The Shade of the Virgin Forest 247 



June, 1907. Father Superior Wulfers,* of the neighbouring 

 mission, was also present. The next day I paid a visit there 

 alone. The mission is very prettily situated in a glade, and 

 makes a cheerful as v^ell as a very imposing impression, with its 

 new brick-built houses, which, especially the large church, bear 

 a resemblance to the Romanesque style. 



On the 25th of April we sent our trusty Askari home. As 

 they paraded before me for the last time with all their old 

 habitual discipline, I thanked them for the loyal services which 

 they had rendered during the past twelve months. I can give 

 them an excellent testimonial. Faithful, and more than faithful, 

 in their duties, they never, with very few exceptions, gave any 

 cause for serious complaint. Some of them had to look after the 

 safe conduct of the scientific collection loads to the coast, and so 

 were separated for months from the expedition ; others had to 

 hasten with mail matter from one safari to another on journeys 

 lasting for weeks at a time. In spite of all, excesses were never 

 committed. The conduct of these soldiers bears eloquent witness 

 to the excellence of the German methods of drill and instruction, 

 which even in the absence of superiors shows no relaxation of 

 discipline. 



As a conclusion to this chapter I should like to attach a 

 few general statements made by Dr. Mildbraed concerning the 

 forest, in which he briefly sketches one of the most important 

 results of our botanical collections : 



" One often comes across conceptions, even in recent works, 

 regarding the extent and character of the African tropical forest 

 and the so-called Equatorial forest, which do not correspond to 

 the reality. I will quote a few such instances : 



'" ... Its extent alone is smaller, compared with the Malayan 

 and Brazilian forests ; it is limited to a relatively narrow strip on 

 the Guinea coast to the Cameroons, and farther south to the 

 Gaboon and central Angola. Thence eastwards it extends, 



* Father Wulfers met with a fatal accident whilst travelling on duty in the 

 spring of 1909. 



