THE DISTRICT OF THE FALLS.
The Congo in the district of the Falls--Progress of
European occupation--Proposed line of railway--The rock of
Palaballa--Caravan route--Passage of the Luvu--A native
market--Passage of the Kuilu--Mount Bidi--Station of Lukungu
and adjacent settlements--The Bakongo--Service of porters--Mr.
Ingham and Mr. Rose Troup--The River Inkissi--Arrival at Stanley
Pool.
Parallel to the coast of Africa, and at no great distance from it,
there lies a range of low mountains, formed on the edge of the
plateaus, the uniformity of which is broken at intervals by some
isolated peaks. Across this coast-chain the waters collected in the
central plains have hollowed out for themselves channels along which
they escape towards the sea, and these channels are shut in by rocky
cliffs between which the streams roll on with an impetuous rush.
Of these watercourses none is so noted, nor at the same time so wild
and romantic, as that along which pours the enormous volume of the
waters of the Congo. Between Matadi and Leopoldville the stream is
interrupted by no less than thirty-two falls or rapids, every one of
which presents a spectacle of real magnificence.
[Illustration: THE CONGO AT THE STATION OF ISANGHILA.
(_From a Sketch by M. Manduan._)]
Imagination may well conceive of the river-bed as a gigantic staircase,
some 200 miles in length, descending from an altitude of 800 feet, and
divided by thirty-two steps all differing in width and height; it is
enclosed on either hand by rocky banks, and ever and again obstructed
by dark projecting reefs and blocks of stone of every size and shape.
Such is the Cyclopean channel along which rushes the Congo. It is the
monarch of the Old-World rivers, here in its infant course spreading
out into an expanse of water some 2000 or 3000 yards wide, and here
again contracting itself to a breadth of 300 yards, but continuously
gaining in its depth and velocity what it loses in its superficial
extent. At every angle of the channel through which it rolls it
seems to assume a different character; in one place it appears to be
possessed with a furious rage that is indomitable, as it precipitates
itself into an amphitheatre of rocks where the waters whirl in
tumultuous eddies and dashing themselves against the granite crags are
mingled in terrific chaos; at another place, after having continued
its wild career for some miles (as at the rapids of Nsongo and Lumba),
the foaming billows of the river gradually subside and are lulled to
rest, till they spread themselves out in the tranquillity of a placid
lake.
The calm, however, is all a delusion; soon again the still waters
are animated with redoubled fury; once more they dash forward with
increased velocity, and finding a yet steeper slope, they hurl
themselves into another of the romantic gorges, where they renew their
ebullitions with an awful roar.
On either side of the river, as thus it tears along its impetuous
course, are lines of hills, often rising into peaks with bare summits,
broken either by sloping valleys or by deep ravines, the sides of
which are clothed with tall rank grass, except in parts where they are
marshy, or covered with dense forests.
Such is the region of the Falls; such is the giant barrier which Nature
has erected almost adjacent to the mouth of the Congo, as though she
desired to throw every impediment she could in the way of access to
these regions of Africa, and to do her utmost to provide a bulwark to
defend the wealth of the interior. For three centuries every effort of
the intruder has been baffled; the barrier has been effectual to rebuff
every expedition that has been taken in hand, and has defied each
successive attempt to penetrate the secrets of the mysterious land.
It was reserved for Stanley to overcome the obstacle, but the
achievement was accomplished at the cost of enormous labour and large
sacrifice of life.
In 1877, when he was in command of the expedition that had been started
under the joint auspices of the _New York Herald_ and the _Daily
Telegraph_, he took no less than five months in descending the river
from Stanley Pool to Boma, his progress being perpetually impeded both
by the practical difficulties of the road and by the hostility of the
natives. On the way he lost fifteen of his men, including Frank Pocock,
the last of his European associates.
Two years later he again appeared upon the scene, this time under
commission from the King of the Belgians, and at the head of an
expedition for “the survey of the Upper Congo.” Carrying sections of
steamers and buildings, as well as a variety of materials in his
train, he spent a further two years in making his way up from Vivi to
Stanley Pool. During this time six Europeans and fifty natives died,
whilst fifteen other white men became so unwell that they were obliged
to return. Such was the original balance-sheet of that memorable
enterprise that bears so striking a testimony to the unwavering
confidence, the rare courage, and the indomitable energy of its leader.
