54 The Granite Pillar of Kinsembo. 
Pompey’s Pillar: we shall see many of these mono¬ 
liths in different parts of the Congo country. 
The heat of the day was passed in the shade of 
the Lumba, enjoying the sea-breeze and the novel 
view. It was debated whether we should re¬ 
turn via Masera, a well-known slaving village, 
whose barracoons were still standing. But the 
bearers dissuaded us, declaring that they might be 
seized as “ dash,” unless the white men paid heavy 
“comey” like those who shipped black cargoes: 
they cannot shake off this old practice of claiming 
transit money. So we returned without a halt, 
covering some twelve of the roughest miles in two 
hours and a quarter. 
The morning of the 26th showed an ugly sight 
from the tall Kinsembo cliff. As far as the eye 
could reach long green-black lines, fronted and 
feathered with frosted foam, hurried up to the war 
with loud merciless roars, and dashed themselves 
in white destruction against the reefs and rock- 
walls. We did not escape till the next day. 
Kinsembo does not appear upon the old maps, 
and our earliest hydrographic charts place it six 
miles wrong. 1 The station was created in 1857-61 
by the mistaken policy of Loanda, which deter¬ 
mined to increase the customs three per cent., and 
1 That of the Hydrographic Office, dated 1863, assigns it to 
S. Lat. 7 0 44', and E. Long. 13 0 5'; and the Granite Pillar to 
S. Lat. 7 0 36' 15", and E. Long. 13 0 6' 30'', 
