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OUTH AFRICA
MONS .
‘THE MONKEY FOLK
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LIVES OF THE FUR FOLK: The Biographies
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ANIMAL ARTISANS AND OTHER STUDIES
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THE
MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA
THEIR VENOM AND THE TREATMENT
OF SNAKE BITE
Extensively Revised, Second Edition
ALES) AU aELO RS
THE MONKEYFOLK
OF SOUTH AFRICA
BY
F. W. FITZSIMONS, F.Z.S., Etc.
DIRECTOR, PORT ELIZABETH MUSEUM
AUTHOR OF ‘‘ THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA: THEIR VENOM AND
THE TREATMENT OF SNAKE BITE
WITH 60 ILLUSTRATIONS
LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA
IQII
All rights reserved
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PREFACE
Tus book is the first of a series which I hope in due time
to have published.
The monkeys are at the head of the sub-human animal
kingdom, so I have taken them first.
Each group of animals will be dealt with in turn, until
a complete history of the animals of South Africa has been
produced.
This volume is written mostly in the form of anecdotes.
The animals are made to tell their own stories.
By adopting this style I hope to interest the minds of
our boys and girls, and at the same time to present all that
is known to science about the ways and habits of the animals
of South Africa.
I have been encouraged to do this by the large measure
of success which attended such efforts in the past, in con-
nection with the literary and lecturing departments of
my work as a museum director. In the degree that a
writer is able to interest the mind of the reader, so just in
that degree will he succeed in impressing the cells of the
grey matter of the brain. Unless the teacher succeed in
arousing the intelligent interest of his pupil, he can make
but little headway.
I am a strong advocate of books being written in simple
language, because they are then ‘easily comprehended by
vii
vill PREFACE
learned men and women, as well as the most ignorant school-
boy or girl.
The reason, probably, why scientific knowledge is so
distasteful to the general public is that it is usually pre-
sented, either verbally or in books, in a form so complex
and involved that it is not readily understood, and therefore
fails to interest the public mind. I think that if our boys
and girls can be taught to take a real live interest in the
Creator’s handiwork, they will grow up truly and genuinely
reverent.
Nearly, if not all the ideas which have led to discoveries
have been gained by the observation and study of the
marvellous works of God upon the world, and in the heavens.
In the degree that we profited by such study, so in that
degree have we risen superior to the adverse forces which
threatened to overwhelm us.
This world is a great book—the Book of Nature. In its
bosom is stored up the history of the past. Upon its
surface are the results of that wonderful law through which
God perfects His works. We term it the law of Evolution.
It is necessary for the moral, spiritual, and physical
health that the individual should take up the intelligent
study of some mind-developing subject, apart from the
ordinary routine of life. ‘The man or woman who is wholly
absorbed in his or her trade or profession becomes, in time,
incapable of taking an intelligent interest in anything else.
Such people become mentally dwarfed. The human
brain is very complex, and unless the various parts are
systematically exercised, they become more or less atrophied,
as do those muscles which are rarely, if ever, used.
I wish it distinctly understood that this volume is a book
PREFACE ix
of fact, the style adopted being solely with the object of
trying to “sugar-coat ” the facts, and thus make them more
presentable to young readers.
My excuse for writing the book is that I am keenly
interested in the natural history of South Africa, having
devoted all my life, so far, toit. I shall feel well repaid if
I am able to stimulate the minds of some of our boys and
girls to take an intelligent interest in the creatures of
mountain, veld, forest, and stream.
The pictures in this book, except where otherwise stated,
are from photographs of the animals in their natural
habitats.
THE AUTHOR.
PORT ELIZABETH MUSEUM,
PORT ELIZABETH, CAPE COLONY,
December 1910.
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CONTENTS
CHAP.
I. STORY OF A VETERAN OF THE BABOONFOLK
II. CARRIED TO AN EAGLE’S EYRIE
Ill. HOW I GOT DRUNK . ‘ : ‘ ; : ;
IV. THE TREE-CLIMBING GUENON MONKEYS
V. THE MOHOLI LEMUR . ‘ ; ; .
GLOSSARY .
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ILLUSTRATIONS
THE AUTHOR . ‘ 3 A ;
A VERY OLD BUSHMAN AND HIS WIFE
A PuRE-BRED BUSHMAN OF MIDDLE AGE
THE HONEYGUIDE : : ;
BusSHMAN RING STONES
THE BLoopTHIRSTY LEOPARD . ‘
A SoutH AFRICAN PYTHON 16 FEET LONG
A SoutH AFRICAN PYTHON 18 FEET LONG
Cape HuntInc Doc or WILDE HoNDE
BABOON SPIDER, CENTIPEDE, SCORPION, BEETLE
A Typicat SouTH AFRICAN ALOE ‘
A ZuLu WARRIOR AND HIS WIFE 2
Cops OF MEALIES i ; Z :
FIELDS OF KAFIR CORN : ;
A NEsT OF OSTRICH EGGS IN THE SAND
THE SKULL OF A MALE CHACMA BABOON
THE COMPLETE SKELETON OF ONE OF THE BABOONFOLK
THE DASSIEVANGER ‘ . : 3
A BABY OF THE BABOONFOLK ., 4
A BAaBooNn POINTSMAN AT THE UITENHAGE RAILWAY STATION
THE CHEETAH OR HUNTING LEOPARD
THE SPOTTED HYZ@NA OR TIGER WOLF
A TypicaLt SoutH AFRICAN KRANTz .
xiii
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Frontispiece
To face page 2
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XIV ILLUSTRATIONS
A SCENE IN THE VALLEY OF DESOLATION AT GRAAFF REINET,
CaPE COLONY : rs , é ; : ‘ P
A MUISHOND OR STINK CAT : , ‘ ; ‘
TYPICAL SOUTH AFRICAN SCORPIONS . 3 4 ;
BABOONFOLK ON THE Top OF A Rocky Hii ., , j
AN OLD DRUNKEN REPROBATE . ‘ ; : Qf :
A SENTINEL CHACMA BABOON . : a ‘ ‘ ;
A BABOONFOLK YOUTH AND YOUNGSTER IN THEIR NATIVE
HoME . E i : A : ' é :
THE Poison FANGS OF THE SULLEN PUFF ADDER . :
A PurFF ADDER BRACED UP READY TO DELIVER A FATAL
THRUST : 3 é F : : : : :
GREEN AND BLACK MAMBAS Ree yt! : ; ; 3
THE VERVET MONKEY OF SOUTH AFRICA . ; : ‘
A BaBOoON WARRIOR’S WEAPONS . 4 ; ‘ ;
A GORILLA OF CENTRAL AFRICA. ; ’ ; ‘ :
LIONESS ; ; : ; ; ; ; E 3 .
THE MANDRILL OF WEST CENTRAL AFRICA x é .
VERVET OR BLAAUW-AAPJE ‘ EC ; : . :
BLuE APE OR VERVET MONKEY Two MONTHS OLD . ;
THE HOMES OF THE VERVET MONKEYFOLK ; r ,
COMPLETE SKELETON OF A VERVET MONKEY OR BLAAUW-
AAPJE . - . ‘ ; ; - ‘ : i
HANDS AND FEET OF APES AND MONKEYS E > +
ONE OF THE BABOONFOLK OF WEST CENTRAL AFRICA :
THE GHOST OF CUYLER MANOR . ; . ui x ‘
VERVET MONKEY OR BLAAUW-AAPJE . ‘ ; ‘ "
TERMITES OR ‘‘ WHITE ANTS” AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT
THE SERVAL “ ; : ; : : : j ‘
THE CARACAL, LYNX, OR ROOI-KAT . : : . ;
Tue KaFIR CaT . : p ’ ; ; P ‘ P
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60
70
80
85
86
98
98
100
100
100
108
115
120
122
123
123
124
125
125
135
139
142
145
146
146
ILLUSTRATIONS
THE MARTIAL EAGLE. ‘ ; ; , : ; ‘
THE SAMANGO . : . i : ‘ ° ‘ F
A Monoit LEMUR E ‘ ; ‘ , ‘ :
HAND AND Foot oF A Monort LEMUR OR BusH BaBy .
SKULLS OF THE TWO TYPICAL SoUTH AFRICAN GALAGO
LEMURS ‘ z , ‘ ; 4 , 4 3
THE SPOTTED EAGLE-OWL , : 4 : : :
GARNETT’S LEMUR. ; : : , ‘ :
THE RING-TAILED LEMUR OF MADAGASCAR é . ‘
DESMOND FITZSIMONS AND HIS BABY BABOON FRIEND .
A SCENE ON THE ZAMBESI RIVER . 3 5 :
XV
To face page 151
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153
155
156
156
159
159
166
161
161
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“PS
THE MONKEYFOLK OF
SOUTH AFRICA
CHAPTER I
STORY OF A VETERAN OF THE BABOONFOLK
I am a grandfather old and grey. My people are known as
Chacma or Cape Baboons. The Dutch people call us
Baviaanen. Scientific fellows know us by the classic-
sounding name of Papto porcarius. We have lived in South
Africa for untold ages. There are legends in our family
which incline us to believe that our people have lived for
hundreds of thousands of years amongst the krantzes and
the stony hills of beautiful, sunny South Africa.
What happy times my forefathers must have had when
there were only the leopard, the cheetah, the lion, and
the python to fear. To-day we live in hourly dread of
you humanfolk.
_ Hundreds of years ago, and perhaps a good many thou-
sands of years, according to baboon legends, my ancestors
got a terrible fright. They had begun to look upon the
krantzes, the caves, the broad veld, the wild berries, fruits,
herbs, roots, honey, and all the other things which are good
to eat, as their own particular property, when behold!
a horde of curious little people came from somewhere—
goodness knows where. Anyway, they came down from
the north. i
A
2 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
Scientific men think they first of all came from the
caves of Asia, and by degrees were driven farther and
farther south by stronger folk, until their advance guard
suddenly appeared in our land.
PIGMIES
These interlopers were not of our race. No, they were
different in shape, although their habits were the same as
ours. Your folk would say they were more intelligent,
and belonged to the human family. Well, anyhow they
very soon made us acknowledge them our masters. ‘These
little. fellows were brownish-yellow. ‘Their noses were flat,
so that if you put a plank against their faces, it would
touch their foreheads, noses, and chins, all at the same time.
Their heads were covered with little knobs of wool, curled
tightly, and looked like pepper-corns stuck all over their
skulls. ‘They had little beady black eyes like ours, and their
mouths were as big as ours too, only their lips were thicker.
They walked upright, and when it was cold wore the skins
of the different kinds of wild creatures sewn together with
sinews. ‘These cloaks are called karosses.
A COUNCIL OF WAR WAS HELD
Our people gathered together and held ever so many
Councils of War. We first tried to frighten these little
people away by barking at them, and pretending to be very
fierce, but they didn’t seem to fear us much. Then we
decided to attack them in great force. We organised our
attack, and made a sudden onslaught, making all the noise
we possibly could. Our enemies scattered in all directions.
Some climbed trees, and others hid behind rocks on the hill-
side. ‘Thinking we had terrified them, we rushed recklessly
forward. ‘Then, from here, there, everywhere, little things
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A pure-bred Bushman of middle age, standing beside a Kafir policeman,
6 ft. in height. The average size of these pigmy Bushmen or Bos-
jesmannen is—Men, 4 ft. 6 in.; Women, 4 ft. They are built in
’
proportion to their height. The Bushmen are now nearly extinct.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 3
you call arrows flew through the air and pierced the bodies
of my people. Dazed and terrified, the baboons gathered
around their shrieking friends and relatives. ‘The arrows
were weak little things, and didn’t make very serious wounds.
Again and again showers of these little darts sped forth.
In the wildest terror my people rushed for the nearest
krantz, but alas! all along the route, those who were
wounded sank down and died in agony. Ninety-five out
of a troop of 189 lost their lives in that combat, and only
five of the enemy were killed. We learned afterwards that
those little darts, which our enemies shot at us with bows,
were tipped with deadly poison. They used to capture
the fierce cobra and the sullen puff adder, and extract
their venom. ‘They mixed these with the juices of poison-
ous plants and certain insects, and smeared this death-
dealing poison on their arrows.
THE PIGMIES ATTACKED US
These pigmy men, whom you know as Bosjesmannen or
Bushmen, attacked us in our homes amongst the krantzes
and rocky hills. We pushed and hurled stones down on
them, and some of our strongest warriors had many hand-
to-hand fights. Numbers on both sides were killed. But
those dreadful poisoned arrows were too much for us, and
we were driven from our dearly-beloved and cosy caves,
which were then occupied by the pigmies. Often we
tried to surprise them asleep, but you might as well have
tried to catch a weasel sleeping. So we gave it up and
went forth into the wilderness and sought out other homes.
But they followed us up, and whenever we had secured a
nice cosy cave, we were chased out. At last we decided
to live away high up in the faces of the krantzes, which
people in England call precipices. You see, we can climb
almost anywhere, so we climbed up these giddy heights
and made our homes there.
4 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
WONDERFUL STONES
Those Bushmen not only drove us from our homes and
killed and ate us whenever they got the chance, but they
actually took possession of our feeding-grounds; for it
seems these Bushman people eat the same sort of food
as we do. They dug up our roots and bulbs with sticks
which had stone weights on them. These stone weights
were wonderful things. ‘They were hard, round boulders
which the pigmies bored holes through. We often sat
on ledges of rock and watched them patiently boring these
stones. A Bushman would find a round, hard, water-worn
rock, as big as a baby’s head, in some river drift, and, with
some flinty sand, a little water, and a bit of hard rock, would
actually bore a round hole right through that stone. They
bored it half-way through from one side, and then started
at the other side. Day after day these fellows would sit
on a rock out in the warm sun, boring away quite cheerfully.
Sometimes it took a month, and even three to six months
of daily work to bore one of these wonderful stones. Some-
times they tied them to the ends of sticks and threw them
at us, just as David threw the stone which killed Goliath,
only he threw it from a sling instead. In my young days
I saw a Bushman cast one of these stones and hit a bushbuck
in the ribs. The buck fell all of a heap, and the Bushman
ran up and killed it with his kerrie, which is a stick with a
big round knob at the end.
THEY STOLE OUR FOOD
These crafty pigmy men scoured the country and killed
the antelopes and the ostriches with their poisoned arrows ;
but we didn’t mind that, because we don’t care much for
flesh food. But they gathered the wild fruits, the berries,
The Honeyguide (Indicator sparrmanit) who, with fluttering wings and im-
patient cries, leads the Bushmen and Hottentots to bees’ nests.
Bushman Ring Stones. These vary in size from the bulk of an apple to
that of a baby’s head. They are water-worn pebbies, usually of hard,
fire-formed rock, such as Dolerite. They are bored through the centre,
half from one side, and half from the other. The boring tool is a cone-
shaped bit of hard sedimentary rock. Flinty sand and water are used
to aid in the boring process. The stone on the right is shown in
section.
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 5
the nuts, and all the things which are dear to us baboons.
Yes, and they even robbed us of our greatest dainty, which
is the honey of wild bees. There is a wretched creature
you call a honey guide, which is a little greyish bird.
This insolent little fellow would go and flutter and chirp
right in front of these Bushman pirates, who seemed to
know all about bird language. Well, these little rascals
would fly off from branch to branch as soon as the Bushman
started to follow, and they would lead him to one of our
bees’ nests. The honey guide doesn’t go to all this trouble
just because he loves the Bushmen. It’s because he loves
the young bees in the honeycomb, which look like fat
white grubs. You see, there was always a sort of under-
standing or compact between the birds and the Bushmen.
When the robber Bushman got out the honey, he pita
leave a little for the bird.
OUR ENEMIES THE LEOPARDS
Another enemy we dread is the leopard. His tread is
so soft, and he is so very cunning, that, although we have
got better and keener brains than he, yet he is often able
to get the better of us. Sometimes he manages to climb
up to our caves in the dead of night, and silently pounces
on one of us, whom he instantly carries off to his-lair. We
are dreadfully timid at night, and he knows it too. That’s
why he so often attacks us then. Sometimes during the
daytime, when we are playing about on the rocks in the
sun, or gathering nuts and herbs out on the veld, he will
pounce on one of our children, or our womenfolk, and
carry them off. In some parts of the country, krantzes
are scarce, so we baboons have to sleep up in the branches
of high trees. When our people have to do this, the
big warriors of the clan sleep in such a position that a
prowling leopard would have to pass near or over them
6 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
before he can reach the women and children. Great
battles are often fought between our strong warrior baboons
and hungry leopards. You see, a leopard, unless very
hungry, is afraid to tackle our fighting men, who have big
sharp yellow tusks, which they know how to use too.
BATTLES WITH LEOPARDS
But when he is pressed by hunger, the leopard becomes
reckless. One day I had a terrible battle with a leopard.
I was digging up a bulb, when all of a sudden a large
leopard leapt right on top of me. He seized me by the
back of the neck, but fortunately my mane was thick and
long, so he didn’t injure my backbone. I grappled with
him, and we struggled and tumbled over and over, until
at last, when I was almost exhausted by loss of blood, |
managed to grip his throat, and with one last great effort
I tore out his windpipe, and, with a leap into the air, he
died. I was bitten and scratched all over, and even to-day
I have several scars where the hair refuses to grow.
Once a leopard made an attack on a troop of baboons
to which I belonged. The leopard seized one of our
children, but before he could bound off with it, the little
one’s mother grasped the bloodthirsty pirate by the hind
leg, and held on, shrieking for help all the time. All the
big warriors of the tribe instantly rushed to her aid, and
packed on to the leopard. ‘There was a terrible fight,
for the leopard was strong, his teeth were large and sharp,
and his claws tore our skins dreadfully. At last we killed
him, and tore his body to pieces in our rage. One of our
best warrior baboons, however, lay dead, for the leopard
_ had torn his bowels out with his fearful hind claws, as he
lay on his back and fought. Another warrior died three
weeks later of wounds received in this fight. ,
A South African Python (Python seb@), 16 ft. long, and as thick round as
the top of a man’s thigh. He is lying in a depression amongst the
rocks, on the watch for a stray Baboon youngster or a Klip Dassie.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 7
THOSE TERRIBLE SNAKES
We baboonfolk have an enemy which we fear with a
mortal fear. He is known as the python, or South African
Rock Snake. He lies invisible and silent amongst the
rocks, and when any of our tribe come near, his head
shoots out like a bullet from a gun, and before there is
even time to wink, his monstrous coils are thrown around
his victim, and with a few squeezes his body is crushed
into a shapeless mass. Sometimes the python will lie along
the branch of a tree, and when a baboon happens to walk
underneath, the python just drops down on him, and then
there is no hope for him. I went with : friend one day
to a clump of thorny acacia trees to gather and eat the gum
which oozes out of their trunks and branches. When we
were busy picking off the gum and storing it as fast as we
could in our mouth-pouches, a huge brown streak shot
down past my eyes, and next instant I heard a gasp, and
saw my friend in the coils of a monster python. I was so
terrified I couldn’t even run. I just sat and screamed.
I never wish to see such a sight again. My poor friend’s
tibs were crushed up, and with a hollow groan, he died.
Then the python began to uncoil, and I saw the body
of my friend lying all limp and crushed. His body
seemed ever so much longer, and like a great sausage.
Then the python gaped his jaws and began swallowing his
victim whole. ‘The spell, which had rooted me to the
ground, seemed to snap suddenly, and I fled in mortal
terror, my hair standing erect all along my neck and back.
HOW WE KILLED A PYTHON
One day a python captured one of our womenfolk when
she went down to a pool amongst the rocks to drink. When
8 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
the python seized her, she managed to shriek for help
before those cruel coils smothered her. Hearing her cry
of distress, we rushed to her aid and attacked the python.
Before we could kill him, he managed to squash one of our
number, who died a few hours afterwards.
Several times our children mysteriously disappeared,
for, contrary to our commands, they would often creep
away and go hunting about for scorpions and beetles and
berries, on their own account. We thought it was a
leopard who was carrying them off, but it wasn’t so in this
case. One day the youngsters came scrambling over the
rocks screaming in mortal fear. We hurried up, thinking
they were being chased. They told us they had spied a
huge python lying asleep amongst the rocks. ‘They led us
to the spot, and sure enough, there lay a terrible-looking
snake. We got above him and began pushing rocks down
on him. He awoke, and raising his head, hissed dreadfully.
Then he tried to crawl away, but we saw he was very slow
and didn’t make much headway; so, thinking he wouldn’t
be able to make much of a fight, we grew bolder and closed
in on him. We feared at first to attack him, for we well
knew that at least one of us would be likely to be crushed
to pulp. However, an old warrior-baboon, with grizzled
hair and great tusks, made a dash, and we all followed.
We tore that python almost to pieces. When we were
venting our rage on the body by biting pieces out of it,
one of our womenfolk gave a terrible shriek, and jumping
forward, seized an arm which stuck out of the python’s
torn body. She pulled and drew out the remains of one
of our little folk. It was her own child. She hugged the
dead slimy body to her breast and moaned and crooned and
shrieked. We tried to take the body away from her, but
she wouldn’t let us, and scrambled away off amongst the
rocks. ‘Iwo days afterwards she came back and joined
us, looking sad and miserable. She had left her child’s
A South African Python (Pvthow seb@), 18 ft. long and 24 in. in circumference,
hanging from a branch.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 9g
dead body in a cleft, high up in the krantz where the jackals
and wild hunting dogs could not reach it.
HOW WE CHASED A LEOPARD
We baboonfolk are very fond of oysters and other shell-
fish. We often make excursions down to the seaside, and
when the tide is low we go out on the rocks and gather
oysters, other kinds of shellfish, and crabs. We sometimes
smash the shells by banging them on the rocks, but as a rule,
we are able easily to break the shells with our strong teeth.
One day we were all busy collecting shells, and hunting
under the stones for hermit crabs, whilst our children were
playing and romping on the sand. Suddenly, a chorus of
terrified shrieks rent the air. Starting up, we were just
in time to see a leopard leap amongst our children. We
instantly swarmed after him. Seeing us coming in such
numbers, he bounded off amongst the scrubby bush, and
we followed. We chased him for nearly three miles, but
lost his track in the thick bush-covered hills.
When we returned there was grief and lamentation.
Two of our little folk were dead. One had been bitten at
the back of the neck, and its neck was broken. ‘The other
one’s skull had been crushed by the leopard’s cruel jaws.
DROWNED BY THE TIDE
One of our womenfolk met with a sad end one day. We
were busy collecting shellfish out on the rocks by the sea-
side. The tide was coming in at the time. Presently one
of our women began to cry out, and we saw her struggling
desperately on one of the rocks out in the water. We
rushed to see what was wrong, and found that a large oyster
had closed its shell on her hand. We dragged desperately
at the shell to tear it from the rocks, but it was too firmly
io THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
rooted. We did our best to crush it with our teeth, but the
oyster was in an awkward position, and our teeth slipped. —
Then an appalling discovery was made. The tide was
cutting us off. We made one last desperate effort to
rescue our sister, but failed. Bidding her a sad farewell,
we hurried to the shore. Just then, a succession of little
shrieks were heard, and bounding from rock to rock, we saw
our doomed sister’s child trying to reach her. It did reach
her. She hugged it to her breast with her free hand. We
sat helpless on the shore and watched the water slowly rise
up and up. When the waves reached the mother’s breast
she thrust her child on to her shoulder. When the tide
was lapping her shoulders she pushed her little one on to
the top of her head. Presently a wave washed over them,
and both vanished.
I shall never forget that sad scene, and the heroism of
that unselfish mother, whose one thought right to the end
was to save her child. |
OUR HOME LIFE
You humanfolk who are so clumsy at climbing, think it
a marvellous performance to see us baboonfolk scramble,
either up or down a krantz as straight upright as the wall of
a house. You see, for many thousands of years our folk
have practised rock-climbing, so I suppose we inherit the
ability to climb. Of course we couldn’t climb up the
precipices if they were quite smooth. There are always
little crevices and rough bits where we can get a grip to
help us along. If it had not been for our krantz-climbing
powers we baboonfolk would long ago have been killed by
our enemies. ‘There isn’t a single enemy we fear who can
climb up to our homes in the crevices of the krantzes.. At
night, as many of us collect together as the cave or shelter
will hold, and we huddle up all together like a ball, throwing
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 11
our arms round each other to keep ourselves warm. We
love to bask in the sun on the rocks, and watch our youngsters
playing games. They often play practical jokes, just as
your children do. Sometimes when their jokes lead to
pulling and biting our tails or rolling boulders down on us,
we just lay them over our knees and give them a good
spanking.
Our womenfolk look after their babies far better than
many of your humanfolk mothers do. Our women won’t
let their babies out of their sight for an instant, until they
are many months old. For the first three or four months
the mother hugs her child to her breast, nearly all the time.
If it is ill, she croons, and comforts it with endearing
caresses.
A MOTHER’S AFFECTION
One day I was sitting on top of a boulder on a cliff,
carelessly watching two of our womenkind with their babies
in their arms, gathering berries from a bush, away at the
bottom of the cliff. Suddenly two Cape hunting dogs
sprang from the dense undergrowth at them. There
wasn’t time to retreat up the cliff, hampered as they were
with their babies. Quick as thought, one of the mothers
passed her child over her shoulder into the arms of the other
mother, who kept well to the rear. Freed of her charge,
she boldly faced her enemies and showed such a bold front
that they were cowed. Presently, however, two more of
these terrible wild dogs joined the others, and all four
made a sudden onslaught, and the heroic mother was soon
torn to pieces. Whilst the battle was going on the other
mother-baboon made good her escape. She adopted the
little orphan and reared it, as well as her own.
Although these wild dogs are large and powerful, they
are cowardly beasts, and never dared attack us when we were
12 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
all together, for our menfolk are more than a match for
them.
ROBBING A BEES’ NEST
When I was a young man I was full of life and energy,
and always ready to take part in any adventure. One day
we found a bees’ hive in the trunk of an old yellow-wood
tree. We talked the matter over, and I volunteered to
climb up and explore. Before I reached the hive, the
bee sentries spied me and raised an alarm. ‘The bees
poured out in hundreds and in thousands—and it seemed
to me there were millions. ‘They swarmed around me and
stung my lips, my ears, and any other tender place where
they could thrust in their stings. With a yell of agony I
dropped with a thud, and ran, but those bees followed me
up-until I managed to creep into a big mass of thick brush-
wood. ‘There I lay panting and suffering agonies of pain.
When I got older, and my skin got tougher and my
hair grew thick and long, I didn’t mind robbing bees’
nests, because I found that not many of them could manage
to sting me. I would make a rush and tear as big an
opening as I could into the hive, and drag out the comb
as fast as possible. Selecting the nicest piece, 1 would
rush off with it, brushing it against the grass and leaves as
I ran, or else rubbing it on the ground to get rid of the
bees which insisted on clinging to it. When I had finished
eating that bit, I would lie and watch, and when the bees
got tired of buzzing around, I would go and collect the
remainder. We used to find bees’ nests in all sorts of odd
places. Sometimes they were in crevices of the rocks, in
holes, or in rotten trunks of trees. One day I was climbing
amongst the rocks, and I discovered the bleached skull of
a Bushman, and a swarm of bees had actually made their
home inside it.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 13
HOW WE GUARD AGAINST SURPRISE
You humanfolk often get very conceited, and think
yourselves clever. You look upon us baboonfolk as mere
“ animals,” altogether different from yourselves, and of no
consequence. You mustn’t forget the fact that although
you are called “ human,” whatever that means, you are
classified as animals just as we are. Your bodies are the
same as ours, except that they are different in shape, because
you live a different kind of life to that which we have to
live. Bone for bone, muscle for muscle, nerve for nerve,
organ for organ, we have in common with you. However,
we freely admit that most of you have far more brains than
we have—but not all of you. There are plenty of human-
folk who are not nearly as clever as we are.
However, I started off to tell you how we guard our-
selves against enemies, but my thoughts wandered. Before
those hateful Bushmen came, the only enemies we feared
much were lions, leopards, cheetahs, and caracals or lynxes.
You see, these cat-like creatures are very cunning and
tricky, and they would lie hidden until we came out to
search for food. When we had spread ourselves out, and
were busy pulling the sweet gum off the acacia trees,
collecting the fruit from the mountain plum trees, or digging
up bulbs and roots, those treacherous enemies would watch
their chance, and pounce out upon our boys and girls, and
carry them off before we could collect together.
OUR SENTRIES
All that you humanfolk know, you or your ancestors
have learned by experience. So it is with us. We have
learned that it is unwise to venture out of our caves and
shelters without first placing somebody on watch. So,
14 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
one of our leaders places himself on guard. He climbs up
to the highest point of a rock, or to the top of a tree where
he can have a good view in all directions. Then we troop
off to look for food, or to play or bask in the sun. If our
sentry should see an enemy, or even anything at all suspicious,
he instantly warns us with a loud and long-drawn-out sort
of “‘ H-o-c-h.” Then we all make off as fast as we can
for our homes amongst the rocks, without looking to see
if there is really cause for alarm. Sometimes we have
false alarms, but we think it’s always best to err on the
safe side.
NEGLECT OF DUTY—THE PUNISHMENT
Once we went out to get our breakfast, and posted a
rather young man to act as sentry. He was a very con-
ceited young fellow, and declared his eyes and his wits
were sharper than those of the grizzled, experienced old
leaders of our clan. We were peacefully collecting and
eating our food, when an unearthly shriek rent the air ;
then another and yet another. Our menfolk rushed in
the direction of the sounds, and were just in time to see
a leopard bound off into the thick thorny bush with one
of our children. We followed him up, but the bush was
so thick and thorny, we couldn’t make much progress, and
soon gave up trying to follow the spoor.
When we emerged from the bush, our old leader stalked
off in the direction of that untrustworthy sentinel. Seeing
the chief coming, he divined the reason, and began to
plead and pray for mercy. The chief paid no heed, but
advancing upon him, he, with a grunt of indignation,
seized the sentinel by the back of his neck, and with his
other hand cuffed him soundly.
These are some of the small creatures which we Baboonfolk eat.—(1) Baboon
Spider; (2) Centipede; (3) Scorpion; (4) Beetle. (Two-thirds natural
Sizes)
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 15
THE FOODS ON WHICH WE LIVE
We don’t grow crops or keep animals to be killed and
eaten or to lay eggs, or to give milk. We just eat anything
which is good to eat that God has provided. We are
to-day doing just what your ancestors did hundreds of
thousands of years ago. If you study that science which is
called Anthropology, you will find that your race once
lived in caves, and their ways and habits were just like ours.
Your ancestors, in those far-distant days, lived on what
they could find in mountain, veld, forest, and stream.
There is no need for any of us baboonfolk to starve.
There is plenty of food for all. We are practically vege-
tarians. When we get tired of that food, we hunt for
beetles, caterpillars, centipedes, scorpions, and other creepy
things. The scorpions are our daintiest morsels. You
know the fellows I mean. ‘They are the kind which hide
under stones. ‘They are as long as your thumb, with nippers
like a crab, and a tail with a dreadful sting at the end of it.
We find plenty of those scorpions by turning over the
stones on the hillsides. As soon as the scorpion is alarmed
he raises his tail, ready to prod his sting into his enemy.
So, we just grab the tail between our finger and thumb,
and nip off the end of it, with the sting. Then we pop
the scorpion into our mouth, and chew him up. They have
such a delicious flavour.
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOODS
There is a tree which is known to the Dutch as Kepersol
or Nooiensboom. They grow in great numbers on the
shady sides of ravines, amongst the mountains in the Karoo
and other places. The roots of these provide us with
both food and water. We chew them up and spit out the
1 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
pulp when we have sucked all the juice out. Then, along
the districts near the coast wild grapes grow, which we
are very fond of. There is the mountain plum or Wilde
Pruim of the Karoo Hills, and the Spekboom (Portulacaria)
of the Karoo flats.
The ground is teeming with various sorts of onion-like
bulbs, which we dig up and eat. The one we like best is
called Uintjes by the Dutchfolk, which means “ small
onion.” There is a tree you calla Boerboon which grows
a bean of which we are very fond.
There are a very great many plants which are poisonous,
but God has provided us with so fine a sense of smell and
taste that we can always tell which plants are poisonous and
which are not.
I often wonder why you humanfolk don’t teach your
children all about the trees and the other plants of your
country, so that when you are out in the wilds and run out
of food, you will be able to find all the food you need. Why,
I don’t believe there’s one of you who wouldn’t die of
starvation if he were lost, away out in the bush-veld, al-
though there would be enough good food all around him
to feed a regiment. You see, you are very clever in some
ways, but very stupid and helpless in others. Your girls, we
are told, are taught at school all kinds of wonderful things,
which they forget all about a year after they leave school ;
but when they get homes of their own, they don’t know how
to prepare the food. So they feed themselves, their children,
and their husbands, on all kinds of poisonous and harmful
substances and drinks, which cause so many of you to die
of sickness.
A GREAT BATTLE.
Just when we were beginning to learn by experience
how to avoid being killed by those savage little Bushmen,
A typical South African Aloe. We Baboonfolk gather and suck the flowers
in which there is nectar. Humanfolk boil the leaves and make Aloe pills
of the juice. Kafirs pound up the dried leaves with tobacco and make
snuff of it.
