THE CAPE BABOON OR BAVIAN 



the air and shouting excitedly, failed to hear our 

 shouts of warning, or else his pony had got out of 

 hand. Anyway, as we were reining up we saw him 

 dash headlong amongst the baboons and heard the 

 report of his gun, and a moment later both he and 

 his pony shot out into space over the edge of the 

 krantz and were smashed upon the rocks in the 

 gorge far below. 



Within a few yards of the bodies of man and horse, 

 the dead body of a large male baboon was found. It 

 was evident the ape had come in contact with the 

 horse at the edge of the cliff and been hurled over ; 

 but whether it was accidentally ridden into or had 

 sought to bar the way we knew not, as our attention 

 at the time had been concentrated on the horse and 

 its rider rushing to what we knew was certain death. 

 One day the overseer of a farm in the Graaff 

 Reinet district went to the veld, leaving the bottom 

 half of the door of his cottage bolted, and the top 

 half open. During his absence a troop of baboons 

 came from the mountain, and, with characteristic 

 curiosity, examined the premises, and finally began 

 hopping over the half-door into the house. At this 

 stage it is presumed some old " mannetje," more 

 clumsy than the rest, must have slammed to the 

 upper half, or perhaps it was the wind. Anyway, 

 twelve or fifteen baboons suddenly found them- 

 selves shut up in the house, and then the trouble 

 began. In leaping up the walls in their terror and 

 excitement they completely wrecked the interior, 



35 



