98 THROUGH ANGOLA 



When a leopard comes to a bait, it is usually 

 about sunset, at ten o'clock, or just before dawn. 

 The Quingombe leopard never showed himself, 

 though more than once a big silent something 

 moved in the bushes below the tree. 



Too tired to continue the strain of a watch as 

 severe as that needed to bag so cunning a beast 

 as a leopard, I took the goat back to its parents 

 at midnight, and returned to camp. 



The next day, the 20th September, we marched 

 from Quingombe south-west towards the Coanza, 

 to continue the fifth traverse of the Loando-Coanza 

 watershed, which had started at Chimbango near 

 the Loando, and was to end at Chuso on the 

 Coanza. (See Map at end of book.) For the in- 

 formation of those who may hunt in this region, 

 I will again quote from my diary. 



" Leaving Quingombe at 8.20 a.m. we passed 

 by a plain named Sandanbiza, and at short 

 intervals a series of small streams called the 

 Cascella, Futa, Dinba, Cassenje, and Jamba, all 

 flowing eastwards to join the Mazi River, which 

 we reached at one o'clock ; and an hour later, 

 Cave, a large village on the hills above the Mazi 

 valley. The hills on which Cave stood must be 

 5000 feet above sea-level, and the highest point we 

 reached in the Loando-Coanza watershed. After 

 leaving Cave we marched south-west down to 

 the Coanza valley, camping at a village two hours 

 later. The next morning, another I. 1 , hour's 

 march brought us to the Coanza River, opposite 

 Chuso village, where there is a ferry/' 



The journey through the sable country, carried 



