THE WATERWAYS OF THE CONGO
[Sidenote: Discovery of the Congo.]
It was Diego Cam, an intrepid Portuguese navigator, who, in 1484,
voyaging towards the mythical East Indies, discovered the Congo.
In the name of his sovereign, King Juan II., he took possession
of the country, though it does not appear that he proceeded far
into the interior. From _n’zadi_, the native name for river, the
Portuguese formed the word Zaire, and it is by this name that the
river was long called. It so appears in the map of Martin of Bohemia,
who accompanied the expedition. The globe prepared by this German
cosmographer is still to be seen in the museum of Nuremberg. It was
not until two centuries later that the river was called Rio de Congo.
[Illustration: Ss. “Leopoldville” Bound for Boma.]
On the south promontory of the Delta the Portuguese erected a pillar
to commemorate their discovery. This promontory is still known as
the Padrão Foreland. It is certain that these Portuguese, who were
missionaries before they were explorers, remained a considerable
time in the Delta; for they converted the King of Ekongo, as the
country was then called, to Christianity. It was to this king that
the sovereigns of Angolo traced descent, and it is significant
that their blue banner with the golden star is to-day the flag of the
Congo Free State.
About seven years after the first expedition a second was sent out
from Portugal, and the ruins of the trading posts then established,
called San Antonio and Salvador, are still to be seen. The old
Kingdom of Ekongo continued a hundred miles into the interior. It was
bounded on the north by N’zadi, the modern Congo, and on the south by
the river Coanza. The accounts of the early traders, some of which
are still preserved in the State archives of Portugal, abound in
fanciful descriptions. To the mediæval mind the forest was peopled
with mythical monsters. It was probably for this reason that the
superstitious Portuguese kept so near the coast.
In 1534 San Salvador, which until the arrival of the Portuguese was
known as Ambassa, became the seat of a bishopric. Here a cathedral
was erected, but later the see was transferred to St. Paul de Loanda,
which thus became the capital of the Portuguese authority.
In 1784, to maintain their occupation of the Congo, the Portuguese
built a fort at Kabinda, about thirty miles north of the mouth of the
river. Several slave stations also were established in the interior.
From this position they were soon driven by the French, though the
latter made no attempt to found a colony.
In 1816 the British Government despatched an expedition to the Congo.
James Kingston Tuckey, the leader, explored the river from its mouth
to a distance of 170 miles into the interior. In his description of
the country Tuckey speaks of the numerous slave stations along the
banks. At this period two thousand slaves were exported annually.
Fifty years later this number had increased to over one hundred
thousand!
The Congo with its multitudinous branches forms a river-basin
unequalled even by that of the Mississippi. This great territory,
over fourteen hundred miles in breadth, covers an area of nearly a
million square miles. Though mere size is not always a measure of
importance, yet this region is unsurpassed, in respect to natural
resources, by any part of the world. Second only to the Amazon in
volume, the Congo precipitates about 2,000,000 cubic feet of water
each second into the Atlantic.
This immense basin has been divided by geographers into three gradual
terraces: the first and lowest is near the coast; the second, in the
region of the Upper Congo; and the highest in the vicinity of the
great lakes. According to the official Act the basin is bounded by
the watersheds of the neighbouring basins of the Niari, the Ogowe,
the Shari, and the Nile on the north; by the eastern watershed
line of the affluents of Lake Tanganyika on the east; and by the
watersheds of the basins of the Zambesi and the Loge on the south.
Congoland is about 1,500,000 square miles in extent. From its western
frontage of 400 miles it broadens eastward until at Lake Tanganyika
it has a frontier of about 1500 miles.
The numerous ramifications of the Congo open rapid and economic
channels of communication to the interior. To this magnificent
system of waters the country also owes its unequalled fertility.
Many of the rivers now practically useless can in time be rendered
navigable by the skill of the engineer. Where blasting out channels
is not feasible canals can be built to connect the navigable parts
of the stream. It is obvious, too, that the effects on that torrid
climate of these great rivers, from one to twenty miles in breadth,
must be considerable. Without them the country would be an arid
desert, another Sahara, deadly to life, both animal and vegetable.
