MOZAMBIQUE TERRITORY (11) 45 
ent direction. It then sees the boys running like hares on the 
flanks, becomes more bewildered and probably doubles back, 
only to be met by the people behind. As it tries to dodge them, 
they throw their knobkerries and soon slow it down with a direct 
hit or two, which allows someone to catch up and deliver the 
coup de grace. 
The poor baboon was the victim of these tactics and was run- 
ning in half-circles, when a flying knobkerry hit him. This caused 
him to stop and chatter with rage. Another native then rushed 
up to sling his knobkerry at close quarters, but the baboon know- 
ing that he was cornered was now full of fight, and just as the 
boy was about to throw his stick the animal rushed at him. 
Instead of fighting it out, the boy turned and ran. Always quick 
to laugh at another’s predicament or misfortune, the natives who 
were at a safe distance were rendered helpless with laughter at 
the sight of this fellow being chased by the baboon, so much so 
that I think the latter might have escaped if it had not been so 
bewildered. The baboon’s attack was, of course, a defensive meas- 
ure, and was only continued until it had the desired effect of 
driving off the enemy. The poor beast was soon finished off; the 
laughter, however, continued far into the night while the boys, 
squatting round a camp fire and recalling the day’s adventures, 
plucked pieces of roast baboon out of the ashes. 
Not many tribes in Africa will eat baboons or monkeys, but 
here at Caia nothing seemed to come amiss. Some of the native 
employees, who belonged to a rather primitive Nyasaland tribe, 
were even reputed to eat all their food raw, and others were not 
averse to eating snakes. In this motley gathering most of the tribes 
of East Africa were represented, and some of the native overseers 
came from the sugar-fields of Jamaica and Demerara—being 
descendants of the liberated African slaves. 
This was the first occasion on which I had met any African 
(except the one in the Snake Park at Port Elizabeth) who was 
unafraid of snakes, and moreover who could handle them with 
impunity. This man, who hailed from Nyasaland, arrived one 
day and asked if we wanted some live snakes. On saying that we 
did, he unrolled a loin-cloth and shot three fairly large venomous 
snakes on the ground for us to inspect. They were rather placid, 
