74 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



the rocky kloofs, or to the pools for water, without the escort 

 of a man or a boy armed with a gun. 



The Kafir women we utterly despise, and when they go 

 down to the springs for water we frequently chase them. 

 Their screams, however, soon attract the men, who come 

 rushing up with their terrible assegais and kerries. 



We are beginning to get rather afraid of the white 

 womenfolk, because we have found out they are not all 

 harmless. Some of them are bold and daring, and even 

 venture out after us with guns. 



One day we got a terrible fright. Two white women- 

 folk, whom we had badly frightened one day when they 

 were gathering wild flowers, which are so plentiful and so 

 beautiful in our country, came again down the valley. They 

 sat down upon a carpet of soft green grass by a sparkling 

 spring, and began reading books. We stole along the edge 

 of the krantz, and silently climbed down, hiding as much 

 as possible behind boulders. Then, suddenly advancing 

 out into the open, we set up a chorus of barks, and shouted 

 all-* kinds of annoying things in baboon language. In an 

 instant the books were dropped, and with feelings of horror 

 we caught the glint of the shiny barrels of two rifles. We 

 scrambled off to the nearest shelter, but these womenfolk 

 opened fire, and continued making targets of our folk until 

 we had climbed right round the corner of the krantz. Two 

 of our folk were killed, and three were wounded, one of 

 whom died two days later. Never again did we take any 

 liberties with the white womenfolk. We baboonfolk often 

 wonder why the white womenfolk are so stupid as not to 

 learn how to use those dreaded guns and pistols which 

 wise men have made. I am perfectly sure if we knew how 

 to make such weapons, or could get them and learn how to 

 use them we would teach every one of our womenfolk, and 

 even our boys and girls, how to handle them. 



