Page:Travels in West Africa, Congo Français, Corisco and Cameroons (IA travelsinwestafr00kingrich).pdf/387

 she could not speak English, and I shrank in my condition from attempting to evolve the French language out of my inner consciousness; feeling quite certain I should get much misunderstood by the gentle, clean, tidy lady, and she might put me down as an ordinary specimen of Englishwoman, and so I should bring disgrace on my nation. If I had been able to dress up, ashore I would have gone, but as it was I wrote her a note explaining things and thanking her.

We lay off Dongila all night, because of the tide. I lay off everything, Dongila, canoe and all a little after midnight. Obanjo and almost all the crew stayed on shore that night, and I rolled myself up in an Equetta cloth and went sound and happily asleep on the bamboo staging, leaving the canoe pitching slightly. About midnight some change in the tide, or original sin in the canoe, caused her to softly swing round a bit, and the next news was that I was in the water. I had long expected this to happen, so was not surprised, but highly disgusted, and climbed on board, needless to say, streaming. So, in the darkness of the night I got my portmanteau from the hold and thoroughly tidied up. The next morning we were off early, coasting along to Glass, and safely arriving there, I attempted to look as unconcerned as possible, and vaguely hoped Mr. Hudson would be down in Libreville; for I was nervous about meeting him, knowing that since he had carefully deposited me in safe hands with Mme. Jacot, with many injunctions to be careful, that there were many incidents in my career that would not meet with his approval. Vain hope! he was on the pier. He did not approve. He had heard of most of my goings on.

The agent for the German house at Lembarene had come to Libreville a few days before in the legitimate way, i.e. down the Ogowé in a little steamer, and on to a mail boat at Fernan Vaz, and thence to Libreville, and had brought the news that I was reported to have left Kangwe, going in the direction of the Rembwé. Knowing I ought to reach Agonjo, Mr. Hudson had most kindly sent a surf-boat with a good crew up the Rembwé to fetch me down. We never saw this surf-boat as we came down. I expect we were dodging round some corner or another after trade, or lying away in a swamp creek