 Germany, i. 26; action of, ii. 381, 381; formation of a National Committee, i. 31 ; lectures in, ii. 399 Giagas invasion : see Ajakkas. Gibraltar, i. 52, 58 Gillis, Mr. Albert (Duke Town), ii. 233 Gin, ii. 251, 252, 282, 307 ; used as cur- rency, i. 193 Gin-drinking natives, i. 202 Ginger, wild, ii. 358 Giraffe, ii. 241 Giral, a French quartermaster, i. 408 Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, ii. 383 Glave, Mr., ii. 6G, 183, 288 Glover, Sir John, i. 57, 58 Goats, ii. 243 Goat-skins, ii. 354 Gobila, Papa, Chief of Mswatu, i. 405, 408, 409, 414, 507. 510, 511; ii. 14 Gold, ii. 357, 375 Goldsmith, Sir Frederick, ii. 1S7 Gong, the signal of the, i. 340 Goods for inland trade, superior quality required, i. 311 "Good View Station," i. 505 Gordon Bennett Kiver, i., 290, 293, 390, 403 ; ii. 53 Gorelon, General, letter from, ii. 226 (note) ; promised aid of, ii. 225, 226 Goree, i. 57 Government of the Free State, ii. 406, 407 Giandv's, Lieut., Expedition, i. 13 Grang, Lieut., i. 382, 478, 481, 488, 489 ; ii. 269 Granville, Earl, ii. 381 Grass burning, i. 118, 180. 197 elensity of, i. 163; height of the. i. 197; tropicnl, ii. 301, 302; used as am- bushments, i. 161 Grave, the first at Leopoldville, ii. 270 ; Gray, Mr., i. 73 Green snakes, i. 205 | Grefulhe, Mods., i. 43, 45, 49 M Grog," importance of, i. 193 ; native fondness for, i. 149 Ground-hog, i. 205 Ground nuts, i. 156, 414 ; ii. 353 ; in com- merce, ii. 215, 342 Groves or trees a sign of villages, i. 62, 315 Guava, ii. 246 Guiacum, ii. 30, 67 Guibourtia, ii. 353 Gnieles, i., 164, 171, 181, 182, 1S4, 410; ii. :;. 28, 69, 153 Guiltlessness, curious way of showing, i. 373 Guinea-fowl. ii. 8 Gum-copal, ii. 342, 353, 355 ; trees, ii. 97, 98 ; ii. 374 Gums, i. 384; ii. 30 Gunbearers, i. 47, 48 Gunpowder, trade in, i. 75; used in re- joicing, i. 373 Gurba Kiver, ii. 131 Guyot Abbe', a missionary, ii. 50, 268; drowned, ii. 55 Habit and nature, i. 199 Hair, fashion of wearing, i. 429 INDEX. Hfimadi's slavery and escape, i. 260 i Hannsens, Capt.,i. 382, 47«i, 477, 489, 518, 520; ii. Hit'., 188, 191,225, 227, 204; his service*, ii. 2(30, 201 Harbour at Loanda, i. 451 Harkawaiiy the, 85, 408 Harou, Lieuten ,nt. i. 243, 253, 258, 279, 2S4, 408, 488 Haite-beest, i. 205, 200 Ilathorne, Captain, i. 49 Hanks, i 419 He id, protection for the, ii. 318, 325 Headquarters at Vivi, i. 149, 151 He Jin at Boloho, ii. 181, 185; at Equator Station, ii. 74; in the tropica, Dr. Mar- tin's advice, ii. 329 Health-table of stations, ii. 300 Heat ami cold in Con^o-land, ii. 314, 315 ; influence < f, ii. 293, 294 Hi at, Br..ce*s definitions of, ii. 313; tro- pical, ii. 282 Heliwa, a slave, ii. 73 Henry VII. Reuss, Prince, i. 34 Herd track*, i. 177, 183, 201 11 ron, the ss., i. 474 Herzog, Dr., i. 31 Heuvel, Dr. Van den, ii. 53, 191 Hides, ii. 375 Highland levels inhabited, ii. 303 Hills seen from the coast, i. 02; ''solemn- looking," i. 95 Hindi Savwa, i. 48 Hippopotami, i. 395, 390, 398, 417, 421; ii. 2, 4, 0, 8, 211, 375; feeding ground,! 90; shootin-r, i. 10J ; teeth, ii. 351 Hiring men, i. 31 H fdister, Mr., ii. 272 Holidays, i. 153, 151 Holland, i. 20, 28 Holy Isle, a place of sepulchre, i. 419 Homesickness, i. 225 Homicidal officer, a, ii. 55 Honey, ii. 304 Honour of work, ii. 278, 279 Hop Bitters, ii. 318 Hopkins, Cautain, H.M. Consul, i. 98 Horses, the Isle of, i. 12 Hospitable mission of a station, i. 37 Hospital at Boma, ii. 271 Hospitality clangers of coast, ii. 282, 283 Hostages left at Ntamo, i. 309, HKJ Hostile natives, i. 432, 442, 514 ; ii. 4, 11, 30, 78, 111, 113 Hostility, masktd, i. 337 ; native, at Ma- lima and Mfwa, i. 300 House, advice for building a, ii. 323 Houses at Vivi. mapping s tns for, i. 117 ; j means of defence for, i. 280 Huard Point, i. 65, 77 Hudson River, comparison to, i. 401 Hutchinson, Mrs. Margaret, i. 9 Huts, conical, ii. 120, 127 : formation of •native, ii. 103 Hutzfeldr, Count, ii. 391 Hvifrobromic acid in cases of fever, i. 272 273, 271 Hyphcetie guineensis, i. 510 Hypochondria, ii. 241 lbaka. Chief of Bolobo, i. 518; hisforv of, i. 519, 520,521; 522, 524, 525,527; ii. 1, 15, 20, 29, 57, 00, 01, 04. 65 Ibanza, ii. 105 : a chief of Upoto, ii. 171 ; the dr. adeJ, ii. 62, 881 Ibari River, another name for the Kwa, i. 412 Ibingi, ii. 47 Ibis, ii. 6, 8 Iboko, ii. 24, 25, 43, 44,09, 79, et seq., 173- 175, 178-180, 35H, 351 danger at, ii. 87 ; swordsmiths, ii. 350 Ibunda, ii. 103 Ichimpi district, i. 115, 121, 101, 163 Idleness of natives, i. 393 Idols, native, i. 190 Ifwe, Chief of Muleke, i. 429 Ignorance of Africau ciimate, ii. 281, 281 Iguana skin girdles, ii. Ill Iguanas, ii. 2 Ikassa, ii. 103, 170 Ikelemba River, ii. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 ; ii. 77, 78, 344 Ikenge, a chief, ii. 72 Ikengo, ii. 29, 30 Ikingi, ii. 98 Ikiraism, ii. Ill Ikoko, ii. 47 lkub i River, ii. 05 Ikulu village, ii. 12, 47 Imeine, ii. Hti Impali vill ige, i. 428 Impango, at Gaboon, ii. 230 Impila, i. 2'.)2 Imports of Boma, i. 98 Indemnity for war, ii. 61 Indian corn, i. 381 India-rubber, ii. 355 ; plant, i. 192 ; ii. 5, 342, 353, 367, 375 Indolence of ihe natives, i. 193 Indus, comparison to the, i. 401 Industry, the spirit of, i. 142 Inebriety of natives, i. 315 Inga, i. 173, 175, 170, 177, 179 ; cataracts, i. 100. 227; peak, i. 353,3^6; plateau, i. 173, 221 Inganda, ii. 30-33, 38-42 Ingham, Mr. and Mrs., ii. 212, 213, 355 Ingva, Chief of Mfwa, i. 295, 307 Inkissi, ii. 192 ; Falls, ii. 211 ; river, i. 288, 310, 317, 403, 478; ii. 193 Inkissism, ii. Ill Instructions for eastern expeditions, i. 45 Instructions framed at Brussels, i. 27, 28 INDEX. 4G0 Intemperance, ii. 282, 283, 291, 305, 30G, 307, 308, 311, 319, 322, 329 International African Association, ii. 259 International Association, i. 37, 38 ; its objects, i. 40 ; its treaties, i. 18 ; financial position, i. 35 "International Association Africaine," its purpose, i. 50 International Association's work at Bom.i, i. 101 International cohesion, ii. 379 ; commis- sion, ii. 406; Expedition, the second, i. 44 Intoxicants, abuse of, ii. 251, 252, 253, 254 Irebu, ii. 21, 22, 23, 24. 25, 26, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, G9, 354; swordsmith.-, ii. 356; warriors, ii. 16 Iringi, ii. 98, 171 Iron, ii. 356 ; houses of native chiefs at Calabar, ii. 233; manufactures of Yalu- Jima, i. Ill; stores, i. 147; works of Uvira, ii- 364 Ironstone, ii. 67; at Lake M.ntumba, ii. 47, 48 Irrawaddy, comparison to the, i. 401 Inmgu, ir. 127, 132 Isanga River, ii. 315 Isangi town, ii. 16.* Isangila, i. 155, 160, 165, 167, 171, 175, 181, 182, 184, 185, 186 ; ii. 214, 215, 298, 339, 369, 373, 382, 446, 471, 474, 476, 478, 489, 513; chiefs, i. 184, 185; natives, i. 237 ; camp at, i. 239 ; con- veying wagons and stores to, i. 240: staff at, i. 242 ; stores at, i. 242 ; sceneiy at, i. 243, 2 14; clearing the camp, i 248; founding a station at, i, 283; gar- rison at, i. 285; cataract, i. 181, 184; falls, i. 229. Islands of the Congo, i. 110, 249, 389, 515, 516; ii. 14, 3D, 38, 65, 97, 153 Islands uninhabitable, i. S2 Isombo, ii. 125 Itaka, ii. 152 Itawa, Eastern, ii. 362 Itimba village, i. 516 ltimhiri River, ii. 10.', 110, 112, 131, 345, 352 Ituinba, i. 518 Itumbi, i. 46; ii. 57, 60, 61 Itse and Ngalyema, identity of, i. 304 Itunziina rapids, i. 25*, 257 Iuka of Lukolela, ii. 14, 48, 68, 177 lunga, ii. 98 Ivory, ii. 364, 375; purchase of, i. 380; sold by Watwa, ii. 48; trade, the eentie i of the, ii. 2 ; trade at Langa-Langa. ! ii. 102; trade, Congo, ii. 354, 355, 356 ; I trade at Nganza,ii. 99; traders, But eke', ! i. 294; tracers, character of. i. 387 ; i traders, intrigues of, i. 319, 320, 321; trading chiefs, wealth of. i. 310, 311 ; trading in, i. 383, 384; trading, sum as of Xgalveraa through, i. 305 ! Iyenzi, ii.209 Iyurubi, ii. 11, 12; mountain, i. 321, 322, 323, 333, 390 ; ii. 192, 341 Jaggas, the, invasion : see Ajakkas. Janssen. Lieut., i. 28:J>, 407, -i'JO, 507 ; ii. 27, 50 ; drowned, ii. 55 ; his services, ii. 268 Jatrophe purgans, ii. 3.;S Jays, i. 207, 436 Jealousy of a chief, i. 522, 52,1 Jetta Wali, i. 45 Jeune Africaine, the launch, i. 68, 144, 196 Jiwe-la-Singa, i. 43. 46 Jofio II.. King of Portugal, i. 1 Johnston, Mr. H. H., i. 102 Jolly Captain (ss, Kinsen.bo), ii. 233, 236 Journeys, time occupied in, i. 191 Jub River, i 58 Jung, letter to Mr. Albert, i. 29 Jungle, cutting through the, i. 221 Kabinda i. 14, 31 cask-makers, i. 74 Kubmdas, i. 140, 149. 153, 158, 159 lvaika Sanda, i 163 Kaishandi, i. 163 Kallina, Lieut., i. 4S5, 492 ; Point, i. 353, 395*, 396, 487 Kalubu, i. 261 Kalulu Falls, lava at, ii 211 Kamolondo, a chief, i. 513 Kaj.ita, a Vivi chief, i. 129 Karema, i. 42, 44; lake, i. 37; chief of slave-stealers, ii. 144 Kasongo, ii. 360 ; falls, ii. 360 Kas*on, Mr. John A., ii. 398, 400 Kawendi, ii. 363 Kemeh Island. 418, 419 Kerdyck and Pincoff. Messrs., i. 31 Khalfan, i. 251 Khamis, Sergeant, i. 519, 523 Khonzo, i. 238 ; Ikulu Hill, i. 354 ; Plain, i. 187 Kibonda, i. 260 Kiburuga, chief of slave-stealers, ii. 144 Kiki stieam, i. 322 Ki-Kongo, i. 142 Kilauga, i. 315 " Killing the road/ i. 314 Kilolo Point, i. 248, 249 Kimbangu, i. 3'j3, 3J7, 405, 477; ii. 3^ 302 ; chiefs, i. 388 Kimbanzi Island, i. 260, 261,263 Kimbenza village, ii. 207 Kimpalampa, a chief, i. 323, 332, 490 Kimpunzu, i. 172 Kimpe, a chief, i. 490 Kimpemba, ii. 207 470 INDEX. Kimpoko, i. 397, 477, 488; ii. 51, 302; station, i. 504, 505, 500 ; troubles at, ii. 50 Kindolo, i. 303. 