Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1850-07-24
Am Army OF MOmkcys--A Novel
Suspension Bridge.

Am AfkIy Oh 4AOuk0y SooA AVONC1
Suspension Bridge.
They are coming towards the bridge:
they will most likely cross by the rocks
yonder,' observed Raoul.
';,;;ow-sw::" - .s.so.,. X; ;- :. tor.
rem, there'
oh, no! nu.' answered the Frenchman:
monkeys would rather 90 into the fire than
water. If they cannot leap the stream
they will bridge it,
Bridge it-and howl
Stop moment, Captain and you shall
see
The half human voices now sounded
nearer. and we could perceive that the
animals were approaching the spot where
we Law. Presently they appeared on the
opposite bank. headed by an old grey
chieitain and oiiicered like so many sol
diers. They were, as Raoul stated, OF
the comadreja or ring tailed tribe.
One-aId-de camp. or chiet pioneer
perhaps-ran out upon projecting rock.
and. after looking across the stream. as if
calculating the distance, scampered back.
and appeared TO communicate with the
leader. This produced movement in
the troop. Commands were issued, and
fatigue parties were detailed, and march
ed to the front. Meanwhile several ofthe
adrejas--engineers no doubl-ran
along the bank, examining the trees on
both sides of the drroya.
At length they all collected around a
cotton wood, that grew over the narrow
est par: of the stream, and 90 or 80 of
them scampered up it, trunk. On reach
ing high point. the foremost. a strong
4 II
several turns of his tail around it, Slip
ped oil and hung head downward. The
next one on the limb also stout one,
climbed down the body Of the first, and
whipping his tail tightly round the neck
and forearm Of the latter, dropped Off in
his turn. and hung head down The
third repeated this manouver upon the
second, and SO on. until the last one on
the string rested his fore paws upon tie
ground The living chain now COM
menced swinging backwards & forwards.
like the pendulum Of a clock. The mo-
ton was slight at first. but gradually in
creased, the lowermost monkey striking
his hands violently on the earth as he
passed the tangent of the oscilating curve.
Several others upon the limbs above aid
dcd the movement.
This continued until the monkey at the
end Of the chain was thrown among the
branches Of a tree Oh the opposite bank
Here, after two or three vibrations. he
clutched limb. and held fast. This
movement was executed adroitlv, iust at
the eliminating point of the oscillation.
in order to save the Intermediate links
from the violence Of too sudden Jerk!
The chain was now fast AT both ends,
forming complete suspension bridge.
over which the whole troop. to the mum
Der of four or five hundred, passed with
the rapdity of thought.
1t was one Of the most comical sights
ever beheld to witness the quizzical ex-
preston Of countenance along that living
chain.
The troop was now on the other side.
but how were the ANIMALS forming the
bridge to get themselves over? This was
the question that suggested itself Mani
festly. by number one letting go his tail.
But then the point d'oppui on the other
side was much lower down. and number
one, with half a dozen of his neighbors,
would be dashed against the opposite
bank. or souZed into the watrr
Here then. was a problem. and we
waited with some curiosity for It's solution.
1t was soon solved. \ monkey was now
seen attaching his tail to the lowest on the
bridge, another girded him IN a similar
manner, and another. and 50 on. until a
dozen more were added to the string
These last were all powerful fellows: and
running up TO a high limb. they lifted the
bridge into a position almos, horizontal
Then scream from the last IN ,nkev
of the new formation warned the tail end
that all was ready; and the next moment
the whole cham was swung over. and Ian
ded safely on the opposite bank. The
lowermost links now dropped off like a
melting candle, while the higher ones
leaped 10 the branches and came down
by the trunk. The whole troop then
scampered otf'into the chapparall and dis
appeared--l Captain Rea's Adren,ures
IN Southern -Herico.