As soon as Begum heard it, she ran up to the Major with every sign of trepidation, holding fast to his skin trowsers.

“What was that?” said Alexander; “I see nothing.”

“I know what it is,” said the Major; “it is a herd of baboons; there they are; don’t you see their heads over the rocks?”

“Let them show themselves a little more, and we’ll have a shot at them,” replied Alexander, cocking his gun.

“Not for your life,” cried Swinton; “you will be skinned and torn to pieces, if they are numerous, and you enrage them.  You have no idea what savage and powerful creatures they are.  Look at them now; they are coming down gradually; we had better be off.”

“I think so too,” said the Major; “they are very angry; they have seen Begum, and imagine that we have one of their herd in our possession.  Pray don’t fire, Wilmot, unless it is for your life; we are too few to make them afraid of us.  Here they come; there are a hundred of them at least; let us walk away slowly—­it won’t do to run, for that would make them chase us at once.”

The baboons, some of which were of gigantic size, were now descending from the rock, grunting, grinning, springing from stone to stone, protruding their mouths, shaking their heads, drawing back the skin of their foreheads, and showing their formidable tusks, advancing nearer and nearer, and threatening an attack.  Some of the largest males advanced so close as to make a snatch at Omrah.  As for Begum, she kept behind the Major, hiding herself as much as possible.  At last one or two advanced so close, rising on their hind-legs, that the Major was obliged to ward them off with his gun, “Point your guns at them,” said Swinton, “if they come too close; but do not fire, I beg you.  If we only get from off this rocky ground to the plain below, we shall probably get rid of them.”

The ground on which they were formed a portion of the rocky hill upon which they had taken shelter the day of the elephant-hunt; and within twenty-five yards of them there was an abrupt descent of about four feet, which joined it to the plain.  They had gained half-way, parrying the animals off as well as they could, as they retreated backward, when some of the baboons came down from the other side of the rock, so as to attempt to cut off their retreat, their object evidently being to gain possession of Begum, whom they considered as belonging to them—­and a captive.

Their situation now became more critical; for the whole herd were joining the foremost; and the noise they made, and the anger they expressed, were much greater than before.

“We must fire, I really believe,” said the Major, when they heard a deep, hollow growl, followed up by a roar of some animal, apparently not very far off.  At this sound the baboons halted, and listened in silence; again the growl was repeated, and followed up by the roar, and the baboons, at a shriek given by one on the rock, turned round and took to their heels, much to the delight of our travelers, who had felt the peculiar difficulty and danger of their situation.