397 King Leopold II. : see Leopold. Kinkanza, ii. , 58 Kingdom of the Congo," Piqafetta's book, i. 9 Kingfishers, i. 397; ii. 6 Kinkelu Ndunga, a chief, i. 1C5 Kinkela-Nku, a chief, i. 105 Kinsembo steamer, ii. 228 Kinsende, i. 318 Kinshassa, i. 250, 375, 382, 393, 397, 477, 495, 504 ; ii. 51, 185, 289, 302, 305, 319, 357 Kinshassa chiefs, i. 388 Kinswangu, a chief, i. 490 Kintamo, i. 318, 340, 352, 375, 377, 3S2, 391, 392, 393, 397, 479, 480, 495, 49S : ii. 20, 26, 28, 29, 302 ; cataract, i. 352, 389 ; chiefs, number of, i. 3.;0 ; soothing the chiefs, i. 490 Kintari forest mount, i. 352 Kinzila, ii. 193 Kinzore', i. 315 Kionzo plateau, ii. 216 Kirkbright, Mr. John, i. 145, 159, 196, 209 Kirkhoven, Mons , ii. 225 Kissanga, i. 81, 82, 85 Kisungwa of Mkimbwete, i. 105 Kitabi, whites in distress at, i. 476 Kitalalo, i. 46 Kites, i. 207 Kiubi, a chief of Zinga, i. 315 Kiyanzi beer, i. 408 Kizalu Hill, ii. 207 Kokoro, son of Mata Bwyki, ii. 80, 173, 174 ; recognises his son a thief, ii. 174 Kondo Ferry, ii. 214 Konko, an ivory trading chief, i. 370, 371 Kruboys, i. 31, 73 Krumaners, i. 31 Krupp gun, astonishing the natives, ii. 63 Kubaba, i. 48 Kudu, i. 126, 206 Kulu, Banz i, i. 201 Kulu natives, i. 210 Kuna, i. 231 ; station, ii. 291 Kunzu Island, i. 259, 260 Kusserow, Herr von, ii. 407 Kutumpuku, i. 519 Kuvoko, i. 250 ; camp. i. 253 Kwa,ii.401; river, i. 409-410, 511; ii. 30, 50, 344 ; description of the river, i. 431, 432, 433 ; different colours of the river, i. 419 Kwamouth, ii. 185 ; station, ii. 55, 50 Kwango River, another name for the Kwa, i. 412 Kwanza River, i. 11, 12, 454 Kwilu-Niadi, i. 489; ii. 277; expedition to the, i. 470, 471, 474, 476; ii. 212; river, i. 256, 257, 403 ; ii. 214, 225 ; Upper, i. 477 La Belgique, ss. : see Belgique. Labour, ad vantage of human, ii. 93, 94 ; heroes of, ii. 240 Lacustrine Kamolondo River, ii. 3G0 Lady Alice Rapids, i. 318 Lagos, ii. 236 Laird Macgregor, ii. 385 Lake Bangweolo, ii. 358, 359 Lake Leopold II., i. 70, 481, 501 ; ii. 27, 48 ; circumnavigated, i. 443; description or, i. 443, 444 ; discovery of, i. 434, 435, 430 ; fishermen, i. 438. 439, 440 Lakes— Mautumba, ii. 27, 40, 47, 344, 354 ; Muta-Nzige, ii. 358; Tanganika, i. 7, 20, 35, 37, 40, 41, 43, 44, 40 ; ii. 359, 303 Lakes, native definition of, ii. 27 Lama-Lankori, forest ridge, i. 390; hill, i. 351 Lamborel, Captain, i. 43 Land cultivated, i. 102; fertility of the. i. 180; ii. 211; instructions regarding the purchase of, i. 27 ; high rent for, i. J 38 Landana, ii. 229 Landers, ii. 385 Landolpliia Florida, i. 192 : ii. 5, 353 Langa-Langa, ii. 22, 09, 100, 353 ; women of, ii. 1 00 Langenburg, Prince Hohenlohe, ii. 399 La Plate, comparison to the, i. 401 Latrobe, Mr., of Baltimore, i. 36 Lava at Kalulu Falls, ii. 211 Laws of the Pangola, ii. 179 Lawbon-Lufini River, i. 509, 512, 513 ; ii. 345 Lectures on Africa, i. 25: in German}', ii. 399 Leehumwa, i. 46 Lehrman, Mons., i. 471 ; ii. 212, 277 Lenia, i. 393, 397 ; chiefs, i. 388 Leopard skins, ii. 354 Le'opold II., King of the Belgians, i. 21, 22, 28, 33, 38, 39, 43 ; ii. 237, 402, 407 Le'opold II. Lake: see Lake Leopold ; hill, i. 354, 389, 391, 495, 496 ; ii. 189, 191 Leopold River, ii. 359 Leopoldville, i. 149, 408, 442, 445, 469, 477, 488, 513; ii. 20, 38, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 5t>, 57, 73, 288, 289, 290, 298, 304, 305, 319. 339, 343, 357; founding of, i. 357. 370 ; erecting a block house at, i. 375, 370; built, i. 379; trading at, i. 380, 383, 384; naming the station, i. 380 ; description of, i. 388, 38^ ; the neigh! ouring natives, i. 391; no food at, i. 478, 479, 480 ; neglected state of, i. 481, 482, 4,^3; resignation of its chief, i. 490; difficulty with natives at, i. 491, INDEX. 471 492, 493, 431; treaty with natives at, i. 49f) ; the entrepot ot the Upper Congo, i. 498,500; markei, i. 500 ; nourishing, ii. 180; a promising farewell at, ii. 189, 191 ; first grave at, ii. 270 Lesseps, Count de, i. 35 Le Stanley, stern-wheeler, ii. 225, 227 Letters, — from Ceneial San ford, i. 36; to Lieut Cainbier from Stanley, i. 39 ; to Captain Popelin, i. 45 ; to Col. Strauch, i. 52, 151-153. 189-194; to the Coalite, i. 283 ; to the President of the Coinite', ii. 224 Lettuces : see Vegetables. Levy Hills, the, ii. 11 Liberia, ii, 379-382 Liberty, the use of, i. 22, 23 Licentiousness, ii. 253 Liebrechts, Lieut., ii. 184, 277 ; ii. 288, 289 Life, the proper use of, i. 84, 85 ; on the Congo, ii. 248; stupid indifference to, ii. 321 Lightning stone, i. 90 Lignum vita?, ii. 374 Likona River : see Isanga. Likuba River, another name for Ikuba, ii. 185, 345 Limbu Li Nzambi, i. 90 Limes, ii. 246 Limit of navigation from the sr a, i. 116 Lindi branch of Chofu River, ii. 153 Lindner, Mr., i. 277, 278, 283, 286, 311, 447 Lingenji. village, ii. 57, 59 Lingenji, a boy trader, i. 137, 518, 520 Lingster Nsakala, the, i. 116, 123 'k Lingster " traders, i. 387 Lion and buffalo fight, ii. 51 Lions, i. 509 ; ii. 241 Liou skins, ii. 354 " Liquoring-up," ii. 253 Lira River, ii. 358, 359 Little Rapid Camp, i. 251 Liverpool, Chamber of Comm< roe, ii. 383 ; value of African products, ii. 368, 369 Live stock, i. 150 Livini, i. 416 Livingstone, Dr., last journey, i. 7 ; search for, i. 13, 58; is found, i.41 ; his opinion of the Congo, i. 101 ; his head-man Susi (see Susi); description of Chamtiezi, ii. 361, 362; works, ii. 11, 381, 385 Livingstone Cataracts, i. 160 ; Falls, i. 102 ; ii. 339 Livingstone Inland Congo Mission, i. 490 ; ii. 185, 214, 291 > Loa River, i. 135, 161, 162, 209, 322, 403; bridge over the, i. 201 ; valley, i. 126, 127, 172, 186, 196, 197 Loauga, Dr. reschuel-Locche's expedition to, i. 376 Loan go, ii. 229 Log Towers, i. 356 Lokinga Mountains, ii. 361 Lokulu River, ii. 'Mil London correspondence, i. 25 ; Missionary Society, i, 40 " Long " of cloth, a, i. 193 Long Reach, i. 240, 245, 247 Longevity, instances of, i. 316 Lopez, Cape, i. 73 Lopez, Duarto, the explorer, i. 1, 2, 18 ; extraordinary description by, i. 3 Lr sanswe Mountains, ii. 361 Lost in the forest, i. 177 Lounging, i. 22, 23 Low-wa River, ii. 358, 359 Lualaba, i. 233 ; liver, indentical with the Congo, i. 8 Lualla River, i. 403 Luama River, ii. 353 Luamba, a headman of Manyanga, i. 268 Luopula River, identical with the Congo, 1. 8. Luazaza River, i. 182, 184 Lubamba River, 288, 318, 403 ; ii. 225 Lubansenzi River, ii. 361 Lubilash River, ii. 169 ; ii. 348, 351 Lubiranzi River, ii. 169, 344, 315, 318 Lubunga, Chief of Upoto, ii. 171 Lucage' River : see Kwilu. Luemba, Chief of Kinsembe', i. 318 Luemme River, i. 488 Luenda River, i. 180, 222, 226; bridge across the, i. 187 Lufu River, i. 105, 106, 115. 116, 120, 126, 135, 115, 162, 166, 172, 403 ; ii. 215, 359 ; valley, i. 186 Lufwenkenya, i. 206 Lugumbila, Vizier of Ibaka, i. 522, 527 ; ii. 2, 64 Luigi River, ii. 359 Luima valley, ii. 214 Luindi River, ii. 353 Luizi River, i. 403 ; ii. 217 Lukanga River, ii. 21, 27, 28, 45, 46, 344 Lukunga.i. 260; ii. 299; valley, ii. 212, 213, 214 Lukebu, branch of Chofu River, ii. 153 Lukolela, ii. 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 48, 49, 50, 65, 66, 67, 183, 288, 354 1 Luksic, Monsieur, suicide of, i. 489 ; Lukuga River : see Luindi. I Lukuluzi River, i. 312 Lulu River, i. 180, 222, 22?, 227, 228, 322, 403 ; ii. 193 ; bridge across the, i. 187 Lulungu River, ii. 32, 37, 76, 77, 78, 314, 351 Lumami, Chief of Wane Sironga, ii. 157 ; river, ii. 169, 3-! 8, 359 Luniouzo River, i. 403; ii. 214 Lusalla of Mkimbwete, i. 160, 199 Lusengo, ii. 173 Lutee. Chief of Banza Lungu, i. 218, 219, 220, 382 ; ii. 207, 208 472 INDEX. Luzalla Kindunga, ii chief, i. 165 Lynch law in Congo-land, ii. 194 Mahengu mountain, i. 391 Maboku village, ii. 40 Mahruki, little, i. 178 ; 273, 274, 27G, 277 ; 300 Mabula, i. 41G. 417 Mabwa village, i 41G Mackenzie, Dr (Duke Town), ii. 233 Madiera, i. 460, 4G1 Mafii Island, i. 44 M.i'-rwali. a chief of Irebu, ii. 25, 26; ii. 43-4.) M wale', Mwaka of Mkimbwete, i. 165 Mahogany, ii. 3<>, G7, 374 Malmney, Mr. Frank, i. 159 Maize, ii. 357, 375 Makabi, an ivory factor, i. 295: a chief of Ntamo, i. 306, 392. 490 ; ii. 191 Makancra. a chief .of Zinga, i. 315 Makeya Manguba, i. 206, 208, 209, 213- 215", 218, 221 Makoko of Usansi, i. 18; Chief of Ml* cedes territory to France, i. 292, 293, 298, 323, 332, 343, 507, 508, 326-331 ; ii. 192 Makoku's sword, i. 332 Makukuru, a chief of Nganza, ii. 99 Makula, i. 112, Makuta, i. 225 Makweta, a chief, i. 165 Ma'at'u, a fee for a judge, ii. 44; native name for palm wine, i. 295 Ma'.aincen, a Senegal sergeant, i. 251. 292, 293, 297. 299, »75, 403 Malaria, ii. 287; 304, 305, 317 Malele, a chief, i. 165 Malet, Sir Edward, ii. 393, 396, 298, 399 Malima. i. 295. 509; ii. 3, 302 Malingering, ii. 246, 247; i. 379 Mamballa, i. 82 Msimbwe country, i. 8 ; ii. 364 ; plateau, ii. 362 Managers of factories, i. 73 Manchester correspondence,!. 25 ; produce, ' i. 30 ; Chamber of Commerce, ii. 383 Manga, i. 518, 519, 520, 525 ; ii. 57, 58, i 60, 61 Mangi, a chief of Itimbi, ii. 2 Mangoes at Gaboon, ii. 231 ; Congo, ii. 246 Mangombo, chief of Irebu, ii. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. 42-45 Mangrove, i. 77 Manguro, of Bclobo, ii. 2 Mani village, ii. 207 Mai doc, ii. 357 Manipambii of Loan go, i. 18; chief of; Chissanga, i. 474 Manload?, weight of, i. 242, 346 Manswala, a i-hief, i. 490 ; ii. 191 Mantcka. ii. 215 Mania beer. i. 512 ; village, 511, 512 Mantumba Lak.-, ii. 27, 46, 47, 344, 354 M;.nvansa, i. 70, 191. 192, 212, 2i6, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 375, 377, 381, 422. 445, 476, 477, 478, 489, 513 ; ii 211, 287, 289, 292, 298, 301, 320, 339,370; contract with the ch;ef, i. 278, 279; market, incident at. i. 281 ; erecting tae station at, i. 279 ; support of ihe fetation, i. 283; intended as a central depot, i. 284 ; garrison at, i. 285 ; troubles at, ii. 52; an expensive station, ii. 212 Man vara, i. 43 Manyema i. 8 March, Mons., i. 231 Marches, hours for, ii. 314, 324 Marenga Mkali, i. 46 Mariatta, a chief, i. 165 Marigny, Marquis de, i. 14 Maringu, ii. 363 Maritime and mountain region, area of, ii. 343 ; region of the Congo, description of, ii. 310, 311 Market, incident at Manyangi, i. 281 ; at Le'opoldville, L 500 ; for animals, ii. 2 ■. Marketing, native, i. 221, 254 Markits, ii. 245; fixed davs for native, i. 203; native, i. 282; » losing, i. 319; Uyanzi, i. 421 ; Stanley Pool, i. 421 ; cloth, ii. 177 ; at Ujiji, ii. 364 Marking-ink plant, ii. 358 Marriage celebration at Kintamo, i. 377 Marseilles, i. 21 Martinson, Martin, Danish sailor, i. 71, 107, 208, 212 Ma-sikamba, i. 40-41, 46 Masiku of Masanda, i. 165 Masaa.be', i. 488 ; boundary, ii. 401 Massacre, threatened with, i. 304 ; a horrible sacrificial, ii. 180-182 Massala, the Lingster, i. 123, 132. 