Homeward Bound 
275 
The hospital, the official and the private buildings lie a little 
distance away from the river; the city proper, the commercial 
part, the factories and the negro quarters extend along the bank. 
A steam tramway, on which officials are allowed a free pass, 
connects both parts. An experienced guide accompanied us on 
a tour of inspection of the chief buildings and their internal 
arrangements 5 the native hospital, which is built in conformity 
with all modern hygienic ideas, the barracks, the school, the 
prison, etc. The latter contains a separate part intended for 
white men, which consists of thirty single cells of equal size and 
a common mess-room. This arrangement has proved to be 
necessary in case it should happen that twenty Europeans should 
be simultaneously expiating their offences, which for the most 
part consist in the oppression of the natives. Everything we 
saw in Boma pointed to practical experience and exemplary 
method. As we promenaded through the jardtn fuhlique next 
day (Ascension Day) at the hour when the elite of Boma was 
wont to air itself, 'we listened to the strains of a negro band 
and enjoyed hearing many a familiar tune again. 
In the meantime the captain of the Mandtngo had telegraphed 
from Loanda announcing that he would arrive at the mouth of 
the Congo at noon on the 29th of May. We were to be taken 
there by the Wall^ a small Congo State steamer which plies 
between Boma and Matadi. The Governor and other gentlemen 
courteously saw us aboard the Wall^ and in glorious weather, 
with hearts rejoicing, we steamed to the open sea, which we had 
not seen for a year. 
Sunk in thought, we gradually approached the mouth of the 
Congo, hardly observing the gradual receding of the river banks 
and the slowly changing colour of the water, till our attention 
was aroused to the proximity of the ocean by freshening breezes 
and an increased pitching of the boat. Then, having drawn 
abreast of the large islands which lie in the channel and obstruct 
the view, we saw the ocean at last, stretching blue and limitless 
before us. The waves were glittering in the sunlight as if 
they were spangled with gold, and their crests were curling with 
