The Sharp Eyes Of The Young One At Once
Detected The Crocodile, Who Matched In Colour So Well With The
Rocks, That Most Probably A Man Would Not Have Noticed It Until
Too Late.
At once the young one commenced shaking the bough and
screaming with all his might to attract the attention of the
crocodile, and to induce it to move.
In this he was immediately
joined by the whole party, who yelled in chorus, while the large
old males bellowed defiance, and descended to the lowest branches
within eight or ten feet of the crocodile. It was of no use--the
pretender never stirred, and I watched it until dark; it remained
still inn the same place, waiting for some unfortunate baboon
whose thirst might provoke his fate; but not one was sufficiently
foolish, although the perpendicular banks prevented them from
drinking except at that particular spot.
"The birds in this country moult twice during the year, and those
of the most brilliant colours exchange their gaudy hues for a
sober grey or brown. Several varieties sing beautifully; the
swallow also sings, although in Europe I have never heard it
attempt more than its well-known twitter.
"One of the mimosas yields an excellent fibre for rope-making, in
which my people are busily engaged; the bark is as tough as
leather, and forms an admirable material for the manufacture of
sacks. This business is carried to a considerable extent by the
Arabs, as there is a large demand for sacks of sufficient size to
contain two hundred and fifty or three hundred pounds of gum
arabic (half a camel load). Thus one sack slung upon each side
can be packed easily to the animal.
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