133, 135, 136, 161, shootiu: Massari, Signor, ii. 225 Massassa, i. 315 Mata Bwvki of Bangala, ii. 80-82, 84, 85, 87, 89, 173, 178 Ma-taddi Xzazzi, i. 90 Mataddi Point, i. 115 Matako (brass rod>), ii. 22 Matanga, a chief, i. 165 Matoma's village, i. 488 Mavaugu, a chief, i. 165 Mawembe, ii. 138 Maxwell, Captain, i. 82. 86, 112 Mayflower (the) in 1620, ii. 379 Mayomb i ; see Mvumba. MaWimba Bav, i." 114, 115, 120 Mballa, a chief, i. 490 Mbama Hill, i. 347 Mbangu, i. 518 Mbe district, i. 507, 509-513 ; ii. 192 Mbelo, i. 315 ; ii. 210 Mbembe-Kissa, i. 248 INDEX. 473 Mbembe, son of Mata Bwyki, ii. 173 Mbilie, i. 421-421; liver, L 410-411; ii. 344 Mbika, Eiver, i. 287, 403 Mbimbi, ii. 193, 194,207 Mboma : see Boma. Mbundi Aftmda rapids, i. 253 M hurra, native name for Congo, ii. 135 Mbutehi, i. 422 Meats, tinned, ii. 322 Medical attendance, i. 152 ; luxuries, ii. 247 Me licine men, i. 199, 200 "Medicine lo make wealth grow," ii. 28 Medicines for the tropics, ii. 325, 327 Mediterranean, i. 28 Meeting at the Royal Palace, Brussels, i. 26 Melons : see Fiuit. Memorial stones of the Poituguese, i. 14 Memory, a good, i. 297 Men for the expedition, hiring, i. 31 Men-at-arms at Vivi, i. 130 Men-of-war at Ponta da Lenha, i. 85 Merchants on the Congo, their character, i. 32 Meri, another name for "Welle River, Merolla. Father, explor, r, i. 2 : his descrip- tion of the great river, i. 4, 18 Mete, a chief, i. 105 Meteorological tables, ii. 330-338 ; obser- vations, ii. 312 Mfini River, i. 410, 411, 419, 421, 422, 424 ; ii. 27 Mfwa, i. 251, 294, 295, 300, 478, 509 ; ii. 302 Mgamraism, ii. Ill M-angila, i. 179, 201, 210 ; chiefs, i. 202 ; plateau, ii. 21G Miani, another name for Welle River. Miasma, ii. 287, 304, 310, 311, 317, 319 Mickic, Mr., ii. 225 "MiddL men " traders, i. 387 Mikene River, i. 519 ; ii. G5 Mikene'-Alima River, ii. 345 Mikunga, i. 393, 397 ; i hiefs, i. 388 Mileage of journeys, i. 190, 191 Milk unobtainable, ii. 322 Millet, ii. 357 ; i read, i. 431 Minerals, ii. 356 Minnow fishing, i. 262 Mirambo, a faithful rs~, i. 184 Mirando, King of Crambo, i. 39, 40 Missionaries misrepresenting the traders, i. 100 ; Baptist, 225 ; re pulsed by natives, i. 251 ; Roman Catholic, repulsed by the natives, i. 308, 445 ; at Lcopoldville, i. 493 Mission, a pretty, station, ii. 212, 213; children, ii. 213; at Banza Manteka, ii. 214; at Pallaballa, ii. 217: (French; at Landa- a, ii. 229 : at Gaboon, ii. 231 ; at Creek Town (Calab.ir), ii. 233 Missions in Congo-land, i. 11, 13, 16; French Catholic, at Boma, i. 100; con- tending, i. 496, 497; Roman Catholic, ii. 50; at Lcopoldville, ii. 50 Missionary effort*, ii. 185 ; ttations, ii. 363 ; enterprise, ii. H77 Missionary Society, London, i. 40 Mississippi, comparison to, i. 401 ; ii. 78, 374, 375 Missongo missionary station, ii. 185 Mivongo of Usindi, "ii. 49, 50, 58, 60, 61 , 65, 67-69, 80, 182, 345 Moderat on in food and drink, ii. 295 Moeni Kheii, i. 42 Moenzi Xzaddi, native name for the river, i. 7 Moffat, Dr., ii. 385 Mohindu River, ii. 32, 344: see IVelembo. Mokulu Town, ii. 115-119, 124, 133 Mombas-a Creek, i. 58 Mompara, i. 40, 42 Mompurengi villages, i. 515 Momuiga, a chief of Z nsra, i. 315. 316 Monet, Mods., ii. 224, 277 Money carried by an expedition, i. 48 fines for bloodshed, i. 524 Mongo, i. 518; ii. 57; a chief, i. 519 Monkey skins, ii. 354 islauds, i. 82 Monkeys, ii. 6, 8 Monotony of scenery, ii. 5 Montes Quemados, i. 17 Monticm, Joachim, i. 102 Moore, Mr. A. H.. i. 145, 159, 196, 209 Morgan, U.S. Senator, i. 36 Morton & Co., Francis, London, i. 145 Mosquito nets, i. 422 Mosquitoes, i. 422 Mountain and maritime region, area of, ii. 343 Mountainous region of the Congo, ii. 341 Mountains, i. 390, 391 Mowa, i. 287, 315, 469 Mpa, ii. 98 Mpagassa, 209, 210 ; River, i. 164. 201 204 Mpakambendi. i. 2S6, 287. 311, 312, 316, 445 ; ii. 207. 210 Mpalauga. i. 321, 322, 403 ; a breakdown at, i. 480 Mpama, an erroneous name, i. 3 Mpamba Njrnlu, i. 175, 179, 18 1 Mpangi, i. 163 Mpangu, ii. 208, 209, 211 Mpika, a chief of Irehu. ii. 25, 26, 42, 43, 44, 45 ; villa- e, ii. 2U7 Mpioga River, ii. 211 Mpissa, ii. 171 Mpokwa, i. 46 Mpozo River, i. 403 Mpumbu market, n. 2 Mpumu Ntaba, i. 407, 408; of Mbe, i. 18 Mputu Creek, i. 64 Mpwapwa, i. 49 474 INDEX. Mpwelele, i. 165 Msampala, i. 288: narrows, i. HI 8 Msenne, the guide, ii., 14, :{'». 40, 44 Mswata, i. 398, 399, 405-409, 422, 436, 445, 481, 507. 50.) ; ii. 20, 5'J, 51, 55, 302 ; growth of, i. 511 Mtesa of Uganda, i. 201 Mubangu, ii. 215 Mubi, a chief of Ntamo, i. 30G, 49D ; ii. L9] Mud alive with crabs, i. 77 Muijub.i, a chief, i. 513 Mukana, village, i. 432; Puiut, i. 254, 255 31 ukondokwa, i. 46 Mukoss liiver, i. 288, 289 Mukuku, chief of Vambinga. ii. 107-109 Muleke district, i. 42 3, 420 Muller, Mons., i. 73 Muluangu, ii. 214 Mnlwassi liiver, ii. 207 Mundele, meauinga white, i. 132 ; Masuna plains, i. 390 Mungala, i. 286 Mungawa, a chief, ii. 14, 48 Mungolo, i. 518 ; ii. 57, 50 Munroe, Mr. J. (Duke Town), ii. 233 Minister, Count, ii. 384 Murehison, Sir Roderick, i. 7 Murder, a rumour of, i, 480 ; of two men at 13olobo, i. 51(5, 517, 523 ; compensation for, i. 525, 527 Muscovy ducks, ii. 13 Mushirongos, i. 83 Mus coast of, i. 310; INDEX. 475 ■with Ngalyeraa, difficult, i. 308, 'MY.) ; at Usansi.i. 327-331; tedious with Africans, i. 429 ; for peace, ii. 44, 15 ; for peace at Bolobo, ii. GO, Gl Negro state, difficulty of forming a, i. 54 Nekke River, ii. 131 Nempambu, a chief, i. 1G5 Nepuko River, ii. 131 Nevangi, a cliief, i. 1G5 Neve, Mr. Paul, i. 22G, 239, 283 Newspapers, the threat of writing to the, i. 71 New Yorh Herald and Daily Telegraph Expedition, i. 8, 58 New York, branch society at, i. 36 Nezan, a chief, i. 1G5 Nfuiuu, the title of Congo chiefs, i. 17 Nguma, i. 505, 506 Ngako, chief of Kintamo, i 304, 30G, 380, 381, 302, 490, 507; ii. 191 Ngaku River, ii. 212 Nga'vema, Chief of Ntann, i. 250, 300. 303, 304-307, 308, 309, 318-320, 337, 344, 348-350, 377, 372, 381-383, 387, 392, 490, 492, 493, 508 ; ii. 52, 189-191 ; in anus, i. 332-33G; and Eula Matari, i. 357 ; his character, i. 3.!i8 ; wily strata- gems of, i. 358, 359 ; a braggart, i. 3G0 ; threatening attitude of, i. 362, 3G9 ; peace with, i. 3G7, 373 Ngamberengi the chief, i. 323, 332, 348, 493 ; ii. 192 Ngana, i. 433 ; River, i. 444 ; ii. 344 Ngandu, a chief, i. 165, 171-173 Nganza, ii. 99 Ngete, i. 428 Ngingiri River, another name for Itimbiii. Ngoma, i. 288, 234-236, 238; ii. 192; mountain, i. 179, 181-183, 229, 230; point, i. 187, 223, 229; rapids, i. 183; village, ii. 207 Ngoma's village, i. 325, 332 Ngombe, an erroneous name, i. 3 ; a Chief of Mgangila, i. 165; ii. 17, 18, 21, 25, 49, 183, 207 Ngoinbi, 194, 320 Ngoyo, i, 73, 261-263 Ngufu-Mpanda of Banza Sombo, i. 129 Niadi, mcaniug a river, i. 2 Nit man, Herr, i. 450 Niger, comparison to the, i. 401 Night air, exposure to, ii. 283-285, 308 Nile, the, i. 8 ; comparison to the, i. 401 ; ii. 8 Nilis, Lieutenant, i. 382, 409 Njali, meaning a river, i. 2 Njugu, nephew of Mata Bwyki, ii. 173- 175 Nkamampu, a chief, i. 165 Nkenge i. 260 : river, i. 182, 183 ; plain, the, i, 187 Nkeuke : see Lubamba Nkiugi, a chief, i. 165 Nkongolo, station at, 113, 114 Nkuku district, ii. 1JS, 19, 21 ; river, ii. 346 Nkusu, the, i. 153, 160 ; bridge over the, i. 18G; bridge at, ii. 223 ; ravine, i. 120, 122; ii. 301 ; valley, i. L48 Nkutu River, another name for the Kwa, 1. 412 Noble officers, ii. 255-279 Nokki, i. 17, 96, 111, 113, 114, 162, 179; ii. 215, 401 Nomaza ovc, i. 115, 120, 121 Nomenclature, erroneous, in Congo-land, i. 2, 3 Nostalgia, i. 224 ; ii. 241 Nozo, chief at Pababalla, ii. 217 Nsaka, a chief of Zinga, i. 315 Nsakala, the lingster, i. 116, 133 Nsakala Mpwassa, a chief, i. 165 Ntambana Island, ii. 38 Nsanila, i. 116, 161, 163, 164, 179 ; payment for right of way at, i. 170 ; markets, i. 175; chiefs meeting of, i. 164-169; natives, i. 209, 210 Nsangu ferry, i. 325, 478 ; mountains, i. 390 ; ii. 193 Nseke, mcauing " inland," i. 3 Nseke'le'lo, i. 166, 172. 173, 222 Nsele'h River, i.395, 403 Nselo ferry, ii. 193 Nsona Mamba ferry, i. 259 Ntaba of Malima, i. 299 Ntamo, i. 303, 307-311 Ntolulu, a chief, i. 165 Ntombi's dark ravine, i. 245 ; cove, i. 250 Ntombo-a-Langa, i. 200. 201 Lukuti grove, ii. 214 Lukuti, ii. 215, 299 Mtaka, i. 267, 269 Nu-anipozo River, i. 120, 128 Nutmeg, ii. 358 Nyadi, meaning a river, i. 2 Nvam-Nvam country, ii. 351 M-angwe, i. 8, 20,* 40, 43, 216; ii. 340, 359, 3G0 ; Arabs, ii. 142 ; falls, ii. 360 Nyassa Lake, i. 7 Nyongena Mountain, i. 179, 187. 223, 227, 229, 234 Nyungu, i. 40, 43 Nzabi, i. 287 Nzaddi, meaning a river, i. 2 Nzali, meaning a river, i. 2 Nzambi (God), ii. 41 ; rapids, i. 255-257 Nzari, meaning a river, i. 2 Nzungi, a village of carriers, ii. 207 Objects of the Berlin Conference, ii. 393 Ocean steamers, on the Con^o, i. 85, 86 Officer, a homicidal, ii. 55 Officers at Vivi, i. 159; of the expedition, their number, i. 67 ; noble, ii. 255-279 Ogowai River, i. 159, 231, 233, 234 Oil-berry, ii. 353 ; palm, ii. 3G7 476 INDEX. Oil-river at 01 1 Calabar, ii. 232 Old Calabar River, ii. 232 "Old Tom," ii. 319 Olivier:., Dr., i. 450 One Palm Point, i. 43 1 Onion, ii. 357 Opposition from Ngalyema, 332-342 Orange, tlie Prince of, i. 35 trees, ii. 240 Orban, Lieut., i. 487, 48^, 510 Orchilla weed, ii. 02, 07, 342, 353, 35G, 3G7, 374 Organisation of expeditions, i. 30-44; of eastern expeditions, i. 45 Orycterope, i. 205 ( ),car Pere, i. 45 Osteud, ii. 237 Overland co ivevance of steamers, i. 182, 227, 22S; ii. 264 Oyster shell heaps, ii. 104 Ozi River, i. 58 Padiao, Rio de, former name of the Congo, i. 1 Fadron Point, i. 63 Palaballu Mountain, i. 12), 102, 170, 205; ii. 215, 217 Palavers,— at Vivi, i. 123, 120, 130, 132, 133-137; at Ntanio, i. 300; at Ns mda, i. 104-170; at Kintamo, i. 372; at Mswaia, i. i05, 4U7 ; at Stanley Falls, ii. 101, 102 Palisades in leaf, i. 152 Palm butter, ii. 342 juice, ii- 102 oil, ii. 355 : oil shipments at Old Calabar, ii. 232 . wine, i. 105, 180, 214, 307 ; ii. 322 Palmas Cape, i. 78 Palms, i. 513, 518; ii. 5, 02, 341, 352, 307 Palmyra Rea-h, i. 100, 112 Papawtices, ii. 246 Papyrus, ii. 6; pantiquorum, ii. 354 Partbury, Lieut., i. 478 ; ii. 200 Paris, a meeting in, i. 23, 24 Parle, Mungo, ii. 385 ParmenteOtfojor, ii. 224, 271, 273 Parmqnets, ii. 8 Parrots, i. 207, 410, 436 ; ii. 6. 