At present no less than twelve European settlements mark out the
new route, and more than 5000 native porters are at the service of
the white men, making a journey in perfect safety from Matadi to
Leopoldville in twenty days, conveying European merchandise to the
Pool, and bringing back large cargoes of ivory from the upper districts
to the steamers on the river below.
[Illustration: THE BELGIANS ON THE CONGO.--DEPARTURE OF A
CARAVAN.
(_From a Photograph by Dr. Allart._)]
Considerable, however, as is the progress made within the last six
years, it does not yet satisfy the requirements of the pioneers of
civilisation. Looking to the fertile lands of the interior, and
taking account of the vast regions, alike wealthy and populous,
that are drained by the immense navigable network of the Upper
Congo, they cannot fail to realise that so long as these districts
are unconnected with the sea by some quick and easy means of
communication, they must necessarily continue, in spite of their rich
promise, to be comparatively uncultivated and unproductive.
It was in view of this that Captain Van de Velde took upon himself to
say: “Even for the organisation of a transport service either of horses
and mules or of waggons drawn by oxen, it would be necessary to make
a wide and substantial roadway, as well as to throw permanent bridges
over the ravines and torrents, a system entailing large importations of
draught cattle, which would further involve the establishment of farms,
studs, and places of pasturage. But the time for all this is over! The
day of vans and waggons is gone; it is only steam that can be adopted
as an economical method of traction. Locomotives do not suffer from the
climate; they require no veterinary skill, a native smith can suffice;
meanwhile for fodder all they want is wood, of which the district of
the Congo supplies ample store; and even this may be dispensed with
when they are worked by electricity generated by the motive power of
the cataracts.”
It has been resolved accordingly that a railroad should be constructed.
Already a party of French and Belgian engineers, under the direction
of Messrs. Cambier and Charmanne, is engaged in the survey of the
land between Matadi and the Pool, with the design of ascertaining
the best route and of estimating the cost. If Stanley could have had
these locomotives of the future at his disposal a few days would have
sufficed for the transport of his 800 men with their 1500 packages to
Stanley Pool without fatigue, an undertaking which on foot, along the
rough tracks of the caravans, could only be accomplished by a month’s
hard marching.
Beyond Matadi, after the passage of the Mpozo, the first obstacle on
the way is the rock-wall of Palaballa. This is crossed by a steep path
bordered by blocks of white quartz. At its summit, which is about
2000 feet above sea-level, is a flourishing settlement founded by the
English Baptist Mission; and the vast mountain panorama viewed from
thence opens before the traveller some idea of the country he has to
cross, and indicates the difficulties he must have to encounter.
[Illustration: THE EXPEDITION ON ITS WAY PAST THE FALLS.]
The caravan road is a mere footpath, rarely more than thirty inches
wide, winding through a stifling labyrinth of grass several yards
high. Long and toilsome ascents under the glare of the African sun
are succeeded by descents equally wearisome leading to the marshes in
the hollow of the deep ravines. At intervals along the slopes there
are extensive groves of palm-trees or bananas, baobabs also being not
uncommon. On the lower ground the way proceeds through fine forests,
thick with trees of various species, connected one with another by
wreaths of creepers that form verdant arches overhead, and are the
resort of the widow-bird, with its black plumage and long tail, as well
as of countless smaller birds resembling bengalis, which rise in swarms
as their solitude is disturbed. Only in single file is it possible for
any caravan to make advance, so that the expedition with its 750 men
would be extended for a length little short of half a mile.
On the 29th of March Stanley reached the Luvu, one of the affluents of
the Congo on its southern bank. Across this river the agents of the
Free State have formed a suspension-bridge of iron rods attached to
baobabs on either bank, a structure of which white men and Zanzibaris
avail themselves, but so frail that the natives, as a rule, hesitate to
trust their feet upon it, as it oscillates so suspiciously under their
weight.
Beyond Palaballa the country is almost reduced to the condition of a
desert, mainly in consequence of the withdrawal of the natives from
the neighbourhood of the caravan routes. This they have done not from
any fear of the white man, whom they are disposed to trust entirely,
but through the depredations of the negro porters, who have no sense
of any rights of property save the rights of the strongest. With the
recent increase of the caravan traffic between Matadi and Leopoldville
the damage done to the plantations adjacent to the line of route
became more and more intolerable; while in addition to this, the
soldiers, Haoussa, Zanzibari, or Bangala, who were engaged for escort,
would perpetually commit outrages which the European was powerless
to repress. The natives, therefore, recognised the expediency of
retiring further off; they removed their huts, and re-erected them
at such a distance from the line of thoroughfare as they concluded
would render their homesteads safe from the attacks of such marauders.
