You must try and drop out, or spin forward, or do something to get to the Colonel's side and tell him what you can see." I made no reply, but rode on stride for stride with my companion; but I kept my eyes fixed upon the strange-looking rocks and edifices in front, and made no effort to change my position.
"Did you hear what I said ?" cried Denham.
"Yes, I heard," I replied.

"But how is it to be done ?" "Don't ask me how it's to be done," he said angrily; "do it." "There's no need," I said; "the enemy is scuttling off as fast as he can go." "Retreating ?" "Seems like it.

Why, Denham, can't you see ?" "See?
No! What?
Speak out, before it's too late." "Look again," I said, laughing.

"It's a troop of baboons." "What!" cried Denham.

"Well, of all the absurd things! So it is." There was no doubt about the matter, and five minutes' gallop brought us close up to where a mob of two or three hundred of the fierce and hardy half-doglike creatures were racing about over the rocks, after leaving the walls and battlements of the great buildings in front of us, and leaping higher and higher amongst the rocks of the great clump which stood like an island in the midst of a dried-up sea.
There was no time for natural-history studies of the ape.