A Zulu Warrior and his wife. The women train the wool of their heads into
the shape of a cone when they get married, as seen here. They smother
it with grease and red ochre. The dress of a married woman is a skirt
oi softened calf skin hanging from the loins to the knees. The men wear
a bunch of strips of animal skin on the loins, back and front.
shrtacaio
Afaad rtasenaee
tog SST
OE at i seh
Cobs of Mealies, which you also call Maize or Indian Corn. The cob grows
out of the side of a long stem, 6 ft. in height. The cobs, when growing,
are covered with a sheath of leaves. We Baboonfolk are passionately
fond of mealies when they are young and milky. Mealies are the chief
food of the black humanfolk in South Africa.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 17
another danger threatened. We had heard rumours from
time to time of another people with black skins and woolly
heads. One day when we were sunning ourselves on the
rocks, a great army of the very people we had heard about
came marching over the hill. They carried large things,
which we afterwards learned were war shields. ‘They also
had spears, known as assegais, and sticks with big knobs
on the end of them. They swept past, and from our
retreat high up in a krantz, we saw them spread out in new-
moon shape, and, chanting a war song, they quickly formed
a circle. Then we saw what the meaning of it all was.
They had surrounded a whole tribe of Bushmen. These
pigmy people were brave. They didn’t give in without a
fight. Spreading out, they vanished into crevices, caves,
behind boulders, and into the thorny tangled scrub. As
the great black host closed in, shower after shower of tiny
poisoned arrows were shot amongst them. Taken by
surprise, great numbers were struck and soon died, for a
wound by one of those little arrows always meant certain
death. Covering themselves with their huge shields, the
Kafirs rushed in on the Bushmen, and soon all the latter
were slain.
MORE RACES OF PEOPLE CAME
These black people, we learned, were Zulus. It seems.
these Zulus were a great nation, whose home was in Zululand.
Every now and again their armies swept over South Africa,
killing everybody they could find. ‘They were such great
fighters that no other nation of black people could stand
against them.
Then other races of people came, and spread themselves
out all over the country. One of those races was that
which you call the Hottentots. Their skins are yellow, they
have little beady eyes, high cheek-bones, and tapering chins.
B
18 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
Nobody knows where this yellow race came from. Then
other races, we were told, came from far away north and
travelled through Africa to where we live. They didn’t
march right down all at once. They moved slowly to the
south. You see, the various tribes fought amongst them-
selves, and the weaker ones would be driven away into the
wilderness, which they would make their home. Then
there would be more fighting, and those who were beaten
would have to run off and find a new place where they could
live in peace, or else be killed. So at last these people
began to appear in South Africa. First came the Bushmen
who gave us so much trouble, then came the other black
and brown races of men, until the whole country was full
of them.
A WHITE RACE OF MEN
From away over the ocean a race of people with white
skins, and with hair instead of wool, came in ships and made
their home at the place you call the Cape of Good Hope.
Then other races or tribes of them came and there was
much fighting. There were people you call Portuguese,
and Dutchmen, then Frenchmen, and lastly came English
people. The Dutch people love nature; they have the
true pioneer spirit. ‘Theirs was once a great nation. ‘Their
ships scoured the seas and penetrated into all kinds of
places and they made new homes there.
Well, when the Dutchmen got tired of fighting, ee
began to spread out and live on the veld. They planted
mealies, pumpkins, wheat, fruit-trees, and reared different
kinds of animals. Then the black people began to trouble
them, and many were killed. So they gathered together
and drove the armies of the blacks right away. But their
troubles were not ended. The Bushmen began to steal
their cattle, and when the Dutchmen gave chase, they
Photo by J. W. Allen.
Photo by J. W. Allen.
Fields of Kafir Corn. The Baboonfolk make raids upon it when it is ripe.
The Kafirs ferment the corn, pound it up and brew a sort of gruel, known
as Kafir beer, which is more or less intoxicating,
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 1g
shot them with their poisoned arrows. So a great feud
arose, and the Bushmen were driven off to the far-distant
rountains.
A GREAT CALAMITY
Now, we pride ourselves on our cunning and our clever-
ness in keeping clear of our enemies. But alas! we cannot
reason out anything. From our rocky homes we saw things
which were dear to our hearts growing in the Dutchmen’s
gardens. Fruit, the like of which we had never before seen.
Great pumpkins, melons, sweet vegetables, and corn. How
we loved that corn, and what dire calamity it brought on
us. We were the Adams and Eves of South Africa, and
God had given us all we needed, but we coveted what was
forbidden. We robbed the Dutchmen’s fields, and their
orchards and vegetable gardens. ‘Terrible was the retribu-
tion. ‘These farmers had things which you call guns. One
would just put a gun to his shoulder, there would be a puff
of smoke, and something hard would strike like fire into our
bodies. ‘The old sages of our tribe counselled us to go away
and seek new homes in the wilderness where we should be
free from temptation, but our people had got a great liking
for those new kinds of foods, which could be had so easily,
so they wouldn’t listen to the advice of their wise men.
We learned to be careful, and posted double sentries.
Hundreds of times I have robbed the farmers’ mealie fields.
Only once was I wounded. It was my own fault. The
sentry sounded the alarm, and I made off with the others.
I had an armful of lovely sweet mealie cobs, which I didn’t
want to throw away. I hobbled off on three legs, and
lagged behind the others. Suddenly a man galloped up
on a horse and shot at me with his gun. Sharp stings of
pain shot through me. I dropped the mealie cobs, and
rushed off as fast as I could. When I got safely home up
20 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
in a krantz I examined myself and found a big tear in my
thigh, a small hole in my side, and another in my shoulder,
from which blood trickled. I was sick and sore for two
weeks or more, but I got quite well again.
A GREAT DISASTER
The farmers whose crops we pilfered began to get
very angry, and laid plans. We had all retired to rest one
evening as usual, in the crevices and crannies of a krantz,
and slept soundly, as we always do unless disturbed. Just
when day was breaking, our sentry sounded the danger
signal. We started up in alarm. There, right opposite
to us on a low hill, were several men with guns and dogs.
They were all spread out. Glancing farther along, others
were to be seen, and it was clear to us we were being sur-
rounded. We clambered up the rocks, thinking the rear
was clear, when, like a peal of thunder, a volley was poured
into us. Some of our people ran back, but were shot
down by the men in front, or at the sides. I, with others,
dashed blindly and madly on, colliding with a Dutchman
and tumbling him headlong amongst the rocks. I shall
never forget that morning. ‘The reports of the guns, the
barking of the dogs, the chattering and hoch-hoch-hoching
barks of our people, I shall never forget.
Next day the survivors collected together. Our tribe
numbered ninety-five men, women, and children. Now
but thirty-six of us remained. I lost all my children, as
well as my father and mother. More than a dozen of our
people afterwards died of wounds.
After this dreadful experience we learned to be more
careful, but somehow the farmer men are always springing
new surprises upon us.
A nest of Ostrich Eggs in the sand. We Baboonfolk are very fond of these
eggs. We break them on stones, or against each other. An ostrich egg
is as big as a humanfolk baby’s head, and is equal to twenty-four fowls’
eggs,
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 21
THEY VOW THEY WILL KILL US ALL
‘The farmer folk say they will kill us all. I don’t blame
them for feeling so bitter against us. You see, we baboon-
folk don’t think like you humanfolk do. We think that
all the world is free to every creature as well as everything
which grows upon it. I suppose it is because you have
brain lobes which haven’t started to develop in us yet,
so we see things differently to what you do. It is really
no wonder though that the farmer men get so angry with
us. ‘There are evil people in our tribe, as there are in
yours. Some of our people steal forth and kill poor little
innocent lambs. ‘They don’t eat their flesh, but just tear
them open and suck up the curdled milk in their stomachs.
I don’t just know how our folk found out about there being
milk in the lambs’ stomachs. I was told that a Dassievanger,
or Berghaan eagle, killed and partly ate a lamb. When
he had flown off, some inquisitive baboonfolk went to see
what he had been doing. They found the remains of a
lamb with the stomach partly torn. In handling it, some
milk got on their fingers, and thus they found it was good
to eat. After that they killed lambs themselves, and tore
out their stomachs to get the milk. It is only a few of
our tribe who are guilty of such dreadful practices. A
good many of us have learned a new dodge, which has
made the farmer hate us worse than ever. We have learned
that there is delicious food inside the eggs of ostriches ; so,
whenever we find a nest, we break the eggs and have a
feast. Once we scared a hen ostrich off her nest and were
busy feasting on the eggs, when up ran the cock ostrich.
Before we could scatter, he hit one of our folk a terrific
whack, and with another steam hammer-like kick, broke
the leg of a second. We ran off in terror, and from a safe
retreat mournfully watched that ostrich rain blow after
blow on our comrade until he was dead.
22 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
OUTWITTED
We are never afraid of ever poisoning ourselves by eating
herbs and berries, fruits and bulbs which are poisonous,
because we know them all; but we have found by a bitter
experience that our senses of taste and smell are not alto-
gether perfect where new poisons are concerned. Besides,
those farmer folk are so crafty. One day a troop of us
went gaily off to a forest of acacia trees to pick the gum
which oozes from the trunks and branches and of which
we are so fond. We all ate a great deal, and went off.
Presently some of our number began to groan and chatter,
and we knew they were suffering terrible agonies. ‘Then
their legs and arms began to jerk and quiver, and presently
they got horrible convulsions and died, This occurred
several times with our people before it dawned on us that
the gum might be poisoned. We carefully watched, and
found that the farmer folk went and made little holes in
the gum on the trees, and put a deadly poison, called
strychnine, inside.
Truly, we now live in constant dread and terror, for
we never know what new plan those crafty men will hatch
out and put in operation against us.
HOW A SENTINEL WAS KILLED
One evening before going to bed, we planned to rob
a neighbouring mealie field. At daybreak we issued silently
forth, our sentinel taking up his position in the top of a
Spekboom tree on the side of a small hill overlooking the
cornfields. We were busy stuffing our cheeks with mealies,
and collecting cobs to take away with us, when a sharp
report rang out, and our sentinel tumbled headlong to the
ground. ‘Then a man with a gun appeared at the top of
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 23
the hill, and to our horror we found the retreat to our rocky
home partly cut off. We had to run the gauntlet of about
twenty farmers. We lost nineteen of our number that
morning. ‘Three more died of wounds later.
ENCOUNTERS WITH DOGS
Sometimes the farmerfolk manage to cut off a few of
us and chase us with dogs. We are in terrible fear of
those animals. Our people have often been torn to pieces
by them. The dogs don’t always get the best of the fight.
One day five dogs attacked two of our leaders. ‘There was
a fearful battle. ‘Three dogs were killed and the other
two wounded. One day a number of our women and
children were busy collecting food, when six dogs rushed
upon them. Our chief, who was a powerful fellow with
huge muscles and eye teeth two inches long, threw himself
upon the dogs, whilst the women and children made good
their escape. ‘The dogs packed on him from back, sides,
and front. I saw him pick up one, seize its throat in his
jaws, and thrust it away from him, tearing its windpipe
right out. He quickly cast away the body, and tore open
another dog in the same way. ‘Then a powerful Kafir dog
seized our chief by the throat. Just then two men ran up,
and putting the muzzle of a gun to his side, shot him dead.
He gave his life that others might live. Such is the struggle
for existence which goes on with all life upon earth.
THE WAY WE FIGHT
When we fight our enemies we don’t bite like most
other animals. We seize hold of our enemy, get a good
grip with our teeth, and with our powerful arms and legs
pull the body of our foe away, while still holding fast with
our teeth. In this way we can bite and tear huge pieces
24 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
out of our enemies. You humanfolk often do just the same.
When black men have meat to eat, they partly cook it by
holding it in a fire, impaled on the end of a green stick.
Then, if they haven’t a knife, they seize it with their teeth,
and with their fingers they pull it away from their mouths,
thus tearing off pieces.
AN ADVENTURE WHICH BEFELL ME
Years and years ago, when I was in the full vigour of my
manhood, I was very venturesome. From my cave-shelter
high up on a kopje I used to look longingly down upon an
orchard away below me. This garden was on the out-
skirts of a small town. There was a large mulberry tree
in that garden, and I was specially fond of mulberries, and
often took big risks to get them. I sat and watched the
spreos, the muisvogels, and the bulbuls feasting to their
hearts’ content, and the sight was too much for me;_besides
I was frightfully hungry, for there had been almost:incessant
rain for two days and I couldn’t go out to get any food. All
was still and silent. Nobody seemed to be astir, so I made
my way to that garden and climbed up the mulberry tree.
The mulberries were so delicious, I suppose I must have
forgotten the time. A sudden shout for assistance by a
woolly-headed Kafir sent a thrill of deadly fear through my
frame. Glancing down, I saw him standing at the foot
of the tree with a big hoe in his hands. He was eyeing
me carefully, in case I should make a sudden leap. Seeing
several other Kafirs and a white man coming, I suddenly
dropped to the ground, and, just in the nick of time, dodged
a smashing blow aimed at me with a hoe. I made off
towards my home, but those men divined my intention, and
I was headed off. I rushed blindly in the opposite direc-
tion, and presently found myself in a street, with houses
on both sides. Behind me there quickly gathered a yelling
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 25
crowd of men and boys of every imaginable shade of colour,
from pure white to dark mahogany.
From everywhere the people poured. Shop assistants
bolted out hatless and coatless, customers forgot about
their purchases, and joined in the chase. Old men hobbled
and ladies rushed into the first open doorway, or down the
alleys. It was really astonishing how the people in front
of me melted away into nothingness when they saw me
approaching, with teeth gleaming, and the most ferocious
expression of face I could put on. |
Seeing a large open doorway, I ran in. It turned out
to be a glassware shop, and there were tables all over the
floor, and scores of shelves packed with beautiful vases,
bowls, glasses, cups and saucers, and all kinds of wonderful
things. There were a lot of people in the shop; and in
their haste to get out of my way upset a dozen tables. In
my terror I climbed up the shelves, and somehow every-
thing I touched seemed to topple over and fall with a crash
to the ground. Then the crowd came surging up, and the
shop was soon packed with people. I barked furiously,
and exposed my big teeth, whereupon there was a back-
ward rush, and, with a report like a cannon, a huge plate
glass show window was burst.
Taking advantage of the confusion, I slipped off down
a passage, and found myself in a yard. Several coloured
men ran screaming to the nearest shelter. From the garden
I clambered over the wall, and presently found myself
once again almost surrounded with people. I climbed
up a verandah pole and swung myself on to the roof, and
managed to get right up to the top. The people below
began to pelt me with stones and all kinds of things. I
followed their example, and tore the tiles off the roof and
perce them down. This soon scattered the crowd.
ut they only moved farther away. Seeing a chimney,
I took refuge behind it, and was safe for a time. However,
26 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
I carefully watched all that went on. I saw a group of men
talking earnestly together, and then scatter. I knew a
plot had been hatched out against me. :
THEY TRIED TO SHOOT ME
Presently I saw a man approach. He looked very
suspicious. I divined his intention. He suddenly vanished
behind a hedge. Carefully watching the spot I caught
the glint of a rifle barrel. I instantly drew in my head and
managed to keep him under observation by squinting round
the corner of the chimney with one eye. He got tired of
waiting and got up and tried to get me at a disadvantage.
Fortunately for me I couldn’t be tackled from the rear
as the roof ascended higher in that direction.
They then tried other tactics. A ladder was raised,
then another at the opposite side. Then, like a flash it
was borne in on me they were going to outflank me, for it
was clear if there were two men with guns, and if they got
up the ladders, I was doomed. There was still hope. A
slender chance of escape remained. It was my only one.
I took it. Erecting my mane, and putting on my most
ferocious expression, I gave a succession of hoch-hoch-
hoch barks, and with a bound sprang amongst the crowd.
Landing on a man’s head, he was borne to the ground. In
quick succession I bit whoever was nearest me. Yes, my
plan succeeded, I managed to create a panic, and in the
confusion I slipped away.
Careering down a lane, several mongrel dogs tackled me.
We had a rough and tumble fight, and presently three of
them lay maimed or dead. ‘The others fled. With many
wounds, bruises, and almost exhausted, I reached the fields
and, slipping into the mimosa bushes, crawled away to
safety. Never again did I venture near the habitations of
man.
The skull of a male Chacma Baboon, slightly less than one-half natural size.
—(1) Incisor or Cutting Teeth; (2) Canine or Tearing Teeth ; (3) Molar
or Grinding Teeth. The canine or eye teeth are smaller in female
Baboonfolk.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 27
OUR RELATIONS
We Chacma baboonfolk have one very near relative in
South Africa. He never comes down farther south than
Mashonaland. He is known to you as the Yellow Baboon.
He doesn’t like cold, so he prefers to live in the warmer
parts of Africa, from the Zambesi away north to Abyssinia.
He is what you would term a first cousin. Then we have
some second cousins in South Africa; there are six different
kinds. ‘They are all long and slender in body, with long
tails, and not nearly so clumsy-looking as we are. ‘They
are called arboreal monkeys, because they live in trees.
You can always tell one of us baboonfolk because we have
a certain secret sign by which all our people know us. We
hold up our tail so that about a foot of it from the root
slants upwards at an angle, then it curves and droops down-
wards toward the ground. If you see a monkey holding
his tail like that, you will know he is a baboon.
I could tell you hundreds of wonderful things which
happened to me and to my tribe, but I am old and weak,
and I feel weary and will now go to rest, and let some of
the youths and maids tell you a few of their experiences.
HOW THE HUMANFOLK CAPTURED ME
I am one of the baboonfolk. I am only an ignorant
youth, and our menfolk used to cuff and knock me about.
They said I was evil-minded, selfish, and surly. Well,
anyhow, I wasn’t going to stay at home and be bullied,
so I used to wander off by myself. One day I was roaming
around, looking for anything which might be good to eat,
when I spied some calabashes. I touched one with my
hand and it rattled. ‘Turning it over, I saw that it was
hollow. I peered inside. There at the bottom lay a
double-handful of mealies. Thrusting in my hand I
28 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
grabbed as many as I could, but try as I would I couldn’t
pull my doubled fist out of the hole. Just then a sudden
shout was heard, and, glancing up, I saw two Kafirs and
three dogs rush from behind some boulders and make
for me. I tried to rush off, but that big calabash hanging
from my hand kept me back. The dogs were soon round
me, and after a struggle I was thrust inside a sack and
carried off. How bitterly I cursed my stupidity, for it
hadn’t dawned on me that if I had let go my hold of those
mealies, I could easily have slipped my hand out of the
calabash. Ever so many of us have been captured by this
stupid trick; but our tribe are beginning to learn from
experience, and it’s only the Back-veld, ignorant baboonfolk
who are now tricked in that way.
THEY PUT ME IN A CAGE
I was thrust into a box and carried off to Port Elizabeth,
in a thing you call a train. I was taken to the museum
and put into a nice, large, roomy cage. I soon lost all
nervousness and fear, for hundreds of the children of the
humanfolk came to see me. ‘Their faces were so jolly, and
they laughed so much that I felt really and truly happy, and
liked them far better than the children of the baboonfolk.
They brought me all kinds of nice things. At first I ate
so much and so often that I became seriously ill. But
I grew wise after a while, and was more careful. I used to
get everything which is most dear to a baboon’s heart—
cakes, biscuits, fruit, nuts, sweets.
RIVALS
One day the man at the museum put three baboon
children into the cage with me. I rather liked it at first,
because, after all, one hankers after his own kind and
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 29
somebody to talk to. You see the humanfolk don’t know
our language, and only laugh when we try to talk and
make signs to them. We huddled up together and talked
nearly all night. They told me a terrible tale of how fifty
big, bearded men surrounded their tribe one night, and
shot down their mothers and fathers, and how they, and
a lot more children, were captured.
I soon noticed that the humanfolk were beginning to
neglect me, and that the new arrivals were the favourites.
I grew jealous, and my jealousy grew and grew until I
began to sulk. One day I flew into a temper and cuffed
one of the youngsters soundly and bit him on the arm.
He bawled and shrieked and pretended to be dreadfully
hurt. The museum man came on the scene, and my heart
quailed with fear, for he called to an assistant, who went
away and soon returned with a cane. He got inside the
cage and gave me a sound thrashing. How that thin cane
did sting. I seem to feel it now, for the recollection is
so vivid. I made up my mind I wouldn’t risk another
such caning, so I behaved myself. But really it was too
bad. You see, whenever the humanfolk came along with
anything nice, I, being the elder, would station myself in
front of the cage and thrust away the baboon youngsters.
That didn’t answer for long, for the boys and girls soon
learned how to trick me. One would pretend to give me
a nut, whilst others would feed my rivals. The little
rascals stuffed all the food into their cheeks, until they
were swollen out like stuffed bags.
I HATCHED OUT A PLOT
I climbed sulkily up one of the tree-trunks, and thought
as hard as I could. At last when my head was aching
with such tremendous mental efforts, a brilliant idea came
to me. I pretended to be drowsy, and watched the
30 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
youngster baboons out of the corner of an eye. When
their cheeks were stuffed as full as they would hold, I
pounced down upon one and seized him by the neck. I
held him down with my feet, which are just like hands.
Then I forced open his mouth and picked out all the nuts,
sweets, bits of cake, and other good things. I grabbed
another and did likewise, and then the third. I tried this
dodge ever so many times, and thought myself immensely
clever.
SENT TO THE ZOO
I suppose the museum man became disgusted, because
one day I was seized and put into a box. Next day I was
taken away across the water and put on to what you call
a ship. After a-long voyage, cramped up in a box and
teased by the ship stewards and seamen, I arrived in England,
and was taken to the great London Zoo where all kinds
of animals are kept. I was put in a big cage along with
about a dozen more of our baboonfolk. I soon got used
to the place, and there were plenty of titbits for us all,
for thousands of humanfolk children come and look at us,
and stuff us with food until we cannot eat any more. I
am still in the London Zoo, but I am a chronic dyspeptic,
and suffer agonies from indigestion, and I no longer enjoy
anything I eat. Now, I wish you humanfolk would take
a lesson from me, and be careful not to eat too much, and
to eat only at regular meal times, and never touch food
between times. Then you will grow up healthy and
strong, and will live cheerful, happy, and long lives. Good-
bye, my friends. I have told my story.
A LITTLE BOY BABOON’S STORY
One day away out at Bluecliff, in the eastern province
of the Cape Colony, I was romping and rolling on the
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 31
ground, whilst my mother was gathering mealie cobs to
take to our home for supper, when, without warning, there
was a bang. I saw a puff of smoke, and my mother gave
a gasp of pain and fell. She raised herself and tried to
get to me. I was so terrified I couldn’t move. Mother
groaned and gasped in great agony, for she had been shot
through the lungs. Three times she struggled to reach
me, and at last with one great effort she thrust out her
arm, seized and hugged me tight to her breast. Then a
man and a dog came running up. Mother lay on her side
and held me tight, placing her body between me and the
man. ‘The dog sprang at her. She tried to fight, but all
she could do was to cover me up with her arms. Then
the gun went off again, and mother fell dead on top of me.
Presently I was dragged out, and the man held me up
by the neck, and looked into my face. I shivered with fear,
because I thought he was going to kill me. Instead of that
he thrust me into a small haversack and buttoned me in.
I sobbed and cried, and called and called for my mother—
but alas! mother was dead.
I was taken to the man’s home, and placed in a cosy
blanket-lined basket. I cried myself to sleep. Next day
I felt very faint and hungry. A dear, sweet-looking girl
came along, and, gently coaxing me, thrust something soft
into my mouth. It felt familiar somehow, so I began to
suck, and to my joy nice sweet milk came flowing into my
parched mouth.
I soon got used to my new home, for the humanfolk
children were very kind and gentle with me. They nursed
me by turns all day long.
I WAS SENT A JOURNEY
They soon grew tired of me because I got indigestion
from drinking so much milk, and became very irritable and
32 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
peevish. So they sent me in a little box to the Port Eliza-
beth museum. The man at the museum took me out and
handed me over to one of my tribe, whom he had at the
museum in a cage. She was one of our girlfolk, and was
about half-grown. She hugged, caressed, and crooned over
me, and nursed me all day long. When night time came,
she cuddled me close to her breast and folded her loving
arms round me to prevent me from getting cold. Three
times every day a man came with a baby’s sucking bottle
and fed me. I soon grew strong and well, because you see
the museum man knows how to feed animals, and doesn’t
ruin their health by giving them food at all times.
There were two other girl baboons in the cage, and they
began to grow jealous, and wanted to take a turn at nursing
me, but my foster-mother wouldn’t let them even touch
me. They became very abusive, and used to say all kinds
of nasty things to her, but she paid no heed tothem. Then
they began to annoy me. They would pull my tail, pinch
me, cuff me, and even bite me whenever I left my nurse
and began to play about. My nurse did all she could to
protect me, but there were two against her.
One day the museum man took me away and handed me
over to a humanfolk lady who said she would rear me. She
took me to her home. I grieved for a good while for my
kind and affectionate nurse, but this lady was so kind, that
I soon felt quite happy. She had some little brothers,
and they ‘and the neighbours’ children used to nurse and
amuse me all day long.
A POPULAR NIGHT
At the Port Elizabeth museum, they used to give what
they called “ Museum Popular Nights.” The huge Feather
Market, the Morning Market, and balconies were decorated
with hundreds of flags and foliage. Different kinds of live
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 33
wild animals of South Africa were exhibited, with large
labels telling all about their ways and habits. Lantern
lectures would be given in the Feather Market. Educational
material of all sorts was laid out on large tables, and dozens
of school-teachers and other wise folk would give lectures
on the specimens or models before them in all parts of the
buildings. Every popular night was different. There was
always something new and interesting. The people of
Port Elizabeth used to flock to these popular nights in thou-
sands. I remember one night I was carefully wrapped up
in a shawl and carried away up the street. I felt angry,
because I was frightfully hungry, for I hadn’t had food
since breakfast time. I soon knew why. My little girl-
nurse carried me into the Feather Market, took off my
shawl, and dumped me down on a table on the platform.
I looked up. What a sight it was. The great hall was
packed full, and people were standing all around the sides
as close as sardines in a tin.
My nurse presently brought my sucking bottle and
handed it over to me. I hugged it to my breast, and put
the teat in my mouth and had a good drink. Then a rude
man came and took my bottle away and held it up out of
my reach. Of course I screamed just like a humanfolk
baby would if you snatched his bottle from him when he
was hungry. The people yelled with laughter. Some
nearly got hysterics. I don’t know why they laughed. It
wasn’t a laughing matter to me. I was downright angry,
and in monkey language I spoke very plainly what I thought.
The people thought it so wonderful that I should be so
much like a human baby. If I did cry and suck my bottle
and kick and look like a human baby, I had more sense than
one of them of my own age anyway. We baboon babies
grow wise and can help ourselves ever so much quicker
than the children of the humanfolk. When the humanfolk
are still going to school, we are full-grown.
Cc
34 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
HOW I BECAME A NUISANCE
I was taken home again, and many happy days went by.
There was a little boy whom I dearly loved, because he was
so noble, so kind, and so good. He went to school. Every
morning I would go to the gate and bid him farewell.
He always came home at one o’clock for lunch. I soon
learned to know the time. I didn’t tellit byaclock. There
was something inside my head which seemed to tell me
what time it was. Anyway, I always went along to the gate
and sat on it when it was nearly lunch time, and waited for
my chum. When I saw him turn the corner, I always ran
to meet him, and climbed on his shoulder.
I was allowed to have a seat at table, for I was now able
to eat solid food. I soon began to feel a restless sort of
feeling, and a powerful desire to romp and jump and play.
One day I jumped on to what I thought was a soft cushion
on a little table in the parlour, where some ladies in beauti-
ful dresses were saying unkind things about their absent
friends. ‘There was a teapot inside that cushion, and in
hastily jumping away, it fell and smashed on the floor, and
the hot tea burned a lady’s foot. The lady of the house
got angry and tried to catch me, so as to give me a good
cuffing, I suppose. I screamed and ran away to, hide.
Seeing a huge vase nearly as tall as a man, I jumped up on
to its rim, thinking to take refuge inside. The wretched
thing fell and smashed to bits. My lady sank into a chair,
and sobbed and wailed about her Dresden vase which
had belonged to her grandfather. I felt so sorry that I
went over and tried to soothe her, but she gripped me
by the neck and called me a little wretch, a pest and a
nuisance. |
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 35
MORE TROUBLES BEFELL ME
I was sentenced to be chained up in the yard, with a
little kennel for my home. It nearly broke my heart to
be humiliated in this way, just because of an accident. I
sobbed and cried and was pining to death. The children
at last got permission to release me. I was very careful
for about a week. One day I found a box containing little
bits of stick with some brown sort of stuff on one end. [|
chewed up a few, but they made me feel sick, so I began to
play with the rest. Presently there was a fizz, and one blazed
into fire. I dropped it and ran. Well, somehow it set
alight to the window curtain, and then there was a great
fuss. A huge engine came tearing along, drawn by big
horses ; and six men with shiny brass helmets rushed into
the house, and with something which they held in their
hands they drenched the room and put out the fire. I
was hiding in a corner, and was almost drowned. I screamed,
and they came and rescued me. They, somehow, seemed to
know that I had something to do with the fire. Ever since
the time I broke the vase and upset the teapot, whenever
anything was wrong a chorus of voices was always ready
to cry, “‘ It was Jacky who did it.”
Next day I was sent to the museum. They kept me
there for a month, and then sent me off to the London Zoo,
where I am now living, happy and well.
THE BABOONS AND THE GUN
I am one of the tribe of baboonfolk who live at Baviaan’s
Kloof in the Orange Free State. We used to make ex-
cursions every now and then to a farmer’s melon and mealie
patches. ‘This man had a beautiful orchard. All kinds of
delicious fruits grew therein.
36 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
We were not long in hatching out a safe plan to help
ourselves to the fruit. The orchard was a long way from
the homestead of the owner, and all was open veld, so that
our sentinels had a clear view. We used to. watch our
chance from a neighbouring krantz, and when the coast
was clear we raided the orchard. The farmer tried all
kinds of ways to get even with us. He poisoned some of
the fruit, he set traps, he dug pits and lay in ambush, but
all to no purpose. We baboonfolk had learned from ex-
perience, and we took good care to profit by it. You
humanfolk are often very stupid and silly. You won’t profit
by the experiences of your forefathers. You just go blunder-
ing along and learn by having to suffer yourselves, whereas
if you only had the sense to turn the experiences of others
to account you would be able to live long and happily.
The farmer had a crafty, worldly-wise old Hottentot
servant. ‘This man was uglier than any of us baboonfolk.
His face was wrinkled just like parchment a thousand years
old. His eyes were like two small, shiny, black beads, and
he was shrunken-up like an Egyptian mumm
Well, anyway, he had the mameaan of a baboon, as well as
that of his own tribe.
WHAT THAT HOTTENTOT DID
One day we saw the old Hottentot walk down to the
orchard with a gun. He walked about for a time. We
made very merry, thinking what a silly fellow he was to
think that we would venture down from our caves and
ledges when he paraded about so openly. By and by he
went away. We watched until he had gone out of sight,
and, posting our sentinels, we made a raid on the orchard.
One of our womenfolk was looking inquisitively around,
when she spied something lying upon the grass. We were
alarmed at first, thinking it was a new sort of trap. We got
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 37
more confident presently, and approaching, saw it was the
gun the old Hottentot had been carrying. We didn’t
know anything about guns then, so we were very curious,
as baboonfolk always are. Our leader picked up the gun
and fingered it over. ‘Then he discovered there was a hole
at the end. He applied his eye to it and tried to peer down.
One of our womenfolk was meanwhile fingering the other
end, when, with a terrific bang, a cloud of smoke shot forth.
There before our eyes lay our leader, stretched out dead,
and his brains scattered over the grass. Panic seized us
and we fled. Never again did we venture near that orchard.
It was a lesson we never forgot. The very sight of a gun
after that chilled us to the marrow.
A FRESH CAUSE FOR ALARM
Lately we have heard that the humanfolk all over the
world are beginning to have what they call Zoological
Gardens, which are places where they keep wild animals
in captivity. There are menageries and circuses as well.
The owners of these are always keen to get our folk, because
they say they can train them so easily to do all kinds of
clever things. We wouldn’t mind so much being captured
and kept in Zoological Gardens, because the cages are big
and roomy, and they look after us carefully, and see that
we are properly fed and that we are warm and comfortable.
We dread with a horrible dread being captured and sold
as slaves to circus people, because they nearly always use
us badly. One of our folk escaped and joined us. He told
us how he was starved nearly to death, to compel him to be
obedient. When he was being taught to do things for the
amusement of you humanfolk he was thrashed, cuffed, and
kicked every time he did anything wrong. They kept him
cramped up in a small cage with iron bars, in which he
couldn’t even stretch his limbs properly.
38 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
HOW I SERVED MY MASTER
My mother was shot by a farmer-man one day when
she was gathering the fruit of the prickly pear or cactus
plant, of which our folk are so fond. This prickly pear
isn’t a native plant of South Africa. Its native home is in
Mexico. It was brought out here by the white humanfolk
to make fences with. It now grows wild all over the
country. I was a child then, and I remember the farmer
man taking me to his home and keeping me there for a long
time. One day he went to Grahamstown and took me with
him. He sold me in the market. My new owner kept
me chained up to a pole for about a year. Wicked hard-
hearted boys used to gather around and tease me. One day
they pelted me with pebbles, and I lost my temper and
pounced on one of them and bit his leg. My owner soon
afterwards gave me away.
My new master was a good and kind man, and treated
me gently. I grew very fond of him, and was always
happiest when he was near me. He got ill and died, and
I grieved for a long while. His home was sold to strangers,
and once again I changed hands. My new owner was a
man who was called a Pointsman on the railway. His
work was to pull certain big steel levers which worked
signals for the engine-drivers of approaching trains. ‘The
station my owner had charge of is called Uitenhage. It
is in the eastern province of the Cape of Good Hope. My
new master had been run over by a train some years before,
and both his legs were cut off. When I came into his
possession, he hobbled about on two wooden legs with the
aid of a stick. He evolved a brilliant idea in his brain.