It followed, as a consequence of this migration, that on entering
the district Stanley’s 750 men had nothing to depend on from the
products of the place. They found themselves without the opportunity
of providing their requisite supplies, because there were no longer
any of the accustomed markets to which the inhabitants of the villages
within reach of the route had hitherto been sending the produce of
their fields, their hunting-grounds, and their fisheries. Even in
the interior of the country when the report was circulated that the
notorious Boula Matari was advancing with 1000 men, all armed with
guns, the alarm was so great that for a week the ordinary market-places
were quite deserted.
[Illustration: YOUNG CHIAÏKA GIRL.
(_From a Photograph by Mr. Spencer Burns._)]
Very notable are these markets as demonstrating the commercial
capabilities of the natives, which are quite surprising. A visit to one
of them, that of Kuzo-Kienzi, is described by Captain Thys: “Here,” he
says, “is a gathering of between 200 and 300 salespeople of both sexes,
with their variety of goods displayed either in baskets or spread out
on banana leaves, a throng of purchasers meanwhile moving to and fro
and inspecting the commodities. The women, who are more numerous than
the men, squat down in front of their goods and exhibit a peculiar
aptitude for their occupation; they solicit the attention of the
passer-by, they eulogise the quality of what they offer to sell, they
exclaim indignantly when a price is tendered below the proper value,
and with insinuating smile beguile their customers to make a purchase.
The sale of vegetables is entirely committed to the women.
“The enumeration of the articles exhibited for sale comprises a long
list. At Kuzo-Kienzi I have myself seen goats, pigs, fowls, fish (both
fresh and smoke-dried), hippopotamus-meat and hides, rows of spitted
rats, locusts, shrimps, sweet potatoes, maize, haricot beans, green
peas, yams, bananas, earth-nuts, eggs, manioc (cooked as well as raw),
manioc-bread, made up both into rolls and long loaves, pine-apples,
sugar-cane, palm-nuts, tobacco-leaves in considerable quantity,
palm-wine supplied either in jars procured from the coast or in their
own native calebashes, cabbages, sorrel, spinach, pimento, and punnets
of mixed salad arranged very much as in our European market-gardens.
In addition to these I noticed a few small lots of ivory, strong ropes
of native manufacture, mats, European stuffs in considerable variety,
powder, glass, pottery, beads--in short, almost every conceivable kind
of ware.
[Illustration: NATIVES OF THE REGION OF THE FALLS.]
“Avenues run through the market-place, which is divided into sections
each appropriated to its own kind of merchandise; in one place
is the ivory-mart, in another the tobacco-mart, by far the greater
allotments being assigned to the vegetable department.
“There are three kinds of currency in use--the handkerchief, the
mitaku, which is brass-wire, and the blue bead known as ‘matare.’ A
class of men who may be described as a sort of money-changers have
their own proper quarters, effecting such exchanges as the business of
the market may require.
“As an ordinary rule traffic would commence about ten in the morning
and be continued till nearly four in the afternoon; and the close
of the market I must reluctantly report is characterised by those
scenes of disorder which not unfrequently are witnessed in the like
circumstances at home. Immoderate drinking as ever provokes angry
disputes, the intoxicating palm-wine being here the substitute for beer
and gin.”
To fall in with such a bustling market as this would have been an
inestimable boon to the caravan which, with the exception of a few
porters who had succumbed to illness or fatigue, safely reached the
Lukunga, in good order, on the 8th of April.
A pleasing exception is the Lukunga to the general aspect of the
Congo-banks in the region of the Falls. Its valley is fertile, and the
soil well adapted to the cultivation of any kind of tropical produce,
so that attempts have been already made to promote the growth of
mountain-rice, coffee, eucalyptus, and other crops.
Stretched across the landscape on the far side of the Lukunga lies the
Ndunga range, the loftiest in the entire district, from the middle of
which, rearing itself some 800 feet above the surrounding eminences,
is a quartzose projection, known as Mount Bidi. The summit of this
commands an extensive view. At the base of the mountain, between the
Congo on the north and the village of Lutete on the east, are valleys
rich in vegetation and abounding in plantations, from which the
requirements of many villages are supplied. Further off is a succession
of extensive plains, on which dark green tracts indicate the position
of other villages nestling in the shelter of their venerable “safos.”
