302 Return to the Congo Mouth. 
vanished when faced. The wild people showed 
no feeling against foreigners, and the Nkulu 
linguisters during their last visit begged me to 
return as soon as possible and “ no tell lie.” I 
could only promise that their claims should be laid 
before the public. Accordingly a report of this 
trip was at once sent in to Her Majesty’s Foreign 
Office, and a paper was read before the British 
Association of September, 1864. 
Early on Thursday morning (Sept. 17) we began 
the down march. It was a repetition of the up 
march, except that all were bent upon rushing home, 
like asses to their stables ; none of those pos£s, or 
regular halts on the line of march, as practised by 
well-trained voyctgeurs, are known to Congo-land. 
There was some reason for the hurry, and tra¬ 
vellers in these regions will do well to remember 
it, or they may starve with abundance around 
them. The kings and chiefs hold it their duty to 
entertain the outward bound; but when cloth, beads, 
and rum have been exhausted, the returning wan¬ 
derer sits under a tree instead of entering the 
banza, and it is only an exceptional householder 
who will send him a few eggs or plantains. They 
“ cut ” you, as a rule, more coolly than ever town 
man cut a continental acquaintance. Finally, the 
self-imposed hardships of the down march break 
men’s spirits for further attempts, and their 
cupidity cannot neutralize their natural indolence 
thus reinforced. 