He determined to train me to do his work for him. I
was very intelligent and soon learned to pull the levers.
He had a name for each, and I soon knew the one he wanted
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 39
me to pull. All he had to do was to say its name, and I
did the rest. I worked for him faithfully every day for
years. Every evening, when the day’s work was done, my
master ordered me to put his trolley on to the railway
line. With his aid, I didso. I knew which way he wanted
to go, because he always allowed his wooden stumps to
point in the direction he desired to travel. Besides, he
nearly always went straight home, and I knew the way
only too well. When the line was level, or upgrade, I
pushed the trolley along. How I used to enjoy the ride
when we were going down hill. I sat on the trolley, and
it skimmed along at a tremendous rate.
One day I did something which displeased a half-drunken
man. He picked up an iron bar and threw it at me. It
struck me across the back of the head and stunned me.
I never got over that blow. I suffered a great deal, and
grew thinner and thinner. A kind friend, who loves
animals, came to see me before I died, and I told him the
story of my life, which he said he wanted to put in a book
for humanfolk boys and girls to read, because he wanted
them to learn to love and to be kind to animals.
ADVENTURE WITH A CHEETAH
I am one of a tribe of baboonfolk who have their home
away up in the rugged Drakensberg mountains of Natal.
One day we were climbing up a krantz. Some of our
number lagged behind. As the last one, who happened to
be one of our young menfolk, came lagging along, a yellow
streak shot through the bushes, and a Cheetah, or Hunting
Leopard, sprang right upon him. The Cheetah tried to
carry him off, but he held on grimly to a branch, and yelled
to us for help. We instantly turned and clambered down
the rocks to his assistance. Our strongest men took the
lead and boldly advanced, barking furiously, and with
40 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
manes erect. ‘The Cheetah stood his ground and snarled,
but when he saw over a hundred of us making for him
he bounded into the bush and vanished. We assisted our
wounded comrade up the rocks, and left him in a little
cave high up in the krantz.
Three times this Cheetah attacked us, and twice did
he get safely away with one of our children. We often
chased him, but he was altogether too nimble and active
for us to overtake. We discovered his lair one day, and
gathered round the mouth of it, and barked. He spat and
growled and snarled, but wouldn’t come out. None of us
had the courage to go in and attack him, for the entrance
was narrow, and we all knew whoever ventured first, would
be killed or badly wounded, before the rest of us could
swarm in and rescue him. Besides, we are always be-
wildered in the dark.
The Cheetah or Hunting Leopard, who carries off and devours our womenfolk
and children. He began to trouble the humanfolk and they have, in
consequence, nearly exterminated his tribe in South Africa.
CHAPTER II
CARRIED TO AN EAGLE’S EYRIE
In your school books there is a tale about a woman who
left her baby down in the field whilst she worked. A
Golden Eagle swooped down and carried it off to his eyrie
or nest, high up on a ledge in a precipice. The heroic
mother climbed the cliff and rescued her child.
Well, it’s strange, but we had an experience very similar.
A great eagle, which is jet black, with a pure white patch
on its back, haunts the mountains of the Drakensberg. It
is known to you as Verreaux’s eagle (Aquila verreauxt).
The Dutch people call it the Dassievanger. A pair of them
built a nest high up on the cliff above where we lived, on
a projecting ledge. They used to come every year and
repair their nest, which is a huge quantity of sticks. In
the centre of this mass two chalky white eggs are laid.
When the eaglets are born, the Klip-dassies, the Mountain
Hares, the partridges, and the smaller antelopes have a bad
time. There was a kind of armed neutrality between us
baboonfolk and those eagles. We feared them, and they
feared us, so we left each other alone.
One season the truce was broken. I don’t know why,
but perhaps the eagles were especially hungry. Anyway,
like a stone from the sky, one of them swooped down upon
one of our children and soared off with him. His mother
was frantic with grief. She instantly made off toward the
eyrie. We all knew that if she attempted to rescue her
child alone, she would undoubtedly be killed by those two
powerful birds, whose talons were sharp and long, and
42, THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
whose beaks were of great strength and power. We all
swarmed off after her. Even to us rock-climbing folk it
was real rough, risky work, climbing up to that eyrie.
The eagles saw us coming, and set up a harsh screaming.
We heeded them not, but kept on until three of the van-
guard reached the ledge. Just as our leader was climbing
over, both the eagles swooped down at him. So sudden
was the shock he lost his grip, and fell. We watched him
till his body smashed with a terrible, sickening thud, at
the bottom of the cliff. Before the eagles could rally, we
scaled the ledge. ‘Three of us suffered severely from the
terrible talons of those two fierce birds, who fought with
the greatest fury. However, after a score of us had swarmed
on to the ledge, the eagles grew less bold. We then looked
around and saw the mother baboon hugging her child to
her breast. We looked at it, but it was quite dead. In
revenge we killed the two eaglets in the nest, and departed.
The broken-hearted mother hugged her little dead child
to her bosom for a whole day, refusing to believe it was
really dead. When the truth dawned upon her, she
allowed us to take it and lay the body in the crevice of a
rock, where it was safe from the prowling jackals and the
Spotted Hyznas which then haunted the locality.
The humanfolk have killed off all the Spotted Hyznas
since. ‘These terrible beasts are now extinct, or nearly so,
in South Africa. Remember, please, that when we talk
of South Africa we mean that portion of Africa which is
south of the Zambesi and Cunene Rivers.
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION
A few years ago, a tribe of wise men came to our country
from Britain. ‘They called themselves the British Associa-
tion. Most of them had bald heads and grey whiskers.
They were very wise men. ‘They travelled right up to the
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 43
Victoria Falls, and we used to watch them from our rocky
homes. They were a funny sort of people, and all our
clan, at first, thought they were a lot of lunatics. Some
would potter about prodding the ground with sticks, others
gathered leaves, flowers, and berries, and sat down and
stared at them for an hour at a time with a round piece
of glass which they looked through. Some of them scared
the Kafirs nearly to death by measuring their skulls, their
faces, their bodies, and their limbs. It amused us greatly
to watch them. One day, when we were trooping along
a mountain, we suddenly came upon one of these fellows
turning over a lot of pebbles on the bank of the Zambesi
below the great Falls. He looked frightfully scared when
he saw us, for there were over fifty of our folk. However,
we are, as a rule, afraid of humanfolk, because we never
know what new dodge they may be up to. You see, most
of them carry a little thing in their pockets which spits
fire and drives a hard pellet, which can penetrate right
into anything soft like our bodies. Then, most of us
haven’t learned to recognise a walking-stick from a gun,
when at a distance. Well, anyway, we clambered up the
rocks and basked in the warm sun, and at intervals hunted
for lizards and scorpions under the stones. Our leader
sat on a rock not far from the wise man, who was looking
at us through what you call field-glasses.
_ After-a short while, our leader was satisfied the human-
folk fellow was a harmless sort of person, but he never
took any risks. He beckoned to one of our young men,
and gave him instructions to keep a keen eye on the man,
and to give the alarm if he saw anything of a suspicious
nature. Then he climbed up to where we were, and select-
ing a sunny ledge, crossed his arms, propped his back
against a rock, and dozed.
44 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
WE GAVE HIM A GOOD SCARE
Not far from where we lived, another tribe of our folk
inhabited a krantz. They were down in the valley one
day digging up bulbs and soft roots. The folk of this
clan were noted for their boldness, and on several occasions
they had defied the natives who sought to drive them off
when they were helping themselves to mealies and pumpkins.
There were seven or eight strong warrior baboonfolk in
the clan, who had immense eye teeth. One day we saw
one of those wise humanfolk come along on a horse. ‘The
baboonfolk I have just referred to were sunning them-
selves on the rocks not far ahead. ‘The horseman, seeing
them, urged his horse into a canter, expecting to see the
baboonfolk scatter in terror. Not a single one budged.
Instead they sat sullenly glaring at him, with lips drawn
back and teeth glittering. ‘The canter soon subsided into
a walk, but still the baboonfolk stood their ground. Sud-
denly the leader uttered a succession of fierce barks, and
the rest joined in and advanced menacingly. In an instant
that horseman had wheeled his horse, and, digging his spurs
into its flanks, fled away in terror.
A BACK-VELD FARM
Our clan live away in the Lydenburg district of the
Transvaal. Away below the rocky hills where we have
our home, there is a Dutchman’s farm. We have a view
of this farm and all the surrounding country for miles.
On this farm a long-bearded Boer lives. His elder son
has a beard almost the length of that of his father. The
other son was a beardless youth. ‘The lady of the house,
who is known as a Vrouw, was very fat. You see, the
healthy country life, free from cares and worries, gives
them a good healthy appetite, and as these ladies don’t do
A typical South African krantz, which some people call a precipice. Such
places are the homes of the Baboonfolk.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 45
much walking about, they soon grow very fat. There were
also a few Hottentot or half-caste girls, two Hottentot
men, and several children of various shades of colour.
We baboonfolk had a wholesome dread of the Boer and
his sons, and we had good cause, for many of my people
have been killed by them. You see, we used to help
ourselves to their mealies, which grew away out on the
veld, and which they said were theirs. This is a thing we
baboonfolk could never understand. I suppose it’s because
our brains are not sufficiently developed.
Well, anyway, I suppose they were just trying their
best to carry out the law, which one of your wise men
called “The Law of the Survival of the Fittest.” If we
had dared, we would have eaten up everything on that
farm, but we had to be crafty, and scheme and think and
plan to avoid being killed by its defenders. You see, it is
a wonderful law of God that, unless we use our brains,
they won’t grow. If we could get all our wants supplied
without any trouble or thinking, our race would very soon
grow so stupid, silly, and degenerate that our enemies
would very soon kill us all off—or else disease would.
That’s what occurs with you humanfolk. When everything
you want is provided for you without any bother on your
part, then you have no desire to use your brains, and you
soon grow lazy and simple-minded. If I were a humanfolk
father, I would make my children use their brains and their
muscles, and feed them on plain nourishing foods, and make
them all, both boys and girls, learn a trade or profession
thoroughly. If I were rich, I wouldn’t give them to under-
stand they were going to get a heap of money when they grew
up. I would tell them they must earn their own living.
SEEKING AFTER THE FLESH POTS
When boys grow up thinking that their father is going
to make their lives easy for them they get into the habit
46 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
of enjoying themselves too freely ; and the so-called enjoy-
ment is very often evil and sinful, and of course these
habits build and fashion their characters, and they grow
up with weakened brains and diseased bodies, and do much
evil in the world by setting a bad example to others; and
by not doing those things which they ought to do, and
leaving undone those things it is their duty to do.
Bother it all. I didn’t mean to moralise when I started
to tell my story, but sometimes my feelings overcome me
when I ponder over the evils and the sin and the misery,
which could be largely avoided, if we would only be less
selfish, and work more for the good of the whole tribe,
instead of just for ourselves. We baboonfolk, I know, are
selfish in many ways, but you see you have bigger and
better brains, and know more than we poor primitive folk.
We nearly always do what our limited brains tell us is right
and proper, and if we make mistakes, it is because we don’t
know any better. But it is different with you humanfolk,
for a great number of you do evil things knowing them to
be wrong, and yet you go on all your lives doing what
you know and understand to be selfish, sinful, and bad.
SCARED OFF THE WOMENFOLK
The Boer farmer-man, whom I was talking about just
now, was in the habit of riding off to a distant village with
his sons every now and then. The Hottentot menfolk
drove the cattle over a distant hill into a belt of bush-veld,
where there was plenty of food and water for them. The
women and children were left alone at the Homestead. |
When we saw the menfolk go away, we were not so
afraid, and would come down the rocks and watchthe women-
folk cutting up apples, peaches, pumpkins, beans, and all
kinds of things, which they dried and stored away for use
during the winter months. We used to wonder what they
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 47
were cooking in those big, three-legged pots. Our curiosity
grew and grew, and besides we hankered after the delicious
fruit, which we saw in piles on mats. One day, headed by
our leader, we approached much nearer than usual, and
barked. We saw the womenfolk seemed afraid. Going
nearer, they moved off towards the house. We sat and
watched for a time and then went off. Next time the men-
folk were away, we again came down from our rocky homes.
This time we had made up our minds to see what was in
those pots, and secure some of the fruit. So, when the
business of cooking was in full swing, we advanced in a
compact body, barking and pretending to be very savage
and fierce, although most of us felt rather scared. When
we saw the womenfolk run screaming into the house and
shut up the doors and windows, we grew bolder, and with
a rush we were amongst the pots. We never before had
been told about fire, or anything so hot that it would
burn. In our haste to see what was in the pots, many of
us got severely burned. This frightened us a good deal,
and some of our number ran off to the rocks. However,
our leader didn’t give the signal to retire, so most of us
remained. We ate up the fruit, and stuffed as much into
our cheeks as they would hold. When we made our first
rush, we had tipped over the pots, and now the spilt con-
tents had cooled, and didn’t we just enjoy ourselves. Never
before in our wildest dreams had we ever thought there
could be anything so delicious. We ate up every scrap,
and even the dirt which had got saturated with the liquid.
We learned afterwards that the stuff was a mixture of fruit
and sugar, which the womenfolk were making into jam.
The next time the menfolk went off, we didn’t hesitate
for a moment, but just trooped down the rocks and raided
the orchard, and whatever we could lay hold of. We ate
all we could, stuffed more into our cheek pouches, and
carried away all we could carry in our arms. How we
48 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
chuckled and prided ourselves on our cleverness. We
began to think after all the humanfolk weren’t so very
clever.
A PLOT THAT FAILED
All the same, we did not relax our vigilance. We keenly
watched those humanfolk. We knew the old Boer would
hatch out some plot against us for upsetting his household
arrangements, but we couldn’t think of anything which
he could do. He couldn’t get friends to assist him to
assault us in our home, because he would have required
at least a hundred men to have surrounded us.
One fine morning, from our rocky ledges, we saw two
horses being led up to the stoep. Presently the Boer farmer
and one of his sons came out, mounted and rode away. We
watched them disappear over a distant hill. Our inex-
perienced young folk were wild with delight, and talked
and jabbered about the good time they were going to have
in the orchard, and speculated whether the old Vrouw would
be making jam that day. If so, they would wait till it was
well under weigh before frightening her off and securing it.
But in the midst of the excitement, up clamoured our
old chief, followed by many wise councillors. We were
all impatient to hear what he was going to say. We ex-
pected him to tell us to be patient for a time, and to keep
quite silent to deceive the old Vrouw into thinking we were
not in the neighbourhood.
But no. He slowly rose, and resting his hand upon a
jutting rock, told us how a deep and deadly plot had been
laid. ‘‘ You see,” said he, “ you young folk are very simple
—you cannot count. But I can, and so can some of the
other wise men of our clan. We can count up to three.
Only two people left the homestead and rode away. It is
therefore quite clear there must be one left behind. See,
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 49
yonder are the womenfolk making preparations, as usual,
for making preserves and jam. No man can be seen. He
must be lying low inside the house, or elsewhere, with
loaded guns. No, my people, we must not fall into that
trap. Let us be content to go elsewhere and turn over the
stones on the hillside for scorpions, beetles, spiders, and
centipedes, and visit the adjacent mimosa trees and gather
gum. I know ofa clump of prickly pears, the fruit of which
may, perchance, be ripe enough to eat. Let us away.”
OUTWITTED
Creeping out from the crannies, crevices, and caves of
the krantz which is our home, one bright cloudless morning,
our attention was arrested by a loud grunt of satisfaction
from our chief. Shading his eyes with his hand, he was
carefully watching something which seemed to give him
great pleasure, for his sour old visage looked quite pleasant.
Looking in the direction in which he was gazing, we saw
an old Hottentot lead three saddled horses up to the Dutch-
man’s stoep. Presently three people came out, mounted,
and. rode off. ‘“‘ Hoch,” shouted our leader, and we all
cheered and capered with delight. Carefully watching
until the three riders were out of sight, and waiting for an
interval, meanwhile carefully searching the landscape in all
directions to see if we could detect anything of a suspicious
nature, we climbed down the krantz, and, creeping along,
hid amongst the boulders, and waited. Presently the
womenfolk came out of the farmhouse. They went to the
orchard, spread out their mats, and began picking fruit.
We waited long and patiently, until the jam, preserves, and
syrup were just about cooked. ‘Then creeping along, we
issued forth into the open, and with terrific barks and much
chattering, we advanced slowly. The women began to
scream and wave their big aprons, and throw firebrands
D
so THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
and stones. Advancing steadily on we paid no heed, ex-
pecting them to rush off and lock themselves in the house.
When we were about twenty yards distant, and all in a
dense mass, fearing nothing, we saw the human womenfolk
suddenly drop to their knees, and before we could turn and
flee, a volley was poured into our ranks. The weapons
were big muzzle-loading roers, which had been loaded with
loopers and slugs. Snatching up a second supply of guns,
another volley raked us as we turned to run. Dashing
off in frantic haste, tumbling over each other in wildest
panic, two men sprang from a brushwood-covered pit, and
fired amongst us. Again they raked us with a second dis-
charge.
THE RESULT
I shudder with horror, and cold icy feelings circulate
through my marrow, and my skin feels cold and clammy
when I think of the awfulness of that experience. Turning
to look as I fled, I saw the humanfolk ramming fresh charges
down their guns. They then advanced, and, pursuing
those of our folk who had been badly wounded and were
hobbling off, shot them dead. I saw our old leader pain-
fully hobbling away, with a leg dragging helplessly, and
blood streaming from his face and neck. Seeing a Boer
overtaking him, he faced about, and with a fierce bark
shuffled toward him. The Dutchman fired, but just as
he pulled the trigger, our chief stumbled and fell, and the
charge of slugs swept over him, except one or two which
tore great rents along his back, for I saw the blood spurt
out. With a roar of rage, he was up and at his foe. The
Boer was taken by surprise, for, when our chief fell, he
thought he was dead. However, the Boer people are
strong and brave. He clubbed his gun and dealt our
chief a smashing blow. We saw them close in a deadly
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 51
grip, and roll over and over. Presently the other Dutchman
ran up, and, putting the muzzle of his gun to our chief’s
head, blew out his brains. From high up on the hill we
saw the other humanfolk gather around and carry their friend
away to the house. We don’t know if he was dead. Any-
way, he must have been badly wounded, for our leader
had powerful eye teeth, with grooves down the front of
them, like a cobra’s fangs.
Many of those of us who escaped were more or less
wounded. Some pined and died.
HOW THE PLOT WAS LAID
It was foolish for us to have been so conceited as to
think we knew more than the humanfolk. But there are
plenty of you humanfolk who are just as conceited. Why,
most of you think you know more than your wise men, and
actually make fun of them. Long ago, when your wise
men told you that the locusts would increase and eat up
the grass and the crops and bring ruin upon great numbers
of you, they were laughed at. When they tell you how the
cattle and other plagues are spread, you know better than
they, and won’t follow their advice—and you suffer the
consequences.
Well, now, about that plot. It seems the crafty old
Boer had sat on his stoep and smoked and imbibed strong
coffee night after night, busy thinking, thinking, thinking.
One night he suddenly began puffing with all his might
at his pipe, which happened to be a hollow mealie cob, or
rather a portion of one, with a reed for a stem. Draining
his big mug of black coffee, he called lustily to his family.
Then, when all were comfortably settled, with steaming
mugs of coffee before them, he told them of a plot he had
hatched out. “To-morrow you, Hendrik, must saddle
up and ride off to Piet Marten’s farm, and ask him to ride
52 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
over with his three sons after dark to-morrow night—
mind you don’t let him come till after dark. You can
accompany him. You won’t mind, I know, for you are
always sneaking off, anyhow, on all kinds of excuses, to see
his strapping lass, Sannie.”
“Early to-morrow morning tell Jan to saddle up the
three horses, and bring them round to the stoep at the
usual time.
“'Tell Betta, Marie, and Esther I want them to dress
in suits of our clothes to-morrow morning, and mount the
horses and ride away, just as we always do. Dig a pit
to-night and cover it with branches and grass. ‘Two of
us will hide in it to-morrow morning. The rest of us will
dress up in the women’s clothes and go out at the usual
time and pretend to busy ourselves picking fruit and
preparing it. Get out all our guns, load them each with
a double charge of powder, and put in plenty of loopers
and slugs, and lay them down in the orchard, close to
where we shall be picking fruit, so as to be handy to pick
up when those artful Baviaans come along.” ‘Then the
old man gave a huge chuckle, drank his coffee, knocked the
ashes out of his mealie-cob pipe, and went to bed.
You all know how that villainous plot worked.
ADAM AND EVE
My home used to be a huge krantz overlooking the
Valley of Desolation, near Graaff Reinet, in Cape Colony.
You see, the farmer people of those parts grow delicious
fruit, and especially grapes. ‘These grapes tasted nicer
than what you call nectar. ‘Then there were mealies,
melons, pumpkins, and lots of other things which the
farmerfolk grow on their farms. We baboonfolk are a great
trouble to those farmers. We have the same weakness
which you humanfolk are cursed with. That is, we hanker
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 53
after forbidden fruit, and if we get a taste of it, we want more
and more. One of you human womenfolk who lived long
ago,andwhodweltin a garden with a manfolk knownas Adam,
was allowed to help herself to everything in that garden,
except the fruit of one tree. Of course her curiosity was
excited, and she hankered after a taste of that forbidden
fruit. The desire haunted her, and it grew and grew and
grew, until her life became a misery, and a sort of mania
got hold of her, and she went and ate a lot of that fruit,
and gave some to her friend Adam. When her conscience
began to trouble her, she blamed a vile serpent for tempting
her, and Adam too tried to sneak out of being blamed
by saying that Eve gave him the fruit, and that he didn’t
take it himself. Well, anyhow, the consequences were
banishment to the wilderness for both of them.
BABOON ADAMS AND EVES
Well, that’s just what has happened with our folk. I
don’t know whether it was one of our Adam folk or an Eve
who first ate of the forbidden fruit, but anyhow that makes
no difference, for the consequences would have been the
same. Our folk are now banished to the wild, barren
wildernesses of South Africa, where we have got to earn
our living by the sweat of our brows, in the shape of pain-
fully digging the hard ground with our fingers for bulbs,
roots, and worms. We have to climb the mimosa trees
for gum, and hunt through the bush-veld for wild fruits,
berries, and sweet bark. In addition, our lives are not safe
for an instant, for we never know when the farmer-men will
surprise and kill us.
All this has befallen us because we partook of forbidden
fruit.
You see, it happened like this, with my particular clan.
Farmerfolk came trekking along with their cattle and sheep
54 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
and families, and built houses. Then they began to cut
down the bushes which had provided us with wild fruits
and berries, and ploughed up all the best land where we
got most of our bulbs and roots. They sowed seed in
this land. When the plants grew and bore fruit, we from
afar were curious, and our curiosity grew and grew. Our
wise men counselled us not to go near those farmerfolk,
for they had heard tales from other far-distant baboonfolk
of what a terrible people they were, if their anger were
aroused. We couldn’t see any harm in just going along
to have a look, and examine those curious stalks and things
which grew in their gardens.
Anyway we talked it over, and from day to day our
desire grew and grew. We couldn’t stand it any longer,
so one day five of us sneaked off at daybreak and made for
the garden. Of course, when we got there we couldn’t
resist just tasting the fruit. That was our downfall. It
tasted more delicious than anything within our experience.
We simply lost our wits, and ate till we couldn’t eat any
more of that sweet corn, which was young and milky. Your
folk call this corn, mealies, maize, or Indian corn. We
gathered as much as we could carry, and made off to our
home with it.
ADAM IS TEMPTED, AND FALLS
When we got home all our folk gathered around us
and wanted to take what we had from us, but we hadn’t
any intention of giving such delicious food away. We
intended to store it in a niche in the rocks, and guard it
till we were hungry enough to eat it all up. Just when
we were squabbling and wrangling and forcibly telling all
and sundry to go and get some for themselves, if they
wanted it, from the farmer’s garden, up stalked our chief.
A grizzled old fellow.was he, with huge yellow teeth, great
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 55
hulking shoulders like those of a prize-fighter, and a
mane. When he learned that we had secretly visited the
farmer’s garden, and that we had actually brought away
a lot of food from it, he gave a great roar of rage and sprang
at us. He seized me with one hand, and one of my friends
with another. Holding me down with his feet, which are
just like hands, he spanked my friend most unmercifully,
and bit him in several places. Of course, our chief if he
had liked, could have killed us with a couple of nips, but
the death penalty is only inflicted for rank rebellion against
his authority. When he desires to punish severely, he nips
with his teeth, but doesn’t tear the skin. When he thought
my friend had got enough punishment, he let him go, and
then I got my share. When we had retreated to a safe
distance, our chief picked up one of the mealie cobs I had
dropped and smelt it. Then he ripped off some of the
cover, and hesitated for a second or two. ‘Then he nibbled
a little. The taste of those sweet milky mealies was too
much for him. He ripped off the leaves, and munched the
entire mealie, cob and all, grunting all the time in an excess
of pleasure. He didn’t stop until he had eaten up the lot,
which my friend and I had dropped when he grabbed us.
Thus did Adam fall.
THE CONSEQUENCES
Well, I am afraid our old Adam’s conscience didn’t prick
him at all, for early the next morning he posted a trusty
sentry, and led the way to the mealie gardens. We feasted
as before, and carried away as many cobs as we could. No
more sour berries and wild fruits for us, so long as we could
get such delicious food. It was indeed a land of promise
we had discovered. How we loved those farmerfolk for
providing us with such sumptuous food. We hoped they
wouldn’t go away.
56 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
No, these farmers didn’t go away. But they went for
us, and the consequences are we have been banished to
the barren wilderness, and can only return to our old home
as outlaws, liable to be shot at any moment.
I am told the baboonfolk all over South Africa couldn’t
resist tasting of the forbidden fruit of the farmers’ gardens,
and the hand of the humanfolk is now against all our clan.
Many of us have learned to keep right away from the
habitations of man, where we are free from temptation.
I must say the farmerfolk don’t persecute us unless we
trouble them; but when we do, there’s always trouble.
I remember long ago, the Field Cornet ordered out a
commando of farmers, and they organised an attack upon
us in our rocky homes. ‘They only managed to kill a few
of us, because we had a secret path among the rocky hills
and krantzes along which we escaped.
A MOTOR-CAR INCIDENT
One day about fifty of us were gathering ants on a road,
which the humanfolk had cut out of the side of a bush-
covered hill. Our sentinel was perched up on top of an
aloe—the kind you get the juice from which you make into
pills. Without the least warning, a great thing which you
call a motor-car dashed right amongst us. Just as it was
upon us, our sentry’s loud cry of alarm rang out. None
of us had heard the thing coming, because the wind was
blowing strongly in the direction it wasapproaching. We
had never seen one of these puffing, snorting things before,
and our terror was extreme. ‘There were two women and
two men in the car, and when in our fright several of us
leapt upon the car to save ourselves from being crushed
to death, there was a real sensation. The men shouted
hoarsely and the women screamed like steam whistles. It
was all over in a few moments, for we don’t lose our presence
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 57
of mind for long. Vanishing into the bush we made off
to our rocky retreat. After that experience, whenever we
went ant-collecting on the road, we posted a sentry at
each side, so as to have a good view along the road in both
directions.
CAPTURED
My clan live in the rocky hills not far from Grahamstown
in the Cape of Good Hope. When raiding a mealie field,
our clan was outflanked, some of our people were killed,
and several of the children were captured. I was one of
those children. Our sentinel gave the alarm, alas! too
late. My mother hurried me along, helping me every now
and then, and lifting me over obstacles. I was too big for
her to carry all the time. In her anxiety to save me, she
lost her own life, because she lagged behind refusing to
desert me. I saw her throw up her arms and fall. Then
blood ran from her mouth. Partly rising she pushed me
from her, and signed to me to run. ‘Then she quivered
and gasped, and with a shudder she died. My grief was
so great, I threw my arms round her neck and tried to get
her to show some sign she was not dead. I saw a farmer
coming, but I wouldn’t leave my mother, even though
she were dead. Well, I was captured and taken away to a
farm. A dog’s collar was strapped round: my loins, and I
was chained up. I was treated very kindly, and soon grew to
love the farmer’s children. I made friends with the dogs
and the cats, and even the fowls and ducks. I became so
tame that the children used to let me loose every now
and then, and we played hide-and-seek and all kinds of
lovely games. I would have been allowed to run about
all the time, but you see, somehow, we baboonfolk are so
very inquisitive that we cannot leave things alone. If we
see anything strange we want to find out all about it.
58 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
Well, it doesn’t do when you live with humanfolk, because
they keep so many wonderful things which break easily.
SOME OF MY DOINGS
One day I was spying around when the children were
busy with their governess. I smelt a delightful smell,
which made me really hungry. I traced the smell to the
kitchen, and soon found it came from a pot on the stove.
I couldn’t get a peep into the pot anyhow, because the
stove was hot and burned me when I put my hand upon it.
Seeing a handle sticking out, I hopped up, thinking it would
support me. Well, it seems that handle belonged to the
saucepan, and of course the pot overbalanced and toppled
over. It contained a stew, and the simmering stuff gushed
out all over the stove and down to the floor. Some splashed
on to me, but not very much I am glad to say. What
did fall on me was quite sufficient, for three or four big
patches of hair came off, and the places were raw and sore
for two weeks afterwards.
I often used to see the lady of the house pour a lot of
milk into a big pan and set it on a shelf. Then, next day,
she would skim a lot of yellow stuff off it. It sorely puzzled
me to know how that yellow stuff came to gather on the
milk. Besides, I had tasted some one day, and it was
delicious. Perhaps that was what really prompted me to
do what I did. When the folk were at their breakfast, I
climbed the shelf and sat on the rim of the dish. Just as
I leaned down to have a closer view of the yellow cream,
and I suppose to lick some of it, my weight tipped the dish.
To prevent myself falling, I leaned farther forward, but
the extra weight and push on the rim made matters worse,
for the whole dish of milk tilted forward and drenched me
from the head to the tip of my tail. Of course I fell with
a crash to the floor, with the pan and the milk.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 59
After a few more such trifling incidents, my master’s
good lady declared I must be chained up all the time,
except when somebody was specially looking after me.
A BABOON VOERLOOPER
As time went by, I grew big and strong. My master
said I was now too big for the children to play with, and
that I must make myself useful. He said that when he
was in the Transvaal he was staying at the farmstead of a
Back-veld Boer. ‘That crafty Dutchman had trained one
of our folk to lead a span of oxen. My master said he would
make me do likewise. Hedid. It didn’t take long to train
me. I very soon learned by watching the small Kafir boys
leading the oxen. So I became a professional voerlooper.
A voerlooper is a leader of a team of oxen. ‘There is a
touw of softened ox-hide, the ends of which are fastened to
the heads of the two leading oxen of the team. ‘The voer-
looper holds this touw in the centre, and leads the oxen
wherever the driver-man directs him.
My master taught me the meaning of various signs and
words, so that when we came to any branch road he would
tell me by a sign or a certain word whether to keep straight
on or turn. I knew ever so many signals and sounds so
that I could stop the team, make them trot, go slow, turn,
make a wide detour, and many other things, just by sign or
word from my master.
I rather liked this life. It was so free. Asa rule, I held
the touw between my teeth. When I tired of that way,
I held it with one hand, and hobbled comfortably along on
a hand and two legs. We baboonfolk can walk on our hind
legs alone, but not for far at a time. We are just learning.
By-and-by we may be able to do so, like you humanfolk.
Some of our cousins, who are called gorillas and chimpanzees,
60 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
can walk and stand upright, but they too soon grow tired,
and have to use one or both hands.
VARIOUS EXPERIENCES
When it was time to give the oxen a rest, and to allow
them to feed, I would squat down and watch the Kafirs make
a fire and cook the porridge, which I always shared. Some-
times when my master accompanied us I would dine with
him. While the Kafirs lay on their backs basking in the
sun or else smoking a poisonous weed known as “‘ Dagga,”
which was brought to our country ages ago from India,
I would explore the neighbourhood for berries, fruits,
bulbs, and insects.
A fox terrier dog was a great friend of mine, and we two
would hunt around together. Sometimes he would chase
an animal into a tree, and I would climb up after it, and
bring it down to him, or else frighten it so that it would
jump down.
Once the terrier caught and killed a hare, which I carried
back to the wagon. I took it back through idle curiosity,
but my master thought I had specially brought it back for
him. He praised and flattered me, and, what was better,
he gave me a handful of dried apples. So next time the
terrier killed an animal I brought it along. My master
again rewarded me. So after that I always tried to capture
something for myself, or else encourage my friend to do so.
My master used to brag to all his friends about my clever-
ness. I really believe I am clever, though.
One day my little friend the terrier cornered an animal
you call a Muishond or Stink Cat. Scientific fellows call
him Zorzlla striata. We both rushed on him together, but
the little rascal sent a spray of some vile-smelling fluid
over us. I couldn’t stand it, and retired. My terrier
friend, however, rushed in, for his blood was up. After a
A Muishond or Stink Cat, which scientific fellows call Zorz//a striata. When
angry or frightened he squirts out an essence which smells like a combina-
tion of decaying cabbages, putrid flesh, and musk. This is his weapon
of defence against his enemies. (One-eighth natural size.)
Typical South African Scorpions. These are the fellows who lurk under
stones, and whom we Baboonfolk capture andeat. They have a venomous
sting at the end of the tail. We nip it off before popping the scorpion
into our mouth. (One-third natural size.)
