THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 109 



at least ten of you humanfolk. When we get ill from any 

 cause we cease to eat food until we are better. We have 

 a sort of sense or instinct which prompts us not to eat when 

 we feel ill. 



It doesn't do us a bit of harm to drop twenty or even 

 thirty feet to the ground. I remember one night near 

 Graaff Reinet, the farmerfolk surrounded our home and 

 made an attack upon us at daylight. Many of us were shot 

 down, but a good number escaped by rolling down the 

 sloping krantz, or dropping from ledges to the ground, 

 thirty feet below. If there should happen to be clumps of 

 creeper-covered trees below, we don't hesitate to make 

 a drop of at least fifty feet. When we fall we just let our- 

 selves go all of a lump, like a drunken man. One reason 

 why you humanfolk get so dreadfully hurt when you fall 

 even a short distance, is that you stiffen every muscle. 



A PAINFUL SIGHT 



Three times I have escaped from the farmerfolk who 

 sought to kill us by surrounding our home in the krantz 

 during the night time. My clan had made several raids 

 upon the various farmers' vineyards. These long rows of 

 grape vines, laden with delicious grapes, which spread out 

 for miles all over the country, were altogether too tempting 

 for us poor weak baboonfolk to resist. We planned our 

 raids so carefully that the farmerfolk were quite outwitted. 

 We had changed our home to a far-distant krantz, and 

 thought ourselves safe from attack. These farmer fellows, 

 however, came scouting and spying around, and found 

 out a way to attack us. Anyway, one morning we looked 

 out from our crevices and rock shelters to find the farmerfolk 

 on the watch below and above. Some of them crept up a 

 stony kopje opposite, and began to take pot shots at us. 

 A few of our number were able to squeeze themselves out 



