THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 97 



touch the ground with their hands to help them along. 

 Have you ever seen them scrambling up a rocky hill ? 

 Well, if you had, then you would have said that you couldn't 

 tell them from baboonfolk, because they climbed and 

 scrambled along exactly as we do. We have a habit of 

 showing our delight, our anger or vexation, by moving our 

 ears, raising and lowering the skin covering our heads, and 

 by doing so we make what you call grimaces. The Bushmen- 

 folk do just the same. I don't mean the half-caste yellow 

 people whom you often call Bushmen, I mean the real 

 true Bushmen, who are the descendants of the wild cave- 

 men who came long ages and ages ago from Europe. Then 

 again these Bushmen's habits were just like ours. They lived 

 in crevices and caves, they all lay huddled up inside, and 

 hke us, when it was daylight they crept forth and went 

 out to look for food. When they had satisfied their appe- 

 tites, they lay and basked in the sun, while their youngsters 

 romped about amongst the rocks, just the same as ours do. 

 There were only a few things they could do which we 

 couldn't. They were able to chip pieces of stone and use 

 them as weapons, and they were able to make the skins 

 of animals soft, and wear them to keep themselves warm. 

 After all, that isn't much. It's because their brains are 

 bigger than ours, that's all. 



SNAKES 



We baboonfolk, like you humanfolk, are dreadfully 

 afraid of snakes. We learned long ages ago that they had 

 the power to kill us in some mysterious way, by just giving 

 us a small bite. I remember once we had a cosy cave 

 where about fifteen of us dwelt. It was down near the 

 bottom of a krantz, and there was a sort of ledge leading 

 along to it. One night we had all retired to rest, and were 

 sleeping soundly, when in my sleep I happened to move. 



G 



