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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

MODERN RESIDENCE. NEWEST AFRICA

A Voyage Alqng
The Western Coast
OR I
Newest Africa

A Description of Newest Africa, or the Africa of
To-day and the Immediate Future

BY
JOSEPH H. READING
For Fifteen Years Resident in Equatorial Africa. Author
of the Ogowe Band, etc., and late Acting Commer
cial Agent of the United States

Philadelphia
Reading & Company, Publishers
421 chestnut street
1 901

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year igor, by
JOSEPH H. READING
In the OPFce of the librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

All rights reserved

Press of
Craven-Doan Co.,
Phila.

TO MY GOOD FRIEND

HERMANN SCHIFF, ESQ,
OF HAMBURG, GERMANY
TO WHOM I AM INDEBTED FOR MANY FAVORS EXTENDED TO ME IN
THE INTERIOR OF AFRICA, THIS BOOK IS
GRATEFULLY DEDICATED

PREFACE.

TO the men and women of to-day Africa is a Great
Unknown Land through which explorers fight their
way and return with stories of the horrible and the marvel
ous — stories too often told for no higher purpose than to
make a book sell, or a lecture interesting. I admit that
many of these stories are true, for I have myself been
through some of these experiences ; but it is only a small
portion of the truth concerning this great continent, just as
the horrors of Indian warfare at the present time are only
a small part of the truth concerning our own country.
Africa is a glorious land, rich in natural resources,
and has a grand destiny in store for her. The physical
beauty of the country, the adaptability of a large portion of
it to the Anglo-Saxon race, and the progress that the
Coast ports have made i"n civilization and refinement, will
be a revelation to many. Africa is the grandest continent
of the earth ; it is destined to become the home of millions
of our own race, and more money will be made there
during the present century than anywhere else in the
world. The descriptions in the following pages of the
resources of that country are far below the truth — the
realization will greatly exceed anything I have predicted.
The engravings are mostly from photographs repro
duced upon copper by the new process, and give a truthful
impression of the ordinary appearance of the places
described. As railroad building has already begun, it cannot be
many years before cities and towns will spring up all over
the land, and I confidently expect by the close of this
decade to hear of Cook selling excursion tickets to the
Soudan, the Congo and the great inland lakes. Why not ?
J. H. R.
Philadelphia, April ist, 1901.

CONTENTS.

Page.
Chapter I — Grand Canary and Senegambia, . i
II — Sierra Leone, . . . .26
III — Liberia,  48
IV— Gold Coast,  75
V — Niger Delta and the Soudan, . . 95
VI— Old Calabar,  118
VII — Kamerun, Batanga, Eloby, . 139
VIII— St. Thomas : Angola, . . .161
IX— Valley of the Congo, . . .180
X — Congo River to Gaboon, . . 197

LIST OF FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

Frontispiece Modern Residence. Newest Africa.
Chapter I Captain Thompson.
Distant View of the Lower Ogowe.
Mr. Sinclair.
Mr. Sinclair's Residence. Gaboon.
Mr. Alexander.
A Quiet Nook in the Forest.
Residents of Gaboon. The authorstanding on
the right.
Chapter II Morning Roll-Call in front of Mr. Schiff's
Residence.
Regent Street. Sierra Leone.
Freetown. Sierra Leone.
Elmina. Gold Coast.
Cape Coast Castle. Gold Coast.

Chapter III Accra. Gold Coast.
Native Village, near Axim. Gold Coast.
Group of Natives. Old Africa.
Native Ladies. Newest Africa.
A Tropic Home. Newest Africa.
Palm Oil ready for shipment. Lagos.
Trading Hulk. Bonny River.
Canoe on the Bonny River. Old Africa.
Trying Palm Oil. Bonny, Niger River.
Chapter IV Catholic Church. Fernando Po.
Riverside Trading Houses. Old Calabar.
Duke Town. Old Calabar.
Hope Factory. Old Calabar.
Creektown. Old Calabar River.
River Scene. Old Calabar.
Chapter V Palm Oil Chop Dinner Party. Old Calabar.
Governor's Residence. Kamerun. Newest
Africa.
Native House, Kamerun. German Possessions.
A Bit of the Kamerun Beach. High Tide.
Temporary Government Buildings. German
Possessions.
A bit of Kamerun Beach. Low Tide.
Chapter VI Treasurer's Office. German Possessions.
Home of Foreign Settler. Benita River.
Avenue of Palms. Eloby. Corisco Bay.
River Scenery. Bantanga. German Africa.
Home of Foreign Immigrant. Newest Africa.
Road-Making. Newest Africa.
Ideal African Home. Newest Africa.

Chapter VII Country Gentleman, Moondah River. Old
Africa.
Gaboon Native. Newest Africa.
A Dancing Party. Old Africa.
A Riverside Mansion. Newest Africa.
Home of Native Trader. Gaboon. Newest
Africa.
Steamer " Pioneer." Used by Dr. Livingston.
Chapter VIII Government Buildings. Gaboon.
A Corner of the French Settlement. Gaboon.
"Okook" (Devil) A Secret Society. Old
Africa.
African Children. Gaboon. Newest Africa.
A By-Path. Gaboon.
Chapter IX Chapel at Gaboon. Built by the Author in
1889.
Banana Avenue. Gaboon.
Home of French Immigrant. Gaboon.
Gardener's Cottage. Gaboon. Newest Africa.
Chapter X Native Troops. Gaboon. French Possessions.
Cottage of French Peasant. Gaboon.
Country Trading House. French Possessions.
Home of Coffee Planter. Near Gaboon.

CAPTAIN THOMPSON

Newest Africa.
Chapter I.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.

ON a bright windy day in the early part of Septem
ber a small, two-masted steamer might have been
seen going down the Irish Channel, outward
bound for the West Coast of Africa. This
steamer of 960 tons register was called the "Kisanga," and
was under the command of Captain Charles Thompson, a
brave and skillful navigator, who had been twenty-five
years running in the African trade, and knew all the ins
and outs of the Coast as well as he knew the way about his
native city of Liverpool, and perhaps even better. The
fresh breeze from the westward, which was stiffening to
half a gale, made the Channel rough and choppy and the
good steamer's decks were being well sprinkled with the
briny fluid, while occasionally a heavier wave would come
on board and set things afloat for a minute or two.
The "Kisanga" was almost a new ship, owned by
Messrs. Hatton & Cookson, of Liverpool, and formerly run
solely to carry their own cargo, but now in the service of
the Association. The Association is a great Trust into
which the interests of several rival firms are merged, and
was formed like other Trusts to stop competition and
enlarge profits. It now includes the principal private firms
trading on the West and Southwest coasts of Africa.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
When the "Kisanga" ran only with owner's cargo
she sailed direct for the mouth of the Niger, calling only
at Grand Canary for coal, and on the, Kru Coast for
"boys" as the -native passengers who act as coolies in all
the West African ports are called. Now that she was in
the service of the Association she would call at a number
of trading-stations along the Coast to land dispatches, and
in some places cargo.
In the little smoking-room at the head of the saloon
stairs was a quartette of "old coasters" looking rather
seedy and miserable, and trying to pass the time with
cigars and cards. Leaving home for a prolonged stay in
such a country as Africa is not conducive to cheerfulness,
and with the home-scenes and partings from dear ones
fresh in the mind, it was not to be wondered at if they felt
gloomy and moody. Leaving them to their reflections, let
us take a glance at the present commerce of the West
African Coast.
There are two lines of English mail steamers sailing
from Liverpool — the African Steamship Company, of Lon
don, and the British & African Steamship Company, of
Glasgow. These two companies were formerly rivals, but
now work in harmony, and between them they dispatch
one steamer a week to the West Coast, and one steamer
every three weeks to the South Coast. By the " West
Coast " is meant the coast from Cape Verd to Old Calabar ;
while the country from Kamerun to Benguela is known as
the " South Coast." At the present time the West Coast
furnishes ten times as much produce as the South Coast,
and all the South Coast vessels must fill up with cargo on
the West Coast before sailing for home. In addition to
the departures already enumerated these English com
panies dispatch a steamer once a month from either Ham
burg or Antwerp.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Of the Continental lines the most important is
Messrs. Woermann & Co.'s line which dispatches a large,
fine steamer from Hamburg every two weeks, alternately
for the West and South Coasts. Next in importance is the
Portuguese Line with a swift express steamer on the 6th of
every month from Lisbon. These steamers carry the
through mails and call only at Madeira, Princes, St.
Thomas, the Congo and the Portuguese settlements in
Angola. The French Line dispatch a steamer once a
month alternately from Bordeaux and Marsailles. The
Spanish Line sends a large steamer once in three months
from Barcelona. Besides these regular departures there are
frequently extra sailings, and some firms like Messrs. Hat-
ton & Cookson own their own steamers and sailing ships.
From this enumeration it may easily be seen that the West
ern Coast of Africa has abundant transportation facilities.
It is true these lines are not all of them so profitable
as they should be, for there has been such competition that
freight rates on some classes of goods are too low, but the
companies are now coming to a better understanding, and
it is to be hoped fair rates will rule in the future so that a
reasonable ' profit may be earned. But if the freight rates
are in some instances too low, the passenger rates are too
high, especially when the very ordinary accommodations
are taken into account. The passage-rate is now thirty-
five pounds to the South Coast, and the local rates on the
Coast from one port to another is from one pound to three
pounds a day. Both table and service are far from being
excellent from a North American point of view. On some
of the ships there is a good deal of heavy drinking, which
makes it unpleasant for passengers who do not indulge in
such excesses. It is but fair to say that a great improvement
has been going on of late in this matter, and it is now
possible, by choosing your captain, to make the voyage with
out any special annoyance from this objectionable practice.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
The " Kisanga " has always been a favorite ship ; clean
and comfortable, rather faster than some of the older ves
sels, and commanded by a thorough seaman as well as an
accomplished gentleman, she has seldom sailed with any
spare passenger-room. Her accommodations for saloon-
passengers are in the stern, which is an objection to those
who suffer from sea-sickness, but "old coasters" pride
themselves upon being sailors, and they think they are
further away from the noise and confusion of working
cargo than they would be amid-ship.
The four gentlemen in the smoking-room were Mr.
James Alexander, a Liverpool commission merchant ;
Messrs. Thomas Sinclair and Herman Schiff, African
traders who had risen to the rank of " general agent," and
Joseph King, Esq., for many years American consul upon
the African coast. There were several younger passengers
on board, but these four were old friends, and their long
service upon the Coast has caused them to be looked upon
as a sort of aristocracy, so that they formed a little circle
by themselves. Presently the door opened and in stepped
Captain Thompson, the salt water dripping from his oil
skin coat. Just then the bell rang and all went downstairs
to dinner. The outward voyage for the first six or eight days is
far from being a pleasant one ; it is too cold or too wet to
sit on deck. The vessel rolls and pitches, especially in the
Bay of Biscay, and the passengers are usually more or less
homesick, so that they have a pretty miserable time of it.
Day by day, however, the sun increases in power, the wind
loses its force, the sea quiets down, the air becomes more
balmy and the "social exiles" crawl from their hiding
places in their state-rooms and lie about in the sunshine to
drink in the genial warmth and thaw themselves into a
good humor.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Toward evening of the seventh day out some brown
rocks rising from the water " dead ahead " of them an
nounced the fact that they were approaching the island of
Grand Canary. The port is on the northeast corner of the
island, and as they drew near, the " Kisanga " was " slowed
down," and at intervals her engines were stopped altogether
in order to take soundings. Some captains anchor outside
during the night, but Captain Thompson was not one of
that sort ; he knew he could take his ship in all right, and
he was a man that when he could do a thing, he did it ;
besides he had no desire to keep his fires up all night for
the sake of a couple of miles steaming in the morning,
at least not if he could help it. So the "Kisanga"
crept slowly into the harbor and shortly after eleven
o'clock she dropped her anchor just inside the new break
water in a convenient spot for taking on coal in the
morning. Until very recently Madeira was the great coaling
station for all the South Atlantic steamers whether bound
for the West Coast of Africa, the Cape, or the Brazils, but
now the West African boats mostly coal at Grand Canary,
the coaling company there being in some way connected
with the officers of the steamship companies. Besides, it
is the policy of the latter companies to build up the Canary
Island ports with the expectation of their becoming sani
tariums, and thus increasing the freight and passenger
traffic. The African steamers expect to take coal enough with
them for the round trip, for while coal may be purchased
at two or three ports on the Coast, it is very expensive as
it must be brought out from England, handled twice and
stored securely from the heavy rains that would cause it to
deteriorate rapidly. The plan usually adopted is to steam
out from England at full speed, say from eleven to twelve
knots an hour; fill up with coal at Grand Canary,

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
including a large heap on the forward deck, for bad
weather and rough seas are now left behind, and then for
the remainder of the voyage the ship is run at about three-
quarters speed, say eight knots an hour, which experience
has shown to be most economical of fuel, until Grand
Canary is once more reached on the homeward run, when
enough coal is taken to last to Liverpool and the ship is
driven at full speed again. The coal used is the kind
known in America as bituminous, anthracite being almost
unknown in Great Britain.
All were astir at an early hour the next morning on
board the " Kisanga," and boats from shore were soon
clustered thickly about the gangway which had been
lowered until it almost touched the water. The port
officers were the first on board, and when they had exam
ined the ship's papers and given the signal that all was
right a motley crowd swarmed up the ladder and over the ^
sides of the ship. The agent of the coal company, hand
somely dressed, was there to see how much coal was
needed. The commercial house to whom the ship was
consigned had sent representatives to get a list of the stores
and fresh provisions needed and to m offer hospitality to the
captain. Runners from hotels and houses of ill-fame were
seeking customers among the passengers ; women came for
the ship's and passengers' soiled linen ; fakirs brought a
great variety of wares, much of which was merely trash,
and boatmen were clamorous to take the strangers ashore
at a shilling a head. The clerks and younger fry among
the passengers were eager for adventure, and anxious to
inspect the wine and women of the island, and they were
soon on their way to the shore in charge of the guides
whom they had chosen ; but the old hands were not to be
so easily caught, for they wandered about the deck enjoy
ing the beauty of the scene, and puffed away quietly on
their brierwood pipes. And a lovely sight it was indeed !

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Across the bay was the old Spanish city of Las Palmas
still lying in the shadows of the early morning. Behind
the city the mountains rose to a height of three thousand
feet, their brown summits bathed in a glorious light of
crimson and gold by the beams of the rising sun. In some
places palms lined the beach, and in many parts of the
city their dark green fronds towered above the houses, con
trasting prettily with the white-washed walls. Market
boats and steam launches were moving about over the
water, and in the port, which is on the opposite side of the
bay from the town, were several large vessels at anchor.
After breakfast the four friends accepted an invitation
from Captain Thompson to spend the day ashore with him,
and so, having donned light clothing, for it was warmer
ashore than on the " Kisanga," they all got into the ship's
gig and were soon alongside the heavy stone steps in the
lee of the breakwater that extends like a wide pier far out
into the bay. There was a good deal of stir and activity
here, for this is the business portion of the town ; produce
was being landed from small sailing vessels that had come
from other islands of the group ; men were shoveling coal
into sacks and lowering them into barges to be towed
alongside the waiting steamers ; cargo was being landed
from some steamers and shipped away by others ; coarse,
broad-shouldered women were carrying heavy burdens on
their heads, and carriages were in waiting to carry pas
sengers around the bay to Las Palmas.
The agent of the coal company saw the little party
coming and met them on the pier and after a few minutes'
conversation selected a two-seated carriage to take them to
town and gave the driver his instructions in Spanish so
that there might be no mistake. Mr. Schiff, with the
sagacity of a world-wide traveler, chose a seat by the
driver, and had by far the finest view. After leaving the
port the road skirts the bay for a couple of miles, giving a

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
delightful view of the harbor and shipping on the one side,
and the bare, brown rocky hills on the other. As they
drew near to Las Palmas they passed a large, new hotel,
which is being put up by British capitalists for the enter
tainment of winter tourists. The building is a handsome
one, and the grounds are adorned with almost every variety
of palm and tropical plant, making it a delightful home in
which to spend a few months. During the dark and dreary
winter of the frozen North this far-away isle dwells in per
petual sunshine, and the soft breeze gently rustles the
drooping fronds of the palms, while the delicate perfume of
flowers fills the air, and their rich colors charm the eye.
Las Palmas is built in a broad hollow between the
hills, with a small river, spanned by iron bridges, running
through it. The houses are mostly of stone, with thick,
heavy walls, which look rather dull and dreary from the
street. Most of the houses open upon an interior court,
which is planted with fruit trees and flowers, with, per
chance, a fountain in the centre and vines clambering over
the walls. There are excellent shops in the town which
offer good assortments of dry goods, groceries, hardware,
wines and various other merchandise. A cable connects
the island with Cadiz, in Spain, and thence with the rest
of Europe ; the rate is sixty cents a word to any of the
principal European capitals. There is a small but pleasant
park in the centre of the town where the people promenade
in the cool of the day, and which gives the ladies an op
portunity to show themselves, while it forms an excellent
meeting-place for friends. As the inhabitants are so shut
in to themselves on their little island, they must of
necessity take a deep interest in one another, and as a con
sequence gossip and scandal are freely indulged in. The
retail trade, and all mechanical and agricultural labor is in
the hands of the Spanish natives, but the foreign trade is
conducted principally by the English.

MR. SINCLAIR

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Our friends alighted at the Hotel Royal, which is on
the main street of the town, and walking through the
office into the interior courtyard, took seats around a small
table and called for wine, coffee and cigars. Mr. King wa^
what the English call a "total abstainer," and so while he
sipped his coffee the other four discussed the wine. Fif
teen years ago the passengers for a West Africa port must
drink when invited to, or fight ; now, however, one may
enjoy as large a liberty of individual action as any where
else in the world, always provided of course that he does
not thrust his ideas upon others. A moderate amount of
wine of fair quality is produced on the island, and some
little is exported. On the other hand considerable is im
ported from Spain, and how much mixing and doctoring
this is subjected to outsiders are not informed. But little
brandy is drunk except by Englishmen.
Quite a number of tourists were lounging about the
courtyard in an absent-minded, lazy sort of way. They did
not seem to care for reading or conversation, lolling about
with their eyes half shut they appeared to be trying to put in
the time, apparently with fair success. They were mostly
men past the prime of life, who were either globe
trotters " doing " this place along with the rest, or else
men who had " made their pile " and had come out here to
spend some of it. It was noticeable that there were but
one or two ladies among them.
"What are these old game-cocks doing out here by
themselves do you suppose?" inquired Mr. Schiff in an
understone. "Trying to get away from the folks at home, I
reckon," responded the Captain.
This class of men are in the habit of looking upon
African traders as an inferior sort of animal, and it is not to
be wondered at that our friends held them in light esteem.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Energetic men of affairs would not long be comfort
able in such an atmosphere, and so it was not long before
our friends were rattling through the city in a couple of
carriages drawn by three horses harnessed abreast to each,
bound for a ride over the mountains. The road, which
was macadamized, was in splendid order, and followed the
rocky stream through the valley and then up the mountain
slope. In the valley were many fields of bananas, with
date palms growing near the river-bank. Terraced gar
dens were built against the hill-side, and these were planted
with pineapples, bananas, figs, oranges, lemons, grapes
and onions. The onion may be classed as a fruit in the
Canaries for the people eat them as we would apples.
Banana raising is profitable to the islanders, but un
fortunately the amount of land suited to their culture is
small. They require a deep and fertile soil, and even then
artificial fertilization is desirable ; this of course is always
expensive, and doubly so in an out-of-the-way place like
the Canaries with little foreign commerce and no manu
factures. The variety raised is one of the short stocky
kinds with bunches of medium-sized yellow fruit. The
flavor is excellent, being more spicy and having a greater
" bouquet " than those grown on the rich lands near the
equator. When shipped, a single bunch is put in a long
common splint basket, made expressly for this purpose,
and carefully packed with the dried leaves to prevent
bruising of the fruit ; a piece of coarse sacking is then tied
over the mouth of the basket, the stem protruding a few
inches through a hole in the centre. They are not stowed
in the hold of the steamer, but are stacked up in great
piles on the deck and seldom fail to carry well. These
bananas bring from one dollar and a quarter to one dollar
and a half a bunch in Marsailles ; of this sum twenty-
five cents goes to the steamer for freight, twenty-five cents
for basket, packing arid commission, leaving from seventy-

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
five cents to one dollar a bunch to be divided between the
shipper and the grower.
The date palm is never grown in an orchard, and how
profitable it might be to make a regular business of raising
them, is not easy to say. They love to grow where they
can " keep their toes always moist " and seem to thrive
well on the borders of streams, or in courtyards and gar
dens where the soil is irrigated. When once they come
into bearing they require little care or cultivation beyond
the cutting and carrying away the fruit, and if there was
enough suitable land to make a plantation of them they
ought to pay well. They come into bearing in from ten
to twelve years after planting. The appearance of a palm
tree is sometimes a disappointment to new-comers from the
North, for when seen close by it is somewhat coarse and
rough, but if beheld at a little distance, so that some of the
details are lost in the general outline, it is one of the most
graceful and striking objects in the vegetable kingdom.
When those who have spent some years in the tropics
return to their Northern home, the graceful palm, waving
its feathery arms in the brilliant sunlight, is constantly in
their minds, and its enchanting beauty is continually
alluring them to return.
Considerable maize is grown in the Canaries, which is
surprising when we take into account the fact that much
more valuable crops can be grown on the same land. An
acre of bananas will yield fruit worth more than twenty
times the value of the grain grown on the same piece of
ground ; and oranges, figs, grapes and onions would yield
from five to ten times as much. True, these crops,
especially the bananas and onions, might need some extra
fertilization, but it would without doubt be better to buy
the guano and nitrates needed, and raise the more profit
able crop. Corn is doubtless needed for feeding purposes
and it might be that none is brought to the islands for

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
sale, and so the people are compelled to grow it or go
without. No doubt a market might be found here for
American food products and even manufactured goods ;
the chief difficulty would be that the wine and fruits which
are all the islanders can give in exchange, may be had more
cheaply from our own California and Florida, so that the
commerce between the Canaries and the United States will
never amount to much.
Even as a winter resort there is but little to attract
Americans except the old-fashioned Spanish civilization,
and enough of this can be found in the by-ways of Mexico
without the inconvenience and hardships of a long ocean
voyage at a stormy season of the year. All that there is
pleasant in the climate may be found in Southern Cali
fornia, and these islands are not likely to be visited by
Americans except by an occasional tourist out of mere
curiosity. At the present time the management of the
African Lines are trying to call attention to Las Palmas as
a sanitarium for all who find the winters of Great Britain
too severe or tedious, and no doubt it is far more agreeable
than London ; but there are a multitude of places along
the shores of the Mediterranean that have almost as mild
a climate and are far more accessible, for it must ever re
main true that any person who can endure the voyage to
and from the Canaries in the class of steamers provided by
the African companies could get comfortably through an
English winter with reasonable care.
As the carriages ascended the mountain side the sun's
rays began to be felt, but the pure fresh air from the ocean
tempered the heat and made the ride most enjoyable. The
steeper hillsides were bare of vegetation except a few
coarse shrubs, but the gentler slopes had been terraced and
planted with various crops. The top of the mountain is a
broad table-land, with a good soil, and everywhere care
fully cultivated ; the prospect is far more pleasing than it

MR. SINCLAIR'S RESIDENCE. GABOON

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
is near the sea-shore and little villages or clusters of
houses thickly dot the landscape. Many of these houses
are chiseled from the rock, or more strictly in the rock,
veritable cave dwellings, and in this dry climate are no
doubt cool and comfortable.
One of the industries of the island is the cutting of
drip-stones to be exported to various countries, more
especially to Western Africa. These drip-stones are shaped
like a deep bowl, with a large square top, and hold two or
three pail-fulls of water each. They are chiseled from
blocks of lava, and are used everywhere on the African
coast to filter water. For this purpose they are admirably
adopted, and it is doubtful if any of the host of patent
filters are equal to them. The sides of these huge bowls
are three or four inches in thickness, and the water slowly
percolates through these solid stone sides, leaving every
particle of sediment behind. Once a week they need to be
rubbed well on the inside with a scrubbing brush, and
thoroughly washed out, which is an easy thing to do be
cause of the large open top ; by this means it is possible to
have perfectly pure water. If there is fear of the water
containing animal poison, or the germs of typhoid fever,
cholera, dysentery or other diseases, the bowl may be filled
with bone charcoal which will purify the water even better
than if it was boiled.
It is quite surprising that here on the high table-land,
apparently upon the top ridge of the island, there should
be a bright little mountain stream, darting merrily along
by the roadside, its clear waters flashing in the brilliant
sunlight. It is a useful little stream, too, for a channel has
been cut for it in the solid rock, and here standing up to
their knees in the rushing water our friends saw the wives
and daughters of the mountaineers busily washing their
own clothes and those of the town people. Jolly, merry
groups they were, laughing and talking as they soaped the
13

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
clothes and pounded them upon the rocks. Mr. Schiff
was especially interested ; he was always fond of the ladies,
with little regard to their nationality, for as he truly said
he was himself " a cosmopolitan," and the sight of the
merry washerwomen caused him to grow quite enthusiastic.
This method of clothes-washing is universally prac
ticed, not only here, but also on the Coast. In Africa,
where rocks are seldom found, an empty box or a piece of
plank is used instead. Standing near the margin of the
stream or pond, the garment after being dipped in the
water is thoroughly soaped and then pounded with con
siderable force upon the top of the box or plank ; the soap
ing and pounding is continued until the linen is clean,
when it is dipped a few times in the water to free it from
soap, and it is then spread over a bush to rest itself and dry
out. The idea of rubbing the clothes to loosen the dirt
does not seem to commend itself to the people on the
eastern shore of the Atlantic, or else they have not thought
of it It must be admitted that this mode of washing does
not injure the fabric any more than our way.
Some of the wealthier citizens of Las Palmas have
built country homes on these breezy heights, to which they
retreat during the hot months, but they find it lonesome
and so are inclined to remain in.the town as long as they
can. Our party alighted at a little country inn situated in
a small village on the table-land, but they found the enter
tainment poor ; and so while their horses were resting they
walked about and smoked the cigars they had brought
with them. It was nearly 3 p. m. when they reached
the Hotel Royal, and they were well prepared to do justice
to the dinner that was waiting for them. After dinner
they sat for an hour in the garden sipping their coffee and
smoking, while they discussed the islands and their social
and industrial development.

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Mr. Sinclair was of the- opinion that the city might
grow some, especially if the number of tourists should con
siderably increase, but that the country districts might be
expected to remain practically the same. Mr. Alexander
saw little hope that manufactories could be established, for
there was little raw material and no fuel on the island.
Mr. Schiff, for his part, thought the islands might as well
remain as they were. Mr. King thought a narrow-gauge
railroad over the moutain might be advantageous, and if
" observation cars " were put on the line it would be a
great attraction to winter visitors, who usually have plenty
of money and could afford to ride every day. Captain
Thompson thought the question of fuel a serious one ; in
his opinion the prosperity of the island lay in its making
every effort to secure the steamer trade, by making the port
charges light and furnishing every kind of fresh provisions
in ample quantity and at moderate prices, and presenting
every inducement to passengers to land and enjoy them
selves for a day ashore.
" On an average," said he, " one steamer a day passes
here going each way ; if these could all be induced to call
it would be two steamers a day throughout the year. Five
hundred dollars would be a small amount for each steamer
to spend, besides the coal bill ; counting out Sunday that
would be six hundred and twenty-six steamers a year, and
three hundred and thirteen thousand dollars, which would
be enough to make these frugal islanders rich."
As no one seemed ready to profit by their advice, the
little group took a walk up and down the business street,
called at the office of the agent, and then walked down to
the landing where the " Kisanga's " steam launch was
waiting for them, and by 5 p. M. they were on board the
ship. Half an hour later all the bills for supplies had been
receipted for, the passengers counted to see if they were all
on board, and with the decks cluttered up with heaps of
15

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
coal, baskets of cabbage, carrots, turnips, lettuce, oranges,
bananas, coops of chickens and ducks, a couple of small
oxen and various odds and ends, the order was given to
"heave anchor," and just as the setting sun kissed the
western ocean the " Kisanga " passed the light-house and
turned her prow to the southward along the eastern coast
of the island.
The next morning there was nothing in sight but sea
and sky and the ship's company settled themselves down
to a sea-faring life. A double canvass awning was put up
over the quarter-deck, and smaller awnings over the fore
castle, bridge and engineers' quarters. When the watch
changes at 4 p. m. the hose is brought out and the
decks washed down, which not only keeps them sweet and
clean but in a measure preserves them from the effects of
the sun, for south of the Canaries no waves will be high
enough to wash over the sides. As no one can sleep
through all the racket of washing-down and holy-stoning
the decks, it is the custom of experienced travelers to gird
themselves with a towel and come forth at this early hour
and let the sailors turn the hose on them. The water is
pretty cool, but it is refreshing, and after a good rub-down
with a coarse towel, and a "wee glass of bitters," your
tropical African voyager is ready for his pipe and a walk
up and down the deck until breakfast-time.
It is customary not only on ship-board but in all the
factories on the Coast to wear in the morning only a pair
of pajamas and a singlet, and to be fully dressed during the
afternoon and evenings only. This neglige1 custom no
doubt originated when such a thing as a white lady's
visiting the Coast was quite unthought of ; now that they
are occasionally passengers on the steamers, the men feel
that their liberty is sadly curtailed, but even with one or
two ladies on board your typical " old coaster " will walk
about the deck in his pajamas and singlet, not the least
16

MR. ALEXANDER

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
abashed. This manner of dressing, rude as it may seem,
is well suited to the climate. At the factories most of the
work is done in the morning ; the afternoons are given up
to writing, visiting and other light employments, and the
cool sea breeze makes a greater quantity of clothing
desirable. While the " Kisanga " is steaming along the western
shore of the Sahara Desert, let us take a look at the great
continent we are about to visit. Every one has a general
idea that it is a vast expanse of territory made up mostly
of deserts and wild niggers, and Mr. Stanley has added
the impression that it is a Dark continent, by which term
many get the impression that, like the world of woe, it
must be always night there. Africa contains one-fifth of all
the land on the planet, and this land lies wholly within the
warm or temperate zones. Large portions of Asia and
America are frozen solid the greater portion of the year,
are quite worthless and always will be ; but every square
foot of Africa is warmed by an unclouded sun, and may be
made to nourish every sort of vegetation upon which
animal life depends. So far from its being a Dark Conti
nent in any physical sense of the word, it is, throughout
its entire extent, bathed in the most brilliant sunshine ever
seen in this fair world of ours. To intelligent spirits,
speeding through space in their journeys from world to
world of the vast universe of which we are a part, it must
appear as a great Kohinoor flashing back the light of that
mighty sun which holds the solar system in its grasp ; or,
perchance, as the revolution of the globe brings it into
shadow, it may look like a vast emerald as the rays of the
declining sun fall aslant its forests and jungles. Africa is
the richest and most highly favored continent of earth, and
is destined to become a mighty factor in every problem
which affects our race. As an inheritance is withheld from
a son until he be of sufficient age to rightly manage and
17

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
care for it ; so Africa has been kept from the nations until
they could rightly appreciate so great a gift, and wisely use
so vast and valuable a possession. The signs of the times
indicate that God is ready to give it to those who are
willing to go up and possess it, and the next few years
will witness the greatest land speculations ever known
in the history of our earth. As soon as men once
realize that a vast and fertile continent is to be had for the
taking, there will be a rush of emigration thither un
paralleled in the history of mankind. The nations of
Europe are already setting their hands upon the prize, and
individual and corporate effort will follow closely behind
them. This great continent is soon to be opened up
throughout its length and breadth to the commerce of the
world, and those who come first will receive the choicest
share and get possession of the most paying routes.
In looking at the continent as a whole we see that it
has three sides, or great stretches of coast-line, and is
everywhere bounded by navigable waters. The first of
these is from the Strait of Gibraltar to Cape Guardafui,
and may be called the North Coast. This great line of
coast, bordering as it does the Mediterranean and Red Seas,
and adjacent to the oldest civilizations and empires of the
earth, may be looked upon as practically the south of
Europe. It is even now valuable, and will become
increasingly so, but it is too far away from the great
heart of the continent to serve as a base for tapping the
riches of the interior. This entire strip of coast-line is
backed by deserts, much of which is fertile and will be
made to produce abundantly when in the future irrigation
works are built and artesian wells are sunk.
The second great side of the continent extends from
Cape Guardafui to the Cape of Good Hope and is known
as the East Coast. The country along this entire coast
line of over three thousand miles is extremely valuable,
iS

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
having a rich soil, abundance of moisture, numerous rivers,
and but a few hundred miles inland, magnificent fresh water
lakes. Already the southern end of this district is well
settled with white colonists and possesses a modern civil
ization of a high order. This coast is too far from the
great Soudan to serve as a base for developing that region,
and its very geographical position brings it nearer to the
southern coast of Asia than to the great nations of the
north. The principal development of this enormous continent
must take place from the West Coast. This vast section
of coast-line extends for seven thousand miles along the
Atlantic Ocean from the Cape of Good Hope to the Strait
of Gibraltar, and is as long as the other two sides put to
gether. This great side of Africa is open and free both to
the commerce of Europe and the two Americas. It
possesses two of the greatest rivers of the world, and such
is its peculiar shape that it will give easy and ready access
to the whole of the vast interior. Here then is a base of
operations for those vast industrial enterprises that are to
bring a continent beneath our sway and create homes for
hundreds of millions of our race in the years to come.
Here is a theatre where bold and far-reaching minds may
display their powers either to benefit their fellow-men or
build up enormous fortunes for themselves. A few sug
gestions as to what may be done will appear as we proceed
with our narrative.
The evening of the second day after leaving Las
Palmas, Captain Thompson and his friends were sitting
under the awning near the door of his chart-room enjoying
their pipes. The "Kisanga " was heading for Cape Blanco
and the conversation turned upon the scheme for flooding
the south-western portion of the Sahara. This idea is not
the product of some disordered brain as many ignorantly
assert, it is only restoring things to their original condition.
19

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
When Rome and Carthage were in the height of their
power this portion of the Sahara was an inland sea with a
fertile coast-line, and connected with the ocean by a narrow
strait much as the Mediterranean is to-day. This narrow
strait was closed with sand thrown up by the surf and the
project is to take away this sand and let the water flow in
again. This will not flood the entire desert, but only a
small portion of it.
" What special advantages may we expect to derive
from this inflow of the ocean? " inquired Mr. Sinclair.
" Quite a number," replied Mr. King. "In the first
place it would give us communications with the extreme
northern portion of Senegambia, and from the south-eastern
shore of this inland sea a railway could be built at small
expense right through the whole length of the Soudan ; or
a net-work of railways to the Kong mountains on the south,
and the Nile on the east, could be made to extend to every
important point in the interior of North Central Africa.
Then the influence of this large body of water would be
felt in the climate of that whole region. You know as
well as I can tell you that Senegambia is one of the hottest
countries in the world, and that her climate comes on the
wings of the trade-winds from the north-east ; place this
great body of water in the south-western portion of the
Desert and her climate would at once be modified ; it would
be both cooler and more moist; this is all Senegambia
needs to make it one of the most desirable countries in the
world to live in."
" Many claim that this project if successfully carried
out would make the climate of the Mediterranean coast
much colder," observed Mr. Alexander.
" On the contrary," replied Mr. King, " it would make
it warmer. I was in the Mediterranean last winter and I
never suffered so much with the cold in my life. The

A QUIET NOOK IN THE FOREST

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
Mediterranean countries will yet be obliged to flood the
Sahara in sheer self-defense."
" How do you make that out ?" inquired Mr. Schiff.
"You are well aware," continued Mr. King, "that
heated air rises, and cold air comes in to take its place.
You also know that the prevailing winds bring us our
weather. In my own land along the Atlantic sea-board, a
south-west wind indicates warm weather ; a north-west
wind cold weather, an easterly wind rain ; these winds
bring us weather characteristic of the regions FROM which
THEY COME. Now when the heated air rises from the
Sahara, what kind of wind is it likely to create? "
"A north wind," promptly replied Captain Thompson.
" Just so ; and a north wind is a cold one, and brings
cold weather with it. If the air from the heated sand
plains could be induced to blow towards Europe it would
be greatly appreciated, but instead of that the northeast
trades make it sweep over Senegambia where there is heat
enough already."
" Why don't the air rush in from Egypt and the Sou
dan to fill the vacuum you speak of ? " queried Mr. Schiff.
"Because," answered Mr. King, "the air from the
north is colder and heavier ; the air in the countries you
name, while not hot, is warm, and also rising ; but the air
over the north of Europe is cold, and as it sweeps across
the Alps and Appennines it becomes colder still, and makes
the dreaded l northers ' of the Mediterranean countries."
" I admit your argument is a good one so far as
these countries are concerned," replied Mr. Sinclair, "but
if this cold air is not permitted to escape from the centre
and north of Europe, will not these countries become much
colder than they, are at present? "
" On the contrary, they will become warmer. When
this cold air starts on its southern journey, air still further
north takes its place, so that the whole of Europe and the

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
north of Africa gets its climate from the north ; this I
hold to be undesirable."
" If Europe is to receive its climate from the south,"
inquired Mr. Alexander, "will it not be burned up in
Summer?" "Not at all," replied Mr. King, "the sun is then
north, and his power is exerted from that direction ; then
the cool breezes from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean
will be welcomed by all, just as these same breezes are
agreeable in winter for their warmth when the sun exerts
his power from the south."
Mr. Schiff thought they were wandering from the
subject and he wanted to know if Captain Thompson
thought the Sahara scheme would pay.
" That depends upon what you mean by ' pay,' "
answered the Captain. " I think the benefits it would
confer upon mankind would be greater than those which
came from building the Suez Canal ; but I do not think
the enterprise could be made to pay a dividend in cash,
unless the company be given all the land it can reclaim
upon the borders of the new sea, and also the exclusive
right to all the carrying trade in and out, and the building
of all railroads from its borders into adjacent countries.
This is too much for any company to do, and it would be
far better to have a harbor built and the canal dug by some
stable government, and leave the rest to individual enter
prise ; or, several governments might combine and do the
work through an international commission. Nor is it
necessary that everything in the world should be made to
1 pay ' in the commercial sense of that word. The British'
navy pays no dividend, yet we would not wish to be with
out it ; your great bridge, Mr. King, between Brooklyn
and New York does not pay, and yet I hear that you are
thinking of building another ; so. flooding the Sahara
might not pay the government that did the work, any

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
more than other public improvements do, but it would
open up vast possibilities of trade and development in
Northern Central Africa, and it would ameliorate the
climate of many countries. It would in my judgment be of
far more benefit to the world than cutting a canal across
the isthmus of Panama."
"That unfortunate effort," said Mr. Alexander, "was
accompanied by great loss of life ; do you think the same
result would follow if this plan was carried out ?'
" I cannot see why there should be the needless sacrifice
of a single human life," responded the Captain, " this
desert coast is as healthy as any part of the world, and
digging through the sand is not likely to develop malaria
as was the case in the alluvial soils of the isthmus."
" Where would the workmen get their provisions
from?" inquired Mr. Sinclair.
" Vast quantities of plantains, yams and other vege
tables could be brought from the Senegal, two days
steaming from here," replied the Captain, " while flour and
tinned goods could come from America ; fresh meat might
be brought direct from Argentina in refrigerator ships,
and the Canary Islands would be glad to supply the salads
and fruits." Mr. King then spoke of the Senegal river and its
value as a highway of commerce.
" This will be a valuable river," said he, " for devel
oping the commerce of this district, as steamboats such as
we have upon our own Western rivers can ascend for
several hundred miles, but it can never be a great highway
for reaching the interior, for vessels drawing more than ten
or twelve feet cannot enter."
" Besides," added Captain Thompson, " the climate
needs to be modified before this country is fitted for white
colonists." 23

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
" I have been up the Senegal," said Mr. Schiff, " as
far as St. Joseph, in the Gallam country ; the banks of the
river are exceedingly beautiful ; in some places there are
large forest trees, in others thick jungle, and in other
places again open grassy plains ; I do not see why coffee,
cotton, sugar-cane and all kinds of tropical fruits might
not be grown in great abundance."
"Senegambia," added Mr. King, " is in the same lati
tude as Central America, and in the hilly and mountainous
regions of Guatemala and the other States, white men find
no difficulty in living to a good old age, and why should
they not do so in the hilly regions of Senegambia?"
" There is no reason," responded Mr. Schiff, " especially
if the heat were somewhat modified, as our friend the Cap
tain suggests, by flooding a portion of the Sahara. In that
case I do not know of any country in the world where I
would rather live, for it is a beautiful land and so much
nearer England, France or Germany than India is — the
only country with which it can be compared."
It was getting late and after the Captain had looked
at the compass to see if the ship was heading right, our
friends separated and each went to his state-room.
Senegambia extends from the southern borders of the
Great Desert to Cape Verga in io degrees north latitude,
and interiorward for some five or six hundred miles, and is
about as large as France, Excepting a few bold head
lands the country is level for a distance of over two
hundred miles from the sea, when the hills begin and
finally lead up to the Kong Mountains which rise to a
height of five or six thousand feet. The French have a
large settlement on Goree Island at the mouth of the Sen
egal, and the English have one on the Island of St. Mary
at the mouth of the Gambia, and another on McCarthy's
Island two hundred and fifty miles up that river.
24

RESIDENTS OF GABOON. THE AUTHOR STANDING ON THE RIGHT

GRAND CANARY AND SENEGAMBIA.
No efforts have been made to colonize Senegambia,
but when the ocean shall be permitted to flow into the
Sahara, and railway communications opened through the
hill country, there is no good reason why coffee and sugar
plantations should not flourish, and the land support as
large a population as France, or even larger ; for the soil is
rich, and there is summer all the year.

