CORNERED BY BABOONS 287 



they began to reappear from behind the rocks; 

 they stood railing and bawling. The bedlam 

 of noises seemed to come from the very walls 

 themselves, and the drums of the man's ears 

 seemed on the point of bursting. 



Suddenly sand and dirt began to shower 

 down from overhead. Looking up, he was hor- 

 rified to discover that baboons were swarm- 

 ing on the rocks above him. On either side, 

 along the opening, two rows of hideous faces 

 showed themselves. Now and then an animal 

 too closely pressed by those behind would 

 spring to the opposite side to keep itself from 

 falling into the fissure. The grotesque figures 

 jumping back and forth were like caricatures 

 of boys playing at leap-frog. One particularly 

 inquisitive baboon, which, perhaps, had so far 

 been robbed of a view of the captive, could not 

 restrain its curiosity, so it reached forward, 

 seized a companion by the scruff of the neck, 

 and hauled the animal back out of the way. 



The Englishman knew that if any one of 

 the animals should muster courage to jump 

 down, or to rush in from the front, the other 

 baboons would immediately fly to its assistance. 

 With the idea of intimidating them, he raised 



