CHAPTER XVI
CONGO FRANÇAIS
Before leaving the Ogowé region I must attempt to give you a general résumé of its geography; for my own journals kept, while in it, contain this information in so scattered a state, that no one save an expert in this bit of Africa would understand the full bearing of them; and it would have to be an enthusiastic expert who would take the trouble of piecing the information together.
My reason for going into these geographical details at all, is that I think I may say no region in Africa, certainly no region of equal importance, is so little known in England. The history of the exploration of the upper regions of the Ogowé may be written in the life of one man, that of the greatest of all West African explorers, M. de Brazza; and it is impossible for any one to fail to regard him with the greatest veneration, when one knows from personal acquaintance the make of country and the dangerousness of the native population with which he has had to deal and with which he still deals, restlessly but wisely pushing always onwards to expand the territories of the country of his
- ↑ I have used the names of places as they have been published by the various travellers referred to; but, owing to the kindness of Mr. R. B. N. Walker, I have since my return had from him a list of these names spelt in conformation with the native pronunciation, and, thinking that they may be valuable to subsequent travellers, I will occasionally append them in footnotes.
