Banana to Leopoldville.
The amount of sand in the bath water on the morning of July 12th
indicated that we were approaching the mouth of a large river. The
Atlantic indeed, which had varied in colour from dirty green near the
English Channel to ultra marine at Teneriffe, was now of 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 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 Congo. On reference to the chart it became clear that
although the lower Congo forms a delta in some places twenty miles in
width, all the streams coalesce and flow through an opening not more
than five miles wide. On 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
this northern channel and arrive at an anchorage in which eight or nine
small ships are riding. As we take up our position a boat leaves the
shore flying the Congo Flag, a blue ground with a golden star in the
centre. Soon after we go ashore in a _dug out_. propelled by Kru boys to
the town of Banana, which is built on this sandy peninsula and is thus
guarded by sharks on one side and crocodiles on the other. We land at a
wooden pier used chiefly for loading canoes. On each side are
magnificent palms, some being more than fifty feet high and all bearing
many cocoa nuts at this season about half ripe. These palms are not
indigenous, but flourish here. The main highway of Banana is a path of
clean yellow sand about ten feet wide, shaded by an avenue of these
palms and crosses at intervals small tidal streams by rustic wooden
bridges. Many tropical trees and shrubs grow on each side of the avenue,
and in the bright sunshine the whole forms a very beautiful picture. It
is unfortunate that the effect reminds one somewhat forcibly of a
transformation scene of a pantomime and thus appears artificial although
in reality, it is absolutely natural. The resemblance is still further
strengthened by the numerous ladies of the ballet who leisurely stroll
along clothed in nature's ebony black. No one seems to know the origin
of the name of the town, for the Banana palm is not found here at 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 country. The wooden sheds painted white are very
picturesque amid the vivid green foliage. Beyond this area is the house
of Dr. Carre, the Commissaire of the District of Banana, which like all
the other houses in the town is raised on piles above the level of the
sand, for the double purpose of ensuring a current of air beneath and of
keeping it dry when the peninsula is flooded. It faces the sea and
behind is a small garden in which are many meteorological instruments.
Among these are an anemometer slowly revolving in the light air, maximum
and minimum bulbs in the shade, on the ground and beneath it, a most
ingenious sun dial, and a heliometer. Walking inland along the central
avenue, we pass some native shops, one of which bears the interesting
name of _Williams Brothers_. In many of the verandahs, native women
wrapped in highly coloured cloths but with bare feet and legs, are
working sewing machines or tending their children. Further on is a space
laid out in regular squares, in each of which is a well built wooden
house raised on piles, and an ornamental garden, 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. A little further on is an hotel facing the sea in which is
apparently poor accommodation and not much to eat or drink. Beyond this
is the native village, consisting of square huts and rough gardens in
which some potatoes seem to be growing in spite of the soil and
temperature.
Only about twenty Europeans live at Banana and their chief excitement is
the arrival of the steamer. Most of them indeed came off to dinner and
held a kind of concert in the saloon afterwards. All night long winches
and men were creaking, groaning, and shouting, as some of the cargo was
put overboard into two large lighters. It was not however, destined for
Banana and was transshipped here only to lighten the _Leopoldville_ so
that she could pass a certain bar higher up the river. The cargo
consisted of coal in the shape of brickets, cement, rice, oil, cloth,
clothes, beads, salt and general provisions. As soon as sufficient had
been removed, the two lighters were attached one to each side of the
ship and we started up the main stream, which here runs between the
south or Portuguese bank and a series of islands. All these are covered
with dense forest the only living things visible being great black
eagles with white wings. On the left 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 and a range of hills becomes visible in the distance, the
plain between being covered with coarse grass six or seven feet high,
relieved at intervals by solitary palm trees. This is all Portuguese
territory, the Congo State here possessing only a narrow strip of land
along the northern bank. The course of the river here is very sinuous,
winding in and out among the hills, the curves being cut more sharply
each day as the water eats into the sand and carries it to be digested
in the great stomach of the Atlantic.
In this district both the State and the Portuguese have started large
farms for breeding European cattle which thrive here satisfactorily.
