THE BABOONS 243 



and are fully alive to the ease with which, in 

 comparison with the former, the latter may be 

 stampeded and driven off. It is incontestable 

 that native women hold baboons in the strongest 

 detestation and terror, and various scarcely 

 credible stories are related of the boldness of these 

 animals when women have been reduced through 

 fear to helplessness. Personally I incline strongly 

 to the view that the baboon's one object in de- 

 monstrating before native women is to possess 

 himself less of the affrighted female than of any 

 small articles of an edible character she may have 

 in her possession at the time, and I have never 

 heard an authenticated case of the animal having 

 occasioned her further cause for reproach, if one 

 except a severe fright into the bargain. Still, 

 however improbable the belief in the designs 

 which baboons are said to have upon native 

 women and girls, it has gained such ground as to 

 have obtained practically universal belief. 



The intelligence of the chacma is extra- 

 ordinary, and whilst young they make most 

 amusing companions. Very affectionate, and 

 with a perfect memory for acts of kindness and 

 the reverse, they frequently form a strong attach- 

 ment for their masters which does not altogether 

 fade on the arrival of the deeper preoccupations 

 of maturity. The same is no doubt true of the 

 yellow variety. 



At my consular post at Mozambique I had for 

 more than a year led a quiet life of unbroken 

 peace — ^unbroken that is save for the periodical 

 attacks of fever by which that unhappy island is 



