THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 151 



What's the good of constantly grumbling and comparing 

 our lot with that of others. We ought just to make the 

 best of what blessings we have. Most of us don't know 

 how well off we are until we lose some of the things we have 

 through our carelessness and discontent. I could tell you 

 lots of interesting things which befell me and my clan when 

 I was free in the South African forests, but the humanfolk 

 fellow who is writing down what I am telling you, says I 

 have talked quite enough, and that he is tired ; so good- 

 bye, dear friends. 



THE MARTIAL EAGLE 



The Martial eagle is a terrible fellow. He is as big as 

 a turkey, and the muscles of his thighs are as large as those 

 on a humanfolk man's arm. His beak is strong and curved, 

 and his talons — ^it makes me shiver with fear when I think 

 of them. They are enormous. We pride ourselves on our 

 keen eyesight, but the eye of this eagle is like a telescope. 

 He perches himself aloft upon a pinnacle of rock, and when 

 he sees any of us monkeyfolk frolicking in the branches of 

 some great forest tree, he silently launches himself forth, 

 and, flying high up in the air, poises himself, and down he 

 comes like a thunderbolt, and these cruel talons strike one 

 of us folk with such terrific force that he is either stunned 

 or instantly killed. 



The crafty rascal usually waits till he sees some of our 

 folk out in the open, for we are then at his mercy. A terrible 

 fight occurred once, between a Martial eagle and one of 

 the menfolk of the clan to which I belonged. The eagle 

 stooped upon him with terrible force ; he partly evaded 

 the impact, but was caught by the eagle's talons before he 

 could escape. Dazed by the shock, and the repeated blows 

 delivered by the eagle's sharp beak, he lay as though dead. 

 The eagle soared aloft with his prey, but when in mid-air 



