THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 131 



sentries to sound the alarm, if danger should threaten. 

 With all our precautions we are often outwitted. We 

 pride ourselves on our sense of taste and smell, which enables 

 us to detect any berry, fruit, or herb, which is poisonous. 

 We have found we cannot even rely on these powers of ours. 

 You humanfolk chemists have learned even to outwit us in 

 spite of our keen sense of taste and smell ; but all the same, 

 it isn't often you succeed. You have to be very cunning 

 and crafty to deceive us into eating poisoned food. 



A GOOD IDEA 



Do you know what would be a good idea for travellers 

 in the wilds of foreign countries ? They ought to take 

 one of the monkeys of that country with them, and make 

 use of him as a " poison tester." 



Travellers often run short of food. Even when they 

 can manage to kill plenty of animals to furnish them with 

 flesh food, they soon get sick if they cannot get vegetable 

 food or fruit to eat. If the monkey ate any berries, fruits, 

 herbs, or roots offered to him, then it would be quite safe 

 for the travellers to do the same. When a farmer settles 

 for the first time in a new country, he could very soon find 

 out by this means which plants, roots, fruits, &c., were 

 poisonous, and which were good to eat. 



HOW THEY TRIED TO POISON ME 



When I was a child, my mother was shot by a farmer man, 

 and I was taken into slavery. My master was very kind. 

 He used to play with me every day, and bring me all kinds 

 of nice things to eat. He taught me a great number of 

 tricks, and when he had visitors I used to amuse them. 

 My master went away to England, and as he couldn't 

 take me with him, I was given to a friend of his. My new 



