The Pahouin village was a settlement in French Equatorial Africa, on the grassy banks of a tributary of the Ogooué River, about a day's travel upriver by boat from Lambaréné. The houses were constructed of grass, and it had a corral for goats. It was governed by a chief.
In January 1917, the chief's son became seriously ill and required a healer, so the chief sent three of his men to fetch Oganga. Oganga arrived the next evening, with his assistant Joseph, who could speak to the Pahouins, and with Indiana Jones, who had provided the Collette for use on this house-call. After a successful operation, the young man was charged with Schweitzer's call to ease suffering. Later that evening, the chief offered dinner to his guests and discussed the war in Europe while seated around the fire.
The next day, the Collette was loaded up with fruits, goats and other items in gratitude for the doctor's visit, and Oganga departed downriver.
