Europeans bananas, 500 papaw-trees, and lime, orange, guava, and
in Africa. . . . . j mango trees, in a nourishing condition. European and
native sweet potatoes, yams, and a variety of vegetables
are produced in sufficient quantities. Nine thousand
square feet are devoted to a grand esplanade, and the
approach to the station is along a broad, clear road.
All these results, with other numerous improvements,
prove the character of the changes which patient industry,
in conjunction with wakeful diligence, can create
in a wilderness.
In the above will be found the type .of those externally
magnificent creatures who suffered from an incurable
hunger for a diet which rustic Africa could not
furnish in its present stage of undevelopment; and .who
were unwilling, despite fair wages and bounden duty,
to practise a little exertion to start the improvement of
their position. On the contrary, they allowed unnatural
bilious humours to ferment within them until they
became a living eyesore to their friends and a torment
to themselves.
. Another type of futile manhood was the malingerer.
The art was carried to perfection by one who deceived
every one for weeks, and might—so annoying to some
men is unnecessary rupture and rage—have protracted
his skilful shamming to an indefinite length of time,
had he not voluntarily ended a long period of successful
malingering by an abrupt and unexpected letter of
resignation. Nine weeks had this cunning artist practised
his histrionic art to perfection! What soothing
blandishments had I not lavished on the first artful
dodger who chose to ply his art on the Congo ? The
number of paces I had walked on my visits. to him
during his supposed afflictionhy computation amounted
to several miles. The value of the medical stores,
condensed milk, jam, marmalade, butter, soups, wine,
biscuits, which were. held in reserve for men who—
sickened of goat-meat and cassava bread, accompanied
by hourly transitions from , heat to cold-|§required the
delicacies which were consumed by this specious rogue,
amounted to some hundreds of pounds sterling. When
he assumes the air of a convalescent, what promises: of
promotion are not made to him? What encouragements
are not held out to him when he adopts the tone
of one being discouraged by protracted sickness ? How
strenuously I lay myself out to dissipate his mock
moodiness and dispute his hypothetic unfitness! And,
when the medical luxuries are nearly exhausted, and
signs of worn-out patience are visible, he rounds it all
off with a letter of resignation !
In few but intelligent phrases he is told to d ism is s
all hopes of an early return to the coast—something is
muttered of an unfulfilled contract, services due, excellent
shamming, necessity of caution, triangle, &c. And
our “ artful dodger ” is seen at work half an hour later,
•with jacket off and sleeves rolled up; and his after history
Europeans
in Africa.
contains a good deal of work fitly done.
Another of these Europeans, who have troubled me
not a little, can be best described by an extract from my
diary .dated October 14, 1880.
“ Poor man—let us call him Frank—like all other un-