32 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



peevish. So they sent me in a little box to the Port Eliza- 

 beth museum. The man at the museum took me out and 

 handed me over to one of my tribe, whom he had at the 

 museum in a cage. She was one of our girlfolk, and was 

 about half-grown. She hugged, caressed, and crooned over 

 me, and nursed me all day long. When night time came, 

 she cuddled me close to her breast and folded her loving 

 arms round me to prevent me from getting cold. Three 

 times every day a man came with a baby's sucking bottle 

 and fed me. I soon grew strong and well, because you see 

 the museum man knows how to feed animals, and doesn't 

 ruin their health by giving them food at all times. 



There were two other girl baboons in the cage, and they 

 began to grow jealous, and wanted to take a turn at nursing 

 me, but my foster-mother wouldn't let them even touch 

 me. They became very abusive, and used to say all kinds 

 of nasty things to her, but she paid no heed to them. Then 

 they began to annoy me. They would pull my tail, pinch 

 me, cuff me, and even bite me whenever I left my nurse 

 and began to play about. My nurse did all she could to 

 protect me, but there were two against her. 



One day the museum man took me away and handed me 

 over to a humanfolk lady who said she would rear me. She 

 took me to her home. I grieved for a good while for my 

 kind and affectionate nurse, but this lady was so kind, that 

 I soon felt quite happy. She had some little brothers, 

 and they and the neighbours' children used to nurse and 

 amuse me all day long. 



A POPULAR NIGHT 



At the Port Elizabeth museum, they used to give what 

 they called " Museum Popular Nights." The huge Feather 

 Market, the Morning Market, and balconies were decorated 

 with hundreds of flags and foliage. Different kinds of live 



