68 



THE CHACMA. 



then chucked the delinquent over his shoulder, and continued his promenade with the 

 greatest coolness : this old baboon was evidently acquainted with the practical details 

 of Solomon's proverb. 



" A crowd gathered round the naughty child, who, childlike, seeing commiseration, 

 shrieked all the louder. I even fancied I could see the angry glances of the mamma, 

 as she took her dear little pet in her arms and removed it from a repetition of such 

 brutal treatment." 



One of these animals, personally known to Captain Drayson, was a great practical 

 jester, and was fond of terrifying the Kaffir women by rushing at them open-mouthed, 

 catching them by their ankles, and mowing at them with extravagant grimaces, as if he 

 meant to eat them up bodily. Sometimes a dog would be set at him while thus employed, 

 and change the aspect of affairs in a moment. The pursuer then became the pursued, 

 and quitting his prey, made for the nearest tree, up which he scuttled, and settled him- 

 self among the branches just so high as to be out of reach of the dog's jaws, and just 

 so low as to give hopes of success by a higher than ordinary leap. There he would sit 

 as if there were no such being in the world as a dog, and giving himself up to the con- 

 templation of the surrounding scenery, or the aspect of the sky, would leisurely pursue 

 his train of thought until the dog was tired and went away. 



His keenness of sight was remarkable, his eyes possessing powers of distant vision 

 that rivalled the telescope. 



In order to prove the powers of the creature's sight, his master made several experi- 

 ments, by going to so great a distance that the baboon perched on its pole was barely 

 perceptible to the naked eye, and from thence producing sundry distortions of counte- 

 nance, and strange attitudes of body. By looking through a telescope, he was able to see 

 that the animal was not only capable of discerning and imitating his gestures, but even 

 the very changes of countenance ; so that a grimace on the part of the gallant owner 

 was immediately reproduced, or rather, represented by a grin on the part of the baboon. 



There is a well-known story of a monkey who literally " plucked a crow " which had 

 been in the habit of stealing his food, and curiously enough, the scene was re-enacted 

 by this very animal, with the exception of one or two slight differences. 



He was chained to the pole because he was rather too mischievous to be left entirely 

 at liberty. He had been already detected in eating a box of wafers, studying practically 

 the interior construction of a watch, and drinking a bottle of ink in this last exploit 

 displaying similar tastes with the siamang described on p. 32 of this volume. His age 

 was only two years at the time when the account of his performances was written. 



Captain Drayson has very kindly furnished me with the following original anecdotes 

 of this tame Chacma : 



" A young baboon which had been reared by his owner from infancy resided for some 

 months near my tent, and often served to while away an idle hour. 



" Sometimes a stout earthen pot, which had just been emptied of its contents of good 

 English jam, was submitted to the mercy of ' Jacob,' as this animal was named. The 

 neck of the pot would not admit even a hand to be inserted, and it was most amusing to 

 watch the manoeuvres which were practised to procure some of the remnants of the 

 sweets. If a stick were near, the jam was scooped out ; but if not, the pot was elevated 

 high above Jacob's head, and then flung to the ground with great force. 



" The earthen pot was stout and strong ; but upon one occasion, by good luck, the pot 

 struck a stone, and was fractured. Great was the delight of Jacob, but not unmixed with 

 suspicion ; for he appeared to think that the bystanders had been merely waiting to 

 take advantage of his skill in projectiles, and that they would now purloin his frag- 

 ments. Cramming his pouches full of bits of the jam-pot, he then seized the largest 

 remaining piece and retreated to the top of his pole to enjoy the licking. 



" He was always fully occupied for some hours after these feats ; for the jam adhered 

 to his body, and he had to contort himself to lick off all the particles. 



" There is almost as much expression in the tail of a baboon, as there is in his 

 face. The alteration of the curve in whch it is usually carried, or the lowering of 

 this appendage, having a special meaning, according to the character of the 

 individual. 



