514 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
In an interview which I had at Pretoria with a 
celebrated antelope-hunter, Mr. Selous, I learned that 
lie had heard my antelope spoken of by the natives of 
the Upper Cafucue, a stream which, it appears, con¬ 
tained an animal similar to the one I had met with. I 
regret that my very limited knowledge of zoology did 
not permit me to make a more minute study of a 
creature which I deem worthy the attention of men of 
science on account of the strangeness of its habits. 
On July 25, 1878, Major Serpa Pinto encamped on 
the right bank of the river Cucliibi, which flows into 
the Cuando or Linyanti. which again is a tributary of 
the Zambesi. Major Pinto has some interesting ex¬ 
perience at the village of Cau-eu-hue, at which he 
stayed some time. 
There were several Ambuella girls who were dancing 
with my carriers, and the bangles on their arms and 
wrists made a tinkling accompaniment to their motions. 
I was much struck with the type of many of these girls, 
which was perfectly European, and I saw several whose 
forms, as they undulated in the dance, would have 
raised envy in the hearts of many European ladies, 
whom they equalled in beauty and surpassed in grace 
of motion. Wliat followed was calculated to increase 
my surprise. It would appear that these Ambuellas, 
on the arrival in the country of a caravan, are accus¬ 
tomed to flock into the camp, to sing and dance ; and, 
as night advances, the men retire, and leave their 
women-folks behind them. It is their hospitable 
custom thus to furnish the stranger wayfarers with a 
few hours of female society. On the following morning, 
at daybreak, the visitors steal away to their villages, 
and rarely fail to return to bring gifts to their husbands 
of a night. 
This custom led to an extraordinary adventure which 
befell myself. Moene Cau-eu-hue, the old Sova, sent 
me his two daughters, Opudo and Capeu. Opudo was 
about twenty, and Capeu counted some sixteen years. 
The elder was a plain girl enough, and was wonderfully 
haughty in manner ; but the other was an attractive 
