BEYOND THE SUDD 283 



always been stated to occur at Mongalla ; but I gathered 

 no positive evidence myself. 



These forests are a favourite haunt of baboons, and 

 an incident with them further illustrated that strong sense 

 of mutual sympathy that exists in the animal-world. A 

 group of a score sat assembled beneath some heglig-trees, 

 some asleep, others lazily strolling around, their tails 

 carried like pothooks. One satyr- faced "old man" (the 

 biggest I had ever seen, and I had already shot one 

 scaling 82 Ib.) sat upright on his haunches, critically 

 examining and peeling a tree-fruit with strangely human 

 action. So immense did he appear that I decided to have 

 his mask. The bullet laid him out a dark blotch on the 

 sere grass but ere I reached the spot no blotch remained. 

 He had recovered his legs ; but blood-spoor gave the 

 direction, and soon I perceived him staggering with diffi- 

 culty away. So certain a prey did he then appear that, 

 not wishing to injure the pelt, I refrained from firing 

 a second shot. Suddenly the rest of the troop, which 

 meanwhile had utterly vanished, reappeared, two or 

 three supporting their stricken leader on either side. 

 Being now still more reluctant to fire, the result was that 

 the ambulance squad reached a patch of thick bush, and 

 therein I lost them ! A similar incident occurred the 

 following year on the Binder River ; but, in that case, the 

 view was more obstructed. 



At Mongalla we secured two serval kittens, beautiful 

 little creatures but frightfully savage for their size. I 

 gave them to Mr Butler at Khartoum, but, despite all his 

 care and skill, they had both died before my return in the 

 following November. 



(ill) BlRD-LlFE 



In books on African travel one reads rhapsodies 

 on the beauty and "brilliance of plumage of tropical birds. 

 The text becomes well-nigh stereotyped. Yet Central 

 African birds as a whole are neither more beautiful 



