round again, and runs up river a little way and drops
down again, in violent hysterics the whole time.
Soon M. Gacon comes along among the trees on the
bank, and laughs at her. A rope is thrown to
him, and the panting Eclaireur tied up to a tree close
in to the bank, for the water is deep enough here
to moor a liner in, only there are a good many rocks.
In a few minutes M. Forget and several canoe loads
of beautiful red-brown mahogany planks are on board,
and things being finished, I say good-bye to the captain,
and go off with M. Forget in a canoe, to the shore.
The Log of an Adooma canoe during a voyage undertaken
to the rapids of the River Ogowe, with some account
of the divers disasters that befell thereon.
Mme. Forget received me most kindly, and, thanks
to her ever thoughtful hospitality, I spent a very
pleasant time at Talagouga, wandering about the forest
and collecting fishes from the native fishermen:
and seeing the strange forms of some of these Talagouga
region fishes and the marked difference between them
and those of Lembarene, I set my heart on going up
into the region of the Ogowe rapids. For some
time no one whom I could get hold of regarded it as
a feasible scheme, but, at last, M. Gacon thought it
might be managed; I said I would give a reward of
100 francs to any one who would lend me a canoe and
a crew, and I would pay the working expenses, food,
wages, etc. M. Gacon had a good canoe and
could spare me two English-speaking Igalwas, one of
whom had been part of the way with mm. Allegret
and Teisseres, when they made their journey up to
Franceville and then across to Brazzaville and down
the Congo two years ago. He also thought we could
get six Fans to complete the crew. I was delighted,
packed my small portmanteau with a few things, got
some trade goods, wound up my watch, ascertained the
date of the day of the month, and borrowed three hair-pins
from Mme. Forget, then down came disappointment.
On my return from the bush that evening, Mme.
Forget said M. Gacon said “it was impossible,”
the Fans round Talagouga wouldn’t go at any
price above Njole, because they were certain they would
be killed and eaten by the up-river Fans. Internally
consigning the entire tribe to regions where they
will get a rise in temperature, even on this climate,
I went with Mme. Forget to M. Gacon, and we talked
it over; finally, M. Gacon thought he could let me
have two more Igalwas from Hatton and Cookson’s
beach across the river. Sending across there
we found this could be done, so I now felt I was in
for it, and screwed my courage to the sticking point—no
easy matter after all the information I had got into
my mind regarding the rapids of the River Ogowe.
I establish myself on my portmanteau comfortably in
the canoe, my back is against the trade box, and behind
that is the usual mound of pillows, sleeping mats,
and mosquito-bars of the Igalwa crew; the whole surmounted
by the French flag flying from an indifferent stick.
