Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-06-08

not drink. The balloons could relieve one |
another, and some could eat and drink too,
whilst their companions continued worry
ing the leopard.
During two days and night the coun-
try for several miles along the course of
these creatures was startled by the cries of
pursuer and pursued, and several farmers
were witnesses from q distance of portions
of the scene here described. They would
not interfere, but watched the balloons
method of administering Justice
Worn out with exhaustion and thirst,
the leopard at length could totter on no
further, and sank to the ground prey to
the balloons, who, in spite of his claws and
teeth, which were yet formidable, attacked
him with their whole force and soon tore
him to pieces, they themselves escaping
with only few severe scratches.
Assembling their forces, the balloons
returned rapidly to their stronghold, where
they were welcomed by their females and
young with choruses of loud and triumph
ant barks, which were continued during
the greater part of the night, whilst for
several days the excitement did not seem
to calm down, but was shown by the I'M
usual noises which proceeded from this
curious colony.
Such an incident as the preceding may
seem strange and unlikely to those who
have not seen animals in entire freedom
and left to their own instincts or reason,
but our personal experience on many other
tUcczsIons mas taught us that it is not un-
common, and we do not therefore hesitate
to record it in these pages. Another sim
gular incident was related to US by cred
ible witness.
Amidst the deeply-wooded ravines of a
range of mountains on the eastern frontier
of the Cape of Good Hope, a large colony
of the pig-faced balloons were located.
These creatures had found safe resting
place for many generations: so steep and
dangerous were the cliffs, that no creature
except a baboon could dare wander among
them, and SO the animals were safe and
happy.
The traveller in that wild region would
find his arrival announced from hill-tops
by chorus Of wild weird-like coughs or
barks, whilst these semi-human animals
could be seen on the side of naturally
formed walls, of a thousand feet deem.
grimacing at and threatening the solitary
traveller who had intruded into the domain
domain OF which king might we'll be
proud.
This part of Africa has been gifted with
lovely climate, and with an air that is
inhaled with effects similar to those pro-
duced by quafhng champagne. No wonder
that the chameleon is found in this neigh
borhood-a creature fabulously said to
feed on air-for it has a glorious feast if
it feed on the scented air of the Amatola
mountains.
Here are steep, rocky precipices shell
tered glcns, each with bright fowery
shrubs, whose purple and crimson blossoms
give distinct colOring to even the distant
glens; whilst a sea Of mighty hills rolls
one after the other. far as the eve can
reach, boundless and desolate, yet lovely
as a Paradise. 1t Is amidst these regions /
that the gray vdlture floats like thistle /.
down high up in the heavens where the 1
eagle Kisses through the air on his prey, |
and where the baooon seampers at will, |
the Legitimate and hereditary possessor of
the soil.
Human-like almost in form, the baboon
seems nearly human in bis passions, as the |
following anecdote will show
Some miles from the Amatola, and sep
arated from them by an intervening plain, /
was another rocky stronghold, in which I
another colony of balloons were located. /
These latter, to the inexperienced eye,
showed no distinct peculiarities from their |
neighbors in the Amatola. yet there were
men whose keen perceptions were able to I
discover distinct peculiarities between the 4
two races, and to be able to tell which was
an Amatola baboon and which a denizen of
the Chumie
The balloons themselves did not Crater-
mise, and if by chance stray balloons from
each colony met one another in their wan
derings, regular fight ensued.
When the sun sank beneath the Chumie
hills, the balloons from that region would 1
sit on the most giddy precipices, and bark /
forth defiance to the distant mountains .
In that clear atmosphere sound travels a
long distance, and is heard during a still .
evening at almost fabulous distances Thus .
the barks and the coughs of the balloons 4
at one district we're heard and replied to .
by the creatures some miles off, in the /
Amatola
To the uninitiated these mere animal .
barks seemed to mean nothing, but TO the
keen ears and comprehensive senses of the .
balloons they conveyed the direst insults .
and most defiant challenges
Human nature has its limits of endur-
ance, and so has baboon nature thus, af-
ter particularly warm summer day, dur
ing which, probably, the creatures blood
became additionally heated, the evening
challenges were given and answered with
utmost vehemence The moon rose bright
and full, and the night was calm and love-
ly, and it seemed strange that all nature
should not be at peace; but shortly after
midnight the Chumie rocks and precipices
resounded with screams, barks and fend-
like sounds, as though legion of demons
had broken loose and were fighting among
themselves.
For hours these fearful sounds were
heard, and the few settlers then in that
neighberhood listened with astonishment.
not knowing whether these noises indicated
a coming storm of unusual force, or were
the indicators of some CONFUSION of ma
ture. Towards daybreak they gradually
ceased, and the men whose rest had been
disturbed armed themselves and cautiously
approached the scene of the midnight
tumult.
The cause of the alarming disturbance
was then manifest The balloons of the
Amatola had long borne the challenges and
insults of their neighbors of the Chumie
they had listened to their taunts, and had
burned with desire for vengeance. At
length an attack was organized, and on the
night in question the male balloons of the
assaulted the colony of the Chu-
ME, and a fearful fight ensued.
The balloons method of attack is singu-
lar and formidahIa he ro,,so,l,- xoyror