ed by the assegais, and
many more fell beneath our gun-shots; but still they came on. Nor did
we go scathless. Occasionally a man would slip, or be pulled over in the
grip of a baboon. Then the others would fling themselves upon him like
dogs on a rat, and worry him to death. We lost five men in this way, and
I myself received a bite through the fleshy part of the left arm, but
fortunately a native near me assegaied the animal before I was pulled
down.

At length, and all of a sudden, the baboons gave up. A panic seemed to
seize them. Notwithstanding the cries of Hendrika they thought no more
of fight, but only of escape; some even did not attempt to get away from
the assegais of the Kaffirs, they simply hid their horrible faces in
their paws, and, moaning piteously, waited to be slain.

Hendrika saw that the battle was lost. Dropping the child from her arms,
she rushed straight at us, a very picture of horrible insanity. I lifted
my gun, but could not bear to shoot. After all she was but a mad thing,
half ape, half woman. So I sprang to one side, and she landed full on
Indaba-zimbi, knocking him down. But she did not stay to do any more.
Wailing terribly, she rushed down the gulley and through the arch,
followed by a few of the surviving baboons, and vanished from our sight.

CHAPTER XIII

WHAT HAPPENED TO STELLA

The fight was over. In all we had lost seven men killed, and several
more severely bitten, while but few had escaped without some tokens
whereby he might remember what a baboon's teeth and claws are like. How
many of the brutes we killed I never knew, because we did not count, but
it was a vast number. I should think that the stock must have been low
about Babyan's Peak for many years afterwards. From that day to this,
however, I have always avoided baboons, feeling more afraid of them than
any beast that lives.

The path was clear, and we rushed forward along the water-course. But
first we picked up little Tota. The child was not in a swoon, as I had
thought, but paralyzed by terror, so that she could scarcely speak.
Otherwise she was unhurt, though it took her many a week to recover her
nerve. Had she been older, and had she not remembered Hendrika, I doubt
if she would have recovered it. She knew me again, and flung her little
arms about my neck, clinging to me so closely that I did not dare to
give her to any one else to carry lest I should add to her terrors. So I
went on with her in my arms.