THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 105 



got lots of grey matter covering our brains, which makes 

 us observant and highly intelligent. Just a little more 

 of this wonderful grey matter in our brains and we should 

 be as clever as you humanfolk. 



ORDER AND DISCIPLINE 



Don't you imagine for one moment that we baboonfolk 

 just live together in clans for company only, and that we 

 are a mob, each acting entirely on his own. There is a 

 perfect system of o*der and discipline in each clan, to 

 disobey which swift and sure punishment follows. There 

 is always one or more chiefs to each clan, according to its 

 size. If the clan be large there may be six or more. They 

 are always easily recognised by their long, shaggy hair, 

 which is usually turning grey. Sometimes chiefs of clans 

 can be seen who are almost white with age. The leaders 

 have their captains and lieutenants, to whom they issue 

 their orders, who in turn pass those orders on to those under 

 them, until the rank and file have been informed, just as 

 you do with your soldiers. I shouldn't be at all surprised 

 if you humanfolk first cribbed these ideas from us. We 

 didn't from you, that's a certainty, because our folk inhabited 

 the earth long before your race appeared. The orders are 

 given by words, gestures, and contortions. Our language 

 is quite unknown to you, and when we shout our warnings 

 and signals, or talk together, you simply say that we bark, 

 growl, scream, and jabber. We could say just the same of 

 you folk. The sounds you make appear to us very much 

 as our language does to you. There are a good number 

 of rules amongst us which form our code of honour. It is 

 not often any of us break any of those rules, for the punish- 

 ment meted out is very severe — often the death penalty. 



We always lay our plans beforehand. When we con- 

 template raiding a mealie field, or making a march to some 



