A journal of a tour in the Congo Free State

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A TOUR
IN THE CONGO FREE STATE

MARCUS

R, P,

DORMAN

THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES

A JOURNAL
OF A

TOUR

THE CONGO

FREE STATE

Brussels.

Printer

JANSSENS, rue des Armuriers, 25.

JOURNAL

OF A

TOUR

THE CONGO

FREE STATE
BY

MARCUS
AUTHOR OF A History of

R, P,

DORMAN,

M, A,

Empire in the Nineteenth Century;
STUDY OP POLITICAL THOUGHT
IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY;
Ifinorance, \ STUDY OK THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OK POPULAR THOUGHT
AND From Matter to Mind.
The Mind of

the British

the Nation, A

BRUSSELS
J.

LEBEGUE AND
46,

Co.,

PUBLISHERS

RUE DE LA MADELEINE, 46

LONDON
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TBUBNER &
DBYDEN HOUSE,

43,

CO., LTD.

GERRABD STREET, W.

1905

Dedicated

by
Permission
to

His Majesty Leopold

II,

King of Belgium
and
Sovereign of the Congo Free State.

1304096

PREFACE.

This journal

minimum

the

practically

Diary reproduced with

order that the impressions

of editing in

gained on the spot should be described without modification.

was never intended

written only as an aid to
little

more than a

Having

left

Government

publication,

memory.

collection of

beyond

against

the

Congo Free State and returned with a
its

favour,

feel

however
I

that

did see for the

whose opinions are not already formed

recall.

in all controversies

where feelings subordinate reason

and people judge more by

many

rough notes.

duty to publish an account of what

benefit of those

and was

Consequently

England with a prejudice

of the

very strong feeling in

for

their

emotions than by evidence,

are too quick to-day to attribute interested motives

to those

whose opinions are not similar

Since a great

number

of people in the

their

Congo and

own.

home

PREFACE

VIII

are curious to

know whether

Government, the
state here

once

Britisli

was sent out by

the

Government or the Times,

for all that

went

to the

Congo

Congo
I

will

entirely to

please myself and with the hope of shooting big game.

go further and

state

order indeed to satisfy curiosity,

was

that not only

the trip cost
It is

went
by

all

however

was

will

not paid for telling the truth, but that

a great deal of money.
delightful to

remember

that

treated with the greatest kindness

wherever

and courtesy

whether they approved of the system of the Congo

Government or not and

here the State

Missionaries of

officials,

and Traders of various
friendship

and valuable

gives

great pleasure to thank
all

denominations

nationalities for their hospitality,

assistance.

M. R. P. D.
London 1905.

THE STEAMER

FLORIDA.

CHAPTER
London

There was no time

Banana.

The ship

to spare.

sailed from

eight hours and I had only just
Southampton!
arranged to accompany Lord Mountmorres on a tour in
He was going out for the purpose
the Congo Free State.
in forty

of discovering the true condition of affairs in that country

and of writing

thereupon for the Globe but inciAfter
have some big game shooting.

articles
to

dentally hoped
one has read much about a country
to visit

this case,

always interesting

and as the prospect of good sport was added
I

once decided

brave the cannibals, wild
i

LONDON TO BANANA

and

beasts,

most dangerous of

the climate,

all

and

seize the opportunity to visit the Congo.

was necessary to purchase? a complete camp outfit,
suitable clothes and much food-stuff and to arrange cerIt

easy for

The

home.

tain affairs at

first

was only necessary

part

was however rendered

to duplicate the order already

given by Lord Mountmorres, and with a rapidity which
could not be equalled anywhere else, the Army and Navy
Stores and Messrs.

and cases

furniture

there are

Silvers
in a

packed and despatched

tent,

few hours.

many and

varied discomforts which cannot

be avoided when travelling in the Congo, or any other
tropical
to

add

and

half-civilised country,

number by omitting

just as well not

by the
few hints may therefore be

their

benefit

A
experience of others.
inserted here without apology for the benefit of other
The first articles to be considered are a tent,
travellers.
bed, and mosquito-net.
with a penthouse roof

Now when

the usual oblong tent

pitched and the bed made, surmounted by the mosquito-net, the only place in which
there is room for it, is in the middle of the tent between

The

the two poles.

result is ihat as the roof slopes,

absolutely impossible to sland upright

much

space

arrange for the

and

therefore wasted.

bed

for the net to

the middle
Circles of

for clothes

and large pockets
It

be attached

and the other side

hooks

to stand close to
to the

on either side and

would be

better to

one side of the tent
sloping roof leaving

free for table

and

chair.

should be attached to the poles

in the walls of the tent itself are useful.

needless to specify particulars about furniture, and

will only say that the folding or concertina pattern bed,

LONDON TO BANANA

\\ashhandstaiid and table proved very comfortable

bath,

and withstood the great
ed nearly every day

down.

should be

six

lor

strong, long lounge chair

In climates

sary.

packed and unpackmonths without breaking

strain of being

made

where there

certainly the

necessitates carrying a

glare, everything

The well-known Lord's

of green canvas.

patent petrol lamp

absolutely neces-

much

good supply of
There

more convenient than candles.

and although it
oil, is cleaner and

best

not space here

to give a list of all the necessities for travelling

and

ing in the forests of Africa

enough

and campone

to say that

cany a complete house, furniture, kitchen utensils
Wheat and milk cows do not exist in the
and much food.

has

It is therefore
and very little grows which is edible.
necessary to carry sufficient flour, butter, lard, condiments, tinned meals, vegetables and fruits in order to cook,

forest

make a variety from the antelopes, fish, game,
chickens which are procurable on the spot.
and
goats
Water bottles and filters are very necessary, but for
and

home -

Africa the best change at
lain cores

and

those which have porce-

are of no use for the water is very

the minute pores at once

become blocked.

muddy,
The char-

although bulky to carry, are therefore the best
The question of alcohol must be left to the
for the forest.

coal

filters,

individual himself, but

must be remembered

are only a very few places where
the

Congo and

that there

can be purchased in

that the Slate officials are only permitted to

have a limited amount for themselves.
best wine for tho climate

good

the healthiest spirit, whisky.

some medical comforts

in the

Undoubtedly the
burgundy, and

claret or

It is

however, well

have

shape of champagne and

LONDON TO BANANA

Excellent native
brandy to take after attacks of fever.
can be purchased tea and sugar must be carried.

coffee

;

Drugs, especially iron, quinine, arsenic and phenacetin
are essential as also splints,

bandages and dressings in

case of accidents.

Now

must be remembered

that the climate is hot

and

Metals rust at once, leather and cloth become

humid.

mouldy, food

keep one or two days only after
and cigars, tobacco and cigarettes

will

stuffs

the tins are opened,

In packing therefore, all the
become damp and ferment.
food, cigars, cigarettes and tobacco should be soldered

arranged that when once opened, it
shut
A tin of sardines or conthem
again.
possible
densed milk once opened cannot be carried in a case liable

and

airtight
is

in tins so

to be upside

some

bottles

down

There are however,
any moment.
with screw tops and india-rubber rings in
at

which Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell send out jam.
are airtight and so very useful for

when

These

they are empty

they can be cleaned and used for milk, sardines, or any-

thing else again and again.

Messrs. Huntley and Palmer
pack biscuits in their usual tins but with an inner lid solAbove all
dered, and these are also very convenient.

remember curry powder,

things,

Worcester sauce,
pleasant
trivial,

if it

but

for

tastes of

something

is really

easily lost in the

pickles, chutney and
even goat's flesh can be rendered
else.

All this

may sound

very important, for the appetite is
if the
strength is not main-

Congo and

tained by plenty of food, sickness is certain to follow.
Leather cases for rifles and guns are not good as they deteriorate.
The best case I have ever seen was made for me

by a ship's boatswain.

was

of strong sail canvas

made

LONDON TO BANANA
to

the

fit

paint

;

and covered outside with ordinary ship's
became lined with oil and the

rifle

the inside speedily

whole formed an excellent guard against the damp.
It is
to
have
firearms
cleaned
and
oiled
however, necessary
nearly every day whether used or not.

Clothes of cloth are not necessary.
flannel

are

strong boots.

Drill,

khaki and

light helmets and plenty of
must be remembered that everything has

with

sufficient

be carried by porters.
Clothes, blankets, &c. should
be packed in tin boxes with rubber edges so that when

shut they are airtight; tents pack in bales and every arti-

should fold up.
The whole equipment
must be arranged so that each load is about 50 or 60 Ibs
and is conveniently shaped for carrying on the head or
cle of furniture

shoulder.

were careful

choose the lightest

articles,

whenever consistent with strength, and thus our baggage
when completed weighed only a little more than two tons.

was ready when we left Waterloo at 10.25 a. m. on
Friday June 24th 1904 accompanied by Sir Alfred Jones
All

Ralph Moor who saw us

and

Sir

The

latter

has had

blood-curdling

much

stories

off at

Southampton,

experience of Africa and told some
of

the

manners of

the natives.

Adulterers used to be punished in a most barbarous way.

youth

who had

of a Chief,

was

and

starve.

left to

severity

Such

and

nailed by the ears to a tree in the forest

Women
manner

all

atrocities

erred with one of the numerous wives

also

were treated with equal

of mutilations were practised.

have of course been suppressed by the

Congo Free Slate.
Having reached Southampton, we went on board the
S. S. Leopoldville, a

ship of about

5,000 tons burden,

LONDON TO BANANA

She belongs

very clean and well-found.

to the

Compa-

gnie maritime beige which runs a ship every third week
from Antwerp and Southampton to Boma and Matadi.
We sailed about 2 p. m. and a savoury smell from the
galley reminded us that

was about seven hours since we

had breakfasted.

Some

of the passengers were English military officers

and miners bound
dently officials

Gold Coast, but most were eviof the Congo Free State.
The conversation
for the

soon turned upon the agitation in Europe against the
Congo Government, and it was extraordinary with what
sorrowful indignation the various charges were refuted.
This impressed me greatly at the time for it was in marked
contrast with the indifference

shown by an average English-

men when his country and methods are abused by foreigners.
Probably the explanation is, that we are so used to unmerited abuse, that we regard it as part of the normal order
The Congo State on the other hand, has only
become sufficiently prosperous to attract attention.

of things.
recently

One of the passengers dressed as a Catholic Priest,
This was Mgr.
proved a veritable mine of information.
Derikx, Prefet Apostolique of Uele in the Upper Congo.

He had had

five years'

well versed in
a

young

and ways.

Another was

M. Arnold, already of the rank
he had shown distinguished service

military officer,

for

Commandant,
the field

experience of the country and was

all its institutions

or rather the forest

and

also as

an administra-

tor at a State Post.

There were also many other officials,
and
commercial agents on board.
soldiers, lawyers
I determined therefore, to read the various books and
reports written against the

Congo

whether the writers

LONDON TO BANANA

had ever been

country or not

in the

who had worked

officials

there,

then to question the

and

finally

see the

actual condition of affairs for myself.

tumbled about

Bay of Biscay

in the

and

little

the

motion did not much aid the digestion of the contents of
histories and blue and white books.
A welcome break

was

therefore

June 29th.

made
is

Crus from the sea
ultra-marine

water

on shore,

;

doited

roofs

grey mountain 12,000

feet

many

bright

high.

other

frowns the great

all,

The

yellow-

among palms and

and behind

the sea are in

In the foreground

very beautiful.

foliage of vivid green,

from

Teneriffe

early afternoon and the view of Santa

coloured

with red

houses

we reached

when

hills stretching

cases terraced for gardens and

vineyards and a new hotel stands out prominently on one
side.
It is a glorious picture, but if the eye is delighted
as the boat approaches

the shore,

the nose

offended

Streets, houses and people near
immediately on landing.
the harbour are dirty and odoriferous and as the shops are
all shut for a saint's day, the town looks dismal in spite

of the bright sun.

After changing

some money

at the

shop of a jew who

gave us the wrong amount and looked injured when we
insisted upon the right, we took an open carriage and
drove

the Cathedral.

from the outside, but

The building

famous Holy Cross which gives the town
are

also

dressed

many wax
in

figures

the costume

not imposing

highly gilded within where
its

name.

representing saints,

the

There
mostly

of the seventeenth century

and

enclosed in glass cases.
The boy v%ho acted as our guide
having discovered our nationality, pointed out with great

LONDON TO BANANA

and finally
English clock
with satirical humour
probably 'unconscious
English
These flags are those lost by Nelson at the seige
flags.
of Santa Criis where he lost his arm and a good story is
English organ,

glee

told about them.

from the

and was very disappointed, when
once promoted, he was forced to apolo-

instead of being at
gize

and

restore them.

next drive up a broad,

to the Bull

town.

ambitious British middy stole them

Cathedral

Ring

A woman

boulevard

fairly well kept,

situated in an open space behind

the

conducts us into the ring and shows us

the stables in which the infuriated beasts are kept before

they are asked to shed their blood for the idle
of the spectators.

look like British, and the guide

refuse to

add ours

amusement

many names which
quite astonished when

the walls are

to their

Commandant Arnold here

number.
takes on board six camels,

hoped these ships of the desert will also sail
in the forest.
well
The experiment is at any rate
equally
not expensive, for they only cost
16 each and will carry
for

hundred pounds weight of baggage.
From time to time the Congo Government has been

several

charged with forcing the natives
and with ill-treating them, and

to
it

work against

their will

has also been alleged

committed many atrocities during
wars against the revolting tribes.
Many of these
charges have been collected and published in Civilisation
in Congoland written by Mr. H. R. Fox-Bourne, the
that the native soldiers

the

The
Secretary of the Aborigines Protection Society.
author has not travelled in the country himself, but relies
chiefly upon the evidence of the late Mr. Edward Glave,

LONDON TO BANANA
at

one time an

tion,

Congo International AssociaSjoblom who was a Swedish

official of the

and of the

late Mi-.

Missionary in the Congo.
ing, for

indeed

it is

been committed

The book

not cheerful read-

chiefly a record of crimes

which have

in the past.

been frequently stated that acting under the
orders, or at least with the connivance of the agents of the
Congo State and those of the Commercial Companies in
It

has

the country, the native police or sentries have punished in

manner

a most barbarous
to

work.

all

those natives

alleged indeed, that

who

these sentries have

hands of those who did not

actually cut off the

refused

collect the

To even
rubber or foodstuff demanded by the agents.
read of such sickening horrors is terrible, and I was
therefore
cials

much

relieved to find that none of the State

on board had ever seen natives maimed

offi-

in that or

There
any other manner by the soldiers of the State.
seems however, to be no doubt that the native chiefs in

and dead as punishment
Derikx
told
me
that he had heard of a
Mgr.
case where a chief had ordered that the hand of his own
the past mutilated both the living
for crime.

son should be cut

off

because he had committed adultery

with one of his numerous wives.

arrived at Dakar, the capital of the French colony of

Senegambia,

on July 3rd.
Navigation is not
a reef runs parallel to the coast and the

at daylight

easy here, for
channel between,

neither broad nor deep.

The town

on the shores of a bay and faces an island strongly
fortified.
The whole colony is bein^ rapidly developed
a railway runs to St. Louis and roads are being constructed
built

;

across the

desert towards

Timbuctoo and

the

northern

LONDON TO BANANA

palm oil is carried on
Several
an important military centre.
of the officers however, were engaged in the peaceful
pursuit of fishing at the end of the breakwater when we
coasts.

and Dakar

flourishing industry in
also

arrived.

At Dakar, Commandant and Madame Sillye come on
The former has served for ten years in the Congo

board.

and

now

taking out ten horses purchased in Senegam-

from which he hopes

bia,

looking
their

breed.

They are a fine
very quiet and well behaved, and take up

set,

quarters opposite the camels without creating any

disturbance.

have

now

quite a menagerie on board.

Besides the camels and horses, there are pigeons to be
trained as carriers, guinea pigs with which the doctors
investigating the terrible

disease the

Sleeping Sickness,

and several dogs belonging to the pasVarious kinds of rubber and other living plants

will experiment

sengers.

also occupy an appreciable part of the

promenade deck.
and
are
Passengers
cargo indeed,
strong evidence of the
earnest way in which the Congo is being developed.
It is

and

necessary

now

to turn

from the actual visual

however, we must bear in mind the

Congo Free
Congo was entirely due to

history of the

of Belgium

aided by

H. M. Stanley.

State.

The opening up

the initiative of

the explorations

the Comite deludes

1882

the

du Haul-Congo but

Association

Stanley and a French officer,

first

late

Sir

descent of

was formed
this

of the

King Leopold

of the

In 1878, after Stanley's

the Congo, a society of philanthropists

facts

While doing so
main outlines of the

study the statements of others.

called

was changed

Internationale

du Congo.

M. de Brazza, then both

LONDON TO HANANA

worked up from the coast at the same time and the former
reached Lake Leopold on June 1st 1882, while the latter
concluded treaties with the Chiefs on the north bank of
the river

The

and founded

the

organised

into

itself

French Congo.

Association of

International

April

22nd 1884

ment

of the United States

the

Independent

once

Congo
State

and

was made by the Governof America that it recognized the

a Declaration

flag of the International Association as that of a friendly

Government.

At the

end of 1884 and the beginning

of 1885, Conventions were arranged between the Govern-

ments of Austria,

Germany,

Great

Britain,

Belgium,

Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Russia
and Sweden and Norway and the International Association
of the Congo in which

all

those countries recognised the

flag of the International Association

Government.
of the

It is

as that of a friendly

therefore clear that the chief

World regarded

Powers

the Association as an Independent

and negotiated with it as such.
At the same time the Powers of Europe were annexing
various parts of Africa, and with the idea of regulating in
State

a spirit of mutual goodwill the conditions most favourable
for the

development of

civilisation

and commerce, a Confe-

rence was arranged at Berlin by Prince Bismarck. All the
Powers of Europe and the United States of America sent
plenipotentiaries

who

sat

from November 15th 1884

February 26lh 1885 and agreed
Berlin of the latter date.

In this

to
it

nations should enjoy complete liberty of

decreed that

commerce

the territories constituting the basin of the
tributaries,

and

the General Act of
all

in all

Congo and its
men-

also in other parts of Central Africa

LONDON TO BANANA

12
that

tioned,

Congo

should be

slavery

river should be

shall

have

open

and

abolished

general navigation.
Treaty later, but

refer to this

important to note here that the United States of

and

America

Powers of Europe had recognised the

the great

all

that the

International Association as an Independent State before

was signed.
Furthermore, before this date, Conventions
had been signed with France and Portugal to arrange the
frontiers

between the

territories of those

The General Act

International Association.

however nothing

do with frontiers

general principles which

Powers and the

of Berlin

had

but stated the

at all,

seemed were best suited

to the

needs of the people and territories in Central Africa, to
which all the African Powers, and among them the International Association, voluntarily agreed.

the territories defined,

and

that the Act itself

therefore

clear that the clauses of the Act apply to all the

Powers

was not con-

cerned with founding or regulating the system of Govern-

ment

of the International Association,

later took the

name

His Majesty King Leopold

While engaged

which

of the fitat Independant
II.

six

months

du Congo with

as sovereign.

in studying these treaties,

arrived at

Free Town, Sierra Leone on July 5th.
Here again the
A reef runs
place forms a beautiful picture from the sea.
far out

and

marked by

a lighthouse,

while the town

protected by a fort with grass ramparts, lies on the
south side of a kind of bay, which, however, has more the
itself,

appearance of the mouth of a large
tropical plants

grow

to the water's

river.

Palms and other

edge and among them

are yellow and red houses while higher up the hills behind,
are isolated bungalows and the barracks, at this time

LONDON TO BANANA

In the distance,
occupied by the West African regiment.
bleak and bare mountains passively regard the scene. On
landing, one meets faces showing every shade from ivory

black and clothes of every known colour.
The roads are not paved in any way, as there are neither

white to

jet

Indeed, the houses are

horses nor wheeled vehicles here.

rows facing each other, a gutter is cut in front and
The Custom House is
the space between forms a street.
built in

an imposing structure near the beach and the Cathedral is
a handsome Gothic church, but as one end was covered
with scaffolding,
way runs up the

and a

was not looking

hill to the

was arranged

special train

its

best.

light rail-

barracks of the native regiment
for the passengers of the

Leopoldville.

Hotel accommodation in Sierra Leone
for

it,

limited.

It is,

sion that

however, possible

Altogether Free

Victoria.

at the

is,

Town

like the

to obtain a

watering place

meal

leaves the impres-

could be developed into a most
if it

demand

attractive

were nearer Europe and had a better

climate.
It

now

getting rather hot

and

tropical, while the sea

as smooth as a mirror and equally reflects the glare.

continue to read up the Congo controversy.
The
of
Mr.
at
time
British
at
one
Consul
Casement,
report
I

Boma, created
stated

that

He
appeared.
Congo Free State had granted conces-

quite a sensation

the

when

sions to Trading Companies, which

a fact, and that the

agents of these companies compelled .the natives by force
to collect rubber,

prove

by his

which however, he does not attempt

own

experience, but relies entirely upon

reports of natives and hearsay evidence.

He quoted one

LONDON TO UANANA

case which illustrates the extreme difficulty of discovering

He examined

the truth from natives.

who

named Epondo

a boy

hand had been cut

by a native
Mr.
Casement
native
the
Not
dialect,
knowing
sentry.
but
he
was
convinced
by the
employed an interpreter,
manner and gestures of the villagers that the boy's story
stated that his left

When

off

was again
when he at once
contradicted the first statement and said that his arm and
hand had been severely bitten by a wild boar when he was
was

true.

the report appeared, the boy

examined by some

officials of the State,

a child and that the

hand afterwards

these tales

false

obviously
which, for the scar of a clean cut
that following gangrene.

Now

fell off.

and there

wound

at this

However,

one of

evidence to show
different

time

from

had not

This is
seen the boy, so of course could give no opinion.
the only case of reputed mutilation which could be discovered for the benefit of Mr.

Casement and was a very

unfortunate example of an atrocity, for in the

was

the

left

hand

supposed always
there

was

that
to

was missing and

first

place

the soldiers were

cut off the right, and in the second,

great doubt whether

was

the result

of an

accident or not.

were now coasting

who was

command

off Liberia

and Captain Sparrow

of the Leopoldville cheered us

with the statement that the charts of this part had not been
revised for eighty years, that there were many rocks and
that ships frequently

went ashore here.

Wreckers then

It is not therewent out and looted everything on board.
a
in
make
an enforced
which
to
fore,
pleasant place

landing
Liberia

itself

however,

must be interesting

visit,

LONDON TO BANANA

an independent republic of negroes wilh an elected
It sells
President, Senate and House of Representatives.
for

palm

oil

to other countries

and buys

alcohol,

arms and

peaceful luminant and
lubricant for the elements of moral and physical strife.

ammunition,

thus exchanging a

Fortunately no rocks appear through the bottom of the ^hip

Commandant

and

Sillye

the

relieves

monotony of the

voyage by describing the Constitution of the Congo State,
which however, like other constitutions, is occasionally
revised.

its

head

the Sovereign of the State aided

by Ministers at Brussels, next in rank

comes

the Governor-

and Vice-Governor-Generals, one of whom is
There are also Royal Commissioners and
always at Boma.
General

Inspectors of the State

whose duties are not
is

who

are very high officials,

easily defined.

but

The whole country

divided into Districts which are governed by District

The

Commissioners.

Districts

are

divided into zones

ruled by zone chiefs under the control of the District
missioners.

manded by

Finally the

Com-

and Stations are com-

Posts

Post- Commanders.

All these

may be

des-

cribed as civil administrative officials who, subject to the

general system and laws have practical control over more or

The

less limited areas.

rank as Commandant,

of the Force Publique

officers

Captain,

Lieutenant and Under-

Lieutenant, and there are also several white non-commis-

sioned officers.

and

The

natives rank as sergeants, corporals

privates.

July 8th

arrive at Sekondi,

The town from the sea seems
and huts with the usual red
shore

an old Dutch

fort

Gold Coast Colony.
houses

to consist of white

roofs.

now used

a hillock near the

as a signalling station,

LONDON TO BANANA

and on
built

the

left,

half

The place

for there is not

We anchor

way np

much

colour and no mountains are visible.

boats at once put off

who

sit

the beach

and several open

These are each propelled by ten or
on the sides of the boat and ply

their paddles, lustily singing as they

The paddles

with a will.

an hotel has been

not very pretty or attractive-looking

some distance from

twelve natives,

a hill,

work

together and

shaped somewhat

like those

of a Canadian canoe, except that the blade is star shaped.
All the cargo is swung overboard into these boats or
canoes as they are called, and the passengers are lowered
As there is a heavy ground swell
in a kind of chair.
the
canoes
are
bobbing up and down like corks
running,

suspended in mid air and lowered rapidly as tho canoe washes up, while all hope that it
and its occupant will descend at the right moment.
alongside.

One

The -chair

was an English

of the passengprs

Wheeler, with

whom we

cricket on the voyage.

Captain

First his regulation seventy cubic

baggage was lowered
no one without the aid of

feet of

for

officer,

had played many games of deck
an extraordinary amount,
a slide

rule

and logarithms

could possibly calculate it
and then he himself made the
descent
without
a
He would next
perilous
ducking.

have 240 miles of train journey to Coomassie and then a
walk or rather a journey in a hammock - for another

300 miles

now

to his station.

travel .parallel to the

Gold Coast which looks

hot and uninviting, for there are but few
patches of green
or trees until Cape Coast Castle is reached.
Here is
a

fort

dealers

which must have
greatly

the

impressed natives and slave
a few
houses and an
past,

LONDON TO BANANA

The
imposing looking church dotted in the red sand.
whole line of the Coast here, somewhat recalls the Atlantic
sea board of Georgia,

U. S. A. and

though they would be as hot as Aden

he towns look as

at its best or rather

worst.
After

leaving the Gold Coast,

our course

shaped
There

across the Bight of Benin straight for the Congo.
is

plenty of time therefore, to study the system of justice

in the

This, like everything else in the country,

Congo.

There is a Court of
essentially simple and practical.
Premiere Instance at Boma and others called Territorial

Courts at Matadi, Stanley Pool, East Kwango, The Equator, Bangalas, Aruwimi, Stanley Falls and Kassai (1).
In each Court

and

a Judge, an Officer of the Public Ministry

a Registrar, but in the Territorial Courts, the judge

may assume
civil

the functions of

These courts hear

all.

all

whether European or native, but the Court at
alone competent to hear trials for capital offences,

cases,

Boma

whether committed by soldiers or

civilians.

The Court of

Appeal consists of the President, two Judges, an Officer of

and hears all appeals
from the judgments of the other Courts, and also from those
given by Courts Martial against civilians who are not

the Public Ministry and a Registrar,

Natives

natives in those regions subjected to special rule.

who commit

offences against other natives, are

dealt with by the local Chief (2).

(1)

This

list

left to

The Public Minister can

taken from Justice Repressive (Etat In dependant du
Since then oilier Territorial

Congo) nniJ is based on a Decree of 1896.
Courls have been or are about to be alded.
(2)

Some

of the greater Chiefs and Sultans have the

power

to inflict

the death sentence.
2

LONDON TO BANANA

18
however
if left

interfere

if he

thinks the crime will not be punished

to the Chief.

The Public Ministry

consists

who

the

Procureur

acts in the

d'Etat

Court of

Sovereign,
appointed by
Appeal and of substitutes appointed by the Governor General,

ver

who
all

State

Their duty

act in the other Courts.

infractions of the law

and

to see that all

penal regulations

are

in the

whole

is to

disco-

territory of the

decrees, arrests, ordinances and

carried

They are

out.

instructed to arrange that any native
receives full compensation before

especially

who has been

any

fine

injured

taken

to the

profit of the State.

Any region can be placed under military law by a
Civilians however, are
decree of the Governor General.
only subject to the ordinary penal laws, and those who are
not natives, can appeal against any decision of a Court
Martial.

ably and

In practice these simple methods
it

is difficult to

work admir-

understand why they should not

be equally successful in old civilised countries and a good
substitute for the complicated

to-day.

and cumbrous machinery of

THE NATIVE HOSPITAL AT BOMA.

CHAPTER
Banana

The amount
of July

mouth

12th

II.

Leopoldville.

of sand in the bath water on the

of a large river.

morning

we were approaching

indicated that

The

Atlantic indeed,

the

which had

varied in colour from dirty green near the English Channel

marine at Teneriffe, was nowVf a fine amber tint.
As yet land was not in sight it was comparatively cool
and a slight breeze was blowing. About midday the low
to ultra

;

lying coast of Central Africa became visible as a dark line

and

half an hour afterwards a simple break could be seen

in this line

which was the

clearly defined

mouth

of the

BANANA TO LEOPOLDV1LLE

Congo.

reference to the chart

became

clear that

some places
although the lower Congo
twenty miles in width, all the streams coalesce and flow
forms a delta in

through an opening not more than five miles wide.
both sides the coast is low lying and well wooded.

As we approach

nearer, the

northern point resolves

itself into the extremity of a peninsula, for one branch of

the river turns northward thus leaving a strip of land a

few hundred yards wide.
We pass through the mouth of
the river, thread our way between several buoys, turn up
channel and arrive

an anchorage in which
As we take up our
eight or nine small ships are riding.
position a boat leaves the shore flying the Congo Flag, a
this northern

blue ground with a golden star in the centre.

we go

out

ashore in a

Soon

after

propelled by Kru boys

to
dug
town of Banana, which is built on this sandy peninsula
and is thus guarded by sharks on one side and crocodiles

the

We land

on the other.

wooden

pier used chiefly for

each side are magnificient palms,
some being more than fifty feet high and all bearing
many cocoa nuts at this season about half ripe. These

loading canoes.

The main
palms are not indigenous, but flourish here.
highway of Banana is a path of clean yellow sand about ten
feet

wide, shaded by an avenue of these palms and crosses
streams by rustic wooden bridges.

at intervals small tidal

Many

tropical trees

avenue, and

and shrubs grow on each side of the
sunshine the whole forms a very

in the bright

beautiful picture.

It is

unfortunate that the effect reminds

one somewhat forcibly of a transformation scene of a pan-

tomime and thus appears artificial although
The resemblance is still
absolutely natural.

in reality,

further streng-

BANANV TO LEOI'OLDVILLB

thened by the numerous ladies of the ballet

who

stroll

along clothed in nature's ebony black.

seems

know

Banana palm

the origin of the

name

not found here at

leisurely

No one

of the town, for the

all.

At the extreme end of the point, and extending inwards
for several hundred yards, are the grounds of the Dutch

Trading Company, which has been established here for
more than fifty years and ships many of the products of the

The wooden sheds painied white are very

country.

turesque amid
is

the vivid green foliage.

Beyond

pic-

this area

the house of Dr. Carre, the Commissaire of the District

of Banana,

which

like all the other

houses

town

the

raised on piles above the level of the sand, for the double

purpose of ensuring a current of
dry when

sea

and

the

air

beneath and of keeping

It
faces the
peninsula
a small garden in which are many
Among these are an anemometeorological instruments.
it

behind

flooded.

meter slowly revolving in the light air, maximum and
minimum bulbs in the shade, on the ground and beneath
Walkit, a most ingenious sun dial, and a heliometer.
ing inland along the central avenue, we pass some native
shops, one of which bears the interesting name of Wil-

liams Brothers.

wrapped
legs,

are

children.

many

of the verandahs, native

in highly coloured cloths

buKwith bare

women

feet

and

working sewing machines or tending their
Further on is a space laid out in regular

squares, in each of which
raised on piles,

a well built

and an ornamental garden,

wooden house
the flower

beds

being bordered either with sea shells or with glass bottles
pushed neck downwards into the sand, leaving about two
inches projecting above the surface.

little

further on is

BANANA TO LKOPOLDVILLE

an hotel facing the sea in which

modation and not much

to eat or

apparently poor accomdrink.

Beyond this is
and rough

the native village, consisting of square huts

gardens

which some potatoes seem

be growing in

spite of the soil and temperature.

Only about twenty Europeans

live

Banana and

chief excitement is the arrival of the steamer

them indeed came
in

off to

their

Most of

dinner and held a kind of concert

the saloon afterwards.

All night long

winches and

men were

creaking, groaning, and shouting, as some of
It
the cargo was put overboard into two large lighters.
was not however, destined for Banana and was trans-

shipped here only to lighten the L6opoldville so that she
The cargo
could pass a certain bar higher up the river.
consisted of coal in the shape of brickets, cement, rice,
oil,

clolh,

As soon

clothes,

beads, salt and general provisions.

as sufficient had been removed, the two lighters

were attached one

each side of the ship and we started

main stream, which here runs between the south or
up
All these are
Portuguese bank and a series of islands.
the

covered with dense forest the only living things visible
On the left
being great black eagles with white wings.
%

bank

of the river

we pass

Malela, a station for collecting

bamboos, and soon after Kissange on the opposite side
where palm oil is made and shipped.
A little higher up,
the country opens out
in

and a range of hills becomes visible
between being covered with

the distance, the plain

coarse grass six or seven feet high, relieved at intervals

by solitary palm
the

trees.

This

all

Portuguese

territory,

here possessing only a narrow strip of
Congo
land along the northern bank.
The course of the river
State

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE
here

very sinuous, winding in and out

eals into the sand

among

the hills,

more sharply each day as the water

the curves being cul

and

carries

be digested in the great

stomach of the Atlantic

and the Portuguese have
farms
for
started large
breeding European cattle which
thrive here satisfactorily.
Higher up a solitary rock
In this district both the State

This is known as Fetish Rock
overhangs the left bank.
from the legend that the natives used to throw live people

from

This is possibly true
evidence to show that the natives of the

into the river as sacrifices.

but there

is little

Congo ever

dead

sacrificed either living or

to propitiate

anyone or anything.
Near here we anchor

for the night and are welcomed by
most noisy and vicious mosquitoes who have a

a host of

particular partiality to good healthy European-fed blood.

