OUR JOURNEY UP THE UBANGUI 235 



bank ; the river appears to be a sharp dividing-line between 

 a sterile and a fertile land. On the right bank there are low 

 hills of stony soil with hardly a tree to be seen, while on the 

 Belgian side the whole country wears a fertile aspect, with 

 wooded hills and extensive tropical forests filling the valleys. 

 Where the river passes the hills rapids are formed, consisting 

 of a rocky channel about 350 yards in width through which 

 the whole volume of water has to pass. 



The French post is in command of Captain Mahien, who, 

 with only two other officers to assist him, administers a 

 district 800 miles long, far too large an area for such a small 

 number, with the result that much of the country remains 

 closed. 



On the opposite side of the river is the Belgian post of 

 Banzyville. It is under the command of an Italian, Captain 

 Babulini, who is assisted by an adjutant. The post is the 

 oldest and one of the best in the Belgian Congo ; there are 

 fine brick houses, and an abundance of banana trees, paw- 

 paws and bamboos add to the picturesqueness of the place 

 and refresh the eye, while a broad avenue of palms makes it 

 the ideal tropical settlement of one's imagination. This was 

 the first time we came under the protection of the Congo flag, 

 the golden star on a deep blue ground. We were much 

 impressed with the well-ordered appearance of the post. 

 The plantations of young rubber trees extend for three miles, 

 and in this district alone there are about 45,000 people. Each 

 village has its work allotted to it ; one supplies plantains or 

 palm oil, another paddles, another carriers, and so on 

 according to the nature of the local product. In return for 

 their labour each man or woman is paid and fed, and the 