It is here at the Lukunga that the second portion of the Falls district
is reached. Here, too, seems to be the boundary beyond which the
grasping, idle native, brutalised by alcohol, is no longer to be seen
as he is on the lower river; he is replaced by the negro, sturdy and
industrious, who for centuries has maintained business relations both
with the Pool and with the Portuguese colony of Angola.
There are six European settlements in the district. One station
belonging to the State is at Lukungu, and another at Manyanga-South; at
Lukungu, too, there is an American mission; an English Baptist mission
has been settled at Lutete; a Rotterdam firm has a store at Ndunga;
and the Belgian Society for trade with the Upper Congo, of which the
headquarters are at Brussels, maintains a station at Manyanga-South.
The country generally is well-populated. Neither caravans nor negro
porters are objects of terror to the natives, who, living as they do
in such near proximity to the white men, feel themselves assured of
adequate protection.
The indigenous population mainly belong to the Bakongo tribe. They
occupy the southern bank of the river from the Congo-Portuguese
frontier near Nokki as far as Stanley Pool. Chiefly agriculturists,
they, however, do a considerable trade in ivory, palm-oil, caoutchouc,
and earth-nuts. To procure their ivory they make long journeys
eastward, and thus become intermediate agents between the tribes of the
interior and the factories that have been planted on the lower river
and on the coast. Although their own country abounds in elephants, they
rarely hunt them, apparently not having weapons sufficiently strong to
attack such pachydermata.
Distinct communities are formed by the various agglomerations of huts.
In the districts near the river the hamlets are somewhat scattered and
small; but in the interior where the population is more dense, villages
of considerable magnitude exist; for instance, Mwala, in the Inkissi
basin, visited by Lieut. Hackinson of the Congo State in 1886, might
without impropriety be called a town, as it reckons 2000 inhabitants.
[Illustration: A NATIVE CHIEF OF THE LOWER CONGO, WITH HIS
MINISTERS AND BOYS.
(_From a Photograph by R. P. Kraft._)]
Throughout the region there are very few chiefs possessing anything
like absolute power or authority, either on account of their wealth
or of any terror they can inspire. Formerly there were some leaders
with pretensions to be potentates who succeeded more or less in
establishing a kind of sovereignty and in exacting tribute, but these
have now disappeared. As matter of fact the title of “prince” which
is now given to the ostensible village chief on the Lower Congo is
quite inaccurate. Sovereignty, as we in Europe understand it, does not
exist among the Bakongo. The recognised chief is generally the oldest
freeman; the others consult him, respect his opinion and yield him
homage, but they pay him no tribute and are under no obligation to
obey him. It might almost be said that with certain limitations every
Bakongo is his own chief.
This peculiar political organisation, and, combined with it, the
singular aptitude for trade exhibited by the natives, constitute
two highly important factors in the future of the new State; and
it was these considerations that led Colonel de Winton, the former
Administrator-General, to maintain that he did not believe that
throughout the uncivilised world there existed a territory which
for security to Europeans and for commercial prospects offered such
advantages as the basin of the Congo. It is noteworthy that during the
ten years or more in which Europeans have been exploring the country,
neither in French Congo nor in Free State Congo has _one single white
man_ lost his life by any assault on the part of the natives.
Agriculture amongst the Bakongo is on a somewhat advanced line; and
they have a large variety of crops, such as maize, manioc, yams, sweet
potatoes, earth-nuts, egg-plants, cabbages, and beans. They also grow
palms, sugar-canes, cotton, and tobacco, as well as many kinds of
fruit-trees, including bananas, guavas, and citrons. Each village is
surrounded by its own plantation, and the inhabitants never suffer from
deficiency of food.
Cotton is used for sewing purposes; and a kind of grass, as well as
the fibre of the pine-apple, which grows very abundantly, furnishes
material for the manufacture of some serviceable fabrics.
A strong, industrious race are the Bakongo, thoroughly alive to the
conviction that they must work if they would live. They are very keen
in their desire to obtain goods of European make; and it is for the
sake of procuring them that the young men are ready to be hired as
porters, an occupation in itself far more toilsome than field labour.
Already the people are beginning to develop a certain amount of taste
approaching to luxury in the construction and internal arrangements of
their dwellings, so that a chief will replace his hut by a house of
plaster or of wood. More than in other districts the women are in a
subordinate position, for as the men themselves do the field-work, they
are more exacting of their wives in other duties. All the valleys being
under cultivation, there are comparatively few of the wooded gorges
that are frequent in other parts of the country.
