NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



was wounded also succeeded in gaining the edge 

 and disappeared ; but the other which had collided 

 with the horse lay dazed and was killed before it 

 could regain consciousness. Knowing the cliff at 

 this spot was a thousand feet or more in height 

 and quite perpendicular, we felt assured the troop 

 of baboons were lurking amongst the boulders, or 

 the scrubby tufts of bush at the extreme edge of 

 the cliff ; so we approached very cautiously, but 

 not a baboon was to be seen. Surely, we thought, 

 the crippled baboon could not have climbed down 

 that terrible krantz, for one of its arms had been 

 broken ; but it, too, was gone. Lying flat on our 

 stomachs we peered down that awful precipice, 

 expecting to see some of the baboons still climbing, 

 but all was still — every ape had vanished. 



We acknowledged ourselves beaten— yes, badly 

 beaten. The horse had broken its neck, and our 

 friend lay stunned and covered with cuts and bruises. 



On another occasion a farmer friend in Natal, 

 who had been driven to desperation by the raids 

 of a troop of baboons on his crops, organised a 

 hunt. There were several of us mounted, includ- 

 ing three Kafirs on absurdly small, but tough and 

 wiry ponies. We had planned to cut off the troop 

 from their sanctuary, but failed. 



We essayed to run them down before they could 

 reach the edge of a krantz for which they were making. 

 One of the Kafirs, who had galloped some distance 

 ahead of us, and who was brandishing his gun in 



34 



