Page:Hunting and trapping stories; a book for boys (IA huntingtrappings00pric).pdf/82

HUNTING BABOONS cleverly taking advantage of any shelter, all except the old leader who stood out boldly in front, and seemed to be directing the others what to do.

The men opened fire and the apes scattered, but only for a minute or so, for they gathered in force again, and hurled a shower of rocks at their enemies. The hunters were compelled to retreat, step by step. They had shot down quite a number, but the others came on just as fiercely as ever. The chief of the native hunters was lying full length on the ground, and one of the naturalists was injured. Matters were getting desperate when a lucky shot killed the big leader of the apes and this threw the others into a panic. They hurled one more shower of rocks, to cover their retreat, and then fled dragging away their dead with them. The hunters then had a chance to pull themselves together and count noses. They found that the native hunter had a crushed skull and was stone dead, while one of the white men had an arm broken at the elbow, the result of a well aimed jagged rock. All the party were suffering from scalp wounds and torn clothes. After all their trouble they had not secured a single baboon.

The next day the leader of the party watched the baboons for a long time with a field glass, and he saw that about five them were in desperate battle, no doubt for the leadership of the band. A week later they were seen moving across the hillside in orderly procession with a new leader at their head.

Some time later these hunters came across three baboons carrying corn and vegetables in their mouths. They had evidently been on a private foraging expedition of their own. There was a sharp five minutes fight and the rifles claimed all three. But for this piece of luck it is doubtful if the hunters would have obtained any specimens of the baboons at all, dead or alive.

On another occasion a hunter found a tiny baboon asleep under a rock. He was very anxious to catch the little beast alive, so he took off his coat and threw it over the youngster and then grabbed it up in the folds. He knew that even baby baboons have terrible teeth.

The shrieks of the frightened baby aroused the mother who had been feeding close by. She in turn barked loudly and in a few minutes a number of males appeared. They seemed to know exactly what was taking place for, with angry barks, they came tearing after the