26 , THE CONGO.
1883. Irebu will be no longer known as tbe strongest tribe June 6. °
irebu. on tbe great river.
“ Now, Bula Matari, yon bave come in good time
to save us from this mutual slaughter. We have
heard of you years ago. Chumbiri told us your name
was Stanley. When you were coming down river
with your many canoes, we lay in wait for you behind
that large island, but we did not attack you. We
heard of Bula Matari building towns at Kintamo, at
Mswata, and Bolobo; but we did not know who Bula
Matari was, until Ibaka, some moons past, told us that
Bula Matari was Stanley. You belong to Irebu now,
You must save Irebu from death and ruin.”
“ Mangombo,” I replied, “ I should like to do it, but
I have other work before me. I must go to Ikengo
first, and on my return I will do what I can. Meantime,
stop fighting.”
“ Ah, that is easy to say ! but Magwala and Mpika
must also stop fighting. Will you speak to them?”
“ I will send a boat to tell them that Mangombo has
asked me to settle the war, but that I cannot stay
now; and I will ask them to wait until I return
to make peace.”
Enough has been said, as near to Mangombo’s own
words as the necessities of this book will permit, of this
internecine war which was raging in one of the most
flourishing and populous districts on the Upper Congo.
According to my promise I proceeded in my boat
opposite Mpika and Magwqla’s landing-places, and
offered to mediate between the contending factions, on
LUKANGA RIVER. 27
the condition that they would refrain from hostilities
during fifteen days. Mpika consented immediately, as
it fortunately turned out that he was the blood-brother
of Lieutenant Janssen at Mswata, and that he oried-
nally owned the large canoe then lashed alongside of
the steam-launch Royal. Magwala was not so willing to
agree to the compact of truce, but was finally prevailed
upon by his friend Mpika.
I observed that in the covelet of Upper Irebu there
v as no current, and I suspected that there must be
another lake in the vicinity, and on inquiry I ascertained
that there was big water ” a few hours’journey
up the Lukanga; but the Congo tribes are in daily
presence of such large bodies of water, that the vicinity
of a lake appears to be nothing extraordinary to them.
It is only with inland peoples that it becomes a worthy
topic to boast of lakes. This accounts for the great
difficulty of exciting sufficient interest in these riverine
tribes to draw from them exact information. They
always use tbe terms “ plenty of water,” “ big water,”
“ big river,” which I find by experience to apply
equally to streams furnishing just sufficient water for
canoe navigation.
The water of tbe Lukanga is of the same black
colour as the Mfini and Lake Leopold I I . ; and some
of tbe Irebu stated to me that they could reach Gran-
kabi’s by navigating the Lukanga, Mantumba Lake,
and floating down a river to Lake Leopold II. and the
Mfini River. This aroused my curiosity greatly, but
I had to defer the investigation of the truth of this
Irebu.