THE CHACMA. 69 



" The baboon is perfectly aware of the dangerous character of the snake, and when 

 he approaches a clump of bushes for the purpose of feasting upon the young shoots or 

 ripe berries, he invariably peeps suspiciously amongst the underwood in search of his 

 dreaded foe. 



" In consequence of Jacob's detestation of the serpent race, a cruel trick was frequently 

 played upon him, but which was one that gave great amusement. This was to frighten 

 him with a dead snake. 



" Serpents of every description were here very common ; a*nd sometimes when one 

 had been killed, it was laid across a stick and taken towards Jacob. The instant his 

 persecutor came in sight, the snake was sure to be seen ; Jacob would then wrap him- 

 self up in his blanket and turn over an old box, under which he would hide. This re- 

 treat soon failed him, as there was a small knot-hole in the box, through which the tail 

 of the snake was insinuated. 



" Finding that this artifice had failed, he would upset the box, and spring away ; a 

 little dodging would then take place, and Jacob would be hemmed in so that the snake 

 was brought close to him. Then, indeed, things required a desperate remedy, and with 

 great presence of mind, he would seize the tail invariably the tail of the snake, and 

 would fling the reptile to a distance. He would then at once rush towards his perse- 

 cutor, and sit down beside him, as though to intimate that he wished to be friends. 



" There was only one method from which there was no escape ; this was to tie the 

 snake loosely around the upper part of Jacob's chain, and then hold it so that a little 

 shaking caused the reptile to slide towards him. 



" After several jumps and grimaces, he would 'appear to be convinced that escape 

 was useless, and would then resign himself complacently to his fate. 



" Lying down on his side, as though perfectly prepared for the worst, he would re- 

 main as though dead. But as soon as the snake was taken away, the mercurial tem- 

 perament of the creature instantly showed itself ; for he would then jump on the shoul- 

 ders of any person who might happen to be near, and would play off some practical joke 

 as a retaliation. 



" Although evidently alarmed whenever snakes were brought near him, he still ap- 

 peared perfectly to understand that nothing more than a joke was intended. 



" His treatment of small dogs was very quaint. 



" If by chance a young pup came near him, he would seize hold of it and cuddle it 

 in his arms in a most affectionate and maternal way ; not being very particular, how- 

 ever, whether he held the animal by the ear, the tail, or a leg. 



" If the pup, as sometimes happened, objected to this treatment, and endeavored to 

 escape or to misbehave, Jacob would catch hold of its hind leg or tail, and would swing 

 it round at arm's length, and at last fling it from him. 



" The morning of life is decidedly the period of light-heartedness with the baboon ; 

 when the weight of years has been accumulated upon the shoulders of a veteran he 

 becomes staid and philosophic, and sometimes rather quarrelsome, objecting strongly to 

 the presuming manners of his juniors, and taking every opportunity to punish them 

 should they be caught taking liberties with him." 



The Chacma is supposed to be rather a long-lived animal, and with some reason. 

 For although it is not easy to follow the course of a Chacma's existence from birth to 

 death, and there are not as yet any official registers among the quadrumanous tribe, 

 there are certain registers which are written by Nature's hand, and not subject to erasion, 

 forgery, or alteration. One of these official registers, is the proportion that exists be- 

 tween the time which is passed by an animal before it attains its adult state, and the 

 entire term of its life. It is found that the Chacma arrives at its full development at the 

 age of eight or nine years ; and, therefore, its lease of life may be calculated at about 

 forty years. 



The chief, and most legitimate food of this baboon, is the plant which is called from 

 this circumstance, Babiana. It affords a curious example of vegetable life existing under 

 trying circumstances, as it only gets rain for three months in the year ; and during the 

 remainder of the twelvemonth is buried in a soil so parched, that hardly any plant except 

 itself can exist. The portion that is eaten is the thick, round, subterraneous stem, which 



