north-east. About 10 a .m . we appeared in view of
Bondeb, among tbe natives of wbicb we seemed to
have created a panic; for tbe canoes containing tbe
women and children, and household gods, were crossing
over to the left bank by scores. Here, for the first
time also, we saw a change in the architecture of the
buildings. Many tall conical huts—of the candle-
extinguisher type—were seen rising high above the
well-known low, ridge-roof style adopted along the
Congo, since we left the Atlantic. As these circular
huts appeared to he only about five feet in diameter,
it was at first a question as to what they were
adapted for. Bondeh also is a populous village.
The left hank at the upper extremity of Bondeh
appears crowned with another important village called
Yambi.
When this last place appears in sight the river
begins another deep curve, which we follow for about
two hours and find to he an almost complete semicircle.
My compass course tells me that we have been,
running almost parallel with the Congo, and bearing
the south-easterly indication of the native of Yakui.
For a moment, I am half inclined to suspect that the
river we are ascending will turn out to be a right
branch of the Congo after all. At noon I am anxious
to take a correct latitude, and I find we are in N. Lat.
0° 59' 0"! The day previous we were in N. Lat.
1° 7' 0". With my preconceptions that this affluent
must be the WelM, these revelations serve to confuse