We shall first follow the successive stages of the Congo, as the
Chambesi, the Luapula, and the Lualaba, in the huge watershed on the
eastern border between Lakes Nyassa and Tanganyika.
[Sidenote: Source of the Congo.]
The source of the Congo is in the Chingampo Mountains, in British
territory, and about 50 miles from the western confines of German
East Africa, whence it issues as the Chambesi. It was Livingstone
who, in 1867, discovered the Chambesi. Mistaking it for the
undiscovered source of the Nile, he explored it towards the
south-west—250 miles—as far as Lake Bangweolo. Thence he followed its
gradual curve to the north, first as the Luapula, through Lake Moero,
as far as Ankorro; and then as the Lualaba, in a north-westerly
direction to Nyangwe, 1300 miles from its source. The river assumes
the distinctive name of the Congo first at Nyangwe. It was from this
place that Stanley, in 1876, made his famous descent of the river.
The journey, which covered 1660 miles by water and 140 miles by
land, was accomplished in 281 days.
From Nyangwe the river flows due north 400 miles as far as Stanley
Falls. The country between these two places is peopled by the
cannibal Bakumu. With “these insensate furies of savageland” Stanley
had many bloody encounters. “At every curve of this fearful river,”
he writes in his now famous book, “the yells of the savages broke
loud on our ears, the snake-like canoes dashed forward impetuously to
the attack, while the drums and horns and shouts raised fierce and
deafening uproar.”
From Stanley Falls the river, flowing west and north-west, makes a
huge curve, in the form of a horse-shoe, to Equateurville, where
the junction of the Congo with the Ruki takes place. Throughout
this immense curve, called the Middle Congo, and as far south as
Leopoldville, a distance of 1068 miles, the river is navigable. In
the contiguous territory live the Balolo, or “men of iron,” forgers
of metal instruments. Famous as warriors, they are also noted as
clever craftsmen, and are valuable allies of the State.
From the junction of Lake Matumba with the Congo, the river, flowing
south-west about 450 miles to Manyanga, forms the boundary between
the French and the Belgian possessions. Thence down to Matadi it
pursues a southerly course of about 100 miles through the territory
of the State. From Matadi, whence it flows westward to the sea, it
forms for 30 miles the northern boundary of the Portuguese Congo.
[Illustration: Departure of Commissioner-General Halfeyt, on Board
ss. “Stanley,” Stanleyville, 1899.]
At Stanley Pool the Congo is no longer navigable. Here, gathering
the full force of its waters, the now immense river ploughs its
passage for over 200 miles through the Crystal Mountains, whence by a
succession of plunges it bounds down to Matadi, 1800 feet below.
From Matadi, unobstructed and triumphant, it hurls the overwhelming
volume of its current far into the Atlantic. At its meeting with the
sea, the Congo, now over 3000 miles in length, is fully twenty miles
wide.
Until a few years ago there was considerable controversy as to the
true upper course of the Congo. This has been at last established
by the explorations of Delcommune, Bia, and Brasseur; and it is now
agreed that the upper course is that continuation of the Chambesi
called the Luapula, and not the Lualaba, as was formerly believed.
The Luapula, the boundary between the Congo State and North-Eastern
Rhodesia, and navigable for 340 miles above Kassongo, is longer than
the Lualaba. It is, however, inferior to the latter in size and in
the number and importance of its affluents. The Lualaba rises in
the southern part of the Congo territory, about fifty miles west of
North-Western Rhodesia. The source of this river was discovered by
Lieutenants Derscheid and Francqui.
Along the important tributaries of the Luapula is the Lufupa,
which joins it not far below Nzilo. It is at the Nzilo gorge that
the first cataracts on the Luapula are encountered. They continue
almost uninterruptedly for forty-three miles. Another affluent of
the Luapula is the Lubudi, a considerable river on the left, which,
because of its breadth and volume, was at first mistaken for the main
stream. The next important tributary—the Lufila—empties into the
Luapula at Lake Kassali. It flows through the fertile country of the
Katanga.
