NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



animals are often driven almost to desperation by 

 hunger, and it is little matter for wonder they take 

 to raiding the crops and orchards of the farmers 

 and aborigines. Once they get a taste of the pro- 

 duce of the farmer, they are loth to return to their 

 former meagre fare. So they continue to raid the 

 cultivated fields, planning their raids with the 

 greatest of care and cunning. The exasperated 

 farmer eventually, in self-defence, gathers together 

 a party of neighbours and friends, and in the dead 

 of night surrounds the retreat of the baboons. At 

 break of day the attack is made, and if well planned, 

 sometimes an entire troop is annihilated. So whole- 

 sale a slaughter, however, seldom occurs, for the 

 baboons are exceedingly cunning, and the greater 

 proportion of them usually succeed in stealing off 

 and escaping unobserved. However, so cunning 

 are these apes that they invariably take up their 

 abode in a retreat which is either impossible or diffi- 

 cult to surround. 



We were once completely outwitted by a troop 

 of baboons in Natal. A Hottentot had located 

 their retreat in the face of a krantz, near the foot 

 of which, at some little distance, was a forest. 

 A large party of us completely surrounded the 

 krantz, and waited for daylight. The darkness 

 was lightened by the feeble rays of a young moon, 

 and the baboons unfortunately either saw us, or 

 becoming suspicious, a scout was sent out to in- 

 vestigate, for they began barking. They continued 



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