50 THROUGH ANGOLA 



lives in swamps, where he alone can walk with his 

 long splayed hoofs and lie concealed with his nose 

 above the water. Rarely seen in the swamps 

 except at night, the sitatunga in undisturbed 

 country may be seen just before dusk and after 

 dawn. It was nearly dark when I saw the first 

 of these animals a young male and a doe leave 

 the swamp to graze ; they walked clumsily on 

 the hard ground with their long splayed hoofs, 

 so well adapted for crossing a reed or papyrus- 

 covered swamp. It was delightful to watch these 

 rare buck, and stirring to think that perhaps a 

 really big head might appear at any moment. 

 And then I caught a glimpse of a brown shaggy 

 body and a big pair of long twisted horns moving 

 in the swamp ; and stalking quickly in the failing- 

 light, fired. The animal fell to the shot, but 

 recovered and plunged further where deep water, 

 the dense papyrus brake, and nightfall prevented 

 us following it. 



The next day, though we sep.vchcd the swamp, 

 we failed to find the wounded sitatunga, and on 

 two more mornings and one evening spent by the 

 banks of the river, no sitatunga and very few 

 tracks were seen. We learned that the natives 

 of a neighbouring village hunted these animals 

 by burning the prmyrus and spearing them from 

 canoes. Very few remain on the Coqne, and in a 

 few years these too will be gone. 



The next morning, just before we resumed our 

 march south, one of my men found the decom- 

 posing body of the sitatunga. The flesh and skin 

 were useless, but the beautiful spiral horns, which 