This region, noted for its mineral resources, is described by
travellers as “a land flowing with milk and honey.” It was first
explored by that indefatigable pioneer, Delcommune. Until a few years
ago the Katanga was ruled by the truculent tyrant, Msiri. Now that
this despot is dead, the country is developing rapidly. The climate
is far more healthful than in the regions around the Lower or Middle
Congo. The fertility of the soil and the advantageous climate augur a
brilliant future for this section of the State. The conditions are,
in fact, well adapted to the needs of the white race, and here, no
doubt, eventually will be established cities no less important and
flourishing than those of Java. Already a railway to the Katanga is
being constructed. Great deposits of copper are known to exist here,
and it is expected that the development of these resources will begin
a new era in the history of Central Africa. By the railway, Katanga
will be brought within six weeks of the European centres.
[Sidenote: An African Switzerland.]
In this vicinity also are the Kibala Mountains, which will, no doubt,
soon attract tourists from all parts of the world. The beauties of
this section are thus described by their discoverer, Delcommune:
Seated on a rock of sandstone, eagerly scanning all around us,
glancing in every quarter, we were astonished by this picture,
which no pencil could render. None of the loudly vaunted
beauties of Switzerland and the Pyrenees, where charming scenery
nevertheless exists, could rival these lost corners of the Kibala
Mountains, of which the whole effect, in its turn picturesque and
savage, imposing and on a grand scale, seemed softened and rendered
pleasant by the brilliant equatorial vegetation.
We shall now briefly refer to the more important tributaries of the
Congo proper, first taking up those that join the river from the
south.
Of these the Lomami is navigable for nearly 650 miles. Rising in
the Usamba Plateau, 600 miles east of Lake Moero, it runs almost
parallel to the Congo till it joins that stream 150 miles west of
Stanley Falls. The Lomami varies in breadth from 60 to 400 yards. In
places it has a depth of twenty feet, and it is destined to play an
important part in the development of this part of the continent. It
was on the Lomami that one of those entrenched camps was established
which proved so effective in the expulsion of the Arabs and
suppression of the slave trade. The many tributaries of the Lomami,
some of which are navigable, make that river the natural base also of
commercial operations.
The next southern affluent of the Congo is the Lulongo. Rising not
far from the valley of the Lomami it flows for several hundred miles
in a south-westerly direction and empties into the Congo at Uranga.
A northern tributary of the Lulongo is the Lopori. Both of these
streams are rendered more important by the fact that, being free
from obstruction, they are navigable. They water a beautiful and
exceedingly fertile country, some of which is yet unexplored.
South of the Lulongo and almost parallel to it is the Ruki. It has
two upper courses and rises near the great valley of the Lomami. The
Ruki is a wide, open river, nearly six hundred miles in length. It
empties into the Congo at Equateurville, and because of its several
tributaries it renders a large territory easily accessible.
[Illustration: Departure of ss. “Goodwill” from Upoto.]
But the largest of all the southern affluents is the Kassai, which
ranks in importance next to the Congo itself. The exact course of
the Kassai was until recently a matter of considerable speculation.
This has now been definitely determined, and the Sankuru, formerly
thought by some geographers to be the main course of that river,
is now known to be its largest affluent. The Kassai rises nearly
one thousand miles south of where it joins the Congo, near the
Portuguese possessions in the south-western corner of the Congo
State. Its course is north, north-east, and north-west. Navigable
from Wissmann Falls, which is situated about midway its length, it
forms its junction with the Congo not far above Stanley Pool. Joining
the Kassai, near Bokala, is the river Kwango, which, rising in the
Portuguese possessions, flows directly northward for several hundred
miles. The Sankuru, like so many other of the Congo rivers, rises in
the Sambas Plateau. Its course is first due north, then west, and,
at its junction with the Kassai, is an imposing stream, almost as
deep and broad as the Kassai itself. The Lubefu, a northern tributary
of the Sankuru, reaches almost to the valley of the Lomami.
