THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA ii 



our arms round each other to keep ourselves warm. We 

 love to bask in the sun on the rocks, and watch our youngsters 

 playing games. They often play practical jokes, just as 

 your children do. Sometimes when their jokes lead to 

 pulling and biting our tails or rolling boulders down on us, 

 we just lay them over our knees and give them a good 

 spanking. 



Our womenfolk look after their babies far better than 

 many of your humanfolk mothers do. Our women won't 

 let their babies out of their sight for an instant, until they 

 are many months old. For the first three or four months 

 the mother hugs her child to her breast, nearly all the time. 

 If it is ill, she croons, and comforts it with endearing 

 caresses. 



A MOTHER'S AFFECTION 



One day I was sitting on top of a boulder on a cliff, 

 carelessly watching two of our womenkind with their babies 

 in their arms, gathering berries from a bush, away at the 

 bottom of the cliff. Suddenly two Cape hunting dogs 

 sprang from the dense undergrowth at them. There 

 wasn't time to retreat up the cliff, hampered as they were 

 with their babies. Quick as thought, one of the mothers 

 passed her child over her shoulder into the arms of the other 

 mother, who kept well to the rear. Freed of her charge, 

 she boldly faced her enemies and showed such a bold front 

 that they were cowed. Presently, however, two more of 

 these terrible wild dogs joined the others, and all four 

 made a sudden onslaught, and the heroic mother was soon 

 torn to pieces. Whilst the battle was going on the other 

 mother-baboon made good her escape. She adopted the 

 little orphan and reared it, as well as her own. 



Although these wild dogs are large and powerful, they 

 are cowardly beasts, and never dared attack us when we were 



