The First Encounter with the Baboons

The Kalahari Desert is home to many wild animals that thrive in their respective territories. Ebony the Ostrich King and Abu the Ostrich Queen are among them. The ostrich family has to contend with the harsh natural environment and always be vigilant against enemy attacks. Even so， they still tried to survive， not only breeding and hatching a flock of cute little ostriches， but also going through hardships to lead the little ostriches to find water and let the little ones drink the first sip of water in their lives.

The Ostrich Defense Battle

Yu Jie

Jinan Publishing House

January 2024

29.00 (CNY)

Yu Jie

Yu Jie， formerly known as Liu Xinghua， is the vice chairman of the Hengshui Writers Association. He has won many awards in China.

At this moment， the baboons hiding in the quiver trees began to stir after enduring a day of scorching heat. One baboon sat on a branch， silhouetted against the setting sun. Its body’s color was no longer visible， only the hair around its body， like fine silver needles， forming a glowing outline. A baboon first squatted between the branches， one hand reaching upward， then the other hand followed. Gripping the branches above with both hands and using its arm strength， it flipped its body onto the tree. Its head then emerged from the tree canopy like a mushroom breaking through the soil. Another baboon squatted down with its buttocks lowered. Its toes hooked onto the tree trunk， its hands released the tree branch， and by that it slid down the trunk. Just as its body was about to leave the trunk， it reached forward as if to hug the trunk， half of its face pressed against the bark. At this moment， the baboon seemed to be yawning after waking up， opening its mouth wide to reveal canine teeth nearly six centimeters long， emitting a sound similar to a dog’s bark. However， unlike a dog’s continuous barking， the baboon’s calls were abrupt， stopping after each syllable.

As the baboons were about to descend from the trees， the cheetah Diva lowered her body， seemingly trying to reduce its exposed surface area， and turned its head in another direction， where the ostriches roamed.

Baboons are omnivorous animals. They eat tender shoots， leaves， bark， grass， and flower buds， as well as tubers， bulbs， and rhizomes. Additionally， they catch insects and occasionally eat small vertebrates， making their diet quite varied.

Ostriches can go without drinking water for months. Baboons， unlike ostriches， usually drink water at midday.

Midday is the hottest time in the Kalahari Desert， but to drink water， baboons must brave the scorching heat and embark on long treks to find water sources. Even if they find water， many carnivores and herbivores would have already gathered around， and crocodiles might lurk in the water. For baboons， each trip to drink water is fraught with danger， akin to licking blood off a blade. Therefore， some weaker baboons have learned to seek out juicy plants， like cacti， to replace drinking water.

There are many types of cacti in the desert， with a variety of shapes. Some cacti resemble two stacked round wheels of different sizes with needle-like spines over ten centimeters long. Some have a main trunk that， as soon as it emerges from the ground， grows dozens of branches in a regular pattern， looking like an upside-down open umbrella. Other cacti resemble a vertical foot， having not only the “sole” but also “toes” shaped like small round balls. Even more fascinating， some cacti look like giant columns， while others resemble mountains， standing several meters tall. More common are barrel cacti， which from a distance look like striped， dark green stone stools.

By chance， two baboons named Er and Lorin， due to their short stature and weak physique， often couldn’t keep up with the troop’s pace. They gradually developed the habit of fending for themselves， especially after discovering that chewing on cacti could quench their thirst. Since then， they no longer followed the troops to search for water.

On this day， while the baboon troop went to the river to drink water， Er and Lorin， as usual， went to look for cacti. During a fit of playful chasing， they lost their way and inadvertently spotted an ostrich lying in the desert.

Unbeknownst to them， this ostrich queen， Abu， was incubating her eggs. At first， Er and Lorin watched her from a distance with wide eyes， wondering why the ostrich wasn’t moving. They thought she might be sick or injured. They assumed that the ostrich was either severely injured or ill， which prompted a bold idea: to capture her.

Upon seeing the two baboons suddenly appear before her， Queen Abu was initially startled. She then lowered her already nearly ground-level neck further forward， pressing her head even closer to the desert surface.

Queen Abu’s reaction was an instinctive response to danger. From an external perspective， the female ostrich’s feather color closely matches that of the desert. When their long necks lie flat on the ground， they resemble dried plant stems， and the feathers on their backs blowing in the wind look like a small patch of wild grass growing on a mound. Abu hoped to deceive her enemies by staying still.

Queen Abu lay motionless. However， Er and Lorin didn’t leave; instead， they moved a few steps closer.

Perhaps in a moment of desperation and clarity， Abu suddenly stood up， revealing to Er and Lorin that she was incubating ostrich eggs beneath her.

“Woof... woof...” Er and Lorin had never seen such large eggs before. They had only encountered sparrow eggs， lizard eggs， and snake eggs， all of which were so small that they could be swallowed whole without biting， and even after eating a dozen， they were still not full.

Queen Abu noticed that Er and Lorin had not left but stood there with their hands hanging down， hunched over， and calling out， leading her to believe they were asking for food.

Queen Abu first tilted her head to observe Er and Lorin with one eye， seemingly probing their intentions. She then lowered her head to check the ostrich eggs beneath her. She used her beak to gather the central eggs together， ensuring they were all intact. After confirming their safety， she tilted her head again to examine the outer eggs with one eye. Finally， she decided to abandon two of the outer eggs. She nudged one of these eggs with her beak， her neck arching like a bow， but the egg merely wobbled slightly in the sand pit. Seeing this， Abu leaned forward and pushed harder， but the egg seemed reluctant to leave the pit， stubbornly dragging along the ground. It wasn’t until Abu’s beak plowed a furrow in the sand that she managed to push the egg out of the pit.

With the furrow in place， it was much easier for the ostrich queen to push the second outer egg out of the pit.

Seeing Abu push the two ostrich eggs out of the pit， Er and Lorin were initially puzzled and instinctively took a few steps back. After pushing the eggs five or six meters away from the pit， Abu did not chase after the baboons but returned to the pit， bent her long legs， and covered the remaining eggs with her soft belly. To ensure Er and Lorin understood her intention， she looked at them and then at the eggs， signaling them to take the two eggs as a way to leave her other eggs in peace.

“Woof... woof...” Er and Lorin exchanged glances， calling out softly， neither daring to take the two eggs easily. They were wary of Abu’s intentions， having never experienced such an effortless gain before.