448 FEEDERS OF THE CONGO. Chap. XXII. 



capabilities for easy irrigation. On reaching the river Chikapa 

 (lat. 10° 10' S., long. 19° 42' E.), the 25th of March, we found 

 it fifty or sixty yards wide, and flowing E.N.E. into the Kasai. 

 The adjacent country is of the same level nature as that part of 

 Londa formerly described ; but, having come further to the east- 

 ward than our previous course, we found that all the rivers had 

 worn for themselves much deeper valleys than at the points we 

 had formerly crossed them. 



Surrounded on all sides by large gloomy forests, the people of 

 these parts have a much more indistinct idea of the geography 

 of their country, than those who live in hilly regions. It was only 

 after long and patient inquiry, that I became fully persuaded that 

 the Quilo runs into the Chikapa. As we now crossed them both 

 considerably further down, and were greatly to the eastward of our 

 first route, there can be no doubt that these rivers take the same 

 course as the others, into the Kasai, and that I had been led into 

 a mistake in saying that any of them flowed to the westward. 

 Indeed it was only at this time, that I began to perceive that all 

 the western feeders of the Kasai, except the Quango, flow first 

 from the western side towards the centre of the country, then 

 gradually turn, with the Kasai itself, to the north ; and, after the 

 confluence of the Kasai with the Quango, an immense body of 

 water, collected from all these branches, finds its way out of the 

 country by means of the river Congo or Zaire on the west coast. 



The people living along the path we are now following were 

 quite accustomed to the visits of native traders, and did not feel 

 in any way bound to make presents of food, except for the purpose 

 of cheating : thus, a man gave me a fowl and some meal, and, 

 after a short time, returned. I offered him a handsome present 

 of beads ; but these he declined, and demanded a cloth instead, 

 which was far more than the value of his gift. They did the 

 same with my men, until we had to refuse presents altogether. 

 Others made high demands because I slept in a " house of cloth," 

 and must be rich. They seemed to think that they had a perfect 

 right to payment, for simply passing through the country. 



Beyond the Chikapa, we crossed the Kamaue, a small deep 

 stream, proceeding from the S.S.W., and flowing into the Chikapa. 



On the 30th of April we reached the Loajima, where we had 

 to form a bridge to effect our passage. This was not so difficult 