Again we are delayed
steamer the Lagoon water

cross the bar.

unload and

for the ship is

time of the

still

small

too deep in the

This sandy obstruction has an

unpleasant habit of shifting
therefore to

this time into a

its

position

and

necessary

make careful soundings every voyage
These are
year when the water is low.

at this

carried

out by Captain Sparrow and Mr. Wright the chief Congo
pilot
It

with the aid of a most ingenious sounding machine.

consists of a simple pulley wheel raised on a standard

about ten

Over

feet

above the deck of a small

this passes a line

weighted

and both weights hang down

pilot steamer.

both ends but unequally,

the water, the

heavier

To prevent
naturally being on the bottom of the river.
this line
which corresponds to the ordinary lead linetrailing,

the

boat moves forward, a second line

BANANA TO LEOPOLD VILLE

fixed to the weight

and passes under water

of ihe vessel where

slowly

the

through

attached

water,

to the level of the

according
hauls in the slack of the

the

bows

the

the vessel passes

weight

and

rises

falls

bottom, and the counterweight

which

line,

marked

the

At any moment therefore,
way by coloured tapes.
the depth of water can be determined by observing the
There is now only 15; feet on the bar, so it is
tapes.
usual

necessary to lighten the Leopoldville still more before
it will be
Thus early one of the chief
possible to cross.
in

difficulties

the

Congo

the

transport

goods

demonstrated.

fine

bank within easy
but no

crocodile lies asleep on the

range as

we go back

one has a

rifle

to the ship in the launch,

so his dreams are undisturbed.

the

LeopoldviUe^N\\ not be able to reach Boma until the morrow,

decide to go on in the

calls for all the

State

After Fetish Rock,

passengers.

the river bends sharply to the right

a small ship which

Heron,

and soon

after

Boma

town merely
as
appears
groups of white houses amid trees backed by

is in sight.

this distance

however, the

hills.
Guarding the approach is a strong looking
which already has a history, for it was captured by
rebels and held for one or two days a few years ago.
As the sun was seeking his couch we arrive at the

green
fort

Boma on which we find Mr. Underwood, the
well known English trading house of
Hatton and Cookson.
With him we walk down

iron pier at

Director of the

Messrs.

the main business street of the town
lined with shops, hotels,

a steam tram.

;

wide shady road

and restaurants and traversed by
At the end of this street the road continues

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE
to the right,

up an

and opposite

incline

one of the entrances

the Residency.

to the

corner

Passing

this

leave a Catholic church, constructed of corrugated iron,

on the

right

Secretariat.

and enter

a shady avenue in

are then introduced to Mr.

the Secretaire General,

who

dency and presents us

once takes us

which

the

Vandamme,
to

the Resi-

Mr. Costermans, the Governor

General of the Congo Free State, who hopes we shall
wherever we feel inclined and see anything we desire.

travel

The Residency

a large

a wide verandah and
It is

two storey house surrounded by

is built

of iron plates bolted together.

ground on iron pillars
wide staircase with wooden steps.
a well kept garden in which are some

raised about ten feet from the

and approached by
It is surrounded
by
statues

and many

tropical plants.

The view from the

verandah, looking up and down the river is very pretty.
Although the house is in good condition and the dining

room

large enough to seat thirty people, it is thought not
be worthy of its fund ion, and another large building
will soon be erected on the same site.

After this visit

we proceed

to a

house which

kept for

the use of the higher State Officials wlie/i they pass through

Boma and which was now
is

constructed in a similar

placed at our disposal.

manner

Residency and
reception and two

to the

although smaller, contains three lofty
bed rooms.
Two boys are told off to attend to our

wants and

after a rest

Mr. Vandamme.

take a stroll round the town with

Most of the

official

residencies are situat-

ed in one Avenue and are surrounded by gardens in which
palms, bulbous trees, and acacias give welcome shade to
the roses beneath.

The Avenue du Plateau leads up

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

Law

gentle incline to the

Courts in which once a week

Near by

the Court of Premiere Instance.

and
the

the terminus of the

grand view

hill

between the

From

tramway.

the prison

the

summit of

obtained of the river winding

hills to the East,

and

at one's feet is a native

village nestling in a valley, for the natives dislike

much

sits

wind and

as they do rain.

Separated from it
is another native village in which the Government has
placed the educated people who can read and write and
many are now ambitions to qualify for admission.
cold almost as

It is

now

time to return to dinner with Mr.

Vandamme

where we meet Mr. Gohr, the Director of Justice, and
Mr. Underwood.
Everyone here dines in white, which is
both cool and picturesque.
Our host, has an excellent
who gives us some very good vegetable soup,

native cook

one of the numerous Congo

fishes, all of

which are

nice, a

very tender chicken, an excellent salad and a well
omelette,

all

which

are

made

the

products
country.
Flour and butter have however, to be imported, as no
wheat will grow in this part of the country and the cows
give

scarcely

retires

and

enough milk

for

rises early, so at

calves.
Everyone
m. we seek our house

their
p.

guided by a boy with a lantern, for most of the streets of

Boma

are not lighted artificially.

Next day we

call

on Mr. Nightingale who

acting as British Consul.

The consulate

is at

present

about a mile

from the town situated on the banks of the river and

well constructed of wood.

Mr. Nightingale offers kindly
to lend us any assistance on our
voyage that we may
Afterwards
we
require.
buy many things which will be
necessary up country,

among which

are bags of salt, a very

BANANA TO LEOI'OLDVILLK

popular form of money in some parts, and tins of petrol
for the lanterns.

Everyone in
General who is
from 2.30

who

Boma works

hard, from the

his office from 7 a.

Secretaire

midday and

5 p. m. to the hardy healthy-looking native

wields his pick as he chats with his fellows.

made and gardens

are being

One very

noticeable feature of the natives here,

all

nearly

Roads

laid out in various places.
is

that they

Here and

bear wellmarked vaccination marks.

there a policeman patrols in an effective costume of blue

and red and armed with
method,

order,

a short sword.

and cleanliness, and

to realise that a quarter of a century

houses stood on the
lated

town.

little

wines

Everywhere
is

very difficult

ago only three trading

prosperous and well-reguevening we dined with the

site of this

the

Governor General who has both
the

excellent.

good cook and butler;
the band of the

Outside,

being
Force Publique played selections of music, rendered the
more interesting by the fact that not one of the players
could read a note of music and each learnt his part entirely
Most of the guests were our fellow travellers and
by ear.
well

known

wheat
in

in the

The conversation turned upon the

us.

Sleeping Sickness,

Beri

Beri,

the

difficulty

Congo, and the climate.

Boma about

this time, for

it is

It is

growing

not very hot

the winter or dry season

and the nights are so cold that only the very hardy mosare sufficiently wide awake to prevent people

quitoes

sleeping.

Still

hotter, than

ever experience in

England, and with forethought for the comfort of his
guests, Mr. Costermans usually commands white cos-

tumes instead of European dress.

BANANA TO LEOPOLDS 1LLE

The

native hospital

a newly-built

stone and brick

under the charge of an Italian, Dr. Zerbini.
The wards are well arranged in separate wings,
The beds are
permitting good ventilation and isolation.

and

structure

iron with bamboos stretched lengthwise, thus forming a
There are many cases of Sleeping
kind of spring mattress.
In
Sickness in the hospital exhibiting various symptoms.
the early stages the patient has many fits of emotional

excitement and these alternate with periods of physical and
mental languor.
Afterwards he lies for weeks or months
as

dead and can only be persuaded

to eat

difficulty.

motile bacillus has been discovered which

cause the disease and there
carried

a mosquito or

the doctors,

the present

without success.

and

it is

fly,

supposed

evidence that this

A
to

may be

but until the discoveries of

sent out by the Liverpool School of Tropical

Medicine, are published,
to

with great

Ultimately complete coma supervenes.

many

There

is premature to give an opinion.
remedies have been prescribed

no small pox and

little

interesting to learn that appendicitis

phthisis,

unknown

Rupture is very common among the natives
and venereal diseases are frequent.
As I was destined to become well acquainted with the

in Africa.

Croix rouge, the hospital

this institution later.
hill

Boma

are the

The

for

Europeans,

will describe

the reverse slope of the central

quarters of the army, the Force

are fine looking fellows with
Publique.
a very pretty uniform; blue wide cut breeches to the knee,
the legs

and

belt,

rifles,

feet

soldiers

being bare, blue shirt with red facings
fez.
They are armed with Albini

and a red

a very strong

weapon which

will stand

any amount

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

Everything is scrupulously clean and the
married quarters especially look very comfortable.
Each
has
a
room
fitted
with
bed, table and chairs.
couple
of rough usage.

They are recruited from

all

over the country and the ser-

popular that in many parts far more men
volunteer to serve than are required.
The force does not
vice

exceed 13,600

number and

recruited for long or

short service.

The prison is situated on the plateau in an open, airy
The building is constructed of iron plates and the

place.

separate cells and rooms are lofty and clean.

There are

one or two Europeans here who have been sentenced for
theft or for cruelty to natives, for the State is determined
that all its subjects should be well treated.

These are of

course kept entirely separate from the natives.
Only the
natives who have been sentenced to more than one year are
sent here

penal

and then

after a

Some

settlements.

and

thieves,

all

wear

time they are forwarded to the
are cannibals, but most are

light chains.

somewhat warm

walking about Boma but there is no alternative, for there
are no carriages and only a horse or two for the Governor
General.
of arms

The

State regulates very strictly the importation

Permission has

be obtained from the Governor

General before any fire arms can be landed; then each
one is stamped on the butt with the Star of the State

and

number which

country wishes

If anyone in the
from
another, both
weapon
obtain permission from the

registered.

purchase a

buyer and seller have to
Gf vernor General. These laws are very excellent for they
effectually keep modern weapons out of the hands of the
natives.

Having complied with the regulations and declared

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

our ammunition, our
with pretty

little

riftVs

and guns are restored

souvenir marks on the butts.

apply for a special licence to shoot big game, and this is
promised, but as it takes time to prepare will be sent up

country after us.

The import duty on alcohol is very heavy and runs up
cent, ad valorem and no still of any kind

47 per

be set up in the country.
permitted
indeed, special permission has to be
to

to
is

Beyond Matadi
obtained before

Europeans can carry any spirituous liquors, and then they
have to declare that it is not for sale to the natives. Heads
of commercial houses are

vance of

this

law by

their

made

responsible for the obser-

employes and the State

officials

themselves are only permitted to have three litres of spirits
each month, while absinthe is entirely prohibited.
Every
white man, however,

day as

a ration

amount
for a

of beer

given one

and there seems

litre

of red wine each

be no limit

which may be drunk, except

bottle of lager costs

its

the

great price,

3 francs at Leopoldville and

twice that amount higher up the river.
It is indeed
becoming apparent that the Government is
a veritable parent and a stern one also.
However, as we

promise
cases
act as

be good boys

are permitted to carry a few

whisky and wine

medical comforts

to
paying the duty
case of sickness.
These
-

after
in

medical comforts are also a feature of the State, each white
being allowed a bottle or two of champagne and port
every three months.
Every official indeed receives much

kindness and consideration from the State but

punished any lapse of duty.

The whites are

severely

fined for care-

lessness or negligence, by stopping their pay for a certain

BANANA TO LEOPOLDV1LLE

number

of days, and for serious offences any official may
be revocated, when he will perhaps lose six months' or
even a years' pay.
Offences against the penal laws are
of course punished by imprisonment.

excellent institution in

where

foundlings

Boma

reared

are

deserted children, half-castes,
for

some

the colonie scolaire

and educated.

Orphans,

are received

and trained

all

some entering the army, some
plantations, some becoming servants to

useful purpose,

engaging on the
the officials.

impossible to form any idea of the Congo native in
Boma, for the blacks are of very different nationalities.
Natives from Lagos, Sierra-Leone, Portuguese and French
It is

territory, all are attracted

in the town.

Indeed

blacks,

trusted.

requiring a
for

foreigners in the

names

by the high wages

be earned

present most of the positions of
fair

education,

are held

by
Congolese can be
The personal servants we engaged were thus all

responsibility,

foreign

very

State

few

service.

true

Two

rejoiced

the

and Jean, and acted as
i. e.
boys
butlers and general servants ^hile Luembo was

of Chikaia

as valets,

cook, and Mavunga, washerman.

Each one had a formal

contract of five 'articles signed by us, by a delegate for the

Governor General, and by the Judge of Premiere Instance,

whose duty it was to see the contract was not broken.
The State indeed, superintends everything even to the
finding and engaging of private servants for travellers.

The wages earned by

these boys are very much higher
than servants receive in India or China.
The cook was

paid 35 francs and the others 25 francs per month and

found.

all

BANANA TO LEOPOLIWLLE

The Customs,

the

Post Office, ai.d the Land Office,

conveniently situated in one building on the beach
In the latter, all the lannear to the landing pier.

are

all

downers

in the State are registered,

careful

maps being

and position of each plot of
The land laws are very simple. The villages are

prepared showing the extent
land.

the absolute freehold
registered in

the

property of the natives, and are

names of

Vacant lands as

the Chiefs.

usual are the property of the State and the Chartered Companies, Missionaries, and Traders, as a rule, are annual
is always renewed if the condigranted are observed.
lunched with the Governor General,

leaseholders but the lease
tions

on which

On Sunday we

who

Mr. Gohr, the Director of Justice

present

is in

the

unenviable position of having many critics in Europe,
usually imperfectly informed of the details and evidence laid

Mr. Vandamme, who knows everyone

before the judges

and everything connected with the State, Commandant
and Madame Sillye, Judge and Madame Webber, and

some

Afterwards, Mr. Webber, the Judge of the
Court of Premiere Instance, who is an excellent pianist,
others.

gives us

proof of his talent.
to hear for

music we are fated
but

concertinas

and

This

many

gramophones

the last pleasant

a month, for nothing
are

found

the

interior.

Having obtained bundles of permits to do various
and arranged for letters and parcels to be sent

things,
after

us into the interior,

left

Boma on

the

morning of

The Congo
July 19th for Matadi in the
Leopoldville
above
Boma
somewhat
the
resembles
just
Highlands of
.

Scotland, and the similarity

was emphasised by

the fact that

THE CATARACTS RAILWAY NEAR MATADI.

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE
it

was raining hard.

The

hills

were bare of

trees, the

current ran rapidly, forming whirlpools, while many sleepy
crocodiles lazily flopped into the water as we passed. After

ascending some twenty miles, the river tarns sharply to ihe
right and runs between cliffs which descend sheer into the
water, forming a narrow

broad.
the

chasm not more than

the whole of the

Congo has

immense volume

pass through this gorge,

ously deep and the current

not more, and the flow of the water

ten

enorm-

The depth has
certainly 500 feet,

very rapid.

not been accurately ascertained, but
if

half a mile

of water in

is at

the rate of nearly

knots an hour, so that the smaller steamers cannot

ascend

at all,

and the larger only creep slowly up.

THE RAILWAY STATION AT MATADI.

Matadi

side of the

soon

after in sight.

Congo

It is

built

on the south

valley, for, as a glance at the

map

will

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

explain, the State

owns both banks

further up, the river

Matadi

Congo.

becomes the

an ancient

in connection with the

Congo

this point,

frontier with the

at all

the

but

French

word may be used

settlement, construct-

where navigation on the river is interrupted
by cataracts and rapids for some two hundred miles until
smooth water is reached again at Stanley Pool.
A caravan
ed

at the point

route runs from Matadi to Leopoldville, and

was during

march of twenty days over the mountains that in the
early days, so much trouble was occasioned by the native
the

now by the railway. The
stands on the side ot a steep hill and consists of
narrow streets paved with cobbles.
Here as usual in the
porters.

town

Congo,
tion.

the

All this is abolished

itself

man is restricted to his primeval method of locomoTwo iron piers jut into the stream and at their ends

European steamers discharge

railway trucks alongside.

their cargoes into the

High up on the

hill

stands a

capacious stone structure, the house of the Commissioner of
the Matadi District,
after

arranging

The distance

Mr. De Rache, with

whom we

dine,

by the train which starts next day.
be traversed is 220 miles and the fare is

to leave

and 1 second for the boys.
Besides
a
over
hundred
is
at
the
rate
this, baggage
kilos,
charged
of one franc a kilo, which is probably the highest rate paid
Our fares indeed cost
for railway travelling in the world.
8 each

us about
Early

The

1st.

class

80.
in

the

morning of the 20th, we leave Matadi.
two engines, two open covered car-

train consists of

riages for the second class passengers,
natives,

a saloon and baggage wagon.

very narrow one, so space

who

are mostly

The gauge

all-important, but the

man

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

who designed

There are

as possible.

must have exercised

the chairs in the saloon

the most fiendish ingenuity to
six

make them
on each

as uncomfortable

arranged in
a
with
small
in
bracket
table
and
each one
between,
pairs
is

of cano,

The back

straight upright and the seat
cone-shaped, the highest point being in the
Now as the curves and gradients of the line are

a pivot.

centre.

very sharp indeed,
time,
a foot

necessary to hold fast the whole

prevent slipping on to the floor.

on the opposite seat

revolves, leaving the leg in
selves

side,

mid

steady oneself,
air.

one puts
at once

However, we

fix

our-

as possible and enjoy the magnificent

in as well

scenery.

For a few hundred yards the line runs a*long the
Congo and a good view of the lowest cataract

valley of the
is

obtained,

the

brown water dashing

over the rocks and

throwing up spray which is converted into brilliant jewels by
the youthful sun not yet an hour old.
Then turning sharply to the right, the train runs up the valley of the Posu, a
mountain torrent which rushes and roars through a narrow

Snorting angrily, the engines climb up this steep
gradient, cross the river by an iron bridge and then groaning
defile.

under the brakes,

slide

down

into another valley.

The main

upwards, and as the country opens
out below, one gets a first impression of the enormity and
direction

however,

grandeur of Central Africa.

far as

the eye reaches,

are ranges of hills, the Palabala ^oulains

crowned by a
cone
which
great
appears first on one side then the other,
as we cork-screw our way up.
The line indeed is a
marvel of engineering construction,
piece of country is traversed without

for a

most

a single

with very few cuttings and embankmnnts.

difficult

turtnel

and

The length

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

36
the railway
line

of course, very

is,

much

would be between the same

greater than a straight

points, for

countermarches backwards and forwards up a
after a detour of
to the

same

frequently

hill side,

and

perhaps a quarter of a mile, comes back

The

place, but thirty or forty feet higher up.

company which undertook

the task of building the line

met with many difficulties, but finished it at a cost of
3,000,000 and many native lives. It was built between
the years 1891 and 1897 and the workmen were recruited
from Senegal and the British Colonies of Africa.

Frequent
engines to drink and gain
their second winds, for their work here is very arduous.
stops are necessary for the

After two or three hours, however, a plateau is reached

and the

line

runs for miles through dense forests of palms,

acacias and

parasol

trees (native

The name

Motumbi).

exactly describes these trees, for the branches are arranged
like the

and the leaves spread out and form the

ribs,

covering of the sunshade.

Between the

belts of forests the country is covered with

coarse grass, six or seven

with palms.
a few natives

feet

high, dotted here

and there

No vestige of animal life is visible and only
who are engaged on the railway. These

inhabit villages near at hand, formed of huts built of reeds

or bamboo and thatched with grass.
The men wear a
loin cloth only, but the women are wrapped in a plain
piece of richly coloured cloth which reaches from the neck
to the ankle leaving the

arms and

dently a simple length of stuff

feet bare.

some

This

is evi-

three or four feet

wide

method of support
of button, hook or pin is

and, to the masculine eye at least,

its

remains a mystery, for no trace
Their faces are of the negroid type with broad
apparent.

BANANA TO LEOPOLDV1LLE

noses and thick lips and the figures of the women approach
shape of an S reversed thus 3 and are similar to

the

those which our American cousins have so largely developed.

The men

long legs

and

feet.

are as a rule thin

and

tall

with very

appear to have only small arches to their
lower Congo however, there are many

all

the

foreigners and

several other types are visible.

far as

one can judge by the railway cuttings, the soil on the
plateau is coarse sand and gravel containing iron and
quite unsuitable for agricultual purposes under such a hot

The

sun.

2000

feet

however, as we approach Tumba, about
level, is dry and fresh and at 4 p. m.

air

above sea

halt there for the night.

are met by

Commandant Delhaz, the Commissaire
who kindly places a bungalow at

of the Cataracts District,

our disposal fo p the night and shows us round the settlement.
There is only a small native village here, but
barracks

large

of clean,

consisting of lines

clay huts

Tumba is indeed an imporand here again the appearance of
the troops is very fine as they march to the strayas of
the band which renders snatches from Faust, Carmen
constructed by the soldiers.
tant

military

and other
tions.

centre

well

known

airs

with a few native

varia-

farm has been established in the neighbourhood
and an automobile road is in course of

to feed the garrison

construction.

Next morning, we dress by candle
breakfast,

in the

light

and make a hasty

midst of which, at 6

m., reveille

sounds and the troops assemble in the square in front of
the Residency.
Half an hour afterwards, the train starts,

and having perched

ourselves

the

summits of the

BANANA TO LEOPOLDV1LLE

seats,

we soon reach Sonna Gongo

for travellers of the future.

Here

the half-way house
is

loco-

a depot for

moiives and carriages and wooden hotels are being const acted to accommodate travellers who, after
August, will
i

stop here for the night instead of at

Tumba.

Leaving Sonna Gongo, the line rapidly searches for a
lower level and the view is magnificent, as a great endless
Here and there are banks of
expanse of land is unfolded.

smoke caused by

way

the veldt fires

and

often close to the rail-

the high dry grass has been lighted

from an engine, and

zag down

hill

by a chance spark

burning furiously.

instead of up

and

far

now

zig-

beneath, can be seen the

thin line of rails glistening in the sun like

fillets

of silk.

Having reached this level, we plunge through inviting
looking forests at one time full of elephants, buffaloes and
other game, but practically deserted

and

now

save by

monkeys

parrots.

Soon

after the train stops at a station

have assembled

made from

the flour

cle of native diet.

unpleasant

where the natives

and kwanga, a kind of bread
of the manioc root and the chief arti-

to sell fruit

when

fresh

consists chiefly of starch

and

The

toasted.

and

not

natives however,

prefer all food in a high stage of decomposition

and

it is

some time before the very smell of it ceases to make one
feel ill.
To see them eating kwanga fish or the flesh of
elephants, monkeys, antelopes or other animals generally

both rotten and raw
the fact sharply that

The oranges
bling

man

most disgusting and brings home
here is of a very low type.

the natives sell are very acid,

grape-fruit than the orange

bananas are as good as any

more resem-

Florida,

the world

but the

and the pine

MANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE
three of

apples

which can be bought

for half a franc

- are

equal to the finest hot-house variety.

The

line

now descends

again until

reaches a

sandy and uninteresting plain across which
lutely straight for seven miles until

bank of Stanley Pool

the South
is

the

rail

Congo,

head, Leopoldville.

flat

hot,

runs abso-

reaches Kinshasa on

A few miles

further on,

Like everything else in the

town has been arranged and

this

THE STEAMER

use.

built for practical

FLANDRE.

The railway runs along the beach so as to facilitate
and unloading of the steamers of the upper

the loading

and

our baggage is taken
on
board the Flandre
straight
This is an excellent
where we find cabins booked for us.

river,

from the

in a very short time all

train

and carried

arrangement and saves much trouble, for although the
steamer does not sail for two days, passengers are allowed

HANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

on board while

to live

sary, for there are

modation

Indeed

in port.

no hotels

the town,

for visitors except a

it is

very neces-

and no accom-

few rooms in the commercial

houses.

Some

of the native's character

traits

were now

His main idea always is, to do as little
work as possible and he will often take the greatest trouble
Each native endeavin his effort to accomplish this object.

demonstrated

to us.

near the gangway as possible which
was soon blocked and then he had to come back, hoist the

oured

to put his load as

package on his head again and carry

Although
officer

this

it to its
proper place.
look
performance
place every day, unless an

was constantly on the watch,

the foolish fellows

to shirk duty brought upon themselves
The cabins were unfurnished, for everyone
own bed on the Congo, and most also their

in their attempts

extra work.
carries his

own

tent.

carefully

was

Here was a

therefore necessary to
All

difficulty.

numbered by

left

before

my London

number meant bed.

looking bale, the boys unlace

it,

Stores andt

address but

and there was no

arrived,

discovering which

unpack a bed.
and boxes were

Army and Navy

the

he invoice no doubt sent

the bags

Seizing a likely

and find a part of a

tent,

a second attempt brings to light another part of a tent.

now growing dark and
of these seventy
native mind,

a light

odd cases

the

possibility of

and
It is

necessary, but in which

lamp ?

Not knowing the

necessary to hurry and find
This evidently conveys no meaning
at all to the boys, for in the first place it was not their bed
and so it mattered nothing to them, and in the second, they
I

explain that

it is

the bed before dark.

had never hurried before

in their lives,

and could not do so

11ANANA TO LEOPOLDVII.LE

now, even if they wished. Lacing the first bales up slowly
and deliberately, they open another and find a canvas bath
any rate useful, and
and
come across handagain

and washhandstand.

These are

encouraged by success

irons

and

concertina

try

At length we find a thing like a large
which is really a folding bed with pillows

starch.

and blankets, complete.
By great good luck a mosquito
curtain is then found and the steward kindly lends a
candle.

Hot, sticky,

tired

and cross we prepare

our

for

first

meal on a Congo steamer.
It consisted of a
soup of
mystery, chicken, which had been washed in the river

group of natives bathing and a goat, killed an
hour before dinner, whose flesh was thrown quivering into
close to a

However, there was some bread and tinned
it was no
and
use being fastidious in Central
peaches
This
Africa.
was washed down with the regulation half
the pot.

litre

of red wine, a kind of claret

and some native

which

which had a

coffee

quite drinkable

delicate

and

fine

aroma, but was badly made.

The captain

as indeed are nearly

the officers of the

was a Scandinavian and

river steamers

very well.

all

He explained

or inviting-looking,

which was

the

spoke, English

was not very clean

that the ship

truth,

but

the

lower deck was lumbered up with the horses of Commandant Sillye and was swarming with natives, it was only to

be expected.

Then

to bed, but not to sleep, for the

selves trouble,

had not

innocence

fixed the

boys

to save

them-

mosquito net properly.

merely ordered them to do it and had
It is indeed
necessary always

not stood by and watched.

BANANA TO LEOPOLDVILLE

to see that the native

one's back

enough
sleep.

does as he

turned, he

hand

eating

tempt him and

Even these

is told, for

there

State servants

the

moment

anything rotten
he
not,
quietly goes to
is

who speak

language and also a kind of French, really

the native

live the lives

and sleep if left alone and
work
when
are
shown
how, and watched all the
only
they
of animals, for they eat, drink,

time.

The

result

was

that

spent a most horrible night, for

the mosquitoes were terribly hostile

new European with some

and evidently recognised

healthy blood.

In the morning,

Congo fashion, was
and
face, neck, hands and
large bumps
wrists were all blotches.
It was therefore with little
appe-

head, which

had had shaved

in the

covered with

tite that I sat

down

to a breakfast of bread,

dutch cheese,

curious tinned butter and weak coffee without milk.

however, did

Little

think then that in six short months a Congo

steamer would seem like a
everything altered

first

class hotel, so entirely is

by comparison.

CATARACTS AT LEOPOLDVILLE.

CHAPTER

HI.

The Higher Congo.
Next day we make a formal
teur d'Etat of the

Leopoldville.

Congo
is a

call

State,

very

on Mi

Maliies, Inspec-

whose headquarters are

busy man

with a multitude of

duties, for the paternal system is continued all through

the State

and the most

trivial

matters are always referred

As we are
neighbourhood.
to lunch at the Residency, we do not stay long, but take a
me
ride with Commandant and M
Sillye on four of the horses
to the highest official in the

the former purchased at Dakar.
after their holiday of a

Although a little stiff
month, they have not been otherwise

THE HIGHER CONGO

by their sea voyage and two days in the train.
many steamers charging and dischar-

affected

the beach are

Along
ging and others on the
These steamers are
together

slips

all

being repaired or partly

built.

brought out in sections and put

on the beach.

They are

flat

bottomed,

are

driven by stern wheels and only draw three or four feet
of water.
They all burn wood, and special depots are

formed

at intervals

are collected.

only necessary

on the rivers where stores of

this

fuel

Should however, a steamer run short,

it is

stop and send the crew ashore with

knives for the banks are lined with forest.

Leaving the beach we ride through avenues of palms
ground, whence a beautiful
This is really a
view can be obtained of Stanley Pool.

and mango

trees to higher

part of the river about sixteen miles wide, shut in by hills

on each

side, but its size is not

itself, as a great

number

apparent from the water

of islands cut the stream into

numerous narrow channels.

Towards

the south, the river

narrows again and at this point is the uppermost of the
cataracts, the water hurling itself against the rocks in its
efforts to escape and recoiling in spray high into the air.

From

below Leopoldville all the way to Matadi, the
rushes down narrow gorges, but above, for
On
nearly a thousand miles, it is navigable for steamers.
a hill above the rapid, is a large tree under which Stanley
just

river indeed

pitched his tent and which

Many

still

bears his name.

native villages exist near Leopoldville, consisting

of huts formed of

wooden frames and thatched wilh

grass.

There are no plantations or factories here but great numbers of natives are at present employed in road making

and

in constructing a

new

slip for

launching the steamers.

THE HIGHER CONGO
Evidently our

party gives rise to

little

much comment

for

several of the natives have probably never seen a horse
before,

and a cavalcade

of four of these strange

On our way back

something entirely new.

down

pass

and close

State

the

sentry.

street in

which are the administrative

mess, the doctors' and other private houses
to the beach,
the Residency, over which

offices, the

flies

main

the

animals

to the ship

first

flag

and

front of

which patrols

one thought the sentry in

front

of the

was merely a symbol of
in
as
afterwards
however, it becomes
authority
Europe,
in the Congo is
the
of
Government
that
system
apparent
based on absolute uniformity.
Every Post, however big or
chief official's house in each town,

small, has

Governor
door.

its

State flag

and every chief

to the chief of a

Wood

official,

from the

Post, has a sentry at his

Each morning at sunrise the flag is hoisted, while
arms and every evening at sunset it is

the guard presents

lowered with like ceremony.

Indeed, the whole system

and sleeps at the
custom at most official

military, for everyone rises, works, eats

command

of the clarion.

and private parties
and cigars before

It is

in the
sitting

Congo,

down

hand round

ffort

wine

first

this

table.

seemed a strange kind of aperative, but soon the glass
of port became very agreeable after the morning's work.

Ten or twelve guests were assembled on the verandah
when we arrived, and soon Mr. Armarni joined the group.
He is an Italian, an ex-naval officer of distinction and now
Commissaire du Roi of the Congo, a position which ranks
with, but after, that of Governor General.
By a simple
and practical device, the relative rank of all the Administrative

and Military

officials

can be determined

at a glance.

THE

IIIGIIKU

CONGO

Each wears a blue gauntlet on

wrist and forearm

eacli

over the white sleeve of his coat and affixed on this are a

number

of gold bands.

captain of a river steamer,

perhaps has three or four bands, a Chef de Poste, four or
five, a Commissaire of a Zone or District, seven or eight,

and the Governor Gene-

an Inspecteur

d'Etat, nine or ten,

ral, eleven.

In order however, to economise space and

perhaps

facilitate

worn, a broad

stripes are

when more than

counting,

strip is substituted

three

which cor-

Thus an official with five
responds to the original three.
wears
one
and
broad
two
narrow ones, while the
stripes
Governor General wears three broad

narrow ones.

The

chief decoration,

stripes

the

and two

order of the

Lion, can only be gained by Belgians, but the Congo Star
is given to all after a certain term of service.
Those who
hold purely civil appointments such at Judges, Secretaries

and Directors
At 2.30

of Transport,

wear no

stripes at all.

m. a bugle sounded and a chattering throng

of natives hurried past the Inspector's house towards the

beach

resume work, which

always interrupted for

m. during the heat of the day. In
people and the soldiers of the Force

three hours at 11.30 a.

order to feed these

about a ton and a half of kwanga
is prepared every day from the manioc
grown in the
villages around, and every able bodied native has to con-

Publique

at Leopoldville,

tribute his or her quota of
to

work

work.

for at least forty

supposed
whether engaged on

roails,

Each person indeed is
hours each month, and

buildings,

work, or in collecting rubber, wood

kwanga

or other

public

for the steamers,

for food, is paid at the current rate.

The

principle

of the system of Government, although entirely novel, is

THE HIGHER CONGO

undoubtedly sound and suited to the country and the conThe whole territory is divided into
dition of the native.

two great

parts,

the lands of the native chiefs

vacant lands called here the Domaine Prive.

ment has however, disposed of part of these
sionary Companies
the

right

sions, to

all

exploit

Conces-

Companies have

the

Commercial Houses and

Government

products of the forest in
Other portions have been leased to Mis-

areas.

these

in this sense, that the

and the

The Govern-

to private people.

collects the rubber,

ivory,

food stuffs,

The
and

other produce from the Domain Lands and with the proceeds, constructs roads, navigates the rivers, maintains the

Government and army and generally develops the country
and civilises the natives.
Trading relations are formed with the chiefs as follows
Agents are sent into their districts with brass wire,
:

cloth,

salt,

beads, or other things likely to attract the

and these are exchanged

natives,

copal, manioc,

fish,

for rubber, ivory,

fowl or other produce

of rubber, ivory or any other substance

terms of brass wire, cloth or salt

and so

;

gum

thus the value

determined in

its

yalue in ster-

Similarly, the value of native labour is discovered

ling.