25

Chapter II

SIERRA LEONE.

ON the afternoon of the fourteenth day after leaving
Liverpool the color of the sea began to change.
It was no longer a deep, clear blue, but a dirty
yellow color and appeared to carry in suspension
much sediment ; leaves of the pandanus and sprouts of the
mangrove occasionally floated by, and after a while a low
dark streak of vegetation appeared on the eastern horizon
— the advanced picket-line of the great continent of Africa.
During the voyage hither the traveler feels that he is
still in Europe, the land of civilization and refinement ;
but when once the shores of the great Unknown Land
come into view, he feels that his connection with the land
of his fathers is completely severed, and that now he is in
a new world ; and to most souls there comes a sinking of
the spirit akin to that experienced at the death of a loved
one, as the mind realizes that old associations have passed
away and it is to enter upon a new existence amid novel
scenes and an entirely different environment. But as the
steamer creeps forward on its course and the shore-line
comes more distinctly into view, these feelings vanish as
the attention is drawn to the rich . and exuberant vegeta
tion, the tall and graceful palms, the water-loving man-
26

SIERRA EEONE.
groves, the luxuriant bamboos, and the fishermen paddling
by in their light canoes.
Captain Thompson was on the bridge directing the
course of the vessel, and the four friends were sitting in a
group under the awning on the port side of the ship,
watching with eager interest the opening up of the shore
line and the unfolding of the landscape. They puffed
away at their pipes in silence, apparently absorbed in their
own reflections as they beheld once again that tropic land
where they had spent so many of the best years of their
life, extending, as it were, its bright green arms to wel
come them to its shores.
Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is beautifully
situated upon the lower slopes' of a mountain three thou
sand feet high, on the south bank of the Sierra Leone
River, and is surrounded on the east and south by a mag
nificent amphitheatre of hills and mountains. The slopes
of this mountain are covered with tall, coarse grass, with
here and there a few trees, and for some distance up is
dotted with neat little villages, and the country residences of
foreign merchants. Along the water a heavy wall has been
built with a pier, where passengers and cargo may be landed.
In a sheltered cove to the right is a coaling-station, and on
the hillside above the town are the barracks for the troops.
The appearance of Freetown from the river is decidedly
pleasing ; many of the buildings are of stone, solidly and
substantially built, and the stranger will be surprised to
see a little city in a land he was taught to believe was
made up of gorillas, apes, and monkey-faced men. There
are hundreds of towns in our own land that are not so well
built as Sierra Leone, and some of our large cities do not
have as wide and as clean streets.
Toward sunset the " Kisanga" had reached the light
house which stands on the Point on the south of the river,
and turning sharply to the left, and keeping close to the
27

SIERRA EEONE.
southern shore, she steamed up the river to the achorage
in front of the town. The river widening near its mouth,
something like the Delaware, the northern shore is low,
flat and lined with mangroves, but the southern bank is
rocky and covered with a rich growth of tropical vegeta
tion. Groves of oil-palms, their feathery arms like great
ostrich plumes, waving in the gentle breeze ; tall cotton-
woods, covered with a wealth of vines completely hiding
the trunks and converting them into great columns of
living green, with here and there patches of broad-leaved
bananas almost concealing from view clusters of little
brown houses that nestled cosily among them. Groups of
natives were seated by the water-side enjoying the evening
hour and watching the ship as it steamed by ; others were
walking along the paths leading to the different villages,
and as the voyagers gazed from the " Kisanga's " decks the
landscape seemed to be instinct with life and beauty.
Upon the water were small canoes in which men were
engaged in catching fish, while larger canoes were sailing
by, returning home after having disposed of their produce
in the town.
Freetown is nearly twenty miles up the river from the
light-house, and it was 7 p. M. when the " Kisanga "
dropped anchor in the harbor. Four steamers and three
sailing ships, besides some smaller craft were also at
anchor, as the water is too shallow near shore for them to
come with safety up to the pier which is only used as a
boat-landing. The "Kisanga" was soon surrounded by a little fleet
of boats and canoes as had been the case at Grand Canary,
but with the exception of the customs officials and the
agent, Captain Thompson would not allow any of the
people to come on board, nor would he permit the passen
gers to go on shore ; the steamer was to remain in port all
the next day, and he thought one day would be ample time
23

MORNING ROLL-CALL IN FRONT OF MR. SCHIFF'S RESIDENCE

SIERRA EEONE.
for sight-seeing. This was a wise decision of the Captain's,
for by nine o'clock it clouded up and the big drops of rain
soon came pattering down in quite an energetic way.
The next morning when the decks were washed down
our friends did not take their usual bath, because there is a
superstition among " old coasters " that river water is not
healthy. The reason for this notion is much like that
given by the boers in South Africa for not washing them
selves ; they say that a man who once attempted to bathe
was eaten by a crocodile, and so they think it best not to
go near the water. But if they did not bathe, they had
their coffee early and were off to the town to see the sights.
Captain Thompson could not go until later in the day,
for there was much to do on board the ship that required
his attention. The usual crowd who make their living
about the ships were early on hand and were looking care
fully for customers. Among them was " Aunt Lucy," a
great fat negress dressed in many bright colors, who came
for the ship's washing ; she readily induced the younger
passengers to accompany her ashore and "see the little
girls," and they were soon on their way to the beach, a
jolly and giddy party.
It was Saturday morning, and as the four old coasters
reached the pier they found it was market day. Quite a
fleet of canoes had gathered during the night at a landing
on the beach near the market-house, and the crews were
now carrying the cargos of plantains and other farm pro
duce up the bank to the market to be sold. Our friends
ascended the broad flight of stone steps and from the top
of the pier took a wide survey of the beautiful scene. It
was a glorious morning. The shower that had fallen
during the night had refreshed the vegetation, and as the
sun arose above the Lone Mountain its beams were reflected
from millions of tiny drops which still covered the grass
and leaves like liquid gems. The air was deliciously soft
29

SIERRA EEONE.
and sweet, and the fragrance from the luxurious vegetation
was plainly perceptible. Before them was the harbor with
its shipping, with the broad Atlantic on the far-away west
ern horizon ; to the right the river was lost amid the
bright green of the forest that stretches away to the hills
and mountains of the interior; to the left, in the shady
cove, beneath a group of lovely palms was the coal-yard
where great heaps of "patent fuel" were covered with
thatch roofs to protect it from the rain ; in the immediate
fore-ground were the market canoes, and a motly crowd
was passing to and fro about them, each bent on some
particular errand.
After spending a few minutes in silent contemplation,
the gentlemen turned toward the town and went first to
inspect the market-house. The night shadows were only
just giving way before the beams of the rising sun, but
even at this early hour the streets were full of people eager
to buy and sell, for the African is an early riser and the
morning hour is cool and conducive to activity. The
crowd was greatest in the vicinity of the market, but
along several of the streets were rows of country people
with their marketing spread out on the ground near them,
and many itinerant merchants were passing up and down
crying out their wares. The market-house is a large stone
building with stalls conveniently arranged for the display
of the fruits, vegetables, fish and other provisions that are
here offered for sale.
As our friends elbowed their way through the crowd
they noticed great piles of yellow plantains, yellow and
red bananas, great yams, beautiful white cassava roots,
sweet potatoes, pumpkins, peppers, okra, green corn, and
peanuts; with heaps of oranges, limes, Avagada pears,
mangos and kola nuts; the fish stalls contained many forms
unknown in northern climes, most of them skin fishes and
not very highly esteemed by Europeans. Dried codfish were
3°

SIERRA EEONE.
in great demand, and indeed all kinds of salt and smoked
fish are greatly liked by the natives, but pickled fish they
do not care much for. Outside the market-house pigs,
sheep, goats and chickens are offered for sale, mostly by
commission merchants who had received them by the
market-boats. Mr. Sinclair called attention to the fact that the sheep
were clothed with hair instead of wool.
" Yes " responded Mr. Schiff, this is a fast country;
here you sow your seed at night, by midnight it is ripe
and fit to cook; by morning it has gone to seed. The
same way with these sheep. You bring a flock of your
English sheep here, with a fine fleece of wool; in a few
months they are goats, and not wool enough on them to
plug your ears "
" How do you account for this, Schiff? " inquired Mr.
Sinclair. " All owing to the sun, sir; all owing to' the sun;
none of your cold gray Scotch mists out here, I can tell
you " replied Mr. Schiff.
From the market our friends passed through the
business portion of the town; shops containing all the
ordinary varieties of dry-goods, notions, hardware, and
groceries lined both sides of the way. In some places
temporary stalls or booths had been erected where bread
fruit, pawpaws, guavas and palmnuts were offered for sale;
women were constantly passing with trays of eatables on
their heads, the merits of which they were calling attention
to by loud cries, after the fashion of our own catfish
women. These heterogeneous compounds are made of rice
and palm-oil, groundnuts and bananas, cassava, and red-
pepper, and the composition of some of them, like our own
patent medicines, are quite unknown to the uninitiated.
The streets are filled with people, some in faultless
European dress, but the greater number in flowing robes
of gay colored stuffs of English manufacture. The crowds
31

SIERRA LEONE.
were respectful to the strangers, and the English language
was largely spoken, along with various country dialects.
Sierra Leone is a well built modern town, and will
compare favorably with towns of like size in other tropical
countries. The streets are wide and clean, and the drain
age excellent. Most of the public buildings are of stone,
as are many of the houses; other houses have the first story
of stone, with a frame story above it; while still another
class of houses are wholly of frame. Nearly all have small
yards in which trees, flowers and vines flourish. Many of
the houses have piazzas and are comfortably furnished with
in with chairs, tables, sofas, pier-glasses, bed-steads, and
pictures upon the wall - multitudes of artizans at home do
not live so well, nor have such comfortable homes as the
better class of the Sierra Leone people. Nor are all traders
by any means, for men skilled in almost every handicraft
may be engaged to go to other parts of the coast on a three
year's engagement, and as a matter of fact nearly every south
bound steamer has such men among its deck passengers.
Sierra Leone, with its industrial schools, turns out more
skilled workmen than the colony can employ. Many of
the engravings in this volume are copied from photographs
taken by native Sierra Leone artists.
After walking around a while our friends called
upon Mr. Lewis the American consul, who invited them
to have a cup of coffee with him; learning that they would
remain over night he invited them to take dinner with
him at six o'clock and sent a messenger to the Kisanga
with the same invitation to Captain Thompson. Mr.
Alexander had conceived the idea of spending the day
upon the mountain, as he wished to ascertain how much
cooler it was there than at the water-side; so at his request
Mr. Lewis engaged hammocks and bearers for the party,
and after coffee and a little chat, they started upon their
journey. 32

REGENT STREET SIERRA LEONE

SIERRA EEONE.
On the way through the town they stopped at a
grocery store and purchased materials for a lunch, and to
these were added oranges and Avagada pears from a mar
ket woman on the street. By the time the outskirts of the
town were reached, the path became pretty steep in places,
and the bearers were obliged to stop frequently to rest.
The ascent proved to be long and toilsome, but by noon
they reached one of the lower summits nearly two thou
sand feet above the river. Here in the shade of some
bushes they rested and ate their lunch, while their men
withdrew a little distance and ate such country food as
they had brought with them, and then laid themselves
down and went to sleep.
Having rested themselves, and refreshed the inner
man our friends lighted their cigars and looked about them
in a philosophical frame of mind, at this height the wind
blew steadily from the north-east, showing they were still
in the trade wind region; the air was purer and clearer,
and the atmosphere had lost much of the steaminess that
was so noticeable by the water-side ; the vegetable growth,
while still abundant, was not so rank and luxuriant as it
was on the lower slopes ; on the whole it was plain they
were in a different climate. Yet the sun had as much
power here as it had in the town, but the air was more in
vigorating, and in the shade it seemed cooler. •
" Who could wish for a finer place to live ! " ex
claimed Mr. Alexander.
Mr. Schiff suggested it would be somewhat lonesome,
but he allowed that might be an attraction to a confirmed
bachelor. Mr. Alexander admitted the force of the criticism, and
then explained that he had in mind, not so much that par
ticular spot, as the elevated land in general, and the hilly
up-country of the interior in particular. " Why," said he,
iii 33

SIERRA LEONE.
" should not these hills support a considerable European
population as well as in India or the Brazils ? "
" There is no good reason why they should not," re
plied Mr. King, " these hillsides would make the finest
coffee and tea plantations, and the lowlands would be just
the place for sugar estates ; here is a large population to
supply the labor, and the white race possesses the means
to employ it."
" Yes," added Mr. Sinclair, "this whole land might be
made into a garden ; why in my home in the Orkney
Islands we must wait until August for a lettuce to head,
and here the richest vegetation flourishes throughout the
year. Look at the cassava and plantains that these people
live on, they are taken fresh from the ground every day
and there is not a foot of ground anywhere on which one
or the other will not grow. Then see the fruits ; in my
native town if a poor child gets a single orange or cocoa-
nut once a year it feels itself rich, while the poorest nigger
in all this land may have them in abundance all the season,
and not these alone, but mangos, guavas, limes, pawpaws,
pears and breadfruit ; I tell you the half of London does
not live any better than these fellows who carried us up
the hill." "How would it do to bring the Irish out here?"
queried Mr. Schiff.
" The only objection," responded Mr. Sinclair, " is
that this country is too good for them ; they have been so
long under the influence of rum and Catholicism that
many of them are more ignorant than the pagans. Every
other country under the sun flourishes under British rule
except the Catholic counties of Ireland, and there must be
some special reason why they are always making such a
bad mouth." " I think there are other parts of Africa," suggested
Mr. King, " where the Irish people would do better than
34

SIERRA LEONE.
in Sierra Leone ; it seems to me that men of means and
ability to manage native laborers would do better here.
Such men could at once establish plantations, open up
lines of communication and put the country in a shape to
profitably absorb a large number of peasant families. If
the Irish people you speak of should be brought out now,
as there is no market for their labor, all they could do
would be to raise food enough to support themselves, and
perhaps coffee and cotton enough to buy their clothing."
" Well, what more can they have ? " inquired Mr.
Sinclair. "It seems to me," continued Mr. King, "that the
Irish people do better in a country where there are large
works upon which they may be employed ; they are not
very successful as tillers of the soil either in Ireland or
anywhere else ; you put colonies of Irish families in these
forests and they will soon be as wild as the negroes, but
open up the country first and then Irish families may come
out here and have their little homes, while some at least of
every family can be in the employ of richer white land
owners, and the more conservative element will not only
help to hold them in check politically, but will be an in
centive to them to rise above their lowly condition."
The conversation flowed on steadily until four o'clock,
when the declining sun, and their increasing i appetites,
warned them that it was time to be getting to the Consul's
house lest they should keep him waiting dinner. The
ride down occupied but little over an hour, and like all
hammock riding was tiresome and disagreeable. A pecu
liarly helpless feeling comes over one as he is being toted
along on his back in a hammock, with his feet often higher
than his head, and his eyes turned up in mute appeal to
the skies — a spectacle truly for angels and for men. It
may answer very well for a corpse, or a gentleman when
he is dead drunk, but so long as a man can hold up his
35

SIERRA LEONE.
head he will have a feeling akin to shame when he lies
down in a hammock for a couple of -black " boys " to tote
him around. Some of these days there will be good macad
amized roads over these hills as there is now in India and
then one can ride about in a carriage in peace of mind, and
bodily comfort.
When they reached Consul Lewis' house they found
Captain Thompson had arrived but a few minutes before
them, and that they were in good time as dinner was not
yet ready. The market people had all gone home, and
the streets were quite deserted of the crowds they had seen
in the morning ; there were no drunk or disorderly persons
and the town was as quiet as a country village in England.
After dinner the gentlemen took their seats upon the
piazza of the second story of the house, and as they sipped
their wine and after-dinner coffee and smoked the Consul's
cigars, they discussed the commercial and industrial affairs
of the colony. Like many other important ports on the
Coast, country produce is not brought into Sierra Leone for
barter or exchange ; such was the case when the country
was new, but now only farm produce, or provisions, such
as fruits, vegetables and meats are brought for sale, while
" produce," in the sense in which it is used by the traders,
is collected only in the country districts. This exportable
" produce," which is almost entirely the spontaneous pro
ducts of the forest, is gathered by the "bush people" and
purchased from them by native traders who penetra'te to
all the inland villages in search of it. These native traders
bring it to the " factories " — as the trading establishments
in charge of white men are called — where it is prepared for
export, and sent by small sailing vessels or coasting
steamers to the principal port of the district. A large
community of white men or other foreigners either on the
coast, or inland, always destroy the trade in forest products
for that neighborhood ; partly because the forest is cut
36

FREETOWN. SIERRA LEONE

SIERRA LEONE.
down to make room for farms, but principally because it
pays better to supply the local demand for provisions,
common labor, and other necessaries than it does to gather
the products of the forest and prepare them so that they
will be marketable with the trade. Take ebony, for in
stance, there are no forests of ebony, but the trees grow
two or three together a half a mile or more apart. To cut
down one of these trees, clear away the great tangle of
vines, cut the trunk into sections, chop away several inches
of the white sap-wood which grows about the black heart,
and carry this heavy billet two or three, may be five or six
miles through the tangled jungle, is much harder work
than raising two or three bunches of bananas, or a couple
of diminutive chickens either of which will bring more
money. As for palm oil, the great staple of export ; all the
palm-nuts that grow within ten miles of such a population
as that at Sierra Leone, are wanted for food, and the palm-
oil for local consumption must come from beyond that
distance. Sierra Leone, then, beyond the needs of its own people,
is simply a port of entry for a section of the coast and the
country that lies behind it. Goods are received in large
quantities by the great mercantile firms and stored away in
warehouses, from which they are shipped to the factories
along the coast and up the rivers by small sailing vessels
and river steamers. These coasting craft usually have a
white captain, and sometimes a white engineer ; but the
crew are native men, and several of these vessels are at
tached to each " agency." In order that any port-of-entry
may continue to grow, upon the present system of trade, it
is necessary that the native traders should penetrate farther
and farther into the country, so as to tap villages heretofore
not reached ; and when this is no longer possible, the limit
of the " trade " is reached. But more than that ; if the
trade of a village consists of ebony, ivory or rubber, these
37

SIERRA LEONE.
soon become exhausted and the value of that village for
trade is at an end, for the ebony trees have been cut down,
the elephants driven away, and the rubber vines killed. It
is a sad fact that the bush negroes are so reckless as to kill
a rubber vine at one gathering instead of tapping it
judiciously, and so the productive territory is every year
receding, and the difficulty of obtaining the rubber is
thereby increased.
All of these facts were of course well known to the
little group gathered on the piazza of Consul Lewis' house,
and they needed no discussion ; the only question was what
could be done to advance the interests of the colony and
develop its great natural resources. Mr. Schiff again sug
gested the importation of a large number of Irish families,
but Consul Lewis thought the colony was not yet ready for
them. " In my opinion," said he, " the native labor should
first be employed, and the country more opened up ; then
white peasants and other laboring people could come out
here both to their own advantage and ours. In new
countries like this where there is native labor, it is always
best for men of means to lead the way ; these by their
superior intelligence and ability can provide regular com
munication with distant parts of the country, and open up
districts for settlement that were before too difficult to
reach, and by establishing industries suited to the country,
present an object-lesson to all new-comers far more effec
tive than any amount of talk. Take the matter of coffee-
raising for example ; you might talk to an Irish bog-trotter
until your head turned into a cocoanut, and you could not
teach him to plant coffee and prepare it for market ; but
bring him out here and set him to work on a coffee estate ;
let his daughters work in the planter's family, or in the
cleaning and husking mill ; let him see the planter making
money raising and selling this coffee, and soon he will
33

SIERRA LEONE.
want to raise and sell too, and by this time he and his
family will know how to do it, and they will do it."
" What do you think of a railway from here up into
the interior?" inquired Mr. Alexander.
" I think it is a necessity, and ought to be built now,"
replied Consul Lewis, " railways are as much a necessity
here as in any other country in the world. No country
can do without them ; they are now built, or being built,
in North, East and South Africa, and why not here ? All
railway supplies are so cheap now that roads built at the
present time should pay their way from the start, and soon
begin to earn dividends. The companies that are first in
the field will get the best routes, and no doubt valuable
grants of land, and may consider themselves fortunate."
" In what direction would you suggest a road be first
built?" asked Mr. Sinclair.
" I think," answered Mr. Lewis, " that at first it would
be better to start from the head of navigation on the Sierra
Leone River and run directly back to the Kong Mountains ;
this would open up a fine district of hill country that
might be settled at once and that should soon give the road
some business. Flat-bottomed, stern-wheeled steamboats,
such as we call " kickouts " on our Western rivers, could
come alongside the ocean steamer and receive the freight
and take it up the river to the railway, and when the traffic
of the line would warrant the expense of large terminal
facilities, the road could be extended to this city and piers
built out to deep water ; but for the present a terminus up
the river would be more economical. Then after a few
years, when the opening up of the country was an accom
plished fact, the line could be run through the mountains
and down the Niger until water navigable for small steam
boats was reached, and you would have the commerce of
the Western Soudan in your hands."
39

SIERRA LEONE.
" We seemed so far away from the Niger," interrupted
Mr. Sinclair, " that I had not even thought of it."
"Its head waters," continued the Consul, "are very
near the head waters of the Sierra Leone, perhaps not
three hundred miles from where we are sitting, and it is
almost certain that a railway from here to the nearest
navigable water on the river would not need to be over
six hundred miles long, and perhaps much less."
"How about the question of fuel?" inquired Mr.
Alexander. " To that question I am not able to give a very definite
answer," said Mr. Lewis, " there is of course an abundance
of wood everywhere, but I am confident an abundance of
coal will be found in the mountains, as well as many other
valuable minerals ; coal is found in almost every country,
and I have not a doubt that rich beds of it are waiting for
us to come up and help ourselves."
" It seems to me," observed Mr. King, " that in a city
of this size a system of street car lines would pay ; we
have them in Mexico, and Central American towns which
are in the same latitude as this place."
" They would pay very soon at least, if not indeed at
first," replied the Consul, " this hammock business is a
nuisance ; when I go about I like to sit up like a Christian,
and not lie on my back like a Booby to be jogged at every
step by a couple of niggers. Small cars at frequent inter
vals, drawn by a single mule each, and driven by stout
young women who could also collect the fares, would be a
profitable enterprise and a step forward in the right direc
tion. Women quite capable of such work could be hired
for a shilling a day, and the keeping of the mules would
be but a slight expense."
" It takes from five to six years for a coffee plantation
to come into full bearing," said Mr. Sinclair, " and that is
40

ELMINA. COLD COAST

SIERRA LEONE.
a long time to wait ; are there no products that could be
profitably exported that would not take so long to grow."
" What is to hinder cotton growing on the uplands ? "
inquired Mr. Alexander, "in India large quantities are
grown and the natural conditions there are much the
same as here. I noticed in a recent number of the Pall
Mall Gazette that 'After New Orleans, Bombay is the
greatest cotton port in the world. Four million cwts.
are shipped abroad every year, and two million more are
spun and woven in the eighty-two mills of the Bombay
Presidency ; the value of all this cotton is twelve millions
of pounds sterling.' Now what is to hinder cotton being
grown, and even manufactured here ? "
" I can see no reason," replied Mr. Lewis, " what can
be done in India, can be done here ; and then you must
not forget we are much nearer to all the nations of
Northern Europe than India is."
" Do you think any of the fruits here could be shipped
to England and arrive in good condition?" inquired Mr.
Alexander. " They could beyond a question," answered the Con
sul, " cocoanuts could go home in sailing vessels and by
using them in the husk for stowage, the freight would be
nothing at all. Limes, lemons and oranges could go by
steamer without the least difficulty, and the trade in these
might in a short time assume large proportions."
" Let me tell you, gentlemen," said Mr. King, " what
I have myself done as an experiment. I picked a basket
full of limes among the foothills of the Coast Range on the
Ogowe River, which you know is south of the equator,
and took them with me on the regular English mail
steamer to Liverpool, and they were in good condition
when I arrived ; so much so, that a few were still left
unused four weeks afterward when I left Liverpool on my
41

SIERRA LEONE.
return. Another time I sent a few limes from Gaboon to
America, and they arrived safely there."
"Our steamers," observed the Consul, "are usually
fourteen days from here to Liverpool ; by using twelve to
fourteen knot boats, not calling at the islands, and running
into Plymouth, the time could easily be reduced to ten
days ; that is but two days longer than the present steamers
take from Grand Canary, home, and they carry bananas
without difficulty. The Mediterranean boats are often ten
days getting home with Palermo lemons and oranges, on
account of calling at other ports ; what then is to hinder
us from shipping such fruits ? And this trade would be a
very profitable one. You gentlemen know that a lime tree
will grow anywhere and bear luxuriantly if only the grass
and bushes be kept away from it ; the income from an acre
of lime trees would support a family. The orange requires
more care, but the trees will live and bear a life-time, and
who would wish for more agreeable employment than
picking and packing oranges? "
" These Sierra Leone oranges are not as good as those
grown on the Islands," said Mr. Schiff.
" They are much larger," replied the Consul, " and
the reason they are not so highly flavored is because they
are seedlings ; if fine budded varieties were planted they
would be as good as oranges grown anywhere. The
oranges you see in our market have not been grown in
orchards, but are from trees that came up of themselves
from chance seeds thrown about."
" At Gaboon," said Mr. King, " we have every year a
large agricultural fair, at which only the products of the
colony are allowed to be exhibited. I was for two years
one of the committee to judge of the exhibits and award
the prizes. I saw there as fine oranges as I ever saw in my
life ; they were placed on exhibition by the French Catho
lic Mission ; and what they did at Gaboon, can be done
42

SIERRA LEONE.
here. The banana industry, continued Mr. King, is a
very profitable one in Central America. The number of
bananas a country like England would consume if they
could be had at a reasonable rate, is very great indeed. In
America we get them by steamer loads at a time, and there
is always a good sale for them. I can see no good reason
why Sierra Leone should not load a steamer a week with
bananas and find a ready sale for them all at paying prices ;
they could be brought from the plantations along the rivers
and creeks in small steamboats and loaded on a certain day
each week, and in twelve days at the most, be on sale in
the markets of England."
" One good thing about a banana plantation," added
Mr. Sinclair, " is that there is fruit ripening all through
the year ; you do not have all your crop ready at once, and
then perhaps lose a part because you cannot employ
sufficient labor to harvest it all ; but it comes in all through
the year with a fair degree of regularity, and so you can
give your men steady employment. In the rich soil
bananas would not need manuring as they do in the Islands,
and nearly all the cultivation could be done with mules, as
is the case with cotton and corn in America."
" Do you think Avagada pears could be sent to Eng
land ? " inquired Mr. Alexander.
" Perhaps they might," replied Mr. Lewis, " but they
ripen up rapidly when once they are taken from the tree ;
if there was a room on board fitted up with cold storage,
or even a good circulation of cool air, they might be
landed safely in London, and I know of nothing that
makes so rich arid delicious a salad."
"Some of these days," said Mr. Schiff, "a single
steamer will pay between here and Stockholm. It could
bring out lumber and dried fish, for which there is a large
and increasing demand on the Coast ; and return with
coffee, sugar, palm-oil, oranges, limes, cocoanuts, and
43

SIERRA LEONE.
possibly bananas — all these products would meet with a
ready sale in Sweden and Norway."
The conversation was continued until a late hour, and
then the visitors bade Consul Lewis "good night" and
walked down to the pier where the ship's boat was waiting
for them ; a few minutes later they were on board the
" Kisanga " and after a little nip of bitters they " turned
in " for the night.
It was the intention of the Captain to sail early in the
morning, but there were some slight repairs to make in the
engine room, and these were not completed, so it was de
cided to start at noon, and iri the meantime the five gentle
men concluded to go ashore and attend services in the
Cathedral. The Sabbath is well observed at Sierra Leone,
quite as well as in commercial towns of its size in England
and America. The people of Sierra Leone are eminently
religious. Most white men who visit the Coast get the
impression that their religion is not more than skin deep
because there is often a wide gap between their professions
and their well known conduct ; but it must be remembered
that there are hypocrites everywhere and that the genus is
not peculiar to any country or people. No doubt many
put on a cloak of religion who possess no piety in their
hearts, and the class that knock about the steamers are the
worst of the population ; it would be a pity to judge all by
them. There are several places of worship, and the bells
sounded wonderfully like home ; as our friends made their
way to the Cathedral they saw the streets full of well
dressed men and women, with exquisite young swells, and
gay young ladies fitted out with the latest style of dresses
and hats, and if the faces had been white one might easily
have thought he was in one of the smaller American cities.
The congregation was a large and respectful one, the music
good, and the sermon not too long. The services were
44

o >
PIo
o>CO
H
o>

SIERRA LEONE.
those of the Church of England, and were conducted by a
white bishop, with the assistance of a colored brother and
a choir of colored boys.
After service Consul Lewis met the little group as
they were leaving the church and introduced them to some
of the leading merchants, and then accompanied them to
the pier to wish them bon voyage ; an hour later the
" Kisanga " turned her prow toward the sea and steamed
out of the harbor.
It is the custom of all vessels coming to the West
Coast to take on a crew of natives to handle the cargo and
do all the rough work. Formerly these crews were shipped
at Grand Cess and other villages on the Liberian coast, but
at present most captains pick them up at Sierra Leone.
These men work in gangs, under the command of a head
man, who makes the bargains with the captain on the one
side, and the men on the other ; he guarantees the men
their wages, and he holds himself responsible to the cap
tain for his men's good behavior. If punishment is to be
meted out, the sentence is passed by the captain and carried
into effect by the headman. These men stay with the
vessel while she is on the coast, and on her homeward
voyage they are dropped at their own village as the vessel
passes. Their pay is one shilling a day, and a ration of rice
and salt beef, with a small glass of grog at noon and sun
down. They eat and sleep on the deck and except when
it rains are a jolly, happy set of fellows, always ready and
willing to do anything they are told so long as they are
fairly treated, but morose and disobedient when they think
they are imposed upon.
It was an entertaining sight to watch these people eat.
Rice is cooked for them in large stationary kettles heated
by steam supplied by the boilers ; when done each grain
stands out distinct by itself and the whole mass looks won-
drously white and attractive. The ship's cook now gives
45

SIERRA LEONE.
to each headman an amount of rice proportioned to the num
ber of his men, and also a piece of salt beef or pork. The
men then gather into messes of five or six, and the head
man gives each mess its share ; the division is made with
great fairness, and not infrequently the head man retainsless
for himself than he gave to others, so as to avoid the charge
of favoring himself. Each group then choose a place upon
the deck where they sit down in a circle about the pan of
rice and watch with silent interest the division of their little
chunk of meat, which, alas, is always to small for their vig
orous appetites and strong digestion. The little bundle of
red peppers is then unrolled, and if any one of the mess has
succeeded in picking up a few bones or stray pieces of food
about the pantry or the gallery, it is brought forth from its
hiding-place and contributed to the common stock. When
all is in readiness the little piece of meat is drawn through
the lips to get a taste of its richness, the right hand is thrust
into the central dish and a large handful of the steaming
white rice is taken and firmly pressed into a solid ball ; the
head is thrown far back, the mouth is opened to its great
est extent, the great ball of . rice drops in, the jaws close on
it — and the patient is ready to repeat the operation. After
eating, the hands and mouth are washed and the teeth well
rubbed ; nothing is drunk during the meal, but when it is
over, all take a drink of water. All Africans take a drink
of water just as they are about to " turn in " for the night.
Besides the native crew, quite a number of deck pas
sengers were taken on at Sierra Leone ; some of these were
going to various ports south and east on engagements with
traders and missionaries to work as cooks, carpenters, ma
sons, clerks, and Jack-washers, but most of them were ad
venturers going forth to seek their fortune. Many of these
suppose the best way to make friends with strangers is to
make it appear they have been converted to their religion,
consequently they read the Bible aloud and pray in an os-
46

SIERRA LEONE.
tentatious manner, and as a sailor places but light value
upon religion in even- day life, so they look with anything
but favor upon these black " Christians," and are forever
finding fault with them. It may however admit of some
doubt whether a white Christian who attends divine ser
vice while his men are " firing up " so as to get ready to
run on Sabbath afternoon, is doing much better than his
black brother. There is no good reason for running steam
ers on Sunday on the Coast, and it is to be hoped a change
will soon take place in this respect.

47

Chapter III

LIBERIA.

ABOUT ten o'clock the next morning, Monday,
September, 22nd, the " Kisanga " was abreast of
Cape Mount, an elevation of some fifteen hun
dred feet that marks the northern limit of the
Republic of Liberia. The Liberians have settlements
along the coast from here to Cape Palmas, a distance of
three hundred miles, and the government claims jurisdic
tion as far as the Kong Mountains, but it is safe to say that
no Americo-Liberian has ever set his foot on one square
mile in twenty of the territory named, and, left to himself,
he never will. It was a beautiful idea to send our negroes
back to the land of their fathers, from which we had ruth
lessly torn them, to carry the Gospel to their sable brothers
and sisters, to irradiate their heathen darkness with the
light and peace of Christianity and fill the land with the
blessings of an advanced civilization, while the sagacious
white man remained at ease in his own country, being at
once rid of the " niggers " who might become a trouble
some element in the body politic, and at the same time
have them do a work in Africa that he ought to do. But
like many another brilliant theory, it failed to produce the
desired result. 4s

m

'-¦- -^

ACCRA. GOLD COAST

LIBERIA.
The experience of this political experiment has been
repeated in the Church. Every now and then a denomi
nation becomes alarmed at the death rate among its African
missionaries, or else enough men cannot be found to
" carry the banner of the Cross " to those benighted shores,
and so the proposition is made to send out black men, and
let them bear the burden and endure the hardships, while
the white brother "lays himself upon the altar" in the
shape of a comfortable pastorate at home at a good salary.
The Republic of Liberia is a great object-lesson to teach
the foolishness of trying to make the black man do the
white man's work. Here are three hundred miles of coast
line of one of the richest countries in all the world, with
an average of three steamers a week each way (not count
ing the Cape boats) passing within sight of its shores, and
yet it is a rare thing for any cargo to be landed, or produce
shipped from its ports.
The reason for this is not far to seek. The American
negro bears the climate but little better than an European ;
being an " American," he thinks himself entirely above
work, nothing short of a professional life will befit his
dignity ; being a black man, and a foreigner, the native
people will have nothing to do with him, especially as he
would lord it over them if he could ; and so he sits there in
idleness, tinkering with the " government," levying duties
upon imports, taxing foreigners when one is foolish enough
to land, and spoiling the country for others who might be
willing to do something to develop it. Those who are not
high government officials are " professors " in various
universities, or Doctors of Divinity, or preachers connected
with various missionary societies.
And yet Liberia, as has already been observed, is one
of the richest countries in natural resources in the world.
The air from the equatorial region of the Atlantic, heavy
with vapors, is borne over the land by the south-west
iv 49

LIBERIA.
breeze until it strikes the Kong Mountains, when it parts
with its moisture in copious showers that refresh the
country and keep vegetation ever green and luxuriant.
With the exception of one or two bold headlands, the
coast-line is low but densely wooded to the very edge of
the water ; back from the coast the land is level for some
distance, when it becomes rolling, then hilly, and finally
the Kong Mountains are reached whose summits rise to a
height of from three thousand to six thousand feet.
Throughout this entire region every product of the tropics
will not only grow, but flourish luxuriantly, and under the
fostering care of a strong and liberal government it could
be made almost the garden spot of the world.
This rich territory should be at once taken possession
of by the United States Government and placed under the
care of the Naval Department until it be sufficiently de
veloped to admit of a Territorial form of government. It
is true it was once the policy of the United States to own
no colonies, but this great country of ours may well feel
she is past the stage of littleness when it was best for her
to stay at home and leave the formation of colonies to those
who had a surplus population. " Policy " is that line of
conduct which it is best to pursue under the circumstances,
and as circumstances change, so the " policy " of a country
must change also. It was well enough fifty years ago to
decide to form no colonies, but the question before us now
is, " what is best for the present and the future ? "
This is the only portion of Africa that is not already
taken possession of by some foreign power. It is the only
portion the United States can get without war or purchase.
It is always recognized abroad as an American colony, and
in taking full possession of it we have no one to deal with
but the Liberians, who are just as much our own people as
any of the colored race in the South. It is directly across
the ocean from our entire Atlantic sea-board, and is, con
s''

NATIVE VILLAGE NEAR AXIM. GOLD COAST

LIBERIA.
sequently, easy of access. It would be the greatest blessing
that could happen to the country itself ; and our influence,
united to that of the English at Sierra Leone on the one
side, and on the Gold Coast on the other, would be a most
important factor in the future development of Northern
Central Africa, and would do more to advance the cause of
Christianity than all the present efforts of the missionary
societies combined. This appropriation of Liberia by the
United States is a most important matter ; it should be
speedily acted upon, and the development of the country
proceeded with in an intelligent and energetic manner.
Liberia does not possess any great open pathway to
the interior, but she is as near as Senegambia or Sierra
Leone. The Niger River, or the flooded Sahara, are either
of them better pathways to the Soudan than' can be found
in Liberia, but the latter is worth developing for her own
sake, and the sooner that development is begun, the better
for her own prosperity, and the good of the whole African
race. The opening up of a great country like this cannot
be so well effected by private enterprise, as by a strong and
wealthy government. All individual and corporate efforts
require an immediate return in the shape of profits ; this is
not necessary in a great government enterprise ; many
works are done by the governments of the earth which do
not "pay," and yet we all unite in saying that such works
are wise and necessary. So in opening up a new country,
much money needs to be spent in harbor improvements
and in constructing roads and other public works; but
when the land has been occupied and cities and towns
built, such taxes may be imposed, either directly, or on
imports, as will reimburse the government for all its out
lay ; this money can then be used to develop some other
region. After taking possession of the country, the first thing
to be done is to prohibit the export of labor, and the im-
51

LIBERIA.
port of guns, powder and rum. The evils that have
attended our management of the Indians should be avoided.
The guns now owned by the people are muzzle-loading
muskets costing from one dollar and sixty cents to two
dollars and fifty cents each at wholesale. These guns are
quite unnecessary ; they are not needed to kill game, with
out them they would be unable to make war on each other,
and it would be far better every way for them to be con
fiscated and no more brought into the country. Owing to
the improvident nature of the negro, there are no large
accumulations of powder anywhere in their hands, and if
it was made a contraband article, the little they had would
soon be used up and the people be virtually disarmed. As
for intoxicants of every form, they should be strictly pro
hibited, for they are productive of nothing but evil, and of
that continually. Without the ability to fight, and with
no intoxicating liquor to inflame the passions, the native
element would be easily manageable, and it is with them
that most of the work is to be done. There is one thing
more ; this native labor MUST BE KEPT AT home.
Liberia is the only portion of the West African coast
where labor may be obtained. Every steamer that passes
(on an average of three a week) takes a deck-load of these
strong, sturdy natives to work in the factories as coolies,
porters and boatmen. All this surplus of labor must be
kept at home, and used in the development of the new
colony. They are already accustomed to white men and
their ways, and they speak enough English to understand
all that is said to them. With such an abundant labor
supply at hand, public works could be pushed forward
without delay.
The first thing to be done would be some landing
facilities at Cape Mount, Basa and Cape Palmas. From
these three points roads should be made to the interior,
direct toward the Kong Mountains, for a distance of seventy
52

