THE CAPE BABOON OR BAVIAN 



were absent, the women would turn out, and with 

 shouts and yells, and the waving of blankets, en- 

 deavour to drive off the robbers. In these in- 

 stances, although they always retreated, yet they 

 did so in a very leisurely manner, and if a dog was 

 bold enough to attempt to come to close quarters 

 it quickly lost its life. 



It does not take the baboons long to find out that 

 there is little or nothing to fear from native women, 

 whose only weapons are their tongues. 



Advantage was taken of this fact by a farmer 

 acquaintance of mine. It seems when he and his 

 two sons rode forth to superintend operations on 

 distant portions of the farm, the baboons from some 

 neighbouring wooded krantzes took advantage of 

 the fact to rob the orchard, which was some little 

 distance from the homestead. They heeded not the 

 cries of the lady of the house and her two Hottentot 

 women servants. In fact after a time they became 

 quite threatening in their demeanour, and actually 

 chased the women. A trap was laid. The farmer 

 and his two sons dressed themselves in the women's 

 clothes, and the women donned the men's attire 

 and rode away. After about half an hour the 

 troop of baboons came scrambling down from their 

 rocky retreat. The three men, who had their breech- 

 loading guns concealed in the folds of their ample 

 skirts, advanced, shouting shrilly, and casting stones 

 after the manner of women. Getting within short 

 range, the three opened fire, selecting the big shaggy 



43 



