he reason is simple. Although the whole of Central Africa is
traversed by rivers which eventually flow into the Congo, both the main
river and its tributaries are in places impossible to navigate owing to
the rapids. Great efforts are, however, being made to overcome these
obstructions. Wherever possible railways are being constructed and roads
made to avoid them the latest great work initiated being the automobile
road through Uele. It is indeed impossible now to carry by hand the
great amount of merchandise passing up and down the country, even if the
natives were willing to undertake the task. This is, however, the very
work they dislike most and during my visit an immense quantity of
stores was lying at Buta and could not be forwarded owing to lack of
porters. The automobile road will change all this, for trains of waggons
carrying the merchandise will then be quickly and easily towed by road
engines. Passengers will also be conveyed in a similar manner and it is
reasonable to prophesy that in five or ten years time it will be
possible to cross Africa from the Nile to Banana without travelling a
single mile in canoes or on foot.

At present the difficulty of transport chiefly affects the comfort of
the officials for their stores of food may be delayed for some weeks and
although it is possible to live on kwanga, goats and chickens, it is not
a suitable diet for Europeans. Less difficulty is experienced with the
exportation, for the rubber and ivory are always travelling down the
hill towards the mouth of the river. Baron de Rennette fully realises
how extremely important it is to have good food in this exhausting
climate and took his native cook to Europe to receive some lessons in
the culinary art. He has been rewarded for his trouble and now lives
almost as well as he could at home. Good food, indeed, is almost as
necessary in Africa as pure water. After a hard day's work in this
climate it is impossible either to relish or to digest goat's flesh or
tough chicken and the result is weakness followed by fever, anaemia or
dysentry. When travelling it is still more difficult to obtain properly
cooked food, and it was thus especially pleasant to find oneself dining
off a clean white cloth with clean silver, hot plates and food cooked
and served in a manner which would have been a credit to a London club.

There is a good path to Bima and Bomokandi and I was thinking of taking
this ten day's walk when an attack of fever