264 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



drying ; heavy rains, no sun, and perpetual moisture. Under 

 these conditions the skin looked better than I could ever 

 have expected, though it had commenced to slip in places. 

 It was a very fine specimen of a male. 



The history of the capture was as follows : 



On leaving me Jose went to Beritio, three days' journey 

 to the South of Angu. With the help of a native hunter 

 he discovered the spoor of an okapi and also heard it 

 in the forest, but did not see it ; he followed it up till 

 nightfall and then returned to the village. Early the next 

 morning he set out again and watched by a stream on the 

 chance that it would come down to drink. This it did, and 

 his guide saw it, but Jose could not catch a glimpse of it him- 

 self, and only heard it rushing away through the undergrowth. 

 He followed it up for three days, the whole of which time it 

 kept moving in a circle, crossing the stream several times in 

 the day. After leaving the stream it always took the same 

 course. Jose then resolved to try and capture it in a pit as 

 the natives do. Having obtained more men from the village 

 he went back to the stream and laid his plans. About 100 

 yards from the stream were two large trees, and he observed 

 that the okapi after leaving the water always passed between 

 them. Here there was an old native pit, partly filled up, 

 which the okapi avoided, so he made a pit exactly where it 

 travelled between the trees. The pit was dug about 4 ft. 

 deep, and branches placed across the top, and leaves laid 

 over the branches, making the place look as if nothing 

 had been done. He then put up a rough fence on either 

 side of the track so as to make certain of the animal running 

 in the direction of the pit. Early next morning Jose again 



