Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-08-17
An Army q Monkeys,
A NOVEL sUsrrN.IoN aRIpaE,


NOVEL SUSPENSION BRIDGE,
"They are coming towards the bridge |;
they will most likely cross by the rocks yon-
der" observed Raoul, r ~
"How--swi,n it p ! asked, rIt is tor.
rent therew ~ flr =
"Ob, not" answered the Frenchman--
monkeys would rather go into fire than
water. If they cannot lcap the stream, they
win bridge it," r.s
bridge it and how . ai4 r
"Stop moment, Captain---you shall see, |"
The half human voice now sounded nearer,
and we could perceive that the animols
were approaching the spot where we lay.---
Presently they appeared upon the opposite
bank, headed by an old gray chieftain and
officered like soinany soldiers, They were,
as Raoul stated, of the comadr9a or ring.
tailed tribe, s.
One-on aid-do-camp, or chief pioneer
perhaps-ran out upon q projecting rock,
and, after looking across the stream, rs II
calculating the distance, scampered back,
and appeared TO communicate with the lead
er, This produced movement in the
troop. Commands were issued, and fatigue
parties were detailed, and marched to the
front Meanwhile several Of the comadrejas
engineers, no doubt-ran along the bank,
examining the trees on both sides of the
arroyo,
AT length they all collected around tall
cottonwood, that grew over the narrowest
part of the stream, and twenty or thirty Of
them scampered up its trunk. On reaching
a high point, the formost, strong fellow
ran out upon limb, and taking several
turns Of bis tale around II, slipped of, and
hgara hno IL H.. al
limb, also stout one, climbed down the
body of the first, and whipping his tail tight
ly around the neck and forearm of the lat.
ter, dropped off in his turn, and hung head
down. The third repeated this manpuyre
upon the second, and the fourth upon the
third, and so on, until the last one upon the
string rested his fore paws upon the ground,
The living chain now commenced swing
ing backwards and forwards, like the pendtl-
lum of a clock. The motion was slight at
first, but gradually increased, the lowermost
monkey striking his hands violently on the
earth as he passed the tangent of the oscl-
lating curve. Several others upon the limbs
above aided the movement.
This continued until the monkey at the
end of the chain was thrown among the
branches of tree on the opposite bank
Here, after two or three vibrations, he clutch
ed limb, and held fast This movement
was executed odroitly, Just at the culInina-
ting point of the osillation, in order to save
the intermediate links from the violence of
too sudden jerk
The chain was now fast ut both ends,
forming q complete suspension bridge over
which the whole troop to the number of
four or five hundred, passed with the rapidi-
ty of thought. - y,
1t was one of the most comical sights
ever beheld, to witness the quizzical ex-
preston of countenances 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 Manifest
ly, by number one letting go his tail. But
then the point d. oppm on the other side was
much lower down, and number one, with
half dozen of his neighbors, would be
dashed against the opposite bank, or soused
into the water.
Here, then, was a problem, and we wait
ed with some curiosity for its solution. 1t
was soon solved. A monkey was now seen
attaching his tail TO the lowest on the bridge,
another glrded him in similar manner, and
another, and so ON, until dozen more were
added to the string. These last were all
powerful fellows; and running up to high
limb, they lifted the bridge into position al
most horizontal ~,
Then scream from the last monkey of the
new formation warned the tail end that all
was ready; and the next moment the whole
chain was swung over, and landed safely on
the opposite bank. The lowermost links
now dropped off like melting candle, while
the higher ones leaped to the branches and
came down by the trunk. The whole troop
then scampered off into the chapparal and
disappeared = Capt. Reids Adventure IN
Southern Merieo. .......,. --,.r