Monday August 14, 1922

Our mealtimes now conform to tropical custom: we have breakfast at 7 AM, chop (lunch) at 12 noon, then rest till 2pm when we have tea, ending with the evening chop at 7 PM. We retire much earlier than at home.

Most of the day was spent on necessary attention to the arranging of our baggage however in the evening we got in some tennis at the Hardcourts of the mission.

It is possible to discard ones helmet here by 4.30; getting nearly 2 hours of tennis between then and dark. Very enjoyable it is to feel a racket once again.

It is with feelings of perspiration that one watches the native boys playing football in the middle of the day, even in the hot sun but their skin awards them practically a complete protection against the sun by reason of the black pigment it contains.

I saw a native the other day; on his forehead was a patch of skin when no colour had developed leaving it just as pink as ours. An Albino is a person who has no pigment anywhere not even in the eye.

Sunday August 13, 1922

Our first Sunday in Congo.

Kinshasa being a cosmopolitan city there are many services in the church in different languages for various classes of people Thus one of my earliest experiences this morning was hearing lusty singing from the chapel near our hostel.

The words were in a strange language but the tune was the same as we are accustomed to at home and it seemed very significant and caused me quite a strange feeling as I recognised the hymn as “O happy way that fixed my choice”... We have seen enough to realise that happiness for the native can come by no other way.

There was an English service at 11 AM where Rev. Davies preached. Some of the men from Levies (H.C.B) were present. Davies was doing great work in presenting Christianity in - to them - a new light.

In the afternoon we went to a service in the native quarter of the town and had our first experience of an African congregation.

In the evening we went for a little walk by the river and came upon a host of driver ants on the march. These ants move in an orderly column like an army on the march. they advance in rows of five or six abreast like a little stream of brown water. They take hours to pass a given spot, which gives some idea of the millions of ants in one colony. They have officers - a larger ant all together with formidable pincers - who walk outside the column or stand in places of difficulty or danger lining the route on either side. They also use their pincers to “stimulate” slackers: when one of these offices really gets a grip of one's finger they will never let go, they will let you pull them in half rather than slacken their Bulldog grip.

Driver ants are the enemies of the termites (or so called white ants) it is the termite which is the greatest enemy of man’s goods in the tropics; so the drivers must be regarded as friends. Termites will eat wooden boxes, books, clothes or anything - except metal. Fortunately then driver ants eat termites!

I had dinner with the Reverend Davies; we had some familiar hymns and anthems after chops.

From the veranda we could see large bush fire on the hills across the water.

It has been sunny and hot today; the warmest day we have had so far, but cool this evening. Even so it has been no hotter than last summer in England, as yet we've had no weather hotter than we have experienced in England.

Last month two sudden deaths occurred at Kinshasa: The wife and son of Mr Haslyn. The little boy got a septic throat which the mother subsequently contracted - both died very soon after onset.

Saturday August 12, 1922

We reached Thysville last night at around 6:00 pm - Just in time to get settled in before dark which falls soon after. The last part of the line before Thysville is again through mountainous country but very wooded and thus contrasts with the ruggedness of those along Matadi. We saw some wonderful expanses of hills; tier upon tier against a background of blue mountains on the sky line.

The line takes some remarkable curves here: in one place making a complete S bend - almost a figure of 8 where the train goes about a mile and advances just 50 yards or so: all the energy being spent on getting to a higher level.

Thysville lies 2,400 feet above the sea and is about 120 miles from Matadi (100 feet above sea approximately) this gives some idea of the climb up.

We have put up at the Mission at Thysville. Mrs Jennings is a most charming hostess and did everything for our comfort. I went into the little church adjoining the mission houses to see the organ given by the Ropeholders to the station.

We have another early rise tomorrow so we retired early. I shared a bedroom in the visitors house with Rev. Davis. During the night a rat ran off with our candle! Fortunately he made so much noise under the bed whilst devouring it that we were able to rescue it and place it and the soap in one of our trunks for safety. He also visited Rev. Davies bed but gave me the cold shoulder! Rev. Davies assures me in all his experience of the Congo this is the first time he has come into such close contact with rats! One very quickly gets used to these little interruptions however and does not mind them.

Thysville is a large railway centre and has many sidings and sheds as one of the smaller railway centres of some of the home railways.
It is a mark of Congo's development.

On our railway journey we passed some modern cement factory in the course of construction in a native village called Lukala. Germans are said to be assisting in the work: anyway the enterprise is is worthy of them and this is but another illustration of the opening up of Congo's resources.

We bought some bananas and other fruit on the way. A huge bunch of bananas - as much as one of us could manage to carry for 2p!

