Fremont weekly freeman. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1850-1853, 1850-07-27
An Army of Monkeys-A novel sus.
z1TF tnamsfRNa ERriS1RP

An Army of MOnkeys-A novel Sus.
pension Bridge.
They are coming towards the bridge; they
will likely cross by the rock yonder,' observed
Raoul
@How-swim it?' asked. 1T is torrent
therer
tOh, mob answered the Frenchman: mon
keys would rather go into FIRE than water
If they cannot leap the stream they will bridge
it,
Bridge i'll and how o
Stop moment, Captain-you shall see'
The half human voices now sounded nearer,
and we could perceive that the animals were
approaching the spot where we lay. Presently
they appeared upon the opposite back, head
ed by an old grey chieftain, and oficered ike
so many soldiers. They were, as Raoul
stated, of the consadrejq, or ring tailed tribe
one-an aid-de-camp, or chief pioneer, per-
haps-ran out upon the projecting rock, and,
after looking across the stream as if calcu-
lating the distance scampered back and ap-
peared to communicate with the leader
This produced movement in the troop. Com
mands were isued, and fatigue parties were
while several of the camadrejas- engineers,
x,
trees on both sides Of the arroyo.
At length they all collected around a tail
cotton wood, 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 foremost-a strong fellow-ran
out upon a limb and taking several turns of
this tail around it, slipped off and hung his head
downwards. The next on the limb, also a
stout one climbed down the body of the first
and whipped his tail tightly around the neck
and fore arm of the latter, dropped off in turn
and hung head down. The third repeated
this maneuvre upon the second and the
fourth upon the third, and so on, until the
last one upon the string rested his forepaws
on the ground.
The living chain now commenced swinging
backwards and forwards, like the pendulum
of 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 and oseilating curve, sew.
eral 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 clutched a limb
and held fast. This movement was executed
adroitly. just at the eliminating point of the
oscillation, in order to save the intermediate
| links from the violence of too sudden jerk
Thechain was now fast at both ends, form
ing complete suspension bridge, over which
l the whole troop, to the number of four or five
hundred, passed with the rapidly of the light
It was one of the most comical sights I eyel
beheld, to witness the quizzical expression o.
countenances along that living chain!
The troope was now on the other side, bu
how were the animals forming the bridge tc
get themselves over? This was the question
which suggested itself Manifestly, by mum
Der one letting go his tail. But then the
point d'appdi on the other side was much
lower down, and number one, with half dozer
of his neighbors, would be dashed against the
opposite bank, or soused into the water.
Here then was problem, and we waited
with some curiosity for its solution. It was
soon solved. A monkey was now seen at
taching his tail to the lowest on the bridge
another, girded him in similar manner, anC
another and so on, until dozen more added
to the string. Those cast were all powerful fel
lows; and running up to high limb, they
lifted the bridge into position almost horizon
tai
Then a scream from the last monkey of the
new formation warned the tail end that al
were ready; and the next moment the whole
chain was swung over and landed safely on th'
opposite bank The lowermost links nov
dropped, off like melting candle, while tht
higher ones leaped to the branches and cam,
down by the trunk. The whole troop thel
scampered ofinto the chaparal and disappear
- Captain Reid's Adusatures IN SoutI
America.