GROUP OF NATIVES. OLD AFRICA

LIBERIA.
or eighty miles from the sea, and united by a road running
parallel with the coast. This latter road would cross the
St. Paul and Cestros Rivers somewhere near the head of
boat navigation, and with the first three roads would make
five lines of travel to the middle of the country. This
would open up the country fairly well for a beginning ; a
line of railway could then be surveyed through to the foot
hills of the Kong Mountains where the best coffee, cotton
and tobacco plantations would be established, and the finest
fruit grown.
What treasures the Kong Mountains may hold con
cealed can only be guessed. As gold is very plentiful not
more than three hundred miles to the eastward, it is almost
certain to be met with here, as well as other valuable
minerals. These mountains will be the finest place in the
world for manufactories, for the copious rains will produce
a superabundance of water-power, and the elevation insures
a delightful climate. Beyond the mountains lies the great
Soudan, a portion of which might be made tributary to
Liberia. Let us see what it is that we propose :
ist. Inexpensive landing facilities at three points on
the coast. 2nd. Three roads toward the interior, each eighty
miles long.
3rd. One road connecting these, two hundred and
fifty miles long.
4th. One railway two hundred and fifty miles long.
Four hundred and ninety miles of common road, and
two hundred and fifty miles of railroad — we have railway
companies that would consider such a job a comparatively
small affair ; why should it not be done ?
Why could not an incorporated company do it ?
Because it requires the power of eminent domain,
possessed only by governments. It is absolutely necessary
53

LIBERIA.
to control customs, to prevent the export of labor, and to
apply local government to the entire country. A company
with these powers, backed by the United States Navy,
could do it ; but such companies are looked upon with dis
trust in these days, and the world would be better satisfied to
see it done by a responsible government. There would be
plenty of opportunity for individual effort even after all
this was accomplished.
The country at present is of no more use to the
civilized world than an equal area of the Sahara, except
that it furnishes laborers to other parts of the Coast ; but
even this is no real gain, for if these men could not be
had, the traders would be compelled to employ the natives
in their own vicinity, which would be an advantage to
those communities. With the improvements proposed, and
under a strong and liberal government such as the United
States could give them, this little strip of coast-line on the
western shores of the Great Continent would become a
garden, in every way delightful, and capable of supporting
comfortably twenty millions of happy people.
On Monday afternoon the " Kisanga " passed Mon
rovia, but although it is the capital of Liberia, it has but
little commerce, and it is seldom that an English steamer
calls there. Occasionally an American bark anchors in the
St. Paul River and loads a small quantity of camwood and
coffee, with perhaps a few casks of palm-oil ; but the trade
is far less than it would have been if left under native rule.
Monrovia is situated on the peninsula of Cape Messurado
and presents a pleasing appearance from the sea. The
houses which are scattered somewhat at random, are mostly
frame buildings of one story or one story and a half, and
raised five or six feet from the ground on brick or stone
foundations. Most of them are painted or white-washed
and present an air of neatness and comfort. There are a
great many palms growing about the town which give the
54

LIBERIA.
place an unusually cool and inviting appearance. As the
steamer passed, our friends were drinking their three
o'clock tea, and looking shoreward Mr. Sinclair said :
" What a pity so beautiful a place as this is not of more
value to commerce and the world."
" Yes," responded Mr. King, "the coffee that is grown
here is in my opinion the best in the world. It is not as
fine flavored as the Java, but it is stronger and richer, and
is largely used to mix with poorer coffee grown in other
countries, to bring up the grade of the weaker coffee to its
proper strength ; for my own part I prefer it to any
Arabian coffee I have ever tasted."
" There is very little of it to be had," said the Captain.
" I doubt if so much as a hundred bags are ever shipped at
one time." " The Liberian coffee," added Mr. King, " differs much
from the varieties grown elsewhere, for it does well in the
lowlands near the sea, whereas in Java, Ceylon and the
Brazils it is found necessary to grow it upon hillsides, and
it does not really flourish at a less elevation than fifteen
hundred feet. I have sometimes thought that the strength
and richness of the berry was owing to the superior fer
tility of the lowlands, and that perhaps if the tree were
planted on the hills, the appearance of the bean, as well as
the flavor might more nearly approach that of Java coffee."
"This country," asserted Mr. Schiff, "will never be
worth anything until white men come here and make
these fellows work. It is all very well to talk about the
black man, but he will not stick steady to work unless he
has to. I have lived among them for a good many years
and I find the great trouble with them is that if left to
themselves they will not stick to anything ; they will work
some to be sure, but it is a little here, and a little there,
and in the end it amounts to a little. Ought times ought
is oughty-ought, and no matter how long a string you have
55

LIBERIA.
of them, they are of no value to you except you put a
figure in front of them ; just so with these people ; put
them under capable white men and they will do good
work, but by themselves they accomplish nothing."
" That is just the way I have found them," added Mr.
Sinclair, " if I left them to themselves they accomplished
little, but if I went with them and directed them it was
surprising how much they could do."
" And it is not direction alone they need," responded
Mr. Schiff, " they must be made to feel the pressure of
necessity. They should have a fair compensation for their
labor I grant you, but at the same time they should be com
pelled to work. If these people were compelled to work
eight hours every day under intelligent direction, they
would soon make this land look like one great pleasure-
garden. This very Liberia, if it were properly cultivated,
could raise enough produce to load a steamer every day in
the year. I tell you, the time has come when the world
can no longer afford to let such a country as this go to
waste simply to supply a stamping ground for a lot of wild
niggers to idle around in. It ought to be put to some bet
ter use." " Well, Schiff," said Captain Thompson, " I believe
you are more than half right."
" I know I am," answered Mr. Schiff, " and it won't be
long before the world sees it, too."
" In Ceylon," said Mr. Alexander, " wild land suited
for coffee estates readily commands sixty-five dollars an
acre, and when the trees have attained to full bearing it
will bring five hundred dollars an acre ; this country is not
more than half as far away as Ceylon and I see no reason
why it should not become as valuable."
"Let us make a little calculation," replied Mr. King,
" and see what this so-called Republic might be considered
worth at the valuation you have just named. It is three
56

NATIVE LADIES. NEWEST AFRICA

LIBERIA.
hundred miles long ; now suppose we take a strip one hun
dred miles wide, that would give us thirty thousand square
miles, or nineteen million, two hundred thousand acres ; and
at sixty-five dollars an acre, the price of such land in Ceylon,
it would be worth one thousand, two-hundred and forty-eight
millions of dollars besides the seashore, and the mountain
region. I guess at that rate it would pay to build a few
hundred miles of common roads and railways."
" Liberia," observed Mr. Sinclair, " is only one day's
steaming farther from England than Sierra Leone, why
may not oranges and other fruit be shipped even from
here?" " There is no reason," responded Captain Thompson,
" and not to England only, but also to the north of France,
for I have taken many a deck load of bananas to France
from Grand Canary, and I could do it even from here if the
' trades ' were not too strong."
" How much income would an acre of limes produce ? "
inquired Mr. Sinclair. " If we take average ground,"
replied Mr. King, " and place the trees twelve feet apart,
which would give abundance of room for mule cultivation
even after the trees were full grown, there would be three
hundred and two trees to the acre. The third year they
would bear a few fruits, and the fourth year we might
expect them to yield one peck each, or seventy-five bushels.
After the sixth year the yield would be at least half-a-bushel
of fruit to a tree, or one hundred and fifty bushels to the
acre. If each lime was wrapped in soft paper and the fruit
packed in bushel boxes, it would bring not less than eight
shillings a box in England, and sometimes more. If we
allow one shilling for box, packing and shipping; two
shillings for freight ; and one shilling for carting and sell
ing, it would leave four shillings, or one dollar a box for
the grower ; that would be from seventy-five dollars, to one
hundred and fifty dollars an acre." 57

LIBERIA.
" A good sized tree will bear more than half-a-bushel
of limes," said Mr. Schiff.
" Yes, I know it will," answered Mr. King. " I have
seen trees with two bushels of fine fruit on each tree ; I
always prefer to under-estimate rather than over-estimate,
which was why I said half-a-bushel. I should not be at all
surprised if an acre of lime trees in full bearing should
yield three hundred bushels year after year."
" How will this compare with the same amount of
land planted with bananas ? " asked Mr. Alexander.
" One acre of bananas," said Mr. King, " planted nine
feet apart, and allowing only one stalk to a hill, would pro
duce five hundred and thirty-seven bunches of fruit a year.
The bananas shipped from the Canaries cost two shillings a
bunch to send them to market and sell them ; suppose we
allow a shilling more for expenses because of the extra dis
tance, it would leave fifty cents a bunch "for the grower, or
two hundred and sixty-eight dollars an acre, and the work
is not greater or more tiresome than the cultivation of an
acre of corn." " If we allow sixty-eight dollars an acre,"
said Mr. Alexander, " for the expense of cultivation, that
would leave two hundred dollars a year profit, which is
equal to ten per cent, on an investment of two thousand
dollars ; at that rate land out here would be pretty val
uable." " Well," responded Mr. King, " if the United States
would take hold of this Republic and develop its resources
with skill and energy, I see no reason why the best of this
land may not soon be worth all of that. Here is the
fertility of the soil and the requisite heat and moisture —
man must do the rest."
The conversation flowed on in a steady stream, the
shores of the so-called Republic being constantly in sight,
furnishing them continual and constant themes for discus
sion. The coast-line here is low and covered with a rich
58

LIBERIA.
forest growth. Every two or three miles were villages of
the aborigines, the round-pointed roofs of the little huts
forming a pleasing contrast to the heavy wall of living
green. About these villages were great numbers of cocoa-
nut trees, showing that the people were fond of its fruit.
" How much do you suppose an acre of cocoanuts would
be worth ? " inquired Captain Thompson.
" I think there are other ways of growing cocoanuts,"
replied Mr. King, " that would be as well, or even better
than growing them in orchards ; but since you have asked
the question I will answer it. To give the trees ample room
for full development they should be thirty feet apart each
way ; this will give forty trees to an acre. When planted
in rows along a road, or any place where the air can freely
circulate on two sides of them, they need not be more than
half that distance ; but in an orchard they should have light
and air all around them. At my home, in Gaboon, I have
a number of cocoanut trees, and a couple of years ago I
planted nearly one hundred more. I found that my trees
averaged from ten to twelve bunches of nuts a year, with
from twelve to twenty nuts in each bunch. If we take the
average number of bunches per tree per annum, at ten ;
and the average number of nuts per bunch at fifteen, it
will give us one hundred and fifty nuts per tree per annum.
This is an entirely safe estimate, for I have one tree that
gives me more than double that number every year. These
nuts will readily bring on the Coast from ten dollars to
twenty dollars a thousand, which would be from one dollar
and fifty cents to three dollars a tree, or from sixty to
eighty dollars an acre. When these trees once come into
bearing they will bear continuously for a hundred years,
and will require no labor except gathering the fruit." " It
takes the trees a long time to come into bearing, does it
not ? " asked Mr. Alexander.

59

LIBERIA.
" From eight to ten years," replied Mr. King, "but in
the mean time the space between the trees might be filled
in with lime trees ; these would pay not'only for the culti
vation, but a profit besides.1?- However, I do not advocate
planting cocoanuts in orchards, for I think orchard land
might be well reserved for other purposes ; it seems to me
the cocoanut is just the tree to plant along the side of roads,
ditches and other places where there is waste or vacant land.
The roots hold the soil well together ; the trunk is free
from branches that might impede travel or obscure the
view, and the top gives all the protection needed without
making so dense a shade as to be damp or unwholesome.
Suppose a road was bordered on either side by a row of
these noble trees planted at intervals of twenty feet ; that
would be five hundred and twenty-eight trees to a mile, and
at the lowest estimate we made as the income from one
tree, it would give the very handsome sum of seven hun
dred and ninety-two dollars a year from the sale of the nuts ;
quite enough to keep the road in the highest state of
repair." "But is it not true," inquired Mr. Schiff, "that the
cocoanut grows best is the sand along the sea-beach ? Why
some people say they will not grow where their toes do not
touch the salt water."
" Some people tell a great many queer stories," replied
Mr. King. " You all know that my house at Gaboon is on
the top of an iron-stone hill, and that the soil is a heavy
clay, yet the cocoanut flourishes there. When I was living
on the Ogowe river one hundred and sixty-five miles from
the sea, I planted a number of cocoanuts in 1882, all of which
are doing well, and one of them is now bearing fruit. I
think the tree needs a moist, but not a swampy soil, and
my experience on the Ogowe river leads me to believe the
cocoanut can be grown at least on all the lowland between
the sea and the hills." 60

A TROPIC HOME. NEWEST AFRICA

LIBERIA.
" In India," observed Captain Thompson, " the cocoa-
nut is manufactured into oil."
"So it might be here," answered Mr. King, "and
moreover the husk makes excellent paper stock. By the
way, did you know the nut makes the best of milk for
coffee ? "
" You don't mean that miserable water in the cocoa-
nut, I hope, that some people call milk, and are always
praising so highly ? " interrupted Mr. Schiff. " No," con
tinued Mr. King, " I do not. I quite agree with you that
this water has been greatly overpraised ; what I wanted to
tell you is this : If you will take a ripe cocoanut and grate
the meat, then pour on a very little boiling water and
squeeze the pulp in a cloth, the liquid you will get is white
like milk, as rich as cream, and gives coffee a peculiarly
fine flavor." " I never heard of that before," said Mr. Sinclair.
" Well, you try it some time," added Mr. King, " and
you will be pleased with it."
The bell now rang for dinner and the group adjourned
to the cabin to discuss this important part of the day's pro
gramme. The next morning at eleven o'clock the Kisanga
swung her head in-shore, fired a gun from the fore-castle,
and anchored in the lee of some enormous rocks against
which the surf beat with a heavy roar, sending up clouds of
spray. This was Grand Cess, one of the principal villages
of the Kru-boys, or native people of the Liberian Republic.
The town is in two divisions, one near the shore, and the
other on a low hill a little further back ; altogether there
may be five hundred huts. These huts are circular, with
high, pointed, cone-shaped roofs made of dried grass.
The appearance of the country was very pleasing ; the
village near the shore was nearly buried amid cocoanut
trees, the shore-line beyond a deep, heavy forest, while up
61

LIBERIA.
over the hill were grass fields with heavy forest, some dis
tance inland — as good a country as one need wish to dwell
in. Presently a large number of canoes were seen coming
off from land, and it was not long before they were along
side and their owners clambering upon deck. They were
tall, handsome finely developed men, with dark brown
skins, woolly heads and frank, open faces. Some of the
older of them had " books " or orders from traders further
down the coast, to bring gangs of men with them, and
these orders stated that the makers would pay the passage
of such gangs to any captain who would bring them. The
Kru-boys were respectful but noisy, and had a great deal to
say to one another and to those who had come on board at
Sierra Leone. The canoes were not more than two feet
wide and sometimes not so much as that, and they were
turned up a little at each end. There were no benches or
seats in them, but the Kru-men sat flat upon the bottom
with their legs stretched out in front of them. When the
waves slopped over into the canoes, as they would do some
times, the men bailed the water out with one foot which
was so flat and large it could be used just like a scoop !
indeed, they can often use their feet with as much facility
as their hands, and it is little more trouble for them to pick
up an article with their toes than for us to pick it up with
our fingers. In a couple of hours the Kisanga proceeded on her
course, having about a hundred of the Grand Cess " boys "
on board as passengers. These good-natured savages
brought no other luggage than the loin-cloths they wore
and a few bundles of red peppers, and their recent parting
from home associations and friends did not appear to sit
heavily on their minds, and yet they love their fatherland,
or "we country," as they call it, and would no doubt
rather work home if there was anything to do, than to go
away for a year or more at a time.
62

LIBERIA.
There is not a more singular or interesting race to be
found anywhere on the continent of Africa. It would be
difficult to find better specimens of muscular development,
men of more manly and independent carriage, or more real
grace of manner anywhere in the world ; in fact, these are
Nature's noblemen. It is true their heads are somewhat
narrow and peaked, but they are capable of intellectual
improvement ; fully as much perhaps as other races of sav
age men, and they are certainly capable of being exceed
ingly useful in the development of their country, provided
their capabilities are guided by the intelligence and skill of
the white man. The present custom on the Coast is for
the trader, missionary or government officer who wants
laborers for any kind of work, to give some elderly Kru-
boy a " book " or order to give him the required number of
hands ; he then pays his passage to Liberia and gives him
a present for the head-man of his town, usually a keg or
barrel of rum. This book is also an order on any steamer
captain for the passage ofthe "boys," and is payable on
their arrival. The Kru-boy who recruited the gang is now
the head-man of the party, responsible to the chief of the
village at home for the safety and wages of the boys, and to
the employer for the obedience of the entire gang. Until
recently engagements were for three years ; but now they
will remain for one year only. They receive as wages from
one to two pounds sterling per month, and a regular daily
ration of rice and meat, while on Saturday they get in addi
tion a head of tobacco and a bottle of rum. Besides this,
they receive one or two fathoms of cloth on the first Sun
day in every month, which keeps them supplied with
clothes, so all their earnings can be saved and taken home.
The steamer's crew that were taken on at Sierra Leone are
paid in English silver, but the men from the Liberian
coast receive their pay in guns, powder, rum, tobacco,
cloth, beads and other merchandise. 63

LIBERIA.
When a Kru-boy reaches home with his year's pay, he
meets with a hearty and noisy reception on the part of his
friends ; guns are fired, dances gotten up, and all who are
permitted to share his rum are loud in his praise. A goat
is brought in from the plantation and killed, and a great
family feast is prepared. In a few days a family council is
held for the purpose of dividing the booty ; if the boy be
young he is given a few trifling articles and sent away
again at the first good opportunity. If, however, he be
somewhat older, a wife is purchased for him, and he feels
that he has taken the first step toward a standing of re
spectability in the community. In the course of another
month he is prepared for another voyage and on his return,
if he bring a sufficient amount of goods, he is rewarded
with a second wife. He keeps this up until perhaps he is
forty years of age, when he settles down permanently with
his wives and is ever afterward regarded as one of the for
tunate men of his town. He not only has the wives he has
earned by honest labor, but he has by this time inherited a
number by the death of father, uncles or brothers, and has
the enviable prospect of leaving behind him when he dies,
many wives, and a great name.
The Kru people cultivate the ground, raising quite a
number of articles of food, the most important of which is
rice. The kind most commonly planted is a variety of up
land rice, with a small grain and slightly streaked with
brown. It is sweeter than the East India rice and much
preferred by the Krus. In Liberia there is one long rainy
and one long dry season each year ; and as the rice can
grow on the upland only in the rainy season, the people
can raise but one crop a year. Toward the middle of the
dry season a piece of fresh ground is selected, and all the
trees, underbrush and grass is cut and allowed to lie on the
ground so as to become thoroughly dry. At the first inti
mation of the coming rains this mass of dry leaves and
64

PALM OIL READY FOR SHIPMENT. LAGOS

LIBERIA.
branches is set on fire and all consumed but the stumps and
larger tree trunks. By this process the ground is covered
with a good coating of ashes which -is one of the best fer
tilizers for this crop, but the farm, with the blackened
stumps and trees looks like desolation itself. The soil is
now scratched with a small iron instrument, the seed
deposited, and the work is done. The rice sprouts with
the first rain, and usually there are few or no weeds the
first season. When the grain begins to head, myriads of
small birds come to join in the feast, and the field needs to
be constantly guarded throughout the day to prevent them
from taking more than their share. This is done by sta
tioning boys in different parts of the field who scare the
birds as best they can with stones, beating brass pans, and
screaming at the birds in an energetic manner.
In four months from the planting the rice is ready to
be harvested. Each head of rice is cut separately making the
task a slow and laborious one ; the heads of grain are then
tied into snug, neat bundles and carried home to be kept
for future use. These bundles of rice are suspended from
the rafters of the house, and the smoke passing up around
them keeps all insects away. It is husked only as needed ;
this is done by putting the grain in a mortar and pounding
it with long pestles until the chaff is loosened from the
grain, when it is winnowed by pouring from one pan to
another while the wind blows the chaff away. The Kru
matron prides herself upon her skill in boiling rice, and
there is no doubt the art is carried to a high degree of per
fection, each grain standing out clear and distinct, and yet
soft and mealy. A good dish of such rice, covered with
fresh, fragrant palm oil, a few red peppers mashed in salt,
and a nice piece of broiled monkey, or boiled corn beef, is
as good a meal as any man need desire.
It is amistake to plant rice on the up-lands when from
two to three crops might be raised on the lowlands of the
v 65

LIBERIA.
deltas of the rivers, but to make these lands sure for culti
vation they need to be dyked and ditched like the rice
lands of Georgia and the Carolinas, but as the Krus do not
know how to do this they are obliged to plant on the up
lands and get but one crop a year. The work of cutting
the jungle is performed by the men, but nearly all the cul
tivation and harvesting is done by the women and boys.
In settling the country and opening up sugar and coffee
estates, as well as other branches of agricultural industry,
the women and boys could be depended on for labor as
well as the men. In Java rice is raised on the hillsides by
building terraces, making the enclosed ground level, and
then turning on water that has been collected in large res
ervoirs during the rains ; the water is drawn from the upper
level to the next lower, and so is made to do duty several
times over. This is no doubt an excellent plan, as it gives
the cultivator complete control of the necessary physical
conditions, but it is expensive and will hardly pay in Africa
until the country becomes much more thickly settled.
At four o'clock the same afternoon the Kisanga
anchored in the Bay of Cape Palmas. It was a delightful
afternoon. As it was the very close of the rainy season for
this part of the coast, nature was wearing her brightest garb
of green, and the warm afternoon sun filled the landscape
with light and beauty ; it was indeed a lovely picture that
lay spread out before the travelers as they sat upon the
deck in their comfortable chairs and gazed shoreward.
Cape Palmas is a long, low, rocky headland extending
into the Atlantic from the southwest corner of Africa. It
has a good lighthouse, and as it is exposed so thoroughly
to the sea breezes, it ought to be a favorite resort for those
who love the sea air.
The town is built on the cape and on the high land
to the eastward and presents a most pleasing appearance
from the sea. The houses are mostly of stone, some of
66

LIBERIA.
them two stories, and are protected from the sun by num
bers of cocoanut palms beneath whose grateful shade they
are built. The country near Cape Palmas is higher and
more open than the coast-line to the north, and gives signs
of a higher state of cultivation, and a larger population.
Cape Palmas Bay is a fair harbor, although not a large
one. There are a few sunken rocks that need to be
removed and then the anchorage will be both good and
safe. The coast-line to the eastward is much troubled with
heavy surf, but the. long point of rocks that extends from
the Cape protects the Bay and there is nothing to prevent ves
sels from coming alongside piers when these shall have been
built. Cape Palmas would be a good terminus for a rail
way, as the open character of the country would make rail
way building easier than the heavy wooded lands to the
north. Lying as it does in the steamer track, it might
soon build up a large trade in steamer supplies, especially
every kind of fresh provisions ; indeed it is a wonder that
this has not been done before. It would be an excellent
place, too, for a coaling station, and the railway might
receive much traffic from coal brought down from the
mountains for use on ocean steamers. As our friends looked
shorewards for some reason or other they fell to talking
about breadfruit — perhaps the sight of some of the trees
brought the subject to their minds.
"I wish," said Mr. Sinclair, " that breadfruit could be
carried to England ; they would be a novelty in our
markets." " There is no use of you wishing that," responded Mr.
Schiff, " for you know well enough a green breadfruit is
not good, . and a ripe one goes to squash in three or four
days." " I know they will not save long," replied Mr. Sin
clair, " but what is to hinder drying them much as we desiccate
67

LIBERIA.
potatoes, and then not only exporting them to other coun
tries, but also using them upon ships during long
voyages?" " There is no good reason that I can see," answered
Mr. King. " Some of the patent evaporators made in our
country would do the work admirably. The breadfruit is
sweeter than the potato and contains a greater quantity of
nutritious matter. It seems to me it might become a com
mon article of food in almost every land."
" How many breadfruits do you think could be raised
on an acre?" inquired Captain Thompson.
" The breadfruit tree," replied Mr. King, " spreads its
lower limbs over a wide surface and should be planted fully
forty feet apart, which will give twenty-seven trees to the
acre. I do not know how it may be here, but at Gaboon,
while the trees have some on nearly all the time, yet they
bear two main crops a year ; a hundred ripe fruits to a tree
a year is a fair average, although many trees will exceed
that ; each fruit will equal half a peck of the best Irish
potatoes, so that the product of one tree may be set down
as equal to twelve and a half bushels of potatoes, or three
hundred and thirty-seven bushels to the acre. I think the
yield of my trees at Gaboon was fully equal to this."
" A native family with a few breadfruit trees about
their little home need never want for food," observed Mr.
Alexander. " Indeed they need not," responded Mr. King, " these
breadfruits are not only very good eating for man, but they
are relished by goats, pigs and chickens when boiled and
fed to them, and much cheaper and more easily raised than
grain. I think they are well worth raising for feeding pur
poses alone. If grown in orchards cocoanuts should be
grown with them, for the lower branches of the breadfruit
take up so much room, but the space above is largely
vacant, and this can be profitably filled by the waving tops
6S

TRADING HULK. BONNY RIVER. A RELIC OF THE PAST

LIBERIA.
of the cocoanuts ; it seems to me the two were made to grow
together. This is the way I have planted them at Gaboon,
and I find the plan to work nicely."
The Kisanga did not remain long at Cape Palmas, for
there is at present but little trade there, although under a
wise and able government it might become a city and a
valuable commercial port. As has already been observed,
the openness of the country indicates that a railway might
easily be built up to the hills, and even through the moun
tains to the plains of the Soudan. By sundown the ship
had rounded the shoal off the point of the Cape and turned
her head due east for Cape Three Points, and when our
friends came on deck after dinner to enjoy their evening
smoke and have their usual chat together, Cape Palmas had
been lost to view behind them.
For a little while no one spoke, as each seemed to be
absorbed in the beauties of the night. Mr. Alexander was
the first to break the silence. " I have been thinking,"
said he, " what a country this would be for raising rice and
other tropical products by companies possessed of large
capital. I have been in Japan and from what I saw of rice-
growing there, I am sure it can be successfully grown here.
If these Kru-boys in their imperfect way can produce
enough of it to keep their families, what might not be done
when its cultivation is carried on with exactness and skill.
In Japan two crops are raised on the same ground each
year, and the product is from thirty to fifty bushels per
acre." " Yes, but it has to be irrigated," interrupted Mr.
Schiff. "That is true," replied Mr. Alexander, "but why not
irrigate it here ? Suppose when the railway is built from
Cape Palmas an English company should purchase a large
estate among the foothills of the Kong mountains. Upon
the top of one of these hills or near the top, let large res-
69

LIBERIA.
ervoirs be built to collect water during the long rainy
season. Then let the gentler, slopes be terraced and rice
planted on the terraces ; I have seen it grown in this man
ner in Japan, and the yield was very large. The first crop
could be planted at the beginning of the rains just as the
Kru-boys do, and then another crop planted and carried
through the dry season by irrigation.".
" Do you think it would pay ? " inquired Captain
Thompson. " It pays in Japan, in China, in Java and other coun
tries," answered Mr. Alexander, " and why not here ? Take
the minimum yield of thirty bushels per acre ; the first
crop would pay for the labor bestowed on both crops, and
the second crop could go for interest on investment, and
profit. Thirty bushels per acre is eighteen hundred
pounds, and at three cents a pound would be fifty-four dol
lars, which is ten per cent, on five hundred and forty dol
lars an acre, and it is not likely that the cost of preparing
the ground would exceed that."
" Such beds would be just the place to raise these large
Spanish onions," said Mr. King. " In the Island of Ber
muda large quantities of onions are raised for early ship
ment to New York, and they always bring high prices ; if
planted on your terraced fields at the beginning of the dry
season, say October first, they would be ready to harvest in
February, and reach England and the continent in March
when the market is bare of onions and the prices high. In
America when onions are raised in a commercial way, the
yield is from four to five hundred bushels per acre ; this
would bring you in from five to ten times as much as your
second crop of rice, and in a few years would pay for the
farm. Indeed, there is almost no end to what might be
done here in the way of farming where ample capital is
used, provided there was a strong, able government, and
the country properly opened up by good roads and railways,
70

CANOE ON THE BONNY RIVER. OLD AFRICA

LIBERIA.
for the markets of the densely populated countries of
Europe are within reach even for perishable products,
while India and the East Indies are too far away to send
such things as fruits and onions to Europe."
" And then," said Mr. Schiff, " ducks could be raised
on the ponds and sent down to Cape Palmas to sell to the
steamers." Mr. Schiff liked plenty of good things to eat ;
a failing common to a great many very excellent men. " I
do not live to eat," he would sometimes say, " but since I
must eat to live, I think I might just as well eat something
good." For the next two days the Kisanga steamed steadily
along past what used to be called the Ivory Coast, or
Drewin Coast. There are few foreign settlements on this
coast and no nation has as yet appropriated it, except that
the French have a small settlement at Grand Bassam. This
entire coast as far as the Assinee river should by rights be
long to Liberia, and the United States States Government
should at once claim it. There is a lagoon running the
entire length of the coast parallel with the beach, and only
separated from the sea by a narrow strip of sand a few
hundred yards wide. Into this lagoon the rivers empty,
and it forms an excellent waterway for inland navigation.
The view from the deck of a passing steamer presents a
low line of dense jungle with numerous villages almost
buried among the thick cocoanut groves. Along the lagoon
the forest growth is of the richest and most exuberant that
can be conceived, the trees being fairly covered with vines
and all kinds of creepers, and every plant struggling for a
share of the brilliant sunlight. Beyond the lagoon, and
back from the rivers, the country rises to a table-land of
moderate height, and so continues up to the foothills of the
Coast Range.
At present there is little or no ivory sent from this part
of the coast, that trade having drifted gradually away to the
71

LIBERIA.
south ; the principal exports are palm-oil, cam-wood and
gold-dust. The gold comes mostly from the interior, and
there is little doubt that large stores of it will be found in
the mountains when these shall come to be thoroughly
explored. The natives do not dig for it but wash the river
sands in wooden bowls or calabashes and thus obtain
enough to purchase what few goods they need.
Cam-wood produces a beautiful red dye. This tree is
found scattered through the forest much in the same man
ner as the ebony ; it is more abundant among the hills than
near the coast. The most valuable part is the stump and
roots ; its value is from eighty to one hundred dollars a ton.
Besides cam-wood there are many valuable woods in the
forest ; some of these are well suited for cabinet work, and
others excellent for building purposes. These trees, how
ever, grow very differently from what they do in a northern
forest ; at the north the woods frequently contain not more
than one or two varieties of trees, or at most six or seven ;
here in the tropics there may be twenty or thirty kinds on
a single acre, and these will be bound together with a per
fect net-work of vines which makes the work of timber cut
ting more expensive than in a pine or hemlock forest. On
the contrary, when a large tree of some fine-grained cabinet
wood is cut and cleared of the underbrush, it is worth
twenty pine logs, so that notwithstanding the additional
expense and difficulty of cutting, it may pay a larger per
cent, of profit.
Palm oil is the most important of the three articles of
export. When fresh it is of a transparent orange color,
and is extensively used in England and on the Continent
in the manufacture of the finer kinds of soap, in candles of
an excellent quality, by the apothecary for various purposes,
and as a lubricant for the more delicate parts of steam ma
chinery. It is quite likely, too, that it is used to adulterate
many kinds of food. It can be refined until it becomes as
72

TRYING PALM OIL, BONNY. NIGER RIVER

LIBERIA.
transparent as water, and is then excellent to use instead of
lard or other fat for cooking purposes. It usually sells on
arrival for from ninety to one hundred dollars a ton, and is
not likely ever to be much lower.
The oil palm is a beautiful tree, having as many
fronds as a cocoanut and of a deeper green ; and as its
fringed-like leaves wave and rustle in the breeze, it forms a
striking feature in the African landscape. It extends in a
belt of from fifty to one hundred miles in width from the
Sahara to the Benguela ; it also follows the river valleys in
some cases to a considerable distance inland, but as a rule it
is not found in the interior of the country.
The nuts grow in clusters containing from a peck to a
half bushel, and are of a deep orange color at one end, and
a brilliant scarlet at the other ; anything more beautiful
than a heap of fresh palm nuts it would be hard to find.
They are about the size of a guinea's egg, and taper at both
ends. The oil is contained in a fibrous pulp, inside of
which is a hard black stone or pit enclosing a pure white
kernel the size of a filbert. These kernels are in great
request in France, where a fine table oil is made from them,
and they are sent from the Coast by the ship-load. In
gathering the nuts the natives climb the trees by means of
a loop, or hoop, made of a vine. This hoop is about three
feet in diameter and encloses the tree ; the climber then
puts it over his head and lets it rest in the hollow of the
back, being obliged to lean backwards a little from the tree
to make it keep its place ; he then takes hold of each side
of the hoop with his hands and leaning forward for a mo
ment, he hitches it up a little where it goes around the
tree ; this makes it slant upward from his body to the tree ;
he then clasps the tree firmly with his feet and steps one
step upward carefully pressing back against the hoop ; then
he hitches it up a little way again, takes another step
upward, hitches it again, and so walks up the tallest tree
73

LIBERIA.
without difficulty or fear. Of course, if the hoop should
break he would fall backward into space, and if he failed to
press against it sufficiently, he would fall through to the
ground ; but he does not stop to consider the chances and
will walk up the tallest palm tree as unconcernedly as a
dude will promenade the avenue. Arriving at the top, this
ingenious arrangement permits him the free use of his
hands, and he soon cuts the coveted cluster of nuts, which
falls heavily to the ground.
To extract the oil the nuts are boiled to soften the
pulp, and then thrown in a large trough and pounded until
the pulp is separated from the hard inside pits ; the trough
is then filled with clean water and as soon as the mass at
the bottom ferments, the oil rises to the surface and is
skimmed off. The hard pits are then taken out and cracked
and the kernels put into baskets for sale. As there is no
such thing as lard or butter in the country, large quantities
of the fresh palm oil is used for food. It has a peculiar
flavor quite unlike anything produced at the North, but one
nevertheless that all foreigners soon become fond of, and a
good palm-oil chop is justly esteemed one of the delicacies
of the country.

74

Chapter IV

GOLD COAST.

AT three o'clock on Friday afternoon the Kisanga
anchored off Cape Coast Castle, the principal
port of entry on the Gold Coast. Eight miles to
the westward was Elmina, an old Dutch settle
ment, founded some years before the discovery of America,
and for a long time an important centre for the trade in
slaves and gold dust. At present it belongs to England, as
does indeed the greater part of the Gold Coast. Cape Coast
Castle is well known to the present generation of readers
as the starting point of the expedition of Sir Garnet Wolse
ley in 1873 for the capture of Coomasie, the capital of
Ashanti. It is a fair sized town, with some well built
streets, and with the large fortress on a commanding bluff
jutting into the sea, it presents an inviting appearance from
the deck of an incoming vessel.
The town of Cape Coast is the natural outlet for the
commerce of the great negro kingdom of Ashanti, and by
a moderate amount of effort on the part of the British
Government it might become an important seaport, as well
as a large and flourishing city. The greatest natural draw
back to its prosperity is the heavy surf, but this should not
be an insurmountable difficulty ; the surf is no heavier
75

GOLD COAST.
than at Madras, nor the anchorage more exposed than at
Colombo in Ceylon, and even as it is the army of Sir Garnet,
as well as all the stores needed for the campaign, were
landed here, and a reasonable expenditure would make the
landing a fairly good one. The town has the reputation
for being very hot in the dry season, but the same is true
of Madras and several other commercial centres of the East,
and perhaps Cape Coast is not hotter than Calcutta, certainly
not hotter than Aden. The site of the town is quite hilly,
and it is very likely the heat is only great in the low places
between the hills where the houses are sheltered from the
breeze. On the hillsides facing the sea, and especially along
the sea beach toward Elmina, there is abundant room for
cool and comfortable dwellings through which the sea
breeze would sweep finely.
The Gold Coast has this great advantage that it is only
half the distance from England that India and Burmah are,
and it is not complicated with any " Eastern question."
There is no Russia to sweep down upon it from the north,
and no narrow seas nor canals to pass through in order to
get to it ; the whole broad Atlantic extends from one country
to the other, and no dispute with Continental nations can
close so wide a path. The distance from Plymouth is about
four thousand three hundred nautical miles, and an eighteen
knot boat could cover the course in ten days. This near
ness to the mother country, and wide, free path, are import
ant factors in the future development of the country.
The scenery along the Gold Coast is quite different
from that on the Liberian and Ivory Coasts ; the shore-line
is no longer low and densely wooded with palms and other
forest trees, but high ridges rise gently from the water's
edge and stretch back into the country ; hills of variable
form and outline ; verdant fields with graceful undulations,
and a variety and richness of color and form, charm the eye
as the swiftly moving steamer unfolds the beauteous land-
76

CATHOLIC CHURCH. FERNANDO PO.