8 Patience, the virtue of, i. 46, 40 Payment of native carriers, i. 346 Peace, celebration of, ii. 63, 64; negot'a- tions, ii. 26 ; at Irebu, ii. 42, 45 ; at Bolob ), ii. 60, 01 Pelieans, i. 417 Personnel of a station, i. 37 Peschuel Loesche, Dr., i. 376, 447, 448, 440; ii. 387 Pest Jential vapour, ii. 300, 301 Pettit Hubert, i. 208 Philanthropic expeditions, character of, i. 24 ; views, ii. 406 Phoenix Spinosa, ii. 354 Phillippeville, i. 477 ; ii. 277 ; copper mines, ii. 356 Piedmont, the Prince de, i. 35 Pigeon, wild, i. 207 Pigs, ii. 207 Pike, ii. 100 Pillar Point, i. 12 ; river, i. 1 Pillars Potuguesc Stone, i. 1 ; their pur- pose, i. 10, II Pilot of Banana, i. 63 Pilots, jottings for Congo, i. 403, 404, 405 i Pincoffs and Kerdyck, Messrs., i. 72 j Pine Apples: see Fruit. Pioneers, foreign, i. 195 ; native, i. 198 Piqaf. tta's " Kingdom of the Congo," i. 9 Pirate Creek, i, 64, 77 Pistia Stratiotes, i. 411 ; ii. 6 Plane-trees, ii. 30, 66 Plantains, ii. 357 Plenipotentiaries at Berlin, ii. 331, 302, 303 Plumbago, ii. 357 Plymouth, landed at, ii. 236 Pocock Francis, i. 313 ; ii. 249 Basin, ii. 210 Pogge, Dr., ii. 351, 387 j Point Padron, i. 63 i Ponta da Lenha, i. 74, 77, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 00, 104 j Pope Innoeent X., i. 16 Paul V., i. 4, 16 Popelin, Captain, i. 43, 44 Population, ii. 343; of Zinga, i. 315; of Bolobo, i. 518; of native villages, ii. 45; tables of, ii. 349, 350; of Upper Congo region, ii. 340-351; of VVebb- Lualaba region, ii. 360; of Tangmika territory, ii. 362; of Chambezi region, ii. 362 ; of the Congo basin, ii. 360, 367, 375 ! Porterage of goods, price now paid for, ii. 372 Portuguese Pillars, i. 1, 14 ; their purpose, i. 10, 11 missionary efforts, i. 11, 13 Portuguese, — expel the Jaggas, i. 12 ; ces- sion of territory to the, i. 12 ; fort ;;t Kabinda, i. 14; exercised no authority on the Congo bank, i. 14 ; expelled from Kabinda, i. 14; the slave-trade under the, i. 14, 15; mission at San Salvador, i. 10; traders, i. 02; at Vivi, i. 225; steamers, discomforts of, i. 458, 450, 400 ; territory, ii. 305, 380, 401, 404; action of the government, ii. 380 Po^se, Count, ii. 277 Potatoes, ii. 357; sweet, ii. 213 Pottery, native manufacture of, ii. 48 Power of native chiefs, i. 17-19 ; i. 508, 509 Preparations for war, i. 333 Presents, i. 406 ; ii. 23, 90 ; expect incy of i. 164; description of» i. 170; to INDEX. 477 chiefs, i. 185 ; exchanging, i. 288, 307 ; claimants for, i, 331 ; a one-sided balance- sin set for, i. 359 President for the State, a, ii. 53 Prince's Island, i. 57, 110, 111, 457 Prison honors at Loanda, i. 453 Prisoners, two of my men, i. 371 for theft, ii. 174, 178, 179 Produce, native, i. 193 Products, of mountain region, ii. 342 : of the Upper Congo regions, ii. 352-358 ; of Africa, table of value in Liverpool, ii. 368, 3G9 Progress, rate of, i. 215, 241, 2G9, 270 Proieetorate of districts, ii. 166 ; of Boma, ii. 225 Provisions for an Expedition, i. 48, 49 Pumpkins, ii. 243 Punishment, n terrible, i. 97, 98 Purehas, the English compiler, i. 4 Pur tuns and the Mayflower, ii. 379 Pythons, i. 204 Quarrel with Ngalyema, i. 332-342 Quarrels with natives at Leopold ville, i. 485 ; with natives, difficulties of, i. 523, 524. 526 Quatie'ages, M. de, i. 3G Questions put at the Brassels meeting, i. 26 Quettah, ii. 236 (Juin a as a tonic, ii. 325 Quinine in cases of fever, i. 272-274 Railwav at Vivi, ii. 227 ; between Viva and Isangila, proposed, i. 186, 187 ; ne- ci ssity for a, i. 463, 464 ; for the Congo, ii. 367. 368 ; probable cost of cons! ruc- tion, ii. 370, 371 ; probable traffic on a, ii. 370. 371 : proposals, i. 25 Pain, effect of heavy, i. 94 Rainfall observations, ii. 333-338 Rainstorms, ii. 210 Rainv seasons, the, i. 258 ; health during, ii. 299 Rank, quarrels about, i 71, 72 Ransoui offered for release of a thief, ii. 174 Ransoms, i, 260 Raphia vinifera, ii. 352, 35 1 Rapids, Ruka, ii. 129, 130 Rapine, traces of, ii. 139 Rate of progress, i. 215, 241, 269, 270, 480 ; ii. 9, 75 Rations, a day's, i. 48 purchase of, i. 481 Reasons against bloodshed, i. 523, 524 Recuperation in a temperate climate neces- sary, ii. 329 Redwood, ii. 5, "0, G7, 374 powder, ii. 2, 353, 354, 356, 3G7 Reg's & Co., i. 72, 78 Remington rifles, i. 47 Report to King Leopold, ii. 237 Repulse at Mali ma, i. 299, 300 Resignations, ii. 247 Resolutions passed at Brussels, i. 27 Restrictions on trade, dangers of, i. 464 Retiibution, thoughts on, ii. 1 13 Revenue of proposed railway, ii. 371 Rhine, comparison to, ii. 8 Rice, growth o ', ii . 357 Rirhthofen Baron von, i. 34 R fles, class of rifles carried, i. 47 Riuht of way, payment for, i. 170 Rio de Congo, the name on old ninps, i. 2 Rio Poderoso, an old name of the Congo, i. 1 Rise and fall of the Congo, i. 87 River bank defended by sharp pins, ii. 135 River courses, old, i. 175 Rivers (see also under special names), the Aruwimi, ii. 115; Balui, ii. 79, 345; Biverre', i. 514; ii. 129-132, 170, 349; Black River, ii. 359; Bundi, i. 403; Buuga, ii. 66 ; Chambezi, ii. 358 ; Chofu, ii. 153; Edwin Arnold, i. 403 ; Gordon Bennett, i. 403 ; ii. 53; Gurba, ii. 131; Ikelemba, ii. 31, 32, 77, 78, 344; lkuba, ii. 65; lnkissi, i. 403, 478; ii. 193; Langa, ii. 345; Itimbiri, ii. 109, 110, 112, 131, 345, 352 ; Kwa. ii. 344 ; Kwilu- Kiadi, i. 403; ii. 214, 225: Lacustrine Kamolondo, ii. 360; Lawson-Lufini, i. 509, 512; ii. 345; Leopold, ii. 359; Lhari, ii. 131; Likuba, ii. 185, 345; Lira, ii. 358, 359 ; Loa, i. 403; Lokulu, ii. 361 ; Low-wa, ii. 358, 359 ; Lualla, i. 403 ; Luarna, ii. 359 ; Lubamba, i. 403 ; ii. 225; Lnbanscnzi, ii. 361; Lubilash, ii. 109, 348, : 51 ; Lubiranzi, ii. 169, 344, 345, 348 ; Lmmme, i. 488 ; Lufu, i. 403 ; ii. 215, 359 ; Luigi. ii. 359; Luindi, ii. 359 ; Lu'zi, i. 403 ; ii. 217 ; Lukanga, ii. 21, 27, 28, 45, 46, 344; Lulu, i. 403; ii. 193; Lulungu, ii. 76-78, 344, 352; Lumami, ii. 169, 'MS, 359; Lunionzo, i. 408"; ii. 214; Mbikn, i. 403; Mbihe, ii. 344? Mfini, ii. 27; Mikene, i. 519; ii. 05 ; Mikene'-Alima, ii. 345 ; Mohindu, ii. 344 ; Mpioga, ii. 211 ; Mpozo, i. 403 ; Mpalanga, i. h03; Mulwassi, ii. 207; Nekke, ii. 131 ; Nepoko, ii. 131 ; Ngaku, ii. 212 ; Ngai.R, i. 444; ii. 344; Nkuku, ii. 346; Js'seleh, i. 395, 403; Ubangi, ii. 345; Ubika, ii. 171 ; Ulindi, ii. 358,359; "Wampoko, ii. 51 ; Welle', ii. 126, sijq. Welle-Makua, ii. 110 Road, "killing' the, 3. 314 in danger through lain, ii. 210 Road-making, i. 141, 142, 145. 154, 155, 181, 187, 190, 191, 196-198, 201, 204- 207, 224, 235-237, 239, 279, 312, 325, 370, 463; ii. 223; negotiating for, i. 167-169 478 INDEX. Roads, injured bv rains, i. 480; native, i. 104, 189; ne glected, ii. 221 Robson Islands, i. 82 Rock formations, i. 246, 247 Kooky Point, i. 115, 513-515 Rohlf, the explorer, ii. 385 Roman Catholic Mission, ii 50 Rome, missions from, i. 1G Roth, Dr., i. 34 " Rothschild," the, of Bolobo, ii. 3 Rowe, Sir Samuel, i. 57, 59 Royal, steam launch, i. G8, 83, 104, 110, 154, 190, 19G, 477, 478, 481, 501 ; ii. 57, 59, 116; at Ostend, i. 244; under repair, i. 261 : wreck of the, ii. 170, 171 Royal Geographical Society, i. 33 Ruanda cattle, ii. 361 Rubber, India, i. 384 Rubunga, Chief of Nganza, ii. 09 Rudolf, the Archduke, i. 35 Rudolf&tadt station, i. 474-476 Rufiiji, the, i. 44 ; river, i. 58 Ruga-Ruga, visits, i. 40 Ruka R .pids, ii. 129, 130 Rules for organising an expedition, i. 47 Rum, used as currency, i. 193 ; used in trading, i. 158 Rupture with the natives, dangers of, i. 314 Ruse, a, in camp, i. 334 Russia, cause of its non-representation, i. 35 Sa'adala, i. 251 Sabuka, i. 477, 480, 481, 488, 489 Sacred water, sprinkling of, ii. 106 Sacrifice of life ; a horrihle custom, ii. 180- 182 Sadika Banza, i. 1G4, 179, 205 Sadika Banzi, plateau, ii. 216 Safeni, i. 260 Saggitair'e, the, a French frigate, i. 86, (note), 475 Sailing vtssels ascending the Congo, i. 113 St. Paul de Loanda, 14; document in the archives of, i. 12 ; description of, i. 450-455 St. Thomas' Island, i. 57, 456 Salt extracted from grass, i. 421 Salutations on the march, ii. 192, 193 Saluting the dead, i. 75 Saniuna, a chief of Nsanda, i. 18, 164 Sanatorium at Boma, ii. 228 ; Leopold ville, i. 391 ; on Leopold. Hill, ii. 191 Sand-flies, i. 214 Sand -pipers, i. 436 Sanda Congo, i. 112 Sanford, General, H. S., of Florida, i. 36 ; ii. 381, 382 San Januario, the Duke de, i. 35 San Salvador, capital of Conjro, i. 11; de- struction of, i. 12; rebuilding of, i. 12; bishopric transferred to St. Paul de Loanda, i. 13; in ruins, i. 13; attempt to re-open missions, i. 13 ; Baptist Mission at, i. 13; mission at, i. 16; ii. 342 Sarawak, ii. 879 Sardines, potted, ii. 322 Saulez, Capt. Seymour, ii. 101, 272 Scenery of the Congo, i. 92, 93, 1)4. Ill, 112, 124, 125, 126, 171, 172, 173, 175, 176, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 243, 241, 245, 246, 247, 250, 255, 256, 258, 262, 2h'4, 324, 325, 390, 391, 396, 397, 399, 400, 401, 5C4, 505, 511, 512, 513; ii. 4-9, 11, 17, 77, 79, 91, 92, 93, 152; on the Ikelenibn, ii. 34-86 Sceptical people, ii. 377 Sceptre of Ngalyema, School, native children of, ii. 208 Schnoor the carpenter, ii. 191 Schweinfuith, Dr., ii. 130, 351, 385 Scientific mission of a station, i. 37 j Scotch scenery, comparison to, i. 400, 401 1 Scotch mnn Head, i. 81 | Seaside resorts, i. 23 Season for gardening, i. 381 f Sea near the land, appearance of the, i. 61 Secrecv, reasons for, i. 56 Seltzer, ii. 282 Semicarbus anacardium, ii. 358 Sette Gamma, ii. 229 Settlement, an immense, ii. 81, 82 Shale, ii. 214 Shamba Gonera, i. 45, 48 1 Shari River, ii. 131 Shark's Point, i. 62, 63 Shaw, Mr. E. Massey, ii. 224, 271, 273 Sheds for workmen, a necessity, ii. 315 Sheep, ii. 243 Shipping at Banana Point, i. 64 Si dps for the Congo, ii. 367 Shooting a hippopotamus, i. 106 Sick list, i. 216; of stations, ii. 306; men, ii. 248 ; shamming at Yivi, ii. 222 Sickness, i. 212 ; causes considered, ii. 286, sqrj. ; prevention of, ii. 311 1 Siemens, Dr. W., i. 34 | Sierra Leone, i. 57, 59 ; ii. 236, 297, 320 1 Signals of natives, ii. 158 Silurns, bearded, ii. 160 Silver, ii. 375 Sinn, ot measure for cloth, ii. 22 Shiga fish of Tanganika, ii. 160 Sims, Dr., i. 496 Sittings of the Berlin Conference, ii. 391- 403 Siwa-Siwa, chief of Bakumu, ii. 162, 164 Skins of animals, ii. 354 Skipper, importance of an efficient, i. 70 Slave raiding, effects of, ii. 360 Slave-trade, i. 14, 15 ; suppression of the, INDEX. 