It is intended soon to build a railroad connecting these rivers,
and when this is accomplished a large area not now accessible will
be open to commerce. Necessarily such trading stations will, for a
while at least, need governmental protection. Hence each station will
be in the nature of a military establishment, and will form also
the nucleus for a future city. The Caucasian, observing, of course,
certain necessary precautions, will find the climate of a large
part of this section quite congenial. It is not unlike that of the
tablelands of Java or of the highlands of Ceylon. Moreover, the soil
no less than the forests and the mineral resources of this vicinity
will offer splendid opportunities to the investor.
[Sidenote: The Coming Country.]
Necessarily the future of this part of the Congo, as well as that
of all regions distant from the navigable rivers, is dependent upon
the construction of a railway system which will bring them into
touch with the rest of the world. That such railways cannot be built
without a great expenditure of money is obvious, but the success
of the lines already established and the enormous profits sure in
the end to repay the investors are calculated to attract sooner or
later the necessary capital. All who have visited this part of the
Congo country are agreed that its natural resources are incomparably
greater than those of any part of Europe. When developed they will
excite the wonder of the world. But this result, so devoutly to be
wished, involving as it does the betterment of millions of lives
lately enveloped in densest ignorance, is not to be attained without
some sacrifices. Capital, time, and labour must co-operate to bring
about this result.
[Sidenote: The Congo’s Affluents.]
On the right or northern bank of the Congo are to be found several
large affluents. Of these, one of the most important is the Aruwimi,
which joins the Congo just below Nyangwe. The Aruwimi rises in the
Blue Mountains, not far from Lake Albert Nyanza. Thence flowing
westward about seven hundred miles, and gathering on its way the
waters of its numerous tributaries, it is, when it reaches the Congo,
a copious stream over a mile wide. Above Yambuya the navigation of
the Aruwimi is rendered impossible by a succession of cataracts, that
bane of the African navigator. However, the beauty and the resources
of the surrounding country somewhat compensate for these hindering
conditions. Here is the famous forest of Ituri, the home of a vast
population and the haunt of many species of game. In and around the
Ituri occurred some noted skirmishes with the mutinous Batetelas.
About 150 miles west of the Aruwimi the Rubi reaches the Congo at
Itembo. Rising in the Mabode about 500 miles north of Stanley Falls,
it flows west and south-west for a distance of 600 miles.
Three hundred miles west of the Rubi is the Mongalla. It rises at the
northern boundary of the State and, flowing south-south-west, reaches
the Congo at Molieka. The Mongalla is a fine, open stream, and on its
banks the Government has established a line of important stations. By
these the State maintains control of the surrounding territory and
renders possible commerce with a large population. Similar stations
have been and are being erected along the smaller navigable streams,
and these, when connected with the centres by railroad and by
telegraph, as eventually they will be, will make the whole interior
equally accessible.
Probably no tributary of the Congo is of more importance than the
Ubanghi. It was Van Gele who, in 1886, first explored the Ubanghi
country and demonstrated the strategic value and commercial
possibilities of this mighty river. The Uelle, which flows in a
north-westerly direction, rises in the Blue Mountains. It was
discovered by Dr. Junker, the German explorer, and may be considered
the upper course of the Ubanghi. Above the Panga Falls, the Uelle is
navigable for large vessels as far as Niangara.
After receiving the waters of the Uelle the Ubanghi forms for a
long distance the boundary between the Free State and the French
territory. Beyond Banzyville the river makes a wide curve towards
the north to Waddas, whence it flows almost directly south, joining
the Congo a little above Lake Matumba. The rich valley through which
this splendid stream, over a thousand miles in length, takes its
winding course, comprises an area of 160,000 square miles. Emin Pasha
described it as possessing wonderful productivity—“The Granary of
Equatoria” he called it. Here the natives, who are instinctively
agricultural, raise tobacco, coffee, and sugar-cane in large
quantities. The highways now being constructed will give to the
industry of this region an immediate impetus, and the natives, who
are skilful in the making of brick, will greatly contribute to the
development. It is also proposed to continue the Uelle Railway to the
left bank of the Nile. Such a continuous route, amply justified by
the resources of this section and by commercial considerations, will
be a most desirable consummation.