We left Thysville railway station at 7:00 am and continued our journey much as we did yesterday. Yesterday was cloudy and cool: today is sunny and warmer but not oppressive. In Congo we welcome a cool day as much as we appreciate a sunny day at home.

Thysville is rather more than half way: thus we reached Kinshasa at 4:30 pm. Three Ford lorries were at the station to convey our luggage (and some of the men folk too) to the RMS station where we cleansed, fed and rested ourselves.

The cleansing  was not so lengthy a matter as we had been led to expect from reports of other travellers who had warned us about the "minor horrors" of the Congo railway. Indeed old travellers on our train confessed they had never had a more expeditious journey or one more free from dirt - "why" said Rev. Palmer "not even one of us had any of our clothes damages by hot wood cinders or coal from the engine!" The railway burns coal as long as it lasts and then wood. As a consequence frequently the train does not reach Thysville till long after dark.

Kinshasa is a large modern city and contains the advantages and disadvantages of a large centre of civilisation attracting to it a great numbers of natives from all parts of the colony and beyond. It is to many an African family away up country what London was to the country families of England in the Victorian era: The place where a few do well but the majority degenerate.

The city is divided into two parts - white and black living in separate areas: A large park will eventually separate these two parts. A good deal of shipping is done and motor cars and lorries are used in land transport. The roads however are nowhere metalled and consist, even in the centre of the town, of dusty (in this dry season) ways - in places little better than farm tracks.

Kinshasa everywhere presents the appearance of being unfinished coupled with the burnt out look due to the dry season the irregular distribution of houses and trading concerns gives a staggering and untidy affect to the city.

But good buildings and electric light compensate for lot when daylight ends at 6 PM every day. There are said to be 1000 white people in Kinshasa of which 3 to 400 are Portuguese. I am told the African native does not always regard a Portuguese as a white man because he is careless of his appearance and lives much more like a native does.

A white man who does not shave and he wears dirty clothes is called a Portuguese regardless of whatever nationality he may be.

Kinshasa is about 800 feet above sea level, the Congo river drops 700 feet between here and Matadi - a distance of some 200 odd miles. At present we are nearing the end of dry season, this is the cool season when the rains begin the atmosphere becomes so charged with moisture that the body has difficulty in getting rid of its perspiration by evaporation as ordinary and this makes the wet humid season the hot and trying one.

The dry cool season corresponds roughly to the English summer and the wet hot one to our own winter, this applies to some extent at Yakusu (the seasons are much less marked at Yakusu as it is in the indeterminate region as far as climate is concerned. Rain occurs at Yakusu routinely all year round but the hot season conforms to southern hemisphere rules.)

also though Kinshasa and Yakusu are on opposite sides of the equator - this is because the heat Equator i.e. line of greatest heat is a good deal north of the geographical one running through the Sahara desert, the rain Equator is also north of the geographical one so that the seasons of both Kinshasa and Yakusu correspond to the world's southern hemisphere and not to the northern where Yakusu really is.

Friday August 11, 1922

We rose this morning at an unearthly hour before it was light in order to get ourselves and our hand luggage to the station by 6.30 am. As we retired last night at a correspondingly early hour, our rest was not shortened - but this way of living is new and strange to me!!

We reached the station in good time our party of 8. The railway carriages are in shape more like one of our tram cars and each carriage holds twelve persons. There are no separate compartments. Each person has a revolving chair (like an office chair) and a small collapsing table is fitted between chairs. There is a little platform behind where one enters the carriage and a little vestibule and lavatory at the forward end.

Trains normally run twice a week but when a boat is in they run more frequently. We were very fortunate in securing a whole carriage to ourselves (2nd class) and this we retain for the whole 2-days journey. This added greatly to the enjoyment of this section of our travel, which is said to be the most trying part of all. It turned out however to be one of the jolliest bits to date. Mr. Davies was in great form: and what with him and games, eating, sleeping and getting out at stopping places - this time passed quickly enough, if not too quickly!

The railway is in some respects more like a tram line in that the train goes up and down "hills" and round tremendous corners which our trains at home wouldn't look at: We had a splendid little engine and kept a consistent 12-14 mph throughout the day, reaching Thysville about 6.00 pm. In face of delays which sometimes occur this was a very good journey.

