MANYANGA TO LEOPOLDVILLE (STANLEY POOL). 107 
which the flower stalks often attain the height of fifteen 
feet, and with gnarled and stunted trees, bearing leaden- — 
coloured, almost uneatable fruit. I should omit the 
qualifying “almost,” were it not that I have seen the 
Zanzibaris occasionally gnawing them. These trees are 
‘spread in a sparse manner over the hill-side, and give it 
from a distance a spotted appearance. This difference in 
richness of vegetation that exists between hills and valleys 
in this part of Africa is not due so much to the relative - 
abundance of moisture as to the prevailing grass fires in 
the dry season. These sweep over the hills at times, 
destroying all the finer trees, so that only these stunted 
shrubs and the rank grass spring up from their roots 
anew and flourish for a season. Therefore it is that 
around the villages whose plantations are protected from 
the ravages of the flames, as far as may be possible, rich 
forest invariably exists, and their presence may be in- 
fallibly detected in this country by the groups of fine trees 
and patches of purple forest growing isolated on the many 
hill-tops. Again, in all shut-in valleys and river-courses, 
where the fires are choked, there vegetation of the most 
wonderful character riots in all the wild luxuriance of its 
unchecked growth. I have already alluded to this subject 
in my description of the villages at Yelala, and shall make 
some further remarks in treating of the forest region 
beyond Stanley Pool. 
Lutete is a pleasant little station, situated about eight 
miles from the Congo, on a high plateau, and commanding 
the great ivory route which runs from Stanley Pool to 
Sao Salvador and Ambrizéte. This important native road 
gradually diverges from the Congo to the south-west. 
Already at Lutete it is over eight miles in a direct line 
from the river bank. The bit of connecting road between 
Lutete and the landing-place opposite Manyanga, has been 
wholly or partially constructed by Mr. Stanley’s assistants. 
That, and the short bit of road between Vivi and Isangila, 
round Ngoma falls, are all the engineering his expedition 
has at present undertaken, although with time and men 
Mr. Stanley hopes to construct a carriageable road from 
