326 TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXI. 
but in the immediate vicinity of the lake. In colour 
and size it resembles the roe, and has a white belly. 
The kelara is by no means slender, but rather bulky, 
and extremely fat; this, however, may not be a 
specific character, but merely the consequence of the 
rich food which it enjoys here. It may be identical 
with, or be a variety of the Antilope Arabica, and the 
Arabs, and those of the natives who understand a 
little Arabic, call both by the same name, a el ariyel." 
Proceeding onwards, we reached about noon an- 
other creek, which is used occasionally by the Bud- 
duma as a harbour, and is called u Ngiilbea." We, 
however, found it empty, and only inhabited by 
nguriitus, or river-horses, which, indeed, live here 
in great numbers, snorting about in every direction, 
and by two species of crocodiles. In this quarter there 
are no elephants, for the very simple reason that they 
have no place of retreat during the night; for this 
immense animal (at least in Africa) appears to be 
very sensible of the convenience of a soft couch in 
the sand, and of the inconvenience of mosquitoes too ; 
wherefore it prefers to lie down on a spot a little ele- 
vated above the swampy ground, whither it resorts for 
its daily food. On the banks of the northern part of 
the Tsad, on the contrary, where a range of low sand- 
hills and wood encompasses the lagoon, we shall meet 
with immense herds of this animal. 
Ngiilbea was the easternmost point of our excur- 
sion ; and, turning here a little west from north, we 
continued our march over drier pasture-grounds, 
