BABOONS AND LEMURS 157 



was found by the carcass of a dead baboon. It charged 

 the ranger at sight, and was afterwards discovered to 

 have been so desperately wounded by the baboon's teeth 

 that it must soon have died. It had been much too sick 

 to touch the dead baboon. 



I once surprised a large troop in the bush, the members 

 of which at once scampered off, except one half-grown 

 animal which took refuge in a tree. The tree chosen 

 happened to be so isolated that a leap into the branches 

 of the next one was impracticable, and so the opportunity 

 seemed favourable for a capture. Standing sentinel 

 myself at the foot, with one native attendant, I dis- 

 patched the other aloft, where the little animal, perched 

 as high up as he could go, was making the woods re- 

 sound with his lamentations. Presently, to my surprise, 

 I heard the whole troop coming back, and could see 

 them running about, barking and chattering, inside the 

 edge of the bush, about fifty yards away. Although 

 apparently in a state of considerable excitement, they 

 would not leave covert, nor attempt to cross the com- 

 paratively open intervening space. 



The cause of the excitement having been at length 

 captured, still screaming, I walked slowly towards his 

 fellows, curious to see what they would do. When I 

 had covered about half the distance they began to re- 

 treat, and, even after I had entered thick covert, would 

 not let me get nearer than about thirty yards. Having 

 followed a little further, I picked out and shot a big 

 male, whereupon the whole troop at once decamped at 

 top speed. During a good deal of experience of chasing 

 and capturing baboons, on the part of my assistants and 

 myself, this stands out as the only instance, so far as I 

 know, of their having shown the least disposition 

 actively to resent human interference. 



