THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 33 



wild animals of South Africa were exhibited, with large 

 labels telling all about their ways and habits. Lantern 

 lectures would be given in the Feather Market. Educational 

 material of all sorts was laid out on large tables, and dozens 

 of school-teachers and other wise folk would give lectures 

 on the specimens or models before them in all parts of the 

 buildings. Every popular night was different. There was 

 always something new and interesting. The people of 

 Port Elizabeth used to flock to these popular nights in thou- 

 sands. I remember one night I was carefully wrapped up 

 in a shawl and carried away up the street. I felt angry, 

 because I was frightfully hungry, for I hadn't had food 

 since breakfast time. I soon knew why. My little girl- 

 nurse carried me into the Feather Market, took off my 

 shawl, and dumped me down on a table on the platform. 

 I looked up. What a sight it was. The great hall was 

 packed full, and people were standing all around the sides 

 as close as sardines in a tin. 



My nurse presently brought my sucking bottle and 

 handed it over to me. I hugged it to my breast, and put 

 the teat in my mouth and had a good drink. Then a rude 

 man came and took my bottle away and held it up out of 

 my reach. Of course I screamed just like a humanfolk 

 baby would if you snatched his bottle from him when he 

 was hungry. The people yelled with laughter. Some 

 nearly got hysterics. I don't know why they laughed. It 

 wasn't a laughing matter to me. I was downright angry, 

 and in monkey language I spoke very plainly what I thought. 



The people thought it so wonderful that I should be so 

 much like a human baby. If I did cry and suck my bottle 

 and kick and look like a human baby, I had more sense than 

 one of them of my own age anyway. We baboon babies 

 grow wise and can help ourselves ever so much quicker 

 than the children of the humanfolk. When the humanfolk 

 are still going to school, we are full-grown. 



c 



