On September 10th, we reach Songo a small State Post in charge of a native from Sierra Leone.  Here we pitch our tents in a clearing and proceed to re-arrange the baggage, for we shall have now to travel in canoes, the river not being navigable for steamers for some distance.  Immediately above Songo indeed is the first of the Ubangi rapids, the water roaring and hissing as it fights its way down and over the rocks.  Just before bedtime, Chikaia comes with a long face and evidently much disturbed and asks for a gun or rifle to protect himself, as the indigenes are supposed to be very savage here.  This of course I refuse, and tell him to go to sleep by the fire and not be foolish.  However, I notice that both my rifle and gun are loaded and carefully placed by my bedside.  The boys then organise a watch over the baggage, taking it in turn to act as sentry.  On the opposite side of the river is Bangi, the second most important place in the French Congo, prettily situated on the side of a hill, and next day we cross in a small canoe.  The journey is interesting and exciting.  Below the rapids are many small whirlpools, and the capita of the canoe takes advantage of these to help him on his course.  Sometimes the water at the upper and sometimes at the lower edge of the whirlpool is flowing in the direction he wishes to take and with wonderful dexterity, he turns the bow of the canoe towards a suitable current.  We swing about like a cork and ship a good deal of water but arrive without mishap on the other side.  We call on Mr. Jacques, the Vice Governor General of the French Congo, who kindly offers us assistance and a few soldiers to act as sentries and interpreters when we camp on the French side of the river.  Most of these are Senegalese and are smart looking fellows.  The natives here affect a very elaborate head dress consisting of many coloured beads twisted and plaited into their hair, the amount of time and patience required by the barbers being enormous.

It appears that the four French traders, who were massacred a few weeks ago, had two factories, one close to the river and one further inland.  In the latter was a large stock of arms and ammunition.  These were hastily abandoned and the natives then seized them and attacked the factory on the river.  All four white men were killed and it is feared that two were first tied to trees and tortured.  A punitive expedition has been sent against the tribe who are now armed with these modern rifles and the moral of the story is obviously that it is very dangerous to permit traders to import and sell arms at all.