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 61
fight he killed the muishond. But, great Cicero! didn’t
he just smell. Have you ever smelt musk? Well, try to
imagine musk and incense, the smell of putrefying cabbages,
and a lot of other evil-smelling things all mixed together,
and you will have a slight idea of what that Stink Cat’s
perfume was like.
We rolled in the dry dust and in 1 the grass, but the smell
wouldn’t come off. I felt sick, just as you folk feel when
you are on a ship, and the sea is very rough. My chum
seemed quite chirpy, and said he didn’t mind the smell
much. He was used to smells. In fact it was his business
in life to smell out things.
BACK TO THE WAGON
I thought, however, that my master might like the
muishond ; so I seized his tail, and dragged his body to the
wagon. My master was lying on his back smoking a pipe,
and the Kafirs were telling each other very tall yarns about
the number of cattle they possessed, and the number of
wives they were going to buy when they settled down.
With a volley of ejaculations, the Kafirs started up and
scattered. My master hastily climbed up into the wagon
and yelled at us to “ Voertzik,” which means to “ clear out,”
or go away. Well, anyhow, after my master and the Kafirs
had abused us from a distance, one of the latter held his
nose with his fingers, made a rush, seized the muishond
and flung it away into the long grass.
My chum and I had to eat our meals by ourselves for
a week or more after that. In addition we had to sleep
out in the cold at night because the Kafirs refused to let us
creep in under the tarpaulin-covered wagon, where they
slept at night. Gradually the smell wore off, and we were
again admitted to human society.
Really, though, I am not exaggerating one little bit, as
62 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
those of you will know who have tackled a Stink Cat, and got
sprayed with his perfume.
WE VISITED A TOWN
The first time we visited a town I was much alarmed.
I didn’t know before that the humanfolk lived in great
clans. I got scared when the dogs began to rush out and
bark at me. I soon learned how to frighten them off.
Whenever one got a bit cheeky, I just bared my teeth,
erected my mane, and pretended to rush at him. Few of
them could stand that. Once a bulldog tackled me, but
my master and others came running up and dragged us
apart. Another time a great mastiff made a rush at me.
I knew I should stand no chance against so huge a brute, so I
sprang upon the back of one of the leading oxen and clung
on until the driver chased my foe away.
The humanfolk used to come out of their houses and
stare at me. They thought it a wonderful thing to see
one of the baboonfolk actually voerlooping oxen. When-
ever we stopped, the children would throw sweets to me.
Some more courageous than the rest came up and made
friends. I soon got used to passing through towns and
villages.
I have now been a voerlooper for several years on and
off. Sometimes my master takes me home to his farm and
I have a holiday for a couple of months. Good-bye, dear
friends, I have told you the story of my life.
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
The humanfolk fellow whose picture is at the front of
this book of stories of us baboonfolk, heard, somehow, that
I had a story worth telling. He sent a wireless message
along to me, which was propelled from his brain. The
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 63
thought waves penetrated down into my brain and set
certain grey brain cells into violent motion, and my story
unwound itself from my brain and flew to him. It wasn’t
necessary for me to actually go into his presence. There
is a strange power which some of the humanfolk possess,
by which they can focus their minds and get them con-
nected up with another brain, even thousands of miles away.
The inspiration came to me, and I told about the time
when the humanfolk in this country began quarrelling
among themselves. ‘Their wise men tried to make peace,
but the quarrel had gone too far. You see, the humanfolk
are just like us animalfolk. When their brain gets heated
they want to fight. So they began fighting with each other.
The animal parts of the humanfolk’s brains haven’t been
half bred out yet. When their brains are more highly
evolved, the various clans, which you call nations, will
settle their differences without first murdering thousands
of each other, making hosts of widows and orphans, and
upsetting the business of the whole country.
_ We baboonfolk, it is true, look upon other clans of
baboonfolk as enemies. But it is because we don’t know
any better. Our brains are not sufficiently developed yet
to reason out things and come to a mutual agreement with
each other when any of the unwritten laws of the baboonfolk
are broken. We don’t know any better, so we just follow
the promptings of our low, animal instincts and fight
fiercely. en the humanfolk fight and quarrel, and bear
malice and say spiteful things about each other, they are
giving way to the promptings of their animal instincts
which they have inherited from the apefolk.
HOW WE SCARED THE ROOILNEKS
When the humanfolk were doing their best to kill others
of their kind, whom they have never even seen let alone
64 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
quarrelled with, a regiment of English soldiers, whom the
Boer people called Rooi-neks, because of their fiery-red
sunburned necks, were told to climb up to the top of a
great kop, or hill, and build upon it a rough stone fort and
other shelters. Now, the top of that kop belonged to the
clan of which I am chief. From behind the great boulders
we watched those khaki-clad humanfolk painfully climbing
up the steep rock-studded hill. It took them two weary
hours to do what we have, thousands of times, accomplished
in ten minutes. But then, of course, the muscles of the
humanfolk are stiff and weak with eating too much food,
and living a lazy life in cities.
I gave orders to my clan to silently steal away and hide
in the crevices and bushes on the opposite side of the
mountain. We gave out not a sound, and there was no
sign of our nearness to those Rooi-nek trespassers. I laid
my plans carefully, and when the darkness had covered the
land, I ordered the clan to spread around in a circle, so
as to completely surround the soldierfolk. Each individual
was told to carefully hide himself behind a rock, so that he
would be safe against the bullets of our enemies. When
all was ready I gave the signal in a loud voice. Instantly
it was taken up, and the rocks echoed and re-echoed with
the shouts of the whole clan. Then they began to chatter
excitedly, and rolled stones down into the camp of the
soldierfolk. What a terrible scare we did give them, to be
sure. ‘The soldierfolk knew nothing about us baboonfolk
or our ways, and of course they imagined they were attacked
by the Boers. Bugles sounded, men shouted orders, dim
forms darted behind boulders wad into shelters, like rabbits
bolting down their burrows. I commanded my clan to
be silent and cease rolling stones. Then all was still.
Not a sound, other than the chirping of night insects,
and the booming of the bullfrogs in a distant pool could
be heard.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 65
The soldiers, thinking the Boers were silently creeping
down upon them, opened fire and blazed away at the
rocks for hours. We hadn’t reckoned on stirring up such
a row. We were more terrified than those Rooi-neks who
thought their last hour had come. ‘The ping of the bullets
on the rocks, and the dull thud of others in the earth,
and the singing noise they made over our heads, as well
as the flashes of fire from the guns, appalled us. We were
benumbed with fear. We dared not move, for we had sense
enough to know that when a gun went off something hard
flew through the air, and if we happened to be in a line
with it we might get hurt or killed. We had learned all
that by bitter experience from the Boer farmers.
It seems there was an old Hottentot mule driver in the
soldiers’ camp. He sought out the officer in charge and
said, ‘‘ Baas, don’t be angry with me for speaking, but those
are not Boers around us. They are baboons. If you don’t
believe me, I am willing to go out with a gun and drive
them off. When they see me they will perhaps want to
attack me, but when I shoot they will all rush off in terror.
They are dreadfully afraid of a man with a gun.”
‘The Hottentot was allowed to go. Our eyes are very
keen and we saw him coming, and silently crept away, for
the soldiers had ceased firing. How thankful we were when
we had reached the foot of that mountain. We scared
those soldierfolk, but we got scared just as badly ourselves.
Three of our folk were wounded by the bullets, but they
were only flesh wounds which healed very quickly.
WE PUNISHED HIM SEVERELY
I am a baboon boy, and my age is two years and five
months next July. 1 was captured when I was a year and
a half old. We were out in the veld digging up bulbs,
and were cut off from our mountain home by three menfolk
E
66 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
and some dogs. Many of my folk were shot and killed and
I was overtaken by the dogs and captured. The dogs
would have killed me, but the menfolk came up just in time
to save my life. Iwas sent to the Port Elizabeth museum.
They put me into a nice cosy cage with four other young
baboons, two of whom were about six months older than
I am; one was my age, and the other was only a year
and a half old.
A man used to come into our cage every day to clean it,
and give us fresh water and food. The youngest of us,
whom we were very fond of because of his loving ways,
used to climb all over the man when he came into the
cage. One day when he was cleaning out the cage, our
little chum climbed on to his back when he was stooping,
and playfully pulled his hair and ears. He, somehow,
either pinched the man’s ear, or pulled it too hard, and the
man was in a bad temper anyhow, as could be seen by his
face. Anyway, he struck our little friend severely on the
head with his hand, sending him headlong to the floor,
where he lay screaming. Our tempers rose instantly at
this gross cruelty, and, without hesitating for a single second,
we pounced upon that cruel man. I sprang upon his head,
another got him by the neck, a third round one leg, and
the fourth by the other leg. We were not very strong,
nor were our teeth large, but we bit and scratched him
severely. He bawled out with all his might, and struck
out at us and did his best to shake us off. We clung to
him like leeches, until two of his friends came and rescued
him.
We baboonfolk are not vindictive or treacherous. We
like fair play, and we hate bullies. Besides, we are always
ready to risk death to help any of our clan who may be
in danger.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 67
HE DESERVED THE VICTORIA CROSS
I am the mother of a little baboon girl who has been
catried into captivity by a farmer-man. It nearly broke
my heart to lose my child. My friends have consoled me
much by telling me that the humanfolk treat us very kindly
when they keep us in captivity. I hope and pray that
whoever may have my little girl are kindly folk, for I
couldn’t bear to think that she was being half-starved,
teased, and otherwise ill-treated.
One fine sunshiny morning I went with my clan to a
mealie field. ‘The mealies were nearly ripe, and in just the
condition we like best for eating. We swept the landscape
in all directions with our keen eyes, but saw nothing to
arouse suspicion. Posting a trusty sentry, we cautiously
entered the field, and were busy eating mealies and collect-
ing others to carry away to our homes, when the warning
signal of our sentry rang out, repeated again and again, to
warn us the danger was great, and that we must not delay
a single second. We instantly made off towards the nearest
patch of dense thorny bush. Thinking my little girl was
with the rest of us as we ran for cover, I raced along until
I had reached the thicket. Glancing back I saw a farmer-
man ride round the corner of the patch of bush, but he
was too late to cut us off.
Just at that instant shrill cries of terror reached our
ears from the mealie field. My blood grew cold and
seemed to freeze in my veins, for the cries were those of my
child. I turned to rush back to her rescue, but was in-
stantly seized by our brave leader, who, with a hasty
command to the others to prevent me following, dashed
across the open space straight for my dear little one, who
was running to and fro, screaming piteously. The farmer-
man could easily have shot our leader whilst he was racing
68 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
to the rescue, but curiosity overcame him, and he watched.
In breathless suspense we, too, watched. I was overcome
with terror and suspense. There stood the farmer-man
with his gun ready to shoot, in such a position that our
chief was obliged to pass within fifty paces of him.
Seizing my child in his arms and holding it close to
his breast with one hand, our noble chief made straight
for the bush. Suddenly the farmer-man rode forward,
and getting within thirty paces of our brave leader, he
raised his gun to shoot. Quick as thought, our chief drew
my child round to his side, and half-turning received the
full charge of loopers in his right side and back. With
an agonising cry, he lurched forward and fell headlong.
Rising, he staggered a pace but again fell. With a last
dying effort he seemed to be trying to induce my child to
run, but she was too terrified, and clung tightly to his
neck. Seizing her by the back of the neck, the farmer-
man thrust her into a bag and carried her off.
We do not blame that farmer-man for we know he hates
our tribe, because we take his mealies and his fruit, but that
man must have been truly very stony-hearted to have shot
down one of our folk whilst performing an act which only
the noblest and bravest of you humanfolk would attempt.
If that had been a battlefield, and one of your folk had
rushed out across an open field, right in the face of the
enemy, to rescue a child, the whole world would have
been ringing with the account of the noble deed. But
alas! we are only baboonfolk, and we don’t count. We
are only animals, and we haven’t any feelings—so many of
you think. But you are wrong all the same.
WE ARE NOT WILFULLY CRUEL
Many of you humanfolk say we are cruel and blood-
thirsty, because we often kill yourdogs. You are altogether
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 69
wrong. We only fight for our lives. We have more sense
than you think. We know full well that it would be
madness to try to withstand an attack made by humanfolk
armed with guns when we only have our teeth as weapons.
We know quite well the degree of our strength, and the
razor-like sharpness of our big eye teeth, and who can
blame us if, when your dogs pursue us intent upon destroying
us or our children, that we turn upon them and kill them.
Dogs, somehow, seem to lose all discretion when they
pursue our folk. They simply lose their heads, and rush
headlong after us. We watch our opportunity, and when
we see one away in advance of the rest, our chief just
drops somewhat behind, and as the dog rushes madly along,
he grips him, and with hands and feet holds him fast until
he fixes his huge teeth in the dog’s throat. Then with a
mighty tug, the miserable victim is thrust away and the
sharp teeth cut their way out through muscle, windpipe,
and jugular vein. There is a torrent of blood and the
dog is dead. At other times the victim’s loins are torn
open. ‘The wounds, I know, are ghastly in the extreme.
We realise that it is a fight to the death, and that either
the dog must die, or else our folk, so we bite to kill. You
humanfolk should think yourselves lucky we don’t attack
you, for-we have chances every day, when you are unarmed ;
but we never trouble you in this way, although any one of
our leaders could easily kill one of your strongest men in
combat, if both were unarmed. I would warn you never
to be too daring when attacking us, for, if any of our
warriors are cornered or wounded, and if you are so foolish
as to approach, then you will as likely as not have your
throats torn out and perish miserably. It seems a cruel
world this of ours. It is so ordained that in order that
some may live, others must die. It is so from the highest
to the lowest. Humanfolk quarrel, and the various clans,
which you call nations, fight and kill tens of thousands of
70 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
each other just because a few of your leaders grow jealous
of each other, or have a private quarrel. Even the very
microbes wage war upon each other. Why! even for food
we eat up each other. Our folk devour the poor innocent
scorpions and centipedes, who but seek to lead humble
lives under stones, or in decaying wood. You humanfolk
rear animals and then kill them, and eat their flesh. |
suppose there will come a time when we shall understand
the reasons for all these things.
HOW WE OUTWIT THE HUMANFOLK
We are quite aware that the humanfolk are constantly
planning and scheming to outwit us, so we do the same.
We hold committee meetings, and talk over ways and means.
The clan to which I am attached is a large one. We have
learned a great deal by bitter experience or by the misfortunes
of our neighbours. We now know it is far too risky to
invade a mealie garden all in a body, because, if we happen
to be outflanked, a good number:of us would be killed or
wounded. Besides, even if we were warned by our sentries
in time, the distance is usually too great for us to make
off with an armful of mealie cobs, so we are obliged to drop
them and run full speed, for the humanfolk often are
mounted on swift horses, and we baboonfolk are very
awkward on level ground, and can easily be overtaken.
When we are amongst the rocks then we defy both dogs and
men, as we can travel at a great rate, and have ample
shelter when the humanfolk start to shoot at us.
After much thought and meditation a brilliant idea
occurred tome. Iam the leader of my clan, so I summoned
the wise men of the tribe and we sat in solemn conclave.
Sitting upon a rock, I addressed them as follows: “ Gentle-
men of the Baboonfolk Parliament,—You are aware that
the humanfolk are a race of no mean order. They are
Baboonfolk on the top of a rocky hill which is known in South Africa
as a kop.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 71
possessed of brains of considerable size, and they have
schools in which wise people teach them many kinds of
things. They have weapons of destruction which we are
unable to either use or make. ‘They are a people of great
resource. If they are outwitted in one way, they quickly
devise a means of turning the tables upon their enemies.
There are many wise men amongst them. These wise men
study Nature. ‘They know all our ways and habits. ‘They
are learning new things every day. We must therefore be
wary. Information comes to hand from time to time of
how they have encompassed the destruction of our people
in distant parts of the land. I submit, it is now too risky
to boldly penetrate their mealie fields as of yore. The last
time we did so a new surprise was sprung upon us. The
humanfolk had dug pits in the mealie gardens whilst we
slept. Men hid themselves in these pits before we were
astir in the morning. Others covered the pits over so
cleverly, that even our practised eyes were deceived. When
we were busy eating mealies and collecting cobs to take
home a volley of loopers was poured into us, with the
direst results. As you know I was stricken down myself,
but managed to crawl away and hide ina bush. It was
long before I recovered from my wounds. No, my friends,
it is not enough that we post sentries. We have a clever
enemy to deal with. I have a plan. It is not, however,
without some element of danger, but the danger will not
be for all. It will be confined to the few. Those few will
volunteer for the dangerous duty.
THE PROPOSAL
“¢] propose to select a spot at the far corner of the mealie
field, adjacent to the mimosa bush and rocky, bush-covered,
broken country, where the humanfolk can penetrate only
with extreme difficulty. The members of our clan will
72 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
spread themselves out within touch of each other in a
single line reaching from the bush to the mealie garden.
I will enter the mealie field accompanied by two or three
experienced friends. We will rapidly collect the mealie
cobs and pass them on to the nearest baboon. He, in turn,
will without delay pass the cobs on to his neighbour,
who will do likewise.
“In this way the provender will be rapidly passed along
the entire line and taken charge of by those at the far end.
If no danger threatens, well and good. Weall retire silently,
collect the cobs, and make for home. If we should be
surprised, then, being unencumbered by mealie cobs, we
can make good our escape, and seize the cobs as we enter
the bush. Even if the enemy should steal upon us unawares,
it will be those in the mealie garden who will suffer most.
The others will have a lesser distance to run for shelter.
If a pack of dogs should attack us, we will keep them at bay
until the rest of the clan have retreated to safety. If it be
necessary that we should be called upon to sacrifice our
lives for the clan, then we must be ready to do it willingly
and cheerfully. It is better that a few should perish, than
allow the clan to run the risk of meeting with a grave
disaster. Besides, we, as the leading men of the clan,
should be prepared to take the lead and accept the post
of danger. I have spoken.”
Well, we duly carried the scheme into effect. It worked
grandly. ‘Three times have we succeeded. We are not so
foolish, however, as to carry out this dodge every time
on the same mealie garden. We sometimes make excursions
for many miles, and make a sudden and unexpected descent
upon a mealie patch belonging to a distant farmer.
Besides, we vary our plan a good deal, as well as the
time. 1g
We are not nearly so careful when we rob the Kafirs’
gardens. We are fully aware that few of them possess
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 73
guns, and those who have them rarely hit us when they
shoot. In fact, we often make a raid in broad daylight.
There is instantly a hue and cry. The Kafirs seize their
assegais and knob-kerries and rush with their dogs to give
us battle. MHastily tearing off all the mealies we can, we
make off. Our strong men fall to the rear, and if any dog
should be so venturesome as to approach too near, he
quickly loses his life. A strong warrior baboon plays
greater havoc amongst a pack of dogs than does a lion or
aleopard. One of our leaders is a match for any two large
dogs. He will keep at bay a whole pack of the ordinary
Kafir dog type. A full-sized baboon is as large as a mastiff
or a wolf. His arm, chest, neck, and shoulder muscles are
enormous. Being able to use his four limbs like you do
your arms, and having such great teeth, he is a foe of no
mean order.
THE HUMAN WOMENFOLK
Most of us are not a bit afraid of the human womenfolk.
We have learned from experience that they will rarely
show fight. Away out on the lonely farms the womenfolk
dare not venture into our haunts. Knowing they will not
fight, we advance upon them, and by barking, erecting our
mane, and showing our teeth, we terrify them almost to
death. Sometimes some of our folk chase them and tear
their clothes. Our womenfolk are very vindictive, and
sometimes have done them serious injury. You cannot
blame them. Your womenfolk would do the same, I dare-
say, under similar circumstances. ‘The menfolk kill us and
our children, on every possible occasion, and also capture
and enslave numbers of our people. It is, therefore,
natural that we should look upon all of you as our bitterest
enemies. |
The womenfolk fear us so much that they rarely go into
74 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
the rocky kloofs, or to the pools for water, without the escort
of a man or a boy armed with a gun.
The Kafir women we utterly despise, and when they go
down to the springs for water we frequently chase them.
Their screams, however, soon attract the men, who come
rushing up with their terrible assegais and kerries.
We are beginning to get rather afraid of the white
womenfolk, because we have found out they are not all
harmless. Some of them are bold and daring, and even
venture out after us with guns.
One day we got a terrible fright. Two white women-
folk, whom we had badly frightened one day when they
were gathering wild flowers, which are so plentiful and so
beautiful in our country, came again down the valley. They
sat down upon a carpet of soft green grass by a sparkling
spring, and began reading books. We stole along the edge
of the krantz, and silently climbed down, hiding as much
as possible behind boulders. Then, suddenly advancing
out into the open, we set up a chorus of barks, and shouted
allskinds of annoying things in baboon language. In an
instant the books were dropped, and with feelings of horror
we caught the glint of the shiny barrels of two rifles. We
scrambled off to the nearest shelter, but these womenfolk
opened fire, and continued making targets of our folk until
we had climbed right round the corner of the krantz. ‘Two
of our folk were killed, and three were wounded, one of
whom died two days later. Never again did we take any
liberties with the white womenfolk. We baboonfolk often
wonder why the white womenfolk are so stupid as not to
learn how to use those dreaded guns and pistols which
wise men have made. I am perfectly sure if we knew how
to make such weapons, or could get them and learn how to
use. them we would teach every one of our womenfolk, and
even our boys and girls, how to handle them.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 75
HOW I REARED A HUMANFOLK BABY
I was taken captive by a farmer-man when I was quite
a little girlk My master lived away in the Back-veld of
Rhodesia. One of the servants had a dear little baby. I
was often allowed to take him into my arms and nurse him.
The baby’s father was a good man, except when he drank
a kind of poison, of which he was very fond. It seemed to
change his nature entirely, because he became quarrelsome,
and used low, filthy language, and all that was bad in him
seemed to flare up. The stuff he drank was called alcohol.
One of the whitefolk, who kept a Kafir store a few miles from
our farm, sold him this poison.
One day, when the man was drunk, he quarrelled with
his wife, and accused her of things she was quite innocent
of. ‘Then he seemed to lose control of himself, and, picking
up a hatchet, he split the poor woman’s skull, right before
my eyes. I leapt upon him and fastened my teeth in his
neck. It was lucky I did leap upon him just at that instant,
for his arm was uplifted to deal a death-blow to the poor
little infant, who was lying on his murdered mother’s
breast. My master and the others came to-my rescue,
and secured the maniac. He was taken to Salisbury and,
I was told, he was hanged.
Well, the question arose as to what should be done with
the baby. My master was a bachelor, living with his brother.
The other servants were men. My master had evidently
been giving the matter very serious thought, for, the morn-
ing after the murder, he brought the baby out and gave it
me to nurse, as he had often seen its poor mother do. He
watched for a time, and talked to me a lot in humanfolk
language. I didn’t know just exactly all he said, but by a
kind of telepathy between his brain and mine, I knew all
the sense of what he was saying. He was telling me that
76 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
I must be the baby’s mother. I must nurse, guard, and
protect him, while he and the other men were away in the
fields; He went away, and busied himself feeding the
fowls, and doing odd jobs about the house, ever and anon
casting an anxious glance in my direction. He need have
had no fear, for my maternal instincts had been aroused,
and my heart had gone out to that dear, chubby black
baby. I hugged him to my breast, and crooned over him,
and played with and amused him when he began to cry.
I was allowed to keep the baby for three hours. He was
then taken away and fed with a sucking bottle containing
cow’s milk diluted with one-third water. Then he was
handed back to me. When my master found I could be
trusted, he gave me the baby to look after, except when he
required it to feed. He made a nice cosy bed for me in
his room, where I slept with my little foster-child in my
arms. He was six months old when I first took charge of
him. Now he is a big, chubby fellow of three years. We
still love each other dearly. In fact, if he went away and
I thought I shouldn’t see him again, I am sure I should die
of grief. We still sleep together in the same little bed,
and I look after him still, when my master is out working
in the fields, although there is a lady in the house now,
for my master got married a year ago. His wife is a dear,
sweet lady, and knows I can be trusted, so she doesn’t
interfere.
I HAVE FAULTS
Of course I have faults, so have you, every one of you.
I try to overcome mine, and I hope you do also. My chief
weakness is getting angry when I am made fun of and ridi-
culed. Now, my master’s wife is a great tease. She does
it all for fun I know, but she makes me very angry sometimes.
She imitates the way I talk, raises her brows, and grimaces
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 77
just as I do, and calls me all kinds of absurd names. She
plays jokes on me too. She made me so angry one day that
I sprang up on her shoulders and smeared her face all over
with mud. I was making mud pies at the time, and she
came along and began poking fun at me. Another time I
was sitting up a tree gathering mulberries, when she came
along and began teasing me. I got very angry, and at last
dropped down right upon her back. I sat on her shoulders
and soundly slapped her face, and then made off. My
master came out and flogged me severely with a whip. It
did me good, for every time after that when I began to get
angry, | thought of that dreadful flogging, and it cooled
me down.
CHAPTER III
HOW I GOT DRUNK
Lonc years ago, when I was a youth, I was out upon the
veld at the foot of the great mountains of Basutoland with
a few chums, searching for a special kind of sweet bulb
which grew only in the moist and fertile lowlands. We
wandered rather far, for we feared no danger, but it seems
two Basuto hunters were abroad, mounted upon wiry sure-
footed ponies. They gave chase, and overtook us. The
dogs pummelled and nearly worried us to death. When
we were exhausted, the Basuto men trussed us up like fowls
about to be roasted, bound filthy rags round our jaws to
prevent us biting, and rode off with us. After many
adventures amongst the white humanfolk to whom I was
eventually sold, I became the property of the captain of a
steamship, which carried cargo. At first I felt ill and
wretched. My head would get giddy, and a strange feeling
would creep all over me, which made me loathe even the
daintiest food. The sailors were very kind to me. I was
a great pet. Every day when they were off duty they would
come and amuse me. They never were unkind. I love
those sailors. Seeing me so sick, one of them brought
something in a mug. I was intensely thirsty, and drank
some of it. I didn’t like it at first, but I soon got very
fond of it. The sailors called it beer. One day a sailor
friend gave me some stuff they calledrum. It was sweetened
with sugar. I took a sip, but I was suspicious, so I waited
to see what effect it would have, for I still had that ever-
watchful feeling which all our tribe possess, which makes
78
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 79
us think anything new in the way of food or drink may be
poisonous. I began to feel quite jolly and playful, so I
reached out again for the mug, and drank off the lot. Then
I felt I wanted to do all kinds of silly things. I talked in
baboon language to the sailors, and told them about my
life when I was wild and free amongst the mountains of
Basutoland, but they only laughed at me, for they were poor,
uneducated folk, and didn’t understand baboon language.
I stood on my head, I capered, I jumped, I turned
somersaults, I yelled, and I cracked jokes. Presently my
legs began to get wobbly. They seemed to do just the
opposite to what I wanted them to do. Then my neck,
somehow, wouldn’t keep my head straight, and it would
bob down, then from side to side. My legs got so feeble
that I could no longer stand upon them, so I lay upon my
back and jabbered, and mumbled, and gurgled, whilst the
sailor men gathered round me. ‘They seemed to think it
was all great fun. A far-away sort of feeling seemed to
steal over me, and I went off to sleep.
FROM BAD TO WORSE
When I awoke my head felt like a lump of lead, and
I was low-spirited and utterly miserable. But a curious
thirst came over me, and I cried out. A dish of water was
brought. I tasted it, but somehow it didn’t seem at all
nice, and my soul rebelled against it so much that I pitched
it away. I tried to make the sailors understand that I
wanted more rum. At last I succeeded, for one of them
brought me some, and I just gulped it down all in a second.
I got so fond of rum and beer that I would get nearly mad
if I didn’t get it every day. The sailors used to save up
some of their allowance, and give me quite a lot. I think
they did it so as to amuse themselves watching me do all
sorts of stupid and absurd things when I was drunk. I am
80 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
afraid I am now a real old sot. I have been many years
on this ship, and can drink as much liquor as any sailor on
board, and can chew quids of tobacco too. I often smoke,
but I don’t seem to manage it as well as the sailors. ‘The
drawing in and puffing out of the smoke still bothers me a
good deal. The good captain now gives me an able sea-
man’s daily allowance of grog and tobacco. My only dread
is that the captain may grow tired of me, and sell or give
me to some landlubber who may tie me up and feed me upon
bread and porridge and such like poor stuff, and cut off my
liquor and tobacco. That would be a terrible calamity,
for I don’t think I could live without my grog and my
quid. Yes, I know I am an old blackguard of a drunken
sot. I cannot help it now. I didn’t know any better.
I was an innocent, simple-minded baboon, and I was taken
advantage of. I expect one of these days to die suddenly
of fatty degeneration of the heart, or the bursting of one
of the diseased and brittle arteries in my brain. I don’t
think I shall die of delirium tremens, because I never get
enough grog at a time. Once I nearly got the “d.t’s.”
The captain used to let me loose sometimes, and when he
was up on deck, I stole down to his stateroom, and opened
a cupboard where I knew he kept his bottle of brandy.
It was nearly full. I sneaked off to the quietest corner I
could find, pulled the cork out with my teeth, and enjoyed
the contents. It was strong stuff, and made my eyes water
and my throat tingle. Idrankthelot. I didn’t have much
time to enjoy the feelings the brandy produced, for it made
me drunk so quickly. I went off to sleep, and was dis-
covered with the empty bottle by my side. The sailors
missed me, and made a search. I was found and carried
to the captain. He ordered me to be soaked in a cold bath
until I revived. The sailors said I lay in the bath for about
an hour before I got conscious, although I had been sleeping
many hours before they discovered me. They thought I
Photo by Maurice Gilbert
Yes, I know I am an old drunken reprobate. I look it too, don’t I? Iam
the fellow who told you about his life on board a ship, and how J fell
into evil ways.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 81
was dying, so I was carried off to the doctor, who forced
some horrible stuff down my throat, and placed what you
call smelling salts to my nose. Then I was tucked up in a
cosy bunk, hot-water bottles were applied to my feet and
my “tummy,” and I went off peacefully to sleep. I was
nearly well when I awoke, and called for prog this time, not
grog, for I was ravenously hungry. We baboonfolk inherit
strong vigorous constitutions from our ancestors. Not
like you humanfolk. Your ancestors have transmitted poor
constitutions, weak bodies, and evil tendencies to you, so
that when you over-indulge, you suffer a great deal and
often die.
WHAT HUMANFOLK DO
You humanfolk boast of having clever brains. Yes,
we grant that you have, but you should not despise us
baboonfolk, and think us of no consequence. We can
teach you humanfolk a lesson, and a good one too. Our
folk lead simple, upright lives, and we never pervert our
faculties. We have very fine instincts, which guide us
aright in our lives. We eat of simple foods, and drink
water and never go to extremes in anything. We lead
simple, healthful lives, eating to live, and slaking our thirst
with water, or juicy bulbs. We keep ourselves perfectly
clean, free from vermin and dirt. We take plenty of
exercise and breathe fresh air.
Now what do millions of you humanfolk do? You are
not content to eat simple and strength-giving foods, and
drink pure water. You crave for all kinds of unwholesome
things. Just think of the thousands of kinds of foods which
are made to gratify your perverted instincts. We are told
that there is enough good wheat grown to feed all the
humanfolk upon the world. Now what do you do with
this good and wholesome food? Yes, you eat some of it.
F
82 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
The most of it you allow to half-rot, and then you make
a poison out of it, which you drink, and which makes you
do all kinds of evil things, so that your prisons are full of
people. Yes, and this poison weakens your brains by
destroying the tiny brain cells, and makes your blood weak
and poor. So, of course, there are thousands of weak-
minded and mad folk amongst you, and there are asylums
full of lunatics in every land. Your cities are full of cripples,
weak, diseased folk, useless, good-for-nothing loafers, and
hosts of evil people who have to be watched constantly
by a whole army of people you call policemen. You make
war upon and kill each other. When you are strongly
tempted, great numbers of you give way—yes, and quite
willingly too. Why, everything you know has been learned
by copying and improving upon what the various creatures
do, or by watching and studying the other wondrous works
of our Great and All-Wise Creator. The world wasn’t
made for you humanfolk only. Because you happen to be
at the top of the Tree of Evolution, it doesn’t justify you
in wantonly taking the lives of all other creatures just
because they have not reached the stage of development
you call “ human.”
THE RESCUE
I am a womanfolk baboon, and I live with a small clan
amongst some rocky hills of the Karoo. One day we
decided to climb the steep rugged sides of a bush-covered
hill, where a scout had told us there was an abundance
of wild fruits and berries, as well as three bees’ hives. My
little boy was four months old, and was growing very heavy.
Fearing to take him with me lest he might get injured, or
in my endeavour to hold him I might lose my foothold
and fall to the bottom of the cliff, I left him to amuse
himself on a large flat boulder. I knew there were no
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 83
leopards or wild cats about, and humanfolk had never been
known to come so far into the stony valley, so I had no
fears for his safety. ‘To make sure he didn’t get into
mischief, I ordered two of the bigger boys to stay and look
after him. You know what boys are. As soon as we had
disappeared they went off hunting away down the valley,
taking my little son with them. It seems there happened
to be one of those naturalist humanfolk prowling about.
These fellows poke and spy into every cranny and corner,
and nothing misses their practised eyes. He spied the
three boy baboons and gave chase. They scampered off,
but my little son soon grew tired. Besides, he was terrified
out of his wits at seeing for the first time one of the dreaded
humanfolk, whom he had been told so much about. The
naturalist man caught him, and, turning, made off at a quick
pace, for he knew something about the habits of us baboon-
folk, and feared trouble. The two boy baboons fled in
terror, making the valley echo with their warning cries.
