Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo, vol 2 | Page 4

"Dom
João, Capitão Mempolo," and, though he had died some years ago, he
was not buried, for the usual reasons, in early 1874. Meanwhile his
nephew and successor, Mwátá Bona, was acting regent until the
obsequies shall take place.
The station finally chosen by the German explorers was Chinxoxo, or,
as Herr Kiepert uncompromisingly writes it, "Tschinschonkscho." It is
within easy distance of the Chiloango or "Luiza Loango" River; and its
port, Landana in Cabindaland, has become a thoroughly Europeanized
settlement, with five trading stations up stream. An empty Dutch
factory was repaired, and the house, containing a parlour, three small
bed rooms, and the usual offices, was ready for habitation by the
second week in October.

On October 26th, Dr. Güssfeldt, after shaking off the "seasoning fever"
at Ponta Negra, proceeded to make a trial trip, and a route survey with
compass and chronometer, up the important Quillu River. As usual, it
has a bar; within the last few years the right bank has been carried away
by the floods, and some of the old factories are under water. The
average breadth is 400 paces, which diminishes to 25 at the rocky
"gates" near Kama- Chitoma, Manyamatal and Gotu. At 29 direct miles
from the mouth lies "Chimbak," a trading station, where Dr. Güssfeldt
rested and recruited strength for a month. Thence he went leisurely up
stream to the Bumina Rapids, and found the easterly rhumb of the river
bending to the N.E. and the N.N.E.; its channel did not exceed 50 yards
in width, and precipitous rock-walls rose on either hand. At Bumina as
at Gotu the Quillu breaks through the parallel lines of Ghats, whose
trend is from N.W. to S.E.; in fact, these "Katarakten" are the Yellalas
of the Congo. A march of four hours brought him to the Mayombe
country (circ. S. Lat. 4°), which must not be confounded with the
Ma-yumba or northernmost possession of the Congo kingdom; the
latter word properly means "King of Yumba," as Ma-Loango is
Mwani-Loango. The Mayombe chief proved friendly, and assisted Dr.
Güssfeldt to hire bearers (November 7) for Yangela, where his
excursion ended. The boundary-line is marked by a large gate, like the
two openings in the wooden wall denoting the Loango frontier between
the Quillu and Luema rivers. The character of the country changed to
the normal park-like aspect of Africa above the Ghats; the dense forests
waxed thin; picturesque views presented themselves, reminding the
wayfarer of Switzerland; and bare, dome-shaped mountains formed the
background. At Nsunsi, about 2,100 feet above sea-level, the eye
ranged over the Yangela country, as far as the land of the Batetye,
whose grassy plains are traversed by ranges trending to the W.S.W.,
and apparently culminating to the south. At the Tondo village the skull
of a gorilla was remarked. The upper Quillu, after its great bend,
proved to be 350 to 400 paces broad; and the traveller ascertained that,
instead of being connected with the great artery, it rises in a lake nearly
due north of Nsundi (Sundi), near the country of the Babongo and the
Babum. Dr. Güssfeldt returned to the coast on December 2, and
prepared for the great march into the interior.

Dr. Falkenstein, the medicus and zoologist, in November 1873 reported
favourably of Chinxoxo. The station is situated on a hilly ridge
commanding a view of the sea. "It looks imposing enough, but it would
produce more effect if we could hoist the German flag, as the other
establishments here do those of their respective nations. German ships
would then take home news of the progress of our undertaking, and the
natives would see at a distance this token of the enterprising spirit of
the German nation, and come to us with provisions and other natural
products." He adds, "In Fernando Po, an island which I would
recommend as a sanatorium for wealthy hypochondriacs, we found an
extraordinary abundance of fruit, cocoa-nuts, bananas, mangoes,
delicious oranges, and pine-apples...The ivory trade on the Gaboon is
very flourishing. A German firm which I visited exports, £10,000
worth per annum, the value of total exports being, £26,000. The tusks
are very large; one weighed about 80 lbs., and some have ranged to 120
lbs. The other articles exported are gum and ebony, which are brought
by the natives, especially the Fans and Mpangwes (sic) from the
interior. The slave trade is said still to be carried on by Europeans,
though it is not known where the slaves go to " (of course to São
Thomé and Prince's Island). "In the immediate vicinity of our station
the chief trade is in palm oil and ground nuts..... Rings, chains, crosses,
watches, &c., are readily taken by the savages in exchange for native
goods, and I obtained a valuable fetish for a chain and