GOLD COAST.
scape to the delighted voyager. The character of the
native population also changes ; there are no more circular
huts with high-pointed roofs, but rectangular houses made
of clay ; no more bright-faced, manly, well-developed Kru-
men, but tall, very slim, very dark colored men, with a
grave cast of countenance. These are mechanics rather
than agriculturalists, and readily learn every kind of
handicraft. Most of them have been somewhat educated
and can read and write in their own language and very
often in English too. They are willing to work, but do not
go from home so constantly and persistently as do the
Kru-men, although single adventurers are found on nearly
every steamer going to some other part of the Coast to try
their fortune. Nearly all the coopers found in the factories,
and many of the carpenters, masons and cooks are Cape
men. The face of the country after leaving the immediate
sea-coast region consists of wave-like undulations for eighty
to one hundred miles, after which there are low hills, and
these gradually increase in height until the Kong mountains
are reached at a distance of two hundred and fifty miles.
The greater portion of this country is covered with thick
forest, palms, bamboos, and other water-loving plants in the
hollows, and hard-wood trees on the higher ground. Many
valuable woods, such as ebony, mahogany and teak, abound-,
and all of this heavy growth can be made useful in one way
or another. Much of this timber can be floated down to
the sea, the heavier wood buoyed up by such light wood as
bamboo and cotton-wood ; or very light-draft, stern-wheeled
steamers might bring it down. At some central points it
may be well to establish saw-mills, and the portable kind
might be used everywhere. Some of these trees bear valu
able nuts and fruits, and these might be left to beautify the
landscape and bring in an annual income to the owner.
There are many kinds of edible nuts that would bring good

GOLD COAST.
prices in European markets as soon as they were once fairly
introduced. This valuable timber supply, so near to home
markets, should not be longer left untapped.
The soil near the sea-coast is mostly sand, with a few
inches only of leaf -mold, and in some localities almost none
at all ; but in the forest region the deep rich humus will
furnish food for valuable crops for generations. This heavy
soil is capable of producing in abundance every product of
the tropics ; it has been lying untilled since the world
began, every year adding to its fertility by leaf-mold and
decaying tree-trunks, waiting until it should be needed to
furnish food for man ; the time has come when the accumu
lated riches should be used for the benefit of mankind.
The world is rapidly increasing in population, and from
many lands there goes forth yearly a constantly increasing
stream of emigrants seeking homes and sustenance in lands
beyond the sea ; let them come to the Gold Coast and
beneath their own orange and cocoanut trees enjoy the
products of this fruitful soil. Sugar-cane, plantains and
oil-palms will be especially adapted to the valleys ; cotton,
tobacco, coffee, bananas and all kinds of fruit, to the higher
ridges. Some of the vegetables known in Europe will grow
well here ; these are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucum
bers, squashes, melons, onions, sweet corn, lima beans, sweet
potatoes, mustard and several kinds of spinach ; while in
the cool season, with the aid of irrigation, dwarf beans,
beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas and radishes can be
grown in fair quantities at no greater cost than at home.
It is not needful to go over the long list of fruits that are
especially adapted to this climate, one, only, need be men
tioned ; the granadilla. This superb fruit belongs to the
same variety of plants as the passion flower. The vine is
ornamental, and the blossom a handsome flower six inches
in diameter, with a delicate fragrance. The fruit is oblong,
eighteen inches in length by eight in diameter, and with a
73

GOLD COAST.
smooth skin of a rich old gold color ; the flesh is an inch
and a half thick and the cavity of the fruit contains from a
pint to a quart of soft, pulpy seeds and juice, of the most
delightful fragrance, and delicious taste. The old Scotch
man who is credited with saying that " doubtless God could
have made a better berry than the strawberry, but doubtless
God never did," simply exposed his ignorance, for had he
come to Africa he would have tasted a fruit with more " bou
quet " than a strawberry. If this delicious fruit could in
some way be preserved, vast quantities of it could be sold
in the markets of the North. These vines grow rapidly
from slips, and continue in bearing for two or three years.
The sands in the river-beds throughout the hill region
abound in gold, mostly in the form of small flakes and
grains ; these sands are washed to a trifling extent by the
native tribes, who in this way obtain enough " dust " to
purchase whatever, they need. There are mines where
large nuggets are obtained, and there is little doubt that in
the mountains there are valuable deposits. The mines now
known to the natives are only scratched on the surface ; if
they were properly tunneled and the veins carefully fol
lowed, the profit of working them would be enormous.
Besides gold, iron is known to abound, and as iron and coal
usually are found near together ; so it is confidently believed
that coal will yet be discovered.
The value of this mountain region as a place of resi
dence for a large European population, can scarcely be
over-estimated. Contrary to experience in northern coun
tries, these mountains are covered with fertile soil, and as
perpetual spring and summer reign, this soil can always be
productive, and so the mountain region may. support a large
population. The negroes prefer the warmer plains ; these
lowlands then might be divided into large estates, worked
by black labor ; while the highlands and mountain districts
would be specially adapted to a white peasant population.
79

GOLD COAST.
With the white race holding the sea-coast and the foreign
trade, all the lines of interior communication, and a large
population in the mountain districts, they would be com
plete masters of the country, and need fear no uprising of
the blacks ; indeed, this is not likely ever to take place, cer
tainly not, if they are ruled with firmness and justice.
The necessity of forbidding the importation and sale to the
natives of guns, powder, and intoxicants, cannot be too
strongly insisted upon. These are all destructive in their
tendency, and opposed to the true interests and develop
ment of the country, which is wholly a constructive pro
cess. These forces belong to a barbaric age, and can have
no place in that era of progress upon which the world has
now entered.
The construction of a railway from Cape Coast to
Coomasie would not be a very serious undertaking, and
would be a great advantage to the country, although, to
reap the full benefits of such an enterprise, it should extend
to the mountains where the foreign population would
naturally want to settle first. During the Ashanti war a
road fifteen feet wide, raised in the middle and with a ditch
on either side to carrry off the water, was made from Cape
Coast to Coomasie in three months. This road was con
structed by black labor under the direction of white army
officers, and the difficulties encountered were no greater
than are to be found in any tropic country. If such a road
could be cut through the forest in three months, what is
to hinder a narrow-guage railway being constructed over
the same line in one year ? There is absolutely no physi
cal reason whatever ; all it needs is the energy and deter
mination that Sir Garnet Wolseley put into his military
campaign. Why should not the English government de
termine at once to build a railway from Cape Coast to the
Kong mountains, with a north and south branch from
Coomasie through the hill country ? In three years the
80

RIVERSIDE TRADING HOUSES. OLD CALABAR

GOLD COAST.
entire work could be finished. Long before this time had
expired, the English people seeing the determination of the
government to open up the country, would form large com
mercial companies to operate sugar, cotton, tobacco and
coffee estates, and to open gold and coal mines, and before
five years had passed there would be such a scramble for
land, and business opportunities, that the whole country
would be completely changed. Every element of success
is there ; rich soil, abundant heat and moisture, and near
ness to all the great markets of the world. Open up this
land by constructing a system of railways (and four hun
dred and fifty miles of track are sufficient), maintain a wise
and liberal, but strong government, and a tide of immigra
tion will at once set in that will convert the land into a
garden. " But to operi up a new country like this will
cost some precious lives." Certainly it will, and so does
every great enterprise. It cost many precious lives to settle
America ; but the result was worth the cost. It costs
thousands of lives every year to navigate the ocean ; but
that does not hinder ships from sailing. It costs lives to
dig our canals ; to run our railways ; to mine our coal —
but these works must be carried on ; and so Africa must be
developed, civilized, Christianized, and made to do her
share in supporting and ministering to the wants of the
human race, even if some drop by the way. This great
continent has been given to us to conquer ; we must go up
and subdue it ; let us go up with energy and determination,
and the task will not be so great as we anticipate. The
conquest of Africa may be made far easier than that of
North America, for the world is immensely richer than it was
four hundred years ago, and possesses vast agencies and
powers that were then unknown. The knowledge and ex
perience gained during the settlement of the two Americas,
India, Australia, New Zealand and other countries, is

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GOLD COAST.
available in the development of Africa, and the mistakes
formerly made can all be avoided.
The important fact should not be over-looked that this
is the last continent to conquer. All the rest of the world
is now under control of some powerful government ; only
Africa remains to be appropriated, and the work of divid
ing her among the nations is nearly completed. Excepting
the plains of Central Asia most of the valuable land is
private property, and can only be had by purchase ; but the
broad, rich acres of Africa yet remain open to all who will
accept them. How long will this be ? How long before a
farm in Africa will cost as much as one in America or
India? This wonderful West Coast is nearer to the great
European centres of population than California or Oregon,
and her broad acres intrinsically worth more money — it
will not be many years before they will actually be. Who
will be enriched by this enormous rise in value, from vir
tually nothing, to fifty and a hundred dollars an acre ? It
will be those who at once take possession of the prize.
Ten years ago in some of our Western States men took up
wild land from the government ; to-day these are valuable
farms. So it will be in Africa, and that too, sooner than
many suspect. The best investment for capital to-day is on
the West Coast of Africa. Great aggregations of capital
are now being formed to control the industries of the world.
What can those do who are outside the great " trusts," or
" combinations ? " In what great enterprise can the rapidly
accumulating wealth of the world be safely invested and
yet bring in a fair return of profit ? In the rich acres of
Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Gold Coast ; in railways, and
mining operations. Such companies can make greater
gains in Africa than in capitalizing the various industries
of the United States. The profits of those companies that
are first in the field will be enormous, for it will not be dif
ficult for them to obtain liberal charters ; and large sub-
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GOLD COAST.
,sidies in the shape of lands and exclusive privileges will be
more easily granted now when their value is not so
apparent. The value of great companies to begin the develop
ment of the resources of new countries has already been
recognized by some of the powers. At a recent sitting of
the Superior' Council of the Colonies in Paris M. Etienne
" advocated the granting of charters to powerful commer
cial companies on the condition that these chartered com
panies to enter into an undertaking to establish planta
tions, cultivate the soil, construct roads and establish towns."
These remarks were received with much applause. These
great companies, employing largely native labor, will pre
pare the way for a large immigration of white settlers.
How much suffering might have been spared the early set
tlers of our own great Republic, if the way had been
prepared for them by large commercial industrial com
panies, such as are possible in these days ? Let these
open up the land, and make their profits ; there will yet be
abundant room for millions of Europe's surplus population.
To show how wide an extent of territory there is to occupy ;
suppose a company was granted a strip of land one mile
wide, extending from Cape Coast to Coomasie, a direct dis
tance of one hundred and twenty-five miles ; there could
be two hundred such companies ranged side by side along
the Gold Coast, and yet there would remain beyond them
a territory equal in extent, before the Kong mountains
were reached. These great companies, employing the
native labor, could cut the forests and clear the land, and
sell it to the immigrant all ready to work ; thus saving the
new-comer a great amount of hard labor, while the com
pany would make a profit both on timber and on the land.
Two fifty million dollar companies, if managed by Ameri
can pluck and energy ; one to build the railways, and one
to clear the land, form coffee and sugar estates, and build
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GOLD COAST.
mills and factories — could transform the Gold Coast in a
few years into a civilized and fruitful land.
Two or three such companies have already been formed
and are operating in different parts of Africa, although there
are none on the Gold Coast ; but the present companies
confine their efforts entirely to commercial operations.
This is quite necessary and right, but it is only a small
portion of the work to be done ; goods must be made before
they can be sold ; produce must be raised before it can be
purchased ; commerce must come last ; production first.
The first and most important matter is to open up the
country, establish a stable and strong government, employ
the idle labor, and after this will come commerce, manu
factures, and the arts ; let us not begin at the wrong end.
Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the neces
sity for a strong, as well as a stable government. The
Germans have succeeded here better than any other nation.
The Africans are savages, and will respect and obey only
the strong arm ; sternness governed by unflinching justice,
is what is needed. Any government that treats these
people as intelligent men and women, will be a failure.
The only ethics that can be comprehended is " This do and
thou shalt live " ; " the soul that sinneth it shall die." To
be more lenient with them than this is to blunder. But a
strong government does not mean one that builds one or
two fortresses, and establishes as many more military posts
at strategic points, and then leaves all the country between
to take care of itself ; this is the defect of the French
Colonial policy. A strong government is one that governs.
To do this a thorough police patrol is necessary ; a patrol
not alone of a few isolated settlements, but of the entire
country. This however is only possible when lines of
communication are opened, and so it is necessary to build
these roads in advance of the settlement of the country by
immigrants. The old-fashioned way of colonizing was for
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GOLD COAST.
single families to brave the dangers and hardships of the
wilderness, and thus slowly and painfully overcome the
almost insuperable difficulties of their lot ; the new fashion
is for governments or powerful companies to prepare the
way, and when all is ready, to invite settlers to come to the
feast. This is not only the sensible way, but it is in
accordance with the spirit of the times.
To be sure these great companies expect to make
money ; and why not ? Are they not entitled to pay for
their services ? Is it not better to pay fifty dollars an acre
for land near a line of railway, in a well governed country ;
than five dollars an acre in a wilderness filled with savages ?
And then too, the stock of such companies can be held by
multitudes who cannot themselves go to these new coun
tries, and yet who would like to take some part in the
industrial development of this grand continent. Let the
industrial conquest of the country be planned with the
same care and ample preparation that characterized the
expedition of Sir Garnet Wolseley, and the results will
astonish the world. Two new Indias ; one north of the
Gulf of Guinea, and the other south of it ; may soon be
formed, and both of them richer than the India of Asia.
The civilized mind is as yet blind to the riches of this
land. Accustomed for ages to look upon West Africa as a
hunting ground for slaves, they have come in these days to
think it is a Great Unknown Land for expeditions to travel
through and come home and write books about it. The
truth is it is the richest land under the sun, and will soon be
the greatest place in the world to make money. Africa pos
sesses a vast labor supply which at present is running
almost entirely to waste ; this should be gathered up and
carefully set to work, not only for its own good, but for the
welfare of other lands and nations. The whole world is
fast becoming one great family in which all the members
must do their part for the good of the rest. The black
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GOLD COAST.
brother of this family has run wild long enough ; he should
now be set to work, educated, Christianized, and taught to
do his part in ministering to the comfort and happiness of
the race. An effort was once made to make him useful, by
capturing him and bringing him to the white man's land ;
this was wholly wrong, and the result pernicious. The
true way is for the white man to go to his land, and there
set him to work in a way that will be for the good of both.
To do this, strong common sense is necessary, all senti-
mentalism should be set aside, and the errors of the past
avoided. In the English occupation of America, the Indian was
treated as a white man and a brother — a consideration a
savage cannot understand — and from that day to this he
has murdered the whites whenever he could get a chance,
and between whiles the government supports him — a spec
tacle to the imbecility of sentimentalism. On the other
hand, the cruelties practiced upon the native population by
the Spanish conquerors are equally to be avoided. The
island of Java, perhaps, offers the best example of what on
a larger scale might be done, not only on the Gold Coast,
but everywhere in West Africa.
When General Van den Bosch was made governor of
Java in 1830, he found the Island was a heavy drain on
the home treasury, and he at once set to work to see if he
could not make it pay expenses. He found through the
country districts a patriarchal form of government, and this
he strengthened, making the headmen responsible to him
and giving them power to enforce his commands upon their
people ; thus it was to their interests to remain on friendly
terms with him. All the people were set to work to raising
such crops as were marketable in Europe, and the Dutch
government bought it all at a fair price. The work to be
done was apportioned to each village according to the
population, and if, after allowing for bad seasons and other
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GOLD COAST.
unavoidable accidents, a village failed to do what was
assigned to it, the headman was punished. In this way
the people were kept busy and at the same time were well
paid for their labors ; the native rulers were kept loyal to
the central government, and the Colony made a fair profit
on the ever increasing shipment of produce.
A very efficient police system was maintained through
out the Island ; by this, and by keeping people busy with
honest industry, crime was greatly diminished. Every
man, woman and child was registered, and each village
chief made responsible for the conduct of his subjects.
Thus- an offence could be readily traced, and the chief, and
if necessary the village, punished. This plan will just fit
into the African mind, for all responsibility follows in the
line of family and village, and not upon individuality as
with us.
The success of this plan was so great that from being
an expense to Holland, the Island now yields a net annual
revenue of five millions of dollars. Crime has been so
reduced that the sittings of the local courts do not average
thirty days in a year. Formerly there was much poverty
and suffering ; now nearly every man, woman and child is
well fed and clothed, and a beggar is a rare sight. The
population has more than trebled, and promises the same
rate of increase unless interrupted by some great calamity.
Such is the result in a colony governed by good common
sense — what a contrast to our own experience with a native
population !
What has been done in Java, not only can, but ought
to be done on the Gold Coast. The Anglo-Saxon has
trifled long enough with the sentimental notion that a black
savage should be allowed to do as he pleases. He should
be set to work, and kept at it. Work was ordained of God
to be the normal condition of man, and there is no good
reason why the negro should not be subject to this law, and
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GOLD COAST.
indeed to all the laws of God. Is he any better than the
millions of the white race who toil for a living ? Has his
idling around in the forest done him, or the world, any
good ? This world is ordained of God to be possessed by
the workers, and the negro's preservation as a race depends
upon his being set to work. The Redman of our country
is doomed, because he will not work. The exception
proves the rule, for the few who have been Christianized
and have settled down to a life of honest labor, will survive ;
at least for a while. The black race is too valuable a one
to be lost, and the time has now come when it must be set
to work as the Javanese were.
This does not mean slavery, but it does mean compul
sion ; no one need suppose a wild savage, or a tame one
either, is going to work steadily every day unless he has to
— but neither will men refrain from crime unless they feel
they must. The plan of the Dutch Governor may be the
best that can be devised ; certainly it produced most desir
able results in Java ; or it may be somewhat modified to
adapt it to varying conditions. If a large section of the
country is taken up by a private company, the resident
population might be placed under its control, subject to
the oversight of the central government. If it were desir
able to cultivate the country in large estates, the negroes
might be gathered in one large, extended village near the
central buildings, and work iri the mill, or in the fields, as
they might be directed, thus bringing them close to their
work and making oversight an easier matter. Eight hours'
work a day for their employers would leave time enough
for themselves, and there would be nothing to prevent their
having as happy and comfortable homes as any laboring
people ; — far better indeed than multitudes of toilers in our
own home lands. This labor should be paid for in cash at
a fair rate, the only compulsion being that labor should be
performed. Only men should be compelled to work, al-

HOPE FACTORY. OLD CALABAR

GOLD COAST.
though women should be encouraged to do so too, if they
will, by the offer of as good wages as are given to men, and
the lighter tasks should be reserved for them.
The lot of a people under these conditions would be
far superior to what it is now among the wild tribes, or
even what it is among our own Indians after centuries of
an opposite course of treatment. Even in India, which in
the main is well governed, the omission to compel men to
work instead of idling away a good share of their time, has
produced very unhappy results. Those who have traveled
both in India and Java have seen that the contrast in the
condition of the two countries is something enormous. In
Java there is hardly an indication of poverty, and the public
works are in excellent shape ; while in India the reverse is
the case. Want and degradation are visible everywhere,
and the traveler has daily and hourly appeals for charity.
By the plan we propose there need not be a pauper in the
land ; and there would not be. Idleness is a crime and
should be treated as such ; and no good government will
allow crime to go unpunished. Not only the law of God,
but the advancing civilization of the age, requires man to
work. Hitherto the wild negro has roamed through the
forest, or idled the golden hours away under the leafy shade,
in open violation of this requirement ; in the meanwhile the
workers have appropriated one country after another, driv
ing the native inhabitants to the wall unless they also
become workers ; and now Africa's time has come.
The worker must win. It is so in our own land ; the
idle and the inefficient, even when possessed of money, are
soon left out of sight ; it is the worker who gains the prize,
and only the worker can hold it even when once obtained.
Some propose Christianity, and would have us suppose it
is a panacea for all ills ; but they quite mistake the nature
and scope of this wonderful power. It can produce its
beneficient results only under favorable conditions ; there
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GOLD COAST.
must be good government, and steady industrious habits in
order that religion should flourish. These conditions are
within our power, and God never does for us what we can
do for ourselves. Let us apply these conditions to Africa,
and then the Gospel will win its way among her dark sons
and daughters, and the Prince of Peace will indeed have
risen upon the land with healing in His wings.
In Christian lands we come and go somewhat at will,
and call it freedom ; but our very civilization COMPELS us to
work. Our freedom of movement, everything we have, our
very existence, demands that we shall labor. The time has
come when this yoke, which we ourselves wear, must be
laid upon the dusky sons of Africa. They are no better
than we are ; let them be set to work. We are not better
than they, that we should retain the rewards of the diligent
all to ourselves. Let them partake of the blessings we
enjoy, those blessings that flow from civilization and Chris
tianity ; the channel through which these come to us, is pa
tient, persevering industry. Our advanced civilization, that
compels us to " pay ' for all we enjoy, lays upon us the
necessity to labor, and so it will the African when his
country has advanced to where ours is now ; in the mean
while let the powers that rule over him set him to work and
teach him to be first useful, and then self-reliant, nothing
else will preserve his race from extinction ; nothing else
will make the preaching of the Gospel effective to his
salvation. Christianity makes no progress among the
idle and the lazy. Christianity is an active, vital, moving
power ; it impels its subject forward in the path of duty ;
its motto is onward, upward ; it is a life, a growth, ever
developing, even expanding ; but the idle and lazy do not
heed its commands, and it soon dies out within them.
This has ever been the experience of missionary workers ;
keep your people employed ; give them plenty of hard work
to do, and they are not likely to fall. Let the colonial
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GOLD COAST.
governments there, and the great companies that may rule
over the land, gather the people together and set them to
work ; not making their tasks too difficult ; paying them
fair wages ; keeping intoxicants from them, and encourag
ing them to accept the Protestant religion ; giving them
the benefit of a common school education, and ruling them
with a firm hand, and the result will be large profits to the
companies, and the land will become a garden — the delight
ful home of millions of happy people.
This is no fancy day-dream, the result of a disordered im
agination ; it has been largely realized in Java ; it can be fully
realized in West Africa. Let the reader spend the greater
part of fifteen years in this wondrous land, as the writer has
done, and he will see this, and far more, to be among the pos
sibilities. If the civilized world realized the boundless re
sources of this country, ships enough could not be spared from
the world's commerce to carry the crowds who would wish
to go there. .
We left our friends sitting on the deck of the Kisanga
enjoying their afternoon tea, and looking shoreward at the
surf as it broke in from upon the rocks at the foot of the
castle walls. They did not go ashore, for the steamer was
going to remain but a short time. A small fleet of canoes
soon came alongside, from one of which the steward pur
chased some pineapples. This lead to a discussion about
this fruit. It is not a native of Africa, but was taken
thither by the early settlers, and is now common along the
coast, and in many places has penetrated some distance into
the interior. It grows on a long stalk like a cabbage, and
produces one fruit a year. Like the banana, a stalk bears
fruit but once, and the plant is continued by a new shoot
that comes up from the ground beside the parent stalk, and
bears fruit the following year. When the fruit is ripe, it is
best to cut away the old stalk and let the new one have all

91

GOLD COAST.
the strength of the roots. It will grow in thin sandy soil,
but of course, does better in alluvial and other deep soils.
" I see," said Captain Thompson, addressing Mr. King,
" that whole cargoes of pineapples are sent from the West
Indies to the Atlantic seaports ; do you think they could be
sent from here to England ? "
" I cannot say," replied Mr. King, whether they could
be or not. The pineapple is easily bruised, and does not
long save when once it is cut from the stalk ; but it may
be that a room fitted up with cold storage might preserve
them. Of course, it would not do to freeze them, but only
to cool the air so as to retard the ripening, and then it
might be they could be safely landed in England. But if
they could not be shipped, they could at least be preserved
here and sent home in that state, and would then find a
large and ready sale."
" Do you think the raising of pineapples might become
a profitable industry ? " inquired Mr. Alexander.
" I do not see why it should not," answered Mr. King,
" for it is profitable in other countries, and is as easily
raised as corn. Planted four feet apart each way, which
would give abundant room for mule cultivation, there would
be two thousand, seven hundred plants to an acre ; at three
cents each for the fruit it would amount to eighty-one dol
lars a year, besides the fibre. You know the negroes make
their thread from the fibre of the leaves, and that it is even
stronger than our own linen thread. The fibre would
amount to several hundred pounds per acre, and should at
least be as valuable as flax, perhaps more so. As a planta
tion will last several years, I have no doubt the fibre would
pay all the expenses of cultivation, and leave the receipts
from the fruit a profit."
The Captain inquired how the fibre could be extracted.
" The natives," continued Mr. King, " remove the
pulp by scraping the leaves with a knife ; the fibre is then
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CREEKTOWN. OLD CALABAR RIVER

GOLD COAST.
laid in the sun to dry, and is twisted into thread and twine
by rubbing it over the thigh. A machine could easily be
made to macerate the leaf and wash away the pulp, and
then dry the fibre in a hot room, or by running it over
cylinders heated by steam. The fibre, as the negroes pre
pare it, is almost white, very soft and silky, and might be
used with silk in the manufacture of many fabrics. As the
staple is from two to three feet long, it has a great advan
tage in weaving, over cotton, which is only two or three
inches in length."
" You spoke," said Mr. Alexander, " of preserving
pineapples ; are there any other fruits that could be pre
served here and then sent to our home markets ? "
"Yes," answered Mr. King, "mango jelly and sauce
could be made in almost unlimited quantity, and would find
a ready sale in every northern town. At the agricultural
fair in Gaboon, to which I referred the other day, the Sisters
of the Catholic mission exhibited jellies made from this
fruit, as beautiful in appearance, and delicious in taste as
anything I ever came across in the way of preserves. In
addition to jelly, the mango, before it is fully ripe, makes a
sauce that is superior to apple-sauce, and that keeps per
fectly, for I have taken it from Gaboon to America, and
found the journey did not injure it ; but it is better to put
it in glass than in tin. Guava jelly is another article that
could be made in large quantities. The guava is like the
lime, it will grow well, and bear abundantly in poor soil,
so that wherever there is any light ground it could be
profitably occupied by guava trees. Thousands of people
could find employment in raising and preserving pineapples,
mangos and guavas, and there would be an abundant
market for all they could produce."
The conversation was interrupted by the dinner-bell, a
call that was always welcome, and in a few minutes the

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GOLD COAST.
table was surrounded by a double row of strong, healthy
men, discussing the merits of hot pepper soup.
At eight P. M. when the watch was changed, the
Captain put the ship at half-speed, and before bedtime the
lights of Cape Coast were far astern. The distance to
Accra is seven hours steaming at full-speed, but sailors
prefer to start at such a time that half-speed will bring
them a little short of their destination by dawn, and they
can make port at full-speed by the light of the morning sun.
During the night the Kisanga passed Anamaboe, Winnebah
and Barracoe, and by the time our friends had taken their
coffee, she anchored off Accra, the second most important
settlement of the English on the Gold Coast. Looking
ashore from the steamer's deck Accra was seen nestling
comfortably in the lap of palm-clad hills. Along the edge
of the bluff which forms the sea-shore was an irregular line
of white-washed stone houses, with the governor's house far
away to the left. The surf, as at Cape Coast, was heavy,
and our friends did not care to go ashore. There were a
few packages to send ashore, and some dispatches, and when
this was accomplished the Kisanga resumed her course,
having taken some fifty deck passengers who were going
south to seek their fortune.

94

RIVER SCENE. OLD CALABAR

Chapter V

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.

a ROM Accra on the Gold Coast, to Bonny in the
Niger delta, is two days steaming. There are
many places of interest along the way, but it so
happened that the Kisanga did not call at any of
them. The first of these is the Volta river, six hours
steaming beyond Accra. This stream, which is a mile and
a half wide at its mouth, rises in the Kong mountains, and
is in many respects such a river as our own Hudson. Near
the sea the banks are lined with the usual fringe of man
groves common to all tropical rivers. Above the mangroves
the country becomes more open, and the stately cotton
trees, bamboos, and oil-palms diversify the landscape.
Back from the river is an open country interspersed with
hills, which gradually form ranges as they approach the
Kong mountains. These hills are wooded with tall, open
forests, making travelling pleasant and agreeable ; the
traveler being protected from the sun, while at the same
time free from the annoyances of the jungle. This delight
ful land is wondrously diversified by open plains, wooded
hills, and cool and shady dells through which flow streams
of crystal water hastening away to join the Volta which
forms an open pathway from the sea. Throughout this
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NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
district there is a sufficient population to work coffee, sugar,
cotton and tobacco estates, and the hills would make de
lightful homes for happy families from the dark and
cheerless North. At the present time there is considerable
game in the lower course of the river, crocodiles, hippopot
ami, divers, cranes, pelicans, storks, whydahs, ibis, paddy-
birds, and many others. Any one fond of sporting could
here find shooting to his heart's content.
The Volta separates the Gold Coast from what is
known as the Slave Coast, of which Whydah is one
of the principal ports. The French have seized the coast
in the neighborhood of Whydah, and at the present time
are at war with the king of Dehomy, but as yet have not
obtained much advantage in the contest.
Beyond Whydah is the English settlement of Lagos,
on an island of the same name in a large lagoon which
connects by means of tide-water creeks with the Niger.
Lagos is a large shipping port, and will compare favorably
with other tropical cities ; its wharves, piers, warehouses,
and public buildings presenting a fine appearance from the
water. The city is well drained, has good local police and
a systematic government. Palm oil and kernels are the
great staples of export, particularly the latter, it being
nothing unusual for a single house to load a ship with
kernels, and whenever the steamers cannot fill up with
cargo, they know if they go to Lagos all their spare room
will soon be taken for kernels. Back of Lagos is the
country of Yoruba, which is represented as being healthy,
and in every way a desirable land. The capital of Yoruba
is called Abeokuta, a walled city with a population of fifty
thousand. It is surprising that England has not extended
her rule over this kingdom, for if it were formed into a
British colony it might in a few years become a civilized
land. Yoruba extends as far East as the Niger, beyond
which is the kingdom of Nufi. On Sabbath morning the
96

PALM OIL CHOP DINNER PARTY. OLD CALABAR

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
Kisanga steamed through the break in the sandy key which
marks the outlet of the Bonny river, and by i p. m. she
anchored abreast of the English factories.
The Bonny river is one of the outlets of the Niger, there
being five others, called Akassa, Brass, Benin, Opobo and
New Calabar. This vast delta of the Niger is one great
swamp composed of low islands, covered with a dense
growth of mangrove and other water loving trees, and wide
reaches of open water with deep crooked channels winding
among the mud-banks. Like all similar tracts of alluvial
land, the scenery is monotonous and dreary, but the gentle
men in the factories scarcely notice this, they are kept so
busy buying palm oil and kernels.
Sunday being a " day off " when no steamer is in port
to be loaded, the Kisanga had hardly anchored and swung
to the tide, before boats pushed off from shore and the
agents came to hear the news and have a friendly chat. In
former years the trading was all done on " hulks ". Old
vessels that could be bought cheap were sailed out in the
summer-time and on their arrival in Bonny were stripped of
masts, sails and spars, and roofed over with a thatch made
of palm leaves. These made cool, comfortable homes, and
the traders felt secure from the attacks of natives, for in
approaching the hulk they would be greatly exposed in
their open canoes on the water. Twenty years ago trade
was thus carried on in all the African rivers, but it has
long since outgrown such narrow quarters and now the
great commercial establishments are on shore, some of them
so large as to cover several acres of ground.
The foreign settlement at Bonny is built on an island
twenty miles in from the sea. Like all the land in this
great delta it is not more than a foot or two above high
water mark, but by covering it with a good coating of
gravel has become sufficiently firm and solid for building
purposes. Long piers have been run out to deep water so
vii 97

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
that surf-boats, and even small steamers can come along
side. These trading factories are busy places, and a large
force of men are employed. Contrary to what might be
supposed, the Niger delta, notwithstanding its low marshy
soil, is not particularly unhealthy ; at the same time it
cannot be looked upon as a desirable place of residence.
At the present time trade is carried on in West Africa
by wealthy firms in Liverpool, Glasgow, Bristol and Ham
burg. The members of these firms seldom visit the Coast,
and in some cases never do, but they send out " General
Agents" to represent their interests, to each of whom a
considerable territory is given as his field of operations.
This general agent, upon carefully looking over the ground,
establishes factories at favorable points and places them in
charge of agents who are responsible to him, as he himself
is to the firm. These factory agents usually have one or
more white assistants under them, and a force of blacks of
from twenty to one hundred men, according to the amount
of work there is to be done. The general agent establishes
a central depot where goods are received and produce
shipped, and where all the accounts of the Agency are kept.
Each agent makes out an " indent," or list of the goods he
wants, and also of the " stores " or other supplies he needs.
These indents, if they are approved by the general agent,
are sent to the firm, who forward the goods to the central
station, from which they are distributed to the factories by
small steamers or sailing vessels. In like manner the pro
duce is sent to the central depot, and each agent credited
with what he sends. In cases of misunderstanding the
agents cannot appeal to the firm, being entirely under the
control of the general agent.
When an agent receives his goods they are carefully
piled away in a store-house and a part of them unpacked
and placed on exhibition in the shop. It is seldom, how
ever, that many of the goods can be directly exchanged
98

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
with the natives, that being entirely too straightforward to
suit the negro mind. For some unaccountable reason the
African will not bestir himself to collect the forest products
except trade-goods be first brought to his town. When a
large canoe laden with goods reaches a village, all is excite
ment over the auspicious event ; guns are fired, drums
beaten, and the inhabitants give themselves up to no end
of rejoicing, especially if a barrel of rum be divided among
them. Each chooses the articles he prefers, at least a por
tion of which is paid over to him at once. The next day
there is a great time getting ready to go to the forest, and
soon the village is quite deserted ; by night they come
home tired and cross, and thereafter enthusiasm dies out
rapidly. In the meantime, the native trader who brought
the goods must give out one article after another to keep
the people in good humor, and the result is that he never
gets all the produce that is his due, and must finally return
to his master with an unfavorable report, of course roundly
abusing the villagers for their knavery. There are very
few communities where a cash business can be done, and
this system of trust, with all its losses and evils, is neces
sary in order to get the produce at all. Under these dis
couraging circumstances it is a wonder that trade can be
made to pay, and the fact that it does argues well for the
energy of the traders and their care in all matters of detail.
What may yet be made of the African race under
favorable circumstances, it is hard to say, but one thing is
certain, and that is that savages will not labor steadily at
any useful occupation except under some .sort of compul
sion. Unfortunately the educated and Christianized negro
will not, as a rule, work either, and certainly not, if he can
help it, at any kind of manual labor. There is no escaping
the conclusion that these people must be brought into
industrious ways before they are fitted to become citizens
and to be benefitted by complete liberty.
99

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
At Bonny the Kisanga began to unload her cargo in
good earnest. A heavy spar was rigged to each mast in
such a way that the upper end was directly over the hatch
way. A steam " winch " turning an iron drum, wound
around it a heavy chain which ran along the under side of
the spar, over a wheel at its end, and so hung down the
hatchway into the hold. The ship's Kru-boys were divided
into two gangs, one of which worked the forward hatch,
and the other the after hatch. These nimble fellows clam
bered over the piles of bales and boxes in the dark hold,
selecting such as were marked for Bonny, and fastening
them to the chain which drew them forth and deposited
them on deck. The rattle of the steam winches and chains,
the shout of the workmen, who always do best when mak
ing a noise, with all the bustle and excitement of working
cargo, make an animated scene, and one that is highly
entertaining to new-comers, but tiresome enough to old
coasters, to whom such scenes are no novelty. The spars
were rigged, and preparations made during the afternoon,
but the hatches were not taken off until Monday morning.
After the agents had finished their chat they returned
to shore, and our friends went with them, partly for a
change, and partly to send home a cablegram announcing
their safe arrival. The West African Submarine Cable
Company have a line of cable running the entire length of
the West African Coast, and connecting all the principal
ports with each other and with Europe ; the business is
increasing every year, and land lines will doubtless soon be
put up to important points. It may, perhaps, not be known
to all readers of this volume that a telegram may be sent
from any town in the United States to any of the large
ports in Western Africa; the time occupied in transit is
from three to four hours, and the cost from two to three
dollars a word, with a discount of seventy-five per cent, on
dispatches for the press.

GOVERNOR'S RESIDENCE. KAMERUN. NEWEST AFRICA

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
Bright and early on Monday morning a small fleet of
surf-boats and lighters gathered beneath the open gang
ways of the ship to receive the cargo for the factories, and
the din and activity on deck gave promise of a busy and
noisy day. After breakfast our friends gladly accepted the
invitation of Mr. Stirley to spend the day at his factory,
and it was not very long before they were seated in com
fortable chairs on the veranda of the second-story of his
house. Mr. Stirley is a thorough disciplinarian, systematic
in all he does, and as may easily be guessed, a successful
trader. His establishment is at the upper end of the set
tlement, near the corner of the island, and is advantageously
located. Mr. Stirley has been many years on the Coast,
and his health is excellent. He informed our friends that
trade had about attained its fullest development along the
present lines, and that it could scarcely be expected to
increase much in value until the soil was cultivated in a
systematic way.
"At present," said he, "it is just the same as it is
down the Coast, where you gentlemen live, we purchase
only the natural products of the forest, palm oil and kernels.
All our supplies come from a strip of country not over one
hundred miles wide, for the oil-palm does not grow in quan
tities farther in the interior. Within this hundred-mile
strip it is fair to say that three-fourths of the area does not
produce this palm, as there is either open water, or else the
ground is occupied by mangroves and other trees ; even
where the oil-palm does grow there are no continuous
forests of it, but trees singly and in groups are found grow
ing in the jungle. Nor are all the nuts gathered that
grow, for the improvident people allow a large percentage
to go to waste. If our people were only industrious, work
ing regularly every day under intelligent direction, and
especially if they would cultivate the soil, we might load
ten steamers where now we load one."

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
" That is just the way it is in Ogowe," said Mr. Schiff,
" I have lived there several years, and it seems a pity to
see so much good labor go to waste, especially when the
men themselves would be so much benefitted by a life of
industry and thrift. Now look at those fellows there in
that canoe ; every one of them are slaves except the one in
the middle, and he might as well be for he is the worst one
in the lot. How much better for them if they worked for
some intelligent white man at fair wages, and had each of
them a little cottage and garden like our workingmen at
home, and go to church decently dressed every Sunday ?
As they are now, they are idle, worthless vagabonds, no
good to themselves nor any one else, and will always remain
so, too, until they are set to work."
" Come now, Schiff, don't get excited," said Mr.
Sinclair. " Well, I can't help it," retorted Mr. Schiff, " it makes
my bile run into my blood to see such a lot of lazy scala
wags around when they have the finest land there is in the
world, and if they would work they might make every foot
of it produce like a garden."
" I think," said Mr. King, " that we will all agree
with you in the main, and for my own part, I think the
time will soon come when your wish will be largely
realized." Mr. Stirley changed the subject of the conversation by
calling attention to the extended view to be enjoyed from
where they sat. Far as the eye could reach it rested upon
low islands covered with mangroves and bamboo jungle,
sometimes separated by narrow creeks, and sometimes by
wider reaches of water. " These islands," said he, "would
make the best of rice fields, and those who come after us
are destined to make greater fortunes here in raising this
grain, than we now make from palm oil and kernels."

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
" The delta of the Mekong in French Cochin China,"
said Mr. King, " is much like this of the Niger, and there
many of the islands are enclosed by embankments and
planted with rice, which makes them look as one passes
by on the steamer, like fields of fine grass on the best of
our meadows at home. There is no question but that it
will grow here just as well as there."
" I have often thought," said Mr. Stirley, " that if one
of these islands a little farther up the river where the
ground is dryer, were carefully dyked, and Spanish onions
set out at the beginning of the dry season, a tremendous
crop might be raised, for one could have all the physical
conditions quite under his control. A deep ditch could be
dug just inside the embankment, and if necessary other
ditches could be made at intervals across the field ; then
by means of a powerful pump the water could be pumped
from, these ditches until the ground was dry enough to
work ; afterward if it were necessary water could be let in
through sluice-gates from the river, or pumped out at the
pleasure of the owner. By this means the proper amount
of moisture in the soil could always be maintained, and
the yield could not help being very great. When we
remember that these onions sell at home for as much as
oranges, it is easy to see how great would be the profit in
cultivating them under such favorable circumstances."
" On the Amazons," said Mr. King, " this is just the
kind of ground where rubber trees are found ; they delight
in a deep, rich, swampy soil like this. As rubber is
advancing in price yearly, and there are no extra supplies
anywhere in the world to draw from, it seems to me it
might pay a commercial company to plant a few thousand
acres with rubber trees and cultivate them carefully. The
land can now be had for next to nothing, which will not
be long the case, for fertile soil like this will soon be
103

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
wanted for rice, sugar, onions, and other crops, as has been
suggested by Mr. Stirley."
After some further conversation breakfast was an
nounced and our friends adjourned to the cool and pleasant
dining room to do justice to Mr. Stirley 's generous hospi
tality. Meal-time on shore does not correspond with
similar times on shipboard. At five o'clock a. m. the
watchman calls the cook and wakes up the boys. The
master is soon around and coffee with a little toast is ready
for him, after which the bell rings and by the first dawning
light the men " turn to " and the work of the day be
gins. Very often at 8 A. m. a cup of coffee is brought to
each white man wherever he may be, and affords a slight
stimulus to the stomach without giving it any work to
do. At eleven o'clock in the oil rivers the bell rings to
" knock off " and the white men have breakfast. This is
an excellent and substantial meal, with fresh fish, roast
meats, curries and stews, besides vegetables and fruits.
Usually there are one or two kinds of wine, besides ale
and beer, and black coffee at the close. At 2 p. m. the
bell rings to " turn to " and work begins again, but in the
afternoon it always lacks the push and spirit observable in
the morning. At 3 p. m. tea is brought to each white
man, and usually to the Accra and Cape Coast men, and at
six o'clock the bell rings to " knock off " and the work of
the day is ended. Dinner, the great meal of the day, is
now announced. This is served in regular courses, with
entire change of dishes each time, and goes right through
from soup to sweets like a dinner in London. The West
African traders live well, having every sort of canned
goods at their command, as well as the fresh products of
the country. Onions and Irish potatoes are brought by
every steamer, although both might be grown in the
country. The native meats are not as good as they should
be, but fresh fish can almost always be had, and usually
104

NATIVE HOUSE. KAMERUN. GERMAN POSSESSIONS

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
very cheaply. Vegetables are not abundant, although they
ought to be, except at places like Gaboon where there are
foreigners, and are both nourishing and wholesome. Not
enough attention is paid by the commercial class to the
planting of trees ; if a little more care were exercised in
this matter it would be of great benefit to all white assist
ants. It would be well if the great commercial companies
required each factory to plant a certain number of trees
each year and care for all those previously planted ; some
of the most delightful fruits might thus be grown. One of
the best of these is the mangosteen.
This prince of fruits grows in a bunch like a huge
cluster of grapes, and is produced by one of the palms.
Each fruit is the size of an apple, and of a purple color like
an egg-plant. The husk or rind is half an inch thick and
contains a dark aniline dye that might be made an article
of commerce. On cutting this husk right across the centre,
out comes a lump of white pulp the size of a peach which
melts away in your mouth with a most delicious taste that
cannot be described. More than all, this fruit is healthy and
it should be grown in large quantities. It does not bear
fruit all the year through like the banana, but has a season,
like our own home fruits. By making plantations of them
in the lowlands near the sea, and then again on the hills in
the interior, the season might be greatly prolonged.
The Niger delta is under English protection, and
should at once be formed into a regular colony, for the
half-and-half way of governing it that answered well enough
in the past, must now come to an end. Heretofore the
settlements in " the rivers ", as Mr. Stirley has already
intimated, were simply devoted to buying the oil and
kernels produced in the tide-water region — beyond this, no
one cared a rap about either the country or its people. But
now an era of change has set in ; this fertile soil must yield
up its treasures for the benefit of humanity, and the glorious
i°5

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
region beyond the Coast Range will soon be needed for
homes for the ever increasing millions of earth's children.
It is time the Niger Delta had a good strong government
given it ; a government with expansive powers, that can
reach out toward the vast interior, and bring it speedily
under control. A beginning has already been made by the
creation of the Royal Niger Company, a great commercial
corporation to which has been given the sole right to trade
on, and navigate the Niger. The headquarters of this
company is on the Akassa branch, which opens more directly
into the Niger than any of the other rivers. This company
may be of great benefit in opening up communication along
the river, but its vessels should be made common carriers
so that others may enjoy the benefits of this communication,
for the country cannot thrive if one company keeps all the
lines of traffic to itself.
Great Britain being a commercial nation, had made
the mistake of supposing that all a new country needs is a
chance to trade, and then all its sources of wealth will
develop themselves. It ought to be clear enough to the
average mind that commerce is the last of the industries to
flourish. People cannot exchange what they have not. In
order to effect a trade, the articles to be traded in must first
be produced. Africa, with a moderate population of lazy
negroes, afforded some trade in forest products, it is true ;
but the limit has been reached in this direction, and now
to make her profitable to the nations, she must have first, a
strong, able government ; second, railways, carriage roads,
and river steamers ; third, great industrial (not commercial)
companies, to open up estates, and create a market for her
agricultural products ; fourth, immigration of industrious
peoples, who will make homes and add in every way to the
wealth that may now begin to flow through commercial
channels.

