ABSTRACT
The Societe Anonyme Beige pour le Commerce du Haut-Congo was comparatively new; in its permanent form it had existed only since December 10 of the year before; but under the direction of enterprising men this commercial venture was about to expand considerably. In spite of the sad circumstances in which he had met his aunt, of whose existence he had known nothing, Conrad was by no means blind to her charm and lively intelligence. The next morning, following his master’s instructions, the major-domo wrapped the captain in an enormous bearskin traveling coat and took his seat protectively by his side, as though he were in charge of a little boy going off to school. The ship had called at Teneriffe, Dakar, Konakri, Sierra Leone, Grand-Bassam, Kotonu, Libreville, Loango, Banana at the mouth of the Congo, and Boma, the seat of the government of the Free State since 1886.
