Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-08-09
An Army OF Monkeys.

An Army Of Monkeys.
a Nouei Suspension Bridge.-"They
are coming towards the bridge; they vii
most likely cross by the rocks yonder,'
observed Raoul.
"How-swim it!'' asked. "It is 3
torrent there!"
"Oh. no." answered the Frenchman
"monkeys would rather go into fire thar
water. If they cannot leap the stream
they will bridge it,
Bridge it! and how!'
"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 bank, headed by an old
grey chieftain, and officered like so ma.
ny soldiers. They were, as Raoul sta.
ted, of the comadrja, or ringtailed tribe.
One--an aid-de-camp, or chief poin.
eer, perhaps-ran out upon the project
ing rock, and. after looking across The
stream as if calculating the distance,
scampered back and appeared to commu.
nicate with the leader. This produced
a movement in the troop. Commands
were issued, and fatigue parties were de-
tailed and marched to the front. Mean
while several of the comadrejas-engi
neers, no doubt-ran along the bank, ex-
amining the trees on both sides of the
arroyo.
At length they all collected around a
tall cotton wood. that grew over the mar
rowest part of the stream, and twenty OF
thirty of them scampered up its trunk.
On reaching high point, the foremost
"a strong fellow--ran out upon limb,
and taking several turns of his tail a.
round it, slipped off and hung his head
downwards. The next on the limb, al
so stout one. climbed down the body
of the first. and whipped his tail tightly
round the neck and forearm of tho latter,
dropped off in turn, and hung, head
down. The third repeated this mane-
vre upon the second, and the fourth up
on the third, and SO on, until the last
one upon the string rested his fore paws
upon the ground.
The living chain now commenced
swinging backwards and forwards, like
the pendulum Of clock. The motion
was slight at first, but gradually increas-
ed, the lowermost monkey striking his
hands violently on the earth as he pass
ed the tangent and oscillating curve
Several others upon the limbs above aid
ed the movement.
This continued until the monkey at
the end of the chain was thrown among
the branches of a tree on the opposite
bank. Here, after two or three vibra-
tions, he clutched limb and held fast.
This movement was executed adroitly
just al the eliminating point of the oscil-
lation, 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 num-
Der Of four or five hundred, passed with
the rapidity OF thought.
1t was one Of the most comical sights
/ ever beheld, to witness the quizzical
expression 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 which suggested itself.
Manifestly, by number one letting go his
tail. But then the point d'appui on the
other side was much lower down, and
number one with halfa-dozen 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 lis solu-
ton. Ii was soon solved. A monkey
was now seen attaching his tail to the
lowest on the bridge, another girded him
in a similar manner, and another, and
so on, until dozen more were added to
the string. Those last were all power
ful fellows; and running up to high
limb, they lifted the bridge into a posi-
tion almost horizontal.
Then a scream from the last monkey
of the new formation warned the tail
end that all were ready; and the next
moment the whole chain was swung
over, and landed safely on the opposite
bank. The lowermost links now drop
ped 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 chap
paral and disappeared !-Capt. Reid 8
.adUentures in South .AmericG
uAJv dear - said an afTact;ona n .nousn