42 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



whose beaks were of great strength and power. We all 

 swarmed off after her. Even to us rock-climbing folk it 

 was real rough, risky work, climbing up to that eyrie. 

 The eagles saw us coming, and set up a harsh screaming. 

 We heeded them not, but kept on until three of the van- 

 guard reached the ledge. Just as our leader was climbing 

 over, both the eagles swooped down at him. So sudden 

 was the shock he lost his grip, and fell. We watched him 

 till his body smashed with a terrible, sickening thud, at 

 the bottom of the cliff. Before the eagles could rally, we 

 scaled the ledge. Three of us suffered severely from the 

 terrible talons of those two fierce birds, who fought with 

 the greatest fury. However, after a score of us had swarmed 

 on to the ledge, the eagles grew less bold. We then looked 

 around and saw the mother baboon hugging her child to 

 her breast. We looked at it, but it was quite dead. In 

 revenge we killed the two eaglets in the nest, and departed. 

 The broken-hearted mother hugged her little dead child 

 to her bosom for a whole day, refusing to believe it was 

 really dead. When the truth dawned upon her, she 

 allowed us to take it and lay the body in the crevice of a 

 rock, where it was safe from the prowling jackals and the 

 Spotted Hyaenas which then haunted the locality. 



The humanfolk have killed off all the Spotted Hyaenas 

 since. These terrible beasts are now extinct, or nearly so, 

 in South Africa. Remember, please, that when we talk 

 of South Africa we mean that portion of Africa which is 

 south of the Zambesi and Cunene Rivers. 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 



A few years ago, a tribe of wise men came to our country 

 from Britain. They called themselves the British Associa- 

 tion. Most of them had bald heads and grey whiskers. 

 They were very wise men. They travelled right up to the 



