Homeward Bound 271 



botanical experimental garden, which we had the pleasure of 

 inspecting in the company of its director. It serves scientific 

 and practical aims jointly. Amongst its numerous products may 

 be mentioned rubber, gutta-percha, cocoa, tea, vanilla, coca, 

 patchouli, and other articles. It was a visit of especial interest 

 for our botanist, and a pleasure to us laymen to see amongst 

 the thousands of plants the producers of such old and familiar 

 articles of common household use as tea, vanilla, and, if you 

 like, patchouli. 



Next day we reached Irebu, a great military depot. Eight 

 hundred black soldiers were being drilled into shape at the 

 time of our visit. We had the pleasure there, long denied us, 

 of dining in the company of a lady, Madame Jeauniaux, wife 

 of the Commander of the military depot. After dinner we 

 had a regular concert — songs with harmonium accompaniment. 

 It quite stirred us to hear German songs sung in a very pretty 

 voice by a lady, especially after having had nothing better in 

 the way of music than our hoarse old gramophone for a year. 



On the following morning we left on our four days' voyage 

 to Leopoldville, the terminus of our steamer journey. These 

 passed quickly, as the scenery was always changing. We only 

 passed small posts at this part of the Congo, the duty of whose 

 occupants is to look after the maintenance of the telegraphic 

 connection. This duty is a very severe one, for the lines to be 

 controlled are of great length and extend over many miles of 

 fever-laden swamps. The officials are constantly compelled to 

 take exhausting journeys in order to repair the damages inflicted 

 by the elephants, or otherwise. 



After passing the mouth of the Kasai, one of the largest 

 tributaries of the Congo, we crossed Stanley Pool on the 24th, 

 a great water basin of two hundred square kilometres. Heavy 

 fog lay on the water and forced us to anchor again. When the 

 sun's rays at last pierced the vapour, the white houses of Brazza- 

 ville were gleaming in the distance from the northern shore, and 

 those of Leopoldville from the southern. Not wishing to miss 

 the opportunity of seeing the capital of a French colony, I had 



