• Exploration conditions
  • The exploration
  • Daily life
  • The pirogues
  • Porterage
• Dangers inherent in explorations
• ’’Palabres‘’
• Return to France

"How about a dungout outing ? Just sit on a case  (folding stools will only crop out later), keep the same posture all day ; sail parallel along the banks to reduce the current and, brushing by the branches, disturb the horseflies and bee swarms that will be attacking you ; sometimes, the rowers disregard the crocodiles’ danger, jump in the water to avoid being bit by mosquitoes for some time. In the evening, one has to sleep on the soil, only covered by a mat. One must eat under a mosquito net to avoid being devoured by mosquitoes. A rubberised poncho is used as shelter in case of hurricane. One drinks yellow water drawn from the Congo River between floating animal remains or human debris. A fire is to be lit up in a clay camp stove to chase flies away and cook the food. If one is drenched in a storm, one has to wait for a bright spell and for the sun to return to dry oneself. On top of that, one should add revolts of the porters, sometimes volunteers, of the guides; the cannibals on the look-out for a lunch; the unwilling, treacherous, greedy, cruel and traitor chieftains against whom one has to struggle by diplomacy and weapons, with whom one must sign treaties".

(Henri Malo)