66 THE CHACMA. 





amusement to its master and those around it. Not only for amusement, however, is 

 this animal detained in captivity, but its delicate natural instincts are sometimes enlisted 

 in the service of its master. It displays great ability in discovering the various roots 

 and tubers on which it feeds, and which can also be used as food for man ; and in 

 digging like Caliban, with his long nails, pignuts. 



A more important service is often rendered by this animal than even the procuration 

 of food ; and that is, the hunting for, and almost unfailing discovery of water. 



In the desert life, water loses its character of a luxury, and becomes a dread neces- 

 sity ; its partial deficiency giving birth to fearful sufferings, while its total deprivation, 

 even for a day or two, causes inevitable death. The fiery sun of the tropical regions, 

 and the arid, scorching atmosphere, absorb every particle of moisture from the body, 

 and cause a constant desire to supply the unwonted waste with fresh material, exactly 

 where such a supply is least attainable. 



Among these climates, the want of a proper supply of water is soon felt, the longing 

 for the cool element becomes a raging madness ; the scorched and hardened lips refuse 

 their office, and the tongue rattles uselessly in the mouth, as if both tongue and palate 

 were cut out of dried wood. 



The value of any means by which such sufferings can be alleviated is incalculable ; 

 and the animal of which we are speaking is possessed of this priceless faculty. 



When the water begins to run short, and the known fountains have failed, as is too 

 often the sad hap of these desert wells, fortunate is the man who owns a tame Chacma, 

 or " Bavian," as it is called. The animal is first deprived of water for a whole day, 

 until it is furious with thirst, which is increased by giving it salt provisions, or putting 

 salt into its mouth. This apparent cruelty is, however, an act of true mercy, as on the 

 Chacma may depend the existence of itself and the whole party. 



A long rope is now tied to the baboon's collar, and it is suffered to run about wher- 

 ever it chooses, the rope being merely used as a means to prevent the animal from get- 

 ting out of sight. The baboon now assumes the leadership of the band, and becomes 

 the most important personage of the party. 



First it runs forward a little, then stops ; gets on its hind feet, and sniffs up the air, 

 especially taking notice of the wind and its direction. It will then, perhaps, change the 

 direction of its course ; and after running for some distance take another observation. 

 Presently it will spy out a blade of grass or similar object, pluck it up, turn it on all 

 sides, smell it, and then go forward again. And thus the animal proceeds until it leads 

 the party to water ; guided by some mysterious instinct which appears to be totally 

 independent of reasoning, and which loses its powers in proportion as reason gains 

 dominion. 



The curious employment of the animal for the discovery of water, is mentioned by 

 Captain Drayson, R.A., in his interesting work, " Sporting Scenes among the Kaffirs of 

 South Africa." In the course of the same work he gives many life-like illustrations of 

 baboon habits, whether wild or tame. 



Of the daily life of the baboons, the following affords a graphic and amusing 

 description. 



" During the shooting trip with the Eoers, I awoke before daybreak, and as-I felt very 

 cold and not inclined to sleep, I got up, and taking my gun, walked to a little ravine, 

 out of which a clear, murmuring stream flashed in the moonlight, and ran close past 

 our out-span. A little distance up this kloof, the fog was dense and thick ; the blue 

 and pink streaks of the morning light were beginning to illuminate the peaks of the 

 Draakensberg, but all immediately around us still acknowledged the supremacy of the 

 pale moonlight. I wanted to see the sun rise in this lonely region, and watch the 

 changing effects which its arrival would produce on the mountains and plains around. 



" Suddenly I heard a hoarse cough, and on turning, saw indistinctly in the fog a queer 

 little old man standing near, and looking at me. I instinctively cocked my gun, as the 

 idea of bushmen and poisoned arrows flashed across my mind. The old man instantly 

 dropped on his hands ; giving another hoarse cough, that evidently told a tale of consump- 

 tive-lungs ; he snatched up something beside him, which seemed to leap on his shoulders, 

 and then he scampered off up the ravine on all-fours. Before half this performance was 



