1883. "belongs to Iboko now. He has become this day one of
October 23. , _ . - . .
iboko. the Ban gala. Oh ! Iboko,. listen to the voice of Mata
Bwyki.” (I thought they must have been incurably
deaf not to have heard that voice.)
“ Bula Matari and Mata Bwyki are one to-day. We
have joined hands. Hurt not Bula Matari’s people;
steal not from them, offend them not. Bring your produce
and barter with him. Bring food and sell to him
at a fair price, gently, kindly, and in peace, for he is
my brother. Hear you, ye people of Iboko!—you by
the river side, and’ you of the interior ? ”
“ We hear, Mata Bwyki! ” shouted the multitude.
The rest of the day was spent in obtaining a promise
that I should build a station among the Bangala. An
entire village of huts and palms and banana-groves
was to be sold to me, but I deferred the purchase until
I could bring up Lieutenant Coquilhat and his men.
Meantime I explained to them that on this occasion
I had merely come to reconnoitre^ and after examining
Langa-Langa, I should return and call on them as
I descended towards the equator. We exchanged
liberal presents with Mata Bwyki, and our companions
imitated our example. The ceremony of
blood-brotherhood was performed several times over,
with the sons and nephews of the patriarchal old
chief.
On the 25th we continued our journey up river, and
struck over to the left bank by the first channel we
discovered. It was no easy task, however, to do this?
as the islets were so long and so. numerous, that we did
not finally reach the left bank until we had steamed
for'thirteen hours. Iboko'
For purely tropical scenes, I commend the verdu-
rously rich isles in mid-Congo, between Iboko on the
right bank, and Mutembo on the left bank, with the
intricate and recurrent river channels meandering
between. There the rich verdure reflects the brightness
of the intense sunshine in glistening velvet sheen from
frond and leaf. The underwood presents varied colours,
with their tufted tops or the climbing serpentine form
of the llianes, and their viny leaves. Each and all have;
their own separate and particular beauties of colouring
that renders description impossible. At all times
I believe the same refreshing gladness and vigour
of tropical nature may. be observed about this latitude.
Some of the smallest islets seemed to be
all aflame with crimson colouring, while the purple
of the ipomsea, and the gold and white of the jasmine
and mimosa flowered, bloomed and diffused a sweet
fragrance. Untainted by the marring hand of man, or
by his. rude and sacrilegious presence, these isles,
blooming thus in their beautiful native innocence and.
grace, approached in aspect as near Eden s loveliness
as anything I shall ever see on this side of Paradise.
They are blessed with a celestial bounty of florid and
leafy beauty, a fulness of vegetable life that cannot
possibly be matched elsewhere save where, soil with
warm and abundant moisture and gracious sunshine
are equally to be found in the same perfection. Not
mere things of beauty alone were these isles. The