6 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



before he can reach the women and children. Great 

 battles are often fought between our strong warrior baboons 

 and hungry leopards. You see, a leopard, unless very 

 hungry, is afraid to tackle our fighting men, who have big 

 sharp yellow tusks, which they know how to use too. 



BATTLES WITH LEOPARDS 



But when he is pressed by hunger, the leopard becomes 

 reckless. One day I had a terrible battle with a leopard. 

 I was digging up a bulb, when all of a sudden a large 

 leopard leapt right on top of me. He seized me by the 

 back of the neck, but fortunately my mane was thick and 

 long, so he didn't injure my backbone. I grappled with 

 him, and we struggled and tumbled over and over, until 

 at last, when I was almost exhausted by loss of blood, I 

 managed to grip his throat, and with one last great effort 

 I tore out his windpipe, and, with a leap into the air, he 

 died. I was bitten and scratched all over, and even to-day 

 I have several scars where the hair refuses to grow. 



Once a leopard made an attack on a troop of baboons 

 to which I belonged. The leopard seized one of our 

 children, but before he could bound off with it, the little 

 one's mother grasped the bloodthirsty pirate by the hind 

 leg, and held on, shrieking for help all the time. All the 

 big warriors of the tribe instantly rushed to her aid, and 

 packed on to the leopard. There was a terrible fight, 

 for the leopard was strong, his teeth were large and sharp, 

 and his claws tore our skins dreadfully. At last we killed 

 him, and tore his body to pieces in our rage. One of our 

 best warrior baboons, however, lay dead, for the leopard 

 had torn his bowels out with his fearful hind claws, as he 

 lay on his back and fought. Another warrior died three 

 weeks later of wounds received in this fight. 



