300 FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



through the narrow, winding, rocky valley of the Mensa, I came 

 upon them some time later, this time in the valley itself, just as 

 they were preparing to ascend the rocky wall of the other side to 

 seek safety from such annoying disturbances. A considerable num- 

 ber had already crossed the valley; the majority were in the act of 

 crossing. Our dogs, beautiful, slender greyhounds, accustomed to 

 fight successfully with hyaenas and other beasts of prey, rushed 

 towards the baboons, which, from a distance, looked more like beasts 

 of prey than monkeys, and drove them hastily up the precipices to 

 right and left. But only the females took to flight; the males, on 

 the other hand, turned to face the dogs, growled, beat the ground 

 fiercely with their hands, opened their mouths wide and showed 

 their glittering teeth, and looked at their adversaries so furiously 

 and maliciously that the hounds, usually bold and battle-hardened, 

 shrank back discomfited, and almost timidly sought safety beside 

 us. Before we had succeeded in stirring them up to show fight, 

 the position of the monkeys had changed considerably, and when 

 the dogs charged a second time nearly all the herd were in safety. 

 But one little monkey about half a year old had been left behind. 

 It shrieked loudly as the dogs rushed towards it, but succeeded in 

 gaining the top of a rock before they had arrived. Our dogs placed 

 themselves cleverly, so as to cut off its retreat, and we hoped that 

 we might be able to catch it. But that was not to be. Proudly 

 and with dignity, without hurrying in the least, or paying any heed 

 to us, an old male stepped down from the security of the rocks 

 towards the hard-pressed little one, walked towards the dogs with- 

 out betraying the slightest fear, held them in check with glances, 

 gestures, and quite intelligible sounds, slowly climbed the rock, 

 picked up the baby-monkey, and retreated with it, before we could 

 reach the spot, and without the visibly disconcerted dogs making 

 the slightest attempt to prevent him. While the patriarch of the 

 troop performed this brave and self-sacrificing deed, the other mem- 

 bers, densely crowded on the cliff, uttered sounds which I had never 

 before heard from baboons. Old and young, males and females, 

 roared, screeched, snarled, and bellowed all together, so that one 

 would have thought they were struggling with leopards or other 