Higher up a solitary rock overhangs the left bank. This is known as
Fetish Rock from the legend that the natives used to throw live people
from it into the river as sacrifices. This is possibly true but there is
little evidence to show that the natives of the Congo ever sacrificed
either living or dead to propitiate anyone or anything.
Near here we anchor for the night and are welcomed by a host of most
noisy and vicious mosquitoes who have a particular partiality to good
healthy European-fed blood. Again we are delayed to unload and this time
into a small steamer the _Lagoon_--for the ship is still too deep in the
water to cross the bar. This sandy obstruction has an unpleasant habit
of shifting its position and it is necessary therefore to make careful
soundings every voyage at this time of the year when the water is low.
These are carried out by Captain Sparrow and Mr. Wright the chief Congo
pilot with the aid of a most ingenious sounding machine. It consists of
a simple pulley wheel raised on a standard about ten feet above the deck
of a small pilot steamer. Over this passes a line weighted at both ends
but unequally, and both weights hang down in the water, the heavier
naturally being on the bottom of the river. To prevent this line--which
corresponds to the ordinary lead line--trailing, as the boat moves
forward, a second line is fixed to the weight and passes under water to
the bows of the vessel where it is attached As the vessel passes slowly
through the water, the weight rises and falls according to the level of
the bottom, and the counterweight hauls in the slack of the line, which
is marked in the usual way by coloured tapes. At any moment therefore,
the depth of water can be determined by observing the tapes. There is
now only 15-1/2 feet on the bar, so it is necessary to lighten the
_Leopoldville_ still more before it will be possible to cross. Thus
early one of the chief difficulties in the Congo the transport of
goods--is demonstrated.
A fine crocodile lies asleep on the bank within easy range as we go back
to the ship in the launch, but no one has a rifle so his dreams are
undisturbed. As the _Leopoldville_ will not be able to reach Boma until
the morrow, we decide to go on in the _Heron_, a small ship which
calls for all the State passengers. After Fetish Rock, the river bends
sharply to the right and soon after Boma is in sight. At this distance
however, the town merely appears as groups of white houses amid trees
backed by green hills. Guarding the approach is a strong looking fort
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 iron pier at Boma on
which we find Mr. Underwood, the Director of the well known English
trading house of Messrs. Hatton and Cookson. With him we walk down the
main business street of the town; a wide shady road lined with shops,
hotels, and restaurants and traversed by a steam tram. At the end of
this street the road continues to the right, up an incline and opposite
to the corner is one of the entrances to the Residency. Passing this we
leave a Catholic church, constructed of corrugated iron, on the right
and enter a shady avenue in which is the Secretariat. We are then
introduced to Mr. Vandamme, the Secretaire General, who at once takes us
to the Residency and presents us to Mr. Costermans, the Governor General
of the Congo Free State, who hopes we shall travel wherever we feel
inclined and see anything we desire.
The Residency is a large two storey house surrounded by a wide verandah
and is built of iron plates bolted together. It is raised about ten feet
from the ground on iron pillars and approached by a wide staircase with
wooden steps. It is surrounded by a well kept garden in which are some
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 to be worthy of its function, and another large building
will soon be erected on the same site.
After this visit we proceed to a house which is kept for the use of the
higher State Officials when they pass through Boma and which was now
placed at our disposal. It is constructed in a similar manner to the
Residency and although smaller, contains three lofty reception and two
bed rooms. Two _boys_. are told off to attend to our wants and after a
rest we take a stroll round the town with Mr. Vandamme. Most of the
official residencies are situated 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 a gentle incline to
the Law Courts in which once a week sits the Court of Première Instance.
Near by is the prison and the terminus of the tramway. From the summit
of the hill a grand view is obtained of the river winding between the
hills to the East, and at one's feet is a native village nestling in a
valley, for the natives dislike wind and cold almost as much 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.
