Acalayong
consisted of thirty huts huddled on the shore of a broad estuary. At
the shallow water's edge was beached a flotilla, of hollowed-out
log canoes; some sporting outboard motors. After intense bargaining, one of the
owners agreed to take me across the estuary to Gabon. Soon, we were under way,
skimming over the water which occasionally surged over the prow of the low
sitting canoe.
We must
have travelled a good three hours before the engine sputtered to a halt. The
estuary had widened considerably at this point and the change in water colour
indicated that we were geographically in the Atlantic Ocean. Apart from a few
nearby islets, land appeared to be very far away indeed. I was, therefore,
greatly relieved when the current carried us to one of these islets, rather
than out to sea.
To be
truthful, when we landed, I really was surprised.
David W.
Bennett
(to be
continued)
