"Be faithful to us on this long journey, and I will take you there, and you will see more things than you can dream of now."
"Inshallah! if it is the will of Allah we shall go together."
On the 18th March the _Madura_ entered the mouth of the Congo River, and dropped her anchor about 200 yards abreast of the sandy point, called Banana.
In a few minutes I was in the presence of Mr. Lafontaine Ferney, the chief Agent of the Dutch Company, to whom our steamer was consigned. Through some delay he had not been informed of our intending to arrive as soon. Everybody professed surprise, as they did not expect us before the 25th, but this fortunate accident was solely due to the captain and the good steamer. However, I succeeded in making arrangements by which the Dutch Company's steamer _K. A. Nieman_--so named after a fine young man of that name, who had lately died at St. Paul de Loanda--would be placed at my disposal, for the transport to Mataddi of 230 men next day.
On returning to the ship, I found my officers surrounding two English traders, connected with the British Congo Company of Banana. They were saying some unpleasant things about the condition of the State steamers. "There is a piece of the _Stanley_ on shore now, which will give you an idea of that steamer. The _Stanley_ is a perfect ruin, we are told. However, will you leave the Pool? The State has not one steamer in service. They are all drawn up on the banks for repairs, which will take months. We don't see how you are to get away from here under six weeks! Look at that big steamer on the sands! she has just come out from Europe; the fool of a captain ran her on shore instead of waiting for a pilot. She has got the sections of a steamer in her hold. The _Heron_ and _Belgique_, both State steamers, have first, of course, to float that steamer off. You are in for it nicely, we can tell you."
Naturally, this news was very discouraging to our officers and two of them hastened to comfort me with the disastrous news. They were not so well acquainted with the manners of the "natives" of the Lower Congo as I was. I only marvelled why they had not been politely requested to accompany their new aquaintances to the cemetery, in order that they might have the exquisite gratification of exhibiting the painted headboards, which record the deaths of many fine young men, as promising in appearance as they.