The Ycllala of the Congo. 
291 
windings of the bed is a total of 115 miles, about 
the distance of Vivi to the sea; the direct land 
march was 75 miles. Captain Tuckey heard 
nothing of the Lumini River entering 43 leagues 
above the Yellala, and he gives no professional 
opinion touching the navigability of the total of 
six greater rapids which, to judge from what I saw, 
can hardly offer any serious obstruction to the de¬ 
velopment of the Nzadi. 
At Nkulu an intelligent native traveller whom 
I examined through the interpreters, strongly ad¬ 
vised the line of the southern bank : five stages 
would lead to Nsundi, and the ten “kings ” on the 
road are not such “ rapacious gentlemen ” as our 
present hosts. A glance at Tuckey’s map shows 
that this southern line cuts across a long westerly 
deflection of the bed. 
I had been warned when setting out that a 
shipful of goods would not take me past Nkulu. 
This was soon confirmed. On the evening after 
arrival I had directed my interpreter to sound the 
“ bush-kings ” touching the expense of a march 
to Nsundi. They modestly demanded 100 lbs. 
of beads, fifty kegs of powder, forty demijohns 
of rum, twelve uniforms, ten burnuses, a few 
swords, and 200 whole pieces of various expen¬ 
sive cloths, such as Costa Finas, Riscados, and 
satin stripes,—briefly, about ^300 for three days’ 
march. It suggested the modest demand made 