Hearing the noise, and fearing something had happened
to my child, I raised the alarm, and leading the way
clambered down the rocks and through the thorny bush,
closely followed by all the clan. Meeting the two boys,
we were breathlessly told what had happened, and shown
in what direction the robber had fled.
With shouts of rage and indignation we rushed off in
pursuit. Turning the corner of the rocky valley we saw
that brigand speeding across the veld with my child clasped
to his breast. With loud yells and barks we followed.
Seeing us he fled along faster, but we steadily gained upon
him. Slowly he slackened his pace and we were jubilant,
for soon we knew he would be in our power, and then we
would wreak a terrible vengeance upon him. Realising his
danger, he dropped my child, and being relieved of the
weight, he fled along a little faster, while we paused to
ascertain if our little one had been injured. As we set
84 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
out again in pursuit, our chief suddenly commanded us to
halt. Glancing in the direction in which he was looking,
we saw a man hastening towards us. He was evidently
the naturalist man’s friend, and had seen what was going
on by means of an invention of the humanfolk, which
makes things a long way off appear close. Fearing to be
cut off from the rear perhaps by other humanfolk, our
leader thought it best for us to retire to our rocky fastnesses.
Now that we had rescued the child, our anger had cooled
down, and we no longer bore the naturalist-man any malice.
TRACKED
About two years after this adventure, there was a great
drought, and food became very scarce. We planned out
a raid on a neighbouring farmer’s crops. He not only had
mealies which were just getting ripe, but he also had many
acres of sweet potatoes, and what humanfolk boys call
“monkey nuts.” All these three things are the most delicious
of foods. Ask any of our children what they like best,
and they will instantly answer, “ Young milky mealies, sweet
potatoes, and monkey nuts.” Once our folk get a taste
of these foods, or in fact any of the other foods grown by
the farmerfolk, they get quite a dislike to their ordinary
diet, such as the gum of the mimosa, the soft bark of certain
trees, wild fruits, berries, seeds, bulbs, sweet reeds, young
shoots, scorpions, centipedes, beetles, lizards, and snails.
At break of day we silently stole forth and loaded our
stomachs, our cheek pouches, and our arms with the farmer’s
produce, and retreated as quietly as we came without being
seen.
A few days later we repeated the raid. Then we decided
that it would not be safe to visit that farm again, at least
for a time, for fear the owner’s anger should be roused. It
was already, it seems, for he had been planning an attack
Be y Y dae
'
A sentinel Chacma Baboon high up on a krantz in the act of warning the
troops, who are digging up roots and bulbs upon the veld below.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 85
upon us. He sent a crafty old Hottentot out scouting,
and that old sinner, who was as intelligent as even our
leaders, traced us to our homes in a bush-covered krantz,
where there were a number of small caves and other rock
shelters. ‘These shelters were so well hidden with bush,
and the surroundings so rocky and overgrown with scrub,
that we had fondly thought our retreat would never be
found. We always took great precautions when approaching
it. We never went straight home. We pretended to go
in a different direction, and would disappear amongst the
foliage, and then turn several times, travelling some distance
in one direction, then swerving off at an angle. That old
Hottettot had inherited such a lot of his monkey ancestors’
nature-craft that he wasn’t to be deceived.
OUR HOME ATTACKED
One morning we came forth as usual after a sound sleep,
and clambered higher up the rocks where the sun shone
when it rose over the distant hills. We always sat up there,
basking in the sun until the dew had vanished from the
leaves and grass, when we would troop off and get breakfast.
We are not so fortunate as you humanfolk, who simply
get out of bed and walk into another room where there is
everything you require already prepared for you. We
baboonfolk have got to find our breakfast every morning.
Sometimes we have to go many miles for it, and work hard,
digging in the sun-baked ground, or climbing trees and
picking off tiny berries one by one. We grown-up folk
were gossiping together, and the children were romping
and playing tricks upon each other, when the sentry’s cry
of alarm rang out. Instantly we started up and glanced
at our leader, whom we always followed. Before we could
move, the cracks of many rifles rang out and re-echoed
amongst the kloofs. Five of our folk fell mortally wounded.
86 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
Three pitched headlong from the rocks, their bodies bound-
ing from the jagged edges of the face of the cliff. Instantly
we scattered, and retreated in the direction taken by our
chief. The rifles spat fire again and again, and many more
of our folk were killed or wounded. At last we reached a
portion of the krantz which was very high and bush-clad.
In this there was a secret hiding-place, where it was impossible
for humanfolk to reach us or to locate us. Many volleys
were poured into the bush where we were seen to disappear,
with the object, evidently, of dislodging us. We all crowded
closely into the rock shelter, and lay still. ‘Three or four
random bullets reached us, killing one of our children, and
wounding three others. One of the bullets passed right
through a little boy’s head and buried itself in my shoulder.
The blood gushed out of the wound. I held my fingers
tightly over the hole to stop the blood. Many more of our
number were suffering from wounds, most of whom were
also holding their fingers or the palms of their open hands
over the wounds.
When the humanfolk had gone off, we cautiously crept
out of the small cave and gathered the leaves of a medicinal
plant, which we rolled up into pellets and stuffed into the
bullet-holes in our limbs or bodies. I suppose you think
we baboonfolk haven’t got enough intelligence to do such
things, but I assure you we have. It would astonish you
to hear of the many things we know, which you imagine
only humanfolk can do.
OUR NEW HOME
Our wise men, or at least those of them who were still
alive, sat in solemn council during the afternoon, and eventu-
ally decided to lie low for a day or two, and then to retreat
silently to another part of the country. Two scouts were
meantime sent out to explore the country and report.
vy >
A Baboonfolk youth and youngster in their native home on a South African
krantz, which some people call a precipice.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 87
You see, before leaving a home such as ours, it is always
necessary to know just where we intend to go, and whether
our proposed new home is suitable. The scouts returned
after an absence of a day and a half, and reported that many |
miles distant there was a great gorge, with a small bush-
surrounded spruit running through it. ‘They said that there
was a thick belt of bush near by, as well as miles of bush-
veld, and scattered clumps of prickly pears.
Helping along our wounded comrades, and carrying the
small children and other little ones who were wounded,
we crept forth, and keeping under cover as much as possible,
we followed the scouts, one of whom kept well in advance,
so as to warn us if danger threatened.
We reached our new home in safety, weary, heartsore,
and unhappy. Creeping into the thickest clumps of bushes,
those of us who were most exhausted lay down and rested.
Those who were not wounded volunteered to go forth
and explore the cliffs. Our chief picked out six, and
instructed them to search the whole locality for the best
spot for our home. He rallied the other strong men round
him, and instructing them to keep a keen watch below,
clambered up to the top of the highest tree, and did sentry
duty himself.
After three or four hours the scouts returned. ‘Two of
them reported that, higher up the gorge, there was an ideal
spot for a home. They explained that at the foot of the
krantz the hill sloped steeply, and it was covered with dense
thorny bush. The krantz itself was partly covered with
stunted bush. ‘They had discovered a great crack which
ran horizontally along the face of the krantz, in which there -
was ample shelter for a clan ten times our number. Here
and there thick patches of bush grew out of the rents in the
rock, behind which we should be able to find cosy shelters,
in which to sleep or to hide from our enemies. ‘There were
in addition three or four lines of retreat in case we were
88 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
attacked, and the krantz was so situated that we couldn’t
be surrounded.
Scattering through the bush, those of us who were able
gathered food, for we were dreadfully hungry. | Storing all
we could in our cheek pouches, and carrying what we
could in our hands, we returned and fed our wounded
comrades.
A GOOD AND USEFUL FRIEND
I am a slave to a hunter-man. He captured me when I
was a boy, and I have lived with him ever since. I am now
nine years of age. My master thinks I am worth my weight
in gold. I have heard him telling his friends ever so many
times that I have not only saved his life many times over,
but also that of his men, and his oxen, horses, and dogs.
He says he wouldn’t dream of penetrating some of the
places where he has gone at times without me.
First he trained me to be a voerlooper, which means a
leader of oxen. I rather like this work, because as I lead
the oxen along, I can pick up and eat the beetles which
crawl about the roads.
Then my master trained me to find water for him.
When I understood what was required of me, I went about
the business willingly, because I love my master, for he is
so kind and gentle with me. You see you humanfolk can’t
talk our language, so it takes a good while for us to under-
stand each other, especially when you want to teach us about
something we have never done in that way before.
South Africa isn’t like England. In the latter country
the people growl and grumble all the time about having
too much rain. In South Africa, almost wherever you go,
the humanfolk, the baboonfolk, and the other creatures
complain that they don’t get half enough. Often in the
Karoo for a whole year, and even two or three years, hardly
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 89
more than two or three showers fall. Many parts of the
country are parched and dry. Sometimes there will be
heavy rains, and the vleys, the ponds, and the rivers are
filled, and the springs gush out afresh. Then the hot sun’s
rays pour down day after day and month after month,
greedily sucking up the water again into the skies, and all
the land once again is thirsty.
You humanfolk imagine the plants are senseless sorts of
things. Don’t you believe it. They are nothing of the
sort. [hey can adapt themselves to altered conditions of
life, just as well, or better, than you can. Now if a few
of you humanfolk were lost out in the wilds, and were
without guns to kill the wild creatures, you would die
of starvation, although there would be plenty of food
everywhere.
When the climate began to alter, instead of regular
rains to give the plants all the water they needed, there
were long periods of drought between times. Those dry
times gradually grew longer, and there was less and : less
rain. Did the hundreds of kinds or species of plants wither
and die because their outward circumstances, or rather
means of livelihood, had been taken away? No, they
didn’t do anything of the sort. They just adapted them-
selves to the altered conditions. They surrounded their
tender internal parts with tough skins, which prevented the
dry air and hot sun from sucking out their water supply.
Then their bodies grew fatter, and they threw out fewer
leaves. In these fat bodies they stored up a huge amount of
water, and kept it for future use, just like you do when you
store it in tanks. You see, when a shower of rain fell, the
roots of the plants greedily sucked up as much water as they
could hold, and stored it away. It was doled out as required
for the life of the plant.
go THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
A CRAFTY DODGE
Then other plants adopted a different plan. Instead
of growing up into the air to allow the sun and the dry
scorching atmosphere to suck out their water, their roots
slowly swelled and swelled, until they looked like fat stumpy
bottles. ‘These roots you call bulbs. Of course all plants
must breathe and absorb some sunshine, just like all of us
more intelligent creatures, such as you and I; so these
crafty plants spread out their leaves flat over the ground and
pressed them tight down totheearth. ‘They had two reasons
for doing this. One was because they wanted to expose
as little of their surfaces to the dry parched air as possible.
The other was to prevent themselves, or rather their heads,
being eaten off by wild animals. So, don’t you ever again
say that plants haven’t got any sense.
What I have told you about them are just a few of the
wonderful things they do.
STORED-UP WATER
Now we baboonfolk can live in the driest parts of
South Africa, because we know how to get water when there
is a drought on, and the vleys and springs are all dry. We
dig up the plant-bulbs, which are really natural reservoirs
of water. ‘The bulb provides us with nourishment, and the
water it contains is all that we require in the absence of
a proper water supply. Now these plants are up to all
kinds of dodges. You see, they learn from experience, just
as you and I do. They struggle fiercely for existence,
just as much as we do, for life is also dear to them. ‘They
know that victory lies with the fittest, so they have schemed
and planned to outwit their enemies. Some of them grow
sharp spikes all over their bodies, which stick out in all
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA g1
directions. Others manufacture a poisonous juice, which
they store up in cells within their bodies so that their
enemies, who have not grown wise from experience, get
poisoned when they eat those plants and die. We baboonfolk
know, by long experience, which plants are poisonous and
which are not. ‘The crafty Bosjesmannen learned all this
nature-craft from us. When they came down into South
Africa, and began to vex us, many of them were poisoned.
They carefully watched us and ate the same kinds of plants,
berries, and other thing which we ate, and the only reward
we got from them was, they shot and ate us whenever they
got the chance. They chased us from our cave dwellings,
our favourite hunting-grounds, and took possession of our
springs and bees’ nests, forcing us away into the bleakest
and most barren wildernesses, where we live even now,
for you white humanfolk are more to be feared by us than
the ancient pigmy Bosjesmannen.
HOW I HELP MY MASTER
Now, my master in his wanderings often runs quite out of
food; so I go along with him and show him where to find
the nicest and most wholesome bulbs, fruits, and berries.
Often he and I have lived for many days at a time on nothing
else. At other times my master would be able to provide
plenty of meat by shooting animals with his gun. But
when he and his men had lived for a week or two on nothing
but flesh food, they began to get ill, and got a terrible
craving for vegetable food. ‘Then we would scour the
country, and I would help my master to dig up the onion-
like plants, and collect the tender shoots of various shrubs,
which he put into a pot with some water and meat and
made a delicious stew of which I was passionately fond.
My master and I were real and true chums. I always
sat opposite him when he ate his meals, and he allowed
92 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
me to eat as much as I pleased. At night, I slept at his
feet and kept them warm.
We baboonfolk sleep very lightly, and the slightest
noise wakes us, especially if it be a strange sound. One
night a leopard stole silently under the wagon where my
master and I lay. I seemed to sense danger, for I awoke
and carefully raised my head. ‘There, a few feet away was
a long, dark body, in the head of which two phosphorescent-
looking eyes gleamed. I knew it was a leopard. He was
just about to seize my master by the throat, when with a
spring I was on my feet, and with all the power of my
lungs I barked several times in rapid succession. Instantly
swerving, the leopard bounded away in the darkness as our
two big mastiffs rushed up to the rescue.
HUNTING FOR WATER
My master taught me to find water for him. The way
he took to make me understand what he wanted me to do
seemed cruel at first, and I felt very miserable to think that
the master I loved so dearly could be so hard-hearted. I
reflected, and turned the matter over in my mind as I
lay one night watching the bright stars, which we are
told are all great blazing suns as big and bigger than the
sun which gives us heat and warmth. Then I saw the
matter in quite a different light. It was clear to me that
unless water had been found that the whole lot of us, that
is, my master, myself, the Kafirs, the dogs, and the oxen,
would have all died in a madness of thirst.
The method my master employed was this. He refused
to give me water for a whole day, and at the same time fed
me on very salty food. I was nearly mad with thirst, but
I wasn’t angry with my master. I only thought there had
been some mistake, for he kept as far away as possible. In
fact he was away searching about in the bush-veld near by,
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 93
and had tied me up, and left me to be fed by the Kafirs. I
know now that he went away because he couldn’t bear to
see me suffering, and hear my piteous cries for water.
HOW WE FOUND WATER
The following morning my master came along, and un-
fastened my chain. I instantly rushed off and examined
every bucket and cup, but alas! not a drop of water could
I find. In baboon language I pleaded and implored my
master to give me water. Instead, he walked off across
the veld, beckoning me to follow. I did so, and ran about
in all directions, hoping to find some watery bulbs, but the
soil was dreadfully parched, and even the hardiest vegeta-
tion was shrivelled. Following the dry bed of a spruit, we
came to a large hollow, which seemed to have once been
a pond. I instantly smelt water, and began to dig franti-
cally in the soil at a certain spot, where I knew by my keen
sense of smell there was water. My master hurried off,
and presently returned, accompanied by two Kafirs, with
picks and shovels. ‘Thrusting me aside, they began digging.
After going down about six feet, water began to run into
the hole. Dropping their picks and spades, the Kafirs
greedily gathered up the muddy water in the palms of
their hands, and although it was as thick as cream, they
swallowed it. ‘hen my master allowed me to jump in the
hole. I have never tasted such delicious fluid, before or
since. I suppose I must have swallowed at least a pound of
mud. Nobody but those who are almost dying of thirst
can have the slightest idea of the heavenly sensation one
feels at such a time when drinking water.
The Kafirs with renewed energy dug the hole much
deeper, and presently we had the pleasure of seeing a pool
of water about two feet deep.
Carrying the water in buckets, the oxen were led into
94 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
the bush one by one and given a drink. You see, if water
had been taken amongst the oxen, they would have smelt
it and there would have been a stampede towards it, and
the water would have been spilled, and many of the cattle
would have been gored in their frantic fight to be first.
Many a time after this I found water for my master
and his live stock. Whenever he went trading into the
far interior of Africa, he always took me with him. I not
only found water when it was scarce, but I located the
wholesome water-laden roots and bulbs, and showed my
master the kinds of berries, seeds, fruits, and shoots of
plants which were good to eat.
When a baboon isn’t very tame, it is best to attach a
long rope to his collar, and let him range around like a
pointer dog. If he should smell water, or roots and tubers,
he will instantly stop, and begin digging with his nails.
Then you must be ready to come along with a pick and
spade.
WONDERFUL POWERS
The power to find water isn’t entirely due to smell. It
is mostly a sort of instinct. We feel a sort of mysterious
power which impels us to go in a certain direction or do
certain things. God has given us this wonderful power,
as well as the faculty for finding our way about. All the
folk of mountain, veld, and forest have different kinds of
instincts or powers given to them by God, who is our God
as well as yours, for there is only one great ruling Intelligence,
who is the creator and master of all the universe.
When you humanfolk begin to reason out things, you
lose these wonderful instincts which God has given us.
I suppose it is because they are no longer necessary to you.
They are very necessary to us because nature hasn’t developed
the reasoning and other higher parts of our brains, so our
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 95
very lives depend upon these intuitions, or “ instincts ”
as you call them. |
_ When finding water for my master, I would run forward
and range about, ever and anon standing upright and
sniffing the air. ‘Then, if I saw a blade of grass I plucked
it up and smelt it, as well as any small plant I might see.
By the smell of these I sometimes got a mysterious feeling
that I must go off in a certain direction. Anyway, if there
was water either above ground, or close underground any-
where in the neighbourhood, I always found it.
CLEAN AND TIDY HABITS
We baboonfolk are very particular about our appearance.
We cannot bear to be dirty. Most of the other folk of
mountain, veld, and forest haven’t got the sense to free
themselves from parasites, although all of them have their
particular kind of way to keep themselves clean in other
ways. You see, all us monkeyfolk are very nearly human,
and we have learned to use our hands and our brains like
the humanfolk. During our rambles we often get covered
with baby ticks so tiny that they can hardly be seen. These
little fellows burrow their heads into our skins, and suck
our blood. We don’t let them stay there long, though.
As soon as we get back to our rocky ledges, and when we
see that our leader, or another responsible person is doing
sentry-go, we examine every inch of our skins. It takes a
long time, but we like to be always doing something, and
- cannot bear to be still for long. When we have searched
every portion of our bodies that we can reach with our eyes
and hands, we do what is needful for each other, because, you
see, we cannot reach our own backs or heads.
Our children are so impatient to get away to play that
we have to hold them forcibly down. Sometimes they
begin to howl and try to escape, so we just turn them over
96 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
and give them a good spanking. ‘That never fails to make
them obedient.
When the weather is nice and warm, we often go along
to the clear pools of water which collect on hollow rocks
and in crevices and holes ; or else we go down to the nearest
spring, spruit, river, or vley and wash our faces and heads.
We always make a practice of washing our babies. Of
course, they bawl and kick and struggle, but we don’t take
any notice. ‘Their mothers wash their faces and heads
and often their whole bodies in the clear water. Then they
carry their precious babies up to a sunny ledge of rock to
get dry. Our mother baboonfolk dearly love their children,
and until they are a year or more old will not let them out
of their sight. They will at any time give up their lives
in the effort to protect their children from harm. You
mustn’t imagine we baboonfolk, or any other kind of animal-
folk for that matter, are utterly selfish, and never think of
the welfare of others. If we had been selfish like that,
our race would long since have vanished. We are just
as fond, or even fonder of our children as you humanfolk
mothers are. If any one of our tribe gets into danger, we
are all ready to rush to his help and save him, even at the
risk of our lives.
THE BUSHMEN
You humanfolk talk as if you were quite a different
creation to us baboonfolk, and think of us as mere “‘ animals,”’
without any particular feelings. I think from what I have
told you, that you ought to know that we are very intelli-
gent creatures, and if we are not exactly what you call
‘“‘human,” then we are very near to it. You say that the
pigmy Bushmen are human beings. I wonder why? I
suppose it’s because they walk upright and don’t have to
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 97
touch the ground with their hands to help them along.
Have you ever seen them scrambling up a rocky hill?
Well, if you had, then you would have said that you couldn’t
tell them from baboonfolk, because they climbed and
scrambled along exactly as we do. We have a habit of
showing our delight, our anger or vexation, by moving our
ears, raising and lowering the skin covering our heads, and
by doing so we make what you call grimaces. ‘The Bushmen-
folk do just the same. I don’t mean the half-caste yellow
people whom you often call Bushmen, I mean the real
true Bushmen, who are the descendants of the wild cave-
men who came long ages and ages ago from Europe. Then
again these Bushmen’s habits were just like ours. They lived
in crevices and caves, they all lay huddled up inside, and
like us, when it was daylight they crept forth and went
out to look for food. When they had satisfied their appe-
tites, they lay and basked in the sun, while their youngsters
romped about amongst the rocks, just the same as ours do.
There were only a few things they could do which we
couldn’t. ‘They were able to chip pieces of stone and use
them as weapons, and they were able to make the skins
of animals soft, and wear them to keep themselves warm.
After all, that isn’t much. It’s because their brains are
bigger than ours, that’s all.
SNAKES
We baboonfolk, like you humanfolk, are dreadfully
afraid of snakes. We learned long ages ago that they had
the power to kill us in some mysterious way, by just giving
us a small bite. I remember once we had a cosy cave
where about fifteen of us dwelt. It was down near the
bottom of a krantz, and there was a sort of ledge leading
along to it. One night we had all retired to rest, and were
sleeping soundly, when in my sleep I happened to move.
G
98 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
I must have touched a Puff Adder, for instantly there was
a loud, long-drawn-out hiss, and then a sickening thud,
and a horrifying yell. The snake had struck out into the
darkness, missed me, but buried his fangs in the flank of
one of the other baboonfolk. We all rushed in the wildest —
terror out of the cave, and sat out in the open upon the
rocky ledge. The children cried and chattered incessantly
and clung about us. We grown-up baboonfolk were nearly |
as terrified. We kept a strict watch on the mouth of the
cave in case the Puff Adder should come out. Hearing
moans of pain I looked over my shoulder and saw that one
of our womenfolk had been the snake’s victim. She was
pressing one hand to the wound while she hugged her tiny
infant to her bosom with the other. All night she moaned
and groaned in agony. At break of day we all climbed
up to a higher ledge, helping her along. She was growing
very feeble and seemed to be dazed. Blood was slowly
oozing from her side, and there was blood and froth all about
her mouth. Slowly she sank, and her life seemed to be
slipping away by degrees. ‘Then she was seized with con-
vulsions. One after another they gripped her. We tried
to take her infant from her, but she held on to it like a vice,
and even although she was at the point of death she rallied
sufficiently to implore us to let her die with her infant in
her arms.
She hugged it to her breast with both arms, and, hanging
her head down over it, she died.
We took it gently away, but the poor little thing was too
young to eat food. We were in despair and didn’t know
what to do except keep it warm. However, by-and-by,
hearing our lamentations the rest of the clan came and
joined us. Seeing the state of affairs one of the other
mother baboonfolk, who had a little baby of her own, took
the hungry little orphan and adopted him.
The poison fangs of the sullen Puff Adder (Bitis avietans). When he bites
the fangs are erected as here seen. When at rest they lie in a sheath
along the upper jaw.
A Puff Adder braced up ready to deliver a fatal thrust. Puff Adders are
thick and broad, and average 3 ft. in length. They are exceedingly
venomous,
sd
a
.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 99
KILLED BY A BLACK MAMBA
A scout reported to us one day that he had discovered
a patch of bush three miles distant, where there was an
abundant supply of honey. He said that there were many
hives in the trunks of old decaying trees. In addition, there
were crops of wild fruits and berries, as well as plenty of sweet
roots and bulbs. The following morning we set out for
the spot. When we travel any distance we always send
out scouts in advance. However, we reached our destina-
tion safely, and busied ourselves looking for food. We
soon found the bees’ hives, which we robbed after much
excitement and many stings. When clambering over the
rocks and through the stunted bushes which grew out of
the crevices and spaces between the boulders, our chief
stumbled right upon a great Black Mamba, at least. twelve
feet in length. Like a flash of light, the Mamba struck
him upon the breast. He gave vent to an appalling cry
of terror, then turned to flee. Before he could move a
yard those cruel fangs were again buried in him, this time
in his shoulder. The serpent followed him up and once
again bit him.
We all fled in the wildest terror, for of all salen we
dread the Black Mamba the most. He is a really terrible
snake. If you disturb him he will think nothing of rushing
straight at you. He isn’t content with biting you once.
He wants to make sure that you get a fatal dose of venom,
for he pursues you so rapidly that it’s no use trying to
escape. The only thing is to face him and fight it out.
We baboonfolk, however, stand no chance at all against him,
for he is too quick in his movements for us. You humanfolk
have an advantage because you can use sticks and guns.
If we know a Black Mamba is in our neighbourhood we
desert the place, for sooner or later some of us are bound |
100 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
to stumble upon him and receive a death wound. From
our retreat up the rocks we saw our chief stumble and reel
along. He reached the side of the krantz and tried to climb.
He managed to get up a short distance, but his hold was
too feeble. He swayed and fell. The venom was rapidly
paralysing his nerve centres. He soon began to get con-
vulsions. It was terrible to watch him dying in such
apparent agony, although I don’t suppose he was suffering
pain, because his brain and nerves were almost paralysed.
He only lived fifteen minutes after being bitten.
OUR TAILS
We baboonfolk have tails, but we don’t use them as a
sort of hand to help us in climbing and swinging amongst
the branches of trees, as do our tree-loving cousins the
Vervet or Guenon ‘monkeys. We are rock-monkeys, they
are tree-monkeys. Our tails are not altogether useless
appendages. We make use of them to convey our thoughts
by means of signals. We can talk, but our command of
words is very limited. We communicate with each other
a great deal by signs. The raising or lowering of the brows,
the twisting of the mouth, certain gestures with the hands,
all convey our thoughts to each other. We usually carry
our tails with the part of it nearest the body raised a good
deal. Then it takes a downward curve, the end pointing
to the ground. By erecting the tail or lowering it,
or by twitching, turning, or altering the angle of the
downward curve, we are able to make a great number
of signals, or rather to express our feelings without bother-
ing to talk.
You humanfolk also show your inward feelings to a
great extent in much the same way as we do. If you are
surprised, you raise your brows ; if you are angry, you lower
them and tighten your lips; and in a great many other
the
1S
ite means death to us. The upper one i
We don’t fear him much, because he
The other is the terrible Black Mamba (Dendraspis angustice
These are the Mambas whose b
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im
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y of Mamba.
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green varie
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.
The Vervet Monkey of South Africa, which the Dutch people call the Blaauw-
aapje (Cercopithecus pygerythrus), These are arboreal or tree-climbing
monkevs.
A Baboon Warrior’s weapons.—(1) Upper Canine or Eye Tooth, 2 in.
long, not including the part in the socket of the jaw. The back edge
of the tooth is as sharp as a knife blade. (2) Ditto showing the deep
groove or channel down the front of the tooth. (3 and 4) The Lower
Canine Teeth.
(R60 5 mc
slants
CORE
— :
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Se
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA tor
ways you convey your thoughts or emotions, just the same
as we do.
THE BABOON’S SPAN OF LIFE
We baboonfolk take eight to ten years to grow up.
After that, for another five to ten years we fill out and get
very muscular, and our eye teeth grow long and sharp.
Sometimes they are over two inches in length. There is
a groove down the front of them like that in the poison
fangs of.a cobra. ‘This groove enables the teeth to be
forced into and withdrawn from the wounds easier than
if it were not present. Besides, it serves to carry saliva from
our mouths into the wounds, which makes them fester and
get dreadfully inflamed, and as likely as not mortification
sets in. You see, we never bite any living folk unless we
are really angry. It is nearly always in self-defence that
we use our big teeth. ‘They are our chief weapons, and with
them we fight for our lives against our enemies.
The saliva of our mouths isn’t always poisonous. It is
only so when we are dreadfully angry. The more angry
we get, the more poisonous does our saliva become. It is
just the same with you humanfolk, and all other creatures.
When anger arises, a mysterious change occurs in this
secretion of the mouth, and the greater the anger, the more
poisonous becomes this secretion.
Your wise men, I believe, have found this out for them-
selves. Why, I am told they have even scraped the per-
spiration off a humanfolk person’s skin just after he has been
in a great rage. ‘Then they dried it and put it on dogs’
tongues. It killed them as quickly as if strychnine had been
given them instead. So just remember that when you get
angry you grow poisonous, and even your thoughts are
poisonous. Anyway, humanfolk say all kinds of venomous
things when they are angry, so I suppose that the poison
which secretes in the brain-cells is given off in that way.
1o2 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
In your medical books you are told how humanfolk
mothers have nursed their infants just after a fit of great
anger, and how those little innocent infants died in con-
vulsions. ‘They were poisoned by their mother’s milk.
I think I started off by telling you about how long it
took a baboon boy and girl to grow up to be men and women,
but that idea about poisonous saliva came into my head
and I had to expel it first.
Well, we baboonfolk live for nearly fifty years, if our
lives are not too hard. Sometimes food is so scarce and
the weather so cold that we die much sooner, but if life is
at all bearable, we live till we are about fifty, and even
longer.
It is very seldom we live to be old in slavery. We are
captured and sent in great numbers to the countries of the
white people, away over the sea. ‘They keep us in cages
and do their best to make us cosy and comfortable, but the
damp, cold climate soon begins to undermine our health,
and then a microbe you call a bacillus attacks us. He gets
into our lungs and starts to breed there. ‘These microbes
breed in millions and trillions. ‘They look like tiny bits of
stick. A bacillus microbe feeds on our lungs and grows
“longer. Then he breaks off into many pieces, and behold !
each piece is a fresh microbe, who at once begins eating and
growing and breaking himself to pieces, and thus giving
birth to more microbes until there are great colonies of
them. ‘They at last eat up our lungs, and we die of what
you call consumption.
You humanfolk often shoot or chloroform us when
you have kept us a few years in captivity, because you say
we get very bad-tempered. It’s no wonder indeed that we
do. I wonder whether any of you humanfolk would be
sweet-tempered if you were chained up to a log or a pole
with a short chain, for long weary years, and fed upon any
sort of rough food at odd intervals, and teased and pelted
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 103
with stones. Just think what we have to put up with.
We baboonfolk know that a great many of you are kind-
hearted and gentle, but we also are aware that a great
number of you are also wilfully cruel. You allow your
children to offer us every kind of indignity, and positively
torture us. Yet you wonder why we grow surly and bad-
tempered. You cannot have much brain in your cranium
or you wouldn’t need to wonder.
A FAVOURITE FOOD
One of our favourite foods when we are wild and free
is a plant you calla Babiana. You gave it that name because
you first saw us digging it up and eating it. The Babiana
is the little blue plant you call a “ crocus,” which smells
so sweetly, and which you gather in baskets and place out
in dishes of water. ‘This little plant is very hardy. It will
manage to exist when nearly all other vegetation dies.
When the rains come, it throws up little lily-shaped leaves,
and a short stem, on which grows a beautiful sweet-smelling
blue flower. ‘This flower soon dies, but another quickly
takes its place, until several blooms have appeared. ‘The
flowers themselves are delicious to eat. When we are not
very hungry we content ourselves with picking and eating
the flowers only, but when we need substantial food we dig
up the bulb of the crocus, which is underground. If we
are extra hungry we don’t bother about peeling it, but just
eat it, skin and all. At other times we neatly peel off the
skin, and eat the delicate onion. This Babiana or crocus,
which, by the way, is not a crocus at all, scientifically speak-
ing, lies dormant the greater portion of the year, because
_ there is no rain and the ground is parched and dry. At
these times the leaves wither away and no trace can be seen
of the plant. That doesn’t trouble us in the least, because
we can find it just as easy by our sense of smell as we can
104 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
by our sense of sight at other times. When you have seen
us baboonfolk out upon the veld or hillside it was at such
times as we were busy digging up these Babiana plants,
or else another bulb which is common all over South Africa.
It is known to you as the Moraea or Uintje. It has a yellow
flower, and its bulb is good wholesome food for humanfolk
as well as all other creatures. Even the wild guinea fowls
have found that it is good to eat, for they too dig it up and
eat it.
GOOD FOOD EVERYWHERE
There is good wholesome food growing everywhere,
both above and below ground, yet you humanfolk would
starve to death if you strayed away from your towns or
your farms and got lost in the veld or bush. Long ago
a ship called the Grosvenor was wrecked, and a large
number of men, women, and children reached the land.
They tried to reach their friends by marching through the
country, and although they were walking over heaps of
wholesome food every day, they were quite unaware of it,
and actually starved to death. If they had only had one of
our folk, or a Bush boy, with them they would have
been saved. ‘Those Bushmen were ’cute, crafty little
fellows, but they learned all their nature-craft from us
baboonfolk. When their monkey-like ancestors came first
into South Africa they carefully watched us and noted
what we ate, and they did the same. Then they showed
their gratitude by killing and eating us whenever they
could. Well, I suppose if we had been stronger than they,
and were able to make and use stone axes, stone spears,
and stone arrowheads, we should have hunted them. ‘They
didn’t kill us all off anyhow. Neither have you white folk,
with your wonderful poisons and traps and guns, although
you have done your best to do so. We baboonfolk have
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 105
got lots of grey matter covering our brains, which makes
us observant and highly intelligent. Just a little more
of this wonderful grey matter in our brains and we should
be as clever as you humanfolk.