The first 20 miles of the railway journey is through the most magnificent scenery: mountains and ground in the extreme. We ran by the side of the river for a short distance and had a close view of the hill on which Stanley camped on the opposite bank. Then we passed close to the place where he landed (on the south bank) when the natives became too hostile on the north side. We then left the river and traveled among the great mountains; towering above each other as far as we could see. The gigantic scale of the scene is what makes the greatest appeal: it is so vast, so awesome. It was no small achievement to lay this rail line - narrow as it is: one wonders what the workmen thought of it all as they laid the metals - or whether they were too engrossed - or used to it - to think anything about it. The sleepers frequently have to be made out of metal as protection against the white ants (termites) who would devour wooden sleepers with relish!

Leaving the mountains behind us we travel over rolling hills of course grass and vegetation with a native village every few miles. We stop frequently to take in water and this gives us the chance to stretch our legs and make the acquaintance of the natives. Rev Ennals has a toy monkey with a mechanical device for moving its head and this greatly interests children and grown ups at every stopping place. Mr Davies with his rollocking ways interests and charms them just as much!


- We have seen some beautifully coloured birds on this journey : like little bits of winged sunshine with all the colours of the sunset included.

- At one stopping place the stoker ran off into the bush (any wild country is called bush whether it is forest or grassland) this was not discovered till the whistle went for the train to depart - at which point the native station master seized a big stick and went after the missing employee! However he soon turned up with a sack of food and we went on merrily!

Another delay was caused by Mr Davies requesting hot water from the engine for our culinary purposes! In this case the attitude of the station master was very different. He came along and explained he would help, that we were getting all we wanted, that the train was waiting to go and we were to be sure to be completely satisfied before taking our seats to allow the train to proceed!

Thursday August 10, 1922

Matadi

Luggage just before leaving Matadi.

We have secured seats on tomorrows train and therefore spent morning and afternoon reorganising our luggage and getting it conveyed by the mission boys from the store shed to the railway station. 

Only a minimum is allowed in the limited accommodation of passengers carriages – all the big luggage has to go in the luggage van either of our train or the one before – or after: sometimes very much after! Regulations on baggage are just now going through a transition period: the freight for stuff going with the passenger is much more expensive than before, but what is left may not be delivered for 6 weeks or 2 months. Thus we were in somewhat of a dilemma between the calls of economy and of convenience.

Some of our luggage at Matadi station.

We finally compromised; taking 87 packages with us and leaving 28 unessential ones to follow. Even so the nett weight was 3,200 kilos (2kilos – 1lb approx) which filled a whole luggage van (as high as an English rail average size luggage van) and part of one other. If a firm engages a whole van they pay £80. We however, by not asking for a van paid less than £40 for a van and a bit! But that’s what happens out here!

The mission site at Matadi is just outside, but in fill view of the town a little further down the Congo and has a river frontage (except that the state claim 15 yards from the waters edge for itself if necessary.)

The river spears out of Matadi into a kind of lake surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery. 

Just opposite this is a little native village with a native path going away over the hill into the interior. In the distance looking up river we can just see the hill on which H.M Stanley camped before his great march into the interior. The road-way he made up from the beach to the top of the hill – though overgrown – can still be made out, even in the distance.

In the foreground is the modern town of Matadi which has arisen since Stanley’s time.

It has a good sized landing stage where ocean ships can berth. The river here widens out into a kind of pool and gives plenty of room for ships to turn under their own steam. Standing on the ship coming up the river she seemed to fill most of the space between the banks – yet as we look at her now lying close up to the side she seems a mere speck: quite insignificant and puny to how she appeared in the early hours of yesterday morning

Wednesday August 9, 1922

A lovely moon tonight on Congo waters: just ahead, low – almost over the boat. Waters are all lit up – banks shadowed in dark. Bush fires here and there, in the east a lurid red light but alone all the soft light speaks of calm and peace. Chirps and squeaks of animals on the bank. Tonight is our last night on the ship.

We left Boma at 6.0am for the two hours journey up the river to Matadi. This bit of our of our voyage was in many ways the most interesting so far: the early morning light, the calm, slowly flowing river and low hills – sometimes tree covered on either bank. Gradually the country becomes wilder – trees are fewer – the hills are higher their sides steeper and they rise much nearer the waters edge.

By the end of our first hour we are indeed in a wonderful land. The river is narrow (and must be very deep) the hills are mountainous now and rise right from the waters edge. As we look inland mountain rises above mountain as far as the eye can see. The country is quite wild: a few small trees and bushes in the lowlands – coarse grass and vegetation cling to the mountain sides or else brave the rock face standing gaunt and rugged in the grey light.

It is a land where every prospect pleases and the boats slow progress seems much too fast: the river winds its way in and out among the mountains – now showing in a long stretch ahead of us like some great lake – now turning sharply to the right or left – or so concealing its turn that it seems we must run against yonder mountain – or turn back for there seems no way out until we get quite close up to the bend and a new vista opens out before us.

