THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 135 



Four months later she again visited my master's house. 

 Thinking I had forgotten her she advanced with some 

 bananas. I went forward meekly, pretending I was very 

 pleased and thankful for her kindness, when, with a spring 

 I alighted on her breast, and before she could escape I 

 gave her a severe bite, and tore her nice silk blouse to 

 ribbons. My master came out and thrashed me with a 

 whip, which I thought was very unjust of him. 



A HAUNTED FOREST 



I am one of the clan of blue apes who live in the thick 

 thorny bush of the low range of hills which run from the 

 sea, away out Uitenhage direction in the Eastern Province 

 of the Cape Colony. There are a lot of farmerfolk out 

 there, and as food is rather scarce and unpalatable we help 

 ourselves to the farmers' mealies and other crops. We love 

 mealies, and risk death to get them. 



One day there was great excitement in our tribe. A 

 most remarkable thing had occurred. A baby was born, 

 and it was white. Yes, true enough, its skin was pinkish- 

 white and its hair was pure white, except for two or three 

 patches of monkey colour. This white monkey-fellow grew 

 up to manhood, and was a source of terror to the human- 

 folk. A jolly old farmer was riding home from the great 

 Agricultural Show in Port Elizabeth late one evening. 

 Hearing a rustle in the trees ahead, he saw a white form 

 flitting about in the moonlight. Putting spurs to his horse 

 he made for home. When he arrived there, he called for 

 brandy to revive him, and a brush to smooth down the 

 hair which was standing up like bristles on his head. Then 

 he told how he had seen a ghost — a real genuine ghost. 

 His family pretended to believe him, but they winked at 

 each other, for they knew he had been all day in town 

 at the show amongst his cronies, and had been indulging 