The Lua, an eastern branch of the Ubanghi, will prove of great
commercial importance. Captain Heymans, who first navigated the
Lua, explored it as far as Bowara. The Dekere, which also has been
partly explored, is probably the upper course of the Lua, and this
continuous stream will prove a convenient route to the Uelle.
In this way the great detour of the Ubanghi, in which are the
impassable cataracts of Zongo and Mokoangi, can be successfully
avoided.
The importance of the Mbomu, a northern ramification of the Ubanghi,
is increased by the fact that it forms for a considerable distance
a natural boundary between the Congo Free State and the French
possessions. Its position, therefore, renders it of considerable
political consequence. The Mbomu, although not yet entirely explored,
is destined therefore to play, with its numerous branches, a large
part in the history of the Congo. The country around is not only of
great fertility, but also very beautiful. Here is to be found one of
the finest forests in the territory.
By means of the Congo and its tributaries an admirable system of
communication is being established, the ramifications of which,
supplemented by the telegraph and the railway, will within a few
years render every part of this vast territory accessible. In
proportion thereto will increase the authority of the State and its
civilising influence. The growth of commerce, and the security and
advancement of the native population, are, in fact, coexpansive with
the extension of the facilities of intercommunication. The larger
rivers—the Kassai, the Kwango, the Lualaba and the Ubanghi—are all
patrolled by government steamers.
[Sidenote: The Congo Lakes.]
Of hardly less importance than the rivers of the Congo are the lakes.
Besides the larger and navigable lakes are hundreds of smaller ones.
There are thousands of shallow pools along the courses of the rivers,
as those along the upper Luapula. It was that keen observer, M.
Delcommune, who foretold that many of these lakes will eventually
disappear. He contended that a combination of causes, chief among
which being the dryness of the equatorial climate and the consequent
evaporation of the water, will gradually bring about this result.
By a succession of experiments, covering a period of more than two
years, he discovered a diminution of the water of the Lualaba. This
process of evaporation, incessantly continued for centuries, will
completely absorb the water in the marshes and pools, and decrease
the volume of the great rivers themselves. However, this need
occasion no alarm. On the contrary, it is believed that it will aid
materially the development of the country. Not only will it dry the
pestiferous marshes, but it will also define the beds of the rivers,
whose courses, because of the contraction of their channels, will
thus be rendered simpler and more definite.
By the disappearance of the pools and lagoons, now to be found
in the vicinity of the rivers, hundreds of thousands of acres of
valuable arable lands will be reclaimed. And as this soil, formed of
alluvial deposits, is exceedingly fertile, the benefits that will
accrue therefrom are incalculable. The famous polders of Holland, and
the lowlands of Egypt near the mouth of the Nile, demonstrate the
possibilities of such a soil.
But it will not be necessary to wait for the slow processes of
nature. Vast areas can be drained by artificial means, and this,
since the sun is for ever assisting, can be done without great cost.
The lands so drained will possess, besides their extraordinary
fertility, other advantages, not the least of which is their
accessibility.
The most important lake in the western part of the State is Lake
Leopold II., discovered by Stanley in 1882. It is broad but shallow,
and is joined to the Congo by the Mfini and the Kassai. On its banks
are several flourishing stations. North-west of Lake Leopold is Lake
Matumba, from which the navigable river, Irebu, flows upwards into
the Congo.
On the north-eastern boundary is Lake Albert Edward, the western
part of which belongs to the State. This lake, the haunt of numerous
hippopotami, is joined to Lake Albert Nyanza, which is about 150
miles north, by the Semlika, the boundary between the Belgian and
British possessions.
Directly south of Lake Albert Edward is Lake Kivu. From this lake,
part of which is yet unexplored, flows the river Rusisi. This
torrential stream dashes through a rocky country, descending 2380
feet in 68 miles. It empties into Lake Tanganyika. On the eastern
shore of the lake are Lubuga and Luahilimta, trading stations,
established by the State. Lake Kivu is dotted with hundreds of
islets, and is situated in the centre of a lofty plateau. Towering
from this plateau rises a range of enormous snow-clad volcanic cones,
from eight to over fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea.
