boulders, clumps of trees and bush, and we had moved 

 on only a little way when a loud " Waugh " from a 

 baboon on the mountain behind made us stop to look 

 back. The hoarse shout was repeated several times, 

 and each time more loudly and emphatically ; it 

 seemed like the warning call of a sentry who had seen 

 us. Moved by curiosity we turned aside on to the 

 ridge itself, and from the top of a big rock scanned 

 the almost precipitous face opposite. The spur on 

 which we stood was divided from the Berg itself only 

 by a deep but narrow kloof or ravine, and every detail 

 of the mountain side stood out in the clear evening 

 air, but against the many-coloured rocks the grey 

 figure of a baboon was not easy to find as long as it 

 remained still, and although from time to time the 

 barking roar was repeated, we were still scanning the 

 opposite hill when one of the boys pointed down the 

 slope immediately below us and called out, " There, 

 there, Baas ! " 



The troop of baboons had evidently been quite 

 close to us hidden from us only by the little line of 

 rocks and on getting warning from their sentry on 

 the mountain had stolen quietly away and were then 

 disappearing into the timbered depth of the ravine. 

 We sat still to watch them come out on the opposite 

 side a few minutes later and clamber up the rocky 

 face, for they are always worth watching ; but while 

 we watched, the stillness was broken by an agonised 

 scream horribly human in its expression of terror 

 followed by roars, barks, bellows and screams from 

 .scores of voices in every key ; and the crackle of break- 



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