NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



ceased to chatter in a threatening way. Her face 

 relaxed, softened, and she gazed at her enemies 

 with a piteous expression in her eyes, meanwhile 

 giving vent to a succession of low mutterings which 

 sounded sad and plaintive. It was evident she was 

 appealing to the higher emotions of her enemies. 



Tears gathered in my eyes, and a lump seemed to 

 rise in my throat, and I turned and walked away, 

 unable to bear the sight, for I knew the most merci- 

 ful thing to do was to put her out of her misery. We 

 took the terror-stricken, wizen-faced babe from her 

 dead body, and wended our way back to the home- 

 stead, feeling mean and guilty. There was no 

 rejoicing over our victory at the breakfast table. 

 Each of us still seemed to see the face of that dying 

 mother monkey, and hear her plaintive voice begging 

 for the life of her child. 



It seems an outrage on the part of Nature on our 

 higher feelings, in fact on all that is human in us, to 

 be compelled at times to slay without mercy various 

 forms of the lower animals, which, according to the 

 findings of modern men of science, are examples of 

 the stock from which we have sprung, being after all 

 our humble relatives, who do but seek to carry out 

 the mission for which they were evolved. 



However, it is necessary at times to sternly sup- 

 press all sentiment, unless we desire to retire from 

 the face of the earth, and give it over to sub-human 

 forms of life. 



So long as monkeys live far away from the habita- 

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