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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.
While I was at Lembarene, waiting for the Eclaireur, a notorious chief descended on a Ngunie sub-factory, and looted it. The wife of the black trading agent made a gallant resistance, her husband was away on a trading expedition, but the chief had her seized and beaten, and thrown into the river.
I hear now she was the Eclaireur, the stern-wheeler which runs up and down the Ogowe in connection with the Chargeurs Reunis Company, subsidised by the Government, and when the Move whistled, she was just completing taking on 3,000 billets of wood for fuel. In a few minutes we have taken her berth close to the bank, and tied up to a tree.
He communicates this to the Engineer; it is impossible she could have passed the Eclaireur since they started, therefore she must be some where behind at a subfactory, "N'est-ce pas?" "Oui, oui, certainement," says the Engineer. The Engineer is, by these considerations, also lulled, and feels he may do something else but scan the river a la sister Ann.
Cockshut on the subject of the wicked waste of money in keeping the Move and not shipping all goods by the Eclaireur, "N'est-ce pas?" and with the French official on goodness knows what, but I fancy it will be pistols for two and coffee for one in the morning time. When the captain feels himself being worsted in argument, he shouts for support to the engineer and his brother.
The Eclaireur forthwith has an hysteric fit on her whistle, so as to frighten M. Forget and get him to dash off in his canoe to her at once. Apparently he knows her, and does not hurry, but comes on board quietly. I find there will be no place for me to stay at at Njole, so I decide to go on in the Eclaireur and use her as an hotel while there, and then return and stay with Mme.
Take care of yourself. Yes, I'll come and see you soon," etc., etc. While all this is going on, the Eclaireur quietly slides down river, with the current, broadside on as if she smelt her stable at Lembarene.
The next morning there is the Eclaireur lying a mile or so out, and there is a boat with the bo'sun maître d'équipage pulling towards the surf. I wade out to the brink. He halloes: "Where is the landing, then?" "Mais ici" Right here, I say. "Yes, that's all very well for persons, but where do you land les bagages?" "Mais ici" I say again, and he says, "Diable!"
The Eclaireur goes now close enough to the hippo-anchored canoe for a rope to be flung to the man in her bows; he catches it and freezes on gallantly. Saved! No! Oh horror!
Pelessier, 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 25th. Eclaireur has to wait for the Administrator until ten, because he has not done his mails. At ten he comes on board like an amiable tornado, for he himself is going to Cape Lopez.
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