ORDER AND DISCIPLINE
Don’t you imagine for one moment that we baboonfolk
just live together in clans for company only, and that we
are a mob, each acting entirely on his own. There is a
perfect system of o-der and discipline in each clan, to
disobey which swift and sure punishment follows. ‘There
is always one or more chiefs to each clan, according to its
size. If the clan be large there may be six or more. ‘They
are always easily recognised by their long, shaggy hair,
which is usually turning grey. Sometimes chiefs of clans
can be seen who are almost white with age. ‘The leaders
have their captains and lieutenants, to whom they issue
their orders, who in turn pass those orders on to those under
them, until the rank and file have been informed, just as
you do with your soldiers. I shouldn’t be at all surprised
if you humanfolk first cribbed these ideas from us. We
didn’t from you, that’s a certainty, because our folk inhabited
the earth long before your race appeared. ‘The orders are
given by words, gestures, and contortions. Our language
is quite unknown to you, and when we shout our warnings
and signals, or talk together, you simply say that we bark,
growl, scream, and jabber. We could say just the same of
you folk. ‘The sounds you make appear to us very much
as our language does to you. ‘There are a good number
of rules amongst us which form our code of honour. It is
not often any of us break any of those rules, for the punish-
ment meted out is very severe—often the death penalty.
We always lay our plans beforehand. When we con-
template raiding a mealie field, or making a march to some
106 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
distant place, all the details are arranged previously. When
the occasion for action comes, the chiefs give their orders,
which none think of disobeying.
We never dream of moving about anywhere, or even
retiring to rest without posting one or more sentries as the
occasion seems to demand. ‘The sentry duties are taken
by different reliable individuals of the clan, in turn. We
never choose any whom we don’t think thoroughly com-
petent to do the sentry work, because it is such an important
duty, which, if not performed properly, might mean death
to many of the clan.
We always share the spoil with the sentry after a raid on
a farmer’s mealie garden or orchard.
BABOONS IN CAPTIVITY
I am one of the baboonfolk. I have been in captivity
for many years. One day a big swell of a fellowin a military
cavalryman’s full-dress uniform came to see my master.
He fixed me with his eyeglass, and then began to make all
kinds of nasty remarks about me. He jeered at me, and
imitated me when I raised and lowered my brows at him.
This made me very angry. I climbed up my pole and sat
on the ledge of my hut, and had a good think. Looking
down, the sight of a puddle of slimy water gave me an idea.
Climbing down I sat meekly with my arms crossed and a
contented look on my face. The officer man was standing
near by talking with my master. Suddenly I sprang up
and rolled my body in the slimy mud, and before the
astonished officer could realise what I was up to, I sprang
out the full length of my chain in his direction and shook
my body violently, bespattering him from head to foot with
evil-smelling mud. Then I chuckled and climbed up my
pole and hid in my hut. My master declared to the
officer that he would severely punish me, but he never
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 107
did, because I think he was secretly glad, for that officer
man was what you call a snobbish sort of fellow, who spoke
with a sort of lofty lisp and a patronising sort of sound in
his voice, which, I am told, is common amongst mentally
deficient folk.
My master used to teach me many things. He taught
me how to use a key, and how to drive a nail into wood
with a hammer. You see, we are very clever at imitating,
and we learn many things quite easily by watching how
you folk do them. We can think for ourselves as well.
One day my master’s son tried to play a joke upon me.
He knew I was madly fond of golden syrup, so he put a
little in an earthenware jar and handed it to me. There
wasn’t enough to run out, and the neck of the jar was too
small for my hand to be thrust in. I turned the jar over
and over and dashed it many times on the ground, but it
refused to break. Spying a stone, I raised the jar once
more and brought it down with a bang upon the stone.
Of course the jar smashed into many bits. I carefully
gathered up every scrap. Then, sitting down with my
legs in a circle round the fragments, for fear any might be
pilfered, I licked every one of them clean.
Once they played a joke upon me, which upset my
nerves for weeks afterwards. People often handed me
paper bags of buns or sweets. One day two young fellows
came along, and taking some sweets out of a bag handed
them to me. ‘Then they puckered up the mouth of the
paper bag and gave it to me. It felt heavy, and I was
jubilant. In order to enjoy the sweets to the utmost, and
at my leisure, | climbed my pole, and sitting on the ledge
at the top, I carefully opened the paper bag, fearful lest
any of the sweets might drop.
One glance into the bag was sufficient. With a scream
of wildest horror I leapt out into space, only to be jerked
down to the ground by my chain with a terrific thud. 1
108 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
lay there for a long time in a fainting condition. Not from
the fall, but from the terrible fright I had got, for there was
a snake inside that packet—a reptile which I fear with an
appalling, instinctive fear. It was a cruel joke to play
on me, but I dare say those ignorant youths didn’t think it
would have affected me so dreadfully. For weeks after-
wards I would start nervously when a leaf blew, or a twig
fell, or was moved by the wind. At night I would start
up with a cry, imagining snakes were attacking me. Nearly
every night for a week I dreamt of snakes.
THE GORILLA
The gorilla is what you call an anthropoid ape, which
means a man-like ape, because he looks so much like a human
animal. ‘There is a legend in our tribe to the effect that
long ages ago, one of the clans of our baboonfolk made their
home in the great forests of Central Africa, where the trees
grow very large, and the creeping plants climb up the
branches and spread themselves out on top of the trees like
great umbrellas, preventing the sunlight from shining
through. It is thought that by living in these great gloomy
forests in a tropical climate, these apes grew large and power-
ful, and altered a good deal in shape, as well as losing their
tails. We cannot exactly prove that the gorillas are the
aristocracy of the baboon tribe, but there is very good
reason to suppose they are an offshoot from us. :
WE ARE STRONG AND TOUGH
We baboonfolk are very strong and tough. We recover
quite easily from injuries which would kill you humanfolk.
You see, we live the simple life, and take plenty of exercise.
It is the kind of life we lead which makes us so healthy and
strong. We can survive a dose of poison which would kill
AE
!
A Gorilla of Central Africa, who is thought to be an aristocrat of the Baboon-
folk. He is the biggest and strongest of all the monkeyfolk.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA tog
at least. ten of you humanfolk. When we get ill from any
cause we cease to eat food until we are better. We have
a sort of sense or instinct which prompts us not to eat when
we feel ill.
It doesn’t do us a bit of harm to drop twenty or even
thirty feet to the ground. JI remember one night near
Graaff Reinet, the farmerfolk surrounded our home and
made an attack upon us at daylight. Many of us were shot
down, but a good number escaped by rolling down the
sloping krantz, or dropping from ledges to the ground,
thirty feet below. If there should happen to be clumps of
creeper-covered trees below, we don’t hesitate to make
a drop of at least fifty feet. When we fall we just let our-
selves go all of a lump, like a drunken man. One reason
why you humanfolk get so dreadfully hurt when you fall
even a short distance, is that you stiffen every muscle.
A PAINFUL SIGHT
Three times I have escaped from the farmerfolk who
sought to kill us by surrounding our home in the krantz
during the night time. My clan had made several raids
upon the various farmers’ vineyards. These long rows of
grape vines, laden with delicious grapes, which spread out
for miles all over the country, were altogether too tempting
for us poor weak baboonfolk to resist. We planned our
raids so carefully that the farmerfolk were quite outwitted.
We had changed our home to a far-distant krantz, and
thought ourselves safe from attack. ‘These farmer fellows,
however, came scouting and spying around, and found
out a way to attack us. Anyway, one morning we looked
out from our crevices and rock shelters to find the farmerfolk
on the watch below and above. Some of them crept up a
stony kopje opposite; and began to take pot shots at us.
A few of our number were able to squeeze themselves out
110 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
of harm’s way into crevices in the rocks, but the majority
of us were quite defenceless, so our leader gave the order
to scatter and escape as best we could. I was scrambling
down the rocks, when a heavy body struck and sent me with
a bound into the air. I fell with a tremendous thud upon
the ground. My thigh struck a boulder, and the pain was
terrific. Creeping into a thick bush near by, I lay still.
Peering out from my leafy shelter I saw one of our baboon-
folk women sitting upon the grass, moaning over her in-
fant, which had been either stunned or killed by the fall.
It was her body which had collided with me. She had
been shot, and losing her hold, she fell. Blood was oozing
from her side, and from a terrible scalp wound, caused.
evidently by a looper ripping the skin and muscles of the
head. Just then a man came up, and stood gazing at her.
He wasn’t one of the farmerfolk. I knew him at once,
for I had many a time watched him from behind a boulder
driving a pair of horses, in a carriage you call a “ spider.”
He was a doctor man, who did his best to cure people when
they got sick. ‘The baboon mother glanced at him, and
again crooned over her infant. Blood suddenly gushed
out of the wound on her head, and ran down her face.
She put her hand to her head, and lowering it, looked
mournfully at the blood which smeared her palm. Then —
she groaned in a terribly heart-rending sort of way, and
looked up at the doctor man with an expression of the
deepest reproach and sorrow. She repeated this three
times. She would look down at the blood upon her hand,
then at her senseless infant, and then at the doctor man’s
face. She didn’t speak, but her expression and her actions
were understood just as easily. The doctor man covered
his face with his hand, and turned away and sobbed. Just
then a farmer came up, and I heard the doctor say that
this sort of thing was too much like murder for him. He
said he couldn’t stand it. ‘The mother baboon had looked
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 111
and acted so like a humanfolk person, that he felt as if he had
murdered one of his own people.
The farmer was one of those whose vineyards we had so
often robbed, and his heart was hardened against us. ‘The
doctor tried to prevent him killing that mother baboon,
but he insisted. It was perhaps just as well, for she was
terribly wounded. I lay perfectly still, shivering with
abject fear. Luckily the farmer had no dogs with him to
smell me out, so I escaped to tell you the story of this pain-
ful adventure. |
A DREADFUL CALAMITY
I am one of a small clan of baboonfolk. Once my clan
was large. We numbered nearly a hundred. A great
calamity befell us which reduced us to a mere handful.
Our scouts had been down to the seashore, and réturned
and gave glowing accounts of the vast numbers of mussels
on the rocks at low tide. We were all very fond of mussels
and other kinds of shellfish, including oysters, and often made
excursions down to the coast to gather them. ‘They have
such a peculiar flavour, unlike any other kind of food. At first
we only ate them because we were hard pressed for food, but
we soon got to look upon shellfish as special dainties.
Of course when we heard there were plenty of mussels
we were overjoyed, and even our wise old chief capered
around and turned a few somersaults. We talked the
matter over, and decided to leave our present home and
take up our quarters nearer to the seashore until all the
shellfish had been eaten up. Our scouts said they had
already found a suitable retreat in a rocky, bush-covered
kloof, which is otherwise known as a ravine, three miles
from the sea.
At daybreak we departed, sending out many scouts in
advance. We reached the shore safely after many hours
112 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
of weary travelling over rough country, for we were careful
to keep as much as possible to the rocky hills, because there
were farmerfolk living in those parts.
A BANQUET AND THE RESULT
We had to wait for a couple of hours until the tide had
fallen. Then our chief gave the signal, and we all rushed
off and spread ourselves out over the rocks, and eagerly
searched for the mussels. We hadn’t to hunt much for
them because they were in such numbers. I have never
before seen such swarms of them. We tore them off the
rocks, and either smashed the shells by banging them on
to a rock, or else we broke them open with our teeth—at
least the other baboonfolk of the clan did. I was doing
sentry-go and dared not leave my post, although it was
almost more than I could endure to see the others feasting
on the kind of food I was fondest of. I was frightfully
hungry too, not having tasted food since the previous
afternoon. However, I knew the others were relying upon
me to prevent them being surprised by enemies, and even
if I had been actually starving I should not’ have forsaken
my post. We baboonfolk have codes of honour, and many
unwritten laws, as well as you humanfolk.
After the feast had been going on for a couple of hours,
I noticed some of the folk lying about lazily upon the sand
in the sun. I thought nothing of it, as it was a usual thing
to do after a feast. Presently, however, one of the children
began to scream out and complain of dreadful pains in
his inside. His mother did all she could to relieve him
by thoroughly massaging his body, but he seemed to get
worse. Then others began to complain, and within an
hour about two-thirds of the clan were either lying about
in a dazed sort of state, or else rolling, screaming, and
chattering in agony.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 113
It had been my intention to ask the chief to post another
sentry in my place, so that I might get something to eat,
but when I saw the other folk suffering such pain and
rolling about in the sand, I grew suspicious, and naturally
thought that the shellfish in some mysterious way had
caused the trouble, so I wisely refrained from eating any.
Our chief, although suffering frightfully from cramps in
his inside, proposed a general retreat to the kloof, which
we had chosen as our new home. But it was easier said
than done. Fully half our number were quite unable to
walk. As the afternoon wore on, several of the children
died, and two or three of the grown-up folk.
THE MASSACRE
Although distracted with grief I kept to my post, and
well it was that I did, for from over a mound about a
quarter of a mile away, two farmerfolk and a Hottentot
came riding, accompanied by many dogs. They were
evidently out hunting game. I gave several cries of alarm
to impress my people with the gravity of the danger. Our
chief instantly shouted a command to follow him, and
made off. Many of the folk obeyed. Others made des-
perate efforts to do so, but somehow they seemed to have
almost lost the use of their legs, and staggered like human-
folk when they drink a lot of that poison they call alcohol.
By this time the dogs had scented us, and came with
a rush upon us, followed by their masters. I fled in terror.
Reaching a rocky kopje I clambered up and looked eagerly
shorewards. The sight which flashed upon my brain
almost froze the marrow in my bones. Our folk were
scrambling painfully about, scattered in all directions.
Some were lying upon the sand impotently tossing their
arms and legs unable to rise. The farmer men and the
Hottentot were busy shooting them down as fast as they
H
114 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
could. ‘The dogs were chasing those who were trying to
escape. After slaughtering all that were about the beach,
the farmer men began chasing those who were doing their
best to escape. When as many of those as could be over-
taken were disposed of, those dreadful men systematically
searched every bush in the vicinity, and hunted out and
killed any of our folk whom they found hiding. Never in
all my experience have I known such a calamity to befall
our folk. ‘That frightful scene of slaughter has haunted
me ever since.
THE WHY AND THE WHEREFORE
The whole affair to us baboonfolk was a mystery. We
talked it over, and speculated and wondered. We consulted
the wise men of other clans, but no solution could we find.
It was clear that there was something wrong with the
mussels, but what it was we didn’t know. We thought
that, perchance, one of the farmerfolk had put deadly
poison into their shells, but this wasn’t likely, because the
farmer men didn’t know we were about to visit that spot
just then. When I was telling this story to the humanfolk
fellow who understands our language, and who is taking
down in what he calls shorthand all we say, he smiled and
said he thought he could offer an explanation.
Eager to know, I asked him to explain.
““Well,”? said he, ‘you see, mussels and oysters are
usually very good and wholesome food, but when anything
poisonous gets into their bodies they cannot spit it out,
like you and Ican. When the tide is high they open their
shells and start sucking in the sea water, and pumping it out
again. In this sea water there are myriads of tiny creatures
so small that you cannot see them except with a microscope.
When the stream of water passes through the stomach of
the mussel or the oyster, that wonderful stomach is like
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 115
a real live intelligent creature, for it captures all these tiny
microbe-like fellows which you -call animalcules. Now,”
went on this humanfolk fellow, “‘ when there is any poison-
ous substance in the water, it settles down inside the shell,
and is even sucked up into the inside of the shellfish. It
doesn’t do the shellfish any harm. In fact it can turn it
into food. Well, in some places along the coast, the sea-
weed grows very abundantly, and after a storm great heaps
of it are thrown upon the rocks. This seaweed rots, as
well as the millions of tiny creatures which live in and on it.
This putrefying seaweed poisons the water in all directions
near by. ‘Those poisons get absorbed inside, or particles
lodge in the shellfish, and if they are eaten shortly after,
or at the time, by warm-blooded creatures like ourselves
and you baboonfolk, we get poisoned. Dreadful cramps
grip our stomachs and our bowels, and make us so sick that
we cannot walk. Sometimes numbers of our folk die after
eating mussels or oysters which have been gathered near
towns, because they have sucked in some of the putrid
substances which run from sewers into the sea.”
I think this humanfolk fellow’s explanation very reason-
able, for now I think of it, there was a rather bad smell in
the air when our folk were gathering the mussels. Besides,
I saw great heaps of some dark substance which, I suppose,
must have been seaweed.
COMBAT WITH A LIONESS
I am one of a clan of baboons who live near the Black
Umfolosi River, in Zululand. Our home is in a bush-
covered kop or rock-topped roundish hill where there are
a number of steep rocks amongst which we sleep, and re-
treat when enemies are about. There are no farmer men
with guns to worry us, and we don’t fear the Zulus, for they
cannot harm us with their spears, for our retreat is beyond
1146 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
their reach. For some time we had lived in constant
fear of an old lioness who had carried off and devoured
several of our folk when they had gone down to drink or
wash their faces and their babies in the stream. Our clan
was a powerful one, for there were a score of great long-
teethed warriors amongst us. Knowing the lioness was
about, we were careful never to venture out until our scouts
had reported all was safe. Then we would go forth in a
body. One day we were out upon the veld rooting up bulbs
and other foods, when our three sentries, almost in chorus,
sounded the danger signal. By the nature of the sound we
knew they meant us to understand the enemy was a very
dangerous one. ‘They had evidently seen the beast trying
to stalk us through the long grass. Our chief commanded
us to instantly close our ranks. As we were rushing together
the lioness, with a terrifying roar, leapt right in the midst
of us. I don’t think she reckoned on there being so many
of us. Perhaps she was confident we would be paralysed
with fear. So we were for a few moments, but hearing
the agonising shrieks and moans of one of our womenfolk
and her baby, all fear vanished, we lost thought for in-
dividual safety, and with a rush we were upon the lioness,
or at least as many of us as could reach her. Although
taken completely by surprise, she fought furiously. Throw-
ing herself upon her back she tore out the bowels of three of
our folk, and bit the necks of two more so that they died
instantly. However, our old grizzled warriors soon got
to work in deadly earnest, and ripped up the lioness with
their long sharp-edged canine teeth, until she was one mass
of horrible gashes through which her bowels and other
parts protruded. Seizing our dead and wounded, we
retreated, and left her to die. Five of my people were
killed in the fight. One died next day, and about a dozen
more were badly scratched or bitten.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 117
A MYSTERIOUS INSTINCT .
The feeling, or instinct, or whatever you might call it,
to rush to the rescue of those of one’s kind in distress
is very strong in us baboonfolk. If we see one of our folk
in distress, we seem to lose all sense of fear, and a strong
feeling impels us to rush to his rescue. If the victim should
cry out in dire distress, then somehow a sort of madness
comes over us, and we rush blindly at the enemy, and attack
him with the greatest fury.
You humanfolk have the same instinct, for it is quite a
common thing, for instance, when a person is drowning,
for people to jump in to try to save them, although they
are quite unable to swim themselves. In battle, your
soldiers will do the most daring things. Your history
books are full of stories of how brave men rescued their
brothers, or gave up their lives in the attempt. If you
ask such folk why they did it, they will tell you they don’t
know. ‘They just felt they had to.
OLD WORLD AND NEW WORLD MONKEYFOLK
We Chacma baboons of South Africa, and our first and
second cousins in other parts of Africa, are called dog-
faced baboons, because our faces jut out like those of most
dogs. Next tothe anthropoid, or man-like apes, we baboon-
folk are the biggest and strongest of the monkey tribe. All
the different kinds of baboonfolk live in Africa and in the
countries on the north-east of the Red Sea.
Scientific fellows say that, because our snouts are long,
like those of dogs, and because we always prefer to walk on
our hands and feet, that we are more closely related to the
lower kinds of animalfolk, such as dogs, wolves, and such
creatures, than are any of the other kinds of monkeyfolk of
118 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA |
the Old World. By Old World we mean Europe, Asia,
and Africa, because these countries were discovered long
ago. When humanfolk discovered America, they thought
it a different world altogether, and so they called it the
New World. So when you read in books about the New
World monkeys, you will know that it means the monkey-
folk who livein America. When you hear of Old World
monkeys, you will know it refers to the monkeyfolk of
Africa, Europe, and Asia.
I suppose you humanfolk often wonder why it is that
monkeyfolk are spread nearly all over the world. Well,
long ages ago the New World and the Old World were all
joined together by land, and the creatures of the earth
were able to roam all over it. Then there were great
earthquakes, and the bottom of the ocean in some places
rose up and in other places the dry land sank, and when
the earthquakes finished jumbling up the crust of the world,
the animalfolk, including you humanfolk, found themselves
cut off by the ocean. As the ages rolled on the monkey-
folk in the different parts of the world changed very much
in shape, colour, habits, and intelligence, owing to their
surroundings all being different. You see, every creature
in order to live must adapt itself to its surroundings. If
there isn’t any of the food which it is accustomed to, then
it must eat whatever there is to be had. If enemies beset
it, then it must find out how to escape from them. There
is just as much difference in the colour, shape, and in-
telligence of you humanfolk as there is amongst monkeyfolk.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF BABOONS
Although we have a good many relations, none of them
live in South Africa. ‘The country is ours by right of
first occupation. Long ages and ages ago, our ancestors
came down from the north and took possession of this
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 119
country. We held undisputed sway for a very long time.
True there were lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs,
hyznas, and pythons, but we didn’t fear them so very
much, because we kept together in clans of usually from about
fifty to a hundred. In each clan there were a good many
strong warriors, who did most of the fighting when enemies
attacked the clan.
When the ancestors of the wild Bosjesmannen came, our
dominion or rule was overthrown. We were compelled
to admit them to be our superiors. Then came big,
strong, woolly-headed black men, and lastly white men.
One of our relatives is the Anubis baboon. ‘These
cousins of ours live in Central Africa. ‘They inhabit the
country from Guinea away across to East Africa. In
Central East Africa these Anubis cousins of ours are a little
bit different from those who live on the west side. It’s
the result of the different climate and the food, I suppose.
The Anubis baboons are very much like us in their ways
and habits. Like us they live in tribes or clans, and inhabit
the rocky hills and krantzes. They prefer the dry, arid
arts of the country, because there are fewer enemies there,
i daresay. ‘They live largely on a remarkable plant known
as the Welwitschia. ‘This plant grows in the sand.
The Yellow baboon is another cousin. His tribe live
along the west coast of Africa. He is included in the list
of South African animals, but, so far, he has never been
seen south of Mashonaland.
He is a cheeky fellow, and doesn’t fear the natives much.
You see, the natives haven’t guns, and he knows quite well
if he keeps a short distance away from them he is safe.
He knows exactly how far a Kafir can cast his assegai, or
shoot an arrow.
‘The Thoth baboon inhabits Abyssinia, and is very much
like the Yellow baboon. |
The Guinea baboon, as his name denotes, lives in the
120 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
country called Guinea, which is at the Equator, on the
west side of Africa.
THE MANDRILL
The strangest-looking baboon-cousin of ours is known
as the Mandrill. His tribe live in West Central Africa.
The Mandrill is indeed a comical-looking fellow. He has
only got a stump for a tail. His head looks far too big
for his body. His face is dreadfully ugly. His shoulders
are high, and his back slopes rapidly down to his hind
quarters. His face is brilliant blue, purple, and vermilion,
and his eyes are hazel. In fact, he is just the sort of goblin-
like creature we sometimes see in dreams when we have
eaten too much for supper.
The Mandrills live in large troops and are very bold.
The natives are very much afraid of them.
There used to be a Mandrill in the London Zoo. He
drank alcohol and smoked tobacco. In fact, he became
quite degenerate, just like you humanfolk when you get
too fond of alcohol and tobacco. The word mandrill
means “‘ man-ape.” ‘ Drill” is an old English word which
means ape or baboon.
There is a close relation of the Mandrill, who also lives
in West Central Africa. He is in general shape very much
like the Mandrill, but his face is not brightly coloured, and
he is smaller. He is called a Drill.
| EXTINCT BABOONFOLK
We baboonfolk can trace our ancestors away back into
the very far-distant past, when great monsters, which are
long since extinct, roamed the earth. In the northern
parts of India, fossil remains of baboonfolk have been found
by naturalist men.- Judging from the deposits in which
I am a cousin of the Baboonfolk of South Africa. My home is in West Central
Africa. My face is blue, purple, and vermilion. I am known as the
Mandrill. (After Brehm.)
From ‘‘The Royal Natural History”: Warne & Co., Lid.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 121
these fossil remains were found, it must be perhaps two
or three or even more millions of years when, what are now
fossil remains, were living baboonfolk. Some of the fossil
apes which have been found are very similar to us Chacma
baboonfolk. So, you see we can trace our ancestors a good
long way back. Very likely the Garden of Eden of baboon-
folk, or perhaps all monkeyfolk, was somewhere about
Northern India.
Some of these now extinct relatives of ours must have
been living in India when humanfolk were upon the earth,
because some of their remains have been found mixed with
the remains of pre-historic wild men of the Chipped Stone
Age who lived in caves, and whose habits were very much
like those of the baboonfolk.
CHAPTER IV
THE TREE-CLIMBING GUENON MONKEYS
I am one of the tree-climbing monkeys, or, in other words,
I am arboreal. ‘There are six kinds or species of us, but
we are all so closely related that we are classed by naturalists
under one genus. So naturalists, when referring to all of
us, say we are Cercopithecus monkeys.
I will tell you the story of my particular tribe, because
I am the commonest of the lot. Every one of you know
our tribe. We are the little blue monkeys. The Dutch
people callus Blaauw-aapje. ‘The Amaxosa and Zulu natives
know us as Inkau; the Swazis as Ingobiyana ; the Basutos
as Inkalatshana; amateur naturalists as the Vervet; and
men of science as Cercopithecus pygerythrus. We are very
sociable monkeys and live together in big families of a dozen
to three or four hundred. We inhabit the forest lands of
the eastern parts of the Cape of Good Hope, along the
Orange and Vaal Rivers, Griqualand West, Pondoland, away
through Natal and Zululand, and into the Eastern Transvaal.
Then there are our cousins, the baboons, of which there
are two kinds in South Africa. They, too, are Guenon
monkeys. Long ago, a French naturalist fellow came
along to South Africa, and because we made grimaces at
him he styled us Guenon monkeys. “ Guenon” is a
French word which means “one who grimaces,” so the
name has stuck to us like schoolboy nicknames often do.
Now, I want to have a sort of scientific talk with you.
We Guenon monkeys belong to a great family known as
the Cercopithecidae. We have a great army of first cousins,
r22
1 am a Vervet or Blaauw-aapje. I was caught in a trap by the humanfolk
and kept in a cage. I reared my baby in captivity. We monkeyfolk
love our children dearly.
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 123
who are separated from us and placed in what naturalist
men call a sub-family by themselves, because they only
have rudimentary thumbs, or no thumb at all, so they are
called Colobus monkeys, from a Greek word which means
“‘ docked.” Besides, these Colobus monkeyfolk differ from
us in not having any cheek pouches.
Now we Guenon monkeys of Africa all have cheeks
which can stretch like india-rubber. We use these pouches
for storing food when weare ina hurry. You see, by means
of these pouches we can cram quite a lot of food into our
mouths in a very short time. Then we rush off to our
safe retreats, and eat it up at our leisure. Another thing
which makes naturalist men separate us from our first
cousins, the Colobus or Guereza monkeys, is that we have
simple bags for stomachs like humanfolk; whereas our
cousins have what you call sacculated stomachs, which
means their stomachs are like a lot of little sacs stuck to-
gether. A sac is a membranous pouch—a cavity or re-
ceptacle. Another difference is that our arms and legs
are about the same length, whereas the legs of the Colobus
or Guereza monkeys are longer than the arms.
SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGY
I am explaining all this to you so that you might have
some idea of what is meant by systematic zoology. You
see, although the Guereza monkeys have many things in
common with us Guenons, they all have those sacculated
stomachs and are minus thumbs; so all monkeys of that
kind are classed in a sub-family by themselves, and separated
into different species according to little differences in their
teeth formation, colour, shape, &c. Although we Guenon
monkeys all have arms and legs about the same length,
cheek pouches, and simple stomachs, yet there are many
different kinds ofus. For instance, there is a great difference
124 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
in my friend the Chacma baboon and myself, but all the
same both he and I are Guenon monkeys, because we both
possess cheek pouches, simple stomachs, &c.
MONKEYFOLK AND HUMANFOLK
We Guenon monkeys have got sense—yes, and lots of
it too. You think because dogs and horses and other lower
animalfolk can be trained to do different kinds of tricks and
other things that they are very brainy. Yes, they are clever
enough in their way, but you are able to train them in the
way you do because they are what you call docile creatures.
We monkeyfolk have very intelligent brains, but we are not
so docile as dogs and horses, although when we are treated |
kindly we allow ourselves, sometimes, to be trained to do
things which quite astonish the humanfolk. The human-
folk family, we admit, are the most intelligent creatures
on the earth, and we monkeyfolk come next. ‘There is
just as much variety of intelligence amongst the different
kinds of monkeys as there is with you humanfolk.
We Guenon monkeyfolk live now very much like the
humanfolk of the Stone Age lived long ages ago. They
lived in tribes or clans, and so do we. Each tribe or clan
kept quite separate and had each their hunting-grounds.
If another tribe trespassed, then there was a row, and the
two would fight. . Sometimes when a tribe would find their
hunting-ground too small for their needs, they attacked
another tribe, and if they were victorious they annexed
the hunting-grounds of those they defeated, and added them
to their own. Now we Guenon monkeyfolk do just the
same. We associate in big families of perhaps a hundred
or more under the chieftainship of the strongest warrior
of the tribe. We guard our frontiers jealously, and at
once attack any other monkeyfolk clan that may trespass. .
The tribe I belong to is a powerful one. We were not
Complete skeleton of a Vervet Monkey or Blaauw-aapie (Cercopithecus pygery-
thrus.) (Port Elizabeth Museum.)
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19, 20, Baboon; 21, 22, Marmoset.
From “‘The Royal Natural History”: Warne & Co., Lid,
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bold, and venturesome fellow.
word meaning ape or baboon.
From ‘‘ The Royal Natural History" ; Warne & Co., Ltd.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 125
content with the hunting-grounds which were sufficient
for our needs when we first settled down by the banks of
the Umgeni River in Natal. As our numbers increased
food became scarce, so we made an attack on a neighbouring
clan and defeated them. After a time a sort of land-hunger
or desire for more territory seized us, and we gave battle
to another clan. After a fierce fight we also defeated them
and took their land. We at length succeeded in driving
off all the other clans in our neighbourhood, until we owned
all the territory for many miles around. It is a curious
thing, but you humanfolk do just the same. I suppose
you have inherited the instinct from us. First, when your
ancestors were wild monkey-like men, living in caves and
roaming about in search of berries, roots, herbs, and creatures
to kill for food, you lived in clans for protection as we now
do. ‘Then, as your numbers increased, you grew bold and
quarrelled with your weaker neighbours, and robbed them
of their hunting-grounds. Some of the tribes of these
wild men grew very large—so large and strong that other
tribes could not stand against them. In time, these tribes
became what you to-day call nations. Each nation still
has its particular hunting-ground, and if any of the folk
of any other nation dare to trespass and try to take any of
it you all turn out and fight. So you see you do just as we
do, only on a larger scale, that’s all.
The following are the names of some of the Guenon
monkeys :—
The Malbrouck monkey of Western Africa; the Vervet
monkey of South Africa; the Grivet monkey of North-
Eastern Africa; the Black-browed Green monkey of West
Africa ; the Patas monkey of Senegambia ; the Sykes monkey
of East Africa; the Black-bellied monkey of West Africa ;
the Mona monkey of West Africa; the Moustache monkey
of West and Eastern Equatorial Africa; the Hocheur
monkey of Liberia and the Cameroons ; the Lesser White-
126 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
nosed monkey of the west coast; the Diana monkey of
West Africa. ‘These are only some of our family. There
are dozens more.
HABITS AND CUSTOMS
We monkeyfolk have habits and customs, just like you
humanfolk. I told you before, I think, that we live in
tribes or clans, and look upon the members of any other
clan or tribe as enemies. The humanfolk, whom you call
uncivilised or savage, do just the same. If at any time they
happen to surprise an individual of any other tribe, they
try their best to kill him. So do we. Savage humanfolk
have, | suppose, inherited that trait of character from us
monkeyfolk. Sometimes we spy a scout of another tribe
scouting around. We lay our plans, and do our best to
capture him. If we succeed we take his life. They say
“ Self-preservation is the first law of Nature.” So it is.
We are intensely suspicious of all strangers. We always
suspect them of having evil designs upon us. It takes a lot
of evolving, I am told, to outgrow this habit of thought.
Only the very highest and noblest of the humanfolk family
have succeeded so far. Most humanfolk have not. It is
said that if you are honest, upright, and straightforward
yourself, you must necessarily think the same of others.
If you are selfish, tricky, dishonest, and hypocritical yourself
then, of course, you will imagine everybody else to be the
same.
ESCAPED SLAVES
Sometimes monkeyfolk escape from their human captors,
and make off into the bush. ‘They are not happy, because
they”are compelled to lead solitary lives, for they dare not
try to join any tribe of monkeyfolk. Once we came upon
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 127
an escaped slave. We hunted him down and killed him.