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
native cook who gives us some very good vegetable soup, one of the
numerous Congo fishes, all of which are nice, a very tender chicken, an
excellent salad and a well made omelette, all of which are products of
the 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 enough
milk for their calves. Everyone retires and rises early, so at 9 p.m. we
seek our house 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 is at present acting as British
Consul. The consulate is about a mile from the town situated on the
banks of the river and is well constructed of wood. Mr. Nightingale
offers kindly to lend us any assistance on our voyage that we may
require. Afterwards we buy many things which will be necessary up
country, among which are bags of salt, a very popular form of money in
some parts, and tins of petrol for the lanterns.
Everyone in Boma works hard, from the Secretaire General who is at his
office from 7 a.m. to midday and from 2.30 to 5 p.m. to the hardy
healthy-looking native who wields his pick as he chats with his fellows.
Roads are being made and gardens laid out in various places. One very
noticeable feature of the natives here, is that they nearly all bear
wellmarked vaccination marks. Here and there a policeman patrols in an
effective costume of blue and red and armed with a short sword.
Everywhere is order, method, and cleanliness, and it is very difficult
to realise that a quarter of a century ago only three trading houses
stood on the site of this prosperous and well-regulated little town. In
the evening we dined with the Governor General who has both a good cook
and butler; the wines being excellent. Outside, the band of the 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 by ear. Most of the guests were our fellow
travellers and well known to us. The conversation turned upon the
Sleeping Sickness, Beri Beri, the difficulty of growing wheat in the
Congo, and the climate. It is not very hot in Boma about this time, for
it is the winter or dry season and the nights are so cold that only the
very hardy mosquitoes are sufficiently wide awake to prevent people
sleeping. Still it is hotter, than we ever experience in England, and
with forethought for the comfort of his guests, Mr. Costermans usually
commands white costumes instead of European dress.
The native hospital is a newly-built stone and brick structure and is
under the charge of an Italian, Dr. Zerbini. The wards are well arranged
in separate wings, permitting good ventilation and isolation. The beds
are iron with bamboos stretched lengthwise, thus forming a kind of
spring mattress. There are many cases of Sleeping Sickness in the
hospital exhibiting various symptoms. In 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 if dead and can only be persuaded to eat with great difficulty.
Ultimately complete coma supervenes. A motile bacillus has been
discovered which is supposed to cause the disease and there is evidence
that this may be carried by a mosquito or fly, but until the discoveries
of the doctors, sent out by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine,
are published, it is premature to give an opinion. Up to the present
many remedies have been prescribed without success. There is no small
pox and little phthisis, and it is interesting to learn that
appendicitis is unknown in Africa. Rupture is very common among the
natives and venereal diseases are frequent.
As I was destined to become well acquainted with the _Croix rouge_, the
hospital for Europeans, I will describe this institution later. On the
reverse slope of the central hill of Boma are the quarters of the army,
the Force Publique. The soldiers are fine looking fellows with a very
pretty uniform; blue wide cut breeches to the knee, the legs and feet
being bare, blue shirt with red facings and belt, and a red fez. They
are armed with Albini rifles, a very strong weapon which will stand any
amount of rough usage. Everything is scrupulously clean and the married
quarters especially look very comfortable. Each couple has a room fitted
with bed, table and chairs. They are recruited from all over the country
and the service is so popular that in many parts far more men volunteer
to serve than are required. The force does not exceed 13,600 in number
and is recruited for long or short service.
The prison is situated on the plateau in an open, airy place. The
building is constructed of iron plates and the 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 and then after a
time they are forwarded to the penal settlements. Some are cannibals,
but most are thieves, and all wear light chains. It is 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. The State
regulates very strictly the importation of arms. Permission has to 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 a
number which is registered. If anyone in the country wishes to purchase
a weapon from another, both buyer and seller have to obtain permission
from the Governor 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 our ammunition, our rifles
and guns are restored to us with pretty little souvenir marks on the
butts. We next 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 duly on alcohol is very heavy and runs up to 47 per cent. _ad
valorem_ and no still of any kind is permitted to be set up in the
country. Beyond Matadi indeed, special permission has to be 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 made responsible for the observance of this law by their
employés 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, is given one litre of red wine
each day as a ration and there seems to be no limit to the amount of
beer which may be drunk, except its great price, for a bottle of lager
costs 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 to be good boys we are
permitted to carry a few cases of whisky and wine--after paying the
duty--to act as _medical comforts_. in case of sickness. These 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 is
severely punished any lapse of duty. The whites are fined for
carelessness or negligence, by stopping their pay for a certain 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.
