ANECDOTE OF A BABOON. 57 



ever entered the brain of living creature. At all events, if it be not 

 true, it deserves to be so. 



It appears that the baboon was so tame, and had proved so apt a 

 pupil, that its master had taught it to watch the pot in which he pre- 

 pared his dinner, and was accustomed to leave it in charge of the culi- 

 'nary department while he was engaged in other business. One day, he 

 had prepared a fowl for his dinner, and after putting it into the pot and 

 the pot on the fire, went away for a time, leaving the baboon in charge, 

 as usual. 



For a time all went well, and the animal kept a quiet watch over the 

 fire. After a while, it was seized with a desire to see what might be in 

 the pot, and so, taking off the lid, peeped in. The odor that issued from 

 the boiled fowl was gratifying to the animal's nostrils, and induced it, 

 after a brief mental struggle, to pick just a little bit from the fowl, and 

 to put the bird back again. This was done accordingly, but the experi- 

 ment was so very successful that it was speedily repeated. Again and 

 again was a morsel pinched from the fowl, until the natural consumma- 

 tion followed — the fowl was picked quite clean, and nothing left but the 

 bones. 



Now came remorse and sudden fear, causing the wretched animal to 

 chatter with terror at the thought of the scarifying which was sure to 

 follow so grievous an offence. 



What was the poor thing to do? Time was passing, and the master 

 must soon return for his dinner. At last a brilliant thought flashed 

 through the animal's brain, and it immediately acted upon the idea. 



Now, in order to understand the depth of the craft which was em- 

 ployed, it must be remembered that the baboons are furnished, in com- 

 mon with very many monkeys, with two callosities on the hinder quar- 

 ters, which serve them for seats, and which are, in these animals, of a 

 bright red color. 



Rolling itself over and over in the dust, it covered its body with an 

 uniformly sombre coating, and then, gathering itself well together, and 

 putting its head and knees on the ground, it presented an appearance 

 marvellously resembling a rough block of stone with two pieces of raw 

 meat laid on its top. In those climates the birds of prey absolutely 

 swarm, and, being encouraged by their well-earned impunity, crowd 

 round every place where cooking is going on, and where they may have 

 a chance of securing a portion, either by lawful gift, or lawless rapine. 

 8 