Of these the highest is Kirunga-cha-gongo, which is said to be the
largest inland volcano in the world. It was first ascended by its
discoverer, Count von Gotzen, and later by the English naturalist,
Moore. All around Kivu are inaccessible crags, calcined gorges, and
arid deserts, showing that the whole region is of volcanic origin.
Such is the wonderful clarity of the atmosphere that the outline of
every crag and spur of the mountains is visible sixty miles away. The
forests of Kivu abound in elephants. Travellers report seeing here as
many as a thousand in one day.
Of Lake Kivu Count von Gotzen, its discoverer, has given an excellent
account. I quote the following from his work, _Durf Afrika von Ost
nach West_:
The bed of Lake Kivu, according to my measurement with the
hypsometer, is at an altitude of 4800 feet. Its extent should be
considerable, for on my crossing it I saw the immense sheet of blue
water disappear far off into the clouds. Its general direction
is from North to South.... The appearance of the isles of Lake
Kivu is most picturesque. Their rocky and snow-white banks rise
in peaks and are frequented by herons and cranes. A fresh breeze
ever rustles across the lake and cools the air agreeably.... When
one turns one’s gaze to the north a sort of immense barrier formed
by the Kirunga-cha-gongo and the four other Virunga Mountains is
to be seen.... The neighbourhood of Kivu is extremely fertile in
provisions of every kind.
Directly south of Kivu, and connected with it by the river Rusisi,
is Lake Tanganyika, partitioned equally between the Congo Free State
and German East Africa. It is about four hundred miles in length and
nearly fifty in breadth. It was Stanley who first circumnavigated
Lake Tanganyika, though it had been discovered in 1858, about twenty
years before, by Burton and Speke. It was, in fact, the latter who
first called the attention of the world to the Congo Region. On the
shores of this lake Lieutenant Cambier, in 1879, established, at
Karema, the first station of the International Association of the
Congo. Cambier was so impressed with the possibilities of this region
that, by purchase and treaty, he obtained from its native ruler about
five thousand acres of land, and this tract may be regarded as the
nucleus of King Leopold’s colony. It was this station on Tanganyika
also that afterwards became the basis of operations against the Arab
slave-trade.
[Illustration: State Pilot Barge, Banana.]
[Illustration: Bridge, 80 Metres (Kwilu).]
From Albertville, Baudouinville, and other stations on its western
shore a flotilla of small vessels and several steam-yachts now
navigate this lake, and to these other and larger craft will soon be
added. A telegraph and telephone line, connecting Kassongo on the
Lualaba with Baraka on Lake Tanganyika, was opened in the latter part
of 1903. This line will soon be extended to Lake Kivu.
The region around Tanganyika is noted for its beautiful scenery, and
a large part of it is said to be unusually healthful. Like Kivu, this
lake is situated in an immense plateau, six thousand feet above the
sea. The angular inclination and general configuration of all these
lakes in the eastern part of the Congo is, in fact, very similar;
each lake, however, has its individual scenery, climate, and peculiar
flora. Moore found Tanganyika floored with the shells of millions
of molluscs, the zoölogical remains of a dead sea. He discovered
here also three kinds of sponges. On the eastern shores abound huge
swamps and immense tracts of mimosa. The dark red cliffs on the West
Coast form a brilliant contrast to the blue African sky and the
white clouds. Between Tanganyika and Nyangwe, the old slave-capital
of Tippo Tip, the country is tenanted by the Manyema, famous as
collectors of ivory. Surveys are now being made for a railway from
Beni to Tanganyika. This it is proposed to continue to Stanleyville
on the Middle Congo.
Lake Moero, one hundred miles south-west of Tanganyika and the
south-eastern boundary between British territory and the State,
was discovered by Livingstone. It was first explored, however, by
the Belgian officers, Bia and Francqui. This lake, which is one
hundred miles long and about half as broad, is now patrolled by a
steam-yacht.
[Sidenote: Looking Backward.]
Only a few years ago the immense basin of the Congo was an untamed
wilderness, “a slave-park” Stanley called it, bare to raids of
murderous marauders. Bands of predatory Arabs swooping down upon the
defenceless natives decimated whole tribes, and carried away men,
women, and children by the thousand. The slave-trader stalked like a
pestilence through the land, leaving in his wake the smoking ruins of
a hundred villages and the charred skeletons of his black victims.