An excellent institution in Boma is the _colonie scolaire_ where
foundlings are reared and educated. Orphans, deserted children,
half-castes, all are received and trained for some useful purpose, some
entering the army, some engaging on the plantations, some becoming
servants to the officials.
It is 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 territory, all are attracted by the
high wages to be earned in the town. Indeed at present most of the
positions of responsibility, requiring a fair education, are held by
foreign blacks, for very few true Congolese can be trusted. The personal
servants we engaged were thus all foreigners in the State service. Two
rejoiced in the names of Chikaia and Jean, and acted as _boys_. _i.e._ as
valets, butlers and general servants while Luembo was 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 Première
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 all found.
The Customs, the Post Office, and the Land Office, are all conveniently
situated in one building on the beach near to the landing pier. In the
latter, all the landowners in the State are registered, careful maps
being prepared showing the extent and position of each plot of land. The
land laws are very simple. The villages are the absolute freehold
property of the natives, and are registered in the names of the Chiefs.
Vacant lands as usual are the property of the State and the Chartered
Companies, Missionaries, and Traders, as a rule, are annual leaseholders
but the lease is always renewed if the conditions on which it is granted
are observed.
On Sunday we lunched with the Governor General, Mr. Gohr, the Director
of Justice--who at present is in the unenviable position of having many
critics in Europe, usually imperfectly informed of the details and
evidence laid before the judges--Mr. Vandamme, who knows everyone and
everything connected with the State, Commandant and Madame Sillye, Judge
and Madame Webber, and some others. Afterwards, Mr. Webber, the Judge of
the Court of Première Instance, who is an excellent pianist, gives us
proof of his talent. This is the last pleasant music we are fated to
hear for many a month, for nothing but concertinas and gramophones are
found in the interior.
[Illustration: THE CATARACTS RAILWAY NEAR MATADI.]
Having obtained bundles of permits to do various things, and arranged
for letters and parcels to be sent after us into the interior, we left
Boma on the morning of July 19th for Matadi in the _Leopoldville_.. The
Congo just above Boma somewhat resembles the Highlands of Scotland, and
the similarity was emphasised by the fact that 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 turns sharply
to the right and runs between cliffs which descend sheer into the water,
forming a narrow chasm not more than half a mile broad. As the whole of
the immense volume of water in the Congo has to pass through this gorge,
it is enormously deep and the current is very rapid. The depth has not
been accurately ascertained, but it is certainly 500 feet, if not more,
and the flow of the water is at the rate of nearly ten knots an hour, so
that the smaller steamers cannot ascend at all, and the larger only
creep slowly up.
[Illustration: THE RAILWAY STATION AT MATADI.]
Matadi is soon after in sight. It is built on the south side of the
Congo valley, for, as a glance at the map will explain, the State owns
both banks at this point, but further up, the river becomes the frontier
with the French Congo. Matadi is an ancient--if the word may be used in
connection with the Congo at all--settlement, constructed at the point
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 route runs from Matadi to Leopoldville, and it was
during the march of twenty days over the mountains that in the early
days, so much trouble was occasioned by the native porters. All this is
abolished now by the railway. The town itself stands on the side of a
steep hill and consists of narrow streets paved with cobbles. Here as
usual in the Congo, man is restricted to his primeval method of
locomotion. Two iron piers jut into the stream and at their ends the
European steamers discharge their cargoes into the railway trucks
alongside. High up on the hill stands a capacious stone structure, the
house of the Commissioner of the Matadi District, Mr. De Rache, with
whom we dine, after arranging to leave by the train which starts next
day. The distance to be traversed is 220 miles and the fare is £8 each
1st. class and £1 second for the boys. Besides this, baggage over a
hundred kilos, is charged at the rate of one franc a kilo, which is
probably the highest rate paid for railway travelling in the world. Our
fares indeed cost us about £80.
