I said that the cave was large enough to hold six of us;
but there was a sort of inner cave which we had not gone into, as the
entrance was much smaller. Homer cried out, `Let us go into the inside
cave - we can get in one by one;' and he backed in; Hastings followed
with his bundle, and I hurried in after him just in time; for the
baboons, who had been chattering to each other for half a minute, came
into the outer cave just as I crawled into the inner. Five or six of
them came in, all males, and very large. The first thing they did was
to lay hold of Homer's bundle, which they soon opened - at once they
seized his provisions and rammed them into their pouches, and then they
pulled out the other things and tore them all to pieces. As soon as
they had done with the bundle, two of them came towards the inner cave
and saw us. One put his long paw in to seize us; but Hastings gave him
a slash with his knife, and the animal took his paw out again fast
enough. It was laughable to see him hold out his hand to the others,
and then taste the blood with the tip of his tongue, and such a
chattering I never heard - they were evidently very angry, and more
came into the cave and joined them; then another put in his hand, and
received a cut just as before.
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