One of the main comforts I had at Kangwe was the perfect
English spoken by both M. and Mme. Jacot; what that
amounted to I alone know, for I cannot speak a word of”
French, neither could I give you dates until I left Kangwe on
the Eclaireur, for it is one of my disastrous habits well known
to my friends on the Coast that whenever I am happy, comfortable
and content, I lose all knowledge of the date, the time o f
day, and my hairpins. “ It’s the climate.” But I kept my
fetish notes, except during two days when my right elbow
was out of repair in consequence of my first visit to a F an1
fireside. It happened this way. Down on the river bank,,
some one-and-a-half miles below Kangwe, lies Fula, a large
Fan village. Through Fula that ill-starred day I passed
with all the eclat of Wombwell’s menagerie. Having been
escorted by half the population for a half mile or so beyond
the town, and being then nervous about Fans, from information
received, I decided to return to Kangwe by another road,,
if I could find .it. I had not gone far on my quest before I
saw another village, and having had enough village work for
one day, I made my way quietly up into the forest on the steep '
hillside overhanging the said village. There was no sort of
path up there, and going through a clump of shenja, I slipped,
slid, and finally fell plump through the roof of an unprotected
hut. What the unfortunate inhabitants were doing, I don’t
know, but I am pretty sure they were not expecting me to •
drop in, and a scene of great confusion occurred. My knowledge
of Fan dialect then consisted of Kor-kor, so I said
that in. as fascinating a tone as I could, and explained
the rest with three pocket handkerchiefs, a head of tobacco,
and a knife which providentially I had stowed in what
my nautical friends would call my afterhold— my pockets*
I also said I’d pay for the damage, and although this
important communication had to be made in trade English,
they seemed to understand, for when I pointed to the roof
and imitated writing out a book for it, the master of the house
1 The proper way to spell this tribe’s name is Faung, but as they are
called by the first writer on them, Du Chaillu, Fans, I keep that name.
They are also referred to as the M’pangwe, the Pahouines, the Fam-Fam,
the Osheba, and the Ba-fann. The latter is a plural form.
said “ Um,” and then laid hold of an old lady and pointed to her
and then to the roof, meaning clearly I had equally damaged
both, and that she was equally valuable. I squared the family
all right, and I returned to Kangwe viâ Fula, without delay
and without the skin on my elbow. Wishing to get higher
up the Ogowé, I took the opportunity of the river boat of
the Chargeurs Réunis going up to the Njole on one of her
trips, and joined her.
VIEW OF ONE BRANCH OF THE OGOWÉ FROM KANGWE.
June 22nd.4jjiclaireur, charming little stern wheel steamer,
exquisitely kept. She has an upper and a lower deck. The
lower deck for business, the upper deck for white passengers
only. On the upper deck there is a fine long deck house,
running almost her whole length. In this are the officers’ cabins,
the saloon and the passengers’ cabins (two), both large and
beautifully fitted up. Captain Verdier exceedingly pleasant
and constantly saying “ N’est-ce pas ? ” A quiet and singularly
clean engineer completes the white staff. The passengers
consist of Mr. Cockshut, going up ’river to see after the