Early in the morning of the 20th, we leave Matadi. The train consists of
two engines, two open covered carriages for the second class passengers,
who are mostly natives, a saloon and baggage wagon. The gauge is a very
narrow one, so space is all-important, but the man who designed the
chairs in the saloon must have exercised the most fiendish ingenuity to
make them as uncomfortable as possible. There are six on each side,
arranged in pairs with a small bracket table in between, and each one is
on a pivot. The back is straight upright and the seat is of cane,
cone-shaped, the highest point being in the centre. Now as the curves
and gradients of the line are very sharp indeed, it is necessary to hold
fast the whole time, to prevent slipping on to the floor. If one puts a
foot on the opposite seat to steady oneself, it at once revolves,
leaving the leg in mid air. However, we fix ourselves in as well as
possible and enjoy the magnificent scenery. For a few hundred yards the
line runs along the valley of the Congo and a good view of the lowest
cataract 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 defile. Snorting angrily, the engines climb
up this steep gradient, cross the river by an iron bridge and then
groaning under the brakes, slide down into another valley. The main
direction however, is upwards, and as the country opens out below, one
gets a first impression of the enormity and grandeur of Central Africa.
As far as the eye reaches, are ranges of hills, the Palabala Mountains
crowned by a great cone which appears first on one side then the other,
as we cork-screw our way up. The line indeed is a marvel of engineering
construction, for a most difficult piece of country is traversed without
a single tunnel and with very few cuttings and embankments. The length
of the railway is, of course, very much greater than a straight line
would be between the same points, for it frequently countermarches
backwards and forwards up a hill side, and after a detour of perhaps a
quarter of a mile, comes back to the same place, but thirty or forty
feet higher up. The 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 stops are necessary for the engines to drink and gain
their second winds, for their work here is very arduous. 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
Motumbi). The name exactly describes these trees, for the branches are
arranged like the ribs, and the leaves spread out and form the covering
of the sunshade.
Between the belts of forests the country is covered with coarse grass,
six or seven feet high, dotted here and there with palms. No vestige of
animal life is visible and only a few natives 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 feet bare.
This is evidently a simple length of stuff some three or four feet wide
and, to the masculine eye at least, its method of support remains a
mystery, for no trace of button, hook or pin is apparent. Their faces
are of the negroid type with broad noses and thick lips and the figures
of the women approach the shape of an S reversed thus [backwards S] and
are similar to those which our American cousins have so largely
developed. The men are as a rule thin and tall with very long legs and
all appear to have only small arches to their feet. On the lower Congo
however, there are many foreigners and several other types are visible.
As 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
agricultural purposes under such a hot sun. The air however, as we
approach Tumba, about 2000 feet above sea level, is dry and fresh and at
4 p.m. we halt there for the night.
We are met by Commandant Delhaz, the Commissaire of the Cataracts
District, who kindly places a bungalow at our disposal for the night and
shows us round the settlement. There is only a small native village
here, but large barracks consisting of lines of clean, clay huts
constructed by the soldiers. Tumba is indeed an important military
centre and here again the appearance of the troops is very fine as they
march to the strains of the band which renders snatches from _Faust_,
_Carmen_ and other well known airs with a few native variations. A farm
has been established in the neighbourhood to feed the garrison and an
automobile road is in course of construction.
Next morning, we dress by candle light and make a hasty breakfast, in
the midst of which, at 6 a.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 on the summits of the seats,
we soon reach Sonna Gongo the half-way house for travellers of the
future. Here is a depot for locomotives and carriages and wooden hotels
are being constructed to accommodate travellers who, after August, will
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 expanse of land is unfolded.
Here and there are banks of smoke caused by the veldt fires and often
close to the railway the high dry grass has been lighted by a chance
spark from an engine, and is burning furiously. We now zigzag down hill
instead of up and far 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 now save
by monkeys and parrots.
Soon after the train stops at a station where the natives have assembled
to sell fruit and kwanga, a kind of bread made from the flour of the
manioc root and the chief article of native diet. It consists chiefly of
starch and is not unpleasant when fresh and toasted. The 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 is most disgusting and
brings home the fact sharply that man here is of a very low type.