The brass wire is cut
and the native paid accordingly.
into lengths called mitakos, this form of currency having
been introduced by the
of the mitako, and so
the country.

amount

The length

value, varies in different parts of
to

be no limit to the

of wire cut into mitakos, but as the natives use

of both sexes,

rency

H. M. Stanley.

At present there seems

great quantities to

late Sir
its

it is

make

brass rings for the arms and legs

difficult to

being debased.

say to what extent the curof skilled labour here is

The pay

THE HIGHER CONGO

and unskilled workers

high,

money

In the afternoon
visit

town

much

for the State.

cross the neck of Stanley Pool and

The

Brazzaville, the capital of the French Congo.

situated close to the beach, but the

high up on a

offices are

Secretariat,

natives pay no taxes in

equivalent, but instead are compelled to do

its

40 hours' work per inonlh

this

about as

receive

The

similar labourers in India.

Having found the
and

above.

hill

explain that

are British travellers

desire to pay our respects to the Governor.

telephones as

Government

The Secretary

wait in ihe office and presumably the

Governor asks whether we have introductions and what we
want, for the answer goes

However,

Pop!'!
spent

many

offers to help

back Non, Us sont venus,
Mr. Gentil, who has

the Governor,

years in the Congo, receives us very kindly,

us with steamers on the river, gives us some

on the Ubangi
indeed one
where
Every
with
meets
kindness, help and consideration from the
officials in Africa, which is in marked contrast to the hide
letters of introduction

and permits

bound system of
and maintain

French

officials

shoot game.

formalities

which

necessary to observe

it is

place, for

Europe.
blowing of the steamer's whittle
it is
getting late and it is impossible

the

after sunset.

great

Congo

The captain

anxious, but enough light remains to
reach Leopoldville soon after 6 p. m.
to dine at the

now
to

down

blique,

becoming
see the buoys and we

We have arranged
an
excellent
wherein all the
institution
Mess,

together.

the

navigate

therefore

Europeans of every rank, except the very highest
sit

takes

The Commandant of

Commandant

the

officials,

the Force

Pu-

Port, the Directors of

THE HIGHER CONGO

Transports and Posts, and the Doctors, all take their
dinner with the working artisans.
Altogether about
1

30 men attend the mess, where the cooking and service
while each has a small bottle of wine and a cup

is excellent

By this means, evjry man is ensured good
wholesome food, and the necessity of restaurants, in which
of coffee.

indiscriminate drinking might take place,

Next
poldville

avoided.

morning, July 23rd. the Flandre leaves Leoand steams to Kinshasa where we stop and land.

Here as usual the keynote

development.

Roads are being

made, avenues of palms, mangoes and pine apples planted
and store houses, factories and plantations constructed.
At the

coffee factory here, the

shells, sorted into sizes

Many kinds

and

beans are extracted from the

qualities

and packed

in bags.

of coffee have been planted in the Congo, but

none are equal to the wild variety found in the forest,
which is as good as any in the world when properly made.
Near at hand is a brick field, where the bricks are made
in metal

moulds, the clay being forced in by long levers.

They are not made as quickly as those fashioned by a
machine but the process is a great improvement on the oldfashioned method of brick making in wooden moulds.
It
is

already apparent that beer

we order some dozens

regarded as a luxury here

at three francs a bottle

and having

taken some photos return to the ship.

the beach

were some

fine

elephant tusks which have

been collected by the agents of the Societe

When

Anonyme

Beige.

a native finds a pair of tusks in the territory of the

company, the State takes one as a royalty and the company
buys the other

for a certain quantity of cloth.

This only

represents a fraction of the value in Europe, but is gladly
4

THE HIGHER CONGO

accepted by the native

who has no use

for

except to

make

Indeed in the old days, the chiefs used to
form a kind of fence round their huts by sticking the

war horns.

points in the ground, little thinking that in another part
of the world, not even the millionaire of fiction ever con-

Then

structed such an expensive railing.

raiders

came and

ivory, so that the white

man who

Arab

the

slave

women and

both the native

stole

the

gives beautiful coloured

cloth for these useless elephants' tusks is regarded as a

In the afternoon the Flandre
very generous trader.
continued her journey threading her way between the

numerous islands
bank of

the

in Stanley Pool,

the island of

and

Bamu which

finally tied

French

territory.

This island enjoys the distinction of being the only one in
the Congo which has an owner, for all the rest are declared
to be
to

no man's land by international

of game, and

full

return

without

prevent

all

seeing

we go

anything.

sleep in the cabin,

bed on deck and obtain a

It is reputed
treaty.
ashore to look for it, but

the mosquitoes

we arrange

make up

better night's rest, for

com-

paratively cool here in the evening in the open.
I

verj anxious to bathe next morning, but the cap-

tain strongly disadvises for the currents are very strong

and the

here,

breakfast
fire,

river is full of crocodiles.

and smoke

of the Europeans however, are

natives,

who,

leisurely

buckets of water.
hurry.

seen to be issuing from the fore hatch,

under which much of the wood used

None

In the midst of

are startled by the report that the ship

for fuel is stored.

excited than the

and with due deliberation, hand up

Nothing indeed could make a native

The captain seems

trifle

upset,

and

states that

THE HIGHER CONGO
necessary to run on a rock, and thus

may be
in the

bows and

This seems

flood the hold.

make
to

a hole

be rather

a desperate remedy, but no one shows the slightest inte-

This appeared curious at the time; since however,
has transpired that fires in the holds are of common

rest.
it

occurrence, and that as the ships are

all

of iron,

they

usually burn themselves out without harming anything.
Soon after however, the captain with an alarmed look,

rushes up on deck and said that a terrible crime or a great
It
appeared that by some
and
our
cases
of
beer
some
others belonging to
error,
Commandant Sillye had been left on the beach at Kinshasa.

mistake had been committed.

Immediately
or capita,

we anchored

was

sent with

last

six

night a native boatswain,

men

canoe

them and ought to have returned by midnight.
however, was heard of the boat until now when
appeared and told a harrowing story.
all

right

and

He found

fetch

Nothing
the capita
the cases

started to return across the river, but as

began to blow hard, he thought it better to make for land
and wait until the morning before trying to find the ship.
in landing on the island of Bamu and soon
man appeared with some Senegalese soldiers
and demanded to know what was in the cases.
He
explained, when the white man fired and killed all the

He succeeded

after a white

The

crew, but he ran away and escaped.
serious so Lord Mountmorres

Brazzaville to discover the truth, while
to

superintend the landing of our cargo

Soon

after the

affair

and Commandant

Commandant

arrived in a steamer and asked

seemed

Sillye left for

stayed on the ship

the fire extended.

of the Port of Leopoldville
if

we wanted

assistance as

another ship had run on the rocks higher up and sunk and

THE HIGHER CONGO

Sunhe was hastening to rescue any possible survivors.
day, July 24th indeed, seemed to be a veritable day of
horrors, but still no one appeared at all excited.
By

midday the fire in the forehold was extinguished and thus
Later in the afternoon just
one danger was removed.
before

sunset,

immense

flock

ducks and

geese

crossed the river, but as they were flying nearly a hundred
feet

Soon

after

the air,

was impossible

Mountmorres and

they had found

all

shoot

the crew safe, except one

had probably deserted and

them.

Sillye returned and reported

man who

had also brought back the
a French officer of

The white man was

cases of beer.

Customs, who had naturally thought the crew of the
canoe were engaged in smuggling and had fired blank
So passed an eventful day
cartridges to frighten them.
with

much smoke

but

little fire.

was indeed becoming

apparent that the Congo was a true land of exaggerations.

all

sides were great hills, great plains, great forests,

great rivers, great beasts, great trees,

and great

lies.

Next day we continued our course up Stanley-Pool,
which meant threading our way up narrow channels
between uninteresting sandbanks covered with
grass.

the

forest or

In the distance could be seen the hills forming

boundaries of the Pool and

at its

upper end Dover

Cliffs so called from their resemblance to that part of the

English coast.

About midday we sighted the Anversville,
was supposed to have been sunk, com-

the vessel which

on a sand bank, and the Brugesville which
her assistance, also resting on the same bank.
One of the passengers came off to the Flandre and told us
fortably lying

had

prone to

that

no one was hurt and

all

the baggage

was

safe

and

that

THE HIGHER CONGO

he had heard we had been burnt out, attacked by natives
and all killed.
Truly the Congo is a wonderful place.

the

Flandre moors we decide

go ashore hunting.

Within a few yards of the bank is the
tamus and the spoor of elephants.
It
walking, for
or eight
seven
grass
difficult

struggling along

After
high and the rest is bog.
few minutes, I hear a curious noise

feet

for a

however,

and

horn not above

five

visible, for the grass

yards away.
forms a com-

Again the grunt with a suspicious aftersame moment Chikaia, who is carrying

plete cover.
sniff

hippopo-

however, very
with long
of
land
are
covered
patches

like a very asthmatic fog

Nothing

lair of a

the

the usual sign to indicate game
snaps his fingers
and beckons me to follow.
I endeavour to do so, and

my gun
at

once sink in the bog up

keep

rifle

dry.

to the

knees, but fortunately

clutching the grass,

get out

and

follow the spoor of the hippo as rapidly as possible.

This

very clearly marked, for the grass has been recently

thrust aside

and there are great holes

in the soft

mud over

a foot wide and deep, made by the great feet of the beast.
These holes were in pairs lying close together, showing
that the hippo

was galloping as he passed and unfortuna-

tely they led straight to the river.

Next day we leave the Pool and enter a part of the river
Here there are no islands and both

called the Channel.

banks are visible all the time, the width not being more
than a mile in some places.
A low range of hills covered
As
with acacias or coarse grass, exists on each side.
usual,

stop at a

Wood

Post to take fuel on board.

cut in logs three or four feet long and stacked in
Sticks are
about
the same in width and height.
heaps

This

THE HIGHER CONGO

placed in the ground connected by lines at the required
height and the logs are laid in rows until the space is
filled.
The result is a cubic yard of wood known in the

Congo as

bras, but the

considerably, in

some cases

in others double that

bras differs in size and price
the cost being 5 mitakos

amount.

and

native can easily collect

wood in the forest and carry it to the bank in a
some of the Wood Posts fifty or sixty natives
day and
Even then however, the demand for wood
are employed.
a bras of

by the big steamers is sometimes greater than the supply.
At 6 p. m. every day the steamer stops for the night

and makes
sengers

beds

fast to a tree

on the bank.

once go ashore,

for the night.

light

All the native pas-

fires

and arrange

their

They sleep on mats or with the whole

Either
body, and head also, wrapped up closely in rugs.
their feet or heads are always within a few inches of the
fire

and

Until 9

their bodies radiate out like the

must be put

however, when

spokes of a wheel.
on the steamer

all lights

out, a ceaseless chatter proceeds with an occa-

sional angry discussion as the natives take their meal of

kwanga, fish and any odd piece of meat they can procure.
It is a somewhat weird sight, the black forms showing
dimly in the ruddy light of the fires under the trees.
on the steamer rings the command and everyone
and then one appreciates the real silence of

The

bell

goes

to bed,

the equatorial forest which one has heard about at home.

Within a few yards, hundreds of frogs commence to croak
loudly and continue steadily, with a few pauses to breathe,
until daybreak.
Hundreds of monkeys screech shrilly in
the trees and millions of mosquitoes

an inch or two of one's

ears.

All

hum

steadily within

manner of animal

cries

THE HIGHER CONGO

are heard in the forest and the hippos blow loudly as they
rise

the surface to breathe.

a matter of fact, the

noise at midnight in the forest,

when every

insect is busy hunting for food,

time,

and

when

all

midday

the animal

One evening

beast, bird

and

greater than at any other

only, one enjoys comparative quiet

kingdom

asleep.

went ashore with Ghikaia

the beach, carrying only a gun.

for a stroll

soon found a number

of ducks and as they had never been fired at before pro-

bably, they were not scared

away by

the noise of the gun,

but kept wheeling round and round overhead affording
It would indeed have been easy to shoot
very easy shots.

them

all.

There was, however, no reason

do so and

having collected a couple or two to make a welcome change
from the daily goat of the steamer, we started back when
a fine antelope-cheval rushed from the

wood

across the

Ghikaia at once became
sandy beach towards the water.
very excited and wished me to fire, but it was useless, as

was more than a hundred yards away. It was
satisfactory to find the boy was a keen sportsman, even

the beast

though he did not appreciate the different capacities of
a gun and a rifle.
However, I made a mental note never
to go, even for a casual stroll in Africa, without both

weapons.

On returning to the ship, we hear that the Captain's boy
has killed a hippo and that dozens of others are waiting
to be shot.
We therefore determine to try some shooting
by moonlight and Chikaia is delighted when he sees the
gras as he calls my Lee- Met ford come out of its case.
It

is a beautiful

silver flow

night with clear, cool air.

Streams of

from the moon on the water, while the palms

THE HIGHER CONGO

tower high with majestic crowns.
Here we are in the very
midst of real nature and yet again it unpleasantly recalls
the scenery of a theatre.

what accuracy scenic
The surroundings tend
that this veritable

make

construct

artists

make one

tropical scenes.

sentimental and regret

garden of Eden should be exploited to
and rubber tyres for automobiles and

billiard balls

The native

bicycles.

and hippos, eating
and sleeping again

his

wood

for

also,
fill

instead of hunting elephant

and sleeping, and eating again
has disappeared and

until the carcase

then hunting again,
cut

indeed extraordinary with

It is

now

has to collect rubber juice and

an ugly looking steam

flat.

Such however,

is civilisation in the

Congo.
Spoor of elephants and hippos abound and the grunt of
the latter can frequently be heard, but they are not sitting

up on

their

haunches waiting

shrill chirp of the sentry

bird

boasts that something strange
to lie

be shot.

The

clear,

indeed warning the big
moving and we shall have

is
is

for a

still

at the great

long while probably before getting a chance
heads as they are raised from the water.

walk of about

After a

a mile,

arrive at the place

where the captain's boy was supposed to have killed the
The truth was he had fired at a beast who, as the
hippo.
spoor clearly showed, had walked calmly into the river and
not a trace of blood could be seen.
After a time, with
practice perhaps, one will be able to gauge the truth from
an ordinary Congo statement.
Next day we reach the mouth of the Kasai, a large tri-

butary which drains

Congo.

Here

much

of the Equatorial District of the

a State Post,

Kwamouth, with

a few well

constructed houses and a Catholic Mission where pretty

THE HIGHER CON^O

walking sticks with ivory handles can be purchased and
where the Fathers make a few cigars from Congo tobacco
which are not at all bad smoking.
A little further up the
Mission of St. Marie which

river, is the deserted Catholic

has evidently been

one time well arranged with a large
and garden.
Here however, the

manioc plantation

Sleeping Sickness appeared and the mortality was so heavy
that the place

The disease had no doubt

was abandoned.

existed before, but

was

this terrible

epidemic which

first

attracted the serious notice of Europeans.
It is

becoming

clear that there are a great

number

Most of the poliCongo.
and military appointments are held by Belgians, but

nationalities represented in the
tical

there are

many

Italian military officers also.

the marine are Scandinavians
is

therefore,

must speak

Nearly

all

the language of the river

chiefly English, although every Slate official

a certain

amount

also hold appointments,
chiefly

and

of French.

few Germans

and the trading houses are run

by English and Dutch, while there are missionaries

of several nationalities.

In the army, orders are given

on the ships and in the stations, the native
commanded in a kind of jargon based on the Bangala

in French, but
is

dialect.

The Danish captain of

Congo steamer thus as a

own language, English, French
and Bangala and can make himself understood in all.
On pay day, rolls of brass wire are cut up into mitakos,
rule, speaks, besides his

which become longer the higher one travels up the river,
arrangement having been introduced by Stanley and

this

never altered.
it is

Here the mitako

worth 5 cents, while

long and worth 10 cents.

28 centimetres long and
it is 40 centimetres

Basoko

The

native crew are paid three

THE HIGHER CONGO

mitakos

for their food

much kwanga

per day which would purchase twice

as they could possibly eat.

and wheelman are

also paid

The

capitas

monthly wages which vary with

the nature of their work.

July 28th

we have passed through

a portion of the river

which

the Channel into

very wide and has the appear-

ance of a great lake studded with islands.
are invisible, for the country here

The banks
flat

absolutely

and

many hundreds of miles until ihe Province
Between these islands, which are
reached.

continues so for
Orientale

we pass

usually well wooded,

slowly up the river, for the

strong although the surface of the water
appears absolutely still and the light glares as from a
mirror.
Some of the islands are however, only coveted
current

still

with grass and a herd of buffaloes on one come charging
down to the river to drink. Unfortunately one of the passengers

fires a

which might possibly
twenty yards, and frightens them
a great pity, for if we had had time, we

kind of saloon

have killed a rabbit
back.

This

rifle,

could easily have bagged one or two and had some fresh
beef for dinner.

At midday on the 29th we reach Mopolenga and stop
wood.
The land in the neighbourhood is well culti-

for

vated and manioc, sweet potatoes, bananas and pineapples
flourish.
The manioc plant has a green stem, reddish
branches and green leaves arranged in clusters of six

which turn downwards forming the shape of a parasol,
evidently a popular, as it is an appropriate, pattern for
vegetable

life

in this hot country.

yields the flour, which
is

well boiled,

made

supposed

The

into

root of the

kwanga and

manioc

unless

be very injurious.

The

THE HIGHEU CONGO

of monkeys, parrots and
from a swamp near the water.
In the afternoon we reach Bolobo, the head quarters of

animals

here consist

finches, but

chiefly

many ducks

the Baptist Mission,

fly

which

presided over by Mr. Gren-

fell, a missionary who has resided for over twenty years in
He has taught the natives to make bricks and
the Congo.

build houses and has erected a Mission Hall, a hospital

and a printing house.
out with

mango

ducks and

trees

The mission enclosure
and other useful

fruits

well laid

and many

tunately Mr. Grenfell

was not

fat

Unfor-

fowls pass a contented existence there.

home, but we were

fortu-

who

nate in finding Mr. Scrivener, another missionary,

He stated that the
has resided some years in Africa.
natives were emigrating from the District of Lake Leopold,
which lies behind Bolobo and is Domain Land, because
they were forced to collect rubber and were flogged
refused.

He had never

himself seen a native

they

who had

Asked
ill treated, but had been told so
by natives.
whether the people were ever mutilated, Mr. Scrivener
looked very surprised and answered
Oh no, there is
been

nothing of that kind now
Bolobo is very populous and many natives flocked down
to the beach immediately the steamer arrived and at once
!

held an outdoor market on the beach selling manioc,
clothes, pots of various kinds

and other

articles to the

fish,

crew

and passengers.
A Congo flat fish of the perch family is
found here, smoke dried and sold for food and is very
good eating indeed.
Two of the crew were
the captain.

One

to-day by order of
had attacked another boy with a knife
chicotted

and wounded him and the other had

stolen,

and then

fal-

THE HIGHER CONGO

sely

The

blamed another.

chicotte

a plain strip of

hippo hide and the punishment was administered publicly
by the capita on the bridge of the steamer and did not
to

appear

be more painful than an ordinary birching at a

public school.

At 10 p. m. we decide
steamer and go
skilful

to take the big iron boat of the

hunting.

and know

all

The

natives are exceedingly

the likely places for hippo.

They

paddle hard up stream and having arrived at the
hunting ground allow the boat to drift down with the
first

It is clear
moonlight, but it is
necessary to cover the fore sight of the rifle with white

current in perfect silence.

After a lime, up rises a
paper in order to see it clearly.
a
and
there is just time for a
head
with
great
great pant

before it sinks again.
Hippos frequent shallow
water and are indifferent swimmers. They walk about
It is thus
on the bottom and rise at intervals to breathe.
shot

impossible to

know

which direction a beast

will next

come up under the boat and
This night there were great numbers and we
capsize it.
had excellent sport.
One shot in the head is sufficient to
appear or whether he will

kill

a hippo which then sinks and the body does not rise

again

for

some hours.

One unfortunate animal was

however, shot in the back and rearing straight up on his

hind legs rushed for some yards in that attitude until a
second shot in the head put him out of his misery.

Next day we reach Lukolela, a Wood Post and telegraph
The line runs along the bank all the way from

station.

Leopoldville to
erect.

hundred

Coquilhalville

and was very

difficult

space had to be cleared in the forest nearly two

feet

wide and the line erected in the centre on iron

THE 1UGHEII CONGO
posts, so that
first,

any

falling trees

would not destroy

it.

the elephants strongly resented these novel posts

frequently knocked them

down

and

they had been

nine pins, but have since become used to them.

At Lukolela

there

excellent

as easily as

wood which

teak

fashioned

into

doors and windows and shipped to various places ready for
The nights are quite cool, although we are near
building.

and the heat

the Equator

oppresive as
Cultivation is

Congo and

water

of the river here

not nearly as
the

summer.

in the

lower

becomes very

difficult,

shallow at this season of the year and there

many sand banks which

are

day time

the physique of the natives is remarkably fine.

The navigation
for the

in the

Aden or Shanghai in
much more advanced here than

frequently change their posi-

Charts are therefore, practically useless and each
skipper has to feel his way each voyage. Indeed, the whole

tion.

on the bows of the vessel with long
It
poles sounding the water and shouting out the depth.
time two boys

sit

curious that

when

the vessel is travelling in shallow

water, the engines at once go slow of their

One

of the engineers explained that this

produced by

the

when

accord.

phenomena was

wheels

experienced in
speak, the water from under the

difficulty

so to

dragging away,

the

own

was little depth.
Still the ships, frequently run on the banks, but as they are flat bottomed,
are not usually injured.
The method of mooring is very
ship

there

One of the crew jumps
rudimentary although practical.
overboard with a steel rope, swims ashore and makes it
fast to a tree.

All of

them are expert swimmers and seem
and as their clothes consist of

to enjoy their frequent dips,

a loin cloth only, they do not require to undress.

THE HIGHER CONGO

On August

1st at sunset

reach Irebu,an exceedingly

An avenue of palms stretches parallel
and about twenty yards from it the bank itself
This leads to a large
being fenced by white wooden rails.
which
are
the
brick
houses of the
around
open square
beautiful place.

to the river

Beyond, along the river front, are
European officers.
more brick houses, the Mess and the Magazines, and
This
gardens are laid out the whole length of the town.
is

one of the large military training centres, where about a
officers prepare more than a thousand recruits for

dozen

the Force Publique.

was illuminated by wry simple,
Stakes were driven into the ground

In the evening the place

but effective, moans.

and on each was placed a tin which presumably had conThese were filled with palm oil
tained condensed milk.

The mosquitoes
and pieces of wood to serve as wicks.
here are very bad indeed and it is necessary to take
quinine every day to counteract the effects of their poison.
At daybreak next morning most of the troops were
exercising in the square and their precision and manoeu-

vring -vere really marvellous. Any European colonel might
indeed be proud to hear such a single click as his regiment
shouldered arms. The officers state that the natives attend

very carefully

all

make good

evidently

word of command and

the time for the

act very quickly after

The

given.

instructors

native corporals

and the raw

recruit

soon converted into a smart and responsible soldier.
This
is
the
best
that
could
be
education
military
certainly
given to
a savage

and

;

teaches

him

punctuality, regularity, obedience

collective responsibility

;

houses and keep them clean and

shows him how
it

gives

him an

to build

idea of

THE HIGHER CONGO
justice for he

The

knows he

will

soldier therefore soon

person and realises that

be punished

for

wrong doing.

becomes an altogether different
he is no longer an animal-man

and a friend

living wild in the forest, but a soldier-man

Bulamatadi

of the great

What we may

who governs

call Ihe caste feeling

the country.

has indeed contributed

Anyone who

greatly to civilising the country.

brought

into direct contact with ihe whites as a soldier, a worker
in

or on the roads,

the plantation

superior

the wild

new master lhan

attached to his
rather

amusing

soon

feels that

bushman and then becomes more
to his

own

cousins.

hear the native domestics or

It is

boys

who probably rank

higher than any other natives on the
with great
social ladder, speaking of the
indigenes

contempt as though they were quite another and an infeit
rior species.
Bulamatadi,
may be of
Speaking of
interest to state the origin

means

and was given

stones
to

make roads

on his

and meaning of the term it
one who breaks

literally in the native tongue

when he

blasted rocks

and

him

has been applied to all officials
used to connote anything and every-

Since then

coffin.

of the Stale

to Stanley,

the term being afterwards buried with
it

Thus the State side of the
thing connected with the Slate.
river is Bulamatadi, a Stale Post is Bulamatadi, a State
steamer

Bulamatadi, anything indeed belonging

State is Bulamatadi.
State officials, are

to the

White men traders and hunters, not
mundellas,

but the native at once

has a nick name for everyone which describes his chief
characteristic.

Lord

Mountmorres usually

hunting boots and was named
big boots
wore eyeglasses, I became
double eyes.

wore

long

and as

THE HIGHER CONGO

We
many

left

2nd and

Irebu on August

once disturbed

and hippos, which abound

crocodiles

in this district.

unfortunate accident hapjened in the afternoon.

of the crew

must have been drawn

overboard and

fell

One

under the stern wheel and struck by a paddle, for he never
re-appeared and no sign of the poor fellow could be found,
although diligent search was made for a long time.
Just before sunset a canoe comes alongside and fastens to
Il is indeed
the ship, although it is travelling at full speed.

wonderful

see the

feet

some

fish

three fishermen with

natives

the

way

narrow dug-outs not two

manipulate these
one were

In this

wide.

which looked

like trout for

At once a great clamouring takes place among the
and it soon becomes plain that the chief

sale.

native passengers

fisherman was a good

one

bottle for

empty

man

he refused more of those

Having taken an

of business.

and

fish

a piece of cloth for another,

articles

and demanded

either salt

In a short time however, he had

or milakos for his goods.

disposed of his cargo and paddled contentedly away.
The natives are very vain and take much trouble over
their

personal appearance.

simple

this is concentrated

From

hair dressing.

their

clothes

their tatouage

are very

and on

their

a hopeless looking tangle of black

tow a very pretty erection
are of both sexes.

created by the barbers

Often the hair has

five

who

or six separate

partings and quills or feathers are inserted into the ridges
in between.

All the

cloth as they

leather belt

women

in the

here wear a simple piece of

Lower Congo and sometimes a plain
the waist.
The arms and legs

worn round

are bare and covered with plain bangles

The women wear no hat

made

of any kind, but the

of mitakos.

men ape

the

THE HIGHER CONGO

Europeans and appear

Both

in old helmets or straw hats.

sexes are very clean personally, and bathe frequently in
the river, but never dry themselves afterwards.

keep on

their loin cloths, but if they

trousers, take these

off,

while the

wear also

women

The men
shirts or

bathe in a white

linen loin cloth and everyone afterwards pulls on his other

Many natives rub a red powder
made from cam-wood and thus acquire a

clothes without drying.
into the skin

copper colour, while others paint their faces with various
stripes of red, yellow or white.

where the natives are becoming
to be

the

Congo however,
custom seems

civilised, this

dying out.

On August 3rd we
on one side of the
centre.

Here used

cross the Equator

river
to

and

marked by

post

the point of an island in the

be a settlement, but most of the

There is still a Mission
people have moved higher up.
near the place and a good road runs along the bank
between plantations of bananas and gardens
ville which we reach in the afternoon.

to Coquilhat-

BOTANICAL GARDENS AT EALA.

CHAPTER
The Equator

IV.

District.

Coquilhatville, the capital of this important District is

The roads are
town in the Upper Congo.
formed by bamboos laid in rows, upon which sand and
mud are placed the whole forming an effective pavement for
foot passengers and no other is required for there are no

the largest

carriages and only a few horses.

uniforms with

full

we proceed

make

dress, badges

don white

a formal call on Captain Stevens, the

Comrrjissaire of the District with
fevt,

All the officers

and medals, and together

Commissaire du Roi.

whom

Some

staying Mr. Mal-

of the officers take their

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

dogs with hem, which
I

the

numerous

pressed.
fox-terrier

cats of the

once make a furious onslaught on
to be sup-

Commissaire and have

Mgr. Derikx places a particularly pugnacious
under the basket work of his chair the little

animal being
Church.

literally

sat

upon by

the dignitary of the

The Residency is a large brick building situated on a
hill and raised above the ground, the space beneath

low

being enclosed and loop-holed, thus forming a small

The
is

gardens are particularly pretty and well kept.

handed round and we

sit

fort.

Beer

chatting on the verandah until

He
Mr. Grenfell, the head of the Baptist Mission, arrives.
has travelled up the river in the Mission Steamer from
Bolobo and was on his way when we stopped at that place.
As he has been in the Congo for more than twenty years,
he knows the country well and thus speaks with authority.

He
is

thinks the system of Government excellent, but that it
administered better in the Lower than the Upper Congo,

He is
because there are not enough officials in the latter.
the
has
decreased
on
the
convinced
population
greatly
riverside of the Bangala District,

and

attributes

chiefly to

Sleeping Sickness for he cannot say if emigration to the
French CoDgo has been extensive or not.
No case of illtreatment of natives has

come

his notice during the

but he thinks the State does not give them
He has seen natives without hands,
enough work to do.
but does not believe that any atrocities have occurred for

last three years,

many

years.

better

Generally speaking, he thinks

would be

the State acquired all the property of the

Compa-

Although he does not know of any definite cases of
no
ill-treatment, he has heard reports and thinks Ihere is
nies.

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

smoke without
of smoke.

and

However, he

fire.

agree that a very

little fire

in ihe

quite prepared to

Congo makes

a great deal

Mr. Grenfell spoke very calmly,
away by emotionalism or strong

Altogether,

evidently not carried

prejudice against the State.

At Coquilhatville, as elsewhere

in the State, the priso-

ners are given useful work to do.

digging a hole

by the roadway.

ther but Ihe chain

was so long

Two

movements.

Near by a party were
They were chained toge-

that

did not hamper their

were on guard,

policemen

but the

whole gang were evidently taking matters very easily.
In the evening we dine with the Commissaire and a
party of sixteen or eighteen, including

many

of our fellow

Mr. Grenfell and Dr. Button, of the Liverpool

travellers,

School of Tropical Medicine, who
Sleeping Sickness.
Everyone we
velled in other countries

and

here studying the

meet who has

also visited the

tra-

Congo,

astonished at the wonderful development of the place.

is
It

indeed becoming more and more apparent that the State
has gone ahead very fast and that the stress has been great,
both for Europeans and natives.
Probably, now the

machine

is fairly set rolling, it will

proceed more steadily

in the future.

Next day we decide

week or

to leave the

Flandre and stay

for a

Commandant Ankstrom,

at Coquilhatville.

the Adjoint Superieur to the Commissaire, kindly lends us
his

house and we

quitoes of the river

Everything

and

in the

once move

and

in,

to sleep

glad to leave the mosin a

room once more.

house and garden is scrupulously clean
which I may add were found in

tidy, characteristics

nearly every Post and house in the whole country.

The

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

sanitary arrangements are the perfection of simplicity.
There are no drains, but simple receptables which are

emptied and cleaned every morning while carbolic acid
is used
This admirable system is carried out
liberally.

however large or small, and I never once
The natives themselves are also

in every Post,

found

unobserved.

very cleanly in their habits, so that although the heat is
great and decomposition proceeds very rapidly, bad smells
are absolutely

unknown.

Near the residency

kept farm and the mutton tasted particularly nice
diet of goat on the steamer.

The

effect of the

In Europe

and

tion

climate on

digestion

a well

after the

curious.

forms of starch and iugar give me indigeshave therefore to avoid bread, potatoes, jam,

all

Here however, I have a
sugar and kindred substances.
for
these
and
never
have indigestion.
I
craving
things
mention

this personal trait,

because

many

other travellers

in the tropics have often stated that they could
rice

and jam

No doubt

march on

days without desiring meat of any kind.

for

the system is

working at, so to speak, high
curious that a complete change in one's
idiosyncrasies should take place even in the first month.
pressure, but

On August 5th the Flandre proceeds up the river, and
we bid farewell to our travelling companions, who seem to
have become old friends in the
one,

last

six

weeks.

Every-

always most kind and courteous, and not only

gives every information, but also the benefit of his experience,

town

and thus

standing in their
It

affords

much

valuable assistance.

of Coquilhatville consists of

ma^ seem

that

own gardens and
one

The

rows of brick houses
fronting on avenues.

insists unnecessarily

on the

fact that

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT
the houses are brick in

all

the towns, a fact

which the

The traEuropean would accept as a matter of course.
veller however knows that in most tropical countries, wood
is

usually employed instead, as being easier to obtain and

work.

Indeed in the United States, the country seats of

even the very wealthy are generally constructed chiefly of
Bricks however, are by no means easily

that substance.

made

in the

sandy and

Congo,
is

for in

many

places the soil

therefore difficult to

make

very

the brick bind.

