The Eastern Congo 



personal servant. After some years' wandering with the 

 Belgian forces during the war and having visited such places 

 as Dar-es-Salaam and Tabora, we had brought him back to 

 his home near Mbeni where he was well known to the Catholic 

 missionaries. We had become quite attached to this pleasant 

 native, so in the light of the event that followed it was a httle 

 bit pitiful to remember his answer to the White Fathers when 

 they expressed surprise that he had brought back nothing 

 with him after so many years' absence. It was to the effect 

 that he had saved no money and had nothing at all, but he had 

 seen " life," having smoked the white man's cigarettes and 

 cigars and having tasted the white man's beer and whisky 

 at Dar-es-Salaam. 



When he left his home sleeping sickness was very pre- 

 valent in the Mbeni district, and this native, so the Fathers 

 told us, was supposed to have had it, but the germs being 

 dormant, as occurs in some cases, the disease acted slowly. 

 On this evidence therefore it seemed that it was his fate 

 to come home with us to die of this scourge. 



For some weeks past it had become increasingly evident 

 that Cyril — which was the boy's name — was becoming fatter 

 and fatter, in fact, he became elephantine (for a negro). 

 This apparently was the last stage of the disease with him, 

 for he went sick and was dead in three days. With this 

 native and the porter who succumbed earlier in the week, 

 we had a practical illustration of the Wanandi's superstitious 

 dread of any man dying in a house. Both poor Cyril and 

 the dying porter were carried out of the hut they occupied 

 when at their last gasp, so that they should not die under 

 its roof. 



This " chapter of accidents " was rather disconcerting 



158 



