THE LOWER CONGO—BANANA POINT TO VIVI. 338 
palm, growing abundantly on the river between Boma 
and the sea, in the marshy districts and flat mud-banks 
that border the widening river. The skeleton of the 
house is first formed by a scaffolding of stout poles cut 
from among the saplings of the neighbouring forest, and 
in between these the “bamboo” rods are worked, and 
make an excellent and firm partition through the chinks 
of which the air can freely penetrate. Underhill is a 
pretty station, but so shut in by natural obstacles that it 
is difficult to explore much of the neighbourhood in the 
absence of any path over the stony hills, where the strong 
erass, growing often six feet high, does not conduce to a 
pleasant walk. 
I was preparing to make a little journey along the 
south bank of the river, hoping ultimately to reach Stanley 
Pool, when on the eve of my departure the Belgique, a 
steamer belonging to the African International Association, 
called at Underhill, and the captain gave me a message 
from the chief of Vivi station, inviting me to come over 
to see Mr. Stanley, who had just returned from EKurope. 
I deferred my intended departure for a day, and accom- 
panied the captain of the Belgique on his way up stream 
to Vivi. Several times before, I had seen this vessel pass 
the mission and then disappear, as it were, into the very 
mountain side, for the entrance to “ Hell’s Cauldron ” was 
strangely hidden, so that to the great wish I entertained 
of meeting Stanley in Africa, and discoursing with him 
there on African things was added a vague curiosity to 
see what was “round the corner” of this great gorge in 
the mountains. What I did see, on turning a bend in 
the straitened and harassed stream, here flowing between 
precipitous hills of a thousand feet, was Vivi, which, as it 
rose bright and glistening under the afternoon sun, its 
white houses crowning a great, gaunt cliff, and gleaming 
out in their brightness like some Eastern city ona “fortress- 
hill, did, indeed, hardly look a peaceful settlement, but 
rather the stronghold of some river pirate and the store- 
house of his booty. The little steamer, fearful in those 
days of struggling to the foot of Vivi Hill, where the last 
D 
