ently not very far off. At this sound the baboons halted, and
listened in silence: again the growl was repeated, and followed up by
the roar, and the baboons, at a shriek given by one on the rock, turned
round and took to their heels, much to the delight of our travellers,
who had felt the peculiar difficulty and danger of their situation.

"What animal was that which has frightened them off?" said the Major.

"It was the growl of a leopard," replied Swinton; "we must keep a sharp
look-out; it can't be far off. The leopard is the great enemy of the
baboons. But where is Omrah?"

They all looked round, but the boy was not to be seen. At last he
showed his head above the foot of the rocky hill, where there was a
descent of four feet, as we have mentioned, then sprang up the rock, and
began capering, and imitating the baboons as they came on to the attack.

As they were laughing at him, all at once he stopped, and putting his
hands to his mouth he gave the growl and roar of a leopard, which they
had heard, and then set off running away baboon fashion.

"It was the Bushman, then, that frightened them off; he is a clever
little fellow."

"And I am not sure that he has not saved our lives," replied Swinton;
"but he has been brought up among them, one may say, and knows their
habits well. If he had not hid himself below the rock before he
imitated the leopard, it would have been of no use, for they would not
have been frightened, hearing the growl proceeding from him. I admire
the boy's presence of mind."

"I thought at one time that the baboons had an idea that Omrah was one
of them. What a snatch they made at him!"

"It would not have been the first time that these animals have carried
off a boy," said Swinton; "I saw one at Latakoo, who had lived two years
with the baboons, which had carried him off."

"How did they treat him?"

"Very well indeed; but they kept him a prisoner. When they found that
he would not eat the coarse food which they did, they brought him other
things; and they invariably allowed him to drink first at the pools."

"Well, that was homage to our superiority. Confound their quahs, I
shall not get them out of my head for a week. What terrible large tusks
they have!"

"Yes, their incisors are very strong. They often destroy the leopard
when they meet it in numbers; but if one happens to be away from the
herd, he has, of course, no chance with such an animal. Begum did not
appear