Again, lime is very scarce and all manner of substances are
used to make mortar.
Among these the ant hills are much
in favour, for

which are often

has been observed that these structures

high and in proportion great in
never
When
diameter,
disintegrate in the heaviest rain.
with
and
mixed
sand
their
out
substance
makes
an
dug
thirty feet

Again, the shells of oysters, which
abound in some parts of the river are also used to make
mortar.

excellent

The roofs are thatched with
mortar with good results.
wherever
leaves
obtainable, and if well constructed
palm
are quite water tight.
for as

much

Glass windows are not

air as possible is desirable

are so broad that rain rarely enters.

much

used,

and the verandahs

The openings are

thus closed only by shutters or by wire gauze to keep out
the

numerous

insects.

The usual money is the
Living here is very expensive.
but
the
likes
will sometimes take
native
salt
and
mitako,
cloth

he fancies

it.

and on one occasion

however, very independent,

Fowls and eggs are about the same price
of London, but the latter are very
Fruit is however, cheap, as it is abundant.
Near

single duck.

as in the
scarce.

a native refused 14/- in cloth for a

West End

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

town is a large coffee and cocoa plantation arranged in
square fields, separated by avenues of palms, which both
form grateful shade and yield much palm oil.
On each
the

field

on which

a large board

painted the

number

Papye, cceur de boeuf, bananas and pineapples

bushes.

abound.

The system

work

that a description of

equally do
reveille

in every Post is exactly the

for every place in the

and

native workers

who

roll call

the natives

would

Congo.
of

At 5.30

At 11.15

march

to the river

the Europeans

all

then, led by a bugler,

their respective duties.
all

same, so

as witnessed in Goquilhatville

march

m. bugle

and bathe.

m.
and

off to

call

and

Al 11.30

m. bathing ceases and they march off behind the bugler
dinner and rest.
At 2.30 p. m. they assemble again

and

5.30

The

finish for the day.

native thus

works eight hours and a half and rests in the hottest portion of the day.
The workers in the plantations are
entirely volunteers

and so do not come under the 40 hours'

who live in the villages
The women do the light
and are not in the State service.
work in the plantations and thus fare much better, than
when forced to do all the work by iheir husbands, which
rule,

which

happens

only applied to those

in all the

villages.

brushing the roads with

palm

leaves.

curious to see them
Six or eight

women

walk abreast and push away the dust and dead leaves
which are then collected in baskets and thrown into the
river.

As our house looks
Publique
first

drill,

into the square where the Force
At
witness the methods employed.

the recruit is taught

which

right

and which

is left.

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

Droite and up goes the right hand, gauche and the left folThe native corporal, however, has corrupted these
words into hi hoo so that, as is usual in military com-

lows.

mands, no mere

civilian

can possibly understand them.

Afterwards when he comes

mount guard and

relieve

sentries, the order pre'sen tez armes! might be anything from

the sound.

The band

practices also close at hand.

First the cornet

picks out some air he has heard, note by note, and like a

who

child

learning the piano, always goes back to the

beginning of the piece
trials

many

when he

the whole air

strikes a false note.

Then

discovered.

After

the trom-

bones and bass instruments put in the accompaniment also
by experiment, and in the end the result is really quite

good

for Africans unlike Asiatics, take kindly to

European

music.

The method

moving heavy weights

necessarily very

primitive, for, with the exception of a few wheel-barrows,

there are no vehicles of any kind here.

was

carried into the square one day

been lashed across
length.
lifted

One

or two

;

huge

pieces of

tree

trunk

wood had

about two

men on

feet apart throughout its
each side of each piece then

and the whole eighty or hundred men marched
It would indeed

the trunk along with ease at a jog trot.

be impossible

use heavy trolleys in this part of the
sandy and the wheels would at

for the roads are

Congo,
once sink deeply into them.
A walk through the plantation, which extends over some
square miles,

very pleasant, as the palms spread their

leaves across the avenues until they nearly touch each other

thus forming beautiful shady groves.

Ferns grow round

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

the

stems and the whole

whites.

wooden

extremely pretty and cool-

cross at the head on which

The age however,

and date of death.
is

Beyond the plantation is the cemetery for the
Each grave is covered with bricks and has a

looking.

inscribed the
is

name

omitted and this

perhaps as well, for the Congo exacts a heavy toll of
lives and new comers are often depressed already by

young

the accounts of the climate which have reached Europe.

Further on
native tract.

is a forest through which runs a narrow
This demonstrates well the extreme indo-

lence of the native.

small branch of a tree

If a

across the path, he steps over

round

Time

it.

immaterial.

it,

falls

a large one, he walks

no object, so the length of the road is
attempt is made to form bridges, for the

streams are not deep and are easily fordable, nor even to
It
break off the branches of trees which obstruct the way.

The forest paths
stoop and pass beneath.
have indeed been made simply by the pressure of bare
feet on the soil and undergrowth.
A few monkeys and
is easier to

parrots chatter overhead and an occasional pigeon coos,

but the chief forms of animal
the most

lovely butterflies.

life

here, are thousands of

These are coloured

suit

the surroundings and are therefore usually of subdued tints.

Occasionally however, a great insect nearly as large as
one's hand,

and blues.

by exhibiting the most vivid greens, reds,
Bananas, rubber plants, palms and acacias

flies

crowd each other

in the forest through

three or four miles, until

which we walk

for

reach a native village conof
a
in
few
huts
a clearing.
A handsome
sisting
square

looking fellow comes up

know

we wish

us,

buy anything.

salutes

and desires

Having neither mita-

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

we are wearing, we
man wondering probably if the
wonder why we walked all that distance

kos, salt, nor cloth except the pyjamas

cannot deal and leave the
native ever does
if

we did not require anything.
On August 8th we visit the

which

Botanical Gardens at Eala,

about three miles fromCoquilhatville. Mr. Pinard,
the Director of the Gardens, shows us the various plants
is

indigenous and imported which he has collected, and
although the place has only been formed for three years,
almost everything which could possibly grow has been
planted. The soil is sandy, the altitude about 1100 feet

above sea

Numerous

level

and the temperature

varieties of

about 90

rubber plants are arranged here for

experimental purposes, and gutta percha also

slowly

Bushes which yield acid, suitable for
attaining maturity.
the
milk
of
the rubber plant, grow alongside.
coagulating
Cotton does not do well here owing to the scarcity of rain,
but coffee and tea flourish.
All the palms, many ferns

and orchids and nearly every
as

well as tropical,

grow

fruit

and vegetable, European

great

profusion while the

melons, vegetable marrows, beans, peas, potatoes, lettuces,
cucumbers and tomatoes look healthy. Croton, belladonna

and other medicinal herbs are cultivated and there are many
beautiful flowers, whose use is chiefly ornamental.
The
gardens are of great extent, well laid out and beautifully
kept,

so that

this site

was wild

is difficult

believe that four years ago

forest.

Adjoining the gardens

a large farm in which cattle,

resembling those of the Lower Congo, look well.

however, unfortunate that the cows only give

milk

to rear their calves.

sufficient

Horses, asses and pigs live healthily

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

and the native sheep thrive, but are very thin.
Although
wheat will not grow, maize is easily raised and the grass,
if

coarse looking,

good

for grazing.

The farm buildings

are kept most scrupulously, clean, for the slightest neglect

would probably occasion an epidemic of

trichinosis

among

the pigs.

The

neighbourhood of Coquilhatville seem
and
very populous
prosperous.
Any morning early whole
families can be met
mother
and children, with
father,
villages in the

bundles of manioc fastened on their backs by broad grass
fibres
going to the town.
Everywhere the natives seem
contented and happy.
When not working, thfy sit in the
roads and dye their skins or have their hair dressed, while
the children play around with

bows and arrows or other

The wealthy wear heavy brass
pugnacious kind of toys.
rings extending from the ankle to thp. knee and the discomfort

must be very

great, but as is proved

the natives will bear

much

pain in

Before leaving Coquilhatville,

selves.

by the tatouage,

order to beautify them-

we send

for the

boy
Epondo, who was rendered famous as an example of an
atrocity

by Mr. Casement, the

Epondo

now employed

of the District

always

hand when

Four inches below the elbow

soe him.

arm

and

late British

there are

two deeps

Consul

Boma.

as a gardener by the Commissaire
visitors desire to

joint of the left

scars, three inches apart,

which

could certainly have been produced by the bite of an animal of about the size of a wild boar.
The stump of the
forearm

was

told

covered with irregular scars, such as would

hand had become gangrenous and fallen away.
useless asking him questions, as he had already
two distinct stories which have been related above.

remain

the

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

On August
down the river

to Irebu,

hot journey.

Mr. Jeniaux, the Commandant, has spared

no pains

10th.

make

and steam

after a

few hours

camp not only beautiful but attractive
has well earned its reputation as one

the

way and
show places

in every

leave Coquilhatville

which we reach

of the Congo.
Lord Mountmorres is
house used for guests and Lieutenant
The Mess
Hoyer kindly lends me his during our stay.
is very comfortably arranged, and the dinner based on
of the

lodged in a spare

antelope and wild pig

Next day

is excellent.

go hunting with Mr. Hoyer in a canoe proThese at first keep up a kind
the time of the paddles which is quite musical
I

pelled by twenty paddlers.
of chant to

and pleasant. As we approach the game grounds howAfter travelling up stream
ever, they become quite silent.
for

about a mile, we land in a kind of bog which

is full

a species of duck, somewhat resembling a wood-cock.
A sergeant of the Force Publique acts as guide and hunter,

and

soon becomes apparent that the native

is in

the habit

and shooting them sitting. This is
formerly they were armed with bows

of stalking even birds

natural enough for

and arrows, and now the army of course use only rifles.
Shot guns, therefore, are only known to the boys of the
white men, some of whom are very good shots.
The
hunter seems

quite

annoyed

birds on the wing, but

because

delighted

only

when one

shoot

far

falls.

indeed, the only enthusiasm a native has shown, has been

while hunting after a successful shot.

once re-enact

the

The paddlers
to

their

scene, put imaginary guns
shoulders give a loud bang and then describe circles with
their

hands

give a

dumb show

of the bird falling,

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

laughing and shouting
like

the time.

all

and are

children

They are

realy just

by trifles.
After walking some distance the sergeant becomes wildly
excited and clutches me violently by the arm but makes no

young

noise.
I

Looking up

easily

pleased

monkey but signify that
He then asks permission to
down with a shot through the

see a large

will not shoot those beasts.

fire his rifle

head.

and brings

After

this

After the very

we paddle on

first

shot at a head

the hippo

fifty

ground.

yards away, the

canoe suddenly gives a great lurch and as nearly as possible capsizes.
Another great beast had evidently chosen

moment

come up just under it and if we had not
been a heavy load, would undoubtedly have thrown it high
in the air.
As it was, beyond a shaking, no one was
that

damaged and we had
made for

the animals

long grass.
Behind Irebu
the green that

excellent sport for a few minutes until

bank and hid themselves

the

in the

a plain, where the grass is really green,
Here and there
only seen in the tropics.

are clumps of palms and patches of forest, the whole giving
the appearance of a well kept park.

and wild pig here but they are very

There are antelope

difficult to stalk

owing
There are also a few
open character of the ground.
red-legged partridges and many pigeons so that one always
to the

found something to shoot.

The
by

native

wooden

soldiers live,

camp here
fence.

consists of a large square shut off

Inside are large huts in which the

and oddly enough, they

woman
These women

separate establishments, each
for

her

husband.

plantation

when

all

prefer to

have

preparing the food
also

work

the

they are not concerned with the business-

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT
of maternity,

which judging by the number of children

about, must be very seldom.

The

native cemetery is a

on each grave is placed the
curious-looking place,
clothes of the dead one and any other belongings he has.
for

No one knows

the origin or object of this

are not for the journey to the
rently,

for

custom

missionaries say they have never heard the

natives speak of any kind of a future state.
that these articles are

departed

merely

they are however,

;

They

happy hunting ground appa-

all

show

may be

the wealth of the

broken or torn

to shreds,

so that no robber should be tempted to take them.

Many

of the tribes are said to eat their dead, except those of

high position and those who die of infectious diseases, and
others used to throw the corpses in the river.
Some tribes

however, have a very elaborate funeral with

much

wailing

and lamenting and the departed is interred beneath his
own hut, which is never occupied again.
At Irebu, the narrow river from Lake Tumba joins the
Congo, and from

its

small size

known

usually as the

The current sometimes flows up and sometimes

canal.

to the height of water in the Congo, but
obvious that the general direction must be down, as
many small streams flow into the Lake, and all their water

down, according

it is

certainly not dispersed

by evaporation.
Many crocothe
and
down
canal
and
it would be
up
easy to
shoot them from the windows or verandah of my house,
is

diles pass

but
like
for

seems

be rather a waste of cartridges which,

most other things, must be carried the whole tour,
I do not therenone can be procured in the Congo.

fore,

care

run the risk of running short when the

hunting grounds of Dele are reached.

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

Sunday
is

dant,

who

the Chiefs

all

come

in to call

on the Comman-

evidently regarded as a species of parent.

nickname of Commandant Jeniaux

Indeed, the

No work

usually a very busy day in Irebu.

done, but

word meaning Father.
receive treatment

All the sick are brought in

children are vaccinated, and any

;

native disputes are brought before

nearly always

women.

relate to

that his wife has not

him

will

behaved herself properly

rarely, that she has

complain
at

home,

much more

run away with another.

Sometimes

a Chief complains that another one has stolen

or goats, and then the other side

and
little

These

to settle.

One man

that she has not prepared his food nicely, or

women

the native

some

of his

heard and the

These are of course, not formal
judgment pronounced.
trials, and the judgment is more in the shape of advice.
It

least.

however, always acted upon, for the time being at
Serious cases are left to the Courts, but this insti-

tution of friendly palavers is an excellent one

blishes confidence

and good

will

among

and

the natives.

here indeed, that the personal character of the white

estaIt is

man

calm, just, firm rule will win both
the love and respect of these over-grown children, but an
excitable, harsh, uncertain temper and manner, will only
is

put to the

awaken

test.

distrust

and hatred.

of the Station, the easier
villages,

which

it is

The more popular the head
for him to find workers in the

in turn affect the general

condition of the

country around.
Although the system of work is absoluuniform
and
tely
every official is tied in a particular groove,
the
whole
welfare, work, and indeed, appearance of
yet

and villages, is good or bad according to the
moral character and personality of the chief white man in
the country

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT
the neighbourhood.

some

rebel,

it is

would

when

reserve, that

therefore, say, with

however

the natives are discontented

and

not because they dislike the system of Govern-

ment, but are dissatisfied with the

man who

administers

On August 16th, Inspecteur d'Etat Warnanl, Commander in-chief of the Force Publique, arrives at Irebu.
He

on a tour of inspection, and has every reason

satisfied

with the efficiency of the troops.
Perfect disciis maintained throughout all ranks

and harmony

pline

and

all

fectly

the officers are agreed that the troops

steady

when

of cowardice.

fighting and never show the
Many are very good shots and

are perleast sign

their drill

certainly leaves nothing to be desired.

same day Mr. Joseph Clarke, of the American
Mission
at Ikoko, calls at Irebu and kindly invites
Baptist

the

to his

house

for a

few days.

This

situated

on the

Lake Tumba, or Mantumba or Lac N'Tomba,
whichever you prefer. Lors Mountmorres remains at Irebu,

banks

but

leave in Mr. Clarke's boat, propelled by twenty four

paddlers, and journey along the canal, which twists and
turns in all directions.
Towards sunset we land at Boboko

where Mr. Clarke buys some ducks and eggs, the price of

the latter being a table-spoonful of salt for each.

then
arranges also to sell some nails to the Chief.
cross the canal to Itutu, a branch Mission Station con-

ducted by a native who preaches, and is an excellent
Here we sleep, Mr. Clarke making up a bed
carpenter.
in the boat, while

occupy a

mud

hut which however,

scrupulously clean.

Next morning,

after a bathe in the canal, in

which the
6

THE EQUATOH DISTRICT

water

warm, weak

is like

coffee,

continue our journey

Ngero, a long straggling village on the north bank of

the Lake.

tructed of

The huts here are oblong and strongly conshard cane and mud, the roofs being thatched

with dried palm leaves closely interlaced.
It is necessary
them, for the doors are not five feet high,

to stoop to enter

but

usually a

stand upright within.
There is
but
no
outlet
for
the
smoke,
burning,

.possible to

wood

fire

which slowly finds

its

way through

the roof.

The

therefore, are covered with a kind of tar which,
tedly,

acts

as an antiseptic,

and

also

rafters

undoub-

keeps away the

The mosquitoes indeed, will not face wood
but
tobacco smoke is useless as a shield against
smoke,

insects.

their attacks.

men

Both sexes here are practically nude.
The
and the women look after the banana-

are fishermen

palm nuts for oil and do the cookand
housework.
ing
Ngero was the village of the Chief Lokolo Longania,
plantations, crush the

who

raised a rebellion against the State

some years ago,

some trouble was captured and hanged.
Here
we buy some fish and eggs and then go on to Ikoko, the
crew singing native songs and Christian hymns as they
and

after

paddle along.

and

The Mission house

very prettily situated,

a wooden building, with that very rare luxury in

Here we are met by
Congo, glass windows.
Mrs. Clarke, who has spent many years with her husband

the

in Africa.

since
its

the

The Mission has
climate

not

a good farm and garden, and
as

bad as

many

parts,

inmates enjoy fair health.
A large wooden building
used as a chapel and school, and near it is a saw pit

and a carpenter's shop where the boys make furniture and

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

boxes for sale at Irebu and other Posts in the neighbourhood, for the furniture of the Ikoko Mission is quite

The

famous.

make

girls all

wear

which they
and many

plain, blue frocks

themselves, as well as clothes for sale,

are also quite expert

various

kinds of fancy needle-

The business has however, decreased lately owing
decrease in population.
The Mission bell has been

work.
to the

ingeniously fixed in a tree, and

calls to school, to

and prayer, as regularly as the bugle

work

in the Stale Posts.

The village of Ikoko consists of groups of huts separated from each other by the tall grass, which here is eighteen or twenty feet long, but as the ends bend over, not
The people seem idle,
above twelve or fifteen feet high.
contented and happy, the chief industry being fishing and
Mr. Clarke said the population used to be
net-making.
about 2000 in number, but

many have

Sickness and some have migrated.
for a

number

of huts are deserted,

grown over them,

some cases

died of Sleeping

This

very evident,

and the weeds have
blocking the

entirely

Out of curiosity, we have a rough census taken
there are 138 men in the village on August 19th.

entrances.

and

find

Some no doubt

women and
1000

are fishing,

and allowing

for these

children, there are probably not

1200 people now

The work

living in the village.

these do for the State, consists of supplying

and the

more than

600

rations of

per week to the plantation of Bikoro, a ration consisting of a whole, a half, or a quarter of a fish according to its
fish

size.

For

this they are paid

They

also supply

that

the

600 mitakos

bamboos and

people worked hard,

not require as long as

-or

baskets, but

they

about 25/
is

very plain

would

40 hours a month

certainly

accomplish

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

The

their tasks.

bamboo lashed

fish

are caught in nets

together by a tough

made

of thin

creeper, which are

Sometimes it happens that the
arranged in the lake.
fishermen are unfortunate and then they buy from their
neighbours who take advantage of the scarcity value and
A
charge them more than they will receive from the State.

might thus be out of pocket by the transaction, but
as each one has its turn, probably by the end of the year
no one has lost or gained.
village

men, women, and children are
and write the native language, and some

In the Mission school

learning to read

have mastered also the rudiments of arithmetic and French.

Some

of the classfs are held in the school-room

under trees near

hand.

assistant

and others

missionary,

Mr. "Whitman, helps Mr. Clarke, while Mrs. Whitman
teaches in the school.

On August 20th we
ing sky.
sing the

start for

Bikoro under a threaten-

indeed soon apparent that a tornado is crosus, for great banks of dense clouds

It is

Lake towards

advancing rapidly from the south west now obscure the
sun.
It would be impossible to travel through the storm,
so

turn the boat and

Ikoko on the

east.

make

Only just

for a

creek which bounds

in time,

reach a native

The

hut, as a terrific storm bursts over- head.

rain des-

cends in sheets accompanied by vivid green lightning and
crashes of thunder.

but the
level

mud

of the

Fortunately the roof

floor of the hut has worn

water-tight,

down below

the

ground outside and soon the water pours
and is nine or ten inches deep inside.

through the door

The

fire

splutters out

and the logs

float

around amid the

crowing of fowls and the cackling of ducks

who

are quite

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

Our hostess with a baby strapped
commences to

contented and happy.

on her back

in the usual native fashion,

on logs in the
After about an hour the

bale out the water with a basket while

darkness and try to keep dry.
storm passes and we go back

now

sit

Lake

the Mission, the

like a small sea.

appearing
Mr. Clarke lends

a copy of the

Memorial concerning

conditions in the Independent Stale of the Congo which

was presented to
There seem to be

the

American Senate early in 1904.

a great

many

curious errors in

it.

with the astounding statement that the Congo Free
State has a sea board of 400 miles along the Atlantic,
starts

whereas a glance at the map will show that it is really
about a tenth as long.
It estimates the Force Publique

30,000 men, rather more than twice its full strength,
and its author is under the impression that the people may
at

not collect the produce of the land or
chandise.

It is a little difficult to

author means here.

barter

for

mer-

understand what the

a matter of fact, the people are

all day long and with the white
whenever they have the opportunity.
They sell
native
knives
all
kinds
of
curiosities
to
and
food, lances,
those who desire them and are at perfect liberty to barter

trading with each other,
travellers

all their property if they wish to do so.
They may
not of course enter the territories of the State or Private

away

Companies and take the ivory or rubber, any more than
may walk on to private land and

the people in Europe

gather the corn or fruit from

The

native indeed

for their

own

use or

gathers the fruits of the soil for his master and

wage

for so doing.

profit.

in the position of a farm labourer

On Sunday

who

paid a

attend service in the

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

chapel.

native from Sierra Leone reads a lesson from

which has been translated

the Gospel of St. Matthew,

Bangalaand

into

on the subject afterwards.
earnest and talks with that kind

gives a short address

much

evidently

of spirit of conviction frequently to be noticed in street
Several

preachers.

pass out,
so.

dropping
the

hymns

are

sung and then the people

their mitakos into the plate as they

afternoon,

walk

round

the

village.

Mr. Clarke notices a boy with a malformation of one knee
He then explains to me that this is
and speaks to him.
another atrocity, for the boy said he had been shot by the
soldiers of the State

when an

infant.

showed he was

the boy however,

examination of

suffering from a kind of

There are several chiefs in Ikoko and one
bony tumour.
of them also practises as a doctor.
He has cleared a space
about ten

feet in

diameter and enclosed

for a consulting

room, while an inner chamber, still more closely surrounded, is the secret place where the infusions are made and
the charms and fetishes consulted.

Although many of the

drugs used, are efficacious or not, according
of the

patient,

as in civilised countries, yet

people constantly
native doctors,

and

tell
it

the

white

of apparently wonderful cures by
is certain that

the people at present

be treated by those of their own colour.
also an old lady in Ikoko, the widow of a chief,

prefer to
is

to the faith

reported to be very clever as a healer.

There

who

This old person

has European features but has an unpleasant expression.
native women wear nothing but a thin belt with a

The

small piece of cloth attached but they are covered with
brass rings, and the principle wife of an important chief

here was wearing a necklet of solid brass which must

THK EQUATOR DISTRICT

This was fixed on

have weighed thirty or forty pounds.
and had to be worn night and day.

In spite however, of clever doctors, the
to

too

much

men do

Perhaps they have
more old women than

many wives for there are far
On the other hand, as there must be two

men.

women
former

each man,

to
at

only natural to find

The

any given age.

infants are not

three or four years and during that period the
said refuses to
fore, cohabits
is

Polygamy
difficult to

not live

over forty years of age.

with her husband.

lie

man

with the

while the

or three

of the

weaned

woman

for

Another wife therefirst

rears her child.

thus a custom which the missionaries find very

The

change.

State however, refuses to reco-

gnise more than one wife and many of the

soldiers are

legitimately married by the officials qualified to perform
that office.

Much palm wine
manufacture

consumed by

very simple.

branch of a palm which

gourd

the natives for
is tied to

its

an upper

then tapped and the sap drops

If this is left all night, fermentation takes

into the vessel.

place without artificial aid, and at

scented alcoholic cider

midday a kind of highly
produced which however, is acid

This natural wine must
and undrinkable by the evening.
be
on
of
fermentation and does
drunk
the
therefore,
day
not improve on keeping

What

a useful tree the

and leaves are

fine

palm

Its

building materials;

beds and furniture

;

its oil

trunk, branches

its

matting forms

gives light, acts as butter or

makes soap when mixed with banana
or an alkali, and indeed, can be used for all the

lard for cooking,
juice

purposes of

oil

;

forms wine, and the heart of the plant

88
is

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

most excellent eating as a salad.

the

and

its

Therefore given meat,

and the banana, and a town can be built
inhabitants fed.
Both sexes smoke a great deal of
tree

palm

tobacco and also Indian hemp, which latter has however,

been found so injurious that it is illegal to grow the plant
but the native tobacco is not at all unpleasant when smoked
in a pipe.

On August 22nd we

take a trip up a small river to the

East of Ikoko which winds through dense forest and is
evidently full of fish, for at intervals, barricades are
erected which

stretch

right

the river, wiih the

across

exception of a small space to allow canoes to go up and
In the middle or one side however, an open-

down.
ing

left

bamboo

which can be closed by lowering one of the
Platweighted, vertically down.

nets heavily

forms are erected ten or twelve
these nets

high to raise or lower

feet

and the whole structure

strongly put together.

The

up and are then enclosed

fish are

ingeniously and

thus allowed to

in a section of the river,

they are easily caught in baskets.

All the riverside

swim
when
popu-

On the way I shot a toucan,
engages in fishing.
which must have weighed ten or twelve pounds, with
number five shot which happened to be in the gun at the

lation

The bird however, was hit in the head and breast.
natives at once plucked it and having scarcely warmed

time.

The
it

at the fire greedily eat

it.

At a village called Bokoto a boy was brought
with his right hand missing, for I was very anxious
an original of the photos which are so
I

was indeed beginning

common

to despair of finding

most of the white men had never seen

to see

England.

one

at all for

a case,

none of the

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT
natives understood what

wished and hitherto no mis-

Here howsionary knew where one was to be found.
with
his
was
a
hand
and
it had
ever,
boy
right
missing
evidently been removed by a sharp
I

instrument, but not

think by a surgeon, for the scars were not such as follow

preter and
-

When was

-Who
The

inter-

the following conversation took place.

During

Mr. Clarke acted as

at the wrist joint.

amputation

this

war when

boy was an

the

infant.

did it?

soldiers

Why

done?

the rubber

who came from

Bofiji.

did they come?

- Because the natives had not collected rubber.

Where

did this take place?

In the country behind Bikoro
killed at the

and the mother was

same time as she was carrying away her

infant.

Neither the date nor the age of the boy is known, but
he appears to be 12 or 13 years of age and his name is

Although therefore, no proof can be adduced,
the child of course remembers nothing and only knows

Imputela.
for

what he has been
soldier

may

told, there is a

have cut

off his

possibility that a native

hand.

the other hand,

may have been injured or cut by a native chief. I mention Ihis case at length, because it was the only one I ever
found in a tour of several thousand miles in the interior of
the

Congo

anxious

State,

to see

although

such cases.

Inkaka another fishing

everyone knew I was very
On our way back we call at

village.

Behind

Batoir tribe had temporarily settled.

and uncivilised and load a wandering
Sometimes they act as professional

a few of the

They

are very savage

life,

hunting game.
and are

hunters

THE EQUATOR DISTRICT

One young
employed by villagers to find them food.
fellow was armed with a bow and wooden arrows poisoned
and

at the tip

simply the

decomposing matter of dead

As long

strength

when
in

wrapped

this

wet,

For

dried.

The poison

in a leaf.

wrapped

carefully

men

most deadly but loses

reason only

this

its

the

tip

Death has followed within a few

leaf.

hours of being struck with a poisoned arrow and this
only to be expected, for we know how dangerous it
for

surgeons when

examination of the

had seized a

mouth.

Just as

is
is

they wound themselves during an
dead body.
On the way home we

found a snake in the water and shot

moment

or animals.

we were

just at the very

and was holding

fish

picking this out

met the same

its

another similar

They were
bright green in colour and had small heads, but one measured 93 and ihe other 90 inches in length.
one appeared and

this

On August 23rd we
tion

the

of coffee, cocoa

visit

fate.

Bikoro a large State plantasituated on the bank of

and rubber,

Lake about eight or nine miles from Ikoko.

conducted by Mr. Monaie, a Swiss gentleman, who has
had much experience in horticulture.
Here nature has

been closely imitated

but

First the
improved upon.
the forest and then the

undergrowth was cleared from
native
to

rubber vines were planted and have commenced
trees.
These are not tapped until they are

climb the

ten years old, for although

rubber milk before,
injured

the vines

they are cut

when

possible to obtain

are

killed

too young.

the

or seriously

Some rubber

shrubs from Brazil have also been planted, but do not
flourish as well as the native kind.
Altogether more than

THE KQUATOK DISTRICT
a

1000 hectares have

been

and the various

planted

plantations are connected by well kept paths.
three hundred natives are employed

shade of the

housed

must

forest

who

act as policemen

Gurn copal

is also

found

in various qualities

for the

two

laid out

fifteen

or twenty soldiers

for only the big

towns have a

in the district in large quantities

The brick houses

lake and gardens have been

which are very neat and

Next day

They are
which are kept

very pleasant.
a clearing,

and colours.

officials face the

although much

in the

and guard the rubber and ivory stores.

separate Police force

and

There are

scrupulously clean.
here

in a series of huts

More than

and the work

tidy,

the whole place,

smaller, rivalling even Irebu in beauty.
return to Irebu in the Florida a small

stern wheel steamer,

and

find a

welcome mail from home

and also a permit to shoot game from Boma. This latter
is an
imposing document of nine articles and gives permission to shoot adult male animals but not female if
their

accompanied by
them, even

tames, baffles,

alone.

young, or, if possible to distinguish
The animals named are, hippopo-

antilopes, gazelles, ibex, chevrotains,

les

divers sangliers, petits singes, outardes, francolains, per-

dreaux, pintades and other
also given to kill
in the close season.

determined

indiscriminate

game

in a scientific
It

will thus

birds.

Permission

manner
one elephant
be seen that the State is

protect the wild animals of the fore'st from

slaughter and

stringent laws

hunting are decreed from time to time

regulating

CHAPTER
The Ubangi

River.

leave Irebu on

Irebu to Banzyville.

August 29th

in the

Florida and

steam up the river Ubangi.
The colour of the water at
once changes for whereas the Congo carries much sand

and

yellow.
are

brown, the Ubangi carries much clay and is a dirty
The banks are densely wooded and in the stream

many

islands

also

covered with forest.

patches of sand or

on the

fallen

crocodiles asleep.

There

them but one which was
about

fifty

not

much

many

sport in shooting

swimming up stream
made a sporting shot and

leisurely

yards from the ship,

Lying on

trunks of trees are

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

THE UBANGI RIVER.

was

we arrange

steamer which

bank

to the

killed with a bullet in the heart.

small and hot,

to sleep

almost embedded in trees

for the night.

the cabin

on the bridge of the

when we

tie

tornado bursts about

midnight, but the dense foliage acts as a protection and
very little water finds its way into our improvised bed-

room.

Next day we stop

at Bobanghe, a native Wood-Post, and
Tha huts here are thatched with grass, for

go ashore.

Some of the men have black beards
palms seem scarce.
which they plait into one or two tails, producing a curious
appearance and while they
the

village

sitting

fish,

the

and the marketing.

women do
Several

work

them were

smoke from

contentedly puffing tobacco

logs,

wooden pipes while they

the

and vegetables

offered fish, fruit

One variety
our crew and native passengers.
was particulary noticeable; it was coloured like a

for sale lo

of fish

trout, but

had

bought one, and
here

is full

The

proved very good eating.

of rubber plants,

when broken,

long snout on the dorsal side.
it

forest

nearly every vine and leaf,

yielding the milky sap

which

dries, or

can

be coagulated, into rubber.

One day the boy Jean
undressed in the water and
was rescued by

fell

overboard, but leisurely

swam

to the

bank, whence he

the canoe of the steamer.

He was

perfect-

ly calm but Chikaia burst into tears and loudly blubbered.
Very little indeed is sufficient to arouse emotionalism in

some of

the natives,

fortunately the former

The banks of

the

who
more

are always laughing or crying,
often than the latter.

Ubangi descend as a

rule, sheer into

deep water and are often indeed miniature

cliffs.

THE OBAN61
attempt

down

made

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

IlIVEK.

to fashion

steps

aud

the villagers slide

banks as best they can and thus form a rude
the water.
A half dozen men in an hour could

the

path to

make

a convenient inclined plain or steps, but the native

only does what work

absolutely necessary in order to

live, and although loving ease, will not take the trouble to
make himself more comfortable. So he climbs painfully

the bank every night from his canoe and slides down
again every morning without attempting to improve the
The vanity of the native however, causes him to
path.

as he thinks
improve his personal
Brass
collars
and
appearance.
bangles are very uncommon
on the Ubangi and beads take their place.
The women

take great pains to

wear short

skirts

made

of vegetable fibres plaited,

which

must take days or weeks to construct.
These are black or
red in colour and are suspended from the waist, but as the
fibre is somewhat stiff, they project all round like the dress
of a ballet dancer.
are rarely
cloths

These are peculiar to the Ubangi and
tribes.
The men wear only loin

worn by other

and often carry a large straight knife suspended by

a leather belt strapped round the chest.
It

very hot from midday to sunset, but the nights

One afternoon we saw

are comparatively cool.

number
tree,

a great

perched high up on a bulbous
and, as they are good to eat, stopped to shoot some.
of serpent-birds

They were not at all shy and did not depart after several
shots had been fired, but wheeled round and round as if
to

what was the cause of the strange noise.
3 and 5^ shot were equally efficacious and more

discover

Ball,

than a dozen

fell

beautiful black

in a

few minutes.