It is especially in the district between Manyanga, Lukungu, and Lutete
that the natives are recruited as porters for the transport service
which has now regularly established itself, and is in active operation
between the Lower and Upper Congo.
For the service between Matadi and Manyanga, Lukungu is the chief
hiring centre. The “Capitas,” or conductors of caravans, are engaged
there. These agents, having first received their “Mokande” by way of
license or permit, present themselves with their men to the Controller
at Matadi. Here the loads are given out, an average weight of seventy
pounds being assigned to each porter. The Capita takes charge of the
whole, superintends the transport all the way to Manyanga, where upon
due delivery of the goods he receives a form of acknowledgment, which
he carries back to Lukungu, where he obtains his payment for the
transaction.
Manyanga itself is the centre for engaging porters to proceed to
the Pool. They come chiefly from the environs of Lutete and the
neighbourhood of the river Inkissi, and do not fail in numbers.
At present there are several thousand young men from eighteen to
twenty-five years of age who are not unwilling to be hired by the
month, and this in a country where seven years ago the representatives
of the Congo Association were almost baffled in their efforts to get
any help whatever. The explanation of the altered condition of things
is found in the fact that during the interval children have not only
grown to be young men, but have had such peaceable associations with
Europeans, learning the value of their commodities, that in order to
procure them for themselves they are anxious to engage themselves in
their service. Thus it has been brought about that Lukungu, Lutete, and
Manyanga all contribute towards the supply of porters, so that for some
time to come there is no likelihood of any deficiency of labour of this
kind. Every day the “wants” of the native population are increasing;
clothing is becoming general, the use of sandals is getting more and
more common, and in this region, where the nights and early mornings
are chilly, there is nothing more prized than a rug or blanket of some
kind. To become the owner of such novelties the native is ready to
undertake almost any task upon which the white man may employ him: at
present he is only a porter; but there is nothing in the way of his
becoming a navvy or an artisan.
[Illustration: GROUP OF KROOBOY SERVANTS.
(_From a Photograph by Dr. Allart._)]
Lieutenant Franqui, who for two years had been in charge of the station
of Lukungu, has demonstrated the extraordinary impulse given to the
transport service between Matadi and Leopoldville in 1887, which was
just the date of the passage of the expedition. His figures speak for
themselves.
“Some internecine wars,” he says, “and more especially the discontent
of the natives, who had misgivings about the competition which
would arise from rival commercial establishments being settled at
Leopoldville, caused a temporary check in the supply of porters.
“At the beginning of 1887 loads were accumulating on the lower river,
and the condition of things was becoming more serious because further
large transports were known to be on the way. Already the storehouses
at Matadi contained upwards of 4000 packages, representing over 100
tons weight, whilst the arrival had been notified of the steamers
_Ville de Bruxelles_ and _Roi des Belges_ bringing 6000 loads
more; and besides this there were 1800 loads of supplies for the Congo
Company. Meanwhile there was a standing contract for the transport of
400 loads a month; and now, to crown it all, came the announcement of
the approach of Stanley’s Expedition for the relief of Emin Pasha,
which would necessitate the conveyance of 1200 loads more, and which
demanded the utmost despatch.
“At that time the entire direction of the transport service was in my
hands. First appealing to the zeal of my European staff, I endeavoured
to make the natives understand that it would be for their own interest
that they should work for the Government, and in a month the State
was informed that 7000 men had been engaged. During March I had the
satisfaction of despatching over 5000 porters with their loads.
“The business firms who managed transport on their own account suffered
considerably from the recruiting thus effected on behalf of the State,
as in addition to the 5000 porters there were at least 5000 natives
employed in the various stores. So that, during a single month, more
than 8000 men were engaged for carrying on the caravan traffic between
Matadi and Leopoldville.
“All through the ensuing months recruiting went on briskly, and porters
flocked in, with the result that by the end of October nearly every one
of the loads had been forwarded from Matadi. I am thus in the position
to testify that within an interval of eight months more than 30,000
loads were transported, and, reckoning the porters who undertook the
work as far as Lukungu, not less than 60,000 men were employed.”
