THE MONKEY TRIBES 
24 7 
“When any eatables were pilfered at my quarters, the fault was 
always laid to Kees; and rarely was the accusation unfounded. For 
a time the eggs, which a hen laid me, were constantly stolen, and I 
wished to ascertain whether I had to blame this loss also to him. For 
this purpose I went one morning to watch him, and waited till the hen 
announced, by her cackling, that she had laid an egg. Kees was sitting 
upon my vehicle; but the moment he heard the hen’s voice, he leaped 
down, and was running to fetch the egg. When he saw me, he suddenly 
stopped, and affected a careless posture, swaying himself backwards 
upon his hind legs, and assuming a very innocent look; in short, he 
PIG-TAILED BABOON OR CHACHMA 
employed all his art to deceive me with respect to his design. His 
hypocritical manoeuvres only confirmed my suspicions, and, in order, 
in my turn, to deceive him, I pretended not to attend to him, and turned 
my back to the bush where the hen was cackling, upon which he 
immediately sprang to the place. I ran after him, and came up to him, 
at the moment when he had broken the egg and was swallowing it. 
Having caught the thief in the act, I gave him a good beating upon 
the spot, but this severe chastisement did not prevent his soon stealing 
fresh-laid eggs again. As I was convinced that I should never be able 
to break Kees of his natural vices, and that, unless -1 chained him up 
