Jungle Yachts in the Belgian Congo (1940)

[Music] the mighty Congo second largest river on Earth has witnessed many daring Expeditions seeking Adventure seeking to solve the mysteries of darkest Africa's hundreds of miles of impenetrable jungles hiding orchids rare and abundant birds and animals beautiful strange and many still unknown to science and tribes of natives whose ancestral ceremonies and Customs are still their own Dark [Music] Secrets one of the most unusual Expeditions ever to disembark at Stanleyville in the heart of the Belgian Congo presents a startling contrast to the safari of previous explorers such as the great Stanley after whom the town is named this time it is a completely motorized Safari including two of the most amazingly modernized luxury trailers ever built in any country the jungle Yachts powered by International [Music] Harvester these streamline trailers and their complement of stock model International Trucks constitute the Caravan of the 10th GTI African Expedition under the leadership of Commander atio Gatti veteran of many years experience in Africa's darkest interior accompanying him is Mrs Gaddy his American Wife two American Engineers are in charge of the elaborate mechanized equipment and the American cameraman man a brief stop before taking the trail into the dense interior but what's this why it's a jungle reception committee Mr and Mrs chimpanzee the coy little lady is seeking security and safety behind the protection of her hairy [Music] consort General erans Vice governor of the belgi Congo comes to inspect the trailers the last word in civilized comfort and convenience completely electrified with every conceivable needed scientific and household [Music] appliance air conditioned for both heat and cold here is the elegant bathroom truly these are trailers of [Music] Tomorrow the GTI Expedition flag is attached to each of the units last minute preparations have been completed and the Caravan is on its way in the jungle and Mountain Country the Belgian Congo government has built dirt roads fair in dry difficult when the rains [Music] come when rivers are reached the long heavy trailers and the trucks are loaded onto crude pontoons to be fed precariously over the murky [Music] Waters where the result of an upset may be more than the important loss of equipment [Music] Beyond U as many as seven pontoon Crossings must be made in traveling 500 miles at last safely across we hurry on our way again Gliding Over the miles accomplishing in hours distances which once required days of the most grueling Oreal passing through native Villages the inhabitants stare in amazement at as the fabulous Caravan Rolls by then race after the last car as he refuses to take no for an answer well we yield to his pleadings he has given the job of polishing the trucks but his work is interrupted by the invasion of millions and millions of migrating locusts everything must be closed up tight when they come down on our camp they'll swarm into every open window and door into every uncovered pot on the stove here they come we're in for a deluge but to the camp boys it's a holiday dry and cooked they're a delicacy to eat so the natives think breaking camp and moving our tons of supplies is no small task this steel bodied International carries the bulk of the material while scientific photographic and other equipment is adequately transported in a station wagon and a wire panel truck but whoa what's this we're already in the big game country a chance meeting with some mamby pygmies informs us of the possibility of finding even that rarest of all animals the strange [Music] oafy while the commander and Mrs G are selecting a suitable place to build the main Camp the camera crew has other ideas this nearby river is the home of a large herd of grotesque jungle amphibians most pictures of hippos show them standing sleepily on the Muddy Banks of a river or snoozing contentedly in the murky water because they feed at night and sleep during the [Music] day in the meantime our large core of native boys proceed rapidly with preparations for the [Music] camp such work as this in Africa is done in rhythm with a few dance steps added for [Music] variety and their pay is 3 and A3 cents per [Music] day the equipment is brought up as soon as the campsite is ready the big trailer and other units are maneuvered into position and quickly the little village of tents is erected we've brought about everything in cans except African sunshine and our shortwave radio makes us seem quite close to civilization the white man's modern means of travel as A peculiar Fascination for Sheil the boy his wildest ambition is to drive a [Music] truck it takes an endless amount of organization and detailed direction to carry such an expedition through a year in Africa night in the jungle is something never to be forgotten the trumpeting of elephants and the blood chilling cries of other unseen beasts and an occasional game of African golf by the native [Music] boys one never knows just what to expect from Jungle beasts or [Music] men even our own boys are wisely suspicious of the tribesmen we emerge like specters from the Forest [Music] Trails looking into some of their faces caused unpleasant Recollections of the fate of other explorers for these natives once were all cannibals and some secretly still practice the Pastime but we soon learn that their visit is an amiable one they have traveled from far and wide their drums and jungle signals have spread the news of our visit and they have come to see the amazing trailers which they call the houses that walk then to assur us of their friendliness they all swing into a dance to the accompaniment of their strange CH tribal [Music] music one of the purposes of this expedition was to photograph the strange oapp in its natural environment the pygmies had finally located the feeding ground of one of these rarest of animals the haunts of the Okapi are the deepest and most impenetrable sections of the equatorial rainforest of the Congo because of this and the animal's exceedingly stealthy nature it has been known to science only a very few years and its habits are still very much of a mystery needless to say we all hold our breath as we noiselessly approach at the heels of our pygmy guides and there he is to the Layman the Okapi appears to be a grotesque cross between a giraffe and a zebra a beautiful rich brown striped with black and silver but to the scientist is somewhat of a living fossil reminiscent of the prehistoric samarium that roamed Europe about 15 million years ago this object of our visit to the Big Forest Country accomplished our Caravan again takes to the road we are now in the magic mountains of the Moon a beautiful country where the road climbs and winds among hundreds of large and small volcanic cones and craters which separate the humid jungles from the Great Plains of the further interior elephants are plentiful the ponderous padm find daytime shelter in the clumps of trees from which they stare at us disdainfully as we pass by our safari speeds onward rapidly leaving mile after mile [Music] behind here's another herd just going out onto the plains the African elephant is considered one of the most dangerous of all big game animals he makes unprovoked attacks and has torn many a careless Hunter limb from limb and trampled the unfortunate victim furiously into the ground from his observation seat on the top of a trailer Commander gy spies the killer of the African Wilds a fine big specimen of lionist and where there is one lion there are generally more yes there's the proud Old King of beasts himself a beautifully M Monarch of the Plains the Temptation for a little excitement and stalking a bunch of lions on foot is too great to pass by but you'll notice that the trusted gun Bearer is taken along as well as the camera as long as man hunted he given complimentary testimony to the courage strength and fighting qualities of the lion the lion is known as a killer for he subsists almost entirely on other game animals he pulls down with claws and fangs but the lion does not kill for the mere love of killing destroys for sustenance only few persons have ever seen a lion actually making a kill most of his hunting is done at night when his fine eyesight is apparently as Keen as in the daylight and darkness gives Aid to his stealth Lions rarely make unprovoked attacks yet photographing them on foot at close range is guaranteed to raise one's blood pressure [Music] considerably but even lions are only a Port of Call with us we must be on our way again giraffes give us but little attention go racing off like animated hobby horses a herd of zebras also show us their heels the houses that walk carry on through jungle and plain we are left far behind new tribes and new adventures meet us in an Ever Changing landscape here we are in the land of one of the most amazing tribes in all Africa the giant Watusi the wusi are herdsmen and Aristocrats with vast herds and hundreds of slaves who do all the work