The Shade of the Virgin Forest 247 
June, 1907. Father Superior Wulfers,* of the neighbouring 
mission, was also present. The next day I paid a visit there 
alone. The mission is very prettily situated in a glade, and 
makes a cheerful as well as a very imposing impression, with its 
new brick-built houses, which, especially the large church, bear 
a resemblance to the Romanesque style. 
On the 25th of April we sent our trusty Askari home. As 
they paraded before me for the last time with all their old 
habitual discipline, I thanked them for the loyal services which 
they had rendered during the past twelve months. I can give 
them an excellent testimonial. Faithful, and more than faithful, 
in their duties, they never, with very few exceptions, gave any 
cause for serious complaint. Some of them had to look after the 
safe conduct of the scientific collection loads to the coast, and so 
were separated for months from the expedition; others had to 
hasten with mail matter from one safari to another on journeys 
lasting for weeks at a time. In spite of all, excesses were never 
committed. The conduct of these soldiers bears eloquent witness 
to the excellence of the German methods of drill and instruction, 
which even in the absence of superiors shows no relaxation of 
discipline. 
As a conclusion to this chapter I should like to attach a 
few general statements made by Dr. Mildbraed concerning the 
forest, in which he briefly sketches one of the most important 
results of our botanical collections: 
“ One often comes across conceptions, even in recent works, 
regarding the extent and character of the African tropical forest 
and the so-called Equatorial forest, which do not correspond to 
the reality. I will quote a few such instances: 
“ ‘... Its extent alone is smaller, compared with the Malayan 
and Brazilian forests ; it is limited to a relatively narrow strip on 
the Guinea coast to the Cameroons, and farther south to the 
Gaboon and central Angola. Thence eastwards it extends, 
* Father Wulfers met with a fatal accident whilst travelling on duty in the 
spring of 1909. 