It was not only the natives who suffered from the raids of merciless
ravagers; but the Europeans, explorer, merchant, and missionary, were
also subject to their tyrannical impositions. And when, as in the
case of Emin Pasha, they opposed the designs of these despoilers,
they were ruthlessly murdered. Flame and sword, robbery and
massacre,—such, until ten years ago, were the chief episodes in the
epic of the Congo.
To-day this vast region is not only geographically determined,
occupied, and effectually protected, but the power of the Arab
raider has been for ever annihilated. Regions which for ages were
the scene of carnage and holocaust have now been pacified. Where
all was insecurity and turbulence a reign of law and order has been
substituted.
Nature has here been so prodigal of her gifts that her very
extravagance renders in some respects the task of colonisation less
easy. Before roads could be built it was necessary to hew down huge
forests; before stations could be established it was needful to
explore and to conquer the wilderness. The paths that plunged into
the jungle ended in trackless solitudes. The vastnesses bristled with
unknown terrors. There was call for the explorer and the pioneer,
but it seemed as if ages must elapse before there was need of the
carriers of commerce.
To conduct broad highways from the coast to the centre, through a
territory so vast in extent, so dangerous, and so impenetrable, would
seem indeed a task for centuries. Such, too, it is safe to assume,
would still be the situation had it not been for the magnificent
water-system of the region and the great colonising genius who turned
its natural destiny to the civilising course of an onward industry.
Without these splendid flowing highways of commerce, pulsing from the
heart of the continent to the sea, the wonderful progress of the last
quarter of a century would not have been possible. Following the lead
of the Congo and its tributaries, Belgian pioneers have moved through
the great wilderness, planting the plough and the cross, until to-day
Central Africa, so long curtained from the eyes of civilised man,
lies bare to the world.
It was by this instrument that the siege of the great unknown was
prosecuted. It was thus that that citadel of despair, the stronghold
of Darkest Africa, was subjugated. And as we look at the magnificent
results, and at the still more magnificent future which those
results foreshadow, we cannot but conclude that this natural aid to
the efforts of a heroic band of explorers was more than the mere
manifestation of blind chance.
[Sidenote: King and Journalist.]
The campaign of exploration planned by King Leopold, and executed by
his courageous subjects and his able ally, Stanley, was the first
of those remarkable achievements of practical utility that have no
parallel in the history of modern colonisation. In the Congo and its
affluents these State-builders found a providential and generous
auxiliary. These wide rivers, the veins of the civilisation of
the Congo, are the key to a situation of which triumphant Belgian
sacrifice and valour in Central Africa will yet perfect the sequel.
To the existence of these natural allies, then, is largely due
the speedy extirpation of the slave trade, the suppression of
cannibalism, the control of the country, the gradual conversion
of its populations to the saving influences of civilisation, the
effective system of communication between port and port, and the
beginnings of the development of those vast resources which already
excite the cupidity of nations less successful. Indeed, without such
advantage it is doubtful whether the King of the Belgians would have
been equal to the onerous responsibilities he so cheerfully assumed.
[Sidenote: “Change in all Around.”]
But now with more than nine thousand miles of waterways open
to navigation, few sections of this immense domain are to-day
inaccessible. Great areas which but a few years ago were virgin
forests are now under successful cultivation. The jungle, once the
lair of the cannibal, is safe and peaceful. Where the raider ravished
his shrieking victims, the State and the Mission instruct in the
attributes of a useful life. Chaos has at last yielded to order, and
another triumph has been added to civilisation in the short term of
twenty years. It is a great story, and the Prince who wrote it on the
face of Africa need not deign to hear the hiss of envy straining at
the gorge. Let Leopold II. find consolation in that rugged philosophy
of Carlyle which mocked at the timid temper of his own time: “To
subdue mutiny, discord, widespread despair by manfulness, justice,
mercy and wisdom, to let light on chaos and make it instead a green
flowery world, is great beyond all other greatness, work for a God.”