These birds have a

and white plumage with

a long neck

and

THE UBANGl RIVER.

bill

The

and webbed
flavour is

IREBU TO BANZYV1LLE

and weigh

feet

somewhat

five

or six pounds each.

ptarmigan and the natives
were pro-

eat them, as usual, without waiting until they

perly cooked.

In the evening I took a stroll in the forest and soon
found the recent spoor of an elephant.
Chikaia was just

when he suddenly stopped and whispered macat
There was a fine monkey and the
pointing in the air.

ahead,

boy's instinct for such a choice morsel, actually caused

him

time

he knew very well

stop, although

been absurd

to fire

we must have been

when

would have

and so frighten the elephant.

At one

within a few yards of the beast

snapping of a twig or some sound disturbed him
and with a bellow he rushed away crashing through the
forest.

Africa,

curious that while birds are so bold in

ground game

extremely shy and most

difficult to

stalk.

On September 2nd we

reach Imese, the

first

place on

Mr. Donneaux
Ubangi where there are white men.
the Chef du poste and everything was in good order.
Rubber vines were being planted in the forest and rubber

the

was

shrubs in the clearings.
pineapples and other

Coffee

fruits

are, as usual, of brick

the Congo, as the clay

was

also

looked well.

growing and
All the houses

which are of better quality than on
is good and very abundant.
The

native village is about ten minutes' walk distant

and

two or three regular streets and not in patches
arranged
of huts dotted down here and there as in the Lake Tumba
in

The State impost here is one kilogramme of
District.
rubber each month from each man for which he is paid
40 or 50 centimes.

Collecting this

amount takes one or

THE UBANGI RIVER.

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

rest of the

time the native works for him-

self or not as lie chooses.

Here the people seem more

two days and the
than

industrious

most

parts,

many women being

The pots are
making mats and pottery.
fashioned by hand with the aid of a round stone and are
in

engaged

so wonderfully symmetrical that they resemble those

on a

The

lathe.

diving and

vessel

painted with

made

obtained from the river bed by

sun and then baked

in the
hot,

clay
the

after

made,

in a

wood

copal which rendejs

gum

dried

first

While

fire.

still

water-

tight.

At dinner we have a dish called

beefsteak American

formed apparently of very tender, cold meat with green
salad and mayonnaise.
the

way

raw

flesh of goat cut

asking however,

small.

It is

hear

certainly the best

method of cooking seems
possesses and convert it into

of eating goat's flesh, for any

what

to extract

substance

curious, for
rare in

little

old

leather.

The

neither beef nor steak, and

it is

America as

rarebit in

juice

resembling

Irish stew

name

probably as

in Ireland or

Welsh

Wales.

There are some very

fine

canoes here, very often carved

throughout

their entire length, a favourite device

being a

crocodile.

Two

are also

in the village.

or three very large

tom-toms

These instruments are carved from a solid

piece of a tree six or eight feet long, most of the interior

being extracted through a narrow
three inches wide

tom-tom.

The

slit-like

aperture two or

and running nearly the length

of the

result is a hollow instrument, giving

or two different notes

when struck

can be heard for many miles.

in different parts

one

which

In case of war, the whole
7

THE UBANGI RIVER.

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

tom-tom

country side can be quickly aroused, but the
is also used during peace as a telegraph.

At Imese two soldiers and
board

purpose of travelling
Libenge to be
only Gommissaires of Districts and Missionaries

the

for

married, for

came on

their future brides
to

The send

can legally join two into one.

was

off

quite

happy couples being pelted with flowers as they
on
board, while one friend
perhaps a kind of
stepped
pretty, the

best

man

threw his

encourages

The wife then works

soldiers.

ations,

and

cap into the

marriages,

regular

while her husband

in the

The

river.

especially

State

among

drills,

and returns

midday

cook his food.

evening
Next day we reach Dongo, a village situated on a

perhaps 200

the

in the gardens or plant-

After looking at

feet high.

flat

hill

forest for

weeks, this appears a veritable mountain and it seems
quite a stiff climb up the rough path constructed as usual
only by the
nini,

feet of the

an Italian

the aid of

people

officer, is

some ten or

large village

who have used

it.

Mr. Van-

constructing a Post here with

Dongo is a very
3000
people and the huts
containing perhaps
fifteen

soldiers.

are arranged in st r eets running parellel to each other with
The physique of the people
their ends towards the river.
is

very good indeed, some of the

men

being more than

The women mostly wear copper collars,
three inches high and with a second horizontal collar
The whole is hammered on and
attached on the outside.
six feet in height.

must be intensely uncomfortable.
sisting of a piece of

necessary, as sleep

wood hollowed

special pillow, con-

out for the head

would otherwise be impossible with
A great number of

such a contrivance round the neck.

THE UBANGI HIVER.

1REBU TO BANZYVILLE

children run about and seem to be well nourished.

Some

have large heads and protruding stomachs, without howother signs of

ever,

rickets.

Many

of the

men

are

painted with yellow stripes, an indication that they have

man

killed their

in battle,

and these donned

their fighting

many colours and with shields and spears posed
be photographed, dancing around and uttering wild war
A human skull partly buried in the middle of
whoops.

clothes of
to

a road

evidently a souvenir of the terrible orgy which

followed some recent encounter.

Indeed

all

the people

here are cannibals and those killed or captured in war,
except

women and

generally

work

When

children, are always eaten.

fighting, the people fish, collect rubber,
fairly

well

and

are

not

grow kwanga and
not

troublesome.

Mr. Vannini, however, evidently thinks it safer to erect
a high stockade around his house and the huts of the
soldiers.

This

a wise precaution, as only a few

ago four French traders were killed
site

bank of

and eaten on

months

the oppo-

the river.

After passing several densely populated villages, one of

which extends

we reach
The houses

in a straight line for ten miles,

Libenge, the capital of the Ubangi District.
here have been arranged around a square with one side
open to the river. In one of these we take up our quarters

and then go

for a stroll

saire of the District,
for

Ubangi.

The

with Captain Bertrand, the Commisthe medical officer

and Dr. Rhodain,

latter states that

he has only seen two

cases of sleeping sickness in several years' residence and
that there is

neighbourhood.

syphilis, small-pox or tuberculosis in the

The people work well

lagers collecting the usual

here,

the vil-

kilogramme per month, while

100

THE UBANGI RIVER.

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

the workers in the plantations clear the forest

more rubber
good
wade

for future

Now

in the dry season.

and plant

The hunting here

use.

however,

very

necessary to

in water three feet

deep in the forest.
Spoor of eleand
abound
and
there
several
are
antelope
magniphant
ficent eagles and hawks overhead.

The

chief difficulty

question.

here for Europeans

Although much

of this necessity

the water

all

sides,

not of good drinking quality and dysentery is therefore common, while bilious lever and hematuria are also
it

known.

One

we were

night at Libenge as

sentry suddenly

fired

and the

playing bridge, the

bullet whistled uncomfortably

close by the door of our house.

The guard turned out

very quickly without any fuss and passed at the double.
A single sharp order was given and then all was quiet

Next day we heard that a thief had penetrated to
rubber
store when he was seen by the sentry, who fired
the
again.

the alarm, but the

man was

not captured.

here seem anxious to trade.

bangles for a tea
similar amount.

cup

full

made

of salt

and

Spears, knives and

are also offered for sale
hastily

Ladies

sell

All the natives

us their brass

their dresses for a

many

some of which have

other curios

evidently been

since our arrival.

leave Libenge

on September 9th and continue our

journey in the Florida, this being her

first trip

up the

river

higher than this point for at low water, the rapids above
cannot be navigated by steamers at all.
Now however, the
is
almost
at
its maximum, and as the boat only
depth

draws two
ease.

feet,

she can pass over the rocks with great

In the afternoon

stop at a village and ask for

MERU

THE UBANGI RIVER.

101

TO DANZYVILLE

wood, for as there was no regular steamer service, there
were no organised Wood Posts.
The natives at first

down

brought

a log or

two and demanded payment

exorbitant rate, which the captain refused to give, and

became necessary for our crew to go ashore and cut wood
The Chief seemed willing to deal fairly, but.
themselves.
had

evidently

Then

authority over his lazy people.

little

on again through the tornado, which

season appears
with
either
in
the
or at
afternoon
daily
great regularity
night time.

The scenery

approaching

the

Hills,

which appear

now

of the

limits

at this

changing, for

great

equatorial

mountains, after the dead

are

forest.
level,

can be seen in front covered with grass and a few trees.
On September 10th, we reach Songo a small State Post

Here we pitch

from Sierra Leone.

in charge of a native

our tents in a clearing arid proceed to re-arrange the
baggage, for we shall have now to travel in canoes, the river
not being navigable for steamers for some distance.

Imme-

above Songo indeed is the first of the Ubangi
the
water roaring and hissing as it fights its way
rapids,
down and over the rocks. Just before bedtime, Chikaia
diately

comes with a long
asks for a gun or

face
rifle

and evidently much disturbed and
to protect himself, as the indigenes

are supposed to be very
I

refuse,

and

foolish.

tell

him

However,

This of course

savage here.

to sleep

notice lhat both

the fire

loaded and carefully placed by my bedside.
organise a watch over the baggage, taking
as sentry.

and not be

and gun are
The boys then

rifle

in turn to act

the opposite side of the river is Bangi, the

second most important place in the French Congo,
situated

on the side of a

hill,

prettily

and next day we cross

102

THE UBANGI RIVER.

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

The journey

small canoe.

interesting

and exciting.

Below the rapids are many small whirlpools, and the capita
of the canoe takes advantage of these to help him on his
Sometimes the water

course.

at the

upper and sometimes

lower edge of the whirlpool is flowing in the direcand with wonderful dexterity, he

at the

tion he wishes to take

bow

turns the

of the canoe towards a suitable current.

swing about like a cork and ship a good deal of water but
We call on
arrive without mishap on the other side.
Mr. Jacques, the Vice Go.ernor General of the French
Congo, who kindly offers us assistance and a few soldiers to
act as sentries

and interpreters when we camp on the French
Most of these are Senegalese and are

side of the river.

smart looking fellows.
The natives here affect a very elaborate head dress consisting of many coloured beads
twisted and plaited into their hair, the

amount of time and

patience required by the barbers being enormous.

were
It appears that the four French traders, who
massacred a few weeks ago, had two factories, one close
to the river

and one further inland.

In the latter was a

arms and ammunition.

These were hastily

large stock of

abandoned and the natives then seized them and attacked
the factory on the river.

and

tured.
tribe

who

feared that

All four white

two were

first

men were

tied to trees

killed

and

tor-

punitive expedition has been sent against the
now armed with these modern rifles and the

are

moral of the story

obviously that

permit traders to import

One night

and

sell

it is

arms

very dangerous to
at all.

was awakened and saw

the boys dancing

and in front of my tent.
Having
asked ^the matter, Chikaia, whose zoological knowledge is
excitedly about the fire

THE UBANGI RIVER.
il

very limited, replied

la petite bete.

est

This sounded

mosquitoes
having tucked in my net more closely,
turned round to sleep.
A few minutes afterwards, Lord

like
I

103

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

so,

Mountmorres appeared shouting with pain and mounting a
chair in front of

was

said his bed

tent rapidly peeled off his clothes.

full of

great black ants which had fixed

on his skin and were biting him all over.
Millions of
these pests indeed were on the camping ground but had
as yet not reached

Hastily pulling on high boots

tent.

and covering myself from head to foot, I cautiously crept
out of the tent and found the ground black with ants.
It

was impossible

to kill

were simply driven

moment

again the

them by stamping about for they
sand and wriggled out

into the soft

the

evidently in the line of

was withdrawn.

foot

were

march of a migrating host and were

forced to beat a hasty retreat leaving the insects in full

possession.

There

and
for

filter

even

decanting
the

no drinking water
that from the river.

after
it,

porcelain

blocked.

allowing

there

many.

settle

mud

the

had therefore

required sixty

Songo, so we had to boil
This proved very difficult,

was so much

candles

water well boiled.

to find so

filters

As we had

and then

left,

carefully

that the pores of

frequently

be content with

became

muddy

amount of baggage,
or seventy paddlers and it was not easy
At length however, after searching on
a fair

both sides of the river, crews were collected for three large
canoes and we arranged to continue our journey on Sep-

tember 14th.

The canoes were lifted up the Songo rapids empty,
while the baggage was carried along the bank.
It was

104

THE UHANGI RIVER.

IREBU TO IJANZYVILLE

then stowed in the boats and having taken our places

made

a start.

watch.

ing

The method

three or four wide.
the white

of propulsion

The canoes are

man and

very interest-

sixty or seventy feet long

In the centre

an awning

and

shade

by the bows, a space is left
about ten feet long in which three pole men work.
These
use their poles as in punting, except that the ends are
in front

forked, so that they are enabled to push either against the

bottom of the river or rocks, or branches of trees on the
bank, for the canoe keeps close to the shore all the time in
order to give the polemen an opportunity and also to avoid
In

the swifter current running in the centre of the river.

the stern twenty or thirty paddlers sit on the sides of the
boat and work together, while on the extreme end two or
three stand up with long paddles to steer.
The cook with
his

fire built

sits

among

on a heap of clay in the bottom of the canoe,
and the sentries and baggage

the paddlers

wonderful

how

many people and how much baggage these canoes

will

tuck themselves in somewhere, for

carry.

Soon

after starting

pass the Catholic Mission on the

French bank and immediately begin

The paddlers
all their

fight

rapid.

men push

with

strength against rocks and tree trunks and the

soldiers help
else

strain every muscle, the pole

which

by pulling on branches of trees or anything

is fixed.

The water whirls

past as

creep

At one moment gaining, at another
losing, the excitement being intense, for if once we are
conquered by the stream, the canoe will probably be

up inch by

broken

jump

inch.

to pieces

on the rocks.

At times some of the crew

out and clinging with their feet to the rocks, while

THE UBANGI MVEIt.

105

IKEBU TO BANZYVILLE

middle in the torrent, push the boat up with
At length smooth water is reached and
strength.

to their

all their

on we go quietly for an hour or two, when another rapid
The work
reached and the struggle commences again.

is
is

intensely hard

and dangerous, but the Sangos are expert

boatmen and seem anxious
possible.

along,

shouting

singing,

to finish their task

water or smooth,

In rough

the

som

crews race

and encouraging each other

make one more effort. After an exciting and tiring day
we reach a village and having seen the crews rationed,

pitch our tents.

a. m. in a heavy river mist which
The rapids,
soon
however,
dispersed as the sun rises.
which at first had the excitement of novelty, began to" pall

again at 6.30.
is

it was tiresome not
being able to read or sleep without
being disturbed by the possibility of a bath in a current
running, at the rate of perhaps fifteen miles an hour,

for

Towards sunset we reach

between rocks.

Bokanda,

a village

now

deserted, for

the site

some years ago

the

Chief with his people migrated across the river to the

French
village

side.

decide therefore, to sleep in the

and proceed

when we

to cross, but are still in

see the majority of the

new

mid stream

people running away

women

gathering up their
children and household utensils, while the men followed
into

the forest

behind, the

The Chief however, and a few braves
on
the
with guns and for a moment it looks
beach
appear
as though they mean mischief.
They evidently however

leisurely.

think better of

it,

interpreters to say
for our

camp and

for

we land unmolested and send

are hunters and only desire a place

food for our men.

The Chief

once

106

THE UBANG1 RIVER.

IREBU TO BANZYV1LLE

advances and gives us chickens and eggs while the soldiers pitch the tents in the square of the village.

again at daybreak,

tiring, for

being still more
canoes heavily laden

the journey

impossible to force the

up some of the cataracts. We have therefore to land
three times and while the baggage is carried along the
At
bank, the empty canoes are hauled up with ropes.
length the elephant rapids are safely negotiated and an

hour or two afterwards Mokoangai is reached but in three
long days' hard work, we have ascended only about thirty
miles of the river.

At Mokoangai is a large plantation and farm and well
houses for the one or two white men who live there.

built

Next day
open and
feet high.
is

start before

hilly,
Still

there are
it

many

places where the ground

an ideal spot

After walking a few miles in

mist,

lopes and endeavour to stalk them.

hundred yards away,
towards cover but

they

for stalking

While

commence

game.

see several ante-

still

nearly a

walk slowly
and

possible to get a fair side shot

heavily hit in the shoulder.

falls

covered generally with grass eight or ten

almost bare and

one

The country

daybreak hunting.

Soon

after

ele-

phant suddenly appears about two hundred yards ahead

Sending the native
walking along the crest of a hill.
hunter to pick up the antelope, Chikaia and I follow the

some hours, but do not come up with
We were now high up on the range
behind Mokoangai and the view was magnificent.

elephant's spoor for
it

or find other game.

of hills

The

great river could be seen winding

its

way between

the hills covered with the vivid greens only to be found
in

^damp

tropical

countries.

Otherwise

the

picture

THE UBANGI RIVEK.

somewhat

hundred times.
a heavy

Wales with

recalled central

rifle,

107

1REBU TO BANZYVILLE

Wye

Chikaia had walked a long

and now showed signs of

encouraged by being allowed

magnified a

way

carrying

fatigue so he

shoot a

was

monkey on the

way home.
Next day being Sunday, we

rest quietly in the Post

and

Aia
which is one
prepare to leave next morning in the
of the first launches Stanley took to Africa and is therefore,

somewhat

Since she

ancient.

is too

small to carry

much

baggage, she tows a large open iron boat nearly the
same size alongside.
In this the camp is slowed and the

boys and soldiers take their places sitting on the bales and
cases, and we make a start on Monday September 19th for
Fortunately there are no rapids in this stretch

Banzyville.
of the river

is at least

possible to stand

the launch, whereas in the canoes,

ably in
sary to

and

sit still

hammock

a long

up comfortwas neces-

chair for practically

twelve hours each day.

The people and
for the huts are

now change much

villages

like beehives

in appearance

and are made of

shaped
frameworks of wood covered with grass.
The entrance is
only about three feet high and the dome of the roof per-

In some ofihem a kind of
haps four times that height.
is
erected
which
seems
to be an attempt to make
platform

The women are here

a two storey building of the hut.

nude or wear a small piece of cloth or grass
All
below the waist the men however all have a loin cloth.

either quite

;

the people seem to be of fine physique and the proportion
of children

abnormally high.

a trading post of the Dutch
the river

The

first

night

stop at

Company on the French side of

and are hospitably received by the agents

there.

108

THE UBANGI

IKEBU TO BANZYV1LLE

HIVEB..

Next day we reach the

Catholic

out a large plantation and farm
goats and poultry all doing well.

Mission

Sainte

The Fathers have

Famille also on French territory.
;

horses,

cattle,

laid

sheep,

Indeed modern Ameri-

can ploughs and carts give the farm quite a home-like

many

vegetables

Sickness

oranges, bananas, pineapples and

Maize,

appearance.

not

here

are

abundance.

known, which immunity

Sleeping

attributed by

the priests to the tact that the natives have plenty of fresh

meat and eat
due
the

little

kwanga.

to a bacillus.

new

It is

however,

diet of the civilised native

The savage

factor.

Now

at least

may

possible that

be a predisposing

naturally carnivorous

man, had

the advent of the white
flesh.

Apparently Ihe disease

little to

and before

eat but animal

his chief article of diet in the western parts

Congo is kwanga, which consists chiefly of starch,
and he has only a little meat and fish.
Along the Congo
where the native is civilised, there is much sleeping
of the

sickness, but along the
there

distilled

practically none.

Ubangi where he is more savage,
The Falters give us some spirits

from the papye and pineapple which are very

They
good and beer made from maize which is not.
then show us round the grounds and before we leave
load us with eggs and fresh vegetables which are very
At sunset we tie up to the bank and make a
acceptable.

camp.
the

It is

wonderful

tents erected,

how

fires

is cut down,
and
dinner
cooked, for
lighted

quickly the grass

knows he has to perform a certain defihe works hard, so that he can eat his dinner
Chikaia appaand get to sleep as soon as possible.
A table was
rentlv has a fine sense of satire or humour.

when

the native

nite task,

THE UBANGI RIVER.

broken and when

asked

how

was done, Chikaia instead

has been done a long time
as an Euroservant would, went one better and said
it has

of answering

pean

always been like
I

109

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

suppose it was made so,
was the answer and there was no

that.

Yes, Sir

replied.

be said.

The banks

of the river are here lined with villages

and

stop crowds run to see the steamer, while
the Chief comes on board, shakes hands solemnly and

each time

presents eggs, chicken or a goat.

beads or

a good value in cloth,

seen here at

all,

for

In return

we hand back

Mitakos are not

salt.

beads are used instead.

The

natives

always seemed grateful and satisfied with their presents,
which was rarely the case on the Congo where the people
generally grumble even

when

value of the article they

sell.

Dru, where
to the

find

camp

many

soil.

reach the

Kuangu

river

situated the chief post of a French Trading

The buildings are as usual

made
our

times the

at the village of

very difficult to pitch tents owing

rocky nature of the

On September 22nd we
is

they receive

of bricks,

was brought

Company.

the mortar being

of the shells of river oysters and sand.

arrival, a poor native

where

Soon

after

whose hand had

been terribly mangled in a circular saw.
We dressed it
it on a
splint until he
could reach a post with a hospital.
In the night however,

as carefully as possible and fixed

weird chanting was heard and next day we discovered
had been exorcising the evil spirits i. e.

that his friends

the perchloride of mercury in which the

washed

away

had torn

off all the

hand had been

bandages and sent the boy

in a canoe to avoid the white medicine

man.

The

HO
hand

THE UBANGI RIVER.

IREBU TO BANZYVILLE

will almost certainly fall off

and the further history of

One

the boy will perhaps be interesting.

of the traders,

Mr. Constantine, a Swiss, said he had been stationed in
the interior and had heard no news since January.
We

him up to June, three months behind
This gentleman has had an interesting career.
He

are only able to bring
date.

fought for England in the Matabele war and then settled in
the Orange Free State where he

Cronje and forced
to his

own

was commandeered by

into the trenches at Magersfontein, but

great satisfaction

was soon taken prisoner by
He now lives
treated.

and was very well

the British

absolutely alone, without a guard of any sort,

some

days'

journey from the river and feels quite safe, for the natives
here look upon a white man as a protection from the Arabs.
This

Company

beads

trades in rubber with the natives, paying in
40 centimes a kilogramme. It is

the rate of

therefore, unlikely that

many

natives migrate to the French

Congo where they receive no more pay for their work than
in the State, and are besides taxed.
The country behind
the station is flat veldt and only a few small elephants are
occasionally found.

The usual heavy tornado bursts

the afternoon nearly filling the launch and boat with water
in a very short time.
Having bought some wine and other
stores,

river

from the Company we next day continue up the

many

past

villages

all

densely

now being

shaped and rising to a point in the centre which
times ornamented with a pair of antelope horns.
the villages have plantations

desirous

demanded

trade,

salt

and

being

all

The

populated.

architecture has again changed, the huts

the

substance

some-

Some

the inhabitants

in return for lances, knives or curios.

tent

seem

usually

Indeed,

HIE UBANGI IW'EK.

own

even our

111

IREBU TO BANZYVJLLE

people wish to do a

little

business, and after

from the villagers, try to sell them to us at
The higher one
greatly enhanced price.

articles

buying
no doubt a

up the river, the more numerous and densely
populated are the villages until they extend almost without
a
break for many miles along the banks.
Each one

travels

supplies us with a bras of

The scenery here

beads.

beautiful,

wood which

paid for with

in the very centre of Africa is

range after range of

not however

hills,

very

These are

high, extending as far as the eye can see.

covered with grass, which near the villages is often burnt
black patches.
On these the manioc will
off, leaving

be planted for two years and then new areas will be
cleared in the same manner.
It is very hot in the day
time and very humid, so that
to

preserve

anything.

the soles of boots

fall off,

Stitches

guns and

extremely
in

rot
rifles

difficult

and

leather

have

be oiled

carefully every day and cigars are completely spoilt in a
few hours unless kept in tin boxes.
Can one wonder

human system soon breaks down in this
is very common in this part.
much game to be seen from the river but

therefore that the

vapour bath and that sickness
There

not

occasionally a covey of partridges rises from the grass

comes within gun shot of the launch.
The day before we reached Banzyville we found the

mer

of the French

tor,

where we drank

Company and paid a
to the

of which had just arrived.

visit to

and

stea-

the Direc-

Anglo-French agreement, news
Every Frenchman in Africa

delighted with the gift of territory as every Englishman

should be with the settlement of so

many

prickly questions.

CHAPTER
The Upper Ubangi.

VI.

Banzyville to Yakoma.

Banzyville has been built on a beautiful site at a double

bend of the

river.

Opposite

the French Post of Mobaie

The country on each

and between them roars a rapid.
while the

rocky, great boulders of
about
in
isolated grandeur.
granite and quartz lying
reach the Post on the morning of September 26th and are
side

hilly,

soil

met by Captain Auita, an Italian, who is the Zone Chief
here.
The buildings are arranged on two sides of a
square, the other two being formed by the river as
to

the

left,

and the open space

turns

covered with gravel
8

114

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

THE UPPER UBANGI.

which makes a welcome change from sand and clay while
the house placed at our disposal looks particularly invit-

week of tents and the small launch. Everywet
through and has to be spread out on the grathing
vel to dry under nature's great fire.
Unfortunately some
ing after a
is

of the skins, which perforce have been

cases for a

left in

week, under water one minute and baked in the sun the
next, have hopelessly rotted and have to be thrown away.
Next morning we interviewed numbers of native Chiefs

who were

very anxious to exchange lances and other

all

curiosities for

clothes.

European

All

were content with

Bulamatadi,
although some grumbled
to find porters and paddlers.
This

evidently one of the most populous districts- in

the whole Congo, for

and on

at the necessity

all sides,

both at the river edge

the hill tops, are large villages consisting of tent-

or square open sheds,
shimbeks,
shaped huts and
under which the natives sit and sleep most of the day.

Besides rubber, great quantities of rice are grown here,
more than

the plantations extending parallel to the river for

miles.
Here men, women, and children are at work
and those near the road come forward, give a military
salute and shake hands, a custom peculiar to this part,

two

for hitherto the

women have

offered the hand.

Semitic noses

Many

not saluted and only the chiefs

of the people have thin lips and

and most are well made.

meets a husband and wife, the former

usual,

strolls

one

ahead with

a spear or stick, while the latter follows carrying a baby
riding on one of her hips, tied on by her wrap of cloth, and

with a heavy load of

wood

or food-stuff on her head.

cross the river in the evening and dine with Captain

THE UPPER UBANGI.

The French

Meilleur at Mobaie.

115

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

are identical

villages

with those on the State side, but the natives are,
sible,

still

pos-

idle.

Next morning much rubber is brought into Banzyville.
Strings of natives, each with a little basket-full of this
substance, march into the square and

The baskets

the gravel.

sit

down

in lines

are then weighed on a yard

arm

and the weights entered in a book by Captain Auita until
a record of the whole has been made when the chattering
throng departs to a shed near by where five cooks have
been hard at work preparing dinner for them. The natives
here are paid in cloth at the rate of 50 or 60 centimes
a

kilogramme according

man

the quality of the rubber

and

supposed
supply only one kiloa
month
some
oi
the
gramme
villages here send in more
than a ton in that time.
although each

Mr. Fernaka, the second in command, arrived on the
28th

after

marching

for thirty

said

days in the interior over
was mostly marsh land

unexplored ground.
containing a few villages from which the inhabitants, seeing
the white man approach with his soldiers, fled into the bush.

first indeed the natives are
always fearful of the whites,
but in a short time are willing to trade and soon become
The native, in fact, quickly acquires absovery friendly.

lute

confidence in

obviously,

amusing

men have

Europeans and his

only the fear of the

fear

unknown.

see the children in villages

at
It

first

is,

rather

where few white

penetrated, run shrieking with terror to their

mothers when a strange looking person, with a white face
and clothes appears.
At the sound of the launch whistle
also

many

children

run

away.

One

the

soldiers,

116

THE UPPER UBANGI.

a sergeant

some

Mr. Fernaka on
tracted dysentery

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

standing

years'

who accompanied

arduous march, unfortunately con-

his

and arrived

Banzyville only to die.

attend the funeral, the absolute simplicity of the cere-

mony being

All the troops here,

very impressive.

per-

haps seventy or eighty marched with reversed arms to the
cemetery

after the

buglers sounding the Last Post and

up opposite the grave. The order was given to
present arms, the coffin was lowered, each person present
threw a handful of earth into the grave and all was over.
lined

Far into the night, however, one could hear the mournful
dirge the soldiers were chanting for their dead comrade.

Hunting here

is difficult

being high enough
else

except

a walk through rough
hours without success, I was

After

elephants.

country and water

although game abounds, the grass
conceal antelopes and everything

for six

my hammock and was jogged back home
by perspiring natives, who took turns to carry their burden
and changed about every ten minutes. Altogether the
hammock is not comfortable, and it is obviously useless
glad to get into

hunting here until the grass
very tired

and

stiff,

burnt.

pass the time

Next day, being
looking through

Congoland again.
Having now visited
in
that
the
mentioned
of
book, the difficulties
places
many
which beset a writer who publishes a work on a country
Civilisation

he has never seen, become very apparent.

In fact,

gives

no more idea of the condition of the Congo than a file of
the Police News would convey an impression of English
civilisation.

When

one has visited some hundreds of

villages and seen perhaps a million of natives, most of
whom seem cheerful and contented, one marvels indeed

BANZYV1LLE TO YAKOMA

THE UPPER UBANGI.

how such

117

absolutely false reports of the condition of the

On the other hand, it is
country can have originated.
impossible to travel several thousands of miles in the Congo
without constantly

especially in the unfrequented parts

wondering what is the extraordinary power which enables
a few hundred white men, not only to govern as many

up and develop a country as
as the continent of Europe, which a few years ago

million blacks, but to open
large

was absolutely unknown.

can dismiss at once the idea that the native

pressed by military despotism,

for the

is supPosts are isolated

and the number of troops in them merely sufficient to guard
property and stores, that is to say, to fulfil the duties of
At any moment the thousands of
overwhelm

policemen in England.

who

natives

live

in or near the Posts, could

these small forces long before help could arrive from the

next Government Station, in
distant.

The

fact that they

tive evidence that the

There

white

much

however,

many

cases a week's journey

do not do

men do

so, is at least

not

ill

nega-

treat the people.

positive evidence that the native

has, not only a great respect, but also an affection for his

new rulers, and it
when we compare

not

difficult to

understand the reason,

his fate before the advent of the

Euro-

peans with his condition at present.
In each village was a Chief or Chiefs, freemen and slaves

who passed
The

their lives

hunting and fighting other tribes.
and freemen were their

sole property of the Chiefs

huts, canoes,

and

slaves,

and

the rude instruments they

used in war and hunting.
The unfortunate slaves were
bought and sold, captured in war and were often killed

and eaten.

One

slave

was worth

many

goats, lances,

118

THE UPPER UBANGI.

BANZYV1LLE TO YAKOMA

women.

or knives, and one large canoe would buy several
Legislation rested with the Chiefs

common, but always

and

trial

by ordeal

was

so arranged that the result could be

This

controlled by the judge.

not the place however,

to describe these interesting, if horrible practices.

Now

at present the

dreams of

has greatly increased, since they have
Again the Chief of a small village

the great Chiefs
dealt with

Europeans.

containing

1000 men

rubber each month

people are rich beyond the wildest

their ancestors for the value of the property of

collect this

supplies

amount takes two or

each year
240 for collecting a sub-

therefore the village receives

stance of no value at
in the

1000 kilogrammes of
50 centimes a kilo.

to the State for

meantime

all

three days

to the natives

whose

;

daily routine

The

scarcely affected at all.

natives

used ivory chiefly to make war horns, but some of the
Chiefs had so much that they constructed fences of fine
points round their

mud

huts

little

thinking that in the

white man's country, those useless tusks would be worth
a small mountain of salt.
Now they exchange them
for clothes,

cloth,

The lucky owner

and other useful commodities.

salt,

of a canoe,

three or four slaves with

port produce or

it,

is true,

to catch tish, for

Again compare the

lot

can no longer buy

but he can use

which he

to trans-

well paid.

of the slave in the past with his

He was liable to the most terrible fate
now he can enter the army, work in the

present condition.
at

any moment

;

plantations or remain safely in his village and do a few

There is however, another force
should
which
we
hardly expect would affect the
acting
hours'work each month.

mind

of a savage.

He is

greatly influenced by a desire to

YOUNG SANGO GIRLS AT BANZYVIU.E.

THE UPPER

BANZYV1LLE TO YAKOMA

(JBANGI.

ascend the social ladder at the summit of which,

of course,

white man, and anyone having direct dealings with
at once knows himself to be superior to the naked
cannibal of the forest.
The servant, or
of the
boy,
the

him,

white man, holds a high rank and considers himself to
be quite another species of man than his cousin, who
is

uncivilised.

still

in the plantations,
All the

officials.

So also the

who come
most

soldiers

and workers

into daily contact with the

and ambitious natives

intelligent

drawn away from their primitive condition of life
and become all ached to their masters, who give them cloth
are thus

wear and beads with which

The most important

beautify themselves.

