252 DOWN THE CONGO TO THE COAST 



who do an immense business with the native popula- 

 tion, not to mention their trade with the Europeans, 

 at Stanleyville there are no native traders and only 

 three European firms, of whom at that time one was 

 bankrupt, another was on the verge of the same con- 

 dition, and the stock of the third consisted almost 

 exclusively of cigars and lager-beer. 



I found myself at Stanleyville, without either 

 desiring it or deserving it, in a position of very un- 

 enviable notoriety. A letter, which T had been 

 unfortunate enough to write to England describing 

 our disastrous attempt to explore the western slopes 

 of Ruwenzori, had been published in the Times with 

 an anti- Congo purpose for which it was never 

 intended. The Congo Defence Society had seized 

 upon this letter, and in the last number of their 

 journal, La VeritS sur le Congo, which had just 

 arrived at Stanleyville, it appeared in French, 

 German, and English, with vehement vituperations 

 against the writer of it. Most of the Belgians with 

 whom I discussed the subject were exceedingly 

 polite, and were quite ready to admit any fair criti- 

 cism, but it had an unpleasant sequel, which came 

 near to prolonging my stay in Congo territory against 

 my will. When we arrived at Boma I was met by 

 the Commissioner of Police, who invited me to call 

 without delay on the Procureur- General. As we 

 were going ashore he showed me a warrant for my 

 arrest, which he would have used if 1 had declined 

 the invitation. My interview with the Procureur- 



