The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-11-01
Congo scenery.

Congo Scenery.
left Isangla on January 10 with my
three Ianzibaris TO go up the Congo in
the little steamer Royal, now removed
to the upper river and forming part Of
Mr. Stanley's ilotilla
The scenery at first was very pretty.
The banks were richly forestcd, and
masses Of creepers oyerspread the river
side trees. Sometimes they appeared
like a green cloth thrown lightly over
\ the foliage, showing its masses and
forms distinctly marked underneath.
! Sometimes they formed adelieate emer-
aid cobwebbery, or upreared great walls
of vegetation, looking as if carefully
trimmed into uniformity Of surface, but
often scarcely foot in thickness.
can hardly give just idea Of these
beautiful examples of vegetable archi-
lecture Often these creepers would
stretch out, as il were, fresh series Of
constructions, their long straight llianas
acting as soaffold poles. Then would
come the horizontal interlacing arms
which soon formed giant latticework,
4 and on this foundation the beautiful
and uniform foliage breaks out, until,
soon, thin walls and enclosures are
1 made, generally round some giant tree.
4 How lovely these arbors seemed TO rest
! in! Beautiful pink conyolyuli with a
4 crimson center, and pale yellow flowers
of the creeping cucurbits, varied the
monotony Of the green, while tho
orange-red gourds OF the latter shonc
4 like little lamps amid the diapered foli-
age. The giant speckled king-fisher
and his little active black and white
brother haunted. the fairy creeks that
these walls of vegetation enclosed, and
on the gaunt, bare branches which
! forced their way through the tender
interlacing creepers like wild, protest.
ing arms trying to rid themselves of a
clinging and deceitflil embrace on the
gnarled and whitened boughs the fish
ing eagle perched, greeting our APP
proach with cheerful, boisterous
screams. A giant heron, too, sat on a
branch amid somber shade, where he
would have remainednquite indistin-
guishable from the gray boughs and
boles around him, but overcome with a
spasm Of tardy fear, he hounced out
from his retreat, nearly knocked against
the funnel of the steamer and ilapped
his huge wings with frightfpl striyipgs
to get away.
Here and there the Congo became
strewn with rocky islets, sparsely crest.
ed with trees, and in and out Of these
the stream was whirling and eddying
and babbling over the hidden rocks.
We stopped at one Of these Islands, and
at this spot the lighter we had hitherto
been towing had to be closely tied
alongside the little steamer, for together
we We're to cross a formidable, whirl-
pool. When we turned the island, we
saw the vortex, with great flocks Of
foam like balls Of cotton wool dancing
madly in perpetual round. Fullip2es-
sure was put on, and In we went--fig.
zingl-and out again at right angles
so that some of the balls of foam, like
bewildered captives in an enchanter'
magic circle, are set free by our sudden
breaking through the meshes, and gC
gayly floating down the stream. Some
tunes there are long stretches Of low
rocks in the river, looking like rows O.
states stacked in builders yard; anC
on the shore of the stream and along
the island beaches would show banks b
dazzling white sand, apparently above
tioodmark, since numbers Of pratincoles
had made their nests there. These
pretty little birds, called scientifically
Glareola, are really small waders, dis
family allied to the ployers, and witt
even far-off relationship, perhaps, I,
pigeons and sand grouse; but to {
superficial observer they seem merely
large. Stout swallows, and certainly re
semble these birds by the way in which
they pursue the insects over the surface
of the water, flying low and catching
their prey in mid-fight. On the Congo
between Isangila and Manyanga the,
, are found in flocks of over 1000 al
time, absolutely covering the isolated
, rocks on which they perch. Perhap
/ their presence in such large numbers i
the reason why in this stretch of th
river mosquitoes are SO happily absent
In the broader parts of the Cong
groups of trees stand in the very middle
of the river, stemming its rapid food
They, must mark the sites Of rocks ant
, banks uncovered in the dry season, .oi.
more probably, of newly submefge,
, islands, for otherwise the Seeding tire
could hardly have obtained sufiicien
! growth in one dry season to withstan,
/ the rivers flood. al London Truth.
, 3e TRYING to Say COckrOacI,