Chap. XX. FRENCH EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS. 415 



The second expedition was a like failure ; it com- 

 menced exploring in July instead of waiting until 

 November. Nevertheless it had a great advantage 

 over the first; for it had a small steam tender besides 

 a larger steamer. The expedition went as far as the 

 junction of the Okanda and Ngouyai. Unfortunately, 

 I have never seen any published record of this 

 interesting exploration, which went a little further 

 than the first. The exploration of the Okanda will 

 be a great service rendered to geographical science. 

 The French having possession of the Gaboon, no 

 one could do it better than they. 



Climate. — Now that I have given a general view 

 of the configuration of this part of Africa, I will 

 speak of the climate. 



Unfortunately the book in which w^as recorded all 

 my observations concerning the amount of rain fall- 

 in ir, the duration of the showers or storms, the heat 

 of the sun and of the atmosphere, has been lost ; 

 now and then I recorded in my journal a few ob- 

 servations, so I shall not be able to give to the reader 

 in this chapter a general resume of the daily record. 



The Ashango mountains seem to be, if I may use 

 the negro expression, the home of the rain. I doubt 

 very much whether in any other country in the 

 world it rains more than in the mountainous regions 

 of the interior. On the western coast, near the 

 equator, there are only two seasons, the rainy and 

 the dry, as described in 'Equatorial Africa.' 



The rain begins in September and ends in May. 

 In 1864 a long dry season took place, as I have said 

 in the course of this narrative, called enomo onguero ; 