479 15; trade, the, i. 96,97, 152 ; atLoanda, i. 451 : effect on population, ii. 313 Slave-traders on the Congo, i. 113: from the Soudan, ii. 122 ; news of, ii. 135 ; on the Coniro, ii. 139, 110; terrible scenes, ii. 11G-150; traders overtaken, ii. 112; raids of, ii. 141, 115 ; numbers in a gans- peritv, ii. 215 ; success of Stanley Falls, ii. 275; unhealthy, ii. 287, 288, 290- 292, 299-301 ; sick list of, ii. 306 ; sites of, ii. 319, 320 Steam communication, instructions re- garding, i. 27 Steamers, trading, i. 91, 92; the harbingers of trade, i. 251 ; transported overland, i. 182, 227, 228, ii. 264; first on the Upper Con< 375; on the Com effect of large, ii. 7, 8, 9 ; surprise the natives, ii. 12, 16, 29, 105 ; for the Congo, ii. 367 Cove, i. 379 Steel lighters, i. 68 Stephanieville, i. 476, 477 Sterile scenes, i. 261, 265 Still Haven, Stanley Kalis, ii. 163 Stimulants, craving for, ii. 211 ; absence of, ii. 212 ; abuse of, ii. 251, 252, 253, 254 Stink-wood, ii. 5 Stipa tenaccisnma. ii. 354 Stocking Island, i. 82, 89 j Stores, i. 153; conveyance of, i. 155, 182, 210, 211, 214; list of, i. 285; of the Fx{ edition, i. 68 ; for the Upper Congo Expedition, list of, 501, 502; for an ex- pedition, ii. 76; h ft at Stanley Falls, ii. 165; sent monthly to Stanley Fool, ii. 272 Storms, i. 201, 227, 337, 418, 437, 438 ; ii. 95, 96. 98, 137 Story of Xgalyema's life, i. 318, 319 Story, a hypocritical, ii. 11 Strauch. Colon, 1, i. 28, 39, 42, 43, 16, 52, 59, 189 ; ii. 378, 394 Strength of the expedition, i. 378 Slrj/rlmas, ii. 358 Subsidies to chiefs, i. 54 Suirar, i. 414 ; ii. 357, 375 Suicide of M. Luksic, 489 Suki, i. 315 Sun, avoiding exposure to the, ii. 323 ; ob- servations of the. i. 205 Sun-bird, ii. 6 Sun-fever, ii. 322 Sunday, a dny of rest, i. 230 Sundi, i. 176 Sun go Maji of Bumba, ii. 107 Sunshine, African, i. 94, 95 Sunstroke, ii. 322; precautions against, ii. 315 44 Superstitions" of natives, 28, 29, 62 480 INDEX. * Susceptibilities'" on the Congo, i. 72 ; ii. | 240, 276 Susi, Livingstone's head man, i. 310, 318. 335, 345/379 Suspicion and distrust among natives, j d inger of, i. 169, 170 Suzerainty of chiefs, i. 18 Swinburne, Mr. A. B, i. 57, 58, 145, 159, 196, 208. 213, 218, 219. 221, 239, 240, \ 496 ; ii. 289 ; his services, ii. 257, 558 Switzerland, a holiday in, i. 23 Sword, Makoko's, i. 332 Swordsmiths, ii. 35G Tabora, i. 40, 42 Tactics against Ngalyema, i. 334 Tamarinds, ii. 5 " Tandelsy," ii. 89 Tanganika, Lake, i. 7, 20, 35, 37, 40, 41, 43, 44. 40 ; ii. 359. 363 territory, extent of, ii. 362 Tariffs, danger of excessive, i. 464 Tea as a beverage, ii. 322 Teak, African, i. 192 ; ii. 30, 67 Temperance, ii. 325, 329 Temperature, ii. 282, 314, 316-318, 330, 331 1 Tendelay, i. 206 Teneriffe donkeys, i. 225 Tents, making new, i. 279 Territories of the Congo basin, ii. 365 Territory ceded to the Portuguese, i. 12 The au lait. ii. 324 Thefts at Iboko, and return of stolen goods, ii. 180 Thermometer readings, i. 203. 213 Thieving natives, ii. 84 ; at Iboko, ii. 173, 174 Thompson, Captain, i. 57, 105-107 Thys, Captain, ii. 378 Titles on the Congo, i. 87 Tiger skin, trick with a, ii. 107 Time bill, fiom the sea to Vivi, i. 116; occupied in journeys, i. 191 Times, The, i. 58 Tinned meats, i. 284; ii. 322 Tippling, ii. 319 Tippu Tib, an Arab trader, ii. 154, 351 Tisdel, Mr. W. H.. ii. 396 Tobacco, ii. 364, 375 Tomatoes, ii. 213 Tonics, ii. 325 Tools and stores carried by our expedition, i i. 503 " Topers," ii. 251, 252 Topography, i. 172, 173. 175.176, 179-184, 192, 258, 287, 290, 352-355, 395 397, 412,413,513,514; ii. 4, 17. 18. 46,47, 78, 341, sqq. ; of Vivi, i. 126, 136, 140 Torch, H.M.S., i. 86 (note) Tortoise shell, ii. 354 Totela, king of Congo, i. 17 " Tourist " engineer--, i. 209 Trachylobum, ii. 353 Tracks, herd, i. 201 native, i. 192 Tra le and barter, articles for African, i. 156, 157 Trade, factory, i. 74, 75; at Vivi, i. 156; competition, i. 800 ; Congoese, shrewd- ness in, i. 137 ; demanded at Nganza, ii. 99 ; the coming of the whites means, i. 168; in gunpowder, i. 75 ; native eager- ness for, i. 384 ; ii. 367 ; of West Africa, amount of, ii. 366; probabilities of in- cnased, ii. 367; rousing the spirit of, ii. 376; routes, ii. 342 ; table of possible, at new factories, ii. 310 ; talk. i. 214; with natives, conduct of, i. 99, 100; feastbilitv of, i. 463 ; visions of future, i. 127 Traders, ivory, character of, i. 387 , jealousy of, 309 ; misrepresented by missionarn s, i. 100 ; of the Upper Congo, the champion, ii. 21-23 ; on the Kwa, i. 415 Trading at Boleko, ii. 83; at Leopold- ville, i. 380. 383, 384 canoes, ii. 79 communities of Arabs, ii. 360, 363 companies, i. 29 in ivory, i. 383, 384 stations at Boma, i. 91 steamers, i. 91. 92 Traditional origin of Byyanzi, ii. 1 Traffic at Xsanga Ferry, i. 479 Transport of steamers overland, ii. 264 ; enlistment of natives for, ii. 225 Travelling, dangers of, ii. 317; rate of, i. 215, 241, 269, 270 Treasury at Leopold ville, low state of the, i. 483 Treaties with native chiefs, i. 473-477, 495 ; ii. 48, 379, 380 ; forms of, ii. 195- 197, 205, 206 Treaty with Vivi chiefs, i. 137, 138, 155, 156 Trees, ancient, i. 316; or groves a sign of villages, i. 62 ; planting as a protection, ii. 311 Tributaries of the Congo, length of, ii. 344- 352 ; their length, ii 347 Tribute, i. 49 Tropical heat, ii. 282 islands, character of, i. 457 scenes, ii. 91-93 Tropics, bodily changes in the. i. 65 : the best food for, ii. 294 ; conditions of life in the, i. 85 ; drugs for the. ii. 325. 327 ; food in the, ii. 321-324,329; he . lth in the. Dr. MarlinJs advice, ii. 329: mode of life in the, i. 65, 67 ; clothes for the, ii. 326 Troup, Mr. John Rose, ii. 224, 272, 274 Trouville, i. 23 Trucks for machinery, i. 198 Tsetse, i. 419 INDEX. 481 Tuckcy's. Captain, account of the slave- trade, i. 14; 173; expedition of, i. 5, G, 102, 120, 121 ; ii. 317 ; its losses, i. 6, 7 ; its results, i. 7 « Tuckey's furthest," i. 184 Tugurambusa Hills, ii. 151, 152 Tunduwa Point, i. 114, 120 Turtle doves, i. 419 Twiss. Sir Travers, on treaties, ii. 380 Two Palm Poiut, i. 51G Typhoid fever, i. 212 Typlops, i. 205 Uango-Ango, ii. 400 Ubaugi, River, ii. 345 ; a populous place, ii. 1, 13, 21, 23, 354; swordsmiths, ii. 356 Ubengo, district ii. 17G Ubika warriors, ii. 98 — — Piver. ii. 171 Ufipa, ii. 3G3 Ufuvu Eiver, i. 318, 321 Ugangi, ii. 47 Ugogo, i. 45, 49 Uguhka, i. 43 Uuunda, i. 4G Uhha, ii. 3G2, 3G4 Ujiji, i. 40-42, 21G; cattle, ii. 3G1 ; 3G3, "361 Ukatakura, ii. 97 Ukawenda, ii. 364 Ukele, ii. 171 Ukamira distiict, ii. 176 Uledi, i. 251 Ulindi Piver, ii. 358, 359 Ulungu Mountains, i. 175, 179, 180, 205 Umaneh Town, ii. 124, 125 Umangi, ii. 98, 171 Umari, ii. 39, 42 ; a guide, ii. 44 Ungende, ii. 11 Unhealthy stations, ii. 287, 288, 290, 291, I 299-301 United States, co-operation of the, i. 36; j ii. 380 ; action of the, ii. 381, 382 Unkuri, i. 432 Unyamwezi, i. 39, 40 ; ii. 363 Unvanvembe, expedition to, i. 39, 40, 41, i 40, 48 Upiti, a chief, ii. 58, 61 Upoto, ii. 22, 69 Hills, ii. 99, 103, 171 Upper Congo discovered by Stanley, i. 37 ; j 356; communication with the sea, i. 463, 464 Urambo, Mirando, King of, i. 39, 43 Uranga, ii. 76-78 ; effusive welcome at, ii. j 176 Urundi cattle, ii. 361, 362, 364 Urungu, ii. 364 Ururu, a chief, i. 518, 519 ; ii. 57 Usansi, i. 326-331 ; Mountain, i. 390 Usige, ii. 362; cnttle, ii. 311 Usimbi District, ii. 176 JJsindi, ii. 19, 21, 23, 49, 68, 69, 182 Uvana, Panza, i. 208 Uvira iron-works, ii. 364 Uyanzi, i. 511, 512, 513 ; markets, i. 421 Valeke, Lieut., i. 237-210, 283, 286, 311, 382, 449,477,480,481, 488, 489, 509 ; ii. 51, 53, 223 ; his services, ii. 2G1-264 Valley stations, unhealthy, ii. 299-301 Value of ivory, i. 380, 384 of probable trade at new factories, ii. 370, 371 Van Pogaarte, Major, i. 239 Van de Velde, Lieut., i. 473-176 ; ii. 225 Van den Heuvel, Dr., ii. 53, 191 Vangele, Lieut., ii. 38, 71, 177, 181, 264, 267, 289 Van Schuman Herr, i. 471 Vapour, pestilential, ii. 3U0, 301 Vegetables, i. 103, 148, 381, 393; ii. 71, ^ 243, 246, 258, 357 Vegetation, effects of fire upon, i. 94 Venetian beads, i. 30 Versteeg, M., i. 35 Vetch, Major Francis, ii. 272, 273, 355 Veterans on the coast, i. 73 Vibondo, ii. 360 Victoria Nyanza, i. 20 Villages, native, i. 315; on the Upper Congo, ii. 11, 12, 15 ; warm invitation to, ii. 30; on the lkelemba, ii. 36; on the Congo, ii. 45; deserted, ii. 138; devas- tated by Arabs, ii. 139-141, 148 ; in easily defended positions, ii. 172 ; healthy site's of native, ii. 302, 303 Yille (TAnvers steamer, ii. 225 " Vinda by the river," i. 112 Vinda le-Nzaddi, i. 112 Visions of future track, i. 127 Vivi, i. 70, 113, 114-116, 127, 128, 144- 147. 149, 152, 153, 159-162, 1G7, 181, 189, 197, 207, 208, 210-215, 220, 225, 234, 422, 513 ; ii. 56, 215, 218, 219, 289, 291, 298, 304; founding the station, i. 118-126, 197; topograpliv, i. 126, 136, 140; chiefs, i. 123, 129, 130, 142 ; aborigine.-, i. 130 ; extent of territory of, i. 135, 136 ; its recommendations, i. 136, 138; trebly with chiefs, i. 155, 156; trade, i. 15G; staff at, i. 159; and Isangila, proposed railway hetween, i. 186, 187; to Ndambi Bfbongo, i. 192 ; Isangila to, i. 239 ; messengers sent to, i. 251 ; recruits at, i. 278 ; resignation of a chief, i. 376 ; no progress at, i. 447; departure from, i. 449: return to, i. 468; neglect of, i. 469, 470 ; quarrels at, i. 489 ; troubles at, ii. 52 ; more irregularities at, ii. 187, nothing accomplished, ii. 221, 224 ; shamming sick at, ii. 222 ; leorganisation of staff, ii. 223; removal of the station, ii. 223; progress of the new station, ii. 227; railway at, ii. 227; situation of Vol. II.