46 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



of enjoying themselves too freely ; and the so-called enjoy- 

 ment is very often evil and sinful, and of course these 

 habits build and fashion their characters, and they grow 

 up with weakened brains and diseased bodies, and do much 

 evil in the world by setting a bad example to others ; and 

 by not doing those things which they ought to do, and 

 leaving undone those things it is their duty to do. 



Bother it all. I didn't mean to moralise when I started 

 to tell my story, but sometimes my feelings overcome me 

 when I ponder over the evils and the sin and the misery, 

 which could be largely avoided, if we would only be less 

 selfish, and work more for the good of the whole tribe, 

 instead of just for ourselves. We baboonfolk, I know, are 

 selfish in many ways, but you see you have bigger and 

 better brains, and know more than we poor primitive folk. 

 We nearly always do what our limited brains tell us is right 

 and proper, and if we make mistakes, it is because we don't 

 know any better. But it is different with you humanfolk, 

 for a great number of you do evil things knowing them to 

 be wrong, and yet you go on all your lives doing what 

 you know and understand to be selfish, sinful, and bad. 



SCARED OFF THE WOMENFOLK 



The Boer farmer-man, whom I was talking about just 

 now, was in the habit of riding off to a distant village with 

 his sons every now and then. The Hottentot menfolk 

 drove the cattle over a distant hill into a belt of bush-veld, 

 where there was plenty of food and water for them. The 

 women and children were left alone at the Homestead. 



When we saw the menfolk go away, we were not so 

 afraid, and would come down the rocks and watch the women- 

 folk cutting up apples, peaches, pumpkins, beans, and all 

 kinds of things, which they dried and stored away for use 

 during the winter months. We used to wonder what they 