Just below me on the fore deck a native is sweeping up the rubbish which littered the ship at Boma. He is dressed in a red shirt and trousers and a very old English frock coat quite green with age. He looks an odd figure beside these great mountains of his own country -  a picture of too great a part of Africa: that part to whom civilisation has bequeathed just so much of its possessions as it did not want – just its old dirty clothes.

Where the river makes its greatest curves it has worn away the outside bank and so broadened itself into a great ( and shallower) sheet of water at two of these curves especially the great volume of water swirls round with such force as to set up circular currents which at times become very marked. The larger and more famous one is quite near Matadi and is known as the Devils Cauldron. When the river is high this is a strong circular whirlpool of considerable size – a death trap to any canoe which gets out of control and a danger to a small ship. A steamer would be little affected, but we keep well to the outside – and Matadi comes into view as we round this last bend. A pleasing sight from this distance is the little town at the foot of the great hills.

The Portuguese sailors came up this river sometime around 1482 – long before the days of steamship: they must have been wonderfully skilled in manipulating their little sailing boats to get them right up beyond the site where Matadi now is – passing the Devils Cauldron and all the other difficulty’s of the river until the rapids barred their way.

Mission boat crew at Matadi

We moored alongside Matadi landing stage just after 8.0am and spent most of the morning getting ourselves and our baggage off the ship. We passed all our hand luggage etc. through the customs and went to the Mission House by boat for a meal and rest. returning in the afternoon to the large new customs house near the pier to get all our large baggage through customs. We are not allowed to touch it until this has been done and as it takes some time to transfer everybody’s stuff from the ship to the “Douane” we made good use of the time by eating and sleeping!

We “paraded” after dinner with keys and screwdrivers very much in evidence and wore on our faces a beseeching look as if we were dying to open and unpack everything for the customs officers!! One member of the party even went so far as to unscrew two screws of one of his packing cases and that did the trick: the customs officer before whom we had made our declarations – and incidentally to whom we had paid over 1000 francs as a party – came along and said he would pass the whole 115 cases unopened and unexamined. These we stored in a large shed until they could be put on the railway. 

The staff ordinarily stationed at Matadi were home on furlough. Rev.Gaylon was in charge, he and Christie Davies came down to Matadi to welcome and conduct the party up to Kinshasa.

We spent a most delightful evening  feeling we had “something attempted, something done” retiring in good time after yarning, telling and hearing a larger collection of funny stories than – I think – I have ever heard at one sitting anywhere else.   

Tuesday August 8, 1922

Chapter 2. The river journey.

The ship was moored at Boma pier by the time we had breakfast and it was not long after that meal that we set foot for the first time in Congo.

 Boma is the present capital (Kinshasa is to be the new capital city) and the boat stays here for 24 hours which gave us the opportunity for a walk on land and a visit to the local post office for a number of things; one or two official and business calls and finally a visit to the British Consulate.

But the great thing today was our introduction to Congo and impressions just crowed in all day – too numerous and too new to be recorded all at once – they will come gradually in subsequent pages.

Up to now our life has changed so gradually that each days new things could be dealt with fairly easily but today everything is so new and so different: so many things come into view all at once; so much is suggested from casual observations, so much can be deduced that I will leave a fuller description of impressions until these have been made deeper and more reliable by more extended observation and better conclusions can be reached by longer experience.

Nearly everything is different form the European standpoint: but not so very different from what I had expected from reading and hearing the experiences of others, but the fact of being here and receiving all these strange scenes through all my senses at the same time instead of through one sense at a time – such as the ear in hearing the noises of the Congo – or the eye in studying peculiarities – this is the thing that gives the feeling of “strangeness” even to the things one expected to find and does find as much as they were expected.

Already problems begin to show themselves

and solutions which seemed possible 

in Europe now begin to dissolve altogether!

It is strange how on matters which we are in “familiar” grounds. If we saw a goat or cat or dog we invariably called it a “Congo” goat, cat, dog etc. A banana tree, a mango grove or an orange tree being essentially tropical never received the label “Congo” because in our little experience it has never been anything else! How easy it is to live in a small world by failing to use the gift of imagination: already our travels have shown that.

Tips:

10 shillings or Belgian Equivalent to cabin steward, same to table steward.

5 shillings to bath steward.

Nominal sum to Band and deck steward.

Note for others:
- Customs dues are paid on board before Matadi: Bring plenty of money.
- At Boma visit British Consul for (voluntary) registration taking British passort with you.
- Customs declaration done on board after Banana. Any examination is made at Matadi – a detailed list of contents of each box, preferably in French is here very useful.