— 31 482 INDEX. old, ii. 2S7; distance from the sea, ii. 339 Viva Hill, i. 139, 141,145, 146, 150, 161, 102 flfavungu, i. 123, 129, 132, 138, 155, 163 Rapids, i. 128 ; ii. 218 Nku, a chief, i. 130 Volga, comparison to, ii. 9 Vombo, ii. 211 Von Mechow, ii. 387 Voonda, i. 2o0 ; ii. 209, 211, 225 Wabangi, ii. 43 Wabika tribe, ii. 172 Wabuma people, i. 419 Wadi Rehani, i. 238, 345, 379 Wages, native surprise at, i. 143, 144 Wasrogo, i. 49 Wagtails, i. 4-%; ii. 6 Wahliu tribe, ii. 303 Wajiji sailors, i. 4S ; tiibe, ii. 3G3 Wambundu, an inland, people, i. 305, 319, 320, 323, 495 Wami River, i. 44, 58 Wampoko River, ii. 51 Wane Kirundu, ii. 360 Mikungu, ii. 156 Rukura fishermen, ii. 154 Rusari, ii. 157 Sironga, ii. 157 Wangata, ii. 37, 38, 39, 42 Wangwana, i. 45-48 Wanunu, ii. 4 Wanya^-Ruanda tribe, ii. 363 Wanyaniwezi ptople, i. 46-48; ii. 363 War, daily expected, i. 361-366 ; preven- tion of, i. 380 ; natives preparing for, i. 524; ii. 113,114; objections to, i. 526, 527 ; native, ii. 23-25 ; at Irebu, ii. 42-45 ; burying a, ii. 45 ; with Bolobo, ii. 57-61 ; indemnity, ii. 61 ; among natives, slight causes for, ii. 62; effects on population, ii. 343 ; dance of natives, ii. 35 ; internecine, desolating effect of, i. 173 War-fetish, a curious, i. 310 Warlike threats of Ngalyema, i. 332-334 Ware, another name lor Welle' River, Waruudi tribe, ii. 363 Watei course, search for a, i. 178 Water-drinking, excessive, ii. 315-317 Watson, Sir Ihoma.-, on tiee-planting, ii. 311 Watumba of Musangaland, ii. 109 Watwa, dwarfs, the, ii. 47; ivoiy sold by, ii. 48 Wax, ii. 364 Wazige tribe, ii. 363 Wealth of ivory trading chiefs, i. 310-311 Weaver-birds, i. 436 Webb-Lualaba region, extent of, ii. 340, 358 Webb-Lualaba River, navigation of the, ii. 359 Weissman, Lieut., ii. 351, 387 Welcome at Ikengo, ii. 30 Welle' River, ii. 126, sqq. ; identical with the Biverre, ii. 130 Welle-Makua River, ii. 110 Wellington, Duke of, on Indian life, ii. 295 Wenya fishermen, ii. 154 Werre, another name fur Welle River. West African Livingstone Search Expedi- tion, i. 13 Wet clothes, danger of, ii. 326 : exposure to, ii. 285 ; flannels, ii. 283, 285, 369 Wheat, ii. 375 Whip-snakes, i. 204 Whirlpools, i. 106 Whisky, ii. 251, 252, 319 " White Man's Grave," ii. 320 Willing bauds a necessity, ii. 240 Wind observations, ii. 310, 331-333 Winds, cold, i. 210, 211, 264; ii. 172, 298 Wine, ii. 242 ; moderate use of, ii. 254, 282, 295 Wing-clappers, i. 207 Winton, Sir Francis do, ii. 227 Witchcraft, punishment of, i. 380 Woerman, Herr, ii. 394 Woman, a notable, 425, 426 Women, nude, ii. 100 of Africa, the, i. 425 Wood Point, i. 8:5, 85 cutting, ii. 9 Work, a year's, i. 240; neglectrd at Vivi, ii. 221, 222 ; shirking, ii. 240, 242 ; on the Congo, ii. 252 ; honour of, ii. 278, 279 ; hours for outdoor, ii. 314 Workers, unintelligent, ii. 249, 250 Working day, duration of our, i. 149 force, weakness of, i. 191 ; numbers of our, i. 196 Workmanship, native, ii. 123 Workmen, agreement about native, i. 1G9 ; shelter for outdoor, ii. 315 Wreck of a canoe, ii. 49 Wy-yauzi people, i. 428, 443 ; ii. 14, 23, 30, 60, 63, 64, 302 ; custom of succession, i. 520 Yakkas, the, invasion : see Ajakkas. Yakongo village, ii. 103 Yakui, ii. 125 Yakusa spe.irs, ii. 356 Yalulima tiibe, ii. Ill, 354; swordsmiths, ii. 356 Yambi village, ii. 126 ; Yambinga, town, ii. 107-109 Yambua, ii. 127 Yambula, 518, 525 ; ii. 57-60 Yambumba town, ii. 127 | Yambuugu village, ii. 112 i Yambuya village, ii. 129 INDEX. 483 Yamu-ningiii village, ii. 110 Yamvu, i. 432 Yangambi, ii. 151 Yangassa, a chief of Nzabi, i. 31 G Yankau on Itimbiri, ii. 100 Yanzi, Chief of Wane Sironga, ii. 157 Yaporo district, ii. HI Yaruche, ii. 152 Yarukombe town, ii. 152 Yaryenibi, ii. 152 Yavunga, a desolated village, ii. 141 Yellala, i. 102, 113, 160, 105, 179; falls, i. 202, 203 ; ii. 218 ; mountain, i. 205 ; ii. 217 Yellow wood, ii. 30 Yoinburri, a desolated town, ii. 139, HI Youngblood, Mr., i. 64, 73 Youthful indulgence, ii. 282, 283 Yumbila, a guide, ii. 82, 86, 88, 97, 98, 100, 112, 116, 117, 140, 182 Zaire, the, Portuguese name of the Congo, i. 2, 202 ; described by a Capuchin father, i. 4 ; Tuckev's description of the, i. 5, 6 Zanzibar, 28, 29, 35, 37, 39, 43-45, 47, 48 ; Ihe Sultan of, i. 49 ; the Prince of, i. 58 Zanzibaris, i. 49, 59, 67, 146, 150, 203, 212, 216, 277, 278, SU, 445, 462 ; ii. 97, 144 ; sent home, i. 449 Zareeba or boma, i. 46 Zari : see Zaire, Zebra, ii. 241 Zinga, i. 287, 313-316 Zingeh, i. 46 Zombo, ii. 342 Zunga-chya-Idi, i. 105 THE END, VALUABLE WORKS OF EXPLORATION AND ADVENTURE, Stanley's Congo, and the Founding of its Free State, A Story of Work and Exploration. By H. M. Stanley. Dedicated by Special Permission to H. M. the Kiug of tbe Belgians. With over One Hundred full-page and smaller Illustrations, two large Maps, and several smaller ones. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth. (Just Ready.) Stanley's Through the Dark Continent, Through the Dark Continent ; or, The Sources of the Nile, Around the Great Lakes of Equatorial Africa, and Down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean. With 149 Illustrations and 10 Maps. By Henry M. Stanley. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $10 00; Sheep, $12 00; Half Morocco, $15 00. Stanley's Coomassie and Magdala. Coomassie and Magdala : a Story of Two British Campaigns in Africa. By Henry M. Stanley'. With Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Clotb, $3 50. Livingstone's Last Journals, The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 18G5 to his Death. Continued by a Narrative of his Last Moments and Suffer- ings, obtained from his Faithful Servants Chuma and Snsi. By Horace Waller, F.R.G.S., Rector of Twywell, Northampton. With Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00; Sheep, $6 00. Cheap Popular Edition, 8vo, Cloth, with Map and Illustrations, $2 50. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi. Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries; and of the Discovery of the Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa. 1858-1864. By David and Charles Livingstone. With Map and Illustrations. 8vo, Clotb, $5 00 ; Sheep, $5 50. Long's Central Africa, Central Africa : Naked Truths of Naked People. An Account of Expe- ditions to the Lake Victoria Nyanza and the Makraka Niam-Niam, West of the Bahr-El-Abiad (White Nile). By Col. C. Chaill"£ Long, of the Egyptian Staff. Illustrated from Col. Long's own Sketches. With Map. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. Cameron's Across Africa. Across Africa. By Verney Lovett Cameron, C.B., D.C.L., Com- mander Royal Navy, Gold Medalist Royal Geographical Society, etc. With a Map and numerous Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00. Du Cbailhis Asliango-Lnnd, A Journey to Ash an go-Land, and Further Penetration into Equatorial Africa. By Paul B. Du Ciiaillu. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00 ; Sheep, $5 50; Half Calf, §7 25. Schwcinfarth's Heart of Africa, The Heart of Africa; or, Three Years' Travels and Adventures in the Unexplored Regions of the Centre of Africa. From 1868 to 1871. By Dr. Georg Schweinfurth. Translated hy Ellen E. Fkewer. With an Introduction by Winwood Reade. Illustrated by about 130 Wood- cuts from Drawings made by the Author, and with Two Maps. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Spckc's Africa. Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. By John Hanxing Speke, Captain H. M. Indian Army, Fellow and Gold Medalist of the Royal Geographical Society, Hon. Corresponding Member and Gold Med- alist of the French Geographical Society, etc. With Maps and Portraits and numerous Illustrations, chiefly from Drawings by Captain Grant. 8vo,Cloth,$4 03; Sheep, §4 50. Burtons Lake Regions of Central Africa, The Lake Regions of Central Africa. A Picture of Exploration. By Captain Richard F. Burton. Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Baker's Ismailia. Ismailia: a Narrative of the Expedition to Central Africa for the Sup- pression of the Slave - Trade, organized by Ismail, Khedive of Egypt. By Sir Samuel White Baker, Pasha, M.A., F.R.S., F.R.G.S., Major- General of the Ottoman Empire, late Governor-General of the Equatorial Nile Basin, etc., etc. With Maps, Portraits, and upwards of 50 full-page Illustrations by Zwecker and Durand. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00; Half Calf, 87 25. Lady Blunt's Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates, Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates. By Lady Anne Blunt. Edited, with a Preface aud some Account of the Arabs and their Horses, by W. S. B. Map and Sketches by the Author. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. 3 Reade's Savage Africa. Savage Africa: being the Narrative of a Tour in Equatorial, South-west- ern, and North-western Africa; with Notes on the Habits of the Gorilla; on the Existence of Unicorns and Tailed Men ; on the Slave-Trade ; on the Origin, Character, and Capabilities of the Negro, and on the Future Civilization of Western Africa. By W. Winwood Reade. With Illus- trations and a Map. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00 ; Sheep, $4 50 ; Half Calf, $6 25. Prime's Boat-Life in Egypt and Nubia. Boat -Life in Egypt and Nubia. By William C. Prime. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00. Curtis's Nile Notes of a Howadji. Nile Notes of a Howadji. By George William Curtis. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. A Naturalist's Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago. A Narrative of Travel and Exploration from 1878 to 1883. By Hexry O. Forbes, F.R.G.S., etc. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00. (Just Published.) Wallace's Malay Archipelago. The Malay Archipelago : the Laud of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise. A Narrative of Travel, 1854-62. With Studies of Man and Nature. By Alfred Russel Wallace. With Maps and numerous Illustrations. New Edition. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Wallace's Island Life. Island Life; or, The Phenomena of Insular Faunas and Floras, with their Causes. Including an entire Revision of the Problem of Geological Climates. By Alfred Kussel Wallace. With Illustrations and Maps. