Obanjo Owned He Had
(More Armed Canoes Were Coming Round The Corner), And Said If The
Mother Would Come And Fetch Her Boy She Could Have Him.
He for his
part would not have dreamed of taking him if he had known his
relations disapproved.
Every one seemed much relieved, except the
causa belli. The Fans did not ask about two boys and providentially
we gave the lady the right one. He went reluctantly. I feel pretty
nearly sure he foresaw more kassengo than fatted calf for him on his
return home. When the Fan canoes were well back round the corner
again, we had a fine hunt for the other boy, and finally unearthed
him from under the bamboo staging.
When we got him out he told the same tale. He also was a runaway
who wanted to see the world, and taking the opportunity of the
majority of the people of his village being away hunting, he had
slipped off one night in a canoe, and dropped down river to the
village of the boy who had just been reclaimed. The two boys had
fraternised, and come on the rest of their way together, lying
waiting, hidden up a creek, for Obanjo, who they knew was coming
down river; and having successfully got picked up by him, they
thought they were safe. But after this affair boy number two judged
there was no more safety yet, and that his family would be down
after him very shortly; for he said he was a more valuable and
important boy than his late companion, but his family were an
uncommon savage set. We felt not the least anxiety to make their
acquaintance, so clapped heels on our gallant craft and kept the
paddles going, and as no more Fans were in sight our crew kept at
work bravely. While Obanjo, now in a boisterous state of mind, and
flushed with victory, said things to them about the way they had
collapsed when those two women in a canoe came round that corner,
that must have blistered their feelings, but they never winced.
They laughed at the joke against themselves merrily. The other
boy's family we never saw and so took him safely to Gaboon, where
Obanjo got him a good place.
Really how much danger there was proportionate to the large amount
of fear on our boat I cannot tell you. It never struck me there was
any, but on the other hand the crew and Obanjo evidently thought it
was a bad place; and my white face would have been no protection,
for the Fans would not have suspected a white of being on such a
canoe and might have fired on us if they had been unduly irritated
and not treated by Obanjo with that fine compound of bully and
blarney that he is such a master of.
Whatever may have been the true nature of the affair, however, it
had one good effect, it got us out of the Rembwe into the Gaboon,
and although at the time this seemed a doubtful blessing, it made
for progress. I had by this time mastered the main points of
incapability in our craft. A. we could not go against the wind. B.
we could not go against the tide. While we were in the Rembwe there
was a state we will designate as C - the tide coming one way, the
wind another. With this state we could progress, backwards if the
wind came up against us too strong, but seawards if it did not, and
the tide was running down. If the tide was running up, and the wind
was coming down, then we went seaward, softly, softly alongside the
mangrove bank, where the rip of the tide stream is least. When,
however, we got down off 'Como Point, we met there a state I will
designate as D - a fine confused set of marine and fluvial phenomena.
For away to the north the 'Como and Boque and two other lesser, but
considerable streams, were, with the Rembwe, pouring down their
waters in swirling, intermingling, interclashing currents; and up
against them, to make confusion worse confounded, came the tide, and
the tide up the Gaboon is a swift strong thing, and irregular, and
has a rise of eight feet at the springs, two-and-a-half at the
neaps. The wind was lulled too, it being evening time. In this
country it is customary for the wind to blow from the land from 8
P.M. until 8 A.M., from the south-west to the east. Then comes a
lull, either an utter dead hot brooding calm, or light baffling
winds and draughts that breathe a few panting hot breaths into your
sails and die. Then comes the sea breeze up from the south-south-
west or north-west, some days early in the forenoon, some days not
till two or three o'clock. This breeze blows till sundown, and then
comes another and a hotter calm.
Fortunately for us we arrived off the head of the Gaboon estuary in
this calm, for had we had wind to deal with we should have come to
an end. There were one or two wandering puffs, about the first one
of which sickened our counterpane of its ambitious career as a
marine sail, so it came away from its gaff and spread itself over
the crew, as much as to say, "Here, I've had enough of this sailing.
I'll be a counterpane again." We did a great deal of fine varied,
spirited navigation, details of which, however, I will not dwell
upon because it was successful. We made one or two circles, taking
on water the while and then returned into the south bank backwards.
At that bank we wisely stayed for the night, our meeting with the
Gaboon so far having resulted in wrecking our sail, making Ngouta
sea-sick and me exasperate; for from our noble vessel having during
the course of it demonstrated for the first time her cataclysmic
kicking power, I had had a time of it with my belongings on the
bamboo stage.
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