214 A Breath from the Veldt 



a self-conscious dignity that is supremely laughable in such an ignoble- 

 looking fowl. 



Two years previously to my visit hardly a hunter had penetrated down the 

 Nuanetsi, and even now only a bit of the upper portion is known. This is of 

 course on account of the much-dreaded tsetse fly, but now the fly seems to have 

 shifted from a central strip of the river right over to within a day's reach of 

 the Lundi ; and here Van Staden, his cousin Cos, the Basadanotes, Fenter, and 

 Randsberg have hunted for the past two seasons. We are now (22nd June) 

 about as near as we dare go to this pest, being within a day's ride of it, and 

 have spent the day in looking for the big troop of buffalo that are doubtless 

 still here, as we have found where they drank two nights ago. 



Returning this evening along the eastern bank of the river, I saw a lot of 

 Jabiru storks alighting ; and, creeping up the bank well out of sight of the 

 birds, I saw, through a cut running down to the river, a big old male baboon 

 proceeding leisurely along amongst the trees in front of me and presently 

 descending to the water. Then, creeping cautiously on, I got a good view of 

 him, and on parting the grass in front of my face, I saw below me as pretty 

 an African scene as one could wish to come across. In the immediate 

 foreground, not fifty yards away, was a troop of about thirty baboons, whilst 

 beyond them^ — at the water's edge — were about a hundred Jabirus and other 

 storks standing in a long line in most picturesque and graceful attitudes. The 

 setting sun sent a reed of gold along the backs of both birds and beasts, while 

 the surrounding scenery shone forth with hues of gorgeous and ever-changing 

 colour. I had at least ten minutes of this fascinating scene all to myself, till 

 Van Staden, coming up through the trees behind, put both birds and animals 

 to flight. 



Baboons are absurdly human in all their little ways, as one notices more 

 particularly when compared with small bushmen. Here we see the sulky 

 or bad-tempered old man, who gets cross, chattering and showing his teeth 

 when any of the others come too near him ; there two or three boys engaged 

 in a game of romps ; there the attentive mother relieving one of her children 

 from the small and painful adjuncts of forest life, whilst the majority are 

 walking slowly along with their heads down, searching for some beetle or 

 insect that they frequently stop to devour. On the hills they are constantly 

 on the watch ; so unless one comes upon them at a favourable moment like the 

 present, the naturalist would seldom have an opportunity of seeing them 

 without being detected himself The sight of the baboon is marvellously 



