512 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
is north and south, winds in the most capricious 
manner ; to such an extent, indeed, as to quadruple the 
journey. The right bank is a vast marsh of very 
variable width, attaining in some places to a thousand 
yards. It yields, in drainage, a huge volume of water, 
which produces a perceptible influence upon the growth 
of the stream. 
Some' three miles below Cangamba I came upon a 
bevy of eighteen women, who were standing on the bank 
and fishing up small fry by means of osier-baskets. 
At one of the turns of the river I perceived three 
antelopes, of an unknown species, at least to me ; but, 
just as I was in the act of letting fly at them, they 
leaped into the water and disappeared beneath its 
surface. The circumstance caused me immense surprise, 
which was increased as I went further on, as I occasion¬ 
ally came across several of these creatures, swimming 
and then rapidly diving, keeping their heads under 
water, so that only the tips of their horns were visible. 
This strange animal, which I afterwards found an 
opportunity of shooting on the Cuchibi, and of whose 
habits I had by that time acquired some knowledge, is 
of sufficient interest to induce me for a moment to 
suspend my narrative, to say a few words concern¬ 
ing it. 
It bears among the Bihenos the name of Quichobo, 
and among the Ambuellas that of Buzi. Its size, when 
full grown, is that of a one-year-old steer. The colour 
of the hair is dark grey, from one quarter to half an 
inch long, and extremely smooth ; the hair is shorter on 
the head, and a white stripe crosses the top of the 
nostrils. The length of the horns is about 2 feet, the 
section at the base being semicircular, with an almost 
rectilinear chord. This section is retained up to about 
three-fourths of their height, after which they become 
almost circular to the tips. The mean axis of the horns 
is straight, and they form a slight angle between them. 
They are twisted around the axis without losing their 
rectilinear shape, and terminate in a broad spiral. The 
feet are furnished with long hoofs, similar to those of 
