Monkeys 237 



down from the tree-tops, only two were of the same 

 species. I regret that I was unable to preserve their 

 skins, for there must have been unknown varieties 

 among them : the weather being always cloudy 

 and rainy, the moisture and continual changing of 

 quarters prevented me from attempting to preserve 

 specimens. 



I noticed that if we proceeded with the main body 

 of the expedition the noise made by such a large 

 number of men caused a perfect blank in front of us. 

 We saw nothing ; everything seemed dead. If, on 

 the other hand, I was two or three miles ahead, 

 proceeding noiselessly and only accompanied by my 

 gun-bearers, the forest had quite a different aspect, 

 everywhere there was life and animation. Often 

 have I noticed the same thing in the African bush. 



Large monkeys are met with only towards the 

 middle of the forest that is, in the direction of the 

 Lomami. In this region, and in the Itimbiri, the 

 people were able to answer my questions about the 

 gorilla by reporting to me a large monkey, the soko, 

 which, according to the description of the natives, 

 must be the chimpanzee. 



My interpreter, in view of my rather limited 

 knowledge of the Congo language (a kind of Bangala 

 mixed with Swahili), considered that I should better 

 understand the portrait of the soko by demonstration 

 than through a description ; and, after having con- 

 versed with and questioned ten or twelve natives 

 seated around us, from whom he asked every now and 

 then fresh information, this is how he answered my 



