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‘It was upward of thirty days before I saw the mouth of the big river. We anchored off the seat of the government. But my work would not begin till some two hundred miles farther on. So as soon as I could I made а start for а place thirty miles higher up.

‘I had my passage on а little sea-going steamer. Her captain was а Swede, and knowing me for а seaman, invited me on the bridge. He was а young man, lean, fair, and morose, with lanky hair and а shuffling gait. As we left the miserable little wharf, he tossed his head contemptuously at the shore. “Been living there?” he asked. I said, “Yes.” “Fine lot these government chaps – are they not?” he went on, speaking English with great precision and considerable bitterness. ‘It is funny what some people will do for а few francs а month. I wonder what becomes of that kind when it goes upcountry?’ I said to him I expected to see that soon. “So-o-o!” he exclaimed. He shuffled athwart, keeping one eye ahead vigilantly. “Don’t be too sure,” he continued. “The other day I took up а man who hanged himself on the road. He was а Swede, too.” “Hanged himself! Why, in God’s name?” I cried. He kept on looking out watchfully. “Who knows? The sun too much for him, or the country perhaps.”

‘At last we opened а reach. А rocky cliff appeared, mounds of turned-up earth by the shore, houses on а hill, others with iron roofs, amongst а waste of excavations, or hanging to the declivity. А continuous noise of the rapids above hovered over this scene of inhabited devastation. А lot of people, mostly black and naked, moved about like ants. А jetty projected into the river. А blinding sunlight drowned all this at times in а sudden recrudescence of glare. “There’s your Company’s station,” said the Swede, pointing to three wooden barrack-like structures on the rocky slope. “I will send your things up. Four boxes did you say? So. Farewell.”

‘I came upon а boiler wallowing in the grass, then found а path leading up the hill. It turned aside for the boulders, and also for an undersized railway-truck lying there on its back with its wheels in the air. One was off. The thing looked as dead as the carcass of some animal. I came upon more pieces of decaying machinery, а stack of rusty rails. To the left а clump of trees made а shady spot, where dark things seemed to stir feebly. I blinked, the path was steep. А horn tooted to the right, and I saw the black people run. А heavy and dull detonation shook the ground, а puff of smoke came out of the cliff, and that was all. No change appeared on the face of the rock. They were building а railway. The cliff was not in the way or anything; but this objectless blasting was all the work going on.