X TWO BUFFALOES SHOT 193 



We had scarcely left our camp half an hour, when, 

 on rounding a point of land, I perceived, far ahead, 

 a long, black line creeping slowly from the water's 

 edge towards the jungle, which we soon made out 

 to be a herd of buffaloes. The natives of course 

 begged me to shoot a fat cow, and, as I wanted a 

 good piece of meat for myself, I resolved to make 

 the attempt. Before we had got anywhere near them, 

 they had disappeared in the bush ; so, disembark- 

 ing, 1 took the spoor and followed, when, just as I 

 sighted them, they got my wind and made off. The 

 bush, however, being thick, they did not go very fast, 

 and kept continually stopping to look round, and 

 after a short run I managed to kill a young bull and 

 a nice fit cow, besides wounding an old fellow who 

 seemed inclined to make himself disagreeable. 



On returning to the river with the meat, I found 

 my fleet augmented by the arrival of three more 

 canoes, whose owners said their town was on an island 

 not far off, from whence, hearing my shots, they 

 had at once come across, in the hope of finding that 

 something had been killed, for a share of which 

 they might come in. These men told me that in 

 some thick beds of reeds near their town were some 

 situtunga antelopes. This antelope, of which I shall 

 have more to say later on, is the Tragelaplius Spekii 

 of naturalists, and, like every other animal, is known 

 by different names in different parts of the country. 

 At Lake Ngami, for instance, it is called " nakong," 

 on the lower Chobe situtunga and puvula, whilst on 

 the upper Kafukwe river it is known by the name of 

 " n'zoe," and at Lake Bengweolo, according to Dr. 

 Livingstone, " n'zobe." As I longed to obtain a 

 specimen of this rare and beautiful antelope, and as 

 besides it was necessary the Kafirs should partially 







