THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 59 



After a few more such trifling incidents, my master's 

 good lady declared I must be chained up all the time, 

 except when somebody was specially looking after me. 



A BABOON VOERLOOPER 



As time went by, I grew big and strong. My master 

 said I was now too big for the children to play with, and 

 that I must make myself useful. He said that when he 

 was in the Transvaal he was staying at the farmstead of a 

 Back-veld Boer. That crafty Dutchman had trained one 

 of our folk to lead a span of oxen. My master said he would 

 make me do likewise. He did. It didn't take long to train 

 me. I very soon learned by watching the small Kafir boys 

 leading the oxen. So I became a professional voerlooper. 

 A voerlooper is a leader of a team of oxen. There is a 

 touw of softened ox-hide, the ends of which are fastened to 

 the heads of the two leading oxen of the team. The voer- 

 looper holds this touw in the centre, and leads the oxen 

 wherever the driver-man directs him. 



My master taught me the meaning of various signs and 

 words, so that when we came to any branch road he would 

 tell me by a sign or a certain word whether to keep straight 

 on or turn. I knew ever so many signals and sounds so 

 that I could stop the team, make them trot, go slow, turn, 

 make a wide detour, and many other things, just by sign or 

 word from my master. 



I rather liked this life. It was so free. As a rule, I held 

 the touw between my teeth. When I tired of that way, 

 I held it with one hand, and hobbled comfortably along on 

 a hand and two legs. We baboonfolk can walk on our hind 

 legs alone, but not for far at a time. We are just learning. 

 By-and-by we may be able to do so, like you humanfolk. 

 Some of our cousins, who are called gorillas and chimpanzees, 