106

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
If the British Parliament should turn out a full-fledged
Royal Niger Company every day in the year, they could
only purchase what the present population produces. This
population in its present wild, worthless, savage condition
— made less productive every day by the rum traffic — is not
going to produce any more than it does now, until a strong
government takes affairs in hand and sets them to work.
This enforced industry — the only salvation of the African
race — can be best accomplished by large industrial com
panies acting under a wise and strong colonial government,
and the sooner it is applied to the Niger delta, the better for
all concerned. The Niger may be considered the key to the Great
Soudan, a section of country as great as the whole of Europe
outside of Russia ; more valuable than India ; which may
easily become the home of three hundred millions of white
colonists, and which is to-day the most hopeful, and most
valuable portion of this great continent. It is a grand
prize, worthy the best efforts of the British government to
obtain — worth more to her than India, Australia and Can
ada combined. It is so near home ; and she has three
separate paths to it, viz. Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and the
Niger. This magnificent territory is not covered with a
dense, impenetrable forest like some portions of the equa
torial regions ; nor is it burned up with drought like the
plains of India too often are, but it is just the country for
colonization ; fertile, well-watered, with open plains, and
park-like forests, level prairies and low ranges of hills, a
warm climate all the year round, and, for a new country, a
comparatively healthy one — there is not to-day a more
delightful country on the face of the whole earth, nor a
more promising one.
This splendid country was the theme of conversation
in the evening when the little company of friends gathered
on Mr. Stirley's veranda after dinner. Captain Thompson
107

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
had joined them at five o'clock, and as they smoked Mr.
Stirley's cigars and drank their coffee they talked of the
changes that had taken place on the Coast during the past
few years, and especially of the settlement of the Soudan
which now seems so near.
" Yes," asserted Captain Thompson, " I believe it is
a matter of only a few years when our steamers will be
loaded with furniture and household necessities, and some
of the great Atlantic-liners will be glad to turn to this trade,
and will come out loaded with steerage passengers. I have
come out to Bonny in my own little ship many a time in
eighteen days, and such vessels as the Umbria and Etruria
will have no trouble in landing their passengers here on the
tenth day. River steamers can come at once alongside in
these quiet waters, and in twelve hours the emigrants can
be on their way up the river, and almost before they know
it they will be out of the tide-water region."
" Unless some great war or plague interferes," observed'
Mr. King, " by the end of the next thirty years the popu
lation of Great Britain will increase some forty millions,
and the population of Germany as much more ; here are
eighty millions of the choicest of the human race who will
want homes and a chance to make a living ; but where ?
Not in the United States surely, for that will have another
eighty million of its own by that time. Not in our over
crowded India, nor even in Australia, for its own fast
increasing population will soon want all the room it has to
spare. Where then will this eighty millions find a home ?
Here in this Great Soudan, a country God has kept hid
from men's minds until it was wanted, but now He seems
to be saying ' haste and make ready for it will soon be
needed.' To-day this grand country can be had for the
taking ; in thirty years every acre of it will be worth as
many dollars, and all the improved portion a great deal

108

A BIT OF THE KAMERUN BEACH. HIGH TIDE.

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
more ; there is no better investment to-day than these same
broad and fertile acres."
" Here," added Mr. Alexander, " is the land for the
Irish ; bring them out here, keep whisky and ignorant
priests away from them ; let them build railways and other
public works, and have their little homes, each with a pig
in it, and by the time the country fills up we may hope
they will be sufficiently civilized to settle down peaceably
and make good citizens, and thus the Irish question will be
settled forever."
" Right you are," exclaimed Mr. Schiff, quite warmed
up with the pleasing prospect of the Irishmen building the
railways, "all I ask is to live to be an old man so that I
can come out here and see it."
" Well," added Mr. King, " you need not wait a great
while to see that ; I have little doubt it will be here to be
seen before ten years have passed."
" A great many cattle are raised now on the wide
pastures of the Soudan," said Mr. Stirley, addressing Mr.
King, " and I should not be surprised if one of the first im
portant industries of this country were cattle raising, just
as has been the case in your country. The sea-coast region
is in want of fresh meat, and these cattle will find a home
market at good prices ; there will be no killing of cattle for
hides and tallow as has been the case in South America
and Australia." " Our own experience has been," replied Mr. King,
" that cattle-raising in the way you speak of is only practi
cable when the country is new and land abundant ; all
large cattle companies are sooner or later forced to sell
their lands to actual settlers, and so it will be here, but for
a few years there will, no doubt, be fortunes made at it, as
much by the rise in value of the land, as by the increase of
cattle." 109

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
" These cattle pastures that you are speaking of,"
added Mr. Alexander, " will make the best of cotton fields.
Cotton, as we have already seen, is largely grown in India,
and as the Soudan is in the same latitude, there is no
reason why it should not grow as well here. What is to
hinder England from placing a duty upon all cotton not
grown in her own colonies ; that would help India, Egypt
and the Soudan ? There is no reason that I can see why
we should buy our cotton of America, when we can as well
raise it ourselves. Then if we thought best, we could sub
sidize fast steamers to the Coast with the money received
as duty on cotton, and thus build up the fruit trade which
needs quick and regular transportation."
" Your scheme is a good one," answered Mr. Schiff,
" and now tell me, where will all the lumber come from to
build houses for these people when they move here ; won't
you have to bring it from Sweden and Finland ? "
"No doubt," replied Mr. Stirley, "that much will
need to be imported, especially at first, but I think local
supplies can be found without very much difficulty. The
entire slope of the Kong mountains and many of the
adjacent foot-hills are covered with forest, and as this lum
ber would all have a local market, it ought to pay well to
saw it up. Then the level lands south of the Kong moun
tains are mostly forest, and here is another supply. When
the railway is built in from Cape Coast it can carry this
lumber through the mountains into the Soudan by the back
door, as it were, as most of the freight will move toward
the sea ; the companies will be glad to carry this back
freight very cheaply. But I do not think that wood will
be the main building material ; the numerous detached
hills all through the Soudan will furnish the best of sand
stone ; and when a house is built of this material it will
last for generations. As for the natives, they will prefer to
build of bamboo and clay, just as they do now."

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
" How far is the Niger navigable ? " inquired Captain
Thompson. " As far as Brossa," replied Mr. Stirley ; " then there
are rapids that will need a railway built around them,
beyond the rapids light draft steamers can go for many
hundred miles. Settlements, of course, will follow the
rivers at first, but it will not be long, for whenever a
specially desirable locality is found, a railway will at once
be built to it, and it will quickly be settled up."
" I think," said Mr. King, " that one of the first indus
tries . to be developed will be the raising of horses and
mules. With the incoming of a large population and the
settlement of the country, there will spring up a large
demand for these animals for agricultural and other pur
poses." " The horses they have now in the Soudan," replied Mr.
Stirley, " are something like your American ponies, small
and tough, and well suited to work. It will require a vast
number of them to cultivate so large an extent of country,
and as you suggest, the business of breeding them cannot
fail to be profitable. It may be that some form of steam
plow that is thoroughly practical will yet be discovered,
and if it should be, then the immediate cultivation of the
Soudan prairies can be proceeded with. The principal
objection to these plows has hitherto been the weight, but
with the cheapening of aluminum that objection can be
overcome." " I think," said Mr. King, " that it will not be many
years before some sort of receiver, or storage battery will
be invented that will hold a sufficient quantity of electricity
to run a plow, and so our fields may be cultivated by this
wonderful force. The dynamos could be run by windmills
and the trouble and expense be no greater than the keep of
a horse ; especially might that be the case here near the
sea where the breezes are so constant. In our own country

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
a number of street-car lines aire run by storage batteries,
and it will not be long before carriages and bicycles are run
in the same way."
" One of the profitable industries of the hill region of
the Soudan," said Mr. Alexander, " will be the raising of
tea. Vast quantities of tea are now produced in Ceylon and
India, particularly in Assam, and it seems to me that the
Kong country is exactly adapted to it. In Assam the
plants are grown in nursery rows for one year, and are then
set out five feet apart each way, which gives seventeen
hundred plants to an acre. The third year the leaves are
taken, and the bush continues in bearing condition for ten
years. Four pounds of the green leaves make one pound
of tea, and as the picking continues through the year, so
the plantation is always bringing in an income. I should
not be surprised if it would pay well to plant tea in connec
tion with larger trees, such as oranges, cocoanut, breadfruit,
pear, durian, mangosteen and lemon trees ; while these
slower growing trees are coming to maturity, the tea
bushes will be paying a profit on the investment. Take
the matter of the orange ; the tree is a slow grower, and
does not bear much until eight or ten years old. That is a
long time to wait, but if the ground is well filled in with tea
bushes, they can at least defray the cost of cultivation."
" One of the fruits that can be had in perfection in the
Soudan," observed Mr. Stirley, " is the peach. Vast
orchards of this fruit might be planted, and all that was not
wanted for the local market could be dried and sent to
Europe where it will be needed. I think too that apples
might be grown on the higher elevations of the Kong
mountains and they would find a ready market on the
Coast. In the northern provinces of the Soudan a. large
business might be done in raising dates and olives ; both
grow well and yield abundantly and a market for these
fruits will continue while the world lasts ; indeed there is no

TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT BUI LDI NGS~ GERMAN POSSESSIONS.

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
end to the products of this rich region, and here it is
waiting to contribute its wealth for the benefit of mankind.
It is the finest country under the sun, and will some day
become a great empire and have a voice in the councils of
the earth. Just look at its situation, right in the centre of
this great continent, and so near Europe that many of its
fruits and vegetables may be sent there ! I tell you, gentle
men, it is worth more to the world to-day than half of Asia.
Three cheers for the Soudan, the finest land on which the
sun shines, and the future home of the Anglo Saxon ! "
The little party gave three rousing cheers that made
the Kru-boys and other native assistants come running to
see what was the matter. Nor need we wonder at their
enthusiasm, for although they know Africa far better than
we do, yet even the most careless reader can see that it is a
rich and desirable country, and with the natural increase of
population it will soon be needed for homes by millions of
people. Nor have they at all overrated the resources of
the country, but rather the contrary, for there is perhaps no
country in the world so well watered and fertile. The
party broke up shortly after ten o'clock and Captain
Thompson took his passengers back to the Kisanga where
they had a drop of bitters and then " turned in ".
One of the great advantages of the Soudan is that by
the aid of irrigation during the dry season, two crops a year
may be raised. It is also comparatively healthy, and when
fully settled will at least be as favorable for the development
of the Anglo Saxon as any country of Europe. There is
no long, hard winter here to fight, but warm and pleasant
weather all through the year. The productions include
nearly the whole range of all that is grown in both the
tropic and temperate zones ; for the valleys are warm
enough for the palms and bananas, and among the hills and
on the higher plateaus wheat and other grains flourish.

"3

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
Of course there may be a few who will object to the
rose-colored opinions of our friends, either through igno
rance of the riches of the Soudan and its adaptability
to maintain a large European population ; or else through
sheer inability to see a thing until after it occurs. There
are multitudes who cannot see a thing until after it has
happened, and who do not fully understand it even then.
Such persons stand in the way of every enterprise and the
world must get along in spite of them, rather than with
their help. The changes foreshadowed in these pages are
not relatively greater than the writer has seen with his own
eyes on the West African coast during the last sixteen
years. A notable instance of how mistaken even good men
may be in their estimate of the value of new countries, is
furnished by Daniel Webster. Less than fifty years ago a
bill was brought before the United States Senate to establish
a mail route from Western Missouri to the mouth of the
Columbia river. Senator Webster opposed the measure as
a useless expense and spoke as follows : " What do we want
with this vast worthless area — this region of savages and
wild beasts, of deserts, of shifting sands and whirlwinds of
dust, of cactus and prairie dogs ? To what use could we
ever hope to put these deserts, or these endless mountain
chains, impenetrable and covered to their bases with eternal
snow? What can we ever hope to do with the western
coast — a coast three thousand miles long, rock-bound,
cheerless and uninviting, and not a harbor on it ? What
use have we for such a country ? Mr. President, I will
never vote a cent from the public treasury to place the
Pacific Coast one inch nearer to Boston than it now is."
If Mr. Webster were living to-day he might be whirled
through this same region at fifty miles an hour in a Pull
man Vestibule Sleeper, that for luxurious appointments
surpasses any drawing-room he ever saw in his beloved
114

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
Boston ; and in less than fifty years many who are living
to-day may ride through the length and breadth of the
Soudan in equal or even greater luxury, past the homes of
happy millions, and cities of wealth and refinement. The
world has grown so much in wealth and power, that it will
accomplish more in the next twenty-five years, than it has
in the last century. The changes and improvements of our
own North- West will be more than repeated in the Great
Soudan. This wondrous land, as soon as it is fairly in the
possession of England, will be the most hopeful for coloni
zation of any now available.
The Kisanga continued on Tuesday to unload cargo,
and at 5 p. M. of that day turned her prow seaward once
more and continued her voyage to the eastward. Our
friends were sorry to leave Mr. Stirley's kind hospitality,
and they watched the factory buildings sink gradually
beneath the waters with genuine regret. To Mr. King this
was a symbol of the passing away of the present trade
system in simple forest products, and the dawn of a new
era of prosperity, built upon the solid foundation of in
dustry and thrift.
In the evening the party gathered, as usual, under the
awning to have a chat, and at the same time finish the
remainder, of Mr. Stirley's cigars, which they had taken the
precaution to slip into their pockets. It may as well be
mentioned just here that on the Coast, especially among
friends, it is customary to steal pipes, tobacco, cigars, cork
screws and many other small articles, "just to remember
him by, don't-cher-know," and our friends had simply
availed themselves of this privilege.
"What Mr. Stirley said about Spanish onions,"
remarked Mr. Alexander, " has set me to thinking. Would
it be possible for the Soudan to raise vegetabtes for
Europe ? " 115

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
"I hardly think so," replied Mr. King, "although
there are a few that might be grown and shipped ; the
onions you spoke of is one, and the Irish potatoes,8 sweet
potatoes and yams could be sent well enough. There are
other places in Africa where almost every kind of vegetable
could be raised and sent without difficulty. Take Sierra
Leone and Senegambia ; what is to hinder tomatoes, egg
plants, melons and cucumbers from being sent to London
as soon as those colonies shall have become of sufficient im
portance to put on fast steamers ? Such steamers as now
run to America could arrive in London six days after leav
ing Sierra Leone, and that is not too long a voyage for all
the more substantial vegetables. Quantities of string beans
peas, beets and radishes are now brought from Bermuda to
New York, and it may- be these could be taken, too ; but
about that I am not so sure. But there is another source
of supply. The French are now surveying for a railway
across the Sahara. This will pass through many fertile
tracts, where, by the aid of irrigation, the very best of vege
tables could be grown, and would be ready for market in
January, February and March, when fresh vegetables are
in such demand in the North. These crops could be
shipped by rail to Algiers, thence by fast steamer to Mar-
sailles, and by rail to France, Germany and Austria. The
time would be the same as by steamer from Sierra Leone —
six days, but they would reach a different market, and
would always meet with a good demand. So, too, with all
kinds of fruits, if they can be sold at a moderate price, so
as to place them within the reach of every one, the demand
for them will be practically unlimited."
" It seems to me," said Mr. Alexander, " that our people
do not yet realize how near Africa is to them ; we think of
the tropics as very far away, because heretofore the tropics
have meant to us India, Burmah and Siam, while in reality

116

HO•n * >£m
ac S

NIGER DELTA AND THE SOUDAN.
this wonderful African coast is very near to us, and has
been all the while."
" The City of Paris," added Captain Thompson, " can
steam to Liverpool from where we are to-night in eight
days. The freight rates from Africa are higher than they
are from New York, and a moderate subsidy from the
Government would enable ships of her class to run out
here." The next morning the peak of Fernando Po appeared
on the horizon dead ahead, and gradually rose from the
water as the morning progressed until by noon it seemed to
fill the eastern sky. The Kisanga rounded the northern
end of the island, and at 2 p. m. anchored in the bay of
Clarence. The vegetation here is the richest and most
exuberant imaginable ; the whole island appeared as a mass
of greenery and even the peak appeared wooded to the
summit. Clarence is but a small place, yet it appears to
good advantage from the anchorage, as it is built along the
bluff that encircles the harbor. This island once belonged
to Great Britian, and large quantities of coffee were exported,
but in an evil hour it was transferred to Spain, and the
coffee estates soon passed into neglect and decay. Nothing
flourished under Spanish rule, which seems to poison every
land it touches.
The entire island is densely wooded and there is much
good timber that might be a source of wealth, as every foot
of it could be sold at the coast ports near by, but it will not
be cut, nor will any marked improvement take place as long
as the island belongs to Spain. It is a convenient place for
ships to call, and ought to furnish vegetables and other
supplies, especially as the best yams on the whole coast are
grown there, but nothing will be done unless England or
Germany gets hold of it, and then it may be made one of
ocean's gems.

117

Chapter . VI

OLD CALABAR.

rr+ HE Kisanga left Clarence harbor at ten o'clock on
JI Wednesday evening, October the first, and steamed
" slow " all night across the Gulf of Guinea to
the mouth of the Old Calabar river, which was
reached at dawn. The Old Calabar brings down an
immense amount of silt which is deposited when the salt
water is reached, and this has built up wide mud-flats
extending far out to sea, so that the real bar of the river is
almost out of sight of solid land. The perpendicular rise
and fall of the tide here is but four feet, so that vessels of
moderate draft can go in and out at any time, but ships
drawing twenty feet must cross the bar at the top of high
water. The channel is well buoyed, and there is no great
difficulty in even a new captain finding his way.
Duketown is forty miles up from the mouth of the
river, built on high ground which is separated from the
mainland by a back creek. The anchorage is good, and
ocean steamers can come within two hundred yards of the
shore. It would be quite easy to build piers to the deep
waters so that vessels like the Kisanga could come right
alongside and discharge direct into warehouse, or into rail
way carriages. The engraving of the foreign settlement,
118

TREASURER'S OFFICE— GERMAN POSSESSIONS.

OLD CALABAR.
which is copied from a photograph taken from the end of
the pier at Hope Factory, gives a good idea of the physical
conditions of the river, and shows how easy it would be to
put in the necessary piling and fill in the enclosed space
from the adjoining hill — it is simply a question of the
requisite number of cubic yards of earth.
The Kisanga came to her anchorage at io A. m. and a
few minutes later handsome gigs were seen putting off from
each of the factories, bringing their owners on board to get
their mail and hear the news. Our friends were well known
to most of these gentlemen and they were soon in receipt of
many pressing invitations to come on shore. It was arranged
that they should spend the day with Mr. Albert Gilles,
representing the firm of Taylor, Laughlin & Co., sleep on
the Kisanga, and then spend the next day with Mr. James
Lyon at Hope Factory at the upper end of the foreign set
tlement. These preliminaries being arranged, Mr. Gilles
took the four gentlemen in his handsome gig, leaving
Captain Thompson to come toward evening in time for
dinner. Mr. Gilles' factory is below where the Kisanga is
anchored as seen in the picture, and is a large and comfort
able place.It was a busy scene that greeted the eyes of our four
friends as they landed at the pier ; coopers were hammering
away upon great casks, making a deafening din ; Kru-boys
were drawing up smaller casks of oil from native canoes by
means of an iron crane ; others were heating the oil in
immense cauldrons and pouring it into new casks ; long
lines of boys were carrying up sacks and baskets of kernels
which were measured in " tubs " and then sewn up in new
sacks preparatory to shipment ; native traders were count
ing over piles of cloth, kegs of powder, heads of tobacco,
cases of gin, iron pots, plates, dishes and other trade goods,
and their slaves were taking them to the beach and putting
them in the canoes ; everything was done in a business-like
119

OLD CALABAR.
way, and those who think business cannot be carried on as
promptly and efficiently in the tropics as in northern climes,
would do well to make a visit to Old Calabar.
The dwelling house stood near the river, separated
from the water by a broad graveled walk, shaded by beauti
ful palms. As usual, the shop occupied the ground floor,
and the living rooms were above. From the veranda was
a fine view of the river, and of the swampy jungle on the
island opposite.
After breakfast Mr. Gilles asked his guests to excuse
him as he had so many things that claimed his attention,
and they saw but little of him until dinner time. About
three in the afternoon, when the sea breeze had come in
cool and refreshing, our friends concluded to climb the
hill and visit the Scotch Presbyterian Mission, and then
take a stroll through the native town. Duketown has
some ten or twelve thousand inhabitants and is a fair type
of the towns, not only of the sea-coast region, but also of
the Soudan. The road to the Mission led up a steep face of the bluff
and was quite fatiguing climbing, but the view from the
top was wide and extensive, taking in most of the native
town on the north, with the river in front and the jungle
on the island opposite. On a clear day Mt. Albert of the
Cameroons range may be seen in the southeast, but usually
the air is too much filled with vapors. The grounds of the
Mission are tastefully laid out, and the houses looked cool
and comfortable. Our friends noticed here what may be
seen at most any of the ports along the Western Coast, that
the missionary establishments were not built in the midst
of the native populations, nor upon the main lines of travel,
but off to one side, as if the governing idea had been to get
anywhere they would not be annoyed by any one. If a
hunter were setting a trap for game he would put the trap
near the paths where the game traveled ; and those who

HOME OF FOREIGN SETTLER BENITA RIVER.

OLD CALABAR.
would catch men, if they desire to be successful, should do
the same thing. Here in Old Calabar the river is the only
highway, and a church upon its bank would be convenient
and always in sight ; but perched upon the top of a hill, and
in the yard of a private dwelling it may be very convenient
for the missionary, but not likely to draw much of a con
gregation ; and such our friends learned was the case. Mrs.
Ross, a trading missionary, has done better. With the aid
of the traders- and the wealthier natives, she has built a
large plain church in the midst of the native town, where a
congregation of six hundred worship every Sabbath. This
good woman, although very fleshy, was exceedingly active
and energetic and a fine example of what European ladies
ma}- accomplish in this land. Many of the wealthier
natives of Duketown live in large plank houses with gal
vanized iron roofs, that have been brought out from
England at an expense of from three thousand to fifteen
thousand dollars. These houses are nicely furnished, and
are in every way as comfortable as our own better class of
houses at home. Their owners live mostly after the native
fashion, but when white visitors call, they can set a good
table in the European way and with a goodly proportion of
foreign food.
Old Calabar is famous throughout the whole length
of the Coast for its palm-oil chop, which is here blacker,
richer and more peppery than anywhere else. This excel
lent and healthy dish is everywhere a favorite with old
Coasters, but new-comers partake of it somewhat gingerly,
partly because of the peculiar flavor, and partly because it
burns their throats. It is made of the pulp and oil of the
fresh palm nut, stewed with various kinds of meats and
fish, and a liberal amount of small chile peppers. Monkey
meat and other game make the best chop, and the native
cooks put in various ingredients unknown to the white
man. At Batanga and some other points the flesh of the

OLD CALABAR.
python is esteemed above all other, and is said by those
who have eaten it to be very fat and nice. Whatever
difference of opinion there may be in reference to these
details, certain it is that a palm-oil chop is a royal dish fit
for a king- — better food doubtless than most kings get to
eat. It is healthful, nutritious, and very agreeable to the
palate. A large and profitable business might be built up
by making the chop without the meat, putting it into pint
glass cans, and exporting it. There is not a country in the
world where it would not be largely used as soon as it was
introduced, and it would almost surely become as univer
sally popular as tobacco. It should be made from perfectly
fresh nuts, and by putting it up without meat, it would
save for years, and keep in any climate. When wanted for
use it should be taken from the can, some water added, and
any kind of meat or fish desired stewed in it until tender,
when it would be ready to be served. It is to be hoped
that this desirable food may be soon found in all the
markets of the world.
A considerable portion of the Duketown population is
engaged in fishing. This is carried on mostly by a kind of
basket net, held in place by two poles stuck in the mud.
The fish go into the basket for the bait, and then cannot
get out again. Cast nets are also used. All the fish not
needed for the local market are dried and taken up country,
where they are esteemed a luxury. Vast quantities of dried
codfish and halibut from Norway are imported and find a
ready sale, but while they are popular, they are not so
highly esteemed as the Calabar fish. It is a singular fact
that large quantities of rice and biscuit are imported, as the
native population prefer to expend part of the profits of the
oil trade in this foreign food, rather than cultivate the
ground themselves. The principal native food throughout
this section is the yam, which grows to a large size and is
easily cultivated. There are a number of varieties, but
122

OLD CALABAR.
most of them have a dark brown skin, and are as white as
snow when cooked. They are less nourishing than the
plantain, and have a certain bitter twang not always
agreeable to the foreigner. Manioc is a favorite because
so easily grown, but it is rather a coarse food ; however, it
seems to suit the native digestion, and is about as nourish
ing as the potato.
Our friends made quite an extended tour through the
native town, and when they returned to the factory at sun
set, they were quite ready for dinner. They found a little
company assembled ; besides Captain Thompson there was
Mr. James Lyon, Mr. Burn, Mr. Hartley, Mr. Holmes and
Mr. Sleigh. Mr. Holmes possessed a great reputation for
skill in mixing cocktails, and he was deep in the mysteries
of compounding this drink when our friends came in ; Mr.
Schiff was quite enthusiastic at the prospect, and showed
his appreciation of Mr. Holmes' efforts by taking three, and
then declared himself ready for dinner.
The dining-room was so located that the sea breeze
could not sweep through, so a punka was suspended over
the table with a boy outside to pull the cord, and this
created a most refreshing breeze. In very few lands is there
as much good cheer, and as ready hospitality as there is in
Africa ; those who visit its shores may be assured of a
hearty welcome, and will ever after carry with them
delightful memories of its brilliant sunshine, exceeding
beauty, and the large-heartedness of its adopted sons.
After dinner the party adjourned to the veranda when
Mr. Gilles brought forth the best of cigars, and while they
smoked these, and sipped their coffee, they talked of trade
matters, and the affairs of the settlement.
Old Calabar has not yet been raised to the dignity of a
colony, but is simply a trade settlement under the protection
of England. It has recently become the residence of a
British consul, who rules in affairs relating to trade with
123

OLD CALABAR.
the assistance of a council composed of the leading traders.
The natives are allowed to manage their own affairs so long
as they in no way interfere with trade, nor the interests of
the English residents. For a mere trading settlement this
is the best arrangement that can be made ; the natives
understand it, and any difficulties that may arise are easily
and speedily settled.
The traders of Old Calabar have adoped the very
sensible idea of remaining near the sea, and allowing the
native people to bring the produce to them ; the consequence
is that their business is prosperous, for they have no expense
except those of the one factory, and they find they get as
much or more than if they established branch factories up
the river. The experience of the traders seems to be that
the natives of any given section, if left to themselves, will
only gather a certain amount of produce. Leave them to
themselves and they will gather this amount and bring it to
the trader ; go after them and offer inducements either in
price or otherwise, and they will gather LESS rather than
more ; therefore in those rivers, like the Ogowe, where
trade has been followed up, the aggregate of shipments has
declined, while in those rivers where trade has remained at
the sea-coast settlements the amount of produce shipped is
quite uniform. Consequently those traders who want the
old state of affairs to continue are opposed to any change ;
they do not approve of steamship lines, they are opposed to
cables, in fact they are opposed to progress in any direction,
for progress means change, and change is what they do not
want, for things are good enough for them as they are.
These men are true conservatives, and such are the Old
Calabar traders ; they have a good thing, and they know
it ; they are making money and they do not wish anything
to disturb the easy flow of affairs in the present channel,
for a change might benefit others more than theriiselves.
Unfortunately for these gentlemen the drift of the times is
124

AVENUE OF PALMS. ELOBY. CORISCO BAY

OLD CALABAR.
against them. Material progress is the ruling spirit through
out the earth, and Africa must come under its influence
also — indeed it is already affected by it. It is preposterous
to suppose that a vast continent shall continue to exist
simply to support a little trade in forest products. The
great family of mankind need it for far greater and nobler
purposes. The rapidly increasing population of the earth
must have it for homes, and where one man now makes a
living from it by trade, a thousand must soon get a living
from its rich soil, and the manufactures and other industries
that will spring up where there is a large population. Some
of the traders already see that this change is inevitable, and
while they regret it, they yet watch its advent with keen
interest so that they may adapt themselves to it, and reap
as many advantages as possible from being first on the
ground. Among these gentlemen is Mr. James Lyon, a
canny little Scotsman, who has made a journey to the head
quarters of the Old Calabar river and taken some photo
graphs, one or two of which will appear in this volume.
The little company had not yet finished its first cigar
before Mr. King declared it to be his opinion that a railway
from Old Calabar to Lake Tchad would not only open up
the most valuable portion of the Soudan, but could be made
to pay almost from the very beginning. " In the first
place," said he, " see how easy it would be to build such a
road. Here we have in this river a harbor already formed ;
it will be a simple and easy matter to build terminal
facilities ; then the route up the river is an easy one and
presents no engineering difficulties. Why," exclaimed he,
growing enthusiastic, " the very continent was built to afford
an easy route for this railway, for look, the Kong mountains
end here in low foothills, and the Cameroons range begins
sixty miles south of here, and runs in an easterly direction
so as to keep out of the way ! Talk about your open doors,
what wider door do you want than this ? Moreover, Lake
125

OLD CALABAR.
Tchad drains a large area of country ; put small steamers- on
it and they will navigate its streams and bring freight to the
railway pier, where it can be brought down to this port and
loaded direct into the steamers. I never saw such a fine
chance for investment in my life."
" Who is going to produce all this freight you speak
of?" inquired Mr. Burn. "Long before the railway is
finished," replied Mr. King, "there will be large industrial
companies at work cultivating the soil, cutting the forests,
and mining the ores of this rich region ; their supplies will
make the up freight and the lumber, ores, rice, cotton,
sugar, tobacco and coffee will make the down freight, to say
nothing of oil, kernels, rubber and other forest produce.
Cattle, hogs, sheep and other meats will soon be sent down
in considerable quantities to supply the coast markets, and
if coal should be found it would of itself supply a large
tonnage." " You speak of oil and kernels," interrupted Mr.
Hartley, "but you know quite well that our supplies come
from a narrow strip of country near the sea."
" That is true," replied Mr. King, " but the oil palm
flourishes on the low lands near the lake, and there is
nothing to hinder large plantations of it being set out in all
sections adapted to it. Then there is the sage-palm that
might be grown in any desired quantity ; moreover, it is
not necessary to bring all the freight from Lake Tchad, for
a large portion will come from local points along the line.
Such railways extend in all directions across India, and
they are found to pay well in Java ; why not here ? "
" How long would such a line of railway be, do you
suppose ? " inquired Mr. Schiff.
"About six hundred miles," answered Mr. King,
" which in America we would call a comparative short line.
We have in our country single companies that control ten
times that length of track, and if we should build a new
126

OLD CALABAR.
road of no more than this length, it would be looked upon
as a matter of only local interest. There are no serious
engineering difficulties to be encountered as Mr. Lyon can
tell you, for he has been over a part of the route."
" I see no physical reason," said Mr. Lyon, "why the
line would not be of easy construction ; there will be a little
rock-cutting among the hills, but the stone will be needed
for culverts and abutments for bridges, and a considerable
portion of the way is through forests where cross-ties will
be easily obtained. So far as I can see the road will be a
comparatively easy one to build, and while it will in a
measure break up the present course of our trade, yet it
must create a large demand for many kinds of goods, which
we, being in the trade, will be able to supply, and of course,
to our profit. For my own part, I say let the railway
come." " Where will you get your labor ? " inquired Mr.
Holmes. " The country will furnish a part of it," replied Mr.
King, " and the rest can be imported. Coolies can always
be had from Canton, and when their work on the railway
is done, they will almost certainly be willing to settle down
along the line of the road and become citizens of the new
state. The same is true of the Italians ; I have no doubt
many thousands of them could be gotten without difficulty,
and as they are accustomed to a warm country, they will
make good colonists. I think there will be no trouble
about the labor supply, for there are always plenty of
people ready to go to a new country for the sake of the
novelty of the thing."
" So you think," said Mr. Gilles, " that this line would
pay ? "
" I do most certainly think so," replied Mr. King, " I
have studied the African problem carefully, and I pin my
faith strongly on this very line of railway. Now look at
127

OLD CALABAR.
it. It is under English protection, the most liberal govern
ment towards its colonies in the world. It has good and
inexpensive terminal advantages. It runs through one of
the richest countries in the world. There are no engineer
ing difficulties, and it will not be difficult to get valuable
land grants, such as were given our Pacific lines. These
lands, by the way, will almost pay for the construction of
the road. Then it will open up to settlement a most
valuable section of the Soudan, and will tap the trade of
Central Africa. If you will examine a reliable map you
will find that the streams that drain the northern slope of
the Cameroons range, flow into Lake Tchad ; so too, the
streams that drain the country west of the Nyanza lakes
flow into Lake Tchad. Thus the Lake receives the tribu
taries of a large and valuable section of country, and the
railway will be the means of communication with the sea."
"Do you think," inquired Mr. Alexander, "that this
section of country is fitted for white colonists? "
" I most surely do," replied Mr. King. " Why should
it not be ? America throughout its entire length is peopled
with our race. India is in the same latitude, and you know
how many are living there. Java and Ceylon are nearer
the equator, and they not only have a large population of
Europeans, but they find the climate well suited to them.
Then look on this piazza ; if we can live here, why cannot
they ? We have each of us spent from ten to twenty years
in this land, and as far as I can see we are none the worse
for it. Certain it is that many of our friends who have
remained at home have died, while we who have come to
this new country are hale and hearty ; I see no reason why
this country, especially the hills and the higher plateaus,
should not support a large Anglo-Saxon population."
" But how about the fever? " inquired Mr. Schiff.
" Judging from the way you enjoy Mr. Holmes' cock
tails," replied Mr. King, " it don't seem to me the fever has
128

RIVER SCENERY. BATANGA. GERMAN AFRICA

OLD CALABAR.
hurt you much. But I must say I look upon the fever as a
good thing, for if it was not for that we should live forever.
A country that has no consumption, pneumonia, diphtheria,
typhoid or scarlet fever, cancer and a few more things,
needs something to thin out the population a little or else
it would become necessary to shoot a man when you wanted
a funeral. Does the fever affect the natives of this country ?
Is it any more severe than it is in Cuba, or even our own
Gulf States when northerners go down there ? Is it any
worse than it is in Arkansas, or Central America, or Rio
Janeiro ? Yet hosts of our own people live there, and so
may they here. I grant you that in every new country the
death rate is higher than in older communities, and so it
will doubtless be here ; but that cannot be helped. Why
when Illinois was first settled the malaria was so bad it was
thought the state must remain a wilderness, and now it
contains a city that in another century will have ten million
of inhabitants and will be the greatest city on earth. I am
forty years old now, and if I live to be an old man, I expect
to see a city on Lake Tchad almost equal to what Chicago
is to-day." "Things will have to change very much if you do,"
exclaimed Mr. Hartley. "That is just what they will,"
asserted Mr. King. " The world has now entered upon an
era of development, and the state of affairs in new countries
like this will change very rapidly. If this railway were
built with the same energy as pur own Pacific roads (and
the difficulties are no greater), it could be finished in from
three to four years, and it would work a complete revolution
in trade, and all affairs of the country. Colonists would
come out here by the thousand, instead of going to Brazil
as they are now doing, and large companies would soon
convert the lowlands into rice, sugar and tobacco estates."
" How long would it take vessels of the City of Paris
type to run out here ? " inquired Mr. Alexander.
ix 129

OLD CALABAR.
" I am not quite sure," replied Captain Thompson,
"whether the City of Paris could come up the river, but if
she could, I think it would take nearly or quite nine days.
If vessels of the size and power of the City of Paris were
built with flat bottoms, they could then cross the bar, and
might arrive here the ninth day."
" That is only half the time required for the voyage to
Bombay," said Mr. Alexander, " and less than half the time
to Calcutta, so that this colony would be only half as far
from England as India is. Moreover it has the advantage
of a broad highway hither, for there are no canals or narrow
straits to pass through, but the whole width of the Atlantic
ocean if necessary."
" In looking upon this country," said Mr. King, " as
the future home of millions of our race, it should not be
overlooked that the plantain everywhere flourishes, for it is
destined to play an important part in all calculations as to
food supplies. Humbolt estimated that an acre of plantains
produced one hundred and thirty-three times as much
nourishment as an acre of wheat. Thus a family need not
plant more than an acre with this vegetable to have all the
food it needs for a year, and some to sell besides. An acre
of ground in plantains, and another acre in fruit trees, such
as breadfruit, oranges, limes, pears, mangosteens and guavas,
with a good sized vegetable garden, would make a living
for a peasant family, and they could enjoy one of the finest
climates on earth, and have as happy a home as it falls to
the lot of man to enjoy. If we allowed to each family six
acres, including roads and dooryards, it would admit of one
hundred families to the square mile, or say, five hundred
persons. This is a dense population, and yet this rich soil
and warm sun will easily support that number."
" How many plantains do you calculate can be produced
on an acre ? " asked Mr. Alexander.

