CHAPTER VIII 



THROUGH THE SEMLIKI VALLEY TO THE KILO GOLDFIELDS 



On the first day's march in the New Year, we were wandering 

 through acacia forests and finding many fresh elephant tracks. 

 We traversed steep, romantic, rocky regions up to Karimi on the 

 Semliki, where we crossed. At this point we passed the equator 

 for the sixth time on our travels, for, apart from our journey 

 across the Indian Ocean, we were given the further opportunities 

 of passing it on Lake Victoria, and again when near Kasindi. 



On the day following we set up camp at the mission station 

 of St. Gustave, where we were most hospitably received by 

 Father Superior Farinelli. This mission, which had only been 

 established about a year, had been levelled to the ground by a 

 hurricane, and they had recently been celebrating its restoration. 

 The houses and the chapel, constructed of matete, gave a very 

 trim and pleasing impression. This was still further enhanced 

 by the kindly demeanour of the mission brethren, who are 

 specially esteemed by the Congolese on account of their avoidance 

 of political affairs. 



At our next camp, Sambia, after a hot, tedious march over 

 somewhat flat country, we were agreeably surprised to meet 

 Creydt, the Austrian cavalry captain, who, on hunting bent, 

 had marched thither over Fort Portal. On the 13th of January 

 we caught a glimpse in the distance of the spruce-looking houses 

 of Beni, resting on the plateau of a hill of large circumference. 

 Before reaching it, however, we had to pass in intense heat over 

 many deep gullies which intersected a broad grass steppe. The 

 latter presented a somewhat novel botanical aspect, as it was 

 almost exclusively grown over with borassus palms. Many old 



195 



