Chap. XI. 
EECEPTION AT VILLAGES. 
205 
eighteen indies wide and about fifteen feet long; their paddles, 
ten feet in length, are of a kind of wood called molompi, very 
light, yet as elastic as ash. With these they either punt or 
paddle, according to the shallowness or depth of the water. 
When they perceive the antelopes beginning to move they 
increase their speed, and pursue them with great velocity; they 
make the water dash away from the gunwale, and, though the 
leche goes off by a succession of prodigious bounds, its feet 
appearing to touch the bottom at each spring, they manage to 
spear great numbers of them. 
The nakong often shares a similar fate. This is a new species, 
rather smaller than the leche, and, in shape, has more of paunchi¬ 
ness than any antelope I ever saw. Its gait closely resembles the 
gallop of a dog when tired. The hair is long and rather sparse, 
so that it is never sleek-looking. It is of a greyish-brown colour, 
and has horns twisted in the manner of a koodoo, but much 
smaller, and with a double ridge winding round each of them. 
Its habitat is the marsh and the muddy bogs; the great length 
of its foot between the point of the toe and supplemental hoofs 
enables it to make a print about a foot in length; it feeds by 
night, and lies liid among the reeds and rushes by day; when 
pursued, it dashes into sedgy places containing water, and im¬ 
merses the whole body, leaving only the point of the nose and 
ends of the horns exposed. The hunters burn large patches of 
reed in order to drive the nakong out of his lair; occasionally 
the ends of the horns project above the water; but when it sees 
itself surrounded by enemies in canoes, it will rather allow its 
horns to be scorched in the bm’ning reed, than come forth from 
its hiding-place. 
When we arrived at any village, the women all turned out to 
luUiloo their chief. Their shrill voices, to which they give a 
tremulous sound by a quick motion of the tongue, peal forth 
Great lion! ” “ Great chief! ” “ Sleep, my lord I ” &c. The men 
utter similar salutations; and Sekeletu receives all with becoming 
indifference. After a few minutes’ conversation and telling the 
news, the head man of the village, who is almost always a Mako- 
lolo, rises, and brings forth a number of large pots of beer. Cala¬ 
bashes, being used as drinking-cups, are handed round, and as 
many as can partake of the beverage do so, grasping the vessels 
so eagerly that they are in danger of being broken. 
