lovely odeaka trees that make a triumphal-arch-like gateway
to the Post s beach from the river, and the doctor discourses in
a most interesting way on all sorts of subjects. We go on waiting
for the hclatreur, who, although it is past four o’clock, is still
down at Dumas’ beach. I feel nearly frantic at detaining the
Doctor, but neither he nor Mr. Cockshut seem in the least hurry.
But at last I can stand it no longer. The vision of the Administrator
of the Ogowé, worn out, but chewing Kola nut to keep
himself awake all night while he finishes his papers to go down
on the Eclaireur to-morrow morning, is too painful ; so I say I
will walk back to Dumas’ and go on the Eclaireur there, and
try to liberate the Administrator from his present engagements,
so that he may go back and work. No good ! He
will come down to Dumas’ with Mr. Cockshut and me. Off
we go, and just exactly as we are getting on to Dumas’
beach, off starts the Eclaireur with a shriek for the Post beach
So I say good-bye to Mr. Cockshut, and go back to the Post
with Dr. Pélessier, and he sees me on board, and to my
immense relief he stays on board a good hour and a half,
talking to other people, so it is not on my head if he is up all
night.
June 25 th. Éclaireur has to wait for the Administrator until
ten, because he has not done his mails. A t ten he comes on
board like an amiable tornado, for he himself is going to
Cape Lopez. I am grieved to see them carrying on board,
too, a French official very ill with fever. He is the engineer
of the cannonier, and they are taking him down to Cape
Lopez, where they hope to get a ship to take him up to
Gaboon, and to the hospital on the Minerve'. I heard subsequently
that the poor fellow died about forty hours after
leaving Njole at Achyouka in Kama country.
We get away at last, and run rapidly down river, helped by
the terrific current. The Éclaireur has to call at Talagouga
for planks from M. Gacon’s sawmill. As soon as we are
past the tail of Talagouga Island, the Éclaireur ties her whistle
string to a stanchion, and goes off into a series of screaming
fits, as only she can. Wrhat she wants is to get M. Forget or
M. Gacon, or better still both, out in their canoes with the wood
waiting for her, because “ she cannot anchor in the depth,”
“ nor can she turn round,” and “ backing plays the mischief
with any ship’s engines,” and “ she can’t hold her own against
the current,” and— then Captain Verdier says things I won’t
repeat, and throws his weight passionately on the whistle
string, for we are in sight of the narrow gorge of Talagouga,
with the Mission Station apparently slumbering in the sun.
; This puts the Eclaireur in an awful temper. She goes down
towards it as near as she dare, and then frisks round again,
land 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 Éclaireur 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
Ihings being finished, I say good-bye to the captain, and go
off with M. Forget in a canoe, to the shore.