Chiefs are as anxious indeed to appear

Europeans, as a prosperous native of Sierra Leone,
There
wear patent boots and carry a silk umbrella.

one near here named Bayer, a young man of much intelligence and business capacity, who has built himself a brick
house, dresses like a European, and is a proud man when
he is asked to smoke a cigar on the verandah of the mess.

The

Chiefs are, however, never asked to eat with the Euro-

both necessary and wise.
daily becomes more and more obvious that the white

peans, a distinction which
It

man

greatly respected

trusted.

The

does.

perhaps
in

What he
all

says

and
is

that his

true

word

absolutely

and what he promises, he

native appears to respect these characteristics
the

more because he

so lamentably deficient

them himself.

indeed the respect caused by moral not physical
which enables a few Europeans to govern this great
country with success, and permits one or two white men
It is

force

to live

securely with a few soldiers in an isolated Post sur-

120

BANZYV1LLE TO YAKOMA

THE UPPER UBANGI.

rounded by thousands of natives most of

whom

are

savage cannibals.

There are, however, many difficulties yet to be surmounted, and among them is the arrangement of a satisThis was brought home forcibly on
currency.
October 1st when according to weekly custom, the people

factory

around brought in food for the Post. Many
appeared with large bunches of bananas for which

in the villages

women

as a rule, they are paid by beads.
the heads of the

women

In this prosperous part

are already fully adorned with

beads and most of their household ornaments also, so they

demanded

cloth instead.

The question of
There

the currency is a very difficult one.

the danger of flooding the banks of the

Congo

with mitakos, and the banks of the Ubangi with beads.
In other words these articles which function as

money

are

not used as rapidly as they are supplied, and a lady whose
limbs are already weighted with brass rings and whose

head

There

heavy with beads, wishes for some other payment.
a warehouse at each of the State Posts in which

beads,

cloth, clothes,
likely to
festly

be of use

salt,

and many other commodities
it is mani-

to the natives are kept, but

impossible to give as wages to each individual the

object he desires at the particular moment.
The objection to beads and mitakos, does not apply to salt
and cloth, the former being at once consumed, and the

particular

Nevertheless it
being w orn out in course of time.
not well to have a currency which is continually being

latter
is

formed only

destroyed.

The money currency,

already existing in the Lower Congo will, however, in
course of time be extended, but there are still many diffi-

culties in the

121

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

THE UPPER UBANGI.

Francs and centimes will of course be

way.

of no use to the natives, unless Stores are

still

kept at the

which they can buy whatever they wish.

State Posts at

This great question

is, however, occupying the careful
Government, and will no doubt be settled
as satisfactorily as many others have been which were

attention of the

equally

difficult.

Sunday

always an interesting day in a State Post,

the Chiefs with

and

for a

many

ask advice.

new

followers

come

for

in for a friendly chat

October 2nd was particularly exciting

Chief had been elected in a village near Banzy-

and great rejoicings consequently followed. Singing,
shouting, dancing and a general hubbub, went on from
morning to night, and if the desire to make a noise is any
ville,

criterion of happiness, these people

must be the happiest
some-

There are many forms of dances

in the world.

;

times each one shuffles his legs without moving more
than a foot or two and then swings his arms, head and

body solemnly backwards and forwards; sometimes a
number will form a ring, and one after the other will leap
into

form,

and rapidly rotate themselves; but whatever the
seemed to be keenly excited and to enjoy it

all

thoroughly.

The

natives near the

tatouage.

Ubangi have a very distinctive
knobs of skin which

consists of five elevated

form a straight line continuing the line of the nose up the
forehead.
These are formed by making for each knob two
parallel incisions in the skin about half
lifting the flap

between.

under the

and

flap

result being a

knob

left

an inch apart and

piece of ivory

in until the

then inserted

wound has

healed, the

of skin elevated above the level of the

122

THE UPPER UIUNGI.

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOBIA

All the tatouage in the

rest of the surface.

in raising the skin in this

Congo

consists

manner, but in each district the

design is different.
Simple tatooing by pricking in colours
does not appear to be practised at all.

Fishing here is very simple and very effective.
Large
baskets tapering to a point and open at the broad end are
fixed by ropes, or rather by the strong vines which function as ropes here, just at the top of the rapids

and the

water rushes through with great force.
The fish are
carried into the baskets, but cannot pass through or
return against the current, and are then simply speared

and

They have

lifted out.

firm, white flesh

and are good

eating.

On October 3rd
Post to

call.

rules his people,
this

the Chief of the Banzas
is

who

comes

a fine, intelligent-looking

to the

man and

are very numerous, admirably.

part of the Congo, the chieftainship descends from

father to son, but in

some

districts the succession passes

through the family of the wife of the Chief.
Numerous petty Chiefs drop in to the Post

at intervals

day and are rather a nuisance, for they are
always begging for clothes and offering lances and presents
during the

one does not carry
a superfluity of clothes when travelling, or that one or two

They do not

in exchange.

realise that

lances are quite sufficient to keep as curios.

they think

no one

are traders for

Probably

are not bulamatadi,

and

believe, has ever ascended the Ubangi on a
tour
before.
The newly-elected Chief was very
pleasure
anxious to be given a suit of clothes as he had none and

wished

make an impression on his new subjects. He
many gestures, that he was elected with

described with

THE

UIM'F.R

BAN'ZYVILLK TO

UBANdl.

123

YAKOMA

much beating of drums, which indeed was only too true
and said he always intended to remain a great friend of
After that, of course he had to be given some
the State.
The system of giving
tips
indiscriminately
however, carried much too far in the State, and if it is
not stopped, will soon prove to be a very heavy tax on the
clothes.
is

white man.

Every native demands a tip on every possible
occasion whether he has done a service or not, and if he
has done some work and

tented

only paid his due,

as discon-

and abusive as a cabman who has only received

his

legal fare.

There are many native thieves
of

them

midday

over the Congo

one

actually penetrated into the house of Captain Auita

bright sunshine and stole a spear and a

He was however, soon caught and marched

native knife.

Trials by ordeal used to be very

off to prison.

among

all

the

natives.

favourite method was

common

give a

dose of strychnine to a fowl and if it died, the accused
The wretched
guilty, but if it lived, he was innocent.

was

ill, walked about wondering
and followed by the complainant shouting
fowl
and the defendant shouting
live,

fowl, feeling in any case very
at the excitement

die, die, die,

The strength of the solution was always
arranged by the judge so the verdict was known to him
A curious instrument to take the place of
beforehand.
live, live, fowl.

a jury,

nut through which a piece of fibre has been
such a way, that when it is held vertically, the

is a

passed in

nut slides up and down.
however,
trial,

it is

a curious twist of the fibre

At the

possible to prevent the nut falling.

the nut is raised to the top of the string

stays there, the accused is innocent, but

and

if it falls,

if it

124

THE UPPER UBANGI.

Here again, the judge can make the machine

guilty.

decide either

Among
the

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

the

way at
many

his will.

objectionable insects of the

a kind of sand

jigger,

fly

Congo is
which burrows under

and deposits eggs in
Unless these are removed an abscess forms.

a sack there.

the skin, usually of a toe,

The

natives

about calmly removing jiggers from eacli other's feet
with needles, and show considerable skill in this small
sit

It is

operation.

with bare

Much

necessary therefore never to

boys carry them

feet, for the

ivory

comes

move about

into every place.

into the Post at intervals, the points

sometimes weighing 70 or 80

Ibs. each.

The

State pre-

serves the elephant very strictly,

and the export duty on

tusks above 6 kilos in weight,

frs.

per kilo.

Still

not likely that the Congo will continue to yield such

large quantities of ivory, for the elephant only bears one
offspring in three years

There

slow.

and the growth of the baby

very

a baby elephant here one year old.

feet, 6 inches high, and has no sign of
He is fed on rice, milk and bananas
present.

stands about 4

tusks at

and

a playful

little

fellow.

tame ape here

much and at his approach
who tends him or climbs over

fears the

once clings

elephant very

the native

his shoulder, so

as to place the boy's body always between himself and the
elephant.

On Monday October 10th we prepare to
We shall now require

journey up river.

continue our
six or seven

canoes, as they are not so large as the ones lower

down

and our crews, servants, escort and camp followers total
up to nearly two hundred. Captain Auita sends a few
State- capitas

with us and Captain Meilleur lends us some

THE UPPER UBANGI.

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

French soldiers belonging
leurs,

the 1st Senegalese Tirail-

a splendid set of fellows, very smart in their khaki

uniforms.

can,

therefore,

either side of the river,

Congo, and be able

land with impunity on

in the

French or the State

communicate with the

will be rather difficult

Chiefs, for

to feed so

perhaps
many people.
Next day we start amid the most terrific din.
Each of
the seven canoes carries one or two tom-toms and some
have also native

bells.

All the capitas

and most

of the

paddlers shout orders to each other which no one regards,
even if they hear them, while the friends of the paddlers

howl farewells from the beach.

At length however, the
arranged and the little fleet starts in single file,
for each canoe hugs the bank.
Before half an hour had

baggage

elapsed

Fortunately

canoe

we were

struck

rock

and stuck on

it.

not travelling faster than two miles

an hour, or a hole would have been made in the bottom.

it was, it was
necessary for half the crew to go overboard,
stand on the rock, and lift the canoe off.
Never was

a ship so

speedily lightened,

and

few

moments

we were once more afloat.
The river now passes through

a kind of gorge not more
than half a mile wide and continues between hills clad with

long grass but after an hour or two, it widens out again
and the banks become low.
The heat is great and the

unceasing blows on the tom-tom within three feet of one's
ears are very annoying, but if it is stopped, the crew no
longer keep good time, and the boat, therefore, travels

The singing, on the other hand, is by no
very slowly.
means unpleasant. One of the crew sings a solo, a kind
of recitative, the words being an extempore criticism, as

126

THE UPPER UBANGI.

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

a rule, of the white passenger, and then the whole join in
chorus in perfect harmony.
The music is now wild and
weird, now passionate and joyful, but always natural.

There

nothing of the catch penny type of

become popular

England and America,

which

ditties,

in these savage

African songs, nor are they in the least like Chinese or

The instruments are rudimentary simple
and a kind of guitar, but it is pro-

Indian music.

;

zithers, rattles, bells

bable that

all these,

except the bells, have been introduced

by the Europeans or Arabs.

On we

we reach

creep slowly until

which belongs

Bamu, being no man's

the island of

All the other islands, except

to the State.

land.

Here we land

at a large

village and while the boys are arranging the camp, we see
that our party are all fed.
The Chiefs are requested to

provide food, and soon nearly two hundred women appear,
each with a wooden vessel containing a ration of kwanga,

palm

oil,

salad,

bananas,

plantains,

fish,

meat,

These they deposit on the ground and
attention each behind the meal she has pre-

general mixture.

stand

pared.

among

The sergeants and capitas distribute the
and paddlers, and at an order

the soldiers

rations
of the

Then
whole crowd disappears into the huts.
we eat our dinner, consisting of the usual chicken and

Chief, the

eggs, have a

game

of two-handed bridge and turn in.

Suddenly shrieks are heard coming from a hut and we
order the sentry to discover the cause.
He soon appears
with one of our paddlers, who states that another one stole
his ration,

him

and when he endeavoured

severely.

to get

back, beat

order him therefore more food, and

decide to investigate the case in the morning.

BANZYV1LLE TO YAKOMA

THE UPPER UBANGI.

Next day
the food,

after giving cloth to the Chiefs in

we send

in the night.

for the

youth

who made

127

payment

much

for

noise

poleman now stated that the boy had
and that therefore he had beaten him.

stolen his loin cloth

This story contradicted the other and further native evidence complicated the story still more, so after explaining
to the poleman that he had no right to beat the boy, even
if

he were one of his crew,

and

that

such a thing
we decided

occurred again, he would be severely punished,
to take no further action.

One

of the

romantic story.

French soldiers now appeared and told a
He had found a long lost blood sister in

the village, the mutual recognition being confirmed by the

Both had been sold as slaves when

marks.

tribal

dren; he had drifted into

chil-

the French native army and she

Now she
had married one of the subjects of the State.
wished to leave her husband and go away with her brother,

who was
As

necessary.
tions,

matter

willing to pay compensation for her loss
this

seemed

to raise

some

delicate ques-

refused to take any step, except to report the

to the

proper authorities.

After these

delays,

started

up the

river, lined

both sides by thickly populated villages.
About midday
an excited crowd stopped us at one of these and asked for

our help.
As everyone shouted
one told the truth, it was difficult

once and probably no

to discover

what was the

some women were missing from the French
and
an
Congo
elephant from the State, and the natives on
each bank wished the white men to punish those on the other.

matter, but

As private
if

travellers, of course

could take no action, even

we had wished, and continued on our way

already two

128

THE UPPER U3ANGI.

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

At length

or three hours late.

6 p. m., Zinga

a large village with a fine plantation, and here

reached,

we camp.

Just above the village the rapids are so strong that

dangerous

sary to carry

all

country until

smooth water

wished

explain that

if it

reached again.

to attempt the ascent

with the canoes

more than anything

native dislikes carrying,

swim,

canoes up charged, and it is necesthe baggage for about three miles across

to take the

baggage, which would

capitas

full, for

the

else.

necessary for the white men,

how much more

to walk,

The

who can

necessary
carry the
once sink if the canoes capsized.
is it to

However, this did not convince them and Europeans who
have had accidents on the river say, that although the
whole crew, who
ot the

white

all

swim

man when

like fishes,

the trouble to rescue the baggage.

whose personal property
all

to the assistance

a canoe capsizes, not one will take

Probably the native,

limited to a loin cloth, thinks

other possessions are useless vanities and not worth

The view here

troubling about.

very beautiful, the river

taking a double bend between hills which are well

wooded

and traversed by mountain torrents of clear water hastening
to join the main stream roaring in its rocky bed below.

Numerous pintades

are usually found here, the finest

bird for eating in the whole of Africa, and

game

go ahead of the

bearers to search for them, but see nothing of interest.

By 8

the canoes have all passed the rapids,

are charged again, so once

more we make

a start.

and

Soon

another rapid is reached which it is impossible to negoSome of the crew therefore, go
tiate with the paddles.
overboard and standing on the rocks up to their waists in
water, literally

lift

the boat

foot

foot until the top is

THE UPPER UBANGI.

After this the river widens again and the current

reached.

One

not so strong.

129

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

of the canoes

now

reserved as

a kitchen and carries the goats, chickens and other food.
It is

interesting to watch

over the

fire

Luembo

sitting

as he cooks the lunch.

smoking

his pipe

Nothing disturbs his

calm serenity and he goes on philosophically making soup
even in the roughest water.
When lunch is ready we stop
the
the
kitchen
comes
bank,
by
alongside and the hot,
strong soup

much

very acceptable, for

impossible to eat

in the heat of the day.

At night time we decide to stop at the mouth of the Koto
where is a post of the Trading Company of that

river,

name, and the two agents there kindly extend hospitaSome of the natives here show well marked
lity to us.
Semitic features

shaped

rations

for

Chinese.

the

comment.

and a few, oddly enough, have eyes
paddlers

They are all ready to bring
and accept payment without
thank you,

Indeed, the native never says

but as he speedily
silence obviously

you know when he

lets

means contentment.

dissatisfied,

The Company has

a rubber plantation and a well kept farm with cows, pigs

and sheep which live healthily here.
The Koto river is almost as large as the continuation
of the

Ubangi and

rises far

away up

north.

Passing

continue ascending between banks, on which villages
are practically continuous the whole way until we reach

Gumba,

a large village

table Chief

and a

mud

baggage and arrange

on the French side with a hospi-

guest house.

to sleep

In this

store the

on the verandah which has

fortunately a watertight, roof for the almost daily tornado

happened

be of an unusually violent description.

The
9

i30

BANZYVILLE TO YAKOMA

THE UPPER UBANGI.

continuous and of a vivid, blind-

is practically

lightning

ing green colour the thunder sounds as if whole streets
have been struck and knocked down, while the rain des;

cends like the stream of a shower bath.

The Chiefs house
two ends of the
to those

on the

in this village is oblong, but at the

roof, spire-like tops are affixed, similar
rest of the huts in the village.

They are

not ornamental nor useful, but interesting as marking a
native characteristic on a house copied from those in the

Government Posts.
Next morning
the

dry

Yakoma would
10

without

was

still

raining hard, so

anxiety, as

we knew

only take five or

m. having emptied

we waited

the journey

six hours,

the canoes,

in
to

but about

which were

full

Vilwater, we arranged the baggage and made a start.
lage succeeded village, in which were numerous people

elaborately decorated with beads

wise covered.

All the Chiefs

and

paint, but not other-

were well

disposed and

presented eggs or chicken, and took the cloth or salt
About midday we
offered in return without grumbling.

reached the commencement of the

Yakoma

village,

which

Most of the crew
extends for some miles along the bank.
were evidently well known here and several lived in the
Their well-meaning friends therefore, jumped on
to the canoes as they passed or swam out to them and took
village.

the paddles

and poles from

their tired

comrades.

With

augmented company, with the canoes dangerously deep in the water, with tom-toms beating, bells
ringing, bugles sounding and people shouting, we arrived
a greatly

Yakoma about 5

m. on October 15ih thus completing

a voyage along the whole length of the Ubangi river.

CHAPTER

Yakoma
Yakoma

built

joins with the

Bomu

from

that river

its

VII.

Djabir.

on the banks of the Dele just before it
to form the Ubangi.
The voyage up
entrance into the Congo to

its

source

here occupied seven weeks of which half the time, however,

was spent

in State Posts.

Canoe travelling

terribly

tiring, although one merely sits still in a hammock chair
all day, and it has not been by any means comfortable

camping
Still

in the forest

during or after the daily tornado.
is one of

the trip has been very interesting for this

the least

known

parts of the world

and the people are pro-

bably the least civilised.

This experience brought home the fact with something
shock that human nature is much the same every-

like a

where and

that

animal, he

is at

civilised

man.

the savage leads the

life

practically of

same time not very much unlike modern
He does not wear clothes, but he is very

the

vain and adorns himself with beads and bangles, his hair

dressing requiring hours of patient labour.

is often

132

YAKOMA TO DJABIU

pleased at being photographed as a young fashionable
beauty and, if a- warrior, is as proud of the paint which

shows he has

killed

some one

in battle, as a soldier is of

frankly commercial in his dealings and
what
he thinks will please his guest as
as anxious to say
He is as keen to
the most tactful of society's hostesses.
his medals.

win

in a canoe race as

any undergrad in his college boat
and
true
sportsman. He is very jealous as
genuine
a husband and devoted as a father, characteristics common

and

is a

both to animals and to the most intellectual of men.
as a Chief, by no

is,

means hard on

his punishments are barbarous

greatly

developed.

diseased livers of geese

and

his subjects although

his sense of justice not

human

eats

but

flesh

and he prefers

his

not

the

meat decom-

He takes no more
posing as some like their game.
thought for the morrow than many civilised people who
to mouth without considering the future
sees
the world from his point of view and
he
finally
Mr. Van Lutlens
has little desire to discuss that of others.

live

from hand

and

du Poste kindly meets us and places a house
We then read our mail, the first news
our disposal.

the Chef
at

from home since July, and glance th r ough the newspaThe country around Yakoma is flat and as there is
pers.

no sign of

forest, the plantation consists of

Much

only.

rice is also

large

amount of

from

Liberia

coffee,

coffee

was

raised from plants brought

but these have since

however, does well and

in the world, so

seems

rubber bushes

grown here and at one time a

died.

The

native

certainly as good as any

be wiser

to cultivate

this

and

to leave foreign varieties alone.

This

one of the very few places

in the

Congo where

133

YAKOMA TO DJAD1U
the

cows give more milk than

and where butter can be made.

required by their calves,

The farm

well stocked

wilh horses and cattle for breeding purposes which function

fulfil

they

very well, the foals and calves looking

All the Chiefs in the neighbourhood
strong and heallhy.
come and call upon us. They are all very rich, powerful

and

and delight in wearing European
of them was dressed in an

loyal in this district

One

clothes or uniforms.

old naval uniform wilh an antique sword and another as a

captain in the State service although he had no right to

wear the uniform of the Force Publique at all. Just oppoYakoma on the opposite bank of the Uele is a village

site

for retired soldiers

and

plantations

The term

where they have
a

live

of service

life

is for

own gardens and

their

of ease but are not pensioned.

three or seven years with option

of signing for another three years after the long period

with increased pay and another three years if desired after
It is not at all uncommon to find
that.
sergeants who

have served ten or twelve years and they are always very
responsible men.

As usual

the people offer us

return for cloth and

there

a collection

we add

many

our already large collection.

no big game near at hand I decide to make
of small birds, of which there are very many

here, with most beautiful plumage.

no smaller shot than

damaging
Ihe

full

native articles in

5j and

the smaller varieties.

choke barrel

pellets almost

always

hit

about

Unfortunately
is

difficult

have

avoid

However, by firing with
yards two or three

fifty

even the smallest birds.

very

good method of preserving them is to inject formol into the
bodies which at once stiffen out and become rigid in any

134

YAKOMA TO DJAB1K
Birds can thus be set with the

position they are placed.

wings extended in a flying position or as if roosting the
effect being much prettier than any which can be obtained
by

If is

stuffing.

inject very

soon

sets in,

the head

however, necessary to arrange them and
dead for if rigor mortis once

after they are

impossible to alter the position assumed by
There were great numbers of beau-

and wings.

birds in the plantation and it was easy to obtain over
a dozen different specimens in less than an hour (1).
Redbut
as
are
also
found
in
here
the
rice,
legged partridges
tiful

Europe

this variety will not rise

day hearing the familiar call

and one may walk all
sides and only obtain

all

one or two shots.

On October 19ih I had my first
was not severe and soon yielded

was

had taken

five

to phenacetin.

rather a disappointment for

however,

which

attack of fever,

grains of quinine regularly every day since arriving in the

The

Congo.
in

fever ran the

same course

India ten years ago but as
-

that

used

only once appeared in

England during lhat period, I hoped it had gone for
Hundreds of mosquitoes hummed around with the

ever.

ambitious idea presumably of carrying the germs to some
other unfortunate.

As we

shall

now

leave the French frontier and travel

altogether in State territory

down

we send

the Senegalese escort

the river back to their station at Mobaie.

geant who was

in charge

The

ser-

was a most responsible man and

was evidently held in great respect by the Chiefs of the
French villages through which we passed.
One day a

(1)

Now

in the British

Museum

(Natural History).

135

YAKOMA TO DJABIR
Chief was greatly disturbed

had migrated

village
is

against the law

because two

into State territory.

it is

men from

his

Although

this

apparently not a very unusual occur-

rence.
Generally these emigrants have committed some
crime and are fleeing from justice.
One Chief, however,
at Banzyville stated he had left the State territory because
he objected to working rubber and had returned because

paying the tax in the French
indeed
to say which side gains
impossible
Congo.
but
it is
evident
that it is not altothis
very
by
emigration

he objected

still

gether one-sided and not great enough to affect seriously
the size of the population of either ihe French or Free State

Congo.
In

and

Yakoma

the people are paid chiefly by beads

and

salt

watch the long string of workers filing
of the Chef du Poste on Saturday, each one

interesting to

to the office

carrying a plate, a tin can or some other receptacle in

which

to receive his

wages.

On October 22nd we
The skins

decide to pack up and

move

of the larger birds the toucans, razor bills

serpent birds are keeping very badly but those of the

mon-

keys, leopards and antelopes are in better condition.
is
it

however, doubtful
is

which
small

on.

and

they will last, for to preserve them

necessary to hang them out in the sun every day
is obviously impossible when travelling.
As a
native

war

progress higher up

the

Uele,

Mr. Van Luttens kindly arranges to accompany us for the
first three days in order to ensure that relays of paddlers
be forthcoming for many of those gentlemen have for
saken the wooden blade for the iron lance. We are there-

shall

fore a large party

on October 23rd when we leave Yakoma

136

YAKOMA TO DJAB1R

in a drizzling rain, the

Ah hough
to

the paddlers

remains of the usual nightly tornado.
wear no clothes and do not hesitate

any moment it is curious that
much and never work so well as

into the water at

jump

they dislike rain

very

when

shining.

a hot

sun

The

least

sily

over the

fire

hundred including the
as

the

bank of

sit

drow-

current

number now about two

thirty soldiers

and armed

not very strong

headway through somewhat
until

they

hugging themselves, being aroused to

action only with difficulty.

but

diminution of tem-

much and

perature indeed affects them very

flat

capitas,

we make good

and uninteresting country
on the north

arrive at Prekissa, a large village

the Uele.

Here we were received by the Chief of the Abira

tribe,

hammock

chair

a great

who

potentate

sat

long

surrounded by courtiers and ministers squatting on the
ground and holding spears of state on each side of him.

Having welcomed us he escorted us through the village
which is of great extent and well arranged.
Opposite his
square hut or palace is the Guard House in which are a
few soldiers armed with cap-guns for he has some inde-

pendent authority and the power of life and death in
Behind the palace are many rows

certain limited cases.

of round huts close together.

sound heard

Not a soul

visible or a

for these are the quarters of the

wives of the

Chief and except the

official

who

acts as legal

queen
none are presented to the white men.
The present Chief
is a keen commercial man and understands the
advantage
lady

of being on good terms with the State for he has a large

rubber plantation
furnace

most

and

also

interesting.

works metals.
It is

simply a

pit

The

blast

about two

137

YAKOMA TO DJAB1H

wide and deep formed by banking up clay and earth
several feet around which has been dried by the great

feet

for

heat of the furnace into a hard stony substance.
at first sight the pit

looks like a hole

dug

wood

placed iron stone and

Indeed

in solid rock.

charcoal

which

lighted and a blast made by several pairs of bellows
formed of antelope skins.
The molten metal is not run

but remains with the slag in the

off

when
iron

the latter

ready

blacksmiths.
indeed, and

Probably
it

method

this

curious that

modern Bessemer process

the

pit until it is cool

chipped away and the shapeless mass of
be worked into spears and lances by the

a very ancient one

should resemble so closely
for

making

walked through the village we return
river bank and the Chief presents

steel.

Having

our camp on the

spears.

He then

ask for anything he takes a fancy to in return.
proceeds
had already given him cloth much more valuable than
to

his lances

him

when he suddenly demanded

tobacco.

gave

my pouch and he then asked for that
He next asked me to give him my jacket and finally

the contents of

also.

To
cap for two ivory finger rings.
receive a present from a Congo chief is thus a very
He then sat down and smoked while
expensive honour.
we eat, for it is contrary to custom to ask a native to dine
wished

at the

same
start

buy

table as a white

man.

again next morning at 6 a. m.

the river are

now assuming an

The banks

equatorial appearance for

are in the third degree of latitude and palms

great profusion but the country

About midday we land
extensive plantation.

Gembele,

The Chief

grow in
and uninteresting.
large village with an

is flat

a young, good-looking

138

YAKOMA TO DJABIR

man

with refined European features and a very gentlemanly

He owns

manner.

a large island,

many

iron

and copper

When one was introduced to
very wealthy.
he pointed with pride to the State medal he was wear-

mines and

him

ing round his neck, a medal which is given to all Chiefs
of whose election or succession the Government approves.
An important feature of this village is a round enclosure
built of trunks of trees

as a

Chamber

and

Gembele only succeeded

his

administered.

justice

and roofed with leaves which serves

of State wherein discussions take place

father a year ago

and among other

responsibilities he has

numerous wives, step mothers and aunts,
of his father and uncles.
They seem, howe-

to take care of

the legacies

ver, to be well- disciplined for they

selves

wave

were sunning them-

when we suddenly appeared round

a corner but at

hand of the boy of the Chief, they all rushed
and not one turned round to try and catch a

of the

for cover

Possibly they have peep-holes
glimpse of the white men.
in the walls of their huts for it would be loo much to

Gembele is
expect them to have no feminine curiosity.
evidently respected by his people but he has a somewhat
serious look as though he
heavily.

There

felt

the cares of his position

a strong rapid opposite the village so

allow the canoes to go up empty and enter them again
It is now
it.
intensely hot and progress is slow but

above

reach the village of Sembile before

our tents in a clearing.

sundown and

The huts here are

still

pitch

round and

practically nude but the custom of wearing
beads has disappeared and very few are painted.
There is a bright moon which acts here as a clock by
As the latter passes pracnight as the sun does by day.

the people

YAKOM A TO DJABIK

overhead it is astonishingly easy to tell the
time within half an hour after a very little practice.
It is
more difficult to use the moon as the point of the hour-

tically straight

hand and requires some care. This, however, is the only
means the sentry has of determining 5 a. m. when we wish
to

be roused for he could not read a watch.

start again at daylight

where we land with
strong that

all

and ascend

the river to

Voro

baggage for the rapids here are so
to walk for several miles.
We the-

necessary

refore start in a procession of

more than one hundred people

narrow foot-path while the crews take up the empty
canoes. The guide leads and I follow next, hoping to shoot
along a

any game that may exist

in the

disturbed by the bearers.

It is,

neighbourhood before

however, speedily apparent
that wiih the exception of birds it will not be possible to
see any game at all for the grass is very thick and about
eight feet high.
I

give

After a time

to a bearer

and

weighs heavy so
two fine pheasants

my gun

moment

after

few yards away.
All around i?. evidence of game.
Great tracts through the grass where the stately elephant
has passed to drink at the river, spoor of buffalo and anterise a

lope at every water course and yet not a sign of
for the

sun

life

now

and a hundred bearers are yelling

is high up
and singing close behind.
After walking for aboui two
hours we reach forest and enter its welcome shade.
A

small stream prattles cheerfully along under the trees and
as the path several times passes through

we keep our

p. m. we reach a village
beautifully situated on a slope in the midst of dense forest.
This is protected on all sides by a strong stockade twelve
feet

comfortably cool.

feet

high

for leopards

About 2

abound and when game

is difficult to

140
find

YAKOHA TO DJABIR

and carry off people.
lunch and then on again through ihe

do not hesitate

Here we halt
forest full of
difficult to

they

fly

for

to enter villages

These are not mu< h more

cuckoo pheasants.

shoot than hand reared birds at

higher

however, appear

to travel very

home although
Th^y do

clear the tall trees.

quickly but this

not,

may

be a

it is difficult to
No
judge distance in Africa.
Late in the aftergame birds come within range.
noon we reach Bogosi, a large clean and well arranged
The Chief is a pleasant fellow perfectly willing to
village.

delusion as

other

sell

us food for our party and monkeys, tortoises or any-

we may desire for ourselves.
Here we change
our paddlers the present ones going back to their vilAs the tribe is at war with one higher up the
lages.
thing else
all

river,

Mr. Van Luttens thought

obtain paddlers here and so

however, the

difficulty

Chief that the paddlers

came

might be

himself.

difficult

With

his aid,

vanished for he arranged with the
who took us to Djabir should not

be called upon to do any more work for the State for nine
That is to say that the enforced forty hours a

months.

month would work out

nine months and as each

man was

six or seven

days paddling in

liberally paid

in cloth

no one could possibly say that he was used hardly.
Having bathed in the swiftly running river we dined in the
enclosure which did duty as the Council Chamber and then
thoroughly tired turned in early.
It was not until 9 a. m. in the
morning that we could
make a start for all the baggage had to be fitted into the

canoes and the paddlers arranged in their places.
first day with new crews is
always a trouble but
never repeated for the native has a good

The
this is

memory and

every

YAKOMA TO PJABIK
bale, bag,

gun and even small

141

articles like

books are taken

from the canoes each evening and put back in identically
This is remarkable
th^ same place in the morning.

when one thinks

that

some hundreds

of separate articles

have to be placed in one of seven or eight different canoes
in one particular place.

The

river is heavily in flood for this is the

season and ihe current

come

end of the wet

Soon we

very strong indeed.

and one of the men drops his pole
The other two, howcritical moment.

to the first rapid

overboard

at the

ever, hold ihe canoe up by pressing against the rocks
while the water whirls past within an inch of the edge of

the

At a word from the capita one of the

craft.

little

rescues the pole

into Ihe rushing water,

paddlers jumps
and lands safely with

below.

on ihe bank, fifiy or sixty yards
All the Sangos swim like salmon but cannot of
it

Th^y however, swim so powerfully
of the rocks and reach the side even

course leap up rapids.
that they steer clear
in

the swiftest current.

rapid after rapid

On we go

and when

pole the canoes against the

impossible to

Sometimes the drop is three feet
them up.
one spot and it is perfectly marvellous how these men

rocks and
at

slowly struggling

paddle and
stream the crew stand on the

lift

can thus stand waist deep in the water.
Naturally we
wets
a
deal
of
water
which
ship
good
everything through

and through but ihe crew take
bale

The amount of

are not injured.

must be enormous

course and

we pass

actual

work

Ihe crew do

seem fatigued and sing
At
Ihe beginning of Ihe day.

yet ihey never

as lustily at Ihe end as at

length

this as a matter of

out at intervals while the boys take care the firearms

the island of

Mutemu and

seek for a place

YAKOMA TO DJABIR
for a

There

camp.

not

very dense here and

much

choice for the forest

the undergrowth before the tents can be pitched.
fires are lighted

and

all

necessary in every place to clear

Then

are soon asleep.

We
fight

start again at daybreak and at once commence the
with the rapids. Soon after a Chief appears in a canoe,

war wilh a neighbouring
the white man.

and having explained

that

tribe

not

inconvenience

hopes

will

On being asked why he

is at

fighting he states that he has lost

two women and thinks they have been stolen.
I then told
him war was a mistake and I hoped he would make peace
as soon as possible, at which he looked a little surprised

and answered
several

that

women

he expected

be successful and capture

as well as men.