130

OLD CALABAR.
" If tbey were planted eight feet apart each way,"
replied Mr. King, " there would be six hundred and eighty
plants to the acre, and these would average rather more
than one bunch a year, so that a family would have more
than they could eat. But in reckoning on the produce of
an acre of plantains we must not forget the value of the
fibre ; this, when carefully extracted by the proper machinery,
is worth more than the fruit. The sale of the stalks for
fibre would bring in a nice income which would help
support the family, or it might, if necessary, be devoted to
purchasing potash and nitrates to be used in keeping up or
increasing the fertility of the land."
" I have heard of this fibre before," said Mr. Gilles,
" and I do not doubt it will yet bring more money to the
country than palm oil does now. It not only makes good
paper stock, but the best of it is made into ropes and is used
in many ways that I do not fully understand."
" The value of the plantain," added Mr. Lyon, " is not
fully appreciated by any of us ; I do not doubt that it will
become the most valuable of all food plants to man."
" I do not see," remarked Mr. Alexander, " why as fine
a quality of tobacco may not be raised in the Soudan, as is
now grown in Cuba ; both countries are in the same latitude,
and the soil is as rich and all the conditions appear to be
favorable." " It can be grown just as well without a doubt,"
responded Mr. King. " On the coast, a few miles north of
Batanga, a German has been raising tobacco for several
years. It is of sufficiently fine quality to bring a dollar a
pound in the Hamburg market. As something like four
hundred pounds can be grown to the acre, it is easy to see
that the crop is a most valuable one. But there is no need
of exporting it in the leaf, for it can as well be made into
cigars here, and a large market would be available right on

131

OLD CALABAR.
the Coast. A considerable portion of the Cuban crop is
made up on the island, and so it might just as well be here."
" The natives of the Ogowe," said Mr. Schiff, " raise
considerable tobacco, which they cure and make into long
braids. We often buy it for smoking. It has a peculiar
flavor, quite different from the American article. I have "
sent some of it to my friends in Germany, and they say
they like it very much. I do not know much about farm
ing, but I know enough to feel sure that tobacco of fine
quality could be grown in any quantity desired. For my
part I should like to see these niggers set to work in the
tobacco and cane fields, where they belong ; they have
run wild long enough."
This remark brought on an animated discussion of the
labor question,. and it was fully agreed that the best good
of the country, and the only hope of the African race, lay
in some sort of compulsory labor, for if left to themselves,
they will surely be destroyed by rum, venereal diseases and
other causes. There is not a coast port, nor any con
siderable trading village where this process is not now
going on. The native population in many coast ports is
only kept up, as it is in Paris, by continued accessions
from the Provinces. ' The American Indians, the Sand
wich Islanders, and many other nations, show plainly what
will happen when a savage race is brought into contact
with civilization. The instincts of a savage lead him to
indulge in the evil which civilization offers, and to refuse
the good. Nor is it sufficient to say " give them the
Gospel." The Sandwich Islanders had the Gospel, as will
never be true of the negro, and yet they are rapidly dying
out. On the other hand the negro increased when set to
work in America, even under the iniquitous system of
slavery.- It is perfectly certain that in daily toil is the
corrective to the evils which civilization presents to the
savage ; not slavery, but enforced industry, paid for at its
132

HOME OF FOREIGN IMMIGRANT. NEWEST AFRICA

OLD .CALABAR.
full market value. In such a community the Gospel will
be welcomed, and will be effective upon men's minds.
Such gross evils as intoxication and licentiousness must be
controlled by law, and then in time the Negro race, like the
Anglo-Saxon, will be able to stand alone. The Negro race
is now able to stand alone in the Southern States of
America. It is not a bright and shining example we
admit ; but it exists and increases ; indeed, it is now
increasing faster than the whites. If the Indians had been
set to work and kept sober, the same would now be true of
them, but every one knows they are destined soon to pass
from the earth. Let the nations of the earth take warning,
and before it is too late, enact such measures as will lead
to preserve the African race, and at the same time make it
valuable in developing the beautiful and fertile continent
that God has given them. It will be a thousand pities if
affairs are allowed to drift along carelessly until it is too
late to save this valuable race from destruction. Con
gresses of various kinds, passing resolutions, and then
going home about their business, a species of moral amuse
ment which the National Governments are indulging in,
will never do any good. What effect will a " Congress "
in Brussels or Berlin have on the distant African trader ?
It will probably make him laugh. The only way to
govern Africa is to set up on African soil a good, wise,
stable government, with one of the first-class nations at
its back. Let regular British, American or German
colonies be formed, and let the colonial government be
administered for the good of Africa, and not of the mother
country. The curse of most colonial governments in the
tropics has been that these colonies were managed to bring
profit only to the mother country, and not simply to benefit
the colonies themselves. The salvation of such colonies as
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Cape, has been
that a large immigration from the mother country has com-
133

OLD CALABAR.
pelled the administration of colonial affairs for the benefit
of the colonies. Give Africa a fair chance, especially the
Soudan, and it will not be long before immigration will flow
thither, and a vast Anglo-Saxon nation will eventually be
formed that will rival in power and influence the United
States of America.
The party broke up at eleven o'clock, and Captain
Thompson took his passengers to the Kisanga. It was a
lovely night. The stars were shining brightly and the
palm fronds rustled gently in the evening breeze, while the
native town appeared in the moonlight like a broad succes
sion of roofs, from under which flashed here and there the
light from lamps and torches, showing that the people were
not yet asleep. As the boat came alongside the steamer
they found the quartermaster on watch was at the foot of
the ladder to welcome them, and it was not long before
each one was in his room, and " turned in " for the night."
By sunrise the next morning Mr. Lyon's boat was
alongside, and after a cup of black coffee, and a bit of toast
and jam, the four passengers got in and were rowed rapidly
up the river. East India bamboos have been planted upon
hillsides, and these great fronds, heavy with dew, drooped
toward the river like great ostrich plumes nodding a
gracious welcome to our friends as they passed. Mr. Lyon
met them at the top of the stairway that leads up at the
end of the pier, and at once showed them over his well
arranged establishment.
Mr. Lyon's place is the farthest up the river of any of
the factories. It is half way round the bend, so that an
excellent view may be had of the river, the shipping, the
foreign settlement, and in the far distance the native town
and the Scotch Mission on the top of the hill. There is a
large town on the hillside behind the factory, but it is quite
hidden from sight by the dense foliage.

134

OLD CALABAR.
Two piers have been built out into the river, one of
which is covered its entire length, and the other is open.
There is a heavy crane at the end of each to raise and
lower cargo from the boats and canoes. The covered pier
is a busy place, for here the oil is raised from the canoes of
the native traders, sampled, emptied into great cauldrons,
where it is heated by steam, run into new casks, and pre
pared for shipment. A railway track runs from the end of
the pier to the warehouses in the yard, and heavy beams
inside the rails are arranged for rolling the great casks of
oil upon, so that they are removed without any trouble.
The platform cars on the railway are used to bring sacks
of kernels or billets of ebony to the end of the pier, where
they are lowered into boats for shipment, and for transport
ing salt and other merchandise to the various storehouses.
When kernels are brought they are measured in tubs and
thrown into a bin, where an endless belt with tin buckets
affixed to it carries the kernels to a higher bin, from which
they descend through a chute to where arrangements are
made for bagging them ; they are then thrown upon the
platform car and rolled away to the storehouses to await
shipment. The power to run this belt, and. also the steam
to boil the oil is furnished by an upright, stationary boiler
and engine. This engine also saws wood, pumps water,
turns a grindstone and makes itself generally useful.
When oil or kernels are purchased on the pier, the seller
receives a due-bill for the amount of the purchase, which
he can at once present in the shop and receive the goods
therefor ; or, he can keep it until such time as suits his
convenience to take his pay. Usually he does not care to
take any goods until he is ready for a journey up river ;
then he calls with his canoes, loads in rum, tobacco, cloth,
iron pots, dishes, soap, salt and other articles, and goes up
to the up-river markets, where he buys oil from the bush-
men and brings it down to sell again.
135

OLD CALABAR.
Besides this wholesale business, there is also a retail
trade, in which the medium of exchange is small brass rods.
These rods are the least profitable of all the goods imported,
and the trader is glad to get them back again in exchange
for fine cloths, caps, umbrellas, shirts, bonnets, shoes, fancy
liquors, perfumery, hair oil, rice, codfish, butter, tinned
meat and many other articles. In the wholesale trade a
certain proportion of each due-bill is paid in brass rods,
and those rods then serve as the spending money for the
native trader's family. Whenever anything is wanted from
the store, the women go out shopping with a lot of those
rods in their hands, much as an American woman carries
her purse. Near the shop door were seventeen hogsheads of
American leaf tobacco resting in a row under a shed. Mr.
Lyon informed his visitors that he would probably dispose
of that amount in a month. It seemed a pity that all this
tobacco should be imported when every pound of it might
be so easily raised in the country. Indeed a large share of
the cargo imported might even now be produced in the
colony, as for instance cloth from native cotton, iron pots
from the iron found in the hills, dishes, soap, salt, rice,
meat, etc. These and many other articles might just as well
be produced at home.
One hundred years ago Australia had fewer industries
than Africa has even now ; to-day Australia is a great
nation. One hundred years ago, steam as a motive power
was unknown ; the same is true of electricity ; what Aus
tralia and America required one hundred years to accomplish
will occur in Africa within the next quarter of a century.
There are men now living who will see as large and
valuable manufactories in the Soudan as are to-day to be
found in Manchester and Sheffield ; while the advance in
real estate after a few years will exceed anything ever
known in the Western States of America. India has to-day
136

ROAD-MAKING. NEWEST AFRICA

OLD CALABAR.
ten thousand miles of railway ; build half that length of
track through the Soudan, connecting with the sea at Old
Calabar, Cape Coast and Sierra Leone, and in a few years
emigration to America will entirely cease, being attracted
by the greater inducements presented by Africa.
Mr. Lyon's establishment is a model of neatness and
order ; everything had a place, and everything was in its
place. Not a loud word was spoken, but everything moved
along the even tenor of its way and every face bore a con
tented and happy expression. The master's care for his
men was seen in the clean and pleasant quarters provided
for them. In the back yard was a fine poultry house and goat
house, and tanks of water in which ducks could enjoy
themselves. There were several coffee trees too of the
Liberian variety, loaded with berries of a bright red color,
looking for all the world like overgrown cranberries. After
breakfast they had coffee from these same trees, which they
found to be most excellent, far superior to what usually is
offered for sale in shops at home.
At breakfast Mr. Lyon proposed a row up to Creektown,
and at 2 P. M. they started in the gig with six stalwart Kru-
boys at the oars. The boat spun along at a good rate and
the ride was most enjoyable. The distance is six or eight
miles, and the time a little over an hour. The mangroves
continue all the way, but they are interspersed with palms,
bamboos, pandanus and other plants, thus relieving the
monotony. All these lowlands would make the best of rice
fields, and in the hands of some large company with capital
to build the needed embankments, would be exceedingly
profitable. These lands may now be had for almost nothing,
and the rice would find a ready sale on the spot to con
sumers. Sugar-cane would also thrive with great luxuri
ance. Creektown, notwithstanding its name, is upon the
mainland and is a town of several thousand people. There
137

OLD CALABAR.
is here a branch of the Scotch Mission under Mr. Goldie,
that has done good work, having avoided the dissensions
noticed at Duketown. A large church has been built
entirely by subscriptions from the natives and traders. Mr.
Goldie has lived at Creektown over thirty years.
After a short call at his house, and a stroll about the
town, our friends embarked and were home again before
sundown. Captain Thompson and Mr. Gilles came up to dinner
and a very pleasant evening -was spent together. The next
morning at early dawn the Kisanga hove anchor and
steamed rapidly down the river.

138

Chapter VII

kamerun, Batanga, eloby.

I8|>| y 1UST as the Kisanga was about to leave Old Calabar
Imfffl I I a native canoe came alongside with some Kola
E&m^ nuts for sale. Our friends were already on deck
sipping their coffee, and the sight of the Kola nuts
led to a conversation respecting their merits. These nuts
— perhaps it would be more proper to call them beans —
are the product of a very large tree growing in the deep
forest. They are a little larger than a Brazil nut, of a deep
pink color, contain no oil, and are enclosed in a thick pod
four or five inches in length. They are moderately bitter,
and taste slightly like belladonna. Chewing them causes
the gums and tongue to assume a peculiar redness which is
disagreeable to see. These nuts have the power of pro
ducing sleeplessness, and of preventing bodily fatigue.
Three or four of these nuts a day will enable a man to
endure severe exertion, without food, and without experi
encing any evil after effects ; and this may be continued for
several days in succession. Two or three of these beans
eaten in the afternoon will enable the student to work all
night, and not feel any evil effect at the time, or afterward.
They do not stupify the senses like opium, nor do they
exhilerate like alcohol ; they produce no sensible effect of
139

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
which the eater is conscious ; all he knows is that he does
not get tired, but can keep right on at his work as if he
were freed from the limitations and necessities of this
earthly existence. These beans have been taken in limited
quantities to England and a kind of chocolate made from
them which is said to produce very much the same effect
that has just been described. A large English firm recently
sent circulars to all the coast ports offering to take at a good
price all the beans that might be shipped ; but a difficulty
was experienced in getting the beans to England in good
condition. The best plan would be to manufacture them
into chocolate, or any other desired form, upon the Coast,
and this manufacture might be carried on at several different
ports. There is no doubt that this might form a valuable
ingredient in medicine that would have a wide sale as soon
as its wonderful properties were known.
At 3 p. m. the Kisanga arrived at Victoria at the foot
of Mt. Albert of the Cameroons range. This mountain
rises from the sea to a height of 13,800 feet and its bold
form stands outlined against the sky. It is clothed with a
dense forest growth, and as the afternoon sun shines upon
it, it presents a striking and beautiful appearance. Sixteen
years ago a Mr. Thompson attempted to establish a sani
tarium far up the side of this mountain, but his means were
not sufficient to enable him to carry the project to comple
tion. No finer location for a sanitarium could be desired.
The Bay of Victoria is one of the finest harbors to be found
on the Coast, and the situation is about midway between
the north and the south, so as to be easily accessible from
either direction. A narrow gauge railway up the mountain
side would not be very expensive, and would give the
invalid or pleasure seeker an opportunity to choose any
climate that suited him best. It would almost seem as if
this mountain had been placed here for this express purpose.

140

KAMERUN,- BATANGA, ELOBY.
The Bay is full of beautiful islands which rise rather
abruptly from the water, and are covered with a solid mass
of vegetation of the most brilliant green, making them
appear like gigantic emeralds set upon the bosom of the
sea. Victoria is exceedingly rich in tropical vegetation.
The heavy forests on the mountain side will be the source
of large revenue, as all lumber will meet with a ready
market. If a railway were built upon the mountain side as
suggested, it would do a large business in bringing this
lumber down to the port of Victoria, and as the upper
slopes of the mountain would be well fitted for European
colonists, it would soon have all the traffic it could well
attend to. These upper slopes would be excellent for coffee,
tea, oranges, figs, and many other fruits, as well as vegetable
gardens and truck farms.
The Cameroons range extends in a northeasterly
direction and forms the watershed which divides the streams
that flow into Lake Tchad from the tributaries of the
Congo. These mountains lie within the German territory
which extends from the Rio del Ray on the north, to the
Campo river on the south. This region, owing to its
dense forests, may not be developed so rapidly as the
Soudan, but it is rich and valuable, and the patient, indus
trious Germans will yet make it a very garden of fertility
and beauty. As Kamerun was not very far away, and the river must
be entered by daylight, Captain Thompson determined to
remain at anchor until midnight and with the change of
the watch steam " slow," which would bring him to the
river by dawn. This gave our friends a quiet evening in
one of the most beautiful harbors of the world ; an evening
they fully enjoyed. Sitting upon the deck in the very
shadow of the mountains, the conversation naturally turned
upon the attractions of Mt. Albert and the other peaks of
the Cameroons range. 141

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
" I have been thinking," said Mr. Alexander, " of the
vast water-power afforded by the tropic rains falling upon
these mountains. Why there is power enough here to run
all the mills in Manchester and plenty to spare. The
amount of power that might be utilized from these streams
that come down from the heights to the sea, is something
enormous." " Yes," responded Mr. King, " the largest quartz mill
in the world is that of the Treadwell mine in Alaska. The
motive power is supplied by one seven-foot turbine wheel,
which runs two hundred and fifty stamps, ninety-six con
centrators, twelve ore crushers, etc., exerting a power equal
to five hundred horses. The wheel operates under a pressure
of four hundred feet, making two hundred and thirty-five
revolutions and using six hundred and thirty cubic feet of
water per minute. The nozzle is three and one third
inches in diameter. With a four-inch nozzle this wheel
.will work up to seven hundred and thirty horse power.
Now think of what might be possible in such a range of
mountains with a frequent and heavy rainfall. In addition
to the factories Mr. Alexander has suggested, what is to
hinder some of these streams running heavy dynamos and
thus generating sufficient power to run the trains on the
railway ? For my part, I can see no good reason why this
should not be done."
" And not these mountains alone," added Mr. Sinclair,
" but think of what might be done in the Kong mountains
as well. Why our generation does not half realize what is
possible to it."
" I would not wonder," declared Captain Thompson,
"if in the next ten years saw-mills were established in
these forests, and who knows but we might get considerable
local freight to neighboring ports as we pass to and fro ? "
" It could scarcely be done without the railway,"
responded Mr. King, " and I think a company might now
142

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
be formed in London to build it, for it would be certain to
be a good investment."
" This mountain," said Mr. Alexander, " is a volcano,
and as grapes always do well in volcanic soil, I should not
be surprised if the vine would flourish on the upper slopes
of the mountain. If it would, the grapes could all be sold
fresh as table grapes, either to the fashionable hotels on the
mountain, or else at the various coast ports near by."
The conversation continued until a late hour, for the
presence of lofty mountains is inspiring, and the possibili
ties of such mountains as those of the Cameroons rang^e,
with a tropic sun, rich soil, and copious rainfall, is indeed,
very great ; and when such mountains rise direct!}- from
the sea, with a slendid harbor at their base, it is a combina
tion of fortunate circumstances over which any one might
well grow enthusiastic. The advantages offered by the
Cameroons range are far greater than those of Kandy, the
fashionable mountain resort of Ceylon.
At sunrise next morning the Kisanga entered the
Kamerun river, and at nine o'clock came to anchor near
the landing of the Basle Mission. The Kamerun river is
not a long one, but it is wide in the tide-water region.
Like the Niger it has a large delta and inside navigation
to the foot of Mt. Albert on the north, and almost to
Malemba on the south. This large delta, like that of Old
Calabar, will be extremly valuable in the near future for
rice and cane fields. The soil is inexhaustible, and as it
can be flooded at any time, new layers of fertility can be
added yearly, as is true of the lands bordering the Nile.
The Kamerun river drains the southern slope of the
Cameroons range, and is composed of five branches which
unite to form this important river ; each of these tribu
taries is navigable for the canoes and flat-bottomed boats to
the very foot of the mountains ; thus the oil and kernels of
143

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
a considerable region are brought down to Kamerun, which
makes that town a valuable trade centre.
Kamerun is on the south side of the river, twenty
miles from the sea, on the first solid land above the man
groves. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow
creek navigable for canoes. On the opposite side of the
river, as at Duketown, is a low island covered with man
groves. The site of the town consists of a clay cliff rising
some thirty 'or forty feet from the water, and sloping very
gradually back to the creek that separates it from the main
land, which is some three miles away. The government
buildings, mission and native town is built on this level
plateau, but the factories belonging to the traders are built
under the hill along the river's edge, for convenience in
receiving cargo and produce, for the river is the highway
of commerce and travel.
The appearance of the town and surrounding country
is pleasing, palms predominating except upon the low
island opposite the town. The oil palms are here finer
and more luxuriant than at any other town on the Coast,
although some settlements on the rivers in the interior are
equal to Kamerun in this respect. There are a number of
good buildings at Kamerun, and these have such a fine
setting in the midst of abundant tropical foliage, that the
effect is attractive and pleasing.
Kamerun is the seat of the German power in Western
Africa, and although it is but six years since they took
possession of it, yet they have exhibited so much energy
that an improvement has already taken place, not only in
Kamerun, but also throughout the colony. This territory
is destined to become a very valuable one to the mother
country. The magnificent mountain range which stretches
to the interior will furnish homes for several millions of
sturdy German peasants ; while the lowlands will make
valuable estates to be worked by native labor under German
144

COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. MOONDAH RIVER. OLD AFRICA

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
superintendence. Experience at Kamerun has shown that
German families can live in the lowlands, but the best plan
will be for German colonists to settle first on the higher
mountain slopes where the climate is more like that of the
temperate zone, and then the children born in this tem
perate African climate will be able to move farther down
in a warmer latitude, and their children in a generation or
two will be able to live in the lowlands quite as well as the
natives, who are a healthy people, as healthy as those
found in any country in the north of Europe.
It is a mistake to suppose that a negro can bear the
African climate better than an Anglo-Saxon or a German.
Such is not the case. Negroes who go to Africa from
America suffer as much, if not indeed more, than the white
American. The reason why the African negroes bear the
climate better than Europeans is simply because the
African is a native and has an African constitution. When
a Northerner goes in summer to the sea-coast region of
South Carolina, Georgia, or Louisiana, what is the result ?
He gets fever and probably dies ; and yet multitudes of his
own race live there and keep their health. This is just
what happens when a northern born negro goes to Africa.
The conclusion is obvious ; the white man can live in
Africa as well as the negro, when his constitution is an
African one. To obtain this African constitution, one of
the best plans is the one that has just been suggested, to
settle colonists upon the mountain slopes in a comparatively
cool climate and let them gradually move down into the
plains. To accomplish this in the Kamerun colony a
railway from Victoria, running along the slopes of the
Cameroons range is necessary, and it would pay the Imperial
government to guarantee the bonds of such a railway if by
this means it might be built at once.
Among the traders who came off to the Kisanga to hear
the news was Mr. Kudeling, general agent for the firm of
X 145

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
Jantezen & Thormahlen, of Hamburg. He was well
acquainted with our friends and at once gave them a
pressing invitation to come ashore and spend the day with
him, which they were quite ready to do. His factory was
near the Kisanga's anchorage, and it was not long before
they were seated in Mr. Kudeling's cool and comfortable
home. It was the Sabbath, so no business was going on,
and Mr. Kudeling was able to give all his time to his guests,
so they talked, and smoked, and enjoyed themselves until
3 p. M., when they walked up the hill to the church and
attended divine service. The building was large, built of
brick made by the members of the congregation, and there
were a little over three hundred persons present, as Mr.
Schiff found by counting them. The preacher was a native
man, and the services were in the Dualla, or native lan
guage. All the older members of the congregation could
speak English quite well, but this language is now inter
dicted, and the rising generation will learn the German
instead. The people are very attentive, and seemed earnest
in their worship, and there can be no doubt that the Gospel
religion has produced a great change in the Dualla people.
Our friends learned that the native Christians sustain this
service themselves, raising the salary for the native pastor
and also supporting eight teachers who have schools in
different villages where the children are taught to read and
also recite the catechism.
When the service was ended our friends called at the
mission which was close by, and were cordially received by
Rev. Messrs. Arntz and Bastin, who have lately come out
from Germany to take charge of this mission. The mission
house is a large one, built of brick, and the greater part of
it has two stories. The ground floor seemed somewhat
damp because of the great number of bananas and other
plants growing near the house, but the second story, being
above most of these, was delightful and afforded an exten-
146

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
sive view of the native town, the river and shipping, and
the lowlands opposite, as well as the mountains in the far
distance up river. This mission is in marked contrast to
the majority of those on the West African coast, being built
in the midst of the native town, and also as near the facto
ries as it was possible to get ; the consequence is that the
grounds are not large, but the missionaries- are near the
people, and the church is convenient of access. After
spending an hour very pleasantly with these good brethren,
our friends returned to Mr. Kudeling's factory for dinner,
where they found Captain Thompson awaiting them, having
just arrived in his gig.
After dinner, as they sat on the piazza by the riverside,
the conversation turned upon the railway from Victoria
along the slopes of the mountain range, and the benefits
that might reasonably be expected from it. Mr. King
thought it might either follow the Cameroons range toward
the northeast and then through the Egyptian Soudan to the
Nile ; or it might presently leave the mountains and con
tinue in an easterly direction until it reached some navigable
affluent of the Congo. This latter plan would create a new
route to the Congo Free State, and to all the net-work of
rivers connected with the Congo System. Mr. King favored
the former route and Mr. Kudeling the latter.
Said Mr. Kudeling : "I think it would be much
better to open up the trade routes, and let colonization rest
for the present. We traders who are out here now want to
make some money. If colonists come out here it will turn
things up side down, and our trade will not be so profitable
as it now is. I am in favor of the railway, but let it run to
some river that empties into the Congo ; then we can put
steamers on the river, and go everywhere with our goods.
There is plenty of ivory, ebony and palm oil in the Congo
valley, and for my part I should like to buy it."

147

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
" I cannot but think," responded Mr. King, " that even
if the existing state of things be somewhat broken up, you
will still find your business, not only as profitable as it now
is, but even more so ; for with the influx of colonists there
will be a demand for a multitude of things, all of which
you could supply, and thus while trade went in somewhat
different channels, yet its volume would be at least as
much — perhaps more. For my own part, it seems to me
this colony has a great future before it. It is nearer the
centre of Africa than any other point on the Coast. It is
far nearer all the richer and more valuable portions of the
Congo Valley, than the mouth of the Congo itself. It has
a mountain range of easy ascent, which does not need to
be crossed, but may be followed at any height you may
choose to elect, and a river with fine tributaries that bring
you to the very foot of these mountains. The soil is every
where rich, the climate pleasant, and the native population
friendly and easily managed. The government, too, is
likely to be successful ; it is strong, and yet gives ample
room for the devolopment of individual and corporate
effort without governing them to death ; and it affords full
security for both life and property. Now build a railway
along the lower slopes of this mountain range, bring out
peasant families and care for them until they are able to
care for themselves ; set these Duallas at - work under
efficient corporate direction to cleaning up the country and
planting rice, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco, and in a few
years you will have a country that will rival Java for
commercial and industrial prosperity."
The conversation was continued until a late hour, and
then Captain Thompson took his passengers on board the
Kisanga, and they were soon in dreamland.
On Monday morning, October the 6th, Mr. Aitken, a
Scotch trader, came on board the Kisanga and invited our
friends to pay a visit to the governor, Baron Von Soden,
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GABOON NATIVE. NEWEST AFRICA

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
and spend the day with him ; an invitation they gladly
accepted. At the government landing is a short pier, and
concrete steps lead to the top of the bluff where the Baron's
residence stands on level ground with shady walks winding
through the lawn — a quiet and attractive spot. The
governor is a pleasant and agreeable gentleman, a great
worker, thinking nothing of throwing off his coat and
lending a hand to help if something heavy is to be lifted,
and often taking a hoe or spade to show a laborer how a
particular piece of work is to be done. He is a great
favorite with every one in the colony except evil doers.
Under his wise and energetic administration the resources
of the country are likely to be developed rapidly. He
received our friends courteously, and after twenty minutes
conversation about the development of the country, bade
them adieu and wished them " bon voyage " and a long and
useful life in Africa. The governor is heartily in favor of
a railway to the northeast, and thinks it must soon become
an accomplished fact.
From the governor's house the little party took a stroll
through the native town, which is over a mile wide and
three miles long, extending all the way to the creek that
separates the island from the mainland. Throughout the
length of the town an excellent road has been made by the
governor, with ditches on each side to carry off the water.
The town is not regularly laid out as a whole, but consists
of small aggregations of houses, each forming a little com
munity, presided over by an aged patriarch who called it
"his town." Those of one name dwell together, and the
patriarch is simply the oldest male member of the family.
Every available foot of space between the houses was
planted with sweet potatoes, bananas, plantains and the
arum esculatum, which is a favorite here, as it is in the
South Sea Islands. A number of cacao trees were growing
in or near each little village, this being a new industry.
149

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
Bushels of the seeds were lying on mats in the sun to dry,
and Mr. Aitken told his companions the factories paid a
sixpence a pound for them. This bean grows well, and
might be produced in almost any quantity if a little effort
were made. As the trees are low and bushy, they would
be well adapted for planting between larger trees, such as
cocoanut, breadfruit, oil palms and mango. They come
into bearing in three years, which would make them
valuable to grow in connection with oranges, which do not
yield largely in less than ten years.
Mr. Alexander was filled with admiration for the oil
palms, which were larger and more luxuriant than any he
had yet seen. There is no more beautiful tree in the world
than the oil palm when it grows on suitable ground.
Quite a number of brick houses were scattered here and
there, and they found a brick church in course of construc
tion by the Duallas. The art of brick-making had been
taught the people years ago by Mr. Baker, a Baptist
missionary, and now the people prefer brick above all other
building material. The men of Kamerun, like those of
Duketown, are largely engaged in the oil trade, loading
canoes and going up the rivers and through the back creeks
collecting the oil and kernels from the villages and bring
ing them to the white traders at the factories. Valuable as
this oil trade now is, it is but a trifle compared to what the
country may produce when a railway is built and large
industrial companies cultivate the soil and develop the
resources of this wonderful land.
Our friends returned to Mr. Aitken's for breakfast, and
then went on board the Kisanga, as Captain Thompson had
sent a note ashore saying he would sail at three o'clock.
Our friends left Kamerun with real regret, and they watched
the long line of the foreign settlement until it was lost in
the distance.

150

or?>
3
0>

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
Captain Thompson kept his ship at frill speed until she
was entirely clear of the mud-banks at the river's mouth,
and then turned southward down the coast, and slowed
down the engines, as the distance to Batanga, his next port
of call, was hot great.
In the evening the conversation turned upon cacao
culture, and the unanimous opinion of the party was that
it might easily become a more important industry than the
palm kernel trade, for whereas palm kernels bring twelve
pounds a ton, the cacao beans would sell for sixty pounds a
ton, and it is almost as easy to raise and dry a ton of cacao
as to crack a ton of palm kernels. The cacao does not
ripen all its pods at once, but they come to maturity
throughout a long season, thus equalizing the labor and
bringing in an income throughout most of the year. All
kinds of spices, too, flourish everywhere throughout the
German territory, and if systematically cultivated, would
find a ready market in Europe and bring a large revenue to
the colony. At sunrise on Tuesday morning the Kisanga anchored
off the factory of Messrs. Hatton & Cookson at Batanga.
A small river empties here into the sea, and only a few
hundred yards back from the beach it falls over the rocks
from a height of forty feet. The cascade is a very beautiful
one, and is one of the few in the world that can be seen
from the deck of an ocean steamer. The Captain took his
friends ashore to call upon Mr. Hervey, who was in charge
of the factory ; he also left word for his surf boats to be
launched and bring off some casks of fresh water from the
river at the foot of the falls.
After a short talk with Mr. Hervey the party walked
out to have a look at the cascade. They found the river
water to be several degrees colder than the sea ; as the
morning sun shone upon the mist that ascended from the
falling water, it formed rainbows that were extremely
151

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
beautiful. Crawfish are found among the rocks by the
native women, and the factory is kept well supplied with
this delicacy. Our friends wished to walk up to the beach
a few miles to see the tobacco farm already mentioned, but
the captain informed them he would leave by noon, and
that there was not time to go there and back again,
especially as it would be high tide in the meantime, and
then they could not walk along the beach.
While they were. at breakfast in the factory, Rev. Mr.
Brier, from the American Mission, three miles below, came
in and was invited to take a seat at the table. He was a
young man, and this was his first time out, but he had
already obtained the goodwill of the native people, and had
an average attendance upon his services of three hundred
persons. When breakfast was over he invited the travelers
to visit the mission, and they were soon in his boat gliding
over the smooth sea, except Captain Thompson, who
remained to transact some business with Mr. Hervey.
At noon the captain steamed down opposite to the
mission to pick up the passengers and also to land a few
boat loads of goods for Mr. Brier. This was accomplished
by 3 p. M., and then the Kisanga steamed away to the
southward. Our friends found the mission to be a much smaller one
than the Basle Mission at Kamerun, but it had gained the
goodwill of the people, and had already greatly changed
their character. A number of out-stations were kept up
where there were schools and the Gospel was regularly
preached. Mr. Brier's house was a new one, and while it
was small, it was comfortable. It was built of planks, on
brick piers four feet above the ground, with galvanized iron
roof, and had a veranda all around it. There was cistern
at one corner of the house, for holding rain-water ; a good
idea ; for the water from surface springs is not always of
the best. The interior of the house had been tastefully
152

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
arranged by Mrs. Brier, and afforded a good example of an
African home. The house is near the landing, and from
the front piazza there is a fine view of the sea ; and when
the air is clear, of the peak of Fernando Po to the north
west. A large tract of land has been purchased for a new
central station, half way between the present mission and
the water-fall, and there on a fine bluff it is proposed to
build a permanent station, when the present one will be
occupied by a native brother.
The Batanga men use a canoe of peculiar construction,
different from any to be found on the coast. They are
small and light, weighing but a few pounds each, and can
carry but one person. With these small canoes a Batanga
fisherman does not fear to go three or four miles to sea in
search of his finny prey, although the fish are usually
found quite near to land. All the fish are caught with
hook and line, and when engaged in fishing the canoeist
dangles both feet in the water to keep his crazy little craft
steady, a proceeding sometimes taken advantage of by
sharks to pull the fisherman overboard and so get a
breakfast. Mr. Brier informed our friends that there were regular
paths to the interior used by the people for bringing down
ivory, which is the staple of trade here. For the first
thirty miles from the coast there is a considerable popula
tion scattered through the forest in villages of from two
hundred to five hundred persons. Beyond this is a strip of
dark, heavy forest, seventy miles wide, totally uninhabited ;
beyond this forest, especially in a northeasterly direction,
is an open country of hill and dale, well cultivated, and
containing a large and thriving population. A railway no
more than one hundred miles in length could reach to this
country, which it is believed by some, will prove to be well
adapted to European constitutions. Mr. Brier greatly
desired to locate in this fine country, but the lack of proper
153

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
means of communication had thus far prevented him. If
but a small portion of the money annually expended upon
the military establishment of Germany were spent on this
fair colony, by another century it would equal in value and
importance the mother country itself.
A few miles southeast of Batanga is Elephant Moun
tain, a tall hill sixteen hundred feet high and densely
wooded to the summit. It would make a magnificent
coffee estate, and some day will become the home of a
wealthy family. The small river they had seen in the
morning Mr. Brier told them was navigable for canoes for
two days' journey in the interior.
As the Kisanga steamed along the coast that bright
afternoon, the shore line presented many scenes of beauty
and tropical loveliness. The Sierra del Crystal mountains
were in plain view, giving the distant background every
variety of shape and form, and sometimes the foothills came
down almost to the sea, everywhere clothed with a luxuriant
forest, whose deep green was turned to almost a golden hue
by the rich sunlight.
At sunrise on Wednesday morning the Kisanga was off
the Benita river, but too far off shore to see objects with any
distinctness. The entire country was covered with forest,
and the Sierra del Crystal range was still in plain sight,
suggesting no end of coffee estates, and happy, prosperous
homes on these breezy heights. Benita is a great place for
elephants. During the dry season they come down from the
mountains to the lowlands and make serious trouble with
the negroes' gardens ; they not infrequently are seen on the
beach, cooling their tender toes in the briny surf. Those
who are fond of hunting would find this a good game
country during the dry season, which lasts from May to
September, although with the exception of elephants, game
is not as abundant as it is south of the equator.
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A RIVERSIDE MANSION. NEWEST AFRICA

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
From Batanga, southward, the climate along the coast
grows rapidly cooler ; the reason for this is, that a strong
ocean current from the south flows along the coast, coming
as far north as Batanga, where it turns to the westward,
and then to the southwest. This current flows at the rate
of from two to three milles an hour, and brings the cold
water of the South Atlantic to cool the coast of the
equatorial regions. The prevailing winds are from the
southeast, and these, blowing diagonally across the river
of cooler water, makes the sea-breeze very cool and refresh
ing ; as a consequence the coast region near the equator
and for some distance south of it, possesses a delightful
climate, by no means so hot and sultry as strangers imagine
must be the case.
From Batanga, southward, fish become more plentiful
as the water becomes cooler, and they are also of better
quality. These fish congregate mostly at the mouths of
rivers, where their food is most abundant ; some kinds are
caught with the cast net, but the larger and finer kind are
taken with hook and line. There is very little trade along
this part of the coast ; ebony, redwood and rubber being
the principal articles exported.
At noon the Kisanga was off Cape St. John and, turn
ing her prow to the eastward, she entered Corisco Bay.
This bay is thirty miles long, and twenty miles wide, but,
while there is considerable anchorage ground, yet it is so
full of rocky ledges and coral reefs, as to be of little value
for ocean steamers ; vessels drawing from four to six feet
can go everywhere, and so the bay may be considered more
in the light of inland navigable water. There is a river of
considerable size called the Muni, that empties into the
northeast corner of the bay, and is navigable for river
steamers for seventy or eighty miles. The shores of Corisco
Bay are hilly, covered with a thick forest growth and are
very beautiful. The population is somewhat scanty, but it
155

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
increases the farther one penetrates in the interior. The
mountains of the Coast Range are here farther from the
coast than they were toward the north, but they may still be
seen when the air is clear. These mountains are full of
iron ore, which the negroes smelt and manufacture into
knives, spears, hoes, adzes and many other tools. The
iron possesses a toughness which makes it valuable, and
the negroes prize it above any iron or steel they can
purchase from the traders. Elephants abound on these
mountains, and their ivory forms one of the most valuable
articles of export from Eloby.
At the southern end of Corisco Bay is the mouth of a
small river called the Moondah. This river in the dry
season literally swarms with ducks, geese, storks, cranes,
pelicans, flamingos and many other birds, and is as fine a
hunting ground as any lover of nature could wish. But a
few miles up this river is something far more interesting
than birds ; it is a large coffee farm belonging to the great
shipping firm of C. Woermann & Co., of Hamburg. A day
spent in visiting this fine plantation may be made thor
oughly enjoyable. A large number of trees have been set
out, some of which are just coming irito bearing. The
coffee is of the Liberian variety, and the quality fully equal
to the best Java. While this plantation is doing well, it is
almost certain that the coffee tree will do better farther
from the sea, and perhaps upon a greater elevation. The
mountains of the interior will be the great coffee district of
the future, just as it is at the present time in Brazil. In
the not far distant future railways will penetrate these
mountains in every direction, and they will then be culti
vated from base to summit, for in this favored climate
every foot of ground can be made to yield abundantly.
In the settlement of Equatorial Africa, contrary to the
rule in temperate climates, the hills and mountains will he
settled first ; the plains and lowlands afterward ; and as the
156

HOME OF NATIVE TRADER. GABOON. NEWEST AFRICA

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
mountains are everywhere covered with rich soil, it will not
be difficult to carry on agricultural operations there, for the
slopes can either be terraced and sown to rice, or breadfruit,
oranges, mangos or other valuable trees can be grown, and
the plantain and banana flourish everywhere. These hills
now support a heavy forest growth, and this can in a few
years be supplanted by fruit trees that will support a large
population. The lowland, as has already been stated, can
be best worked in large estates by native labor.
The Kisanga steamed slowly into Corisco Bay, making
several turns to avoid the reefs, and at 3 p. m. achored in
front of the large English factory at the mouth of the Muni,
of which' Mr. Jones is the chief agent. The Kisanga had
been sighted when she entered the Bay, and as soon as the
anchor was down Mr. Jones came on board and welcomed
our friends once more to Africa. After an hour's conver
sation he invited them ashore to dinner, and at five o'clock
they went, accompanied by the Captain.
The country about Corisco Bay is in dispute between
France and Spain. France has a small station at the mouths
of both rivers, and tries to collect duty on the trade goods
that are landed. Spain has a military station on Eloby
Island, a short distance out in the Bay, and compels each
factory to pay one thousand dollars a year license in lieu of
custom duties, which are more difficult to collect. Between
these two powers the traders have an unhappy time of ¦ it.
Much of the West Coast is now passing through a transition
period, and political affairs are not in all cases as tranquil
as in older communities.
Mr. Jones' establishment is very pleasantly situated
upon a rocky bluff some thirty feet above the waters of the
Bay, and commands a wide view. From the front veranda
the hillgirt shores of the Bay and the islands of Eloby and
Corisco to the westward presented a fine panorama in the
mellow light of the setting sun. This factory is just one
157

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
degree north of the equator, and the days and nights are
practically equal throughout the year. This is a very
agreeable arrangement, and the perfect regularity of day
and night all through the year is much more pleasant than
the constant change found in temperate latitudes.
Our friends were bound for Gaboon, which is only fifty
miles south of Eloby, and Mr. Jones promised to send them
around in a few days on one of his small steamers ; but
Captain Thompson persuaded them to go south with him
and land at Gaboon on their way back, as it was necessary
for him to go to the Island of St. Thomas, and he preferred
to do so on his outward-bound voyage ; so it was settled
that they should go south with him, and they left letters
with Mr. Jones to be forwarded to their friends at Gaboon.
One of the attractive features of the dinner that even
ing was turtle soup. Turtles of large size come on the
sandy beach of Corisco at night and are captured by hunters
who watch for them in the moonlight. They sometimes
weigh as much as six hundred pounds, but the usual size
is from two hundred to three hundred pounds ; the flesh is
excellent, and one of the best ways of preparing it is the
usual negro fashion of putting it in " bundles." To do this
several pieces of banana leaf are cut about two feet in
length, and the mid-rib pared down thin ; these are then
slightly wilted over the fire. The meat is now heaped up
on one of these pieces of leaf, and some fresh palm oil
poured over it and a couple of dozen of small chile peppers
added. The meat is now enclosed in several thicknesses of
the banana leaf, which is securely tied and the " bundle "
placed in the hot ashes, where it is allowed to cook slowly
for several hours. As no steam can escape the meat
becomes very tender, and all the delicate flavor is retained.
This mode of cooking will make the toughest meat tender
and is superior to any mode of cooking meat practiced in
the home lands. Another feature of the dinner was fresh
158

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
vegetables from Mr. Jones' garden. The purely tropical
vegetables, such as breadfruit and plantains, along with
yams, sweet potatoes and the arum esculatum, quite take
the place of our home vegetables, and yet northerners like
the taste of cabbage, onions, lettuce, radishes and cucum
bers, as these remind them of home. All these were grown
by Mr. Jones in his garden. After dinner, as they sat upon
the piazza and enjoyed Mr. Jones' cigars, they were treated
to home-made chocolate instead of coffee. This was
another of the products of Eloby. Mr. Jones has cleared a
space of a few acres on the hillside and planted it with
cacao, and this chocolate was made by his cook from the
beans. Mr. Jones informed our friends that the pods
ripened continuously for several months, and that all the
care the bushes required was to keep them clear of the
grass and vines ; this he did by hand, but when the beans
are raised in a commercial way the cultivation could be
best carried on by mule power. Our friends found the
chocolate to be rich, smooth, and of a fine flavor — superior
to the chocolate offered for sale in the grocery stores at
home. Oranges also grow well at Eloby and ripen their
fruit in May, when they are scarce and high in the markets
of Europe. One of the pleasures of the tropics is that the
open air is delightfully agreeable all through the year, and
unless it is actually raining hard it is pleasant to sit out on
the piazza every evening and enjoy the light, cool breeze.
Our friends continued in earnest conversation until a
late hour, when they returned to the Kisanga, and were
soon asleep in their bunks.
The next day was a busy one, and a large quantity of
cargo was landed. In the evening the agents from the
factories on Eloby Island came to take dinner with Mr.
Jones, and a very enjoyable evening was spent by all hands.
Mr. Schiff seemed to be especially happy ; he had his own
ways to be sure, but he was the prince of good fellows
159

KAMERUN, BATANGA, ELOBY.
and never enjoyed himself as much as when he had plenty
of his friends about him.
The Kisanga sailed from Eloby at noon on Friday, and
before sundown the shores of Corisco Bay had faded from
sight on the eastern horizon.