We were afraid lest he might be a spy. I remember once,
however, several of our tribe were captured by a farmer-man
and carried off into slavery. A year afterwards one of the
slaves escaped. We spied him in the bush, and gave chase.
He fled in abject terror. We eventually overtook him.
Our leader was just about to give the order to execute him,
when with a cry, one of our number shouted out that he
was of ourclan. Yes,sohe was. We gathered around him,
and warmly welcomed him back. He told us all about
the life he had led during his captivity. We learned a lot
about the humanfolk and their ways from him. These
humanfolk have some very funny customs. Our friend
told us how the womenfolk squeezed their feet into little
narrow shoes with high heels. We laughed out loud when
he imitated the gingerly way they walked, and how they
held up the tail of their skirts with one hand. Then he
told us about how they deformed their bodies by squeezing
in their ribs with tight things you call corsets, and how they
drink a drug known as tea, and eat food every two or three
hours each day. It’s no wonder indeed that they get so
ill. Then he told us about how humanfolk men puff smoke
from their mouths. It seems they smoke a poisonous
weed. There is a volatile poison called nicotine in this
weed. When the smoke is drawn into the mouth, the
poisonous oil is absorbed into the blood. This oil has a
strong hypnotic or drugging effect upon the brain and
nerves, which produces a soothing sort of feeling, like
drugs called morphia, chlorodyne, and laudanum. He says
the humanfolk youths ruin their bodies and brains by
smoking this poisonous weed. ‘They even breathe the
smoke right down into the lungs. Many other things he
told us about the ways and customs of humanfolk. It is
very evident to us that humanfolk have much to learn,
and a great many bad disease-producing habits to overcome.
128 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
LONG EXCURSIONS
We often make quite long excursions over the country.
Of course we don’t trespass on the hunting-grounds of any
neighbouring tribe of monkeyfolk, unless we are strong and
know we can drive them off if they should attack us. We
know all the localities where the different kinds of fruits,
berries, bulbs, and herbs grow. We also know just when
they are fit to eat. We monkeyfolk are good naturalists—
better than most of you humanfolk. We know just where
and when to look for the eggs or young of the various small
creatures of veld, mountain, and forest. We know which
kinds of bushes to find the nice savoury caterpillars on. We
know better than you which caterpillars are poisonous
and which are good for food. After a heavy rain certain
bulbs are very juicy and sweet, and various buds come
forth, and fruits develop. We know just where these grow,
so off we go and feast. We often send out scouts, who spy
around everywhere, and report anything unusual they
may see or find. If it should happen to be a crop of berries,
a swarm of caterpillars, beetles, or anything good to eat,
we all troop off to the spot.
Our baboon cousins prefer the rocky part of the country.
We like the forests, and, as a rule, you won’t find us very far
from where there is plenty of water. Our favourite haunts
are the forest-covered banks of rivers. ‘The trees and the
creepers grow larger and thicker along the banks of rivers,
and in the deep kloofs and valleys, and we are thus able to
hide better from our enemies. Besides, we find lots of wild
fruits, berries, sweet bark, gum, insects, birds’ eggs, and other
things which are good to eat, in these thick belts of trees.
We are not a bit afraid of water, and if we find it necessary
to get to the opposite side of a river, we swim across. Some-
times we swing ourselves across, if the branches of the trees
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 129
on both sides of the river are close enough for us to risk a
jump. ,
OUR HOME LIFE
When the sun sets we make preparations to go home
to bed. Our sleeping-places are the forks of the topmost
branches of the great trees, away in the warmest and
densest part of the forest. As many of us gather together
as the fork of the tree will hold, and we all cling to each
other, or to the branches and twigs for support. We bunch
ourselves together like this to keep each other warm.
Besides, there is safety in numbers—at least sometimes,
for often we have been able to frighten off an enemy by
all pretending to be getting ready to make a rush at him.
When we wrinkle our brows and grin we look very fierce, I
can assure you.
Our womenfolk carry their babies just like the human-
folk mothers do. Sometimes they have twins, but not
often. They usually only have one baby to look after and
rear at a time. The mother monkeys will give up their
lives at any time in defence of their children. Many a
time I have seen heroic acts, which shows that their mother
love is very deep. Mother monkeys never desert or ill-
treat their children, as some of your humanfolk mothers do.
We are very early risers, for as soon as it is light we are
up. We don’t always get up early, but it isn’t because we
are lazy. When the trees are laden with dew, or if it is
raining, then we keep as cosy as we can until the leaves and
bushes get dry. We don’t like getting wet, because our
fur gets so draggly, and we get cold and shivery.
WE ARE STRONG AND TOUGH
We look lanky and thin, but I can assure you we are
wiry and strong. We can jump and swing from bough to
I
1430 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
bough all day long, and not feel a bit tired. When you
humanfolk take even one hour’s gymnastic exercise, you are
tired out. We use every muscle in our bodies every day,
and have to work hard for our living, that’s why we are so
hardy, healthy, and strong. Besides, we don’t eat more than
is good for us, like so many humanfolk do; neither do we
drink poison, which you call alcohol ; nor do we poison our
brains and bodies with nicotine and other poisonous drugs.
It is very rare for any of our tribe to die of sickness. We
are either killed and eaten by our enemies, shot or trapped
by you humanfolk, or we die of old age.
THE FARMERFOLK HATE US
The farmerfolk are our greatest enemies. We fear
them worse than any other animal, because they are so clever.
We thought ourselves cunning and sharp, but they beat
us. We live in constant dread of them. They lay traps
for us and hunt us, because they say we steal their crops.
We don’t call it by that name. You see, the country was
ours long ages before you humanfolk came trespassing here.
The broad veld, the forests and streams, were our hunting-
grounds. Then the humanfolk came and pegged out all
the most fertile parts, where the juiciest bulbs grew, and the
shrubs which teemed with the sweetest of berries and fruits.
They even invaded our forest homes, and have cut down
and burned whole forests. When they planted corn,
vegetables, and fruits, of course we thought, and we still
think, we have a perfect right to help ourselves, and we do
whenever we get the chance.
We have learned from bitter experience to be careful.
In the past our folk were shot in hundreds by those farmer-
folk, because they were too venturesome. Now, when we
raid the mealie or pumpkin fields, or invade the orchards
er vegetable gardens, we plan it all out, and place our
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 131
sentries to sound the alarm, if danger should threaten.
With all our precautions we are often outwitted. We
pride ourselves on our sense of taste and smell, which enables
us to detect any berry, fruit, or herb, which is poisonous.
We have found we cannot even rely on these powers of ours.
You humanfolk chemists have learned even to outwit us in
spite of our keen sense of taste and smell ; but all the same,
it isn’t often you succeed. You have to be very cunning
and crafty to deceive us into eating poisoned food.
A GOOD IDEA
Do you know what would be a good idea for travellers
in the wilds of foreign countries? They ought to take
one of the monkeys of that country with them, and make
use of him as a “‘ poison tester.”
Travellers often run short of food. Even when they
can manage to kill plenty of animals to furnish them with
flesh food, they soon get sick if they cannot get vegetable
food or fruit to eat. If the monkey ate any berries, fruits,
herbs, or roots offered to him, then it would be quite safe
for the travellers to do the same. When a farmer settles
for the first time in a new country, he could very soon find
out by this means which plants, roots, fruits, &c., were
poisonous, and which were good to eat.
HOW THEY TRIED TO POISON ME
When I was a child, my mother was shot by a farmer man,
and I was taken into slavery. My master was very kind.
He used to play with me every day, and bring me all kinds
of nice things to eat. He taught me a great number of
tricks, and when he had visitors I used to amuse them.
My master went away to England, and as he couldn’t
take me with him, I was given to a friend of his. My new
132 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
master was also kind, but I didn’t like him nearly so much
as my former master. One day a crowd of rude, cruel
boys teased me dreadfully by poking sticks at me, and trying
to hurt me by throwing pebbles. I was chained up, or
else they wouldn’t have dared to insult me in that way.
I got dreadfully angry. In fact I was so irritable that I
lost my presence of mind, for when my master came along
as usual to play with me, I sprang at him, alighted on his
shoulder and gashed his throat and neck with my teeth.
All the following day I was starved. I felt dreadfully
hungry, and began to get alarmed lest they were going to
allow me to starve to death. Next morning my master
came along with a plate of mashed bananas, which were my
favourite dainty. I seized the dish and took a mouthful.
I instantly spat it out again, for it was poisoned. Nothing
would induce me to eat any of that food. All that day I
fasted. ‘The following morning two bananas were tossed
tome. ‘They had their peels on, so I did not suspect they
were poisoned, but they were, for as soon as I tore a bit of
skin off, I could tell by the smell. I tested both in this
way. My master tried other ways to poison me, and used
different kinds of poisons, but I detected them all. I heard
him tell a friend that he had tried all the most tasteless and
odourless of poisons known to human chemistry. Yes, they
were perhaps tasteless and odourless to your blunted and
coarse senses of smell and taste, but not so to my highly-
trained and developed senses. I can assure you there are
many easier things to do than to poison a monkey.
THE ADVENTURES OF A MONKEY
I am one of the blue apes, or vervet monkeys. Almost
ever since I can remember, I have been chained up to a
pole with a cosy box at the top. My master kept different
breeds of fowls, which he was very proud of. I used to
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 133
have fine games with those degenerate birds, which are
content to do nothing else but lay eggs all their lives for
their master’s breakfast, and when they grow old are
content to be sent to market to be sold to supply flesh food
for townspeople. At last I got tired of scaring them off,
or tumbling them over and over. I used to try all kinds of
dodges to capture the old rooster, but he was far too ’cute.
He would stand by the hour and eye me suspiciously. As
soon as I climbed my pole, he strutted forward, and with one
eye on me, would gobble up the remains of my dinner,
in the dish on the ground. I tried to drop upon him, but
he was toosmart. I wasn’t going to be beaten by a common
fowl—not I. Sitting in my box, I spent a whole day in
thought. My head ached with the effort. I was rewarded.
A brilliant idea occurred to me. Next day I pretended to
be sick, and just nibbled my food. ‘The rooster came as
usual, and when I was at a safe distance began gobbling
up the food. I paid no heed. ‘This went on all that day,
and the next. I saw that the old cock’s suspicions were
growing less and less. The third day I left most of my
food uneaten, and lay apparently fast asleep on the ground.
The cock eyed me for a long time. Then he made ever
so many feints to try to draw me. [I lay perfectly still.
At last he approached, gave a peck or two and bolted.
Again and again he tried this dodge. Seeing I remained
apparently asleep and oblivious of his actions he became
bolder. Judging my distance I propelled myself like a
stone from a sling and grabbed him by the leg. He shrieked
and gabbled in mortal terror, and his wives joined in the
chorus. Holding him down with my feet, which are quite
as good as hands, I began to pluck his feathers out. What
fun I had, to be sure, and how I chattered and grinned to
see those feathers float away in the breeze. When I had
plucked nearly all his feathers off my master suddenly came
riding down the avenue. I let the rooster go, but my
134 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
master’s eagle eye had seen what I had been up to. He
jumped off his horse, hitched it up and disappeared.
Presently he came back with a thing you call a hose in his
hand. ‘The hose was squirting out a big stream of water.
He turned thisonme. Finding I was being almost drowned
in my box, I leapt to the ground, and sprang about here,
there, and everywhere, but that avenging stream of water
followed me everywhere. At last I lay down utterly ex-
hausted and almost drowned. I never plucked a live fowl
again.
WE HAVE LONG MEMORIES
People say we are vindictive and don’t forget to pay
off a grudge. Well, I admit we have that trait of character.
You see we are not so highly evolved as many of you human-
folk. We only have the lower animal portions of our brains
well-developed and active. ‘The parts which make animals
and humanfolk kind, gentle, and humane are very small
in us monkeyfolk. You humanfolk haven’t so very much
to boast of after all. There are great numbers of you who
are more unkind, more selfish, revengeful, spiteful and
cruel than even the worst of us. Why, there are whole
races of you humanfolk who eat each other. Yes, they
even kill and eat their poor old fathers and mothers, because
they are too old and feeble to work.
Well, this isn’t exactly what I was going to say.
One day a young lady came to see me. She began to
tease me by throwing stones at me. Then she tempted
me with sweets and fruit, and when I was about to take
them she would snatch them away again. She made me
dreadfully angry, and I sprang at her again and again, but
she took good care to keep out of reach of me. How I
wished I could snap my chain. ‘Throwing a dish of water
over me she went away.
”
{
.
i)
vee Poe ee
a ' . a
ot ijet
The Ghost of Cuyler Manor, near Port Elizabeth. He scared the wits out of
the coloured folk. He wasn’t really a ghost, you know. He was only
an Albino Vervet Monkey. Mr. Cuyler captured him, and he was kept
alive for a long time in the Port Elizabeth Museum.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 135
Four months later she again visited my master’s house.
Thinking I had forgotten her she advanced with some
bananas. I went forward meekly, pretending I was very
pleased and thankful for her kindness, when, with a spring
I alighted on her breast, and before she could escape I
gave her a severe bite, and tore her nice silk blouse to
ribbons. My master came out and thrashed me with a
whip, which I thought was very unjust of him.
A HAUNTED FOREST
I am one of the clan of blue apes who live in the thick
thorny bush of the low range of hills which run from the
sea, away out Uitenhage direction in the Eastern Province
of the Cape Colony. There are a lot of farmerfolk out
there, and as food is rather scarce and unpalatable we help
ourselves to the farmers’ mealies and other crops. We love
mealies, and risk death to get them.
One day there was great excitement in our tribe. A
most remarkable thing had occurred. A baby was born,
and it was white. Yes, true enough, its skin was pinkish-
white and its hair was pure white, except for two or three
patches of monkey colour. ‘This white monkey-fellow grew
up to manhood, and was a source of terror to the human-
folk. A jolly old farmer was riding home from the great
Agricultural Show in Port Elizabeth late one evening.
Hearing a rustle in the trees ahead, he saw a white form
flitting about in the moonlight. Putting spurs to his horse
he made for home. When he arrived there, he called for
brandy to revive him, and a brush to smooth down the
hair which was standing up like bristles on his head. ‘Then
he told how he had seen a ghost—a real genuine ghost.
His family pretended to believe him, but they winked at
each other, for they knew he had been all day in town
at the show amongst his cronies, and had been indulging
136 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
in a poisonous drug you people call alcohol, which makes
you imagine you see things which do not really exist, and
which makes you do and say things you are ashamed of
afterwards.
THE TERROR OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
The fame of our white friend soon spread far and wide.
The natives, half-castes and others, who prowled around
our hunting-grounds caught glimpses of the ghost, which,
according to their distorted imaginations, took on all kinds
of shapes. Anyway we were delighted, for these coloured
folk were a nuisance to us, for their masters were always
putting them up to laying traps for us. When the rumour
went the rounds that a ghost inhabited the forest they
vanished, and no power on earth would make them return.
There was one gentleman who knew what the ghost
really was, but he lay low and said nothing, as these pro-
miscuous coloured folk had been a pest and a nuisance to
him, for a great many of them have instincts akin tous. We
don’t recognise the right to private property. We are
true Socialists. So are they, and they put their doctrines
into practice, and help themselves to what the farmers call
their private property.
THE GHOST WAS CAPTURED
The fame of that ghost monkey spread afar. It got
to the ears of the man at the Port Elizabeth Museum.
He managed to persuade the owner of the estate where our
tribe lived to try and capture the ghost. After trying
all kinds of dodges he rigged up a clever trap, and the ghost
was caught and sent in to the museum. They kept him
in a cage there for about a year. ‘Thousands of people
went to see him. Everybody in Port Elizabeth went
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 137
to have a look at him, and stuffed him with sweets, fruit,
and cake.
One day a group of those weak, flat-chested, pale-faced
humanfolk youths, who stunt their growth and poison
their brains and bodies by smoking cigarettes, and actually
inhaling the smoke into their lungs, strolled into the museum.
One of them, who thought himself very clever, gave the
monkey a cigarette, which he chewed up and swallowed.
About an hour afterwards he got convulsions and suffered
agonies of pain for nearly a day, and then died.
HOW WE SCARED A TENDERFOOT
He was a young man fresh from England. ‘The colonial
humanfolk couldn’t teach him anything—not they. He
knew how to stalk game, and was prepared to face anything
living. He wasn’t going to be scared by the tales which
colonials told him of the fierce Black Mamba snakes, and
the various wild creatures of veld, forest, and mountain. He
had quite a passion for scouting around with his gun. One
day I spied him meandering along the bank of the Umgeni
River in Natal. ‘The banks were densely wooded, the trees
being thick and tall with their tops matted with creepers,
which you call “ monkey ropes.” I passed the word along
to the rest of the tribe, who were busy gathering berries.
About two hundred of us gathered together, and when
the tenderfoot came along to the river’s edge, at the oppo-
site side to where we were, we suddenly sprang forward,
yelling at him in monkey language, raising and lowering
our brows, and showing our brilliant white teeth. The
sight of such a host of grinning, jet-black faces, peering at
him from the gloom, struck terror to his heart. Presently
he came to his senses, and dropping his gun, he rushed
madly away. We climbed to the tree tops, and watched
138 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
him disappear over a distant hill. He had evidently
mistaken us for a troop of devils.
We crossed over the river by Jumping from an over-
hanging branch to another on the opposite side, and gathered
round the gun he had cast aside. We all fingered it gingerly
at first, then boldly. Some of the tribe began to quarrel
over it, and a free fight followed. Whilst the menfolk
were fighting in twos, threes, and half-dozens, the women-
folk and children were trying to unravel the mystery of
that gun. One of them pulled a part of it, which clicked.
Presently a column of smoke belched forth from the end of
the gun. With a yell, we fled away to the innermost
recesses of a forest-clad kloof.
When we gathered together to talk the matter over,
we found that ever so many of our menfolk had little leaden
pellets sticking in their skins. Some were seriously wounded,
but none were killed. It was lucky we women had carried
the gun some distance away from the men whilst they were
fighting with each other.
I forgot to mention that one of our womenfolk got
badly wounded when that gun went off. Her arm was in
a line with the barrel, and only about a foot from the
muzzle when it went off. Her arm below the elbow was
blown clean away. ‘The pain she suffered was awful, but
she got well again, for the stump healed up all right. You
see, we lead a healthy out-of-door life, and we don’t smoke
and breathe bad air and eat rich food all day long, like you
humanfolk do; so our blood is always pure, and our bodies
are strong, so when we get wounded we recover very
quickly.
TRAPPED
One day we made a raid on a farmer’s mealie field, and
were busy eating the sweet young mealies off the cobs, when
I am a Vervet Monkey or Blaauw-aapje, and was peacefully eating mealies
from a cob when two covetous rascals tried to rob me of my food. In
the struggle one pulled the other’s tail, and while they were quarrelling,
I escaped.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 139
several of our people saw a pile of ripe mealies lying upon
the ground. ‘There was a sort of little shelter over them.
At first we were suspicious, and examined the surroundings,
for we are always on the alert in case the farmerfolk should
be playing tricks upon us. ‘The little shelter seemed
innocent enough. It was evident to us that it had been
arranged to protect the mealies from the rain. Several
of us in our greed rushed in together, when, with a thud,
something fell in our rear, and we were prisoners—caught
in a most ingenious trap. We fought and struggled to open
that door. ‘Then we tried every portion of the cage, but,
alas! it was made of strong iron bars. I was one of the
captives. One of the other captives was the lady who had
her forearm blown away when the gun went off about which
I have just been telling you.
We were all put into another cage by the farmer-man
who caught us, and duly sent in to market, on his ox-wagon,
strapped on to the top of a load of wattle bark drawn by
sixteen oxen.
Different people bought us, and we were taken away
into slavery. We were heartbroken when we were being
parted, for we well knew that none of us would ever see each
other again, or any of our clan. I have been many years
a captive and have grown to like it. In fact, I wouldn’t
care to go back again to my old life, with all its hardships
and dangers. I have a comfortable box, and get plenty to
eat, and my master’s children come every day to play with
me. I have a puppy dog who is my particular chum just
now. He is a dear little fellow, and I delight in nursing
him, and picking the fleas off him.
A TALE OF WOE
I am one of the blue ape or Vervet kind of monkey. I
have had a long life, and if I were to tell you all the
1440 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
adventures I have had they, would fill a book. When I grew
to manhood I was an athlete. As time went on my strength
increased, and I grew larger than any of the other monkey-
folk of my tribe. I had already had many fights with those
who claimed to be stronger than I. Finding I was able
to beat them all, I began to harbour ambitious thoughts.
The chief of our clan was a big hulking fellow, with huge
muscles and large sharp teeth. He kept us young menfolk
in abject subjection, and compelled us to do his bidding.
Woe betide any one of us who dared to dispute his authority.
I let another year go by, and finding my strength had
increased a great deal, | determined to make an attempt
to overthrow the chief, and become leader of the clan
myself. Failure meant death, or flight and a life of solitude.
I took those risks. One day, when I was feeling at my best,
I picked a quarrel with the chief. With a roar of rage he
sprang upon me. We fought long and desperately. I
broke away from him whenever I could, and pretended
to be beaten. Leaping from branch to branch I decoyed
him on, until I saw he was growing tired. I closed again
and after a long and terrible fight I killed him. I didn’t
mean to take his life. As a rule, when a chief is beaten,
he escapes into the bush, and lives by himself, unless a few
of the womenfolk care to follow him, as is often the case.
DRIVEN INTO EXILE
I assumed the chieftainship, much to the envy of my
friends. You see, we monkeyfolk rise to power by physical
strength and courage. Might is right with us. With you
humanfolk it is the man with the best quality of brains
who usually rises to the top. People who live just to
eat and drink and gratify their animal instincts are not
of much account, even if they should have plenty of
money, or belong to what you call the aristocracy. We
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 141
monkeyfolk never abuse the instincts which God has im-
planted in us. ‘True, we gratify our various instincts, but
we always do so in strict moderation. With all your
boasted knowledge and wisdom a very great number of you
are abject slaves to your animal instincts, which, with
abuse, have grown abnormal.
Well, I ruled my clan in a just and wise manner, and
beat off all rivals for many years. Whenever I saw that any
of our menfolk were getting big and strong, I would pick
a quarrel and drive them off into exile. One day I tried
the old game, but my foe proved more than my match.
At first I couldn’t believe it, but feeling myself growing
weak with loss of blood and many wounds, I tore myself
from his clutches and escaped. For days I followed the
clan at a respectful distance. When my wounds healed I
returned. ‘The new chief pounced upon me, and again we
fought long and fiercely. It was of no use. I found he
was the stronger. I had forgotten I was growing old,
and that my teeth were worn down, whilst his were sharp,
and he had all the vim and fire of healthy manhood.
A LONELY LIFE
I fled away into the innermost recesses of the forest.
None of the younger people or the womenfolk elected to
follow me, so I was entirely alone. I couldn’t bear to be
quite alone at first, and hung about within a quarter of
a mile of the clan. The chief discovered me one day,
and chased me for three miles. I managed to get away,
or, | am sure, in his rage he would have killed me.
I have now lived for three years and a half a lonely,
miserable exile. I feel the time is not far distant when I
shall depart this life to go to the happy hunting-grounds
of my folk, in the realms of the spirit world.
142 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
ATTACKED BY A MAMBA
I am one of the Vervet monkey tribe. My clan lives
on the banks of the White Umfolosi River in Zululand.
That country is a delightful place. Everything which we
require for food grows there in abundance. The forests
are large and magnificent. Everything seems to grow
easily, and without any trouble. The wild flowers are
gorgeous, and their perfume, which arises during the
evening, is delightful.
But there are serpents in our Garden of Eden. We
dread these snakes with a terrible, haunting dread. They
are the mambas. There are black and green mambas.
The black ones are the worst. ‘They are fierce and bold.
One day we were having a game of hide-and-seek amongst
the branches, and all of a sudden, with a rush, about a
dozen of us collided with a pair of black mambas, who
were courting. Hissing with fury they both bit right and
left. It all occurred in an instant of time. We retreated to
the topmost branches of a distant forest giant. Three of our
number had been bitten. ‘They cried and moaned piteously.
The deadly venom quickly took effect. They grew giddy,
became convulsed, and one by one died miserably.
THE WHITE ANTS
One day we were gathered together on the ground,
feasting upon what you call “ white ants,” or Termites.
These white ants do a great deal of harm to you humanfolk,
because they get into your houses and tunnel the woodwork
hollow. ‘They eat the farmer’s fencing poles, and anything
else they can get hold of in the shape of wood or other
vegetable matter. In the forests they serve a good purpose.
God has evolved them for the purpose of eating up all
-——
- «ree:
a rw we we oe ee
and their development.—r1 and 2. Winged Males; 3. The
Termites or ‘‘ White Ants ”
5. Worker, front view; 6 and 7. Soldier, side and
.
J
; 4. Worker
head, enlarged
front view
10. Queen, life size,
°
,
9. Nymph
from ‘‘ The Royal Natural History”: Warne & Co,, Ltd.
8. Worker, much enlarged
°
»
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 143
the dead and decaying timber. In Natal, Zululand, the
Eastern Transvaal, and all through Central Africa great
thunderstorms and storms of wind rage from time to
time. ‘Trees are frequently struck and killed by lightning ;
others are overthrown by the raging wind. Others grow
old and diseased. ‘The white ants eat up all the trees
which fall to the ground, as well as twigs, branches, and
other vegetable matter. They also climb up the trunks
of the decaying trees, and slowly eat them up. They chew
up the woody matter to a pulp and store it away in their
underground homes for food for their children.
These white ants have a queen, who grows fatter than
any Kafir chief. She is as thick and long as a humanfolk
man’s thumb. Every now and again great hosts of fertile
male and female ants get wings. ‘Then there are great cele-
brations. ‘Those winged white ants swarm out of the nest
in millions, and soar away into the air. Those which are
not gobbled up by the birds, the animals, the spiders, and
toads lose their wings, and start new homes of their own.
ATTACKED BY A LEOPARD
These white ants are dainty morsels, for they have such
a delicious flavour and are so very nourishing. One day
about two dozen of us monkeyfolk were gathered in a
bunch, and were all busy capturing the winged white ants,
which you call “ flying ants.” The best way is to sit and
pick them up with your finger and thumb, just as they are
coming up out of the holes which the worker ants make
forthem. ‘Then hold the wings and pop the body into your
mouth, and the wings come off, which you may throw away.
This was what we were all busy doing. In our hurry and
greed we hadn’t thought of danger and didn’t post a sentry,
because we were in our own particular retreat, and didn’t
fear an enemy. Little did we know that a huge leopard
144 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
had all the time been lying stretched along a great branch
overhead, and was watching us with his half-closed greenish-
yellow eyes. But so it was. With a thud his great body
fell in the midst of us. With a double sweep right and
left, he stunned or maimed three of us, and seized another
in his jaws. It was useless to tackle him. We were power-
less against such an enemy ; so we sprang into the trees and _
chattered and yelled, and made fierce faces, hoping against
hope to frighten him off. He heeded us not, but deliber-
ately crushed the neck bones of his victims. We sat there,
high up in the branches of a yellow-wood tree and watched
him eat up two of our folk. Picking up two more he carried
them off just like a cat carries her kittens. We followed
at a distance and saw him climb up a large tree, and when
he got about twenty feet from the ground he placed the
bodies of our poor murdered friends in a fork. Climbing
a little higher he stretched himself along a big branch and
dozed.
We held a great council meeting that evening and
decided to leave our home in that forest and seek another,
for now that the leopard had found us out we should have
been hunted at all times.
MANY OTHER ENEMIES
We have a great number of enemies, and it is no wonder
we are so suspicious and so watchful. We never know
the moment that from some hole, cleft, or bush, an enemy
may pounce out and kill one or more of us. With all our
cleverness we are often outwitted. The great African
python, which grows to twenty feet long, lies still as death
stretched along a branch, ready at any moment to drop
down upon or lunge out at one of us. Once seized by
his curved teeth, there is no hope for us, for in the fraction
of a second his huge coils are around his victim,
Bi
; "OD Anschiits
Sub. Lissex/ Posen) Hag. re
The Serval (Felis serval) making his spring. The Africander people
call him Tijger-bosch-kat or Tijger-kat ; the Amaxosa people,
Indhlozi; the Zulus and Swazis, Jndhloti; the Basutos, Tlodi;
and the Bechuanus, Tali.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 145
Often those terrible snakes lie and watch for us at the
pools where we go to drink. One hot sweltering day we
all trooped down to a pond to have a drink, and wash our
heads and faces. We scattered all about the neighbourhood
and scouted about, but no enemies were to beseen. Thinking
all safe we began to drink and dip our heads and splash the
water over each other. Like a lightning flash a brown
streak. shot out of the water, and one of our folk was in
the coils of a great python. It seems that the python had
sunk himself under the water and waited his chance. These
snakes often make use of that dodge. ‘They keep the tip
of the nose out of the water until they see a buck, or one
of us, or some other creature approaching. ‘Then the head
is silently withdrawn under the water, and the snake watches
until his intended victim is within reach. ‘These snakes
can live for an hour or even two hours or more with their
heads under water. They are cold-blooded creatures, and
can live a long time without breathing. Ifwe warm-blooded
folk were deprived of air for even two minutes we should die.
THE WILD CATS
An enemy we dread is a big cat as large as a pointer dog,
called a Serval or Tijger-bosch-kat. He lies concealed in
the grass or thick creeper-covered bush, and when any of
our folk come within reach, he springs upon them. One
day, as the sun was setting, we were chasing and capturing
beetles which were coming out of the crevices of an old
tree in the forest, when a Serval shot straight up with one
bound from the ground, a distance of twelve feet, to a branch
where my chum and I were sitting. Seizing my friend with
his claws and teeth, both dropped with a thud to the
ground. My chum fought valiantly. Screwing up our
courage we raised a loud war-cry and assaulted the Serval.
He didn’t wait for the onslaught, but with a bound vanished
K
146 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
into the bush. Alas! my chum was dying. We all em-
braced him. He muttered a feeble good-bye and died.
We have several other enemies. The slim Cheetah, or
Hunting Leopard, kills and devours us. He lies hidden until
we venture away from the forest to dig up bulbs and hunt
for berries and insects. Then with a swift rush he is
amongst us, and always manages to capture at least one
of our number. Sometimes he kills two or three. All we
can do under such circumstances is to make for the trees
as fast as possible. The Dutch people call the Cheetah
a Vlackte tijger.
Then there is another enemy which we dread. He is
known as the Caracal or Rooi-kat. His colour is brick-red
and he is as big as a pointer dog.
THE ADVENTURES OF A MOTHER MONKEY
My friend a little while ago was telling you about how
our curiosity overcame us one day when that tenderfoot
fellow bolted home to his mother and left his gun lymg upon
the ground; and how we got fingering and examining the
gun; and how it suddenly went off and blew off the arm
of one of the monkeyfolk. Well, I was one of the victims
of that accident. I had the fingers of my right hand
blown off. My hand healed up quite quickly, because
I was healthy and strong and my blood was rich and red.
You see we monkeyfolk take lots of exercise and eat simple
foods. ‘That’s why we are so tough and strong. You
humanfolk are very wise in some ways, but you are very
foolish in other ways. Why, most of you break the laws
of health and hygiene almost every day, and when you
get ill you grumble furiously, and vent your ill-humour
upon your friends, acquaintances, or servants ; or else you
talk spiteful gossip, and slander each other.
The clan to which I belonged were in the habit of
The Caracal, Lynx, or Rooi-kat (Felis caracal), who levies a heavy toll upon
us monkeyfolk. He lies concealed in the dense undergrowth and pounces
out upon us when we least suspect danger. He is as big as a pointer
dog.
The Kafir Cat (Felis caffra), whom colonists call the Bull Head, the Wild Cat,
the Graauw-kat. The Zulu people know him as the Impaka or
Imbodhla. This is the fellow who hunts and devours us poor, innocent
little Lemurfolk. He claims that his tribe are the ancestors of your
degenerate domestic cats. He is as big as your largest tom cat and
much stronger.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 147
helping ourselves to mealies, Kafir corn, fruit, and pumpkins,
which grew not far from the forest in which we dwelt.
A farmer-man said these things were his special property,
but we didn’t believe in any one being allowed to be so
greedy, so we thought we were quite justified in taking a
small portion. ‘That farmer fellow, however, didn’t think
as we did about the matter. He declared war against us,
and planned out many kinds of ways to kill us. Many times
he waylaid us unawares, and shot several of us with his
gun. My friend has already told you how several of the
clan were cleverly trapped in a mealie field. I, too, got
trapped. It was in this way.
A CLEVER STRATAGEM
One day from our retreat high up in a forest tree, we
spied the farmer carrying something. He threw it to the
ground at the edge of the forest and departed. When
he was a safe distance away we sent a couple of scouts to
find out what he had been up to. They returned and
reported that about a dozen ripe mealie cobs were lying
upon the ground. The scouts said they had carefully
smelt them over and tasted some, but there was no trace
of poison upon them.
We all trooped off to see for ourselves. Yes, true
enough the mealies were there. Satisfying ourselves they
were not poisoned, we ate them up. Next day we visited
the spot and found a lot more. This went on for several
days. We were delighted. It was quite clear to us that
the farmer had repented and that his conscience was sorely
troubling him for having murdered so many of our clan,
and otherwise persecuted us, and that this was his way
of expiating his crimes.
One morning we trooped off as usual to see if more
mealies had been left for us. We chattered, joked, and
148 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
laughed merrily, as we jumped, hopped, and swung from
bough to bough. Yes, right enough, there was a pile of
delicious mealies, as usual, and some ripe fruit too. Crowd-
ing forward we began to pick up the food as fast as we
could, when there was a sudden bang like a door slamming
violently.
