"The Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) possesses one of the most remarkable communication systems documented in the animal kingdom. Three distinct alarm calls, each producing a specific and immediate response from the troop, have been identified and verified: the eagle call, which drives the troop into cover; the snake call, which causes them to stand and scan the ground; and the leopard call, which sends them immediately into the trees. The author proposes to establish a relationship of scientific trust with a local troop through careful application of documented social protocol, beginning, as the literature recommends, with the alpha male."
The troop had been in the wild fig trees above the estuary for two days, which the Colonel considered sufficient time for preliminary observation and insufficient time for the relationship of trust he had in mind.
He had identified the alpha male on the first morning — a large, settled animal with the particular quality of stillness that belongs to creatures who have nothing to prove and are aware of it. The rest of the troop organised itself around him in the way of a system that has its priorities correctly arranged. The Colonel approved of this.
He had his biscuits. He had his protocol. He explained both to Cetshwayo over breakfast.
Cetshwayo listened with the careful attention he brought to information he intended to act on, which in this case meant that when the Colonel set off toward the fig trees, Cetshwayo returned to his sleeping area and secured his belongings with a thoroughness that the morning had not yet, technically, required.
The Colonel did not notice this. He was focused on the alpha male.
The approach went well. The Colonel moved slowly, biscuit extended, body language as unthreatening as a man of his bearing could arrange. The troop watched him with the collective assessment of animals for whom threat evaluation is a continuous and professional occupation. Several moved back. Several did not. The alpha male stayed where he was, which was the relevant fact.
The Colonel placed a biscuit on a flat rock and stepped back.
The alpha male considered the biscuit from his branch. Considered the Colonel. Descended with the unhurried authority of an animal that makes decisions on its own timeline, took the biscuit, and returned to his branch.
The Colonel wrote in his notebook: Protocol working. Trust developing.
Behind him, across the open ground, a portion of the troop had detached itself from the main group and was moving toward camp. Not running. Not slinking. Moving with the organised efficiency of a group that has agreed on a destination and has sufficient time to reach it properly. Contact calls — soft, brief, informational — coordinated the movement in ways the Colonel's three documented categories did not cover.
The lookout took its position in a tree with a clear view of the Colonel's back.
The Colonel was offering a second biscuit when the call came.
He had his notebook open to the alarm call section. Eagle call: troop takes cover. Snake call: troop stands and scans the ground. Leopard call: troop ascends immediately.
This was none of those.