Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/473

THE OGOWAY. 889 least in the rainy season, meanders first westwards, then to the north, interrupted so frequently by rocky obstructions that the whole af its middle course may be described as a continuous rapid. At the Dume falls it trends abruptly westwards, beyond which it is again deflected towards the equator, which it follows in a somewhat westerly direction, as if to fall into the Gaboon estuary. Here it is joined above the Bowe falls by the Ivindo, a large stream which is supposed to have its source in the neighbourhood of the U-Banghi. From this point the Ogoway rolls down a great body of water, but the current is constantly impeded by rocky barriers, "fetish stones," as they are called, which the boatman in passing hopes to propitiate by sprinkling them with a few drops of water from his paddle. From the station of ]N"jole, below the last rapids, the lower course flows for 200 miles to Nazareth Bay, at some points narrowing to 500 or 600 yards, but else- where expanding to a breadth of nearly 2 miles. The current is dotted with numerous islands, some consolidated by the roots of trees, others mere sandbanks, or else floating masses of vegetable refuse, arrested by the tall sedge growing on the bottom. Even at low water, gunboats drawing 3 or 4 feet may ascend for over 180 miles from the sea, although till recently no whites were allowed to pass "Fetish Point," at the confluence of the Ngunie. This great affluent from the south is itself navigable for 60 miles to the Samba falls, which rise scarcely 4 feet above high-water level. Below the Ngunie junction, the Ogoway ramifies like the Senegal into lateral channels, which receive the overflow during the periodical inundations, when they expand into vast lacustrine or swampy reservoirs, dotted over with islands. Such is the great eliva {liba), or "lake," usually known by the name of Zonengway, famous for its holy island, residence of a powerful fetishman. This lagoon, about 40 feet at its deepest point, covers a space of at least 200 square miles, and communicates with the river through three navigable channels, two influents from, one an emissary to, the Ogoway. Farther west, but still on the same south side, occurs the Anenghe (lonenga, Onangwe), a basin of similar formation, while on the north side a branch of the main stream is skirted by the Azingo and some other lateral depressions, also large enough to deserve the name of lake. The delta properly so called, beginning at the Anenghe lagoon, comprises between the two chief branches, the Lower Ogoway in the north and the Wango in the south, an area of about 1,900 square miles, including the island of Cape Lopez, which projects far seawards. This region is intersected in all directions by shifting channels and backwaters accessible during the floods from at least three points— Nazareth Bay in the north, 20 to 30 feet deep, the Fernao Yaz channel in the south, and between the two. Cape Lopez Bay. The delta is continued south- wards by the extensive Nkomi lagoon, ramifying into a thousand creeks and fed from the north by the Wango branch of the Ogoway, from the south by the rembo (" river ") Obenga flowing from the hills to the south of Lake Zonengway. Other lagoons continue south-eastwards this half- submerged region, beyond which the Nyanga, escaping through the gorges of the coast range, falls into the