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00. Wallace's Geographical Distribution of Animals. The Geographical Distribution of Animals. With a Study of the Rela- tions of Living and Extinct Faunas, as elucidating the Past Changes of the Earth's Surface. By Alfred Russel Wallace. With Colored Maps and numerous Illustrations by Z wecker. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, §10 00. Vambcry's Central Asia. Travels in Central Asia: being the Account of the Journey from Teheran across the Turkoman Desert, on the Eastern Shore of the Caspian, to Khiva, Bokhara, and Samarcand, performed in the year 1863. By Au MINIUS Vambery, Member of the Hungarian Academy of Pesth, by whom he was sent on this Scientific Mission. With Maps and Woodcuts. 8vo, Cloth, $4 50 ; Half Calf, $6 75. 4 Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. Thomson's Malacca, Indo«China3 and China, The Straits of Malacca, Indo-China, and China; or, Ten Years' Travels, Adventures, and Residence Abroad. By J. Thomson. With over 00 Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00. MacGahan's Campaigning on the Oxns. Campaigning on the Oxns and the Fall of Khiva. By J. A. MacGaiian. With Map and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Burnaby's Hide to Khiva, A Kide to Khiva: Travels and Adventures in Central Asia. By Fred Burnaby (Captain Royal Horse Guards). With Maps and an Appendix, containing, among other Information, a Series of March-routes, compiled from a Russian Work. 12nio, Cloth, $2 00. Cnrzon's Armenia and Erzeroom, Armenia: a Year at Erzeroom, and on the Frontiers of Russia, Turkey, and Persia. By the Hon. Robert Curzon. Map and Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 25. Vincent's Land of the White Elephant, The Land of the White Elephant: Sights and Scenes iu South-eastern Asia. A Personal Narrative of Travel and Adventure in Farther India, embracing the Countries of Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin-China (1871-2). By Frank Vincent, Jr. Magnificently Illustrated with Maps, Plans, and numerous Woodcuts. 8vo, Cloth, Gilt Tops, $2 50. Vincent's Through and Through the Tropics, Through and Through the Tropics : Thirty Thousand Miles of Travel in Oceauica, Australasia, and India. By Fp.ank Vincent, Jr. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Thomson's Southern Palestine and Jerusalem, The Land and the Book : Southern Palestine and Jerusalem. By Will- iam M. Thomson, D.D., Forty-five Years a Missionary in Syria and Pal- estine. 140 Illustrations and Maps. Square 8vo, Cloth, $6 00; Sheep, $7 00; Half Morocco, $8 50; Full Morocco, Gilt Edges, $10 00. Thomson's Central Palestine and Phoenicia. The Land and the Book : Central Palestine and Phoenicia. By William M. Thomson, D.D. 130 Illustrations and Maps. Square 8vo, Cloth, $6 00; Sheep, $7 00; Half Morocco, $8 50; Full Morocco, Gilt Edges, $10 00. Thomson's East of the Jordan, The Land and the Book: East of the Jordan. By William M. Thom- son, D.D. Illustrations and Maps. Square 8vo. {Xearty Ready). Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. 5 Prime's Tent-Life in ihe Holy Land, Tent-Life in tbe Holy Laud. By William C. Prime. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00. Pike's Sub-Tropical Rambles, Sub-Tropical Rambles in tbe Laud of tbe Apbauapteryx : Persoual Expe- riences, Adventures, and Wanderings in aud about tbe Island of Mau- ritius. By Nicholas Pike. Handsomely Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Van-Lcnnep's Bible Lands, Bible Lauds: their Modern Customs and Manners Illustrative of Script- ure. By the Rev. Henry J. Vax-Lenxep, D.D. Illustrated with up- wards of 350 Wood Engravings and two Colored Maps. 833 pp., 8vo, Cloth, $5 00 j Sheep, $6 00 ; Half Calf, $8 00. Macgregor's Rob Roy on the Jordan. The Rob Roy on the Jordan, Nile, Red Sea, and Gennesareth, etc. A Canoe Cruise in Palestine and Egypt, and the Waters of Damascus. By J. MACGREGOR, M.A. With Maps and Illustrations. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Bartlett's From Egypt to Palcstineo From Egypt to Palestine, through Sinai, the Wilderness, and the South Country. Observations of a Journey made with Special Reference to the History of the Israelites. By S. C. Bartlett, D.D., LL.D., President of Dartmouth College, and lately Professor in the Chicago Theological Sem- inary. With Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Schliemann's Ilios. Ilios, the City and Country of the Trojans. The Results of Researches aud Discoveries ou the Site of Troy and throughout the Troad in the years 1871-'72-'73-'78-'79 ; including an Autobiography of the Author. By Dr. Henry Sciij iemaxx, F.S.A., F.R.I. British Architects; Author of "Troy and its Remaius," " Mycenay' etc. With a Preface, Appendices, and. Notes by Professors Rudolf Vircbow, Max Muller, A. H. Sayce, J. P. Mahaffy, II. Bnigsch-Bey, P. Ascherson, M. A. Postolaccas, M. E. Bnruouf, Mr. F. Calvert, and Mr. A. J. Duffield. With Maps, Plans, aud about 1800 Illustrations. Imperial 8vo, Cloth, $12 00 ; Half Morocco, §15 00. ' Schliemann's Troja, Troja. Results of the Latest Researches and Discoveries on the Site of Homer's Troy, and. in tbe Heroic Tumuli and other Sites, made in the year 1882, and a Narrative of a Journey in the Troad in 1881. By Dr. Henry Sciiliemaxx, Author of " Ilios," etc. Preface by Professor A. H. Sayce. With 150 Woodcuts and 4 Maps and Plans, pp. xl., 434. 8vo, Cloth, $7 50 ; Half Morocco, $10 00. 6 Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. Myers's Remains of Lost Empires. Remains of Lost Empires: Sketches of the Ruins of Palmyra, Nineveh, Babylon, and Persepolis, with some Notes on India and the Cashmeriau Himalayas. By P. V. N. Myers, A.M. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 CO. Tristram's Land of Moab : The Land of Moab : Travels and Discoveries on the East Side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan. By H. B. TRISTRAM, M.A., L.L.D., F.R.S., Hon- orary Canon of Durham. With a Chapter on the Persian Palace of Ma- shita, by James Ferguson, F.R.S. With Map and Illustrations. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Ccsnola's Cyprus, Cyprus: its Ancient Cities, Tombs, and Temples. A Narrative of Re- searches and Excavations during Ten Years' Residence in that Island. By General Louis Palma di Cesxola, Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Turin ; Hon. Member of the Royal Society of Literature, London, etc. With Portrait, Maps, aud 400 Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, Extra, Gilt Tops and Uncut Edges, $7 50 ; Half Calf, $10 00. Layard's Discoveries at Nineveh. Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon ; with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan, and the Desert : being the result of a Second Expe- dition, undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum. By Austen Hexry Layard, M.P. With Maps, Plans, aud Illustration. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00. Davis's Carthage, Carthage and her Remains: being an Account of the Excavations aud Researches on the Site of the Phoenician Metropolis, in Africa and other Adjacent Places. Conducted under the Auspices of Her Majesty's Govern- ment. By Dr. N. Davis, F.R.G.S. Profusely Illustrated with Maps, Wood- cuts, Chromo-Lithographs, etc., etc. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00 ; Half Calf, $3 25. Thomson's Voyage of the ''Challenger.'' The Voyage of the " Challenger.'' The Atlantic: An Account of the General Results of the Voyage during the Year 1873 and the Early Part of the Year 1876. By Sir C. Wtyville Thomson, F.R.S. With a Por- trait of the Author, mauy Colored Maps, Temperature Charts, and Illus- trations. 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $12 00. Spry's Cruise of the fi Challenger." The Cruise of Her Majesty's Ship "Challenger." Voyages over many Seas, Scenes in mauy Lauds. By W. J. J. Spry, R.N. With Maps and Illustrations. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 00. Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. 7 The Boy Travellers. By Thos. W. Knox. Six Parts. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00 each. Part I. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to Japan and China. Part II. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to Siam and Java. With Descriptions of Cochin-China, Cambodia, Sumatra, and the Malay Archipelago. Illustrated. 8 vo, Cloth, $3 50. Part III. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to Ceylon and India. With Descriptions of Borneo, the Philippine Islands, and Burmah. Part IV. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to Egypt and the Holy Land. Part V. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey through Central Africa. Part YI. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey through South America. {Nearly Heady.) Hunting Adventures on Land and Sea. By Thos, W. Knox, Two Parts. Copiously Illustrated, 8vo, Cloth, $2 50 each, Part I. The Young Nimrods in North America. Part II. The Young Nimrods Around the World. Knox's Voyage of the " Vivian." The Voyage of the "Vivian" to the North Pole and Beyond. Being the Adventures of Two Youths in the Open Polar Sea. By Thomas W. Knox. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Du Chaillu's Land of the Midnight Sun, The Land of the Midnight Sun. Summer and Winter Journeys through Sweden, Norway, Lapland, and Northern Finland. By Paul B. Du Chaillu. With Map and 235 Illustrations. In Two Volumes. 8vo, Cloth, $7 50; Half Calf, $12 00. Lnniont's Seasons with the Sea-Horses. Seasons with the Sea-Horses; or, Sporting Adventures in the Northern Seas. By James Lamoxt, F.G.S. With Map and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Tyson's Arctic Experiences. Arctic Experiences: containing Captain George E. Tyson's Wonderful Drift on the Ice-Floe, a History of the Polaris Expedition, the Cruise of the Tigress, and Rescue of the Polaris Survivors. To which is added a General Arctic Chronology. Edited by E. Vale. With Map and numer- ous Illustrations. 8vo; Cloth, $4 00. 