428 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



Later in the afternoon, as we were going along 

 in Indian file, a peculiar, wild, shrill cry, issued 

 from a clump of high trees close by, which the 

 Bekelai informed me was the voice of the 

 n'chiego or chimpanzee. Guided by the sound, 

 I approached the place, and saw two of those 

 animals scrambling along from branch to branch, 

 high above the ground, at a much greater pace 

 than I could force my way through the bush. 

 They were evidently aware of our presence, and 

 as I did not think there was a chance of getting 

 any nearer, I rested my rifle against the trunk of 

 a tree, and, taking steady aim, fired a double 

 shot at the biggest, which I took to be the male. 

 He was evidently hit, for he dropped some 

 distance into a lower tree, and I found several 

 gouts of blood on the ground, but the bullet had 

 struck no vital place, and. he got away leaving 

 no trail, as he travelled from branch to branch. 

 I, therefore, gave up the pursuit, and continuing 

 our way, about an hour before dusk we arrived 

 at King Bapi's town, also called Gallenja bah, 

 w^hich is situated on a rising ground, overlooking 