The navigation

of Ihe Uele at this part of

its

so difficult that there are very few villages on

its

the native

who

lives

course

banks

for

near a stream hardly ever walks and
he can travel by canoe.
For this

will not settle unless

is often no pathway at all between villages only
two apart on the river bank.
The few people
there are have probably never seen a white man for as far

reason there
a mile or

as one can ascertain no one has been up here for ten years.

However, where there is a village the Chief comes on board
About midday the kitihen canoe
and presents a chicken.
paddles by with fire alight and pot boiling. Soon after Chikaia shouts
Le cuisinier est tombe dans I'eau, and a little
:

way ahead is seen a canoe apparently upside down close
to the bank and twelve or fifteen black heads bobbing up
and down in the water.
Mountmorres is just ahead in his
canoe and easily wiihin reach but to my surprise his
paddlers suddenly turn away from the bank and make for

143

YAKOMA TO DJABIR

mid-stream evidently straining every muscle.
Turning
round I order my crew to pull rapidly to the rescue but
to

disgust they also turn into mid-stream and take no

notice of

my command.

ing of this he replied

Having asked Chikaia the mean-

petite b&te qui

mange Vhomme.

Chikaia's knowledge of zoology and French

what limited every animal
a

grande

be'te

valuable for

was

him

is for

either a

The information was

was impossible

being someor
pttite

therefore not very

imagine what small beast

in the habit of eating people.

a crocodile

Non, non,

took

rifle

la petite.

Thinking, however, of
but Chikaia laughed and said
:

this

time

we were

well out in

mid-stream opposite the kitrhen canoe which
the mystery

was not upset

at all.

the goats and the fowls were

all,

The cook,

add

the crew,

however, in the water.

No danger was apparent for the crew were swimming at
their ease and hoisting the live stock back into the canoe.
It

there

useless being astonished at anyihing in Africa

was obviously nothing

crew raced along as

fast

do but

sit still

as they could paddle.

and

while the
In a few

minutes they pulled into the bank and there we waited for
the kitchen which presently appeared with the cook reclin-

Je
ing in the arms of one of the crew and moaning
After a rapid examination, however, I
mort, je mort.
could find nothing at all the matter.
At length we discover
the truth.
His canoe had run into a large hornet's nest
:

hanging from the branch of a
in the heacl.

To avoid

of the crew not only

threw

all

jumped

and he had been stung
damage, he and the whole

tree

further

into the water themselves but

the live t^tock overboard as well, for ihe natives

believe that the sting of this insect kills

and they

fear it

144

YAKOMA TO DJABIR

more than an encounter with a wild

was

beast.

therefore in a highly hysterical condition

The cook

and no doubt

considerable pain also although no mark of a sting
could be discovered, amidst his thick curly black hair.
in

Still I took him into my canoe, gave him whisky internally
and bathed his head with permanganate of potassium and

After this delay we struggle
he was quite well next day.
until
before
dark
we
reached
the worst rapid on the
on
just
river the Kandoko Falls, up which the canoes are lifted

inch by inch.

Everything was already wet so the

that a terrific to

nado burst before we could pitch the

added but

little

again

fact

tents

our discomfort.

daybreak and

one or two ineffectual

after

attempts to negotiate the last strong rapid on this piece of
we conquer it and reach smooth water. In the

the river

course of the morning a canoe intercepts us in which is a
native dressed as a State capita and armed with a gun.

says he has been sent by a white

sound our tom-toms as

they will attack our camp.

man

to tell

us not

will attract the hostile tribe

ask

for the letter for

and

white

men

never send verbal messages by natives and when it
was not forthcoming became suspicious that our visitor was

spying our strength.
travellers,

liked

that

we should

told

him

that

we were

beat our tom-toms as

and camp where we wished and

peaceful

much

that if the tribe

we should defend ourselves. Probably our
made an impression for we were not molested at all
during the day and at ni^ht camped in the village of the
attacked us

rifles

hostile tribe.

Our paddlers indeed

fraternised with the

enemy, against whom they would have been fighting
they had not been employed by us.

THE SULTAN OF DJABIR.

YAVOMA TO DJABM

The usual tornado burst

make

in the

145

night and

did not

m. when we continued up the river
villages before 2 p. m. when Djabir

a start until 7 a.

and passed several
in sight.
The view of the town from the distance

came

very pretty indeed.

towers

now

In the centre

partly demolished

of the officials stretching

an old

and on each

fort

side the houses

along the river bank.

land two hours afterwards and

with four

feel that at last

Here we

shall

have a night's rest without fear that our habitation will
be blown away or soaked with water.

CHAPTER
Across Uele.

VIII.

Djabir to Ibembo.

is a disappointing place.
Although very imposfrom
a distance it is being rebuilt at present and at
ing
close quarters it becomes obvious that some of the old

Djabir

Some welcome
houses are in a very bad state of repair.
a
us
here
and
Im
meet
newspapers
delighted to learn that
the

Government has passed

Japanese are

still

the Licensing Bill

successful.

The Sultan

and

that the

of Djabir sent

young gentleman who has been educated and
speaks French, to present a small ivory war-horn and to
demand several times its value in cloth. Afterwards he
his brother a

sold us

some other

articles but,

although he received

full

value for them he repented of his bargain next day and

demanded them back again. Of course we let him take
The Sultan himself seems to be equally difficult to

them.

State has given him the rank of
Force Publique and tried to humour him in
His village has the
every way he is not a good subject.
usual characteristics with some signs of Arab civilisation.

deal with

and although the

Captain in the

148

DJAB1R TO IBRMBO

ACROSS UELE.

Lord Monntmorres

and

now anxious

to hasten

toBumba

for

send a special courier
necessary
to Coquilhutville with a cablegram while I arrange to follow
more slowly and hunt 'he country in between. He therethe rest of ihe mail

fore leaves Djabir

on October 3

taking only one boy and

1st

and at night-time a
baggage.
tornado
over
the
I wake up in a pool
bursts
Post.
heavy
of water for the roof leaks badly and by bad luck just over
my bed. Having moved this to a dry spot it is possible to
a

It is

little

a very hot day

sleep but not for long for the mosquito net

wall where

left

forgetting the

a question of bites or water

little

and as the

was

fixed to the
It is

pests.

latter

now

seems cooler

replace the bed and fixing the roof of the net on the slope
so that the heaviest part of ihe shower will run off. pass the
rest of ihe night in

the place

was

comparative comfort.

It is

indeed time

rebuilt for at present Djabir has a depressing

air of former greatness

and present decay.

there are

no elephants near and t'<e antelopes are very small, I
arrange to leave on November 1st but on starting to repack
find

many

of the antelope skins are rotten

and order them

be thrown away while the native lances and spears are
covered wiih red rust and have to be cleaned, smeared

wi'h palm
start

oil

and repacked.

next morning to cross Uele, but as it is imposmore than thirty five porters some <>f the

sible to obtain

baggage has

manner.

coarse grass fibres

and pass

bale,

inclined forwards.

or box

shoulders.

whuh

The loads are

behind.

in rather a curious

The

porters

carried here

make

band of

over the crown of the head

The band

itself rests

attached to the

on the back between the

Then leaning forward

the porter,

carrying

Ibs,

walks

149

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

ACROSS UELE.

3j miles an hour over rough roads for

three or four hours with scarcely a stop.

the river the caravan

formed and

Having crossed

once strikes along the

paih ihrough the villages on the opposite bank to Djabir.

are

now on

a frequented route and the villages and

people show far more signs of the influence of the white
man than those on the Ubangi. The huts are square,
thatched with leaves and have verandahs while most of the

men and many women wear
is

clothes.

The tatouage

also

here very different for ihe vertical line on the forehead

not seen and a horizontal line of small elevations just

above the

level of the eyes is very common; thpre are
various
other devices on the cheeks and the lobes
however,

of the ears are sometimes pierced for the insertion of a ring
of ivory nearly as largn as a serviette ring.

The

natives

are veiy polite, every sirgle one giving a salute so that at
the end of a long village one's

arm aches with returning

it.

Chicken and eggs can be boughi here for cloth at about the
Some of
price one pays in an expensive shop in London.
the natives said nothing and were satisfied while others

grumbled but did not take back their goods. One man sold
nine eggs for about 2/-of which only three were fit to eat
and demanded

The

4/-for a clrcken

natives here

seem

who must have given them

little

larger than a pigeon.

have been spoilt by the whites

very h'gh prices for food at

and these have never been reduced.

and supply
to sell

rare.

affect the price considerably.

Naturally

A native

first,

demand
refused

us a duck at Coquilhatville for 14/-, for ducks are
On the other hand in remote villages rarely visited

by white men. the people will sometimes give two chickens
for an empty wine bottle and would practically sell them-

150

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

ACROSS UELE.

selves for salt so fond are they of that substance.

they eat alone

and

very unpleasant.

relish
It is

immensely

This

for the native salt is

made from water

and

lilies

certain

forms of grass which are burnt slowly under a fire, the
resulting ash containing a large quantity of sodium chloride.

however, mixed with sulphur, charcoal and

other impurities and to remove these the ash

is placed in
water when the sodium chloride and other soluble salts

This

enter into solution.
in the

sun and forms native

Once

then evaporated to dryness

salt.

clear of the line of villages

which extend

for

two

or three miles, the path enters dense forest and the walk

becomes pleasant.

Palms are abundant and the

parasol

common.

Overhead are pigeons, a few ducks
I shot a few either
and, as usual, thousands of parrots.
for the larder or for their skins all of which fell in the
tree very

Without a retriever these were no
dense undergrowth.
doubt difficult to find but it was curious that the birds
with beautiful feathers and indifferent flesh were always

picked up while the ducks and pigeons usually could not
All the porters returned along this path the
be found.

perhaps were then more successful and
game which would not be harmed by hanging

next day and

enjoyed the
for a

times

day in a
five

The road

tree.

or six feet

good one being somewide and most of the marshes and
is

streams are crossed by rude wooden bridges formed by
trunks of trees laid parallel to each other.

Most of the way

,up a gentle incline for

are

now

passing over the ridge which separates the watersheds of

At intervals along the road
Ubangi and the Congo.
are small clearings in some of which are capitas armed
the

WARRIORS AT

D.IABIR.

ACKOSS UELE.

151

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

with cap-guns to protect the rubber caravans from thieves.
About midday we reach Kaki - kaki, a clearing in the
forest in

which

mud house

passing through and here

use of white men
we have marched

for the

a halt for

I call

about twelve or thirteen miles.

again

tinuing through the

morning at daybreak the path conforest, and as it is quite cold at this

hour and the exercise
stopping

pleasant

we march

briskly only

After leaving Kaki-kaki

shoot occasionally.

the streams flow south instead of north which
after fighting

now

our way up rivers

for four

shows

that

months we have

reached the highest point of our journey and are at

length going
It is

down

hill.

indeed a great

relief to

think that instead of strug-

gling up rapids, when next we take to canoes we shall be
There is, however, nothing
whirled rapidly down stream.
like a

Uele.

mountain or even a considerable

hill in this

After an hour or two the forest ends and

part of

cross

a plain covered with grass only four to six feet high on

which clumps of

trees

and bushes are dotted about.

and wild

cattle

every side are traces of elephant, antelope
but the sun

now high on

his brilliant course

and only man

enough to work in the day time in Central Africa.
indeed very hot marching for there is no shade and it
In
necessary to change the gun for the umbrella.

is foolish
It is

another hour

reach the string of villages constituting
who like the Sultan

the territory of the Sultan of Enguetra
of Djabir

however,

not a particularly good chief.

receive

the

porters

kindly

and

His people,
give

them

Then on again under a very fierce sun until
north bank of the Likati river is reached.
Here we

bananas.
the

152

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

ACROSS UELE.

enter a canoe

which

and are rapidly paddled down the stream

only about twenty yards wide, until we reach a
in which the Post of Enguetra is

clearing in the forest

In a few weeks
being built by Lieutenant Gaspard.
two
brick
house
of
he has constructed a fine
storeys with
a large verandah looking

down

a natural avenue to the

river.

the early days of

this time of the year

November

the Post is practically an island for the river flows on one

side

and on the other three water

to the depth of three or four feet.
for the

standing in the forest
This is no doubt good

rubber vines but bad for hunting.
However, I
setile here for a week or two and hunt the

determine to

and plains about.
Next morning hrefore I start at
m. in the dark and follow the guide who evidently
After passing
the cold and steps out at a good pace.

forest

feels

through the plantation

strike into dense forest

and the

Roots of trees below,
walking becomes very difficult.
branches and vines above have to be dodged all the time
and it is a relief to march along the bed of a stream even
if it

has two or three

feet of

water in

it.

It is

impossible

two on each side through
the dense undergrowth and the sun and sky are quite

to see for

more than

a yard or

invisible although patches of lights

now

show

that the former is

well above the level of the tallest tree.

Traces of

elephant and antelope abound, the former being of small
size without points worth having.
After two hours we

reach the plain and find the water nearly six feet deep.
There is no place about to pitch a tent and it is extremely
difficult

marching

in the forest in the night, but the only

chance of an elephant

is to

be here an hour or two before

ACROSS UELE.

daybreak.
the water

month.

Indeed it is almost impossible to hunt until
subsides and that means waiting for over a
However Ihere are plenty of small beasts and

was not

birds so the day

The Congo

Everything here
If the

153

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

altogether wasted.

undoubtedly the land of exaggerations
bigger or smaller than any where else.

elephants are the largest in the world the insects are

the smallest and Enguetra is especially favoured by their

attendance.

Millions of

beasts

little

fall

on one

all

day

Soup might h^re be called hexapoda bouillon and
a glass of wine in a few minutes becomes a tincture of
Bulterfli<s are especially numerous and are of
insects.
long.

They

groat beauty.

so lazy or sleepy that one can

are

Ducks are
nearly always pick them up with one's fingers.
not agile creatures on land but h^re they waddle slowly up to
thf butterflies and as often as not catch them in their beaks.

The
ning

mm h

native

He
for

is a

curious mixture of simplicity and cun-

very fond of strong alcohol but does not care

wine.

The mess boy here apparently

whisky and instead of

filling the bottle

red wine to the requisite amount.
led to instant detection

about

and

some

up with water added
Of course the colour

of course he

knew nothing

but he lurched about violently as he waited at

it,

dinner and

was obvious

acting rather forcibly.

lock up every bottle

There

when

the
is

This

is,

new European drink was

very troublesome to have to

travelling, yet

however,
can be fixed over the cork and
necessary.

bottle.

stole

it is

absolutely

hear a patent lock which
is easily

fastened to the

worth remembering.

One day Chikaia

stated

that the

Sultan of Engnetra

intended to attack the Post that night and

he had done

154
so

ACROSS UELE.

BJABIR TO IBEMBO

we were

only two

or twenty soldiers.

Howe-

might have fared badly with us

men

white

with perhaps

fifteen

for

heavy tornado broke and perhaps the warriors
refused to face the storm for nothing happened.
The boys
were very alarmed and did not hesitate to say so.
As the
a

ver,

relationship between the Sultan

and the

State

was not very

might have been true, otherwise it
well
have
been
idle
War had then not been
might
gossip.
declared but the State soon after sent a force to occupy the
satisfactory the report

district.

Chikaia,

ment

to a

who is a Christian, formed a violent attachwoman who worked in the plantation here and

asked

to be allowed to marry her,
although at the time
she appeared to be the wife of a soldier with whom she

was

living.

married,

Chikaia, however, said she

investigated

the

husband swore they were married,
were not.
The man, however, in

official

wife,

gave

woman

permission

they

Post and

at a certain

Now

and Missionaries can

named was

Chikaia that the

woman swore

the

he said the ceremony took place
was conducted by a certain official.

and the

legally

The supposed

this case evidently lied

for

saires of Districts

was not

case.

Commis-

only

legalise

marriages

After representing

neither.

did not seem a very desirable
to his

marriage, provided that

the Catholic Missionaries, to which church he
belonged,

were willing
not

thanked

woman was
The woman was very pleased and

perform the ceremony for the

Christian.

in the native fashion

necklace of beads for a wedding present.
tips
girl

fell

once asking

for a

The demand

becomes sometimes quite humorous.
down and cut herself and one of the

for

native

officials

ACROSS DELE.

dressed the

wound

came and asked

know

One day

healed.

The parents then

and when the astonished

for a tip

dual required to

been every day
ought to be paid

until

DJABIR TO 1BEMBO

the reason said that the girl

have her wound attended

to
for

was

indivi-

had

and she

it.

lunch half asleep, a green
and white seroent glided through the open door into my
It
room.
happened that my guns were leaning against
as

sitting after

the opposite wall and

did not fancy jumping over the

beast, so simply shouted.

verandah and

then withdrew on to the

followed as quickly as possible with a gun.

In the meantime Chikaia

came running up and gave

several blows on the back with a heavy piece of

wood.

The sentry then appeared and before I could stop him cut
off its head.
The skin was thus spoilt which was a great
pity as

measured more than ten

was not easy

feet in length.

procure paddlers at Enguetra I
decided to send on one of the boys Mavunga with some of
it

the heavy baggage on

November 17th and

to follow

him

He was

very nervous at the idea of travelalone
and
wished
to
borrow a revolver, but this of
ling
the next day.

course

refused.

It is

curious that these coast boys fear

the natives of the interior so

much and still more curious
man at once restores

that the presence of a single white

confidence.

day

indeed becoming more apparent every

that the natives have a very

ration

for

the

Europeans and

genuine respect and admicredit them with powers

which neither they nor any other people possess.
I leave
Enguetra on the 18ih in a most comfortable
canoe with an awning so high that it is possible to stand
The Likati
upright, a great luxury in canoe travelling.

156

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

ACROSS UELE.

flows swiftly through dense forests and

down

glide

the

No villages exist
rapids very quickly and comfortably.
banks
and
is
visible
the
along
nothing
except the forest
until

reach Kati-kati a clearing in which a

been erected

for the

convenience of travellers.

a stroll in the forest but after half an hour

went

for

Although the

symptom passed away quickly
might occur again and then I realised for the
it

distressing

hut has

was stopped by

an unpleasant palpitation of the heart.

mud

was obvious

time that

first

was very anaemic and that hard exertion would be impossome time. This was the more annoying for the

sible for

leave
country around was particularly rich in game.
at sunrise which is, however, concealed by a thick water

mist and speed along until we reach Dzamba or Ekwangatana close to the point where the Likati and Rubi rivers join
to

form the Itimbiri.

Dzamba

where

transit port

cargoes are transhipped from canoes into a small steamer

Mifa which

the

Uele.

the

travel in her

plies

between

Mifa departed

and thus altered

and Buta the

the next day

capital of

decided to

plan of descendabout three times as

my original

The Rubi

ing direct to the Congo.

wide as the Likati and also flows through dense forest
which is only broken here and there by Wood Posts.
Although the water is high and the current strong the MHz
which is a twin-screw steamer, travels well and early on
the third day

moved and some
one of which
in

call

Uele which

arrive

Buta.

The Post

being

brick houses have already been built,

placed at

disposal.

After

settling

upon Baron de Rennette, the Commissaire of
is

a very important District for through

the path to the Nile

and

runs

has frontiers both to French and

English

The

territories.

157

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

ACROSS UELE.

Lado

Enclave, however,

governed separately by a special official.

One now

and expense
example a bale of
It
Brussels and addressed to Bomokandi.

realises fully ihe extreme difficulty

Take

of transport across Africa.
cloth shipped at
is

for

very possible that this will be transhipped at Banana
which will be towed to Matadi ; secondly it

into a lighter
will travel

by train

to Leopoldville

Bumba beyond which

;

thirdly

by steamer to

point the larger vessels do not run

fourthly by small steamer to Ibembo;

Dzamba during which journey

fifthly

;

by canoe to

has to be carried by hand

some rapids; sixthly by the Mih to Buta and
seventhly by hand to Bomokandi.
Every basket of rubber

past

and point of ivory exported and every box of food or bale
of cloth imported

indeed constantly being transhipped

and then conveyed by various methods a few hundred miles
on its journey.
The example given is by no means an
extreme one, and many others could be traced in almost

The reason is simple.
Although the
any direction.
whole of Central Africa is traversed by rivers which eventually flow into the

Congo, both the main river and

tributaries are in places impossible to navigate

rapids.

Great efforts are, however, being

come these

owing

made

its

to the

to over-

Wherever possible railways are
and
roads
made to avoid them the
constructed
being
latest great work initiated being the automobile road
obstructions.

indeed impossible now to carry by
hand the great amount of merchandise passing up and
down the country, even if the natives were willing to

through Uele.

undertake the task.
dislike

This

most and during

is,

however, the very work th^y
an immense quantity of

visit

158

DJABIR 10 IBKMKO

ACROSS UELE.

was lying

stores

owing

Buta and could not be forwarded

lack of porters.

The automobile road

will

all this, for trains of waggons carrying the merchandise will then be quickly and easily towed by road
engines.
Passengers will also be conveyed in a similar
manner and it is reasonable to prophesy that in five or ten

change

be possible to cross Africa from the Nile
to Banana without travelling a single mile in canoes or on
years time

will

foot.

At present the difficulty of transport chiefly affects the
comfort of the officials for their stores of food may be
delayed for some weeks and although

on kwanga, goats and chickens,
for

possible to live

not a suitable diet

is experienced with the
rubber and ivory are always travelling
towards the mouth of the river.
Baron de

Less difficulty

Europeans.

exportation, for the

down

the hill

Rennette

fully realises

how extremely important

have good food in this exhausting climate and took his
native cook to Europe to receive some lessons in the culinary

art.

He has been rewarded

lives almost as well as

indeed,

and now

for his trouble

he could

Good

home.

food,

almost as necessary in Africa as pure water.

After a hard day's

work

in this climate

impossible

either to relish or to digest goat's flesh or tough chicken

and the

result is

dysentry.

weakness followed by

When

travelling

obtain properly cooked food, and

still
it

fever,

anaemia or

was thus

difficult

especially

pleasant to find oneself dining off a clean white cloth with
clean silver, hot plates and food cooked and served in a

manner which would have been a
club.

credit

London

There

Bima and Bomokandi and I
taking this ten day's walk when an

good path

was thinking of

159

OJABIK TO IBEMBO

ACROSS LELE.
to

caused me to change my plans again.
He was on a
Buta Mgr. Derikx arrived.
tour of his diocese and expected to be travelling for a year.
of fever

attack

While

still

was very pleased

to see

him and was bound

to confess

me of the Congo on the voyage out was
Having recovered from the tever and on
the recommendation of Baron de Rennette, commenced a
had

that all he

told

strictly accurate.

course of arseniate of soda,
in the

I left

Buta on November 28th

MHz.

The small steamer rapidly descended the
the water was now falling rapidly.
Many croco-

river for

had ascended this small river to lay their eggs and
were lying on sandbanks but we travelled so quickly that
Near Buta is one of the
it was
impossible to shoot them.
diles

and by old
of these institutions, this one

villages constructed for

soldiers and, like the

rest

and kept forming a striking contrast
It

village.

indeed extraordinary

very well arranged

to the

ordinary native

how

the savage can

be changed into a civilised being by a few years of military
discipline.
I

Dzamba again on

reach

canoe on

journey

running

swiftly

down

the

the 29th

the Itimbiri

and continue the

The current

day.

and

after

an hour we

and march through the forest while the
The river winds
canoe descends without passengers.
arrive at a rapid

here very
it

much

so that although the current

more than an hour

minutes.

The journey up

baggage has

very strong

canoe arrives

which we reached walking, in

village,

for the

bf-fore the

about

the

twenty

is
very slow and tedious
be carried by hand along this

160

DJABIR TO IREMRO

ACROSS UELK.

short cut Ihrongh the forest.

therefore proposed to

build a light railway to relieve the native of ihis task.
I reach Ibembo on the 30ih and am met by Lieutenant

Francois, the

Cbf

du Posie.

It is

a large station with a

continually passiig
big mess for many
On this date three hundred and fifty soldiers
through.
with their officers were marching through wi h the c.bjer.t of

are

travellers

dccupyingEnguetra and

its district until

a hltle more reasonable.
to

the Sultan

very
avoid ambuscades in the forest.

and

literally cuts his

troops

Th y march in a
women, who cany much

hollow square formation with the
of the baggage, in the centre.

becomes

difficult for the

It is

Each soldier carries

a knife

through the undergrowth.

way

the head, flanks or rear of the square

attacked ihe

men

up and meet the enemy wuh a steady fire for they
Progress is naturally
always march with the rifle loaded.

very slow and the enemy

chance of being
from bdiind a

hit

difficult

by a poisoned

tree

catch,

while the

arrow or a lance hurled

always

present.

The

soldier

is very plucky and well earns his twenty- one
each day, and the one fane twenty-five cents a
month which is reserved tor him.

however,
cents

Next day

I visit

the Ca'holic Mission of

received by Father Benin wh'i
of Mgr. Derikx.

about 200
a

little

is in

The Mission

Ibembo and am

charge in the absence
situated on a plateau

high on the oppo-ite bank to 'he Post, but
lower down the stream and the whole place is
feet

admirably arranged, the view across the river being espeThree hundred natives, mostly children,
cially beautiful.
the plantations and gardens all b"ing
dressed in a pretty uniform and appearing h^alihy and

are engaged in

THE

ITIMBIRI RIVER.

ACROSS UELE.

There

happy.

161

DJABIR TO IBEMBO

indeed, very

little

sickness here, for the

buildings and grounds are as scrupulously clean as those
of a

State

Post..

In a well-fitted carpenter's shop the
and houses has been made

entire furniture for the chapel

from the wood of old canoes which

The boys

seasoned.

also

work

hard and well-

in ivory, turning serviette

rings with great accuracy and skill.

Four or

and

Mission and one of

five sisters

the latter

form the

superintends

staff of the

the cooking

with

five

brethren

most happy

results.

Next day

walk through the native villages near
of the men fish and the women make

Ibembo where most
pots of clay.

There are a great number of children about

and very little sickness. Sunday as usual w as market day
and the people from the neighbourhood brought in
kwanga, fish, eggs, chicken and three antelopes. Food
r

sold for mitakos three of which will purchase

kwanga

to feed a

man and woman

for a

day.

enough
In the

afternoon a Chief arrives with the not unusual story that a

troup of elephants have entered and destroyed his plantation of manioc.
arrange therefore to start at 4 a. m.

next morning on ilie chance that they will repeat their
visit, but a heavy tornado in the night renders hunting
impossible.

prepare
the

Congo

After spending a pleasant week at Ibembo, I
descend the river to Bumba and then to ascend
to Stanley Falls.

BASOKO FROM THE RIVKR.

CHAPTER
Ibembo

Stanley Falls.

The Ddivrance a steamer
Florida arrives
cargo cf

cloth,,

IX.

built

on the same

lines as the

Ibembo on December 5th with a large
clothes, beads, salt and other articles for
at

and

also cases of food for the Europeans.
This is
almost her last voyage up the Itimbiri this season, for soon
the waters will have fallen so low that the river will be
barter,

No time is wasted in the Congo
navigable only by canoes.
State.
As soon as the cargo was discharged, the empty
holds were filled with baskets of rubber and ivory and in
less than

twenty four hours after her arrival, the steamer

was ready

to depart.

164

1BEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

Having arranged
soon on board, and
At

December.

to tratel

the

first

fronting the plateau,

river

full

evidently

banks become

passes between the

cliff

The

cliff is

and

red,

In a short time however, both

of iron.

flat

on which the Mission stands and low

lying forest on the opposite bank.
is

my baggage was
midday on the 6th of

this boat,

Ibembo

left

and are covered with

forest

broken

by villages which are well arranged, clean and
Some of them are wood posts, and one is occupied

intervals
tidy.

by old soldiers, who have built themselves very good houses.
These veterans have no pension, but are given materials to
form plantations, and also supply the steamers with wood
at the usual

They rarely, if ever, return to their
which they left seven or ten years before

rate.

native villages,

as naked savages, for they are

now smart

civilised

men and

and manners of the Europeans as

imitate the appearance
closely as possible.

About 6

m. we reach

the Post of

Mandungu,

situated

It is
on the right bank of the Itimbiri.
very well built
and scrupulously tidy. Behind is a high wooden stockade,
and in front, along the river bank is a small wall broken

by a kind of arbour,

which

interesting inscription G. R. Ill

On
The

again at daybreak

down

a brass

gun with

the

1799.

the swiftly running stream.

Itimbiri indeed, like its principal feeders, the Likati

and Rubi,

commenced

rapidly falling, for the dry season has

in earnest,

now

and alihough thunder-storms are

frequent, they are not accompanied by rain.

stop at

Moenge, a small post on the left bank of the river, for the
mail, and then on again until the Congo is reached an hour
before sunset.
The great river is still very full of water,

i65

1BEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

which shows no signs

This

present of falling.

is,

only

to be expected, for all the tributaries are

now emptying

themselves into the main stream, which

thus kept high

for

some weeks

turn

down

the

Congo and

have commenced

after they

after

a post of the S. A. B. Trading

to fall.

passing some

villages

We
and

Company, reach Bumba

sunset.

This

an important shipping port, for the large vessels

stop here owing

to'

difficulty of

the

navigating the Congo

All the cargo for Stanley Falls

higher up.

Congo, as well as that

for Uele,

and the Upper

has therefore

be tran-

The place is designed in a series of
shipped here.
one
of each being formed by the river while the
side
squares,
spaces thus

being

left

are filled with well kept gardens, the whole

very effective.

Mr. Simon, the commandant of the

me a house and also arranges to allow
the Delivrance to take me up to Stanley Falls as soon as
her cargo has been discharged.
On each side of the Post
are .villages extending along the river bank.
The men
here wear a loin cloth, but the women only bangles, and the
Station kindly lends

tatouage

varied and extensive.

Next day the Delivrance was charged with sheets of
for building purposes and it was very

corrugated iron

watch the natives carrying these to the ship.
Like some civilised people, the natives are so lazy that
they often give themselves a great deal of work in the effort
interesting to

to avoid

it.

The

plates

were of various

and consequently of various weights.

sizes

and shapes

Sauntering slowly

up to the stack on the beach, one of the porters would
examine it carefully and search for as small a load as
possible.

Then he would

either

lift

the

upper ten or

IBEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

twelve plates or try to pull the one he had chosen out
from the stack.
Having accomplished his object thus with
great exertion, he

carry

would put

ihe plate

on his head and

leisurely the few yards to Ihe boat.

Of course the

larger ones had to be moved some time, and in reality at
the end of the day the lazy fellows had thus done more

work than was necessary.

Compared with Hindu or

Chinese coolies, the Central Africans indeed both in the
plantations and at the dock side, accomplish raiher less
The padthan half the amount of work in the same time.
dlers, on the other hand, cannot be called lazy, and when

propelling canoes against strong currents or

rapids,

exert themselves to the utmost.

leave

Bumba on December

9th in the Ddivrance

After passing the mouth of the
and turn up stream.
Itimbiri the banks are unoccupied for many miles, dense
Here and there is a
unbroken forest lining each shore.

wood

post and

pass also two considerable areas which

had evidently been cleared some time ago and occupied by
The people, however, were very troublesome in
villages.
these

parts

and have

since migrated

into

the

interior

leaving the ancient sites to elephants and other beasts.
It

very

much more

comfortable on the Delivrance than

on the larger steamers,

for, being the only passenger,
have plenty of room in the cabin below and as usual in these
small craft, we have all our meals on the bridge.
I

the llth

arrive at

a large brick house for the

Barumbu, a small Post with

Commissaire when he

visits the

Here most of the natives were dancing and looked
place.
ridiculous.
very
Thpy did not move over the ground and

seemed

be doing a kind of physical

drill.

First

one leg

167

IBEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

was kicked forwards and backwards while

the other did a

Then perhaps the arms were

stiff

heavy
looking hop.
thrown up and down and the whole body advanced from
the hips, and finally the head was jerked to and

These movements were repeated time after time,
evidently in a regular set order, for once started, several

fro.

people performed exactly the same in perfect time
whether they could see each other or were back to back.
The whole affair looked stiff and ungracious, but was

keenly enjoyed by the natives.

GENERAL VIEW OF BASOKO.

hour

Aruwimi

later

District.

arrived at Basoko, the capital of the
It is

different

from other Posts,

for

has a wall running along the river front with a square
tower in the centre, giving the appearance of fortification.
There are indeed a few guns here, but not many troops.
After paying a short visit to the Commissaire General of

Aruwimi, Captain Pimpurnieaux, we continue our journey.

168

IBEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

Next morning was pay day, all the ordinary seamen
receiving 21 mitakos a week, but the capitas and wheel-

men were

given more.

These

latter are usually

a very

men, for after a few journeys they
responsible
remember every island and land-mark on the river and
often steer all day without a word of command from the
set

captain.
differs

About midday we met the Ville de Paris which

from the other steamers in having her wheels at the
This arrangement has not

side instead of at the stern.

however, proved a success, for this boat
nor so easily steered as the others.
I

am now

troubled with a

the knee joint with a
difficult

very

new

good deal of

walk.

should have appeared, for

It
I

neither so fast

complaint, synovitis of

effusion,

curious

which makes

why

this

malady

had not knocked or otherwise

injured the joint and had indeed been sitting quietly on

steamers

all

day

for the previous

the afternoon of the 12th

the junction of the

week.