1 60

Chapter VIII

ST. THOMAS: ANGOLA.

AS the sun rose above the waters on Saturday morn
ing the Island of St. Thomas was seen on the
starboard bow, and before ten o'clock the Kisanga
anchored in the harbor of St. Anna de Chanes
which is the principal port of the island, and a few miles
south of the equator. St. Thomas belongs to Portugal)
and was once a pet colony of the mother country. Roads
and bridges were constructed in every direction over the
island ; the culture of the cane was carried to the highest
perfection, and as many as fifteen large ships were laden
with sugar in a single season. Costly churches were built
in the towns, with variegated marble floors, and statues and
other ornaments ; indeed the island was on the high road
to prosperty, when in an evil hour the culture of cane was
interdicted in order to encourage its growth in Brazil, and
of course the planters were ruined. At the present time
coffee has in a measure taken its place, but the heavy taxes
discourage the investment of capital, and the island is not
so prosperous as it ought to be.
The location of this beautiful island is exceptionally
good, being in the centre cool current from the South
Atlantic, and one hundred and eighty miles distant from
xi 161

ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
the continent of Africa. The land rises in the centre of
the island to a height of eight thousand feet, so that it
has almost . every range of warm and temperate climate,
and almost every product of the world may be grown
there. Under an enlightened government, with freedom
from taxes for a fewyears until its industries were well
established, and a little help from the home country in the
shape of a subsidized line of steamers, St. Thomas could
be made the garden of the world ; as it is even now one
of the most beautiful islands of the ocean.
Captain Thompson had some business errands on shore
and our friends went with him to see the town and for the
sake of a walk. They found it a city of several thousand
inhabitants, presenting much the same features as Las
Palmas on Grand Canary, but with a richer growth of
vegetation. The healthy appearance of the Portuguese
men, women and children showed clearly that the climate
of this tropical isle was healthy, as well as agreeable. If a
narrow-gauge railway was built up the mountain it would
make one of the finest winter resorts for invalids from the
frozen North, and a fashionable resort for merchants and
planters from all parts of the Coast. There is a sub-marine
cable here connecting with Cadiz, in Spain, and Captain
Thompson sent a cablegram to his owners announcing
his safe arrival.
By i p. M. our friends were on board their floating
home, and two hours later the Kisanga steamed away to
the southward, and by nightfall St. Thomas was only a
dark form draped in clouds in the northern horizon.
That evening, as the little party sat upon the deck
beneath the awning smoking their pipes, the conversation
turned upon the reputed unhealthfulness of the African
continent, and its probable effect in preventing colonization
by Europeans. Said Mr. King : " I believe this unhealth
fulness is more apparent than real ; when you come to
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GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. GABOON

ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
examine the matter carefully, you will find, first, that the
climate is not so deadly as is popularly supposed ; second,
that some other countries in the world where white people
live, and I might almost say thrive, are quite as unhealthy as
Africa. That people can live in Africa we ourselves are
witnesses, for three of us have lived there for fifteen years,
and we have found it on the whole a much more agreeable
climate than we have in the home-land. Then we are each
of us acquainted with men of our own race who have lived
thirty years or more and who have enjoyed as good health
as the average citizen at home, and I don't know but better.
All these men I speak of have lived on or near the sea
coast, usually in swampy districts, have worked hard,
endured many privations and hardships, especially during
their first years of residence on the Coast, and have not
always lived as comfortable as we do now. Again, the
entire Western Coast is lined with a fringe of settlements,
often extending up the rivers, with a considerable European
population who seem to get along as comfortably as the
foreign population in any tropical land ; this European
population, stationed every few miles along the coast, is a
standing argument, a living witness to the inhabitability of
the land by the white race. This, mark you, is not theory,
it is an accomplished fact. But are these river and coast
settlements the best for health that the country affords?
Let us take my own country and see how it would be there.
Suppose settlements were made along the Gulf of Mexico,
in the delta of the Mississippi, and along the swampy banks
of that river, would we consider those choice locations for
residence ? Our people live in these places, it is true, and
so they do in Africa, but we all prefer the higher and more
open lands of the interior. Now I do not wish to conceal
the fact that the pioneers in the African wilderness will
meet with a high death rate ; they do in every country, and
they will here ; but that does not prove that the country is
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
not adapted to our race. Look at the settlement of our
own New England States ; the death rate among the early
colonists was enormous, far greater than it probably will be
in any attempt to colonize Africa.
" Another thing I wish to call your attention to ; every
tropical country in the world has a considerable resident
European population ; Mexico, Central America, Bolivia,
Peru, Venezula and Brazil in America ; India, Ceylon,
Burmah, Assam and Java in Asia ; now why should Africa
be an exception ? The fact is Africa is not an exception ;
it is not one whit more unhealthy than many other countries.
It is time the world came to the knowledge of the truth
that it can go to Africa and live as well as it can in any
other hot country under similar circumstances. Run a few
railways through this country ; build one or two cities like
Bombay and Calcutta ; let it be noised abroad that money
can be made in growing rice, coffee and cane ; stop this
everlasting expedition business with its blood and thunder
stories of the horrible ; make Mt. Albert and St. Thomas
fashionable winter resorts for the rich and invalid of Europe,
and you will hear no more of the unhealthfulness of
Africa." " You will surely admit," said Mr. Sinclair, " that
there is fever here, for you have had it twice yourself."
" Yes," replied Mr. King, " I do admit there is fever
here, and the fact that I have had it twice myself shows
that a man can live through it ; but I call your attention
to the fact that there is fever in Cuba, in Vera Cruz, in
Rio de Janeiro, in India, Ceylon, Burmah and all the
countries of Asia. Both cholera and the plague have their
home in India, and have marched through Europe, but they
are unknown in Africa. I do not wish to say that people
never die in Africa, nor that they do not die frequently
before their time ; all I wish to do is to show that in this
respect Africa is no exception to other countries."
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
" I believe," asserted Mr. Schiff, "that a man who is
born to be drowned will never be hung ; there may perhaps
be fever in Africa, but there is no consumption, nor cancer,
nor diphtheria, nor pneumonia, nor dyspepsia."
"Well, I should think, there would be," said Mr.
Sinclair, " the way you shoveled in the turtle at Mr. Jones'
the other night, to say nothing of everything else you ate."
" Jones cooked those things for us, didn't he? " asked
Mr. Schiff, "and I only wanted to do honor to the
occasion." " I must admit," retorted Mr. Sinclair, " that you suc
ceeded remarkably well."
" What do you think is the cause of this fever ? "
inquired Mr. Alexander.
" I do not know," replied Mr. King, " there are many
theories, but the subject has never been studied as it should
have been. The popular idea is that it is the combined
product of heat and moisture ; some think it comes from
decaying vegetation ; if the cause could be surely ascer
tained, it might not be difficult to find a remedy. It is
known that the cause of consumption, which destroys one-
sixth of the human race, is a microscopic parasitic plant
called a bacillus ; something of this kind may possibly be
the cause of fever. Mark you, now, I am only a layman,
and the opinion I am going to express is only a layman's
opinion, but here it is. In some way that I do not under
stand there is generated a certain poison, popularly called
malaria, which most likely is parasitic in its nature, and
which in certain countries is present in both air and water.
This microscopic parasite enters the body, and especially
the blood, and then a war begins ; like every war it is waged
for the mastery ; the body, if it is healthy and well
nourished, will not allow itself to be effected by this
insidious enemy ; the intestinal canal throws it off, the
white corpuscles of the blood devour it, and the body con-
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
tinues in a healthy condition. On the other hand, if there
is any morbid action within the body, caused by fear,
organic weakness, exposure, lack of nourishment, anything
that reduces the vital powers, the little bacilli get the
upper hand, multiply rapidly, break down the structure of
the blood, derange the working of all the organs, and you
have a result which you call fever."
" How can this be either prevented or cured ? " in
quired Mr. Sinclair.
" That is the great question of the age," replied Mr.
King. "The man who can answer that in a successful
and practical way can have a fortune larger than the
Rothchilds. The warmer regions of the earth present such
superior attractions that if your question could be answered
easily, the colder regions of the world would soon be almost
depopulated in the rush for homes in the beautiful lands
of the tropics. Still, I think it will not be many years
before it is known. Medical science has made wonderful
progress in the last few years, and it seems to me this
desirable secret of how to stay the action of malaria is
almost within our grasp. A remedy has been discovered
for consumption ; a preventative for small-pox ; surgical
operations are now successfully performed that were impos
sible ten years ago ; the cause of cholera is known, and the
origin and nature of malaria can scarcely remain a mystery
much longer."
" Has not Louis Pasteur made some valuable dis
coveries?" inquired Mr. Alexander.
" Yes," replied Mr. King, " this distinguished French
savant determined that the disease known as anthrax,
which affects animals more particularly, is caused by a
bacillus known as the anthrax bacillus. He discovered
that if this bacillus was cultivated it lost to a certain extent
its virulent character, and could be injected into sheep
without danger ; he also found that sheep thus treated with
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diluted virus were protected against virus still more intense,
and finally they could be made absoluted proof against
disease. Now, it may be that if the poison we call malaria
could be definitely ascertained, that by passing it through
healthy animals, as is done with the vaccine virus, or by
cultivating it in the laboratory, as was done with the
anthrax bacillus, it might be injected into the human body
and thus render that body proof against further attacks.
But there is another plan of treatment I have thought of :
— the two assistants of the celebrated Dr. Koch announce
that diphtheria and lockjaw may be prevented or cured by
the injection of blood of animals which are themselves
incapable of being attacked by these diseases, because the
white corpuscles of the blood of these animals have a
peculiar voraciousness for the bacilli that cause these
diseases." Mr. Schiff listened with deep interest and was quite
warmed up by Mr. King's remarks. " Who knows," said
he, " but some day I may have the blood of a bush nigger
pumped into me to cure me of the fever ? I believe I will
stick to calomel for a while yet."
Mr. Schiff was a great believer in calomel, and no
wonder, for he had seen it produce most beneficent results
when other remedies were of no avail. The idea which
prevails in some quarters that fever may be successfully
fought with quinine alone, has been responsible for many
deaths. In our present state of knowledge fever may be
cured without quinine, but not without calomel. The
native fever-leaf and pepper may be made to take the place
of quinine, but nothing yet known can take the place of
calomel ; this latter drug appears to neutralize the poison
in the blood, and then, with proper nervous stimulants, the
patient may recover.
It is somewhat singular that savants have not turned
their attention to the origin and nature of malaria ; no
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greater boom could to-day be conferred upon mankind than
the discovery of some means by which the human body
could be made to resist the attacks of this insidious foe.
This discovery should not be a difficult one to make, and
an enormous fortune awaits the man who shall be so
fortunate as to find it. Of course, Africa not only can, but
will be settled whether this discovery be made or not ; but
if a preventative remedy could be found, it would not only
save an immense amount of suffering, but it would make
the white race absolute masters of the world. Take away
the fear of malaria and white men will flourish in the torrid
regions as they now do in the cooler climates, and as it is
the workers who are to possess the earth, so the inferior
nations will be pushed to the wall unless by some means
they be forced into industrious habits.
What a fine field for investigation is here opened to the
young medical student, for this great discovery, as I appre
hend, is as likely .to be made by the young inquirer, as by
the mature student ; for the latter is set in his ideas, while
the former is not handicapped by any pre-conceived
opinions. Let the younger men who are free from family
ties go to the warmer regions of the earth, and there study
this important subject until it is fully mastered.
Three days after leaving St. Thomas the Kisanga
entered the beautiful bay of St. Paul de Loanda in the
Portuguese Province of Angola, nine degrees south of the
equator. This bay is one of the most beautiful on the
entire African coast, and is completely sheltered from the
rollers which come in from the South Atlantic, but unfor
tunately, it is filling up, and steamers the size of the
Kisanga must anchor three miles from the city ; the cargo
being transferred to and from the shore in lighters. The
bay has been formed by a sand-spit, which begins near the
fort and extends nearly parallel with the shore ; this sandy
key grows a little every year, so the bay is constantly
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
extending along the coast, and the upper end is filling in.
The shore on the mainland is backed by a line of hills that
are covered with grass, for the dense forest region is now
left behind, and thick forest is only to be found along the
borders of the streams. The rain-fall here is not more than
one-fifth what it is at Eloby, and in the long, dry season,
from April to November, the country near the sea becomes
parched and dusty. In the interior there is a greater rain
fall and, consequently, more forest and richer soil.
The Kisanga came to anchor at four o'clock on Tues
day afternoon, and in about an hour the Portuguese officials
came off, and after examining the ship's papers, gave per
mission for passengers to go ashore. With these officials
came Mr. Bannister, an English trader, who was well-
known to our friends, being like them, an old coaster. He
sat and talked for a long time, and then invited our friends
to come on shore and spend the evening ; but they pre
ferred to come next day, so it was arranged that they
should come ashore early in the morning and spend
the day looking about the city. The evening was an exceed
ingly beautiful one, but the air was cool, and sitting so
upon the deck, our friends found it necessary to put on their
heaviest clothing, and hot coffee tasted more than usually
good ; indeed, the cool breeze from the South Atlantic quite
chilled them through by and by, and they turned in nearly
two hours earlier than usual. During the night they were
awakened by dreadful groaning, as of a man in great
agony ; they had heard these sounds before, so they waited
quietly and it was not long before they heard the captain's
voice ordering the crew and deck passengers to splash on the
water and make all the disturbance they could to drive the
fish off ; for this horrid noise is made by a large fish, some
thing like a sturgeon, that puts its head against the vessels
at anchor, and then makes this noise, which is heard dis
tinctly all through the ship. The fish having been scared

ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
away, the ship's company returned to their dreams and
were not again disturbed during the night.
By sunrise on Wednesday morning the four old
coasters were in the ship's gig and pulling away for the
custom-house landing, three miles distant. The sandy
reef which shelters the bay is covered with cocoa palms,
and the wealthier citizens of Loanda spend the summer
season here for the sake of the cool ocean breezes. On
arriving at the landing-place a few words of explanation
made all right with the customs officials, and our friends
were at liberty to go where they liked, while the boat
returned to the Kisanga.
The city of St. Paul de Loanda was settled nearly four
hundred years ago. It grew rapidly and soon became of
considerable importance ; large and expensive buildings
were erected, a fort, governor's palace, bishop's palace,
cathedral, theatre, bank, stores, ware-houses, and a large
number of private dwellings. Then came the decadence
of Portuguese power, the city was made a penal colony, and
its prosperity departed. Within the past few years a
change has taken place for the better ; the activity in
African exploration and development has stirred the city into
new life ; more interest is taken in the valuable province,
of which this is the capital, and the home government is
trying to do at least something to develop its resources, and
colonists are coming out in small numbers to seek new
homes upon the virgin lands of the interior. The city
contains, perhaps, thirty thousand inhabitants ; the streets
are of good width and some of them are paved, and there is
a large public square, or plaza, where the people congregate
in the evening to hear the news and listen to the military
band, which discourses very creditable music.
The usual mode of getting about is the machela, a
kind of sedan chair, carried by two stout Portuguese. This
primitive conveyance allows the patient to sit upright,
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
provided he is not too tall, by extending his legs straight
out before him and holding on to both sides with his
hands, so that he may not be spilled out. It is a little
better than a hammock, for it is possible to hold up your
head and look around, but it is a relic of the dark ages, and
should be done away with. Street car lines would be
patronized, and would pay well ; they might be run by
electricity, on the storage principle, and the power to run
the dynamos could be furnished by the strong and constant
breezes from the sea.
Our friends walked through the streets, inspected the
shops, and visited the markets, but the thing that interested
them most was the railway to the interior. We do not look
to Portugal to lead the way in the march of improvement,
but while wealthier nations have been talking, theorizing,
and holding congresses that accomplish nothing except on
paper, Portugal has gone ahead and built forty miles of
railway, and is working away on the second forty mile
section. It is a goodly sight to see the locomotive, carriages
and railway station, and the double line of glistening rails
converging to a point to the eastward, and our friends
lingered long about the station feasting their eyes upon
the welcome sight and wondering how soon iron bands
would span the continent and baggage be checked through
to Zanzibar. Leaving our friends to enjoy themselves at the station,
let us take a momentary glance at the Province of Angola,
of which St. Paul de Loanda is the principal city. This
province extends from the mouth of the Congo to the
German settlement of Angina Pequina ; it reaches half
way across the continent and is one of the most desirable
regions upon the whole earth. Except upon the immediate
sea coast, it is well watered and fertile, and it is doubtful
if any considerable section of the United States is so highly
favored in both soil and climate. The Congo Free State
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
has absorbed most of the low, level land along the Congo
and its affluents, leaving to Angola the hill country, which
is as healthful as the uplands of Georgia and possesses a
far richer soil. Throughout this favored region almost
every product of the earth will grow ; palms and bananas
in the valleys, apples and wheat on the higher lands. It is
in many respects the counterpart of the Soudan, but the
climate is somewhat cooler.
The Portuguese colonies have not usually been con
sidered desirable for Anglo-Saxon emigrants, but there can
be but little doubt that favorable arrangements could be
made with the home government, and if this were done,
Angola would present a far more inviting field for settle
ment than Brazil or Argentine. These two latter countries
have governments and social institutions firmly established,
and these are by no means favorable to the foreign element
coming among them in the form of German, Scandinavian
and Irish immigrants ; but in Angola, which is as yet a new
country, immigrants could mould public opinion so as in a
good degree to conform to their tastes and religious ideas,
and would be far better off than to settle in the American
countries. Nor is Angola so far from the great centres of
population in Europe, for a vessel of the City of Paris type
can make the voyage from Plymouth to St. Paul quite
easily in eleven days ; this is so short a time that almost
every kind of produce except the more perishable vegetables
could be sent from Angola to London without difficulty.
South of St. Paul de Loanda are the ports of Benguela
and Mosemmedes, both of which have a considerable trade
with the interior. One of the principal exports from these
towns is live cattle, which are now sent to Gaboon in con
siderable numbers, and the trade is increasing every year.
There are also valuable fisheries, for the current from the
South Atlantic brings cool water, and the fish are not only
abundant, but of excellent quality also. These fish are
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
dried and find a ready market in all the ports north of the
Congo ; the writer has purchased many large casks of
them to feed to his Kru boys and other native people.
One of the popular industries of Angola at the present
time is coffee planting, and there are many estates along
the line of railway, and even farther in the interior. The
bean is a small one, quite distinct from the Liberian
variety, and many thousands of bags of this coffee are now
exported annually. As the price of coffee has greatly
advanced, and is likely to remain high for some years, the
business is a profitable one, and the planters are making
small fortunes for themselves. Another industry is the
collection of paper stock. This stock, or fibre, as it is
called, is the inner bark of the Baobab tree, and sells in
Liverpool for eleven pounds sterling a ton. The removal of
this fibre causes the tree no harm, for it proceeds to envelope
itself in another robe, which may in time be also removed.
One of these days some enterprising Yankee will build a
paper mill along the railway in the interior of Angola and
ship paper to Europe instead of the fibre.
Angola might grow thousands of tons of the best
quality of figs, and before many years they may become an
important source of revenue. They will grow almost
anywhere throughout the province, and the long dry season
will be most favorable for curing them. A very superior
article may be produced by drying them in some of the
patent evaporators made in America ; these evaporated figs
are far superior to the common sun-dried ones that come
from Syria. Oranges also of the finest quality here grow
to perfection, and as the season is the very opposite of the
Mediterranean countries, they would come into market
during the season of scarcity and bring good prices.
About eleven o'clock Mr. Schiff complained of feeling
hungry, so the quartette turned their steps toward Mr.
Bannister's house, and it was not long before they were
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
invited to sit down to a first-class breakfast. Mr. Schiff
inquired about the railway, and was informed that it was
intended to run first to Ambaca, then to Kassanshe, and
eventually across the continent to the Portuguese posses
sions on the Zambesi. Ambaca and Kassanshe are great
market towns, where the coffee, peanuts, rubber, gum
copal, beeswax, archilla weed and ivory are brought for
exchange for European manufactures. Hitherto these
products were carried on men's heads either to the coast or
to some point on the Coanza river, and from thence to
Loanda by river steamer, but when the railway was com
pleted it would bring all this produce to the coast far
quicker and cheaper. Mr. Bannister also informed our
friends that there were valuable mines of copper and
malachite not far from the line of the road, and that large
fortunes would probably be made in working these mines ;
besides they would furnish much tonnage for the railway.
In the afternoon Mr. Bannister took his guests for a
short drive in the country. They found the ground rather
rocky, and as this was near the close of the dry season, it
appeared bare and barren. Mr. Bannister told them the
rains would soon change all this and cover the bare soil
with a rich coating of fine grass. A great many crows
were seen flying about, and these, instead of being a uniform
black, were half white, giving them a grotesque appear
ance. Toward evening Captain Thompson came, and after
dinner they all went to the square to hear the band play.
The Portuguese ladies were out in full force, and were the
object of much attention from the bachelor party. Mr.
Schiff grew enthusiastic at the sight, and wished to make
love to the fair maidens, but was restrained by his more
conservative companions. It was indeed a pleasant sight,
emblematic of what will soon be seen in hundreds of towns
and cities in this fair land. After an hour spent on the
square the party returned to Mr. Bannister's, where they
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
sat talking and smoking until a late hour, when they went
once more across the lovely bay to their floating home.
The city of Loanda is destined to be one of the great
cities of the earth. There is nothing to prevent its becoming
the peer of Bombay or Calcutta. It has a much better
harbor than Calcutta, with a more valuable country behind
it than Bombay, and when railways shall have been built,
as they soon will be, all through the Congo Valley and to
the southeast toward the Zambesi, immigration will flow
in an ever-increasing tide, and the province of Angola will
become one of the great countries of the world.
The Kisanga steamed out of the beautiful bay of
Loanda at 4 A. m. Thursday, and at nine o'clock anchored
at Ambriz, forty miles north of St. Paul. This is a small
Portuguese town near the banks of the Loge river, which
is navigable for canoes for a short distance in the interior.
By the decisions of the Berlin Conference the territory
north of the Loge river, while it belongs to Portugal, is
included in what is called the Free Trade Zone, and no
duties here can be levied ; as Ambriz is on the borders of
this Zone, it will not possess much commercial importance.
There is a large iron pier extending through the breakers
to the calmer water, so that passengers may embark with
out the certainty of a wetting. The character of the
country is just the same as it is about Loanda.
The Kisanga did not remain long at Ambriz, and after
lunch she steamed away to the northward, anchoring before
Kinsembo at 5 p. m. This is an English trading station,
and the gentlemen from the factories came off to get their
mail and hear the news. Captain Thompson invited them
to remain to dinner, which they did, and spent the evening
also. They informed our friends that the country was
healthy for Europeans, and that nearly all our home vege
tables grew well, especially those of a semi-tropical nature,
such as melons, cucumbers, squashes, eggplants, tomatoes,
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
lima-beans and corn. They said that near the coast the soil
was somewhat sandy and dry, but that back in the interior
among the hills, the soil was fertile, and there was much
more rain. Hills several hundred feet in height were in
sight from the steamer, and the traders said that these hills
extended for a long distance to the eastward, and that very
rich copper mines were found there.
A long time ago a considerable amount of copper ore
was brought by the native people to the factories for sale.
This ore was nearly pure, and of course, very valuable.
By and by the traders began to inquire the location of
these mines, and seemed so bent upon investigating them
that the native chiefs became alarmed, and ordered the
mines closed and no more ore to be sold the factories, fear
ing the white men would come out in force and take the
country from them for the sake of this " red metal." The
time has now passed by when the negro can keep this
favored land all to himself, and it would be good for the
country if mining companies would send out engineers
and miners to open up these rich copper mines, and smelt
it into metal upon the spot. It is very likely that if the
hills were carefully inspected, gold and silver, as well as
copper, would be found in abundance. These mines being
in the Free Trade Zone the Portuguese could interpose no
obstacle to the successful prosecution of mining enterprises.
But the hills of the interior are worth as much for
coffee estates as they are for the copper and malachite they
contain. The summits of these hills will be choice sites
for houses for industrious German, Scotch and Swedish
colonists, who may live here in peace and plenty, surrounded
with every luxury that earth can yield. The coming century
will witness these fertile lands, which can now be had for
the taking, selling in the open market for a hundred dollars
an acre. These lands have not been exhausted by centuries

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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
of cultivation, and are ready to yield rich harvests to those
who are willing to cultivate them.
Next morning the Kinsembo traders landed their
cargo, and at noon the Kisanga sailed to the northward,
keeping the shore-line in view, and at sundown anchored
off Ambrizette, another English trading station in the
Portuguese Free Trade Zone, and just south of the Ambri
zette river. As the surf was high that evening, owing to
a strong sea breeze, the Ambrizette traders did not come
off, and our friends spent a quiet evening under the awning
on deck watching the lights on shore and talking of the
splendid future this fair Province has in store, and which
must soon be realized.
Said Mr. King : " I have been carefully examining
the map, and I am persuaded a railway from here up the
valley of the Ambrizette River, and thence across the
country to the Kuango, or White Water River, would be
an exceedingly profitable enterprise, especially if it could
obtain a land grant from the Portuguese government, as I
have no doubt it could. The Congo, as you know, is
unhealthy as far up as Stanley Pool, a fact well known to
the natives who have left the valley of the river during
this part of its course, and have removed to the healthy hill
country through which this line of railway would run.
The White Water River is navigable, and empties into the
Congo a long distance above Stanley Pool, so that goods
could be conveyed to all parts of the Congo System as
readily in this way as by the Congo itself, and with the
advantage of going through a healthy country all the way.
But what appears to me to be of even more importance, is
the fact that the entire length of the line would run
through a country admirably adapted for European colo
nists. There are no engineering difficulties, the road would
be comparatively inexpensive, and there is nothing to
prevent its construction being entered upon at once. It
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
would not be five years after its completion before the
country would begin to settle up rapidly, bringing its
lands into market, and it would have all it could do to take
the cargo and passengers up country and bring the pro
duce down. The sale of its lands would almost or quite
pay for the construction and equipment, leaving the earn
ings of the line to pay the running expenses and dividends
to the stockholders."
" How long would such a line need to be? " inquired
Mr. Sinclair. "About three hundred miles," replied Mr. King,
" which is but little more than the length of the railway
now being built around the falls of the Congo."
" Does that road have any land grant ? " asked Mr.
Schiff. " It not only has no land grant," responded Mr. King,
" but it runs through a barren gorge among the hills, and
can hope to have only through traffic, while the road I
propose would soon have a local traffic sufficient to pay all
operating expenses, and as good a chance for through
traffic as the Congo Valley Line. Just think of the amount
of rice, sugar, tobacco, cotton, coffee, cacao, spices, yams,
sweet potatoes, oranges, limes and lemons that could be
raised within fifty miles on either side of this road, all of
which would need to be hauled to the coast for shipment,
to say nothing of the forest products. I tell you it would
not be long before this road would need to be double-
tracked." "I have no doubt," remarked Mr. Alexander, "that
all this you say is true, and far more. There can be no
doubt that this is a country rich in natural resources, and
I am amazed that it has not been settled before by white
colonists." " One great difficulty has been," observed Mr. Sinclair,
" that people at home have never looked upon Africa as a
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ST. THOMAS : ANGOLA.
possible home for the European. Their only knowledge
of the continent has come from travelers' tales, mostly of
the blood-and-thunder-dwarf-cannibal-rearguard variety, and
they do not know that it is the fairest land on which the sun
shines. There are just as depraved people in London as
there are in this land, and there is no crime committed here
that cannot be matched in that city."
" Yes," responded Mr. King, " and the same may be
said of America. There are many large districts, some of
them in the older States, where life is far more insecure
than it is anywhere in this land. I have lived in Africa
the greater part of the past fifteen years, and I would rather
trust myself to its people, even in remote districts, than to
attempt to reside in Eastern Kentucky, within a compara
tively short distance of the National Capital."
" In speaking of the tonnage of this new railway," said
Mr. Alexander, " you have said nothing of minerals."
" That is true," replied Mr. King, " they will form an
important and profitable item of freight. There are many
rich copper mines in the hills, and one of them is no more
than six miles from the factories. If coal should be dis
covered in the hills, it would make traffic enough for one
line just of itself. All the steamers that visit the South
Atlantic need coal, and would be obliged to come here and
get it, and this would surely grow to be a large business."
The conversation was not continued as late in the
evening as usual, for the sea-breeze made it most too cool
to sit on deck with comfort, and so the four friends (Mr.
King would not take any) had a nip of bitters, and retired
to their rooms for the night.
The next morning the Ambrizette traders came off for
their letters and the day was spent in landing Kru-boys
and cargo, and at sundown the Kisanga left her anchorage,
and steamed away toward the northward.

179

Chapter IX

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.

AT sunrise on Saturday morning the appearance of
the water indicated plainly the presence of some
great river, for not only did sprouts from the
mangrove, and leaves from the pandanus float
past the ship, but the deep blue of the ocean had changed
to a dirty brown, and the water was thick with the great
amount of alluvium it held in suspension. As soon as it
was light enough to make out the land clearly, the Kisanga
turned her prow to the eastward and began to stem the
current of the mighty Congo. The opening of the river
could now be distinctly seen ; on the star-board bow was
Shark's Point, and seven miles to the northward Banana
Point with the white factory buildings showing plainly
against the background of the deep green forest.
Unlike other African rivers, the Congo has no delta
but empties by one broad mouth into the sea, driving its
muddy current right through the clear ocean water to a
distance of many leagues. The Kisanga pushed her way
steadily forward, and rounding Banana Point, came to
anchor off the factories in Banana Creek. This creek is a
narrow, muddy channel, separating Banana Point from a
low island covered with mangroves. The factories were
i So

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
large wooden buildings, closely grouped together, for the
point is narrow and there is no room to spare. There is
scarcely any shade, and no attempt to make the settlement
beautiful ; it is given up wholly to business, with the sea
on one side and the muddy creek and low mangrove island
on the other — by no means an attractive spot. This then
is the port-of-entry, the commercial metropolis of the great
Congo Free State. Future explorations may discover
somewhere on the lower course of the Congo a site for a
commercial city, but if it be on the south bank of the river
it will be the territory of another nation, for Portugal owns
the left bank of the river farther up than ocean steamers
can ascend. This magnificent river, which drains one of the richest
and most fertile regions of the earth, will probably never
have a large commercial city near its mouth. As heavy
draft ocean steamers cannot ascend it fifty miles from the
sea, it is altogether probable that the greater part of its
commerce will come by rail to various points on the coast,
both north and south of its mouth, where there is abundant
room for cities, and where ocean steamers may come
alongside piers and receive the produce direct from the
railway cars.
Moreover the course of the river is such that the
southern affluents may be more easily reached by a railway
from Ambrizette ; and the northern affluents by a railway
from Batanga, than either of these can be from ascending
the Congo itself. A railway due east from Batanga to the
Albert Nyanza, a distance of fifteen hundred miles, would
cross the most of the navigable affluents of the Congo from
the north ; and a railway from Ambrizette to Lake Tan-
ganika, a distance of twelve hundred miles, would cross all
the southern affluents near the head of navigation of each
of them, and would run through a magnificent country fit
to be the abode of millions of our own race.

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
In our own country but a small portion of the products
of our great Central Valley find their way through the
mouths of the Mississippi to the Gulf ; the great bulk of
these products being carried by railways to the various
Atlantic sea-ports. If this is true in regard to our own
great river, how much more will it be of the Congo, which
is so full of falls and rapids near the sea, as to be totally
unnavigable ? We may reasonably expect that but a small
portion of the products of the immense and fertile territory
drained by the Congo will ever pass Banana Point.
Our friends went on shore at Banana and visited the
various factories ; they found them much the same as in
the Bonny River, except that they were closer together,
and built so as to economize room. The agents told them
that trade was not so good as formerly ; not but that as
much produce was received, as was the case years ago, but
the prices were higher, the market rates in Europe lower,
and the expense of collecting greater. In former times the
native people brought the produce from the interior to
Banana for exchange, just as they now bring it to Duke
town, in the Old Calabar River ; but now they are obliged
to go up the river after it, and then pay higher prices.
They admitted the new order of things might bring pros
perity to the country, but they saw in this result small
comfort for themselves. Already their factories had become
little else than receiving and forwarding stations, and soon
they would be reduced to the position of mere warehouses
— a stepping-stone in the march of commerce from the rich
valleys of the interior to the markets of Europe.
The Kisanga's passengers made a short stay at the
factories, and soon wended their way to the hotel, where a
good breakfast put them in a comfortable frame of mind
and made the outlook for the future appear in a more
cheerful light than when listening to the complaints of the
factory people. They recognized this as a transition period
182

CHAPEL AT GABOON. BUILT BY THE AUTHOR IN 1889

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
from the old ways to the new ; a transition that might not
greatly benefit the Banana factories, but which would bring
a greater measure of prosperity to the country, and, in the
end, greater profit to the commercial firms themselves,
although this profit would not be earned at Banana, but at
many new points up the river. They also began to see
clearly that the best pathway to the Congo Valley was not
up the Congo itself, but from points on the coast where
there was abundant room for cities and sufficient anchorage
for ships. The great Congo Valley is, perhaps, take it all in all,
the richest in natural resources, and the most highly
favored of any region of the earth of like extent. The
larger portion of this vast territory is included in the Congo
Free State, but very considerable portions also belong to
Portugal, France and Germany. Through the centre of
this region flows the mighty Congo, with manyjarge fresh
water lakes upon the eastern and southeastern border.
The greater portion of this central plain is an elevated
plateau, and all around the rim are hills and mountains.
From the hills encircling this vast basin come the affluents
of the Congo, and embosomed among the mountains are
the great lakes already mentioned. A range of low moun
tains near the sea-coast interrupts navigation by filling the
river with cascades and rapids for a distance of nearly three
hundred miles of its course. This apparently unfortunate
state of affairs is really a blessing, for it gives the central
valley a considerable elevation, which in this equatorial
region is a matter of much importance. It is true it inter
rupts navigation, but our experience in America of railway,
as against water communication, shows us that this is a
triffling matter. While river steamers may not descend to
the sea, there is yet more than five thousand miles of inland
navigation connected with the main river, besides, in the
aggregate, several thousand miles of navigation of affluents
183

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
above the falls that they each have, not far from their
debouchure into the main river.
The great central valley of the Congo, while it is upon
a plateau, is nevertheless a comparatively flat basin of
alluvial soil. Here is found that dense, dark forest so
eloquently described by the heroic Stanley ; here also are
the dwarfs, cannibals, and all the other horrors which
travelers delight to describe to a gaping world, and which
has led the unthinking to conclude that the entire con
tinent is made up of this kind of nonsense. It is not sur
prising that the deep forest, stimulated into luxuriant
growth by a rich soil, abundant moisture, and a tropic sun,
should develop some monstrosities, just as is the case in the
slums of London, but this abnormal condition of affairs is
confined to a comparatively limited area ; yet it is doubt
less true that this forest region in the central basin, will be
the last to be conquered by man in the interest of civiliza
tion and the good of the race.
Immigration and colonization will follow the cool,
open, healthy, hill country, which is more accessible from
other points than from the great river itself. The northern
rim of the great basin can be best reached by a railway
from Batanga to the Albert Nyanza ; from the northeast by
a railway now being built by the Germans from the East
Coast to the Victoria Nyanza ; from the east by a railway
from Zanzibar to the Tanganika ; from the southeast by
the Shire River and Lake Nyassa ; but the best route of
all, and the one to be first tried is from the west, by a rail
way from Ambrizette to Lake Tanganika. This latter
route runs through a fertile, healthy, and most desirable
country, and we may reasonably expect to see a large influx
of settlers by this route in a very few years. The Congo
Valley is almost certain to be thickly settled by Europeans
in the hill-country which encircles it, before any con
siderable progress is made toward the cultivation of the
184

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
flat alluvial basin through which the river flows. These
deep river lands can at present be best cultivated in large
estates by native labor, but this will scarcely be done until
a stronger government than the present Congo Free State
takes possession of the country.
The Congo Free State is a novel enterprise, without
precedent in the history of the world. It is a philanthropic
effort in the interest of free trade with the ultimate pur
pose of benefitting the manufacturers of Europe, and
making a market for their wares. The idea of colonizing
the country seems to have been absent from the minds of
its promoters, and no adequate provision has been made
for such a contingency. Mercantile firms may indeed
erect their factories on the river banks, for these great
firms employ hundreds of men and have river and ocean
steamers at their command. If a factory is threatened by
pigmies, cannibals, Arabs or whatnot, by means of their
own steamers men may be massed to resist the attack, or
the goods may be removed until the disturbance has
quieted down. Not so, however, with the colonist who
has no steamers at command, and whose property is of
such a nature that it cannot be readily removed. Colonists
must have a strong and stable government to protect the
law-abiding and be a terror to evil doers. A new country
also needs a government that is both able and willing to
spend a large amount of money in improvements that are
necessary to open up the country and make its resources
available ; this a mere philarithropic enterprise can hardly
be expected to do.
The best disposition that could be made of the Congo
Free State would be to pass it over to the United States of
America, together with the neighboring province of Angola.
There is not a country in the world that would display
more energy in developing the resources of this valuable
territory, and fitting it to be the home of millions of
185

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
civilized and Christian people, than the United States.
The American people have just conquered the greater part
of the North American continent, and they are thus fitted
to conquer a portion of Africa and prepare it for the abode
of the surplus population of Christendom. Nor need other
nations be aroused to jealousy, for they have each of them
all the territory in Africa they can possibly develop. This
is no time to legislate for the petty trade of a dozen or two.
of commercial firms, when a vast territory capable of sup
porting two hundred millions of people needs opening up
to the emigration of the Christian world !
On Monday evening, October 27th, the Kisanga left
Banana Creek and steamed up the river to Ponta da Lenha
to deliver some cargo to the factories there. The Congo
empties by one clear mouth into the sea, but once inside
of Banana on the north, and Shark's Point on the south it
widens to more than twenty miles, the greater part of
which is composed of mud islands covered with mangroves,
as is the case in the Niger delta. A great number of
narrow channels, or creeks, wind in labrinthine confusion
among these islands, while through the centre sweeps the
resistless flood of the main channel, three miles in width,
with a five to six knot current. The Kisanga pushed her
way steadily against the dark brown flood, with solid walls
of mangroves on either shore, whose monotony was occa
sionally varied by the waving fronds of the palm. Every
half mile or so, narrow openings in the dense wall of vege
tation disclosed the mouth of some tortuous creek that
connected the main channel with the net-work of side
channels and back creeks. No birds were seen skimming
over the surface of the water, no monkeys or other animals
among the trees — all animal life had deserted this dreary
region except man, and it is well for him to pass through
it as rapidly as possible.

