she would not
allow them to touch either Stella or the child in her arms. Once one
of them tried to do so, and she seized a dead stick and struck it
so heavily on the head that it fell senseless. Thrice Stella made an
attempt to escape, for sometimes even Hendrika's giant strength waned
and she had to set them down. But on each occasion she caught them, and
it was in these struggles that Stella's clothes were so torn. At length
before daylight they reached the cliff, and with the first break of
light the ascent began. Hendrika dragged them up the first stages, but
when they came to the precipitous place she tied the strips of hide,
of which she had a supply wound round her waist, beneath Stella's arms.
Steep as the place was the baboons ascended it easily enough, springing
from a knock of rock to the trunk of the tree that grew on the edge of
the crevasse. Hendrika followed them, holding the end of the hide reim
in her teeth, one of the baboons hanging down from the tree to assist
her ascent. It was while she was ascending that Stella bethought of
letting fall her handkerchief in the faint hope that some searcher might
see it.

By this time Hendrika was on the tree, and grunting out orders to the
baboons which clustered about Stella below. Suddenly these seized her
and little Tota who was in her arms, and lifted her from the ground.
Then Hendrika above, aided by other baboons, put out all her great
strength and pulled the two of them up the rock. Twice Stella swung
heavily against the cliff. After the second blow she felt her senses
going, and was consumed with terror lest she should drop Tota. But she
managed to cling to her, and together they reached the cleft.

"From that time," Stella went on, "I remember no more till I woke to
find myself in a gloomy cave resting on a bed of skins. My legs were
bound, and Hendrika sat near me watching me, while round the edge of the
cave peered the heads of those horrible baboons. Tota was still in my
arms, and half dead from terror; her moans were pitiful to hear. I spoke
to Hendrika, imploring her to release us; but either she has lost all
understanding of human speech, or she pretends to have done so. All
she would do was to caress me, and even kiss my hands and dress with
extravagant signs of affection. As she did so, Tota shrunk closer to me.
This Hendrika saw and glared so savagely at the child that I feared lest
she was going to kill her. I diverted her attention by making