Lomami and

reach Isangi, a Post at
This river

the Congo.

drains the territory occupied by the Company of the same
turn up it to visit Ilambi, the chief town.

name and we

There are a few large villages on the banks where the
natives exhibit a curious

method

of hair dressing.

allowed to grow long, which is very unusual in the Congo,
and is then turned up and matted together on the top of
the head with grease and the red

The

effect is, that

powder of the cam-wood.

each appears to be wearing a red and

black cloth cap.

reach Ilambi, which

and very

tidy, the next day.

extensive territory along the

a large Station well built

The Company leases a very
river banks and does a large

IBEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS
in

trade

169

rubber and ivory, the Brazilian variety of the

The natives are quite
work
well
and
little
trouble, although
satisfied,
give very
it is
necessary to punish them sometimes, and as usual,
former growing here very well.

the prisoners on the chain are given

the prison.

work

do outside

and then descend the

stay here one day

Lomani, and turn up the Congo.

The banks of the river
new appearance, for they are higher and no
longer densely wooded and at short intervals are villages

now have

thickly

populated and

containing a high percentage of
Most of the men fish or build canoes, and all

children.

the people

seem

be constantly trading with each other,

selling food or curiosities for mitakos or cloih.

stop for the night at Yonanghe, a Post which has

been built by a true native of the Congo,

was

who

one time

He has

ihe boy of Inspecteur d'Etat, Malfeyt.

tra-

French and English and makes
an excellent Chef du Poste, which -rank he enjoys officially,
velled to Europe, speaks

with

all its

and

rights

privileges.

thoroughly responsible and

a very

Everyone agrees he is
good friend, but if a

captain of a steamer offends him, he will not sell him a
chicken or even an egg for any sum.
On the loth we reach Yakussu, where is a Mission

Station of the English Baptists.

the

missionary,

Mr.

Stapleton,

we have an

interesting chat.

District for

many

cannot go ashore,
on board and

comes

He has known

ihe Bangala

years and has seen the riverside popula-

tion diminish very

he ascribes partly

much during

the last fifteen years.

to the Sleeping Sickness

emigration to the State Posts.
cult for the people to raise

first

and

This

partly to

was very

diffi-

enough food for themselves and

170

IBEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

and

fur the soldiers in the Posts,

near

Stanley

people have no

and

avoid the hard work,

Here however,

accepted service under the State.

many

there

Falls,

plenty

food

and the

difficulty in providing for their

own wants

thinks that

supplying the State Posts as well.

man

after the cruelty of the Arabs, the rule of the white

appears as heaven to the native.

and happy, and as there

tented

Sickness, the

population

boys are taught

makers,

need
Mr.

for

food

carpenters,
so

Stapleton

that

is,

very

Sleeping

The Mission

The

that

there

brick
is

chief grievance of

Government

the

little

masons and

plentiful

to settle

not grant them land.

complained of

increasing.

establish plantations.

mit the missionaries

.also

All are therefore con-

will

not

where they wish and

perwill

Several other missionaries have

this,

but some districts are certainly

not civilised at present, and it would be dangerous for
any white man to live in them without a military guard.
thus happens that while there are a great number of
Mission Stations along the Congo in the part where the
population has diminished greatly, there is not a single
It

Mission on the State side of the Ubangi river where the
people are very numerous.
We arrived at Stanleyville in the afternoon.
is situated

the north

streets of large well

between which

built

village.

of the river

houses with

laid out in gardens.

bank are the works of

number

bank

the

The town

and consists of

much space in
On the opposite

railway to Ponthierville, a
and a large native

of corrugated iron buildings

In front,

hundred yards up the

river,

the

lowest of the Stanley Falls can be seen, the white foam

glistening

rocks.

the sunlight as the water rushes over the

The Commissaire of

a house and acts as

the District

the

Province

De Neullemeister, kindly lends me

Lieutenant

Orientale

171

REN BO TO STANLEY FALLS

Fish

host.

very plentiful here,

but a sudden and terrible disease has suddenly carried off

most of the goats and chickens and we are therefore, rather
short of fresh mpat for a few days.

Many

of the natives have the

their village is quite
all

Arabian

Arab type of

features

in appearance.

very civilised and work well, so that

and

They are

much rubber

Lake Tanganika
The women here are clothed and do

collected, although the population about
is

not very dense.

not work in the plantations at

all.

Next day Lieutenant De Neullemeister and I, cross the
river and are met by Mr. Adams, the Director of the Rail-

way Company. We enter a truck and proceed along the
new line which plunges into dense forest immediately,
turning and twisting in many directions in order to avoid
the

numerous

places and ravines and although there

soft

are a few steep gradients, most of the
fairly level

ground.

The

soil

way

the line runs

kind of ferruginous

some places and sandy in others and all the
Mr. Adams says the
bridges are constructed of wood.
natives are good workers and that they have had no trouThe guage of the
ble with them and very little sickness.

clay

line is considerably
ville

railway and

wider than that of the Matadi-Leopoldpresent about thirty kilometres have

been finished the whole passing through thick forest with
clearings here and there for the huts of the workmen.

The

difficulties of

construction are very great, but these

are being surmounted and the cost of transport of material

172
is

IBEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

enormous,

for even.' steel rail six of

has to be carried from Europe

which weigh a

toil

Matadi by ship, then by

railway to Leopoldville, and then up the river for
The Company has its own prinearly a thousand miles.

the

vate steamer, the

which

was
at

Kintamo,

stern wheeler of

500 tons

the largest vessel on the Congo, but like the rest

carried out in sections and put together and launched

The construction of

Leopoldville.

and

railway will

this

amount

of produce
thus be costly,
carried will be sufficient for some years to pay a dividend.
The advantages of it will however, be very great, for at
present the falls render the river useless for navigation,
is

doubtful

the

and everything has to be carried round by hand. Everywhere indeed, there is evidence that the State not only
spends enormous sums in opening up the country, but
welcomes the formation of private companies who

them

their

gigantic

realise that probably
set foot in the forest

undertaking.

will help

difficult

no man, white or black, has ever
a few hundred yards away, and yet

are travelling smoothly along a steel railroad through
a tractless desert of trees propelled by a modern steam
locomotive.
The line does not pass near a single native
village, for this part is not thickly populated

and the

only-

creatures whose paths are interrupted, are the elephants,
buffaloes

and wild pigs.

On our

return

visit the

house

Adams, a solid structure of brick and European
cement, and the Mess of the thirty or forty whites
of Mr.

employed on the

line

who

live

here very well for mut'on as

well as goat can be purchased from

the natives.

The

price of everything which has to be carried from Europe is

very high at Stanleyville for the cost of transport

very

173

1BEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS

we make

In the afternoon,

great.

impossible
bathchair resting on one wheel.

met, they

bumpy

lift

the

sixty

machine bodily over

ride, for the roads are very

has no springs.

men and

and

conveyed in a kind of

One boy goes in front and
very bad or an obstacle

one behind and when the road
is

a tour of the town,

walk,

visit the

it.
It is however,
rough and the chair

pass the Mess, capable of dining
This is a brick building
prison.

arranged as a quadrangle with an exercising yard in the
centre.
The cells are lofty and airy and only one prisoner occupies each, but

sleep in one dormitory.

many

Everywhere great cleanliness

observed, so that one

not altogether surprised to learn that the mortality due to
Sleeping Sickness is very small among the prisoners.

Some

them are making mats and baskets

but most are working on the chain outside.
building,

the

women, who

also

of a prisoner in the

likely to

Congo

work.

Most of the people are sen-

woman was

throwing a solution of pepper into the

husband and nearly blinding him.

room

There

set apart for white prisoners, but

used and

would be

better than he

tenced for theft or violence, but one
for

are

experience in a native village, with the exception

that he is compelled to

light chains,

Indeed, on the whole the

cooking dinner for the prison.
lot

wear

in the yard,

In a separate

is at

present

the instruments of the

much more

imprison-

Lee of her
a separate

has not yet been

satisfactorily

occupied by

band of the Force Publique.

Near the Mess we pass the house of Tippo-Tip, a small
structure with a verandah and a roof of grass.
It is

mud

not used at
rical

now, but is allowed to remain as an histomonument. Stanley was compelled to negotiate
all

174

1BEMBO TO STANLEY FALLS
in order to avoid a conflict at the time

Tippo
State

was not

sufficiently

armed

when

tho

undertake such a task

but since then, Arab rule has been entirely driven from
Central Afrca.
Almost opposite the Falls, a fort is being
constructed with a ditch all round.
When finished, it
will

be capable of holding the whole garrison and supplies

for eighteen months.

It is

of course, only constructed as

a defence against native attacks and
to resist big

enough
The quarters
fortable.

not built strong

gun

fire.

of the Force Pnblique here

Each man has

room

.ire

to himself

very com-

about seven

square constructed of brick and the sergeants have a
small house, each containing two rooms and a verandah.
feet

looked into one or two and they were well arranged.
curtain, table and chair with a few pic-

Bed and mosquito
tures

and ornaments, showed what an advance the native
in civilisation since he slept in a hut on the mud

had made
floor.

Finally
this to

visited the motive

power which enables all
Here people were

be done, the rubber stores

busy sorting and packing the precious material into baskets ready to be carried to the Barge which was waiting to
sail.

CHAPTER
Stanley Falls

London.

The prison gang arrives at 8 a. m. on the morning of
December 18th and at once my baggage is carried down
to the river and placed on board the Barge.
It is a novel
sight,

long line of prisoners chained together, slowly
the road with bales, boxes, chairs, tables

marching down

and portmanteaus on their heads.
No method could be
The
simpler or more secure for transporting baggage.
Barge as the name implies has no means of propulsion
and depends for her locomotive power upon a powerful
steam tug which

attached alongside.

The whole space

and only passengers
the accommodation being limited,

in the ship is thus devoted to cargo

who

are sick are carried,

but there

The Barge

a fine deck
of about

on which

sit

or walk about.

400 tons burden and

therefore as-

large as the mail passenger boats, and the great advan-

tage of travelling in

it is,

vibration or motion to be
writing.

that since there is absolutely
felt,

it is

very comfortable for

176

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

the navigation of the river is difficult near Stanley-

ville,

pilot

takes

journey and returns

the boats

all

down

the

first

in the next vessel ascending.

day's

the

way we called at the Catholic Mission for one of the
priests who wished to travel to La Romee and I was
astonished to find he was quite ignorant of the agitation
against the Congo, which
as

wondered,
of

it,

was taking place
us

many

do,

he knew nothing of

for

Europe, and
the cause

was

what

atrocities or

cruelties

natives.

Afterwards w e stopped
r

La Romee where

there

Yakussu

for

wood and then
Here we

an extensive farm.

take on board some fresh vegetables and cow's milk which
not

however,

climate in the

fit

Congo

The

drink an hour afterwards.
very bad for

all

kinds of food.

Antelope, killed in the early morning, is often rotten by
and thus the difficulty of obtaining fresh food

the evening,
is

greatly

increased.

decomposes
it

some

rapidity

perhaps, the reason

in that condition, for as

fresh, they

is,

The

it is

with

why

which

flesh

the natives prefer

so difficult to obtain

may have acquired the taste for

meat

rotten, just

civilised people train their palates to prefer

game

however, very disgusting to see them eating.
One day a carcase of a wild pig in a highly decomposed
condition was picked up by one of the paddlers on the
It is

high.

This was cut up and shared among the canoes
it fell to
Next day a most unpleamy crew
sant smell accompanied us all the forenoon and no one

Ubangi.

and

part of

could detect the cause, in fact, none of the natives noticed
At lunch time however, the polemen produced a
it.
basket

full

of rotten flesh

which thev had stored

in the

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON
front part of the canoe

177

and thus given me

the full benefit

As they commenced eating it raw, it was rather
it.
too much and I promptly ordered them to the oilier end of
of

the hoat

wheie

could neither see nor smell them.

After travelling rapidly
at sunset at

day down stream, we

wood

daybreak, but as the

again

all

Yonanghe and ship some rubber.

plentiful

tie

start

in this part is both

and good, the captain stops frequently at the
amount on board. This is a wise

posts and takes a large

precaution, for lower
there is less of

it,

down

wood

the

not so good and

while there are more steamers to be

At most of the villages the natives come

supplied.

beach with goods

to the

for sale, but the price of curios is too

great here to tempt me.

the 20th

terrific

we reach Basoko after running through a
much rain that for a time it was

tornado with so

impossible to see the banks.
season here, so this storm

supposed to be the dry
presumably an exception.

It is

Every morning there is a fog on the river more or less
dense, which lasts for an hour or two after sunrise.

During

this

slow, for

period,
is

impossible

pathetic

incident

often necessary to steam dead
to see a boat's

length ahead.

happened one day.

were

transporting eight prisoners to Boma and
these carried wood on to the steamer.
the son of the Chief of a large village at

who

when we stopped
One of them was
which we stopped,

thus had the mortification of seeing his heir working

He begged the captain to liberate him,
had not the power to do so even if he had
the man had been sentenced for a serious

on the chain.

who

of course

wished, for
theft

and was now on his way

a convict settlement.
12

178

STANLKY FAI.LS TO LONDON

The Chief

therefore, told his son

to the authorities

would see

the

which went

at all.

did a

and

he was

Europe.

no trouble

him by saying he

tried to comfort

railway

to give

and Boma and the great ships
These prisoners gave no trouble

They were fed on the same food as the crew and
certain amount of work, the only sign that they were

criminals, being the chain which

Here

deal of coffee.

He was

was necessary

give

a good
chi-

the

one of the crew for continually shirking work.
given twenty

him

affect

together.

we reached Bumba and shipped

the 21st

cotte to

bound them

five lashes,

but

physically or morally,

for

did not seem to

immediately

after-

wards he smiled, rubbed himself and then slowly walked
ashore to carry bags of coffee and while his fellows were
hastening to finish their task, he was deliberately loitering
Next time he will be dismissed and then he will
about.
find

difficult to find

employment.

we stopped at Dobo, one of the
Posts of the Mongala Company, which has been taken over
the following day

by the

make

State.

The Company found it was very difficult to
work and some serious charges of cruelty

the people

The Bangala tribe are
were proved against the officials.
however, very savage and only a short time ago a trader
was killed and his body cut up ready for eating when
some troops arrived and rescued

it.

The Government

therefore, sent a punitive expedition into the country.

There are very few villages on the river, and no signs
that there have ever been any, for the forest grows to the
water's edge in an uninterrupted line.
At sunset we
arrived at Lisala, which

a large military training camp,
In it about a thousand

well constructed and managed.

179

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

savages are being converted into

clean,

smart-looking

soldiers.

its

Kintamo , which was forcing
Next day we passed the
the
stream
with a cargo of rails directed
way up against

to Stanleyville.
is situated

the

the 24th

at the point

we stopped

Mobeka, which

where the Mongala

river runs into

chief post of the Mongala Comsurrounded by a brick wall, except towards
and access to the Post from the native village is

Congo and was the
It is

pany.

the river,

At one place is a kind of
through stout wooden gates.
watch tower built on the wall and the whole gives the
appearance that the occupants knew they were living in
the midst of cannibals, who would not hesitate to attack

them

hoped

they were not well prepared to resist.

It is

that the present expedition will be successful in con-

verting a few from their barbarous condition, but great

be overcome, for the fighting must be
in the forest, as the natives never meet troops in the open
difficulties

have

In the evening we reached Nouvelle
they can help it.
The houses are
Anvers, a large and populous town.
the
river
surrounded
bank,
arranged along
by gardens,
if

and the quarters
it.

of the troops leave nothing to be desired.
Christmas Day has nothing resembling Christmas about
A tropical sun burns overhead, warm sandy water

glares below.

In the morning

we pass Moseiube,

a Mis-

sion Station, and in the afternoon, Lulongo.
There used
to be a large village and coffee plantation here, but it was

not a success and

however,

still

for the night

has

been abandoned.

remains as also a

and

mutton, roastbeef.

Wood

try to believe

that

The Mission

Post where

duck

stop

turkey ami

have now traversed the whole of

180

STANLKY FALLS TO LONDON

the river which runs past the

It is
Bangala District.
but
on
the
other
undoubtedly very sparsely populated,
hand, there are no remains of villages or clearings in ihe
forest which would indicate it has ever been otheiwise.

Next day we reach Coquilhatville early and

some rubber and gum copal on board

From

noon.

place are

this point ihe river

old friends.

Irebti,

some thousands

Since

taking

familiar

and

each

Commandant Jeniaux

comes on board and we have a chat about
the agitation in Europe.

after

leave in the after-

last

tho condition of

met

have

tra-

and have formed an opinion both of the system of Government and of those who
administer it.
There is no doubt whatever in my mind,
velled

of miles

that the native is not habitually ill-treated

and

that

impossible lo do more
than guess at the object of the outcry, but it is certain
that no agitation based on such a little foundation has ever
very well paid for his work.

It is

been attended by such a near approach to success.
Next day we stop at Lukolela and take on board logs
of wood and timber already worked into beams and posts
for building.

little

lower down

the old coffee plan-

The river
it,
being grown.
these we
wide
and
full
of
To
one
of
islands.
very
tie up and are at once attacked by millions of mosquitoes,
who will not allow us to eat our dinner in peace. Fortutation

here

and close

tobacco

I find an old
pair of kid gloves and with my head
covered with a silk handkerchief and my legs in high huntThe mosquito here
ing boots, prepare for the onslaught.

nately

through duck trousers and socks witli great ease, but
his trunk cannot reach through the thickness of a sleeve of
bites

co*vt

and

a flannel shirt, so with suitable clothes, one can

gain a

little

oiid's ears.

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

181

peace, except for the constant

humming round

no protection at
not face the smoke of a wood fire.
cigar or pipe

the insects will

all,

but

Since

As
people cannot either, however, that is not much use.
it was, the few bites swelled up badly and completely upset
the theory held by many, that after a few months in the

Congo, the mosquito
but not

fication

extract of goal

bite

has no

much

effect.

think

It is

some

grati-

they only gained

and chicken, instead of a solution of good

juicy fresh meat.

the 29th

latter place grpat

trade with

we passed Yumbi and Bolobo.
numbers

of natives

came

our crew and black passengers

dried fish and kwanga.

In the evening

who bought

reach Sandy
Island so called

Beach, opposite which, is
Lonely
because it is the last island on the river before

through what

to pass

banks are flanked with
after the

dead

known

At the
beach to

to the

as the canal.

narrows

Here the

which are a welcome sight

hills

level of the forest higher up.

Next day we arrive at Rwamouth and after taking some
cargo from the Kasai on board move on to a large Wood Post.
It is

not a very interesting or lively occupation

people cut

wood

in the forest

and stack

w alching
r

on the beach,

and these Posts are sometimes used as places of punishment for refractory Europeans, whom it is thought desirable to isolate for a time.

The

strict

paternal system

carried out throughout the State and methods of punish-

ment are adopted which are rarely if ever found elsewhere.
For minor offences the Europeans are fined by stopping
their pay for a certain number of days and sometimes
a man

revocated, which

means he

sent

home without

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

In this
being paid for the six months or year previously.
the
hard
when
men
who
drink
have
they
opportunity,
way

who
are

are habitually insubordinate, or

weeded out

It is
punished with imprisonment.
in
our
America
and
colonies,
travelling

indeed curious after
to find,

with

sturdy,

are undesirable,

Penal offences are of course tried

rapidly.

in the Courts and

who

rough, independent characters behaving

and

meekness

extraordinary

Drunken

docility.

brawls and promiscuous revolver shooting are unknown in
the Congo, for the simple reason, that

country

or gambling dens

impossible up

There are no drink shanties

procure drink.

and indeed no amusements of any
(> a.
m. to 6 p. m., have their

Men work from

kind.

dinner and go to bed.

news penetrates from

little

Very

the outside world and conversation is therefore, limited to
the immediate affairs of the individuals concerned.

Small

matters thus appear to be far more important than they
really are and the story of any little adventure soon

becomes magnified out of all recognition. This, perhaps,
accounts also for some of the absurd stories of atrocities.

the last day of the year

reach Leopoldville and

are comfortably installed in the Inspector's house.
of f&e

lanterns on poles, but there

very

of any kind and the whole affair

On Januaiy 2nd we
remembering the
can

ful to

reduce

th^ food cases

paid

kind

held in the evening and a procession passes with

away

were

all

rather ghostly.

of the fare

baggage

natives

singing or noise

leave Leopoldville

amount

little

to the

train

and

was

coming up,
Of course

minimum.

empty, the wine drunk, the

and the petroleum burnt;

myS&lf, three boys and excess baggage,

still

salt

for

the fare for the

183

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

two hundred miles was over
Leopoldville,

who should

the

news from

23.

to-day

their

side of

the

They were

question.

meeting of missionaries,

proceeded as
me he had sent

only

Mr. Clarke told

left

was very pleased

travelling to Maladi to attend a

but

Just before \ve

enter the carriage but Mr. Joseph

and another Mr. Clark, who is also
to see them and hear

of Ikoko,

Clarke,

a Missionary.

Kinshassa.

far

to ihe

Commission of

Enquiry some new pholographs of the boy without a hand
he had shown to me at Ikoko and was convinced

whom

that the

world would be

All the meetings of the

startled

when

therefore the evidence submitted at

The

the report appeared.

Commission are held
them

in public

and

already known.

depends upon the
formed
of
the
individual, for while the
already
opinion
State officials say that very little, if anything, has been
interpretation of this apparently

proved against the Government, the Missionaries are quite
satisfied that the A.B. I. R. Company will be severely con-

Of course no report can possibly

demned.

satisfy

any

of the controversialists for their feelings are too strong to

permit them to be content with cold facts judicially stated.
After an uneventful and uncomfortable journey through
the beautiful part described before, we arrive at Sono

Congo about 5 p. m. and take a room in the MagazinsGeneraux, a wooden building raised above the level of the
It is
ground and fairly clean.
beautifully fresh and cool
up here, and for the first time for half a year, it is possible

to take a

bath in clear white water.

again at 6.30 a. m. at which hour

but as the sun rose and
indeed, for

we were

we descended,

tlwn well south of

was quite

cold,

became very hot
the Equator and it

184

STANLEY FALLS TO LO.NDON

was summer

in the

ney,

possible,

on a second

and the railway as a feat of engineering,
more marvellous. Afier a dusty, hot jour-

acquaintance

appeared

The scenery through

Lower Congo.

the Palabala mountains improved,

still

arrived at Matadi at

m. and found Mr. de

Rache, the Commissaire of the District, on the platform.

He had kindly taken

room

one of the hotels, but as it
necessitated climbing up the hill and I could only walk
with difficulty, I decided to sleep on board the Anversville
a

which was discharging cargo
indeed were

all

Here

the pier head.

the luxuries of Europe.

barber, a big

bath, white spotless table-clolhs, clean shining pla!e, red

juicy beef
It

and

last,

but by no means least, cold drinks.

worth roughing

returning to comforts

experience the keen delight at

which are never appreciated

worth when enjoyed every day.
Next morning we leave Maladi for

at their

full

Boma

in the

Heron.

is running down through the narrow channel
about ten knots an hour and the water roars and bub-

The current
at

bles as though passing over rocks in a rapid.
fore roll a

reach

Boma

good

and

travel very fast

there-

indeed until

just before midday.

Stories in the

and

deal

attack

Congo grow with extraordinary
of synovitis had been converted

rapidity
into

A room had
reached the capital.
at
been
the
Croix
therefore,
Rouge in which I
prepared
serious illness before

was soon comfortably installed. The hospital consists of
eight sets of rooms arranged in four buildings, separated
from each other, but with the verandahs connected by balconies.

In the centre

sisters live the

a building in which the eight

whole thus forming a t with a building

185

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

each end of the lines and one where they intersect.
The
whole is situated on a hill from which a magnificent view

can be obtained of the river and country around.
Here I
remained for nearly a week and was attended with much

and care by the medical men and sisters.
It was
necessary to make some calls in the town and a carriage at
skill

Boma was

placed at

disposal similar to the one at

w as more comfortable for
It was very hot and
capital.

Stanleyville, but travelling in
tli3

roads are better in the

the mosquitoes were terribly hostile, but otherwise

was very pleasant and agreeable.
On January 6th the German cruiser

and the

the Vineta

Congo and
officers to which

gunboat the Habicht entered the
General gave a dinner to the
I
honour of an invitation.
to

show

tempted

that although living in the

good, as a rule, in

Boma

Upper Congo

Potage aux tomates
Coquillex de crevettes

Sauce

capres
nature

Filet de bauf
Flageolets.

received the

menu
is

not

possible to give a banquet

Pommes

Governor

to give the

worthy of anyone.

Barbue.

the

visit

Pommes

rissolees

18G

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

Aspergcs de Malincs
Sauce au bear re

Pigeonneaux

rdtis. Pctits pois

Poulcts farcis. Compote de mangues

Canetons

Salade russe

roti.s

Gate nix
<

Ananas au

kirsch

Desserts

Fruits.

The wines were Oporto, Hoehheimer,

Niersteiner, Pichon

Longueville 1893, Chateau Grand La rose 1893, Gorton
and Louis Roederer Champagne. The dinner was served

admirably by native boys while the band of the Force

Publique performed in the garden.

The

shown

strong, grasping instinct of the

native

was well

had paid off the boy*,
written them good
At the last
characters and made them handsome presents.
after

moment

thpy

all

came and demanded

a further tip

which

However, they showed
by their manner then that they were well satisfied and
knew very well that it would be very difficult to obtain

rather indignantly refused to give.

I
had many long talks with
such high wages again.
Mr. Vandamme, who was as usual, very hard at work, and
Mr. Underwood who kindly helped me to settle many

matters.

Indeed, everyone with

whether State

Officials,

whom I came

Missionaries

into contact,

Traders,

were

always extremely kind and courteous and converted what
might have been a very unpleasant and dangerous journey

1ST

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON
into a
will,

most interesting tour and

remain, as

they agree with

sincerely hope ihat all

hope they are now, good friends, whether

or not about the merits of Ihe system
of Government in the Congo.
After bidding farewell to the residents at

Wall on January lOih and

the
to
to

after

Boma,

left

rapid journey
Banana, joir.ed the Anversville which immediately put
sea and by sunset the mouth of the Congo was out of

sight.

The voyage home was uneventful, except
strong head winds.

Among

the Director of Justice,

who

a few days of
were Mr. Gohr,

for

the passengers

well deserved a holiday after

extremely responsible and arduous duties, Captain
Stevens, the Commissaire of the Equator District, as cheer-

his

ful

and

A. B

as ever, Mr. Longtain, the Director of the

jolly

R. Company who has come

rited share of abuse,

whom

were

travelling

home and

find that everyone,

in for a quite

unme-

oilier Slate Officials,

an indifferent

Catholic and

three

and many

slate of health.

many

Two

some Baptist 3Iissionaries were alsoit was
interesting and satisfactory to
whether Stale

Official,

Missionary or

Trader, was convinced that the Commission of Enquiry
would issue a report which would correspond with his

own

opinion.

There was plenty of time to arrange ihe impressions of
the tour in order and to formulate some general ideas on
the system of

which

created and

Government

administered.
is

Congo and the manner in
The whole system has been

in the

controlled absolutely by one mind.

It is

very simple and extremely practical machine, but it is very
The officials who work it therefore, have each their
vast.

188

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

own

special task allotted to them and very few appear to
understand the principles on which the whole moves.
The problem which has been faced and successfully over-

come,

how an unknown

land populated by savages can
its own resources without

be developed and civilised by

and without poisoning him with

heavily taxing the native
alcohol.

done

It is

Each native

manner.

in this

do a certain amount of work

for the

compelled to
This results

State.

and ivory

in the collection of great quantities of rubber

which

The rubber and

the native is paid.

and the sum so

sold at a profit in Europe
to

open out

The

throughout the country.
instead of paying a tax in

enough revenue without
As has been shown
grasping and very

idle

new

amount

demands heavy
however,

made

to raise

these pages, the native
little

and

his

services rendered.

and

chickens,

labour and food at

amount of one or

This sometimes leads

very

He thus charges an

for

goats

idea at present of the

for

a certain

work

money and it is possible
him alcohol.

and has

fixes the price of

and demands
village.

fees

thus

selling

value either of produce or work.
extortionate

keep up the
communication

lines of

native

ivory are then

realised is used

pay the heavy expenses of transport,

Government and

The

State

its fair

value

oilier

to discontent

from each

and

rebellion

just as do the taxes levied by other Governments, and

necessary to occupy territory with troops.
however, is allowed to have in his possession a
he is,accompanied by a white officer, and if he
treat the natives, is severely

The

officials

for

No
rifle

soldier

unless

tries to ill-

punished.

themselves, are subjected to the most severe

189

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

discipline, and as they exist, so to speak, on the rungs of
a ladder, each one can be punished by the one next above

him,
mit

who

ciples

in turn, responsible, until at length Ihe

is,

Every Post

reached.

and the responsibility

worked on

sum-

identical prin-

for its success or failure, rests

official in charge.
He is not permitted to try
experiments or to alter the system in the least degree, and
can only use his moral power to influence the natives.

with the

The question has been asked whether
contrary

Clause V.

the

letter

of that

this

system

spirit of the Treaty

treaty

not

1885.

No Power

runs as follows.

which exercises or may exercise sovereign rights in the
above mentioned regions shall be allowed to grant therein
either

monopoly or

matters

privilege of

any kind

commercial

foreigners without distinction shall enjoy protection of their persons and goods as well as the right of
;

acquiring and transferring moveable and immoveable prosame treatment and rights as subjects of the

perty and the

nation in the exercise of their professions.
In the first place it must be remembered
Berlin Act applies to

all

the

Powers possessing

that

the

territory in

Congo basin and not to the Free State particularly,
and secondly, that it was agreed upon by the Powers to
prohibit monopolies and privileges in commercial matters
the

and

suppress slavery, but not to interfere with the
States or Colonies which were then or

Government of the

might be established and which might or might not sign
the treaty.
All the Powers indeed which signed the Act
of Berlin of

1885

did so voluntarily and

among them

the

Congo Free State which had already been recognised by
The signathe whole of Europe as an independent State.

190

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

tory Powers to that Act did not create, define the boundaries, or in

any way particularly specify the Congo Free

State which is

only as

bound by

it,

therefore, to ihe

same extent

England, France, Germany, or other signatory

Powers.

All these

that vacant land

Powers

Crown

various times have declared

A German

property.

Order of November 26th 1895 says

Imperial

that the proprietorship

German East Africa belongs to the
Order
issued
by the Commissioner of the
Empire.
French Congo of September 26th 1891 runs
Uncultivated soil and vacant land which nobody legally claims

all

vacant land in

and

shall be considered as belonging to the Slate

form part of the colonial domain (1).
Empire, the right of the Government
lands in the colonies
exercised

(2).

declare vacant

Crown property has been

In annexing

all

shall

In the British

frequently

the vacant lands, the

Congo

Free State therefore, has only followed the usual custom
practised by all countries, so that it is obvious these lands
are absolutely the property of the State, which, therefore,

has a perfect right either

to sell or lease

nies, Missionaries or Traders,

from them
Indeed

them

Compa-

or to collect the produce

itself.

was never intended

that the

whole Congo Basin

should be pegged out into claims by a host of adventurers
without any system, law or order, for such a proceeding
would have speedily led to complete anarchy. Since then
the vacant lands belong to the State,

can only acquire landed property
p
(1) See
(2) In

it is

obvious that traders

either

New Africa by Senator E. Descaraps,
Canada, Australia and the North West.

from the State,

et teq.

191

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON

from other traders or persons possessing land. Again it is
obvious that a trader only has the right of purchasing the
produce of the land from the owner and although he may
buy for example, rubber, which a native Chief has grown

it,

own

his

which

plantation,

no Chief may go

into the forest

from

State territory, collect the rubber

and

sell

such would be simple robbery.

for

Now

the State imposes regulations

Companies and
on

traders,

which

upon the concessionary

also observes carefully

own

land in order that the rubber plants shall
not be killed and furthermore it stipulates that all who take
itself

its

rubber juice, shall plant young rubber trees and vines to
replace those which die in process of time. The supply of
In spite however of
rubber is thus assured in the future.
the most stringent rules the officials of the private

compa-

nies undoubtedly ill-treat the natives sometimes.

What

then would have been the result

the country

had

been parcelled out among a number of private traders, who
had simply pegged out claims ? Their object would have
been

make

possible.

a large fortune and return

After a few

years, therefore,

home
all

rubber trees and vines would have been bind

as soon as

the existing
to death,

new onos would have been
certainly

planted, and the native would
The
have been over- worked and ill-treated.

country would then have been deserted and

The

to savagery.
for the future.

State itself

left

on the other hand

Everything which can grow

return

.working
planted,

becoming more civilised, Posts are
roads and wateiwuys opened up and the whole

the natives are daily

being

built,

place rendered beautiful

and

attractive.

In the meantime, property in the country

guarded,

192
trade

STANLEY FALLS TO LONDON
is perfectly free,

is free to

and everyone, native and foreigner,
own manner, subject

pursue his business in his

only to such laws as are imposed in
for the

good of the community

The Congo Free

all civilised

countries

at large.

State has indeed, without breaking any

Treaty, solved the problem which has baffled the combined
wisdom of .ill the ancient great colonial Powers. It exists

its

alcohol

own
;

resources without poisoning the natives with
much wealth from the soil without fear

extracts

of ever exhausting it ; it opens up great tracts of land withit
out running heavily into debt, and -noblest of all
daily converts

naked cannibal savages

responsible people.

into self-respecting

ITINERARY
of

MARCUS

RP.

DORMAN

in the

CONGO FREE STATE

f.C.Sfrnhard, fii

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
Los Angeles
This book

DUE on the last date stamped below.

REC'O LD-URL

**VS

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