the Congo country, and in districts east of Angola, where there had been Roman Catholic missions in time long past. The Society accepted the offer, and sent instructions to two missionaries at the Cameroons to prepare for a preliminary journey in the region to be occupied.
Scarcely had these steps been taken, when the news reached this country of Mr. Stanley’s arrival at the mouth of the Congo, having traced the course of the river from Nyangwe, and thus discovered a water highway into Central Africa. At once the field of the new mission became enlarged almost indefinitely. In January and April, 1878, journeys of exploration were made by Messrs. Grenfell and Comber, and the latter returned to this country to confer with the Committee and to seek for help in this enterprise. While these preliminary investigations were being made, a party arrived on the river to found the Livingstone (Congo) Inland Mission (undenominational).
In June, 1879, Mr. Comber returned with three helpers, of whom the writer was one. We made our first station at San Salvador, the old capital of the Congo country, about seventy miles south of the highest navigable point of the Lower Congo. The natives of the upper river bring their ivory and produce in canoes to Stanley Pool, and there all has to change hands, as the river is not further navigable. The natives of the cataract region buy at the Pool, and convey to the white men on the coast. One of the great trade routes passes close to San Salvador, and we hoped that these traders might carry our stores and help us to Stanley Pool. They, however, steadily and persistently refused to allow us to go to the Pool, in spite of all we told them of our errand. ‘No,’ they said; ‘you white men stay on the coast, we will bring the produce to you there; but if you go to the Pool you will know our markets and buy where we do; our trade will be lost; then how shall we obtain our guns and powder, beads and brass, crockery-ware, and knives, cloth, and all the fine things we get now? No, we will never let you pass our towns; and if you persist you will be killed.’ They could not conceive of people who were not traders.