There’s no need to waste time going into details. That
noise was made by a large iron-barred door falling. When
we recovered from our fright we found that we were
enclosed in a cleverly-constructed trap, which had been
ingeniously concealed. In our eagerness to seize the
mealies, we had set off the spring and were prisoners.
We tore and struggled and shook, and viciously bit
the bars until we were exhausted ; so we huddled together
for sympathy and gave ourselves up for lost.
During the afternoon we saw the farmer-man and two
Kafirs approaching. We renewed our efforts to escape, but
the cage was strongly made. Instead of killing us as we
fully expected, the Kafirs cut down a straight branch, made
it into a pole, and tying the cage to it they marched off
with us.
There were a good many of us. I don’t know just how
many, because I never learned to count.
Well, anyway, we were sold into slavery. 1 was put ina
box with another mother monkey, who had twins about a
month old. I only had one baby, who was about a month
old. It was a dear, lovable little thing, and oh! how I
loved it. My one dread all along since my capture was
that the humanfolk might take my baby away from me.
The poor little dear, he was too young to know or realise
the dangerous plight his mother was in. He clung all the
time to my breast, peering out with his little innocent eyes
every now and then, and diving his tiny pink face amongst
my fur, when he heard any strange noise, or saw any of the
humanfolk.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 149
We eventually found ourselves at a town called Port
Elizabeth. We were carried along a street and taken into
a place full of all kinds of wonderful creatures. We were
terrified at first. We learned afterwards that they were
all stuffed. ‘The place was the Port Elizabeth museum.
The museum-man took us out of our box and let us loose in
a large roomy cage with big branches inside.
-LIFE AT THE MUSEUM
We soon lost our nervous dread of the humanfolk, for
they all looked so pleasant, and gave us cakes, sweets, fruits,
nuts, and other delicious foods. Hundreds of humanfolk
children used to come to see us nearly every day. ‘The
boys saved up their coppers and bought monkey nuts for us.
The little girls begged cakes and fruit of their mothers,
and brought it as an offering to us. We began to grow
quite conceited, and I am afraid we were spoilt. We
began to imagine ourselves of vast importance, and thought
the humanfolk must surely have mistaken us for gods, and
this was their way of worshipping us. The humanfolk
children used to laugh till they cried, at the antics of our
children, who were now beginning to grow strong, and
would insist upon playing all kinds of games with us. ‘The
twins were really too funny, though. The tricks they
played upon each other, and upon my boy, and even upon
us mother monkeys, were really so absurd at times, that
even a seasick person would have laughed.
You humanfolk are fond of dogs. We hate them with
a bitter hatred, for they help the humanfolk to hunt us
down. Our tribe have an instinctive fear and dread of
dogs, and all of their tribe. You see, the dog is only a
tamed sort of a wolf, and in the far past the wolves and their
relations killed and ate our people whenever they got the
chance.
150 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
So in consequence we have a sort of hereditary fear of
these canine creatures.
One day we were having a game with our children,
when my friend spied a big dog approaching our cage. She
instantly raised a cry of warning. Our children rushed to
our arms, and clung to us in terror. My friend bounded
up to the far corner of the cage, where I had sought refuge
with my child. Dragging her twins from her breast, where
they were clinging tightly, she hastily asked me to look
after them. Seizing them, I hugged all three close in my
arms and placed my body between them and the dog.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that my friend had
advanced down to the foot of the sloping tree, near the
bars of the cage, and was facing the dog, daring him to
approach. So fierce were her cries, and so determined did
she look, that the dog turned and fled away.
You mustn’t think it is only humanfolk mothers who love
their children. We monkeyfolk love ours just as much,
and even more. We would at any time give up our lives
in defence of our children. Many a time the mother
monkeys of the clan I was a member of perished in the
endeavour to protect their children from some savage
wild beast, who had been lying in wait ready to pounce
upon some of the children when their mothers were off
their guard.
We remained at the museum for six months or more.
One day we were caught and placed in a big box, and sent
away over the ocean to a distant country called Germany,
where we were placed in another cage at a place called a
“Zoo.” We are still there, and like the life all right, al-
though we often long to be back again in our native forests,
where the vegetation grows so beautiful, and the sun shines
so brightly. However, I suppose, we cannot have every-
thing we desire in this life on earth. We should all be
philosophical, and make the best of present circumstances.
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The Martial Eagle (Eutolmetus bellicosus), who soars aloft and drops down
upon the monkeyfolk, either stunning or killing them outright with the
shock.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 151
What’s the good of constantly grumbling and comparing
our lot with that of others. We ought just to make the
best of what blessings we have. Most of us don’t know
how well off we are until we lose some of the things we have
through our carelessness and discontent. I could tell you
lots of interesting things which befell me and my clan when
I was free in the South African forests, but the humanfolk
fellow who is writing down what I am telling you, says I
have talked quite enough, and that he is tired; so good-
bye, dear friends.
THE MARTIAL EAGLE
The Martial eagle is a terrible fellow. He is as big as
a turkey, and the muscles of his thighs are as large as those
on a humanfolk man’s arm. His beak is strong and curved,
and his talons—it makes me shiver with fear when I think
of them. They are enormous. We pride ourselves on our
keen eyesight, but the eye of this eagle is like a telescope.
He perches himself aloft upon a pinnacle of rock, and when
he sees any of us monkeyfolk frolicking in the branches of
some great forest tree, he silently launches himself forth,
and, flying high up in the air, poises himself, and down he
comes like a thunderbolt, and these cruel talons strike one
of us folk with such terrific force that he is either stunned
or instantly killed.
The crafty rascal usually waits till he sees some of our
folk out in the open, for we are then at his mercy. A terrible
fight occurred once, between a Martial eagle and one of
the menfolk of the clan to which I belonged. ‘The eagle
stooped upon him with terrible force; he partly evaded
the impact, but was caught by the eagle’s talons before he
could escape. Dazed by the shock, and the repeated blows
delivered by the eagle’s sharp beak, he lay as though dead.
The eagle soared aloft with his prey, but when in mid-air
152 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA —
our friend revived, and a terrible fight was waged. We
saw our friend grapple with his enemy, and after a few
moments down they came through the air. Recovering,
the eagle attempted to right himself and fly off, but he was
evidently grievously hurt, for after a few attempts he and
his victim came with a crash to the ground. After a time
we ventured out. What a terrible sight it was. Both the
eagle and his victim were dead. The eagle’s talons were
still buried deep in the flesh of our poor friend.
There are three or four kinds of large and powerful
eagles, who are constantly on the look-out to capture and
make a meal of one of us.
OUR BRAIN LOBES
We monkeyfolk are cautious and suspicious by nature,
and are consequently always on the look-out for danger.
You see, our brains are made up of different parts. That is,
one part gives rise to the feeling of fear, another to that of
anger, another is aroused when we are hungry, another
when we think, and so on. We have so many enemies that,
unless we are constantly on our guard against them, we
should stand but little chance of living to an old age. So
having to use one or two brain lobes so much, they have
developed largely, like the muscles of your arm would if
you used them often. That’s why we as a race are cunning,
’cute, and suspicious. Whatever part or parts of the brain
are used most, these parts grow larger and stronger than the
rest ; so take my advice and train and develop only the best
parts of your brain.
THE SAMANGO
I am a Samango monkey. The Vervets, or blue apes,
are first cousins of mine. I am a long lanky-looking fellow.
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THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 153
The hair of my body is ringed black and yellow, the black
rings being the longest. I am darkest on the head. ‘The
colour of my body is lighter.
We Samango fellows don’t like our cousins the Vervets,
sO we never associate with them. We look upon them as
common folk. We live in families away in the quietest
and deepest kloofs and gorges, where the forest trees grow
thick, and are matted all over the top with creepers. We
love these gloomy, dark haunts, and seldom wander far
from them. Our food is what God provides for us in the
shape of berries, wild fruits, buds, sweet bark, seeds, and
any insects we can find. There are several kinds of cater-
pillars of which we are very fond. Butterflies come along
and lay millions of eggs on the leaves in the tree tops. ‘These
eggs hatch out into tiny caterpillars. We leave them till
they grow big and fat with the leaves they feast on, then
we feast on them. You humanfolk are very fortunate in
having such a great number of things to choose from.
Why, I am told there are hundreds, and even thousands,
of different kinds of foods which you people can eat. Our
diet is very limited. After all, I think we are much better
off, because our food being so simple, and having to take so
much exercise in order to get it, we are healthy and strong,
and don’t keep getting sick like you humanfolk. Nearly
all your sickness is due to eating too much, also from
eating the wrong kinds of foods, living so much in stuffy
houses and breathing bad air.
Our tribe are only found in the dense forest districts
along the east coast of South Africa and up as far as
Angola.
The Zulu people hunt and kill us for our beautiful skins,
which they wear around their loins. When the Zulus were
a great warlike nation, one of the regiments wore the skins
of us poor monkeyfolk to distinguish themselves from all
the rest. In those days we were constantly hunted and
154 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
killed, for the Zulu soldiers had to have the proper dress
before they could join this particular regiment.
The natives are very fond of our skins to make rugs you
call karosses with. We are often captured and sent away
to places called Zoological Gardens, where they keep us
for humanfolk to come and stare at.
The leopards, cheetahs, servals, rooi-kats, and pythons
are our chief enemies. Great eagles also pounce upon and
carry off our children whenever they get the chance. The
Dassievanger 1s the worst of them.
We fear you humanfolk worst of all. We often wonder
why you persecute us so dreadfully. I suppose it is because
you can sell our skins for a few shillings. What a pity there
are not some kind of folks who would come along and hunt
you humanfolk, like you do us. We don’t blame you for
trying to kill us when we come and help ourselves to your
mealies and fruit ; but we don’t think it fair for you to come
right away into our wild haunts, where we live in peace
and don’t do you any harm. I want to tell you one thing,
and it is this. If you capture any of our folk and want to
keep them in cages, don’t put other kinds of monkeys with
them. We have a strong dislike to all other tribes of
monkeys, and if they are put with us, we quarrel with them.
We regard ourselves as monkey aristocrats, and like to hold
ourselves aloof. ‘The museum-man to whom I am telling
this, and who is our amanuensis, says we are snobs just like
many of the humanfolk. If you don’t-know what a snob
means, you will find all about it in the dictionary.
A Moholi Lemur (Galago moholi), otherwise known as a Bush Baby, Night
Ape, or Nacht-aapie. We sleep by day and hunt and play by night.
From the tip of my nose to the root of my tail I am 7 in. long. My
eyes are large and beautiful.
CHAPTER V
THE MOHOLI LEMUR (Galago mohol)
HIS ADVENTURES IN CAPTIVITY
Yes, I know you fellows call me a Bush Baby. I don’t know
why, but I suppose it’s because I look so meek and have
such gentle ways. Naturalist fellows also say I am an inno-
cent little chap, and live on grubs and beetles and soft wild
fruits. I object to be called a Bush Baby. It offends my
dignity. I am a Moholi lemur, and my aristocratic name
is Galago moholt. Dutchmen call me a Nacht aapje, which
means a “night ape.” Well,so Iam. I love to roam in
the beautiful woods when King Sol, the sun, goes to rest,
and all is still and quiet, save the hoot of the owl, the cry of
the jackal, the grunting of the wild pigs, and roar of Leo,
the mighty king of the forest. I fear them not, except the
owl—that great fellow with the feathers sticking up from
the crown of his head. ‘They call him the Eagle-owl. Oh!
how we fellows hate him. When we are right in the middle
of a frolic playing hide-and-seek amongst the leafy branches,
he skims silently along, and drops down on one of us with
great curved talons outstretched. [ lost a sister, a brother,
half a score of cousins, aunts, and uncles in this way. ‘Then
there is another everlasting horror which haunts us, and
that is the wild cat. You call him the Kafir cat. He is
the fellow who boasts about his long line of ancestors. He
says he can trace his ancestry right back to the time, many
thousands of years ago, when the Egyptians were a mighty
nation. It seems, those Egyptian fellows worshipped his
155
156 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
ancestors, and when they died their bodies were carefully
cured, wrapped up in scores of yards of fine linen, and
laid away in tombs specially carved out of the rocks. ‘They
also brag and boast because they happen to be the ancestors
of your tame pussy cats, which so many boys treat so cruelly.
Oh! you needn’t deny it. I have, from my leafy nest on
the outskirts of a village, often watched boys skulking along
the hedgerows with catapults and air-guns, on the look-out
for cats basking in the sun. Yes, and many a time I have
seen cruel cowardly boys make their dogs attack and worry
poor cats to death.
THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Well, I suppose, if the owls, the wild cats, and the
pythons, didn’t make a meal of us now and then, we would
get too plentiful, and there would not be enough food for
us. You see, when we have plenty of enemies it makes us
tactful, careful, resourceful, and in fact develops all our
faculties, and makes us prepared to meet almost any
emergency. You town fellows do not use a quarter of the
natural powers that the great God has given to you. Why,
now, how can you expect to be keen, clever, bright,
noble, manly, and ready to meet any sudden and unex-
pected event if you go mooning about smoking cigarettes
which poison your brain, nerves, and body, and stunt your
growth, and never go out and study nature in the bush,
with camera, note-book, and field-glasses? Go out and
track the various creatures to their lairs, and take pictures
of them, and write about their ways and habits in your
note-book.
CAUGHT NAPPING
Somehow, I don’t know why, but when the sun gets
up, we night apes begin to get dreadfully drowsy, and
Min,
Ce
Wah
Hand and Foot of a Moholi Lemur or Bush Baby (Galago moholi).—(1) Hand ;
(2) Poot. Note the claw on the second toe. The rest of the toes, as
well as the fingers of the hand, have flat nails.
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Skulls of the two typical South African Galago Lemurs.—(1) Moholi Lemur
(Galago moholi) ; (2) Garnett’s Lemur (Galago garnetti). The skulls are
natural size,
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 157
our strength seems to go from us, so we hurry off to our
nests in the hollow trunks of trees, or old birds’ nests. One
day I was fast asleep in a cosy bird’s nest, when with a
gasp I awoke and found myself tightly gripped. Before
I could think or see my foe, I was rudely thrust into a
dark hole. I lay trembling for what seemed an age, for I
felt myself being carried away. Presently the mouth of
the hole I was in opened, and once again I was rudely
grabbed, and almost instantly thrown into what you fellows
call a cage. Then I realised what had happened. A boy
had captured me. His sisters and a big bearded man and
a lady came and stared at me and made remarks.
IN THE MUSEUM
Well, anyway, one day the lady said she was going on a
visit to that beautiful, dustless, and healthful town called
Port Elizabeth, and thought she would take me with her.
After a miserable journey cramped up in a tiny cage, we
arrived. I was petted and fondled by the boys and girls
and allowed to jump about wherever I pleased in the house,
but they took good care not to let me go outside. You
see there isn’t a creature on earth to beat us Bush Babies
for jumping. Why, we can hop and skip all over a room
full of vases and things and never break anything. One
day I hopped on toa sort of little brass button on the wall.
I sat on it and it turned round. Then I smelt a nasty
smell, grew giddy and fainted. When I awoke I heard a
lot of people talking in a very excited way. It seems the
thing I sat on was what you call a button which turned
on the gas.
Well, I was sentenced to be handed over to the man
at the museum. He put me into a beautiful cage with
glass sides, made a cosy nest for me, fed me on cakes, sweets,
milk, and meat. People kept coming in all day and stared
158 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
at me. I hate to be stared at, so I hatched out a plan of
escape. I lay coiled up and shammed death. The man
who feeds me came along, opened the door and prodded
me. I gave no sign of life. He thrust his finger into my
ribs, and with a sudden grab I bit him. He gave a yell,
and before he could recover from his surprise, I just hopped
on to his shoulder and away. ‘They tried to follow me,
but they might as well have tried to catch a streak of
lightning.
PLOTS AND COUNTER PLOT
I found a secure hiding-place and chuckled, while I
watched those clumsy fellows searching all over the museum.
They spent hours looking for me. One of them waited
late, thinking I would come out. No fear, for I spotted
him, and lay low. I had a high old time for two or three
nights. J ate up the food they left for me, and squeezed
into the doves’ cage. I pounced upon a lovely white dove,
killed and ate the tenderest parts of it. Next morning
I watched from my spy-hole. When the museum-man
discovered the murder, he was angry, and I knew by the
glint in his eyes he was hatching out a plot. When it grew
dark I ventured out, determined not to be caught napping.
I felt hungry and thirsty, and seeing some nice tempting
food and drink laid out, I supposed for me, I hopped up to
it. My foot touched something which stuck. I tried to
leap away, but some horrible beastly stuff you fellows call
bird lime, spread on a piece of string, stuck to my nice soft
fur, which I am so proud of. I tumbled and rolled and
struggled, and at last I managed to get free. I sprang up
on to the skull of the Sperm whale, and, sitting on a tusk,
I pondered. It was clear I couldn’t again attempt to go
near that food. Yes, haveit. I will dine off another dove.
It struggled so desperately I had to let it go. I managed
The Spotted Eagle-Owl, who is as big as a fowl. He skims along over the
trees and pounces down upon us poor little Bush-baby folk and eats
us for his supper.
I am a Garnett’s Lemur (Galago garnetti). I am quite a big fellow for a
Galago Lemur. I am 14 inches from the tip of my nose to the root of
my tail. I came from the forests of Natal, and am at present living at
the Port Elizabeth Museum.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 159
to capture several of them, but they were strong and got
away. Just when I had managed to overcome one, and
was selecting a nice juicy part, there was a terrific glare
of light. I was dazed and blinded.
CAPTURED BY A SCOUT
Before I could recover and escape, a boy scout, a lady,
and that museum man rushed up and cut off my retreat.
I tried to shrivel up into as small a space as I could in the
darkest corner, but that scout spotted me instantly. He
slipped into the cage and chased me around. When I
tried to get through the wire the other folk were there ready
to capture me. I sprang about until I was exhausted, and
at last a heavy hand closed around me.
Once again I am in captivity. I am not much to look
at. I have big innocent eyes, long tail, small hands and
arms, strong hind limbs, and I am covered with fur. Yes,
I am a baby of the woods. ‘The museum man calls me
a cold-blooded murderer, and threatens to chloroform me
and have me stuffed. If he gives me nice dainty food I
will stuff myself without him having to bother with the
chloroform.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF GALAGOS
There are six different kinds of Galago lemurs in South
Africa south of the Zambesi and Cunene Rivers. We all
live in the dense forests, sleep by day, and hunt and play
by night. That is why you people say we are nocturnal.
The principal home of our tribe of lemurs is in Mada-
gascar. [he handsome aristocrats of our race live there.
We lemurs are relatives of the monkey tribe. Men of
science say we are a lower race than monkeys, and that
we haven’t got as much intelligence as they have. They
160 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
say that monkeys have evolved from lemurs and that we
are only the degenerate survivors of a very ancient race.
Anyhow, our pre-historic ancestors, or many of them, were
of great size. We are mere pigmies in comparison. ‘The
two Galago lemurs who are known best in South Africa
are my cousin, Garnett’s Galago (Galago garnettt) and the
clan to which I belong. I am one of the Moholi lemurs
(Galago moholt) who live in the forests of the Transvaal,
Rhodesia, and a good way farther north, We never come
down south. My cousin lives mostly in the forests of
Natal and Zululand. He is twice as big as | am. From
the tip of his nose to the base of his tail he is fourteen
inches, whereas we only measure about seven inches. Now
and then our children are born pure white, instead of mouse
colour, which is our normal colour. ‘This does not often
occur.
I remember the natives in Mashonaland who lived near
a certain forest used to be terribly afraid, and wouldn’t
for anything go through the forest at night. One of us
happened to be snowy white, and I suppose he looked to
them like a ghost as he flitted silently from branch to
branch. We were rather glad, because the natives used
to sometimes kill and eat us.
GALAGO LEMURS
Although we are called Galagos we are really lemurs.
That is, we belong to the lemur family. You see, those
scientific humanfolk when they start studying other kinds
of folk, separate them according to their kind. For instance,
there are over fifty different kinds of lemurs, including us
Galagos, of course. Your wise men find out the different
kinds and give each a name. ‘Then they carefully examine
all the different kinds, and those which are very much alike
in the arrangement of their teeth, their toes, and some
f
Sas
ea =
The Ring-tailed Lemur of Madagascar, who is an aristocrat of the Lemur tribe.
(After Brehm.)
From“ The Royal Natural History”: Warne & Co., Lid.
Desmond FitzSimons and his baby baboon friend, who is a lonely little orphan.
His mother was killed by the humanfolk.
Photo by Ravenscroft
The home of the
iver below the Victoria Falls.
Galago Lemur or Bush Baby.
esl
A scene on the Zamb
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 161
other parts of their bodies they put together, and say they
belong to a genus. Well, we Galagos happen to be a bit
different from all other kinds of lemurfolk, so those naturalist
fellows class us all together and say we belong to the
Galago genus. We Galagos are the only kind of lemurs
which inhabit Africa. You can always recognise us by
our large leaf-like ears, which are quite bare, and which
can be partially folded down. We have learned to fold
our ears down in this way to protect them from the dew-
laden foliage of the great African forests, and to prevent
the water trickling into our ears, which is both unpleasant
and annoying. Our ancestors long ages ago were big
folk. They were more than four times the size that we
are, but they hadn’t as good brains. You see, in those
far-distant days, the animalfolk of the earth grew huge
bodies, but they had very small brains, and of course they,
in consequence, hadn’t much sense; so their enemies killed
them off, and now they are all extinct. You see, it doesn’t
matter how big and strong your body may be; if your
brains are small and of poor quality, you are not of much
account.
I think I have now told you all that is interesting about
our folk. If you want to find out about the different kinds
of lemurs which live in Madagascar and elsewhere, you
have only to look up one of the illustrated natural history
books, such as the Royal Natural History, by that clever
man, Richard Lydekker.
GLOSSARY
Karir Docs.—A mongrel variety of domestic dog, usually seen at Kafir
kraals. They include cross-breeds of all kinds. Some are large and
strong, and make good hunting dogs.
Spres.—A bird of the starling family. Several species are termed spreos by
colonists. The two commonest kinds are the Red-winged starling
(Amydrus morio) and the Pied starling (Spreo bicolor).
Mutsvocret.—This is a Dutch word which means “mouse bird,” because
of its mouse colour and mouse-like manner of running along branches.
These birds are colies. ‘There are seven species. The commonest
are the Speckled coly (Colius striatus), Natal speckled coly (Colius striatus
minor), Cape coly (Colius capensis), Red-faced coly (Colzus erythromelon).
Butsut.—The bulbuls are fruit-eating birds of the Pycnonotus genus. ‘There
are four species. ‘There are also eleven other species of bulbuls which
belong to the Phyllostrophus genus.
CatapasH.—The fruit of a species of melon. When mature, it is allowed
to dry. ‘The rind or skin becomes as hard as wood, and is impervious
to water. A hole is cut in it, and the seeds and other dried matter
removed. ‘The shell or rind is then converted into a vessel for holding
liquids. Others, of an elongated shape, are cut longitudinally and
converted into ladles. ‘These calabash vessels are largely used by the
Zulus.
Back-veLD.—The more or less level lands or plains of South Africa far away
from the centres of civilisation.
Vetp.—The plains of South Africa.
Busu-veLD.—The plains of South Africa more or less covered with trees and
shrubs.
BusuMen.—A small race of yellowish-brown men, known to the Dutch as
Bosjesmannen. ‘They are supposed to be the descendants of the original
inhabitants of South Africa. How many thousands of years their race
has inhabited South Africa no man knows. Average size of men, 4 feet
6 inches ; women, 4 feet.
162
GLOSSARY 163
Horrentots.—A yellow race of men, larger than the Bushmen, who also
have inhabited South Africa away back into pre-historic times. It is
thought by some that they and the Bushmen are closely related, viz.
that the Bushmen are an offshoot from them, or they from the Bushmen.
Pricxty Pzar.—A thorny, fleshy plant, of the Cactus family. Introduced
originally into South Africa from Mexico. It has flourished so well
that it is now a great pest in the country, Its fruit is eaten largely by
Hottentots, other natives, and baboons. ‘The seed passes through the
alimentary canal unchanged. In this way the seeds are sown broad-
cast over the land.
.CureTan.—A carnivorous animal, known as the Hunting Leopard. It in-
habits Africa from the Cape to the Mediterranean, and extends to
India, where it is captured and trained to hunt antelopes. It is
supposed to be the fleetest of all animals, but cannot keep up the pace.
It makes a swift rush, and if unsuccessful in overtaking its intended
victim, it gives up the chase.
Krantz.—A precipice. South Africa abounds in krantzes or precipices.
They are the homes of the baboons. ‘The caves in them were formerly
inhabited by the ancient Bushmen.
Kurppassiz.—Otherwise known as a Rock-rabbit (Procavia capensis). These
animals are the size of an ordinary rabbit, but are tailless. They in-
habit the stony hills and krantzes, concealing themselves in the crevices
of the rocks. ‘They are related to the rhinoceros.
Vrouw.—The wife of a Dutchman.
Rorr.—The Boer name for a gun. Mostly applied to the old muzzle-
loading guns, such as flintlocks and Brown Besses.
Looprrs.—The largest kind of shot (round leaden pellets).
Stucs.—Lead cut up into small cubes or squares, and used instead of shot
or bullets,
Touw.—The thong, usually of softened raw oxhide, which is held in the
hand by the leader of a team of oxen.
Meauies.—Indian corn or maize. Grown largely all over South Africa.
The staple diet of the native population.
VorErtooper.—A leader of a team of oxen. In South Africa, the wagons
are usually pulled by a team of from twelve to eighteen oxen, led by a
man or boy—usually a boy.
Stozp.—The pavement in front of the door of a private house—usually a
verandah.
Vorrtzix.—A corruption of Voortzegik, which means “Out I say,” “Clear
out,” “ Get out.”
1644 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
Assrcai.—A spear used by the natives of South Africa.
Mimosa.—A species of acacia bush common all over South Africa. It is
very thorny. The thorns are long, sharp, and straight. ‘There are
several species.
Kwosxerriz.—A stick with a large round head, used by the natives of South
Africa as a weapon. Knobkerries are usually carved from hard wood.
Kioor.—A valley with more or less precipitous, rocky sides. A gorge.
These kloofs or valleys are usually thickly bush-clad.
Karoo.—The large stretches of more or less level land in Cape Colony,
covered with a scanty vegetation of a very stunted kind, other than
grass. ‘The Karoo is very dry, there being a scanty rainfall. The
vegetation of the Karoo is very suitable for stock, including ostriches.
Pans.—More or less shallow sheets of water, formed during the rainy season
on the veld. ‘These Pans have no outlet, and no source. During times
of drought they dry up.
Spruit.—A small river or rivulet.
Kor.—This is a Dutch word meaning “ head.” It is applied to more or
less cone-shaped hills. ‘These kops invariably have a large outcrop of
weathered rocks at the top.
Kopryz.—A small kop or head, surmounted by weathered rocks. These
small hills or kopjes are studded over the country.
Spiper.—A lightly built four-wheeled carriage, largely used by farmers.
Although light, it is very strongly built and will stand rough usage.
The wheels are large.
Viry.—A valley: a marshy place: a low place where water stands
temporarily.
SYSTEMATIC LIST or roe Monxeys anp Gatacos or Soutu AFRIca,
AS FAR NORTH AS THE ZAMBESI AND CUNENE RIVERS
Order Primates. Sub-order ANTHROPOIDEA.
Family CrercoPITHECIDAE,
Genus—Cercopithecus. Arboreal, Guenon monkeys. ‘Tail not prehensile.
1. Cercopithecus labiatus.
2 - samango.
3. s albigularis.
4. ‘a beirensis.
5 ~ pygerythrus.
6 “ rufoviridis,
GLOSSARY 165
Genus Papio. Rock-climbing baboons. ‘Tail not prehensile.
1. Papio porcarius.
2. 4, cynocephalus.
Sub-order LemurorpEa.
Family Lemuripar. Genus Galago. Galago lemurs.
1. Galago crassicaudatus.
2 » garnetti.
Boe eS WMebol.
3, (4 prant,
5 »» | mossambicus.
6 » zuluensis.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MonkKEYFOLK.
The Chacma baboon (Papio porcarius). Known to the Dutch as Bavian.
The Hottentots call it T’chatikamma, which gave rise to the name of Chacma.
Known to the Zulus and Swazis as Imfena, and to the Basutos as Tshweni.
Description.—Uniform dark brown, with a slight dull yellowish glow, which
is more pronounced upon the forehead. Mair black on the upper parts
of the hands and feet. Naked skin of the face nearly black, with the
exception of the upper eyelids, which are flesh-coloured. ‘Tail about
half the length of the body and head. From the base of the tail, for
one-third its length, it is carried at an angle upwards, the other two-
thirds hanging downwards. Muzzle long and dog-shaped. Adult
males are more powerful, and possess larger canine teeth than the
females. They are also more shaggy about the neck and shoulders.
Callosities on the male, dark sienna red. Flesh-coloured on the female.
Measurements.—Full-grown male. Head and body, 3 ft. to3 ft. 6in. Tail,
17 to18in. Hair at end of tail, 2 in. long. From the opening of the
ear to the tip of the nose, 8 in.
Distribution.—Inhabits the rocky country all over South Africa, as far as
the Zambesi River.
Tue YeELLow Basoon (Papio cynocephalus).
Description.—Brownish yellow, each hair having broad yellow and narrower
black rings. ‘The sides are darker than the back, and underparts lighter.
The tufts of hair on the jaws are saffron yellow. Hands and feet black.
Measurements.—Adult male, 3 ft. to 3 ft. 6 in., from tip,of nose to root of
tail. Female, 3 ft. Body and legs more slender than the Chacma
baboon.
166 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA
Distribution.—The yellow baboon inhabits the rocky country from the region
of the Zambesi north to Abyssinia and Nubia.
Tue Verve (Cercopithecus pygerythrus).
This is the common blue ape of South Africa. Naturalists are familiar
with it under its old name of C. lalandit. ‘The Dutch know it as the Blaauw-
aapje; the Zulus term it Incau; the Swazis, Ingobiyana, and the Basutos,
Inkalatshana.
Description.—General colour above grizzled yellowish-grey and black, each
hair being annulated with sub-equal bands of these two colours; out-
sides of the limbs and greater part of the tail like the back, the latter
a little darker; narrow band across the forehead ; cheeks, chin, under-
parts, and insides of fore and hind limbs white, tinged with yellow ;
hands and feet black ; skin of face black, with a few black hairs separating
it from the surrounding white ; hair round the root of the tail and anus
brick-red ; skin callosities yellowish, skin of scrotum green or blue.
(Sclater.)
Measurements.—From nose to root of tail, 25 to 26 in. Tail, 24 to 2§ in.
Skull, 4 in. full length. Hind-foot, 43 in.
Distribution—South Africa and up the East Coast to Mombasa.
Tue Samanco (Cercopithecus samango).
Known to the Zulus and Amaxosa as Insamango.
Description.—Above, dark, grizzled, each hair ringed black and yellow, the
black rings being the longest; darkest on the head, and gradually
lightening towards the tail. Below, chin, throat, abdomen, and inside
of hind legs dirty white; fore limbs and hands black, outside of hind
limbs greyish-black, feet black, no rufous patch at the sides of the anus ;
tail gradually darkening, the distal two-thirds being quite black. Skin
of face, inside of ears, of feet, anal callosities, and nails black. (Sclater.)
Measurements.—From tip of nose to root of tail, 2 ft. to2 ft.3in. Tail,
30 to 31 in. Length of hind foot, 5 in.
Distribution.—Eastern parts of Cape Colony up the coast as far as Angola,
in the deep, secluded, gloomy, forest-clad gorges.
Nore.—It is unnecessary in such a volume as this to give detailed descrip-
tions of the less known South African species of tree-climbing monkeys.
Tue Lemur Famity.
Garnett’s Lemur (Galago garneiti).
Known in Natal and Zululand as the Bush Baby.
GLOSSARY 167
Description.—General colour yellowish grey, the hair soft and thick, and the
bases slaty, while a number of longer hairs with black shining tips are
scattered all over the body, especially on the back. A faintly marked
white stripe from between the eyes to the nose. Lars naked and black.
Hands and feet nearly black. Tail long and bushy, and same colour as
the back. Length of head and body, 14 in. ‘Tail with terminal hairs,
11 in. (Sclater.)
Distribution—Natal and Zululand. Possibly somewhat farther north,
coastwards.
Tue Monou Lemur (Galago mobolt).
Known as the Nacht aapje by the Dutch; night ape or Bush Baby by
British colonists, and by Basutos as Newanangwaila.
Description.—General colour greyish brown, the basal part of the fur dark
slaty and the tips yellowish grey. Fur very fine and soft. White
stripe along the nose separating two black rings round the eyes. Chin
and throat white. Underparts washed with yellow in the male, paler in
the female. Hair on feet pale. ‘Tail, 8 in. long, with long sparse brown
hairs. Length of body and head, 7 in. (Sclater.)
Distribution.—From the Transvaal northwards throughout the forest
country to Mozambique and Angola.
Main Differences in the Two Species.
Garnett’s Lemur.—Twice as large as the Moholilemur. ‘Tail bushy through-
out. Snout elongated.
Moholi Lemur.—Half the size of the former. Snout very short. ‘Tail
scantily covered with hair, more bushy towards the tip.
The above are the two typical lemurs of South Africa. It is unnecessary
in this volume to give a detailed description of the others.
Printed by BALLANTYNE, Hanson & Co.
Edinburgh & London
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