186

BANANA AVENUE. GABOON

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
Three hours steaming brought the ship abreast of the
factories at a place called Kissanga where the mangroves
give way for a little to a tall, dense forest of palms and
other trees, all interwoven with vines and creepers. Not
a native house was to be seen, and one wonders where the
customers are to come from, but the numerous creeks ex
tend back to the main-land, where the native villages are
built upon level grassy or rolling country. Another hour's
steaming brought the Kisanga to Ponta da Lenha, thirty
miles from Banana, and the head of safe navigation for
ocean steamers. . Ponta da Lenha is a trading station like
Kissanga, on an island on the northern side of the main
channel, and its customers reside on the main-land of the
right bank, as those of Kissanga do on the left bank.
Immediately above Ponta da Lenha the main channel
is blocked with islands, and the passages between these
islands have shifting sand-banks that carry a variable
depth of water of from twelve to eighteen feet. It seems
probable that in some of the connecting creeks a deep, un
obstructed channel will yet be found, but even if there
should be, the river above has so many rocks and counter-
currents that it will scarcely be advisable for an ocean
steamer to go higher up than Ponta da Lenha.
The steamer Kebinda, belonging to Messrs. Hatton &
Cookson, was found to be at anchor at Ponta da Lenha,
and when the Kisanga arrived she was ordered to get up
steam and proceed up river to Boma, to take mails and also
bring down any produce that might be ready to ship. At
2 P. M. she started, and Captain Watkins invited our friends
to go with him, as he was not only an old coaster, but an
intimate friend of Mr. King. Captain Watkins is not only
a thorough seaman, but a perfect gentleman, and he was
constantly doing something for the comfort of his guests,
so that the ride was most enjoyable.

187

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
The Kebinda left promptly at 2 p. m. and crossed at
once to Draper Island, then past the Heron Bank and
presently it crossed to the northern side of the main chan
nel which is followed all the way up. The mangroves
were soon left behind, and their dense, dark masses gave
place to palms, bamboo, pandanus and various other trees,
and in some cases to wide fields of tall water grasses, the
favorite feeding ground of hippopotami and manati. The
river was still filled with immense islands and many
parallel channels as well as' connecting creeks, but by five
o'clock the hills on the main-land of the left bank could be
seen, and half an hour later the highlands about Boma
came into view, and at 6.30 p. m. the Kebinda anchored
abreast the English factory.
Boma is quite as much of a trade centre as Banana,
and like Banana its principal importance lays in the fact
that it is a stepping-stone in the march from the sea to the
navigable waters of the interior. The country as far as the
eye can reach appears to be a succession of low hills, bare,
or covered with grass, and with wooded vales between.
The town itself consists of a number of trading factories,
the Catholic and Protestant Missions and the buildings of
the Congo Free State. Upon an island in mid-stream
there are vegetable gardens cultivated by the factory people,
where nearly all our home grown vegetables thrive, as in
deed they do throughout the greater part of the Congo
Valley. Boma is upon the main-land of the right bank of the
river, at the head of what might be called the "inland
delta " of the Congo ; from here onward to the interior for
several hundred miles at least, the river flows between well
defined banks, although there are many islands in mid
stream. Our friends went ashore to Messrs. Hatton & Cook-
son's factory, where they were kindly entertained, and it
188

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
was not long before dinner was announced, to which they
did ample justice. The bill of fare at Boma is a liberal
one ; in addition to the long list of imported foods, there
are beef, mutton, ducks, chickens, fish, plantains, bread
fruit, rice, palm-chop and the vegetables from the gardens,
besides many kinds of fruits. This does not hold good of
the barren district from Vivi to Stanley Pool, a distance of
over two hundred miles, where provisions are scarce and
dear. Immediately above Boma the river narrows greatly
and the current is so swift that the water heaves, boils and
hisses as it rushes past the points, and in many places
forms whirlpools capable of swallowing a boat or canoe.
Up this swift and dangerous current it is possible to force
a steamer as far as Vivi, which is seven hours distance from
Boma ; but it is dangerous navigation. Vivi is the western
terminus of the railway now under construction around the
rapids of the Congo. The eastern terminus will be at
Stanley Pool, the foot of inland navigation ; and the length
of the line between two hundred and fifty and three hundred
miles. It will be an expensive road to build, but it will
be profitable, for all the trade of the river must of necessity
pass over it.
After dinner the travelers seated themselves on the
veranda on the leeward side of the house, so as to be out of
reach pf the strong draft coming up river, and caused by
the evening sea-breeze, and as they enjoyed their cigars
they discussed trade questions and the prospects of the new
railway. It was soon apparent that the traders had no
thought beyond exchanging the usual " cargo " for forest
products with the negroes of the interior. They had no
sympathy with the colonization of the country, and indeed
they had never thought of it. They were true conser
vatives, opposed to change, even for the better, lest the
189

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
course of trade should be changed to their possible
disadvantage. After all, we cannot wonder at the conversation of the
traders, for the past ten years have witnessed wonderful
changes on the Congo, and still greater changes will follow
the completion of the railway, and a century from now it
will be as impossible to realize that the present state of
affairs ever existed, as it is now impossible for us as we
visit the great city of Chicago to realize that a century ago
it was a far greater wilderness than the Congo Valley
is to-day. The writer first resided in Africa in 1875, and the state
of the Coast was so different then from what it is now, that
as he looks back upon it, it seems to be only a dream ; so
it will be fifteen years from now ; and some of us who have
in the past traversed its rivers and forests in weariness and
pain, will yet be able to fly along over its surface at thirty
miles an hour while we look out of the window at the
beautiful panorama of hill and dale as we sit at the table
and enjoy the luxuries of the season " done to a turn " by
a skilled white cook !
The French territory comes down to the river at
Manyanga and continues along the right bank to the mouth
of the Bunga River, three hundred miles above Stanley
Pool. The lake-like expanse known as Stanley Pool is the
beginning of inland navigation upon the great river and its
numerous tributaries. If this river is ever to create a city
corresponding to our own New Orleans, it will be here at
Stanley Pool. This is the true entre-port of the Congo ; all
the stations from the sea to this point being mere stepping-
stones. The railroad now building through the Congo
gorge will have its terminus here, where freight will be
unloaded directly into river steamers for transport to in
land points. 190

HOME OF FRENCH IMMIGRANT. GABOON

VALLEY OF THE, CONGO.
Before another ten years has passed other railways will
be in course of construction from here to the Coast. The
French have a splendid opportunity for building an air-line
entirely through their own territory from Brazzaville, just
above Leopoldville, to Black Point on the Atlantic coast,
where there is a fair anchorage ground. This line will run
through a rich and populous hilly upland, well adapted to
European colonists, and which will furnish a large amount
of local traffic both in passengers and freight. The length
of this line will be about three hundred miles — a hundred
miles shorter than the river route to Banana.
Another competing route will be from Stanley Pool
to Ambrizette in the Portuguese territory. This line will
be about four hundred miles long, very nearly the same
length of the river route, but there will be one less handling
of freight and the dangers of river navigation from Ponta
da Lenha to Vivi will be avoided. This line, like the
French one, will run through a healthy and fertile region
well suited for white settlers, and will have a large local
traffic. Both the French and Portuguese lines will be
easier to build than the road now under construction, and
are likely to be more profitable, especially if liberal land-
grants could be obtained. Either of these roads offers a
much more promising investment for capital than dozens
of roads now being constructed in the United States. Both
of these roads might run lines of steamers on the Upper
Congo to make sure of securing the freight for their own
line, it would also enable them to contract to deliver
freight from the sea-board to any point on the navigable
waters of the Congo.
The scenery about Stanley Pool is pleasing ; high
hills, some of them crowded with foreign settlements, and
some with native villages, while on the low-land near the
river a dense vegetation attests the richness of the soil.
Kinshassa Station is built beneath the shade of magnificent
191

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
trees that would be an ornament to the finest park in
Europe. From Stanley Pool all the way up to Stanley Falls,
the head of navigation on the main river, the scenery is
extremely beautiful. There is nothing in America to
equal it. True, it is a wild beauty, and sometimes one
wishes there were large plantations and more evidences of
human industry ; but these will come soon enough, and
nothing can replace the wild luxuriance of the dense trop
ical vegetation which crowds every inch of space not
actually covered by the water. In a few years the accumu
lated capital of the industrious millions of Europe will
combine to operate large plantations of rice and sugar-cane
upon these rich alluvial lands, using the native as well as
the imported Chinese labor under the direction of Anglo-
Saxons, and the railways from Stanley Pool will be taxed
to the utmost to carry the freight to the coast.
For those who love quiet waters and the beauties of
nature, no more delightful place of residence can be found
than the rivers and lakes of equatorial Africa. The writer
lived for four years upon the banks of the Ogowe River,
which in its general features is much like the Congo, and a
more comfortable climate, or a more beautiful home, a
lover of nature need not want to enjoy.
There are thousands of wealthy people who have
traveled much and who would like a new experience —
something that will thrill their souls with pleasurable ex
citement, afford them opportunities for telling endless
stories to their friends, and remain a delightful memory
to the close of life ; let such take a trip on the Congo, and
if they are lovers of the beautiful, they will have their fill
and declare that the half was not told them. When the
railway is completed to Stanley Pool, so that not more
than two days need be spent on the lower course of the
river, the journey can be made with very slight danger to
192

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
life ; not more, if indeed as much, as a visit to India,
China, Brazil or the West Indies. It may be that Cook
will soon send out excursion parties,, with steamers of his
own to take them up the Congo, as he now has to take
them up the Nile.
Those who are fond of shooting would find many at
tractions at the present time in the Congo Valley and along
its tributary streams. Upon the land are the lordly
elephant, fierce leopard and many varieties of smaller cats,
savage buffalo and man-like gorilla ; together with herds
of wild boar, troops of monkeys and a great variety of deer
and antelope. Upon the waters are hippopotami, manati,
crocodiles and almost every variety of water-bird ; the
sportsman must be indeed hard to please who would not be
satisfied here. It must not, however, be supposed that this
opportunity will long continue, for as a country is cleared
of its jungle and brought under cultivation the game will
be driven farther and farther away, until as in America, it
is so scarce that there is no pleasure in seeking it.
In regard to the heat of the Central Congo Region,
authorities will differ. The writer has always felt the heat
more than the gentlemen with whom he has traveled or
been associated, but even he, with few exceptions, has not
suffered severely from it. Some cold blooded persons do
not feel comfortably warm unless dressed in medium weight
cassimers. Stanley, in his "Congo," says (Vol. n ; page
314) : " 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. The nights are cool,
sometimes even cold, and a blanket is, after a short time,
felt to be indispensable for comfort. *******
" Clad in clothes suitable for work, an European could
perform as much work on the Congo as he could in Eng
land, provided a roof or awning was above his head."
xiii j 93

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
Apropos of the beauty of the Upper Congo Valley, it
may not be amiss to state that the great Arab trader,
Tippoo Tib, in narrating some of his travels to Mr. Stanley,
said : " He had passed through several towns which took
a couple of hours to traverse," and he described the " beauty
of savannah, park and prairie he saw."
Dr. Schweinforth says : " From the Welle to the
residence of the Monbuttu King, Munza, > the way leads
through a country of marvelous beauty, an almost unbroken
line of the primitively simple dwellings extending on either
side of the caravan route."
All this was on the northern affluents of the Congo,
and directly on the line of the proposed railway from
Batanga to the Albert Nyanza. This road, when completed,
cannot fail to be profitable, and will open up a grand
country, not only to commerce, but to settlement by sturdy
German and other colonists.
Until great industrial companies shall cultivate the
soil and set the native people to work in a systematic way,
the principal exports will be in native forest products, and
it is surprising how many of these there are. First of all
must be mentioned the oil palm, which produces the palm
oil and kernels that are such an important article of trade
on the West -Coast. In some places there are entire forests
of it, while it everywhere abounds in the central basin and
on the islands in the main river.
Perhaps the next most valuable article is rubber, which
is abundant in the thick, heavy forests. Unfortunately the
natives are so wasteful and thoughless they kill the vine
when getting the milk, and thus destroy the goose that lays
the golden egg. It would well repay any commercial
company, now while the land is cheap, to plant the large
rubber tree of Brazil, which will live for a century and
yield a steady harvest of rubber. 194

GARDENER'S COTTAGE. NEWEST AFRICA

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
Camwood and barwood, with other dyes, abound, while
ebony and other valuable cabinet woods are found on the
higher grounds. Many trees valuable for lumber grow near
the streams, and one of the first industries to be immedi
ately profitable after the completion of the railway will be
the establishment of portable sawmills and the converting
of these trees into lumber for building purposes.
Red and white gum copal are found in considerable
quantities, and no doubt other valuable gums will be
discovered. Vegetable oils are extracted from the ground
nut, oil berry and castor bean. Vast forests are covered
with the archilla moss, and tobacco of the best quality will
grow everywhere. Beeswax and honey are collected in
large quantities ; nutmeg, ginger and other spices are easily
raised, and furs, hides and skins might be purchased from
the native hunters. All the African elephants have tusks,
and the sale of ivory will bring much money into the
country for some years yet.
Among the products immediately available are fibres
of many kinds, to be manufactured into paper, rope, fine
and coarse matting, baskets, etc. This may be gathered in
immense quantities, and some of it may very profitably be
manufactured upon the spot. The list need not be extended,
for it is easy to see there is already enough, if it can be
gathered, to tax the carrying capacity of the present fleet
of river steamers to the very utmost.
The Kebinda spent the morning of the 28th taking on
produce, and at 2 P. M. left Boma, and arrived at Ponta da
Lenha before sunset. The casks and sacks were transferred
to the Kisanga the next morning, and in the afternoon she
steamed down to Banana and anchored in her old berth in
Banana Creek. Several of the traders came off and took
dinner with Captain Thompson, and in the evening on deck
conversation was kept up until a late hour, but no new

195

VALLEY OF THE CONGO.
facts were brought out, and we will not repeat it. At
sunrise on Thursday morning the Kisanga steamed out of
the Congo, and soon the mighty river was left behind as
the good ship sped northward along the Coast.

j 96

Chapter X

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.

AT n a. m. on Thursday, October 30th, the Kisanga
anchored in Kebenda Bay, forty miles north of
the Congo. Kebenda has long been the head
quarters of two or three large trading firms in the
Congo, who preferred to have their headquarters here
rather than at Banana, for there was not only a larger
local trade, but the climate was healthier. Kebenda is as
unlike Banana as two places could be ; the land is high,
and even hilly ; country quite open and covered mostly
with grass, with trees along the streams, and the native
population much larger than in the Lower Congo Valley.
Mr. John Phillips, the accomplished and gentlemanly
agent of Messrs. Hatton & Cookson, was alongside the
steamer as soon as she came to anchor, and as he was well
acquainted with our friends, there were hearty greetings
when he reached the deck. An hour later the four
travelers were beside Mr. Phillips in his boat pulling for
the shore, where an excellent breakfast was awaiting them.
The work of unloading the steamer required Mr.
Phillips' attention, and so after breakfast the four friends
sat on the piazza for a couple of hours enjoying Mr.
Phillips' cigars, and then they took a walk around the
197

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
place. The general arrangement of the factory did not
differ materially from what they were accustomed to, but
there was an unusual air of neatness about the buildings
and everything moved on with the precision of clockwork.
The openness of the country was an agreeable change from
so much forest, and Mr. King felt sure white colonists
might settle here at once, especially if they had money
enough to hire the natives to do the roughest of the field
work. At the factory they saw white carpenters at work,
and learned that they suffered no special inconvenience
from the climate ; indeed, the climate here is not hotter
than our own State of Georgia, and the country is at least
as healthy, if not more so.
Kebenda should by rights belong to the Congo Free
State, but for some reason or other a little strip of sea-coast,
not more than forty mile long, has been appropriated to
Portugal, and Kebenda is in this territory. Kebenda is
not likely to ever become a pathway to the interior, but it
might have a railway to Vivi, one hundred miles distant,
that would run through a healthy, hilly country, well fitted
for colonists, and would develop a very considerable local
trade ; or, by changing somewhat, it might run parallel to
the Congo as far as Stanley Pool, a distance of two hundred
and fifty miles, and thus get a share of the through traffic
in passengers and freight. Such a line would pay better
than the present Congo Valley Railroad, for it would save
one handling of freight, and would run through a populous
country that would give it a large local traffic. Such an
investment as this is likely to prove far more satisfactory
to capital than the various South American bonds, so
largely dealt in by English investors.
One of the chief articles of trade at Kebenda is ground
nuts, which, of course, must be cultivated, a proof that the
people of this section are willing to till the ground, and if
there were white colonists to teach them to grow coffee,

NATIVE TROOPS. GABOON. FRENCH POSSESSIONS

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
cane, cotton and tobacco, it need not be long before these
might be exported in considerable quantities. The
Kebenda negroes are fairly good carpenters, and are able
to build schooners that carry ten or twelve tons ; such a
people must be capable of improvement, and with a little
instruction, would make efficient workers.
The Kisanga sailed from Kebenda at noon the next
day, and at 3 p. m. reached Landana, a really beautiful and
picturesque trading station, in the very corner of the Portu
guese territory already mentioned. White factories lined
the beach, and the summit of a hill to the right was
crowned with the substantial buildings of the Catholic
Mission, looking very cool and inviting beneath the shade
of palms and other fruit trees. The gardens and orchards
of these French priests are admired by all, and show clearly
what the country is capable of ; there is no good reason
why the country back of Landana should not contain
thousands of beautiful and happy homes.
The Kisanga did not linger long at Landana, pleasing
though it was to the eye, and at eight in the evening the
northward voyage was resumed, and at sunrise on Saturday
morning she anchored in Black Point Bay. This fine bay
is in French territory, although it is in the free trade zone,
and as has already been mentioned, it would be an excellent
terminus for a railway to Brazzaville at Stanley Pool. Long
before another century has passed away there will be here
a busy commercial city, and enormous fortunes will be
made in the rise in real estate, similar to those made by
early settlers in Cincinnati, Chicago and other cities of the
West. There are a number of factories already here, and
it will not be long before Black Point must take its place
among the cities of the world. This would be a fine
location for a Protestant Mission, and the wonder is that it
has not been occupied before ; the country is healthy, the

199

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
people fairly industrious and capable of improvement, and
its location must make it a highway to the interior.
Just back of the town a short distance is the Luemma
River, which is navigable for boats for three days' journey
toward the northeast. The country is open, except along
the water courses, where there is a rich growth and villages
of the native people are numerous. To build the proposed
railway to Stanley Pool would take from two years to five
years, according to the amount of energy displayed in
forwarding the enterprise, and in ten years from the time
it wras finished the condition of the country would be changed
and an era of prosperity begin exceeding anything known
in the settlement of our own Western States. Nothing
is needed but industry directed by skill and intelligence
to make this land one of the most desirable places of
residence in the world ; provided, of course, there be
suitable means of communication, with a strong and
liberal government. The French territory begins some
miles south of Black Point and extends to Gaboon, where
the governor of this large and fertile province has his
residence. It is true French rule is not in all respects the
best that could be wished for, but the administration of
affairs is constantly improving, and as the French people
do not emigrate, the colony must presently be settled by
Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian immigrants, whose influence
will be more and more felt in the administration of colonial
affairs. Immediately after the three o'clock tea, the Kisanga
weighed anchor and steamed up the coast to Loango, which
place she reached a little after sundown. This trading
station is just below the mouth of the Kwiln River, a very
considerable stream that rises among the hills to the north
west of Stanley Pool. There is also a French military
poste, and several more at different points on the river.

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
Loango is well situated for trade, having a bay some
what protected from the ocean swells, and being near the
mouth of the Kwiln ; but its greatest prosperity will come
from a railway to the interior, opening up a rich and
exceedingly desirable country, that offers at once more
inducements to the settler than many of the South Ameri
can Republics. A railway could be advantageously built
from here to the debouchure of the Lawson River into the
Congo, one hundred miles above Stanley Pool, — a total
length of line of a little over four hundred miles ; every
inch of the way through valuable territory, rich in both
vegetable and mineral wealth and entirely healthy for
white immigrants ; far more so, indeed, than our own State
of Arkansas. To those who think Africa is a sandy desert, or an
interminable jungle full of noisome serpents, cannibals,
pigmies and other dreadful creations, a voyage along this
coast would be a revelation. Why cannot some of our
level-headed tourists come out here and see some of the
most beautiful landscapes that grace this fair earth, hills
and valleys, open plains and park-like forests, navigable
rivers and babbling brooks, palms, bamboos, orchids, gar
dens, towns and villages — the whole fair scene bathed in
the rich, full sunlight of this tropic land. True, the country
is new ; the lines of travel are not luxurious, nor are there
here all the conveniences of an advanced civilization ; but
this is not the fault of the country, which is one of the most
beautiful, attractive and desirable to be found anywhere on
the planet. Lovers of nature who are able to put up with
rather inferior steamer accommodations, will find it will pay
them well to turn aside from the beaten track of travel, and
make a voyage along this coast. When they do so, let them
remember that Africa, like other countries, does not put
the best she has along the sea-coast ; and let them make
friends with the traders and ascend the rivers upon the

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
trading steamers ; or, better still, in boats or large canoes,
and they will behold scenes of beauty that will thrill their
souls with pleasure and delight.
The Kisanga left Loango at nine o'clock on Sabbath
morning, and at noon on Monday, November 2nd, anchored
in Mayumba Bay, a few miles south of the Nyanga River.
Mayumba is a trading station like Loango and Landana,
and like them also it is situated in an open, hilly, healthy
country, and is likely to become a thriving commercial
settlement within a few years. Two hundred miles back
from the coast four rivers take their rise among the hills ;
three of these, the Ngunie, Nyanga and the Ogowe, pour
their waters-into the Atlantic ; while the fourth, the Alima,
helps to swell the mighty Congo. This hill country
abounds in minerals, especially in copper and iron, and as
the soil is rich, the rainfall abundant, and the climate
healthy, it is well fitted for becoming the home of a large
white population. This is the last port in the Free Trade
Zone, which gives it an importance, for the French import
duty is high for a new country.
Mayumba is not favorably situated for a railway to the
Congo, but a line of road two hundred miles long, extending
into the hill country, will soon become a necessity and
would develop a heavy local traffic.
The steamer sailed from Mayumba at sundown, and on
Wednesday morning anchored in front of Manji, just inside
of Cape Lopez, in Cape Lopez Bay. This is the port of the
Ogowe River, a valuable waterway that opens up a consid
erable portion of the interior to commercial and industrial
operations. This river is the scene of the explorations of
the Count de Brazza and his efficient lieutenant, Dr. Ballay,
through whose efforts this country was annexed to France,
and is now regarded as a valuable colony.
The Ogowe is a large river and pours an immense
amount of water into the sea. Its delta is very large and

COTTAGE OF FRENCH PEASANT. GABOON

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
there are a great many channels, forming a perfect network
of rivers, lagoons and creeks. This extensive delta includes
much high ground and a very considerable population, but
most of the islands are more or less submerged during the
month of November, when the river is at its highest stage.
Near the sea there are the usual mangroves, but ten or
fifteen miles up these are succeeded by heavy forest, and
this again by immense fields of papyrus and water grasses ;
beyond these again, at a distance of seventy-five miles from
the seashore, the forests begin again and continue with little
intermission all the way to the mountains.
When the writer ascended this magnificent river in a
small canoe in our Centennial year (1876) it was almost
unknown to the civilized world, and the people along its
banks were Pagans, and looked upon the white man as a
spirit ; to-day Christian churches nestle beneath clumps of
graceful bamboos in several of its villages, and Moody and
Sankey hymns are sung by the people as they paddle along
in their canoes. During the canoe journey just referred to
the hippopotami were so numerous and troublesome as to
frequently place the occupants of the little craft in great
jeopardy of their lives ; to-day the traveler may recline in
an easy chair on the upper deck of a comfortable river
steamer and enjoy the beauties of the passing scene in
perfect safety and comfort.
There are a number of picturesque lakes near the lower
course of the Ogowe, connected with the main stream by
side channels ; some of these lakes are not exceeded in
loveliness by anything that can be found in the world.
They often lie in the very bosom of the hills, with an
exceedingly irregular shore line, the rich tropic vegetation
reflected in the clearest water by the brilliant sunlight. No
lovelier home could be found in all earth's wide domain,
and before another generation passes the world of fashion
will visit these beautiful sheets of water as they now visit
203

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
Como and Killarney. At present the shores of these lakes
abound in game — a veritable hunter's paradise — but it will
not be long before the forests must give way to orchards of
orange, pear, mango and other fruit trees, and coffee and
cacao estates.
All the creeks, rivers and lakes of the entire delta,
and the main stream as far as Njoli, two hundred and fifty
miles from the sea, are navigable for river steamers ten
months in the year. At the very close of the dry season
some of the channels are obstructed by sand banks, but
then most of them carry from three to four feet of water
— abundance for flat-bottomed boats such as we have on
our Western rivers. As a matter of fact, steamers now run
upon the river throughout the entire year.
There are at the present time no finer hunting-grounds
in the world than is to be found in some portions of this
delta and the adjoining mainland. Elephants, gorillas,
apes, monkeys, buffalo, boar, leopards, deer and antelopes
are found in the forests ; with hippopotami, crocodiles and
manati in the river, and birds in almost innumerable variety.
The people will welcome hunters and assist them in every
way,, as they are fond of the flesh of all these creatures, and
will do anything for those who furnish them with abun
dance of meat.
In addition to the animals already enumerated, there
is an abundance of excellent fish, some of them as fine
game-fish as salmon or grayling. No great physical
exertion is required to hunt in this territory, for most of
the traveling is done by water, and one's native attendants
can build him a very decent hut to sleep in every night.
Sporting men will find this region very satisfactory, at
least for the next few years, or until the forests are cut
down to make way for cane fields.
There is a considerable source of wealth in the immense
fields of papyrus, which would be excellent for paper stock.
204

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
If cut at the close of the dry season and baled, several ships
might be loaded every year. But these rich fields are too
valuable to be allowed to grow paper stock ; they might be
dyked at moderate cost and sown with rice. There are two
periods of high water, November and April, and by sowing
at the right time two crops of rice a year could be easily
grown. Capital invested in rice growing on these alluvial
lands could not fail to be well rewarded. The cane would
thrive luxuriantly ; small quantities are grown by the
negroes to chew, instead of candy, and it is not unusual to
see canes as thick as a man's wrist.
The Ogowe is a land of plenty, for almost every
product of the earth will there flourish. The writer lived
four years upon its banks where it flows through the hill
country, and on his grounds almost every kind of fruit tree
known to the tropics grew luxuriantly ; and in his garden
tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, squashes, sweet potatoes,
beans, corn, cabbage, arum esculatum and many other vege
tables throve abundantly, while plantains and bananas
required but the slightest cultivation, and oil palms were
abundant everywhere.
The French have several military postes, or stations,
along the river, extending as far as Franceville, which is
near the headquarters of the Alima, a stream that flows into
the Congo. At Njoli, which is situated at the head of
steam navigation, they have a steam saw mill and many
large magazines, and the entire island is laid out with gravel
walks like a park, with rice and various fruits growing — an
object-lesson of what this whole country may become.
This, be it observed, is in the cannibal-pigmy-deep-forest-
blood-and-thunder portion of Africa, but a more beautiful
land no one need wish to see ; it only awaits the hand of
industry to make it a garden of loveliness — a fair Eden of
fruits and flowers and every good thing. The country is
new we grant you ; but so England was once covered with
205

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
forests through which our ancestors roamed clothed in skins
— a wild and savage horde. Times have changed since
then, and they will change in Africa, and that before many
years have passed. There are post offices in the Ogowe to
which letters may be sent from any part of the civilized
world ; in a year or two there will be telegraphs, and in
another decade a railway. Let those who have the time
and inclination for foreign travel take a trip up the Ogowe
and see for themselves.
Fish are very plentiful in Cape Lopez Bay, and the
factories and military stations at Manji are well supplied
all through the year. The native villages all about the
Bay maintain a steady trade with Gaboon and various
inland towns in the dried and smoked article. These fish
are mostly caught with a net, although many kinds would
afford good sport with the hook.
The principal exports of the Ogowe at the present
time are rubber, ivory, ebony and a very little of oil,
kernels and bar wood ; large quantities of ivory come from
the hilly country to the east and northeast, and, strange as
it may seem, a large proportion of this ivory is not taken
from living elephants, but is found in swampy places
toward the close of the dry season. The Ogowe ivory is
the finest quality in the world ; the average weight of the
tusks being sixty pounds, but occasionally a specimen is
met with as heavy as one hundred and eighty pounds and
eight feet in length !
Between Cape Lopez and Gaboon the country is open
and park-like, prairies and small patches of woodland are
interspersed with brooks and little lakes, with now and
then a low hill rising above the general level. The popu
lation is not large, and the game abundant. During the
dry season, which lasts from the first of May until early in
October, this is one of the finest hunting grounds in the
world ; not only is there no rain during these five months,
206

COUNTRY TRADING HOUSE. FRENCH POSSESSIONS

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
but, being the cool season also, it is delightful to traverse
the woods and take abundant exercise in the open air. If
a party would leave England the middle of March, spend
two or three weeks in Gaboon getting acquainted with the
country and engaging guides, so as to be ready to start out
as soon as the rains cease, they would have a most enjoy
able excursion and secure a large amount of game.
Throughout this section the plantain, banana, yam, sweet
potato and sugar cane flourish, and at the villages moderate
supplies of these and other vegetables may be had. This
entire region is admirably adapted for dividing up into
estates, and every kind of tropical plant will thrive well.
Beyond the Coast Range, which is here little more
than one hundred miles from the sea-board, the country is
considerably elevated, thickly populated, and of very great
beauty ; it is a well watered land, and if it is possible to
judge by the hearty, robust appearance of its people, a
healthy one also. At present the French colonial officials
will not permit white men to enter this fair land ; no one
outside their own charmed circle being permitted to pass
beyond the military poste on Njoli Island ; but this restric
tion, we may hope, will soon be removed.
The Kisanga approached the broad mouth of the
Gaboon River at dawn on the 6th of November. It had
rained heavily during the night, but with the rising of the sun
the clouds broke away, and the rich sunlight shone through
the clear air upon a glorious landscape of hill and dale,
refreshed by the recent rains. The river is from eight to
ten miles wide, and the channel between the banks is well
buoyed and carries a depth of from eight to ten fathoms.
The course at first lay to the south side of the river until
well within Sandy Point, when a course is laid directly to
the guardship, which is anchored in front of the public
buildings a mile from the northern shore.

207

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
Gaboon is thought by many to be the most attractive
port on the West African Coast, as it has unquestionably
the largest and most secure harbor, there being not less
than sixty square miles of anchorage ground. As the steamer
neared the northern shore the foreign settlement came more
distinctly in view ; to the right were the English and
German factories where Messrs. Sinclair and Schiff were to
spend the next three years, and just back from the river,
on the summit of a low hill, Mr. King's home could be
seen nestling cosily amid a wealth of greenery ; away to
the left were the extensive grounds of the French Catholic
Mission, the heavy stone buildings hidden by the rows of
cocoa palms, while just ahead were the French government
buildings and a number of shops and boarding houses.
Several vessels were at anchor in the harbor ; some receiv
ing their cargo of bar wood, and one was unloading cattle
by lowering them into a lighter by means of a rope fastened
around their horns.
Our four friends were in a state of pleasurable excite
ment, for this was the end of their voyage, and for three of
them it was " home," for they had come to look upon Africa
as their adopted country, the land that afforded them a living,
and where they had spent the best years of their lives ; so
they were making up their last bundles, taking leave of the
stewards, and every few moments scanning the shore with
that loving, interested gaze with which one looks into the
face of a long-absent friend.
The Kisanga was not detained at the guardship, and,
passing up the river, anchored in front of Messrs. Hatton
& Cookson's factory. While still coming up the river
boats were seen to leave the shore, and as soon as the
anchor was down they came alongside, and there were joyful
greetings, while the news was eagerly inquired for, and
when curiosity was in a measure satisfied all hands
adjourned to the saloon for breakfast. As the news from
208

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
shore was all favorable, the party that gathered around the
table were as merry and jolly as men know how to be. Mr.
Schiff was especially gay ; he sang songs, told his best
stories, and kept the company in a roar of laughter all the
while. After breakfast the luggage was all sent in a lighter,
and it was not long before the boats followed with all hands,
and they soon landed at the end of the pier that Messrs.
Hatton & Cookson have built out beyond the breakers to
deep water. The custom house regulations at Gaboon are
often annoying to strangers, but our friends were so well
known they had no trouble ; the inspection was soon over,
and strong-limbed Kru boys carried the packages away to
their various destinations, followed by the owners, and the
pleasant voyage was a thing of the past. Mr. King's little
carriage was in waiting for him, and he and Mr. Alexander
were soon rattling through the streets behind a team of
four strong Kru boys and up the hill to the cool and com
fortable home beneath the breadfruit and mango trees.
Gaboon is a long, narrow town, extending for some
three miles along the river bank, and with an average
width of half a mile. The great mercantile establishments
are near the beach for convenience of handling cargo, while
back of them is the residence portion of the town, half
hidden by the broad plantain and banana leaves, as well as
mango and other fruit trees that have been planted for the
sake of the shade. The government buildings, cathedral
and public gardens occupy a prominent position on a bluff
thirty or forty feet high, back of them being the residence
of many of the officers as well as the barracks for the
troops. The streets are macadamized, and in the evening
when the people go abroad to get the air and hear the news,
they present quite a scene of gayety, especially upon moon
light nights. An excellent band plays in the governor's
xiv 2°9

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
garden every Sunday afternoon and evening and upon all
gala occasions.
The land near the mouth of the Gaboon is rather
high and hilly, but a few miles up the river the hills recede
and leave a broad valley that is covered with a thick growth
of mangroves, bamboos, palms, pandanus and other water-
loving plants. This great swamp, or inland delta, continues
all the way up to the foot-hills of the Coast Range, some
seventy-five miles distant. The river is navigable to these
foot-hills for river steamers of the smaller size. The soil
is everywhere productive, and contrary to what might be
supposed, the low-lying river basin is not particularly
unhealthy. Gaboon formerly possessed an extensive trade
in ivory, but this has now drifted away to the Ogowe,
leaving the former little else than her magnificent harbor,
unless she builds a railway following the line of hills
toward the interior, and employs the native labor in work
ing large estates of cane, coffee, rice and tobacco. Iron ore
of good quality is found in the hills, and the natives smelt
small quantities for manufacture into spears, knives, hoes
and other implements. This and other minerals might be
made a source of profit, but for the present the country
may be more satisfactorily developed from the Ogowe than
from the Gaboon.
The Gaboon markets are well supplied with the various
kinds of country produce, such as plantains, bananas, yams,
sweet potatoes, cassava, maize, beans, palm nuts, palm
cabbage, fresh fish and turtle, dried fish from Cape Lopez,
monkeys, deer, pigs and other game, and quite a variety of
forest nuts. The gardeners who have been instructed in
the Catholic Mission also sell all kinds of tropical fruits,
together with tomatoes, eggplants, okra, cabbage, lettuce,
radishes and many other home vegetables. The month of
November is early summer-time in this latitude, and so our
friends had arrived at the season of the greatest plenty

>
X
o>m
o oz

CONGO RIVER TO GABOON.
when the markets were fairly overstocked with good
things. On Saturday evening there was a large dinner party
at Mr. King's house to celebrate the safe arrival of the
Kisanga's passengers, when the gallant Captain was the
recipient of many thanks for all his kindness during the
voyage, and all the guests professed their determination to
travel only by the Kisanga so long as Captain Charles
Thompson was in command. On Sabbath morning the
five friends attended service in the Presbyterian church and
spent the remainder of the day at Mr. Schiff's comfortable
home. Any one seeing Mr. Schiff among strangers would
scarcely suppose he was one of the best of housekeepers,
very few ladies being able to exceed him in this respect — a
valuable accomplishment to those living bachelor, lives
upon the Coast.
On Monday morning the four friends gathered upon
the Kisanga's deck to say "good bye " to Captain Thomp
son and wish him a prosperous voyage to Merrie England
and return. Mr. Alexander was to remain over at Gaboon
for one trip, so the good Captain felt that he was quite
deserted. At eight o'clock the rattle of the anchor chain
warned our friends it was time to go, and with many a
hearty " bon voyage " they hastened down the ladder, and
by the time they had reached Mr. King's house the Kisanga
was in the offing and had turned her head to the northward.
As the four friends seated themselves upon the veranda,
with the wide and beautiful river before them, the tall cocoa
palms waving their graceful arms in the morning breeze,
and the rich sunlight bathing the landscape in a flood of
glory, they heartily agreed that nowhere on this broad earth
was there so goodly a land as Newest Africa !

THE OGOWE BAND

IN ITS

JOURNEY TO THE SUNNY LANDS BEYOND
THE SEA.

By JOSEPH H. READING,
Author "Newest Africa" and other works.

Royal Octavo. Sixty-five full-page Illustrations.

THE design of this book is to give a reliable picture
, of a voyage to Africa and life in that marvelous
sgJSell land as it would appear to a traveler who might
make a voyage to-day. The incidents of my
second voyage to Africa with my wife and daughter in 1880
are here given, under the guise of the adventures of the
Ogowe Band, a party of young people who are supposed to
make the voyage under the guidance of the genial Judge
McGee, of Jersey City. I kept careful diaries of all my
journeys, and the description of places and events are as
accurate as it is possible to make them. The book was
written primarily for young people, but men and women of
mature years have found it intensely interesting, and I have
received testimonials from those high in the social, religious,

political and business worlds. My long residence in the
Equatorial regions enabled me to acquire an intimate
knowledge of the climate, seasons, productions, diseases and
resources of the country, as well as of the manners, customs
and superstitions of its tribes and peoples. The routine
and incidents of daily life in tropical countries is faithfully
given, for this book was not written by a traveler, but by
one who made Africa his home.
There are chapters on Madeira, Tropical Voyaging,
Baraka and Gaboon, Church Work at Gaboon, Nomba and
Ovendo Point, Benita, Bata, Evuni, Batanga, Picnic Excur
sion to Sandy Point, and many other subjects of deep
interest. The whole book is a story of real events quite
outside the usual course of human experiences, and will be
found intensely interesting to both old and young. It is
absolutely pure and clean in text and illustration.
There are sixty-five full-page illustrations, all from
photographs, giving a faithful impression of the appearance
of that wonderful land. The book is a large one, weighing
nearly three pounds when ready for mailing. It is printed
from clear, new type, on fine calendered paper, in one
royal octavo volume, and will be sent, postpaid, to any
address in any country in the world for $1.50.
Nothing could be more appropriate or acceptable for
a Christmas or a birthday gift.
Address
Joseph H. Reading,
No. 421 Chestnut Street,
Philadelphia, Pa.

*"