NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



to keep carnivorous wild animals from preying on 

 the stock, for the thick mass of prickly pear presents 

 an effectual barrier to the larger carnivora, such as 

 wild dogs, hyaenas, jackals, leopards, and lions. 

 Some of the Voortrekkers planted great broad hedges 

 of this prickly pear round one or more of their stone 

 barns, and when threatened with an attack from the 

 warlike Kafirs, the family, with the servants, retired 

 into this retreat, the entrance being barricaded with 

 a wagon or two, around and under which the thorny 

 branches of the mimosa tree were thrust and secured. 

 From the loft of the barn the cattle and sheep kraals, 

 as well as the dwelling-house, could be commanded. 

 The only weapons in those days were flint-lockguns, 

 which were loaded, as a rule, with heavy-calibre shot, 

 or bits of lead cut in small squares and knov\ai as 

 " slugs." With these the resolute and hardy 

 pioneers of South African civilisation beat off the 

 attacks of bloodthirsty native hordes. 



The prickly pear bears a fruit which is good and 

 wholesome, and the baboons were not long in finding 

 this out. Unfortunately the seeds pass through the 

 alimentary canal unchanged, and in consequence 

 the rocky fastnesses inhabited by the baboons 

 were soon covered with masses of prickly pear 

 bush. In some places the stony slopes of hills 

 are so covered with prickly pear as to be practi- 

 cally impenetrable. 



Although on level ground the baboon can easily 

 be overtaken by dogs, yet on the stony slopes of 



50 