8 Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. Hayes's Land of Desolation. The Land of Desolation : being a Personal Narrative of Observation and Adventure in Greenland. By Isaac I. Hayes, M.D., Author of "The Open Polar Sea," etc. With Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75. Davis's Nimrod of the Sea. Nimrod of the Sea ; or, the American Whaleman. By William M. Davis. With many Illustrations. 12nio, Cloth, $2 00. Bush's Reindeer, Dogs, and Snow-shoes. Reiudeer, Dogs, and Snow-shoes : a Journal of Siberian Travel and Ex- plorations made in the Years 1805-'67. By Richard J. Busn, late of the Russo-Americau Telegraph Expedition. Illustrated. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Bishop Haven's Mexico. Our Next-Door Neighbor. Recent Sketches of Mexico. By the Rev. Gilbert Haven, D.D., Bishop in the M. E. Church. With Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Bishops Old Mexico and her Lost Provinces. A Journey in Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona, by Way of Cuba. By William Henry Bishop, Author of " Detmold," " The House of a Merchant Prince," etc. With numerous Illustrations, chiefly from Sketches by the Author. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00. Sqnier's Nicaragua. Nicaragua: its People, Scenery, Monuments, Resources, Condition, and Proposed Canal. With One Hundred Maps and Illustrations. By E. G. Squier. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00. Sqnier's Peru. Peru : Incidents of Travel and Exploration in the Land of the Incns. By E. G. Squier, M.A., F.S.A., late U. S. Commissioner to Peru. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $5 00. Ortons Andes and the Amazon. The Andes and the Amazon ; or, Across the Continent of South America. By James Orton, Ph.D., late Professor of Natural History in Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; Corresponding Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and of the Lyceum of Natural History, N. Y. Third Edition, Revised and Enlarged, containing Notes of a Sec- ond Journey Across the Continent from Partf to Lima and Lake Titicaca. With two Maps and numerous Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. 0 Whymper's Alaska. Travel and Adventure in the Territory of Alaska, formerly Russian America — now ceded to the United States — and in various Other Parts of the North Pacitic. By Frederick WhyJIPER. With Map and Illus- trations. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Ingcrsoll's Knocking Round the Rockies, Kuocking Round the Rockies. By Ernest Ingersoll. 8vo, Cloth, $2 00. Burton's City of the Saints. The City of the Saints; and Across the Rocky Mountains to California. By Captain Richard P. Burtox, Fellow and Gold Medalist of the Royal Geographical Societies of France and England; H. M. Consul in West Africa. Maps and numerous Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. NordhofTs California. California: a Book for Travellers and Settlers. By Charles Nordhoff. A New Edition. With Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $2 00. Hayes's New Colorado, New Colorado and the Saute Fe Trail. By A. A. Hayes, Jr. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. Short's North Americans of Antiquity. The North Americans of Antiquity. Their Origin, Migrations, and Type of Civilization Considered. By John T. Short. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Murphy's Sporting Adventures in the Far West. Sporting Adventures in the Far AVest. By J. M. MURPHY. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Gillmorc's Prairie and Forest. Prairie and Forest: a Description of the Game of North America, with Personal Adventures in their Pursuit. By Parker Gillmore. Illus- trated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Hazard's Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo, Past and Present; with a Glance at Hayti. By Samuel Hazard. Maps and Illustrations. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Griffis's The Mikado's Empire. The Mikado's Empire. History of Japan, from 6C0 B.C. to 1872 A.D., and Personal Experiences, Observations, and Studies in Japan, 1870-1874. New Edition, with a Supplementary Chapter on Japan in 1883. By Will- iam E. Griffis, A.M., late of the Imperial University of Tokio, Japan. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $4 00 ; Half Calf, $3 25. 10 Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. Arnold's Through Persia by Caravan. Through Persia by Caravan. By Arthur Arnold. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75. Darwin's Voyage of a Naturalist. Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Coun- tries Visited during the Voyage of H.M.S. "Beagle" Round the World, under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. By Charles Darwin, M.A., F.R.S. New Edition. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $2 00. What Mr. Darwin Saw. What Mr. Darwin Saw in his Voyage round the World in the Ship " Bea- gle." With Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Benjamin's Atlantic Islands. The Atlantic Islands as Resorts for Health and Pleasure. By S. G. W. Benjamin. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Biart's Involuntary Voyage. An Involuntary Voyage. By Lucien Biart. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 25. Biart's Adventures of a Young Naturalist, The Adventures of a Young Naturalist. By Lucien Biart. Edited and Adapted hy Parker Gillmore. With 117 Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75. Smilcs's Round the World. Rouud the World: including a Residence in Victoria, aud a Journey hy Rail across North America. By a Boy. Edited hy Samuel Smiles. Il- lustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Symonds's Sketches and Studies in Southern Europe. Sketches and Studies in Southern Europe. By John Addington Sy- monds. In Two Volumes. Square 16mo, Cloth, $4 00. Lathrop's Spanish Vistas. Spanish Vistas. By George Parsons Latiirop. Illustrated hy Charles S. Eeiniiart. 8vo, Ornamental Cover, Gilt Edges, $3 00. Boughton's Sketching Rambles in Holland. Sketching Rambles in Holland. By George H. Boughton, A.R.A. Beautifully and Profusely Illustrated with Wood-engravings from Draw- ings by the Author and Edwin A. Abbey. With Two Artists' Full-page Proofs, Japanese Paper, without Letters. Pages xvi., 342. Square, 8vo, Illuminated Cloth, Uncut Edges, and Gilt Top, $5 00; Brown Cloth, Un- cut Edges and Gilt Top, $5 00; Full Gilt Edges, $5 25. Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. J L Dnrtis's The Howadji in Syria. The Howadji in Syria. By George William Curtis. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Oliphant's China and Japan. Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan, in the Years 1857, '58, '59. By Laurence Oliphant, Private Secretary to Lord Elgin. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. Newman's "From Dan to Bcersheba." "From Dan to Beersheba;" or, The Laud of Promise as it now Appears. Including a Description of the Boundaries, Topography, Agriculture, Antiquities, Cities, and Present Inhabitants of that Wonderful Land. With Illustrations of the Remarkable Accuracy of the Sacred Writers in their Allusions to their Native Country. By the Rev. J. P. Newman, D.D. Maps and Engravings. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75. Gironiere's Philippine Islands. Twenty Years in the Philippines. By Paul de la Gironiere. Revised and Extended by the Author expressly for this Translation. Illustrated. 12mo, Clotli, $1 50. Drake's New England Coast. Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast. By Samuel Adams Drake. With numerous Illustrations. Square 8vo, Cloth, $3 50 ; Half Calf, $5 75. Drake's Heart of the White Mountains. The Heart of the White Mountains. By Samuel Adams Drake, Author of " Nooks and Corners of the New England Const." Illustrated by W. Hamilton Gibson, Author of "Pastoral Days." 4to, Illuminated Cloth, Gilt Edges, $7 50. Tourist's Edition, $3 00. Dilkc's Greater Britain. Greater Britain : a Record of Travel in English-speaking Countries dur- iug 18G6 and 1837. By Charles Wentwortii Dilke. Maps and Illus- trations. 12mo, Cloth, $1 00. Lady Belcher's Mutiny of the Bounty. Some Account of the Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pifecairn and Norfolk Islands. By Lady Belcher. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. 12 Valuable Works of Exploration and Adventure. Waring's Tyrol, and the Skirt of the Alps. Tyrol, and the Skirt of the Alps. By George E. Waring, Jr. Illus- trated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Dixon's Free Russia, Free Russia. By W. Hepwortii Dixon, Author of " Her Majesty's Tow- er," etc. With Two Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $2 00. Prime's Round the World, Around the World. By Edward D. G. Prime, D.D. With numerous Illustrations. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $3 00. Hepwortifs Starboard and Port. Starboard and Port: the "Nettie" Along Shore. A Summer's Yacht Cruise along the Coasts of Maine and Labrador. By George H. Hep- worth. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 75. Kingslcy's West Indies. At Last: a Christmas in the West Indies. By Charles Kingsley. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Du Chaillus Country of the Dwarfs. The Country of the Dwarfs. By Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Du Chaillu's Gorilla Country. Stories of the Gorilla Country. By Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Du Chailhis My Apingi Kingdom, My Apingi Kingdom: with Life in the Great Sahara, and Sketches of the Chase of the Ostrich, Hyena, etc. By Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illlustra- ted. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Du Chaillus Wild Life. Wild Life under the Equator. By Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Du Chailhis Lost in the Jungle, Lost in the Juugle. By Paul B. Du Chaillu. Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1 50. Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, ISTew Youk. IIaupeu & BuoTiJKits will send any of the above works ly mail, postage prepaid, to any 2>art of the United States or Canada, o:z receipt of the price.