Nor again could any one better attest the remarkable progress that
had been made in the facility of securing porters than Messrs. Ingham
and Rose Troup, who were sent direct from Liverpool to provide for
the transport of Stanley’s baggage. The state of things had become
altogether different since the time when they were first in the service
of the Congo Association. They had now no difficulty in finding
1500 men to carry out the required task. Mr. Ingham took charge of
the transport between Matadi and Manyanga, Mr. Troup undertaking
the arrangements between Manyanga and Leopoldville. Both of them
accomplished their mission with complete success. On the way to the
Pool one gang of porters met other gangs returning to Matadi to bring
up the baggage that had been left behind; but everything was well
ordered, and in a month all was safely deposited at Leopoldville.
On the 8th of April, at 11 A.M., the first to arrive at
Lukungu was Tippoo Tib, with his troop. He made himself known to
Lieutenant Franqui, who invited him to his verandah and offered him
coffee. Tippoo Tib mentioned Boma, saying that it had appeared to him
to be a place of some importance, and regretting that lack of time had
prevented him from landing to inspect it. He likewise spoke highly of
the caravan route beyond Banza-Manteka, and pronounced it well adapted
for the transport of ivory. He then exhibited the contract that had
been signed by himself and Stanley at Zanzibar, and had been deposited
in a box containing various documents and photographs of Van Gele,
Wissmann, Wester, Gleerup, and others.
[Illustration: THE CONGO IN THE DISTRICT OF THE FALLS.
(_From a Sketch by M. Manduan._)]
Stanley, with the main contingent of the party, arrived about two hours
later, and mounted on their fine white donkeys, all the Europeans made
their entry. Out of the flock of fifteen merino sheep which had been
brought from the Cape only one was missing, which had yielded to
fatigue on the previous day. As chief of the expedition, Stanley, for
himself and his staff, accepted an invitation to dine at the station,
where he spoke in high spirits, and declared that he was full of
confidence in the ultimate success of his enterprise.
Next morning the whole force mustered for an inspection of their arms
and equipment. There were four companies, each numbering about 200 men.
The Zanzibaris were under the charge of Messrs. Nelson, Stairs, and
Rose Troup, the Soudanese and Somalis being assigned to the control of
Major Barttelot. The companies were again subdivided into three groups,
each under the supervision of a nyampara, and provided with a red
banner.
On a square of about one hundred yards Stanley had the entire force
drawn out in double file, and proceeded with the utmost care to
investigate every detail, making the inspection with a calmness that
betokened the presence of a competent, conscientious, and far-seeing
leader.
In the evening the whole camp was _en fête_. All the Europeans,
those attached to the station as well as those belonging to the
expedition, joined in the merriment, Stanley himself at first leading
off one of the national dances of the Zanzibaris, and afterwards
beating time for their movements. The enthusiasm was great, and Stanley
was borne along in a frenzy of delight.
Trifling as it may seem, this is an instance of the adroitness with
which Stanley attracts to himself the devotion of his men. Those
who speak of him as unpopular with his followers must speak without
warrant: he is strict, but he is kind; and, what is more, while he
knows how to make the negroes submissive to his authority, he succeeds
in securing their attachment to himself.
When, at 10.30 A.M. on the following morning, the expedition,
in good order, made a start, it was only requisite to leave seven
men behind as invalids. Of these one died, two returned to Matadi,
the remaining four being able to rejoin the force before reaching
Leopoldville. Two months afterwards, several European newspapers,
professing to have trustworthy information, actually announced that the
expedition had been decimated by famine and that its line of march was
strewn with bodies of the dead!
[Illustration: A WATER-PASSAGE NEAR LOOTETE.
(_From a Sketch by M. Manduan._)]
Two whole days were occupied in the passage of the river Inkissi;
the whale-boat was launched, and had to go backward and forward, from
bank to bank, no less than eighty times. At the village of Nsello, near
the point of confluence, the river is 160 yards wide, and enclosed
by wooded cliffs varying from 50 to 100 yards in height. A few miles
higher up it is much broken by rapids, but further on, beyond the
village of Kilemfi, its course is perfectly free, and runs through
plains pleasing in aspect and populous with agricultural communities.
The country on the right bank is occupied by the Wambundu, a tribe
mainly engaged in the cultivation of the soil, and dependent on the
Matoko of Wazanzi, whose authority extends from the Inkissi to the
Pool. It is through this region that the projected railway would pass.
When, on the 27th of April, the expedition crossed the wooded rock of
Yombi, it was with no small feeling of relief that the announcement was
hailed that Stanley Pool could be distinguished in the distance, its
placid waters glistening between the trees.