THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 137 



to have a look at him, and stuffed him with sweets, fruit, 

 and cake. 



One day a group of those weak, flat-chested, pale-faced 

 humanfolk youths, who stunt their growth and poison 

 their brains and bodies by smoking cigarettes, and actually 

 inhaling the smoke into their lungs, strolled into the museum. 

 One of them, who thought himself very clever, gave the 

 monkey a cigarette, which he chewed up and swallowed. 

 About an hour afterwards he got convulsions and suffered 

 agonies of pain for nearly a day, and then died. 



HOW WE SCARED A TENDERFOOT 



He was a young man fresh from England. The colonial 

 humanfolk couldn't teach him anything — not they. He 

 knew how to stalk game, and was prepared to face anything 

 living. He wasn't going to be scared by the tales which 

 colonials told him of the fierce Black Mamba snakes, and 

 the various wild creatures of veld, forest, and mountain. He 

 had quite a passion for scouting around with his gun. One 

 day I spied him meandering along the bank of the Umgeni 

 River in Natal. The banks were densely wooded, the trees 

 being thick and tall with their tops matted with creepers, 

 which you call " monkey ropes." I passed the word along 

 to the rest of the tribe, who were busy gathering berries. 

 About two hundred of us gathered together, and when 

 the tenderfoot came along to the river's edge, at the oppo- 

 site side to where we were, we suddenly sprang forward, 

 yelling at him in monkey language, raising and lowering 

 our brows, and showing our brilliant white teeth. The 

 sight of such a host of grinning, jet-black faces, peering at 

 him from the gloom, struck terror to his heart. Presently 

 he came to his senses, and dropping his gun, he rushed 

 madly away. We climbed to the tree tops, and watched 



