CHAPTER VII 
TO LAKE ALBERT EDWARD 
Our sojourn in a land like the Congo State which forms a 
centre of international interest, and into the administration of 
which we were privileged to obtain a glimpse, naturally calls for 
a review of some sort, or at least a comparison with the conditions 
and institutions of other African territories which are under 
foreign rule. The reader might expect that at the beginning of 
the chapter which deals with our stay in the Congo State the 
questions of greatest interest, such as the administration of the 
country, the exploitation of its products, or the native question, 
would be fully entered into. I crave his indulgence if I do not 
fulfil his anticipations. Firstly, any attempt to deal with such 
questions would far exceed the limits of a simple narrative of 
travel, and, secondly, I would not presume, after a stay of only 
seven months in a country, which it would take years to know 
well, to form any conclusive judgment concerning it. 
One idea that has become general, however, I will most firmly 
oppose, namely, that the policy of the Congo State is only con¬ 
cerned in depriving the population of its rights and depleting it 
for sordid mercenary gain. It is true that there have been 
isolated instances of cruelty, and cases where officials lacking in 
understanding have misused the powers confided to them by 
excess of zeal, or in an attack of “tropical frenzy,” and this is 
not denied by the Belgians ; but these are things which happen 
in the colonies of every nation. It is impossible to prevent their 
occurrence in countries where the indolence and the behaviour of 
the people necessitates the strictest discipline to promote the 
development of the countries’ great wealth. The natives of the 
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