ifficult for the people to raise enough food for themselves and
for the soldiers in the Posts, and to avoid the hard work, many
accepted service under the State. Here however, near Stanley Falls,
there is plenty of food and the people have no difficulty in providing
for their own wants and in supplying the State Posts as well. He thinks
that after the cruelty of the Arabs, the rule of the white man appears
as heaven to the native. All are therefore contented and happy, and as
there is very little Sleeping Sickness, the population is increasing.
The Mission boys are taught to be carpenters, masons and brick makers,
for food is so plentiful that there is no need to establish plantations.
The chief grievance of Mr. Stapleton is, that the Government will not
permit the missionaries to settle where they wish and will not grant
them land. Several other missionaries have also complained of this, but
some districts are certainly not civilised at present, and it would be
dangerous for any white man to live in them without a military guard. It
thus happens that while there are a great number of Mission Stations
along the Congo in the part where the population has diminished greatly,
there is not a single Mission on the State side of the Ubangi river
where the people are very numerous.

We arrived at Stanleyville in the afternoon. The town is situated on the
north bank of the river and consists of streets of large well built
houses with much space in between which is laid out in gardens. On the
opposite bank are the works of the railway to Ponthierville, a number of
corrugated iron buildings and a large native village. In front, a
hundred yards up the river, the lowest of the Stanley Falls can be
seen, the white foam glistening in the sunlight as the water rushes
over the rocks. The Commissaire of the District--the Province
Orientale--Lieutenant De Neullemeister, kindly lends me a house and acts
as my host. Fish is very plentiful here, but a sudden and terrible
disease has suddenly carried off most of the goats and chickens and we
are therefore, rather short of fresh meat for a few days.

Many of the natives have the Arab type of features and their village is
quite Arabian in appearance. They are all very civilised and work well,
so that much rubber is collected, although the population about Lake
Tanganika is not very dense. The women here are clothed and do not work
in the plantations at all.

Next day Lieutenant De Neullemeis