58 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



Well, it doesn't do when you live with humanfolk, because 

 they keep so many wonderful things which break easily. 



SOME OF MY DOINGS 



One day I was spying around when the children were 

 busy with their governess. I smelt a delightful smell, 

 which made me really hungry. I traced the smell to the 

 kitchen, and soon found it came from a pot on the stove. 

 I couldn't get a peep into the pot anyhow, because the 

 stove was hot and burned me when I put my hand upon it. 

 Seeing a handle sticking out, I hopped up, thinking it would 

 support me. Well, it seems that handle belonged to the 

 saucepan, and of course the pot overbalanced and toppled 

 over. It contained a stew, and the simmering stuff gushed 

 out all over the stove and down to the floor. Some splashed 

 on to me, but not very much I am glad to say. What 

 did fall on me was quite sufficient, for three or four big 

 patches of hair came off, and the places were raw and sore 

 for two weeks afterwards. 



I often used to see the lady of the house pour a lot of 

 milk into a big pan and set it on a shelf. Then, next day, 

 she would skim a lot of yellow stuff ofi it. It sorely puzzled 

 me to know how that yellow stuff came to gather on the 

 milk. Besides, I had tasted some one day, and it was 

 dehcious. Perhaps that was what really prompted me to 

 do what I did. When the folk were at their breakfast, I 

 climbed the shelf and sat on the rim of the dish. Just as 

 I leaned down to have a closer view of the yeUow cream, 

 and I suppose to lick some of it, my weight tipped the dish. 

 To prevent myself falling, I leaned farther forward, but 

 the extra weight and push on the rim made matters worse, 

 for the whole dish of milk tilted forward and drenched me 

 from the head to the tip of my tail. Of course I fell with 

 a crash to the floor, with the pan and the milk. 



