268 



The Living Animals of the World 



forest, that I determined, if ever fate should lead me in that direction, I would make 

 enquiries. 



Soon after reaching the Uganda Protectorate at the end of 1899, I came in contact with 

 a large party of dwarfs who had been kidnapped by a too enterprising German impresario, who 

 had decided to show them at the Paris Exhibition. As the Belgians objected to this procedure, 

 I released the dwarfs from their kidnapper, and retained them with me for some months in 

 Uganda, until I was able personally to escort them back to their homes in the Congo Forest. 

 I had other reasons connected with my Government business for visiting the north-western 

 part of the Congo Free State. As soon as I could make the dwarfs understand me by means of 

 an interpreter, I questioned them regarding the existence of this horse-like creature in their 

 forests. They at once understood what I meant ; and pointing to a zebra-skin and a live mule, 

 they informed me that the creature in question, which was called OK API, was like a mule with 



zebra stripes on it. When I reached Fort 

 Mbeni, in the Congo Free State, on the west 

 bank of the river Semliki, I put questions 

 to the Belgian officers stationed there. 

 They all knew the okapi, at any rate, when 

 dead. As a living animal they had none 

 of them seen it, but their native soldiers 

 were in the habit of hunting the animal 

 in the forest and killing it with spears, 

 and then bringing in the skin and the 

 flesh for use in the fort. One of the 

 officers declared there was even then a 

 freshly obtained skin lying about in the 

 precincts of the fort. On searching for 

 this, however, it was discovered that the 

 greater part of it had been thrown away, 

 only the gaudier portions having been cut 

 into strips by the soldiers to be made into 

 bandoliers. These strips, together with 

 similar ones obtained from natives in the 

 forest, I sent to England, to Dr. P. L. 

 Sclater, for his consideration. Furnished 

 by the Belgian officers with guides, and 

 taking with me all the dwarfs whom 

 I had brought from Uganda, I entered 

 the forest, and remained there for some 

 days searching for the okapi. All this 



time I was convinced that I was on the track of a species of horse; and therefore when the 

 natives showed the tracks of a cloven-footed animal like the eland, and told us these were 

 the foot-prints of the okapi, I disbelieved them, and imagined that we were merely following 

 a forest-eland. We never saw the okapi ; and as the life in the forest made the whole expedition 

 extremely ill, and my time was required for official work elsewhere, I was obliged to give up 

 this search. Meantime, I had elicited from the natives, whom I questioned closely, that the 

 okapi was a creature without horns or any means of offence, the size of a large antelope or 

 mule, which inhabited only the densest parts of the forest and generally went about in pairs, 

 male and female. It lived chiefly on leaves. The Belgian officers, seeing that I was disappointed 

 at not obtaining a complete skin, offered to use their best efforts to obtain one for me, and 

 send it on to Uganda after my departure. 



This promise was eventually redeemed by Mr. Karl Eriksson, a Swedish officer in the 

 Belgian service. Mr. Eriksson sent me a complete skin and two skulls. The skin and the 



Photo by York <fr Son] \_Kotting Hill. 



MALE AND FEMALE GIRAFFES. 

 Giraffes are said to be very affectionate animals. 



