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.
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