Chap. XIV. TASSAGE OF THE OGOULOU. 277 



about to start liacl hidden tlicm in the jungle. It 

 required a long- parley to bring them to reason. At 

 . length three ferry-boats were brought, one old and 

 rotten. The owner of this last boat was an old man, 

 who knew how to drive a very hard bargain : he 

 required four measures of powder for the loan of the 

 boats, and when I had given him four asked five, 

 when I had given him five he raised his demands to 

 six, and so on. It finished at last in the usual way by 

 my indignantly refusing his demands ; he then came 

 round to more moderate terms, — the more readily, 

 because he saw that the other two boat-owners were 

 ready to take us at my price — and Ave embarked, 

 all Yengue crowding down to the water-side to see 

 us off, the chief himself leading me to the boat. 



After crossing the Ogoulou (which I have named 

 the Eckmiihl in honour of a dear friend in Franco) we 

 passed through a tract of forest varied with numerous 

 plantations of the natives, the river flowing through 

 a fertile alluvial valley, between ranges of hills. 



Before we had emerged from the river valley we 

 passed through several Ishogo villages ; the country 

 then began to rise, and we marched over a hilly 

 district, all covered, as usual, with impenetrable 

 jungle. The forest paths were narrow, and the 

 most varied and strange forms of vegetation rose on 

 either side. We were delayed some time on the way 

 waiting for stragglers. At two p.m. we reached an 

 elevated plateau, and a little before three arrived at 

 the Ishogo village of Mokenga, about six miles to 

 the eastward of Yengue, and IGO feet higher than 

 that town. 



