282 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



To the Englishman, baboons were fascinating 

 animals. So from pure curiosity he stepped 

 behind the bush and awaited their coming. 

 Stopping now and then to turn over a stone in 

 search of mice and insects, while the young ones 

 frisked and capered about like children in a 

 frolic, the baboons worked their way slowly along 

 through the rocks. Closer and closer they came 

 until they were nearly opposite him. 



For fully half an hour he watched them play- 

 ing and feeding; the antics of the young ones 

 were so amusing that several times he nearly 

 betrayed his presence by laughing aloud. 



A young baboon was busy overturning stones 

 when a mischievous companion sneaked up be- 

 hind and grabbed it by the tail and the two en- 

 gaged in a friendly tussle. Then off they went 

 over the rocks, and as they passed through the 

 troop other youngsters joined in the chase, 

 which ended in a grand rough-and-tumble scrim- 

 mage. 



No sooner had this scuffle subsided and the 

 participants returned to their respective moth- 

 ers than a young baboon would start something 

 going in another section of the throng. 



During one of these scenes an accident hap- 



