“Is that all you know about them?”
“Why, Minnie, in order to satisfy you, any one must become a walking encyclopædia. What other question have you to ask?”
“Why, they must have something to eat, and how are they to get it unless they go into gardens?”
Mr. Lee laughed aloud. “I rather think I should soon convince them they were not to enter my garden,” he said, emphatically. “But seriously, they descend in vast numbers upon the orchards of fruit, destroying, in a few hours, the work of months, or even of years. In these excursions, they move on a concerted plan, placing sentinels on commanding spots, to give notice of the approach of an enemy. As soon as he perceives danger, the sentinel gives a loud yell, and then the whole troop rush away with the greatest speed, cramming the fruit which they have gathered into their cheek pouches.”
Minnie looked so much disappointed when he ceased speaking, that her mother said, “I read somewhere an account of a baboon that was named Kees, who was the best of his kind that I ever heard of.”
“Yes, that was quite an interesting story, if you can call it to mind,” said the gentleman, rising.
“It was in a book of travels in Africa,” the lady went on. “The traveller, whose name was Le Vaillant, took Kees through all his journey, and the creature really made himself very useful. As a sentinel, he was better than any of the dogs. Indeed, so quick was his sense of danger, that he often gave notice of the approach of beasts of prey, when every thing was apparently secure.
“There was another way in which Kees made himself useful. Whenever they came across any fruits or roots with which the Hottentots were unacquainted, they waited to see whether Kees would taste them. If he threw them down, the traveller concluded they were poisonous or disagreeable, and left them untasted.
“Le Vaillant used to hunt, and frequently took Kees with him on these excursions. The poor fellow understood the preparations making for the sport, and when his master signified his consent that he should go, he showed his joy in the most lively manner. On the way, he would dance about, and then run up into the trees to search for gum, of which he was very fond.
“I recall one amusing trick of Kees,” said the lady, laughing, “which pleased me much when I read it. He sometimes found honey in the hollows of trees, and also a kind of root of which he was very fond, both of which his master insisted on sharing with him. On such occasions, he would run away with his treasure, or hide it in his pouches, or eat it as fast as possible, before Le Vaillant could have time to reach him.