The Russellville Democrat., 1884-02-07


I left Isangila on January 10 with my
Ehrca Zanzibaris to 60 mp the Congo IN
the | tile steamer Royal, now removed
10 the uprer river and forming part o.
SIR. stanley flotilla.
he scenery at first was very pretty.
The banks were richly forcsted, and
masses Of creepers ovcrspread the river
side trees. Sometimes they appeared
ike green cloth thrown lightly over
the foliage. showing its masses and
forms distinctly marked undernea b.
Sometimes they formed delicate eruer-
aid cobwebbery, or npreared great walls
Of vegetation, looking as If carefully
trimmed into uniformity of surface, but
often scarcely foot in thickness l
can hardly give a just idea OF these
beautiful examples of vegetable archi-
tee. ure. Often these creepers would
stretch ont, as it were, q fresh series OF
constructions their long straight llianas
acting as scaHfold poles. Then would
come the horizontal interlacing arms
which soon formed giant latticework,
and on this foundation the beautiful
and uniform foliage breaks out, until.
soon, thin walls and enclosures are
made, generally round some giant tree.
How lovely these arbors seemed to rest
in! beautiful pink convolyuli with q
crimson center, and pale yellow flowers
OF the creeping cucurbits, varied the
monotony OF the green, while the
GRANGER d gourds of the latter sione
Ike little lamps amid the diapered .oli-
age. The giant sre kled king-iisher
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
interlacirg crccpers like Wild, protest.
inc arms trying to rid themselves of q
clinging and deceitful embrace-on the
gnarled and whitened boughs the fish
iny eagle pcrched, greeting our APP
proacn with cheerful. boisterous
screams. A giant heron, too, sat on a
tranch amid somber shade. where he
would have remained quite indistin-
guishable from the gray boughs and
boes around him, but, overcome with a
spasm Of turdy fear, he fiounced ont
from ~ retreat, nearly Knocked against
the IN bel of the steamer, and Tapped
his huge wings with frightful strivings
to get away.
Here and there the Congo became
stsean with rocky islsts. spafsely crest
ed with tees, and in and out of these
the stream was whirling and eddying
aud 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 tie little steamer, for together
we were to cross formidable whirl-
POOL When we turned the island, ave
saw the vortex, W tn great focks of
soam like balls of cotton wool dancing
nady in perpetual round. Full pres
,ure was put on. and in we went-fz-
,nr.- and oft again at right angles,
81 that some Of the balls OF foam, like
sewiiaered captives in an enchanter's
magic circle, are set free by our sudden
leaking through TIE meshes, and go
lrvly floating down the stream. Some
I mes there are long stretches OF low
! cks in the river, looking like rows OF
ates stacked in q builders yard; and
IA the shore of the stream and along
The island beaches would show banks OF
dazzling white sand, apparently above
,odma k. since numbers of pratincoles
lad made their nests there. These
pretty little birds, called scientifically
lilarcola, are really small waders, dis
iantly allied to the plovers, and with
even far-off relationship, perhaps, to
pigeons and sand grouse; but to a
superficial observer they seem merely
lar e, stout swallows, and certainly re-
sem IL these birds by the way in which
they pursue the insects over the surface
Of the water. flying low and catching
their prey in midnight, On the Congo,
between Isangila and Manyanga they
are found in hocks of over 1000 at a
time, absolutely covering the isolated
rocks on which they perch. Perhaps
| their presence in such large numbers is
the reason why in this stretch Of the
yer mosquitoes are so happily absent.
In the broader parts of the Congo
groups of trees stand in the very middle
nf the river, stemming its rapid flood.
They must mark the sites Of rocks and
hanks uncovered in the dry season, or.
more probably, Of newly submerged
Islands, for otherwise the Seeding tree
tould hardly have obtained sufficient
growth in one dry season to withstand
The rivers food. London Truth.
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The Deaf and Dumb.