86 CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



reduced to occasional patches of a few yards of brush 

 wood, or reeds, Avhich, ghding gently down the stream, 

 convey the idea of repose rather than the rush of a mighty 

 river. 



Liutenant Hawkey proceeded up the creek opposite to 

 which the Congo was anchored, and describes it " as di- 

 viding into two branches, one having a direction E. by S. 

 and the other W. by N., the former of which he fol- 

 lowed, and found it extremely tortuous ; after passing 

 twenty reaches in directions almost opposite, he reached 

 the primitive land, composed here of sandy precipitous 

 cliffs ; the soil in some spots bare, in others covered with 

 wood, particularly with the Adansonia or boabab. Here 

 we met with the excrement of elephants, tygers, and other 

 animals both herbivorous and carnivorous ; the skeleton of 

 the head of a wild hog was picked up, and an antelope was 

 seen ; on the sandy beach close to a pond of stagnant fresh 

 water were many birds, where the river turtle had deposited 

 their eggs." 



Many canoes visited the Congo, with pigs, goats, fowls, 

 and eggs for sale, but being almost as exorbitant in their 

 demands as at Shark Point, we did little business ; some 

 trading canoes with 10 to 20 men in each, going up and 

 down the river, also stopped along side to satisfy their 