The oranges the natives sell are very acid, more resembling grape-fruit
than the orange of Florida, but the bananas are as good as any in the
world and the pine apples--three of which can be bought for half a
franc--are equal to the finest hot-house variety.
[Illustration: THE STEAMER _FLANDRE_.]
The line now descends again until it reaches a flat hot, sandy and
uninteresting plain across which it runs absolutely straight for seven
miles until it reaches Kinshasa on the South bank of Stanley Pool. A few
miles further on, is the rail head, Leopoldville. Like everything else
in the Congo, this town has been arranged and built for practical use.
The railway runs along the beach so as to facilitate the loading and
unloading of the steamers of the upper river, and in a very short time
all our baggage is taken from the train and carried straight on board
the _Flandre_ where we find cabins booked for us. This is an excellent
arrangement and saves much trouble, for although the steamer does not
sail for two days, passengers are allowed to live on board while in
port. Indeed it is very necessary, for there are no hotels in the town,
and no accommodation for visitors except a few rooms in the commercial
houses.
Some traits of the native's character were now to be demonstrated to us.
His main idea always is, to do as little work as possible and he will
often take the greatest trouble in his effort to accomplish this object.
Each native endeavoured to put his load as near the gangway as possible
which was soon blocked and then he had to come back, hoist the package
on his head again and carry it to its proper place. Although this
performance took place every day, unless an officer was constantly on
the watch, the foolish fellows in their attempts to shirk duty brought
upon themselves extra work. The cabins were unfurnished, for everyone
carries his own bed on the Congo, and most also their own tent. It was
therefore necessary to unpack a bed. Here was a difficulty. All the bags
and boxes were carefully numbered by the Army and Navy Stores and the
invoice no doubt sent to my London address but I left before it arrived,
and there was no possibility of discovering which number meant bed.
Seizing a likely looking bale, the boys unlace it, and find a part of a
tent, and a second attempt brings to light another part of a tent. It is
now growing dark and a light is necessary, but in which of these seventy
odd cases is the lamp? Not knowing the native mind, I explain that it is
necessary to hurry and find the bed before dark. 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 had
never hurried before in their lives, and could not do so now, even if
they wished. Lacing the first bales up slowly and deliberately, they
open another and find a canvas bath and washhandstand. These are at any
rate useful, and encouraged by success we try again and come across
hand-irons and starch. At length we find a thing like a large concertina
which is really a folding bed with pillows 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 for our first meal on a Congo
steamer. It consisted of a soup of mystery, chicken, which had been
washed in the river close to a group of natives bathing and a goat,
killed an hour before dinner, whose flesh was thrown quivering into the
pot. However, there was some bread and tinned peaches and it was no use
being fastidious in Central Africa. This was washed down with the
regulation half litre of red wine, a kind of claret which is quite
drinkable and some native coffee which had a delicate and fine aroma,
but was badly made.
The captain--as indeed are nearly all the officers of the river
steamers--was a Scandinavian and spoke English very well. He explained
that the ship was not very clean or inviting-looking, which was the
truth, but as 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 boys to save themselves trouble,
had not fixed the mosquito net properly. In my innocence I merely
ordered them to do it and had not stood by and watched. It is indeed
necessary always to see that the native does as he is told, for the
moment one's back is turned, he is eating if there is anything rotten
enough at hand to tempt him and if not, he quietly goes to sleep. Even
these State servants who speak the native language and also a kind of
French, really live the lives of animals, for they eat, drink, and sleep
if left alone and only work when they are shown how, and watched all the
time.
The result was that I spent a most horrible night, for the mosquitoes
were terribly hostile and evidently recognised a new European with some
healthy blood. In the morning, my head, which I had had shaved in the
Congo fashion, was covered with large bumps and face, neck, hands and
wrists were all blotches. It was therefore with little appetite that I
sat down to a breakfast of bread, dutch cheese, curious tinned butter
and weak coffee without milk. Little however, did I think then that in
six short months a Congo steamer would seem like a first class hotel, so
entirely is everything altered by comparison.
[Illustration: CATARACTS AT LEOPOLDVILLE.]