Burlington tri-weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1852-1855, 1855-04-20
rHE BoAA~D raaK MONKEYS.

~ JH6 BOA ~ ~ TIE mOSAEASs
In The year 1923, a. English officer, who
Vas stationed with his regiment in the neigh
borhood of Ku.ladgce, in India-a region n
which monk " abound in numDer!ess guam
titles, and whose yells, shrek and hootings
were indescr badly wild-w witness OF =
most extraordinary scene, ~hich he has thus
sksfch~d / was one day, with native for
comp MON, climbing one Of the slanting as
cents e the Rummuddlo cliff, when be-
came aware that an unusual commotion
reiRned amongst my friends, the monkeys,
which had By this time got 80 fami .iarized
with. my appearance, that they seldom conde-
scended to honor me with snarl, or > boagh
flung towards me in sport. Creeping round
. rock, behind which thew appeared to con-
gregatc, and on which grew large gumara-
bic tree, completely golden with the album
dance Of yellow blossoms which covered il,
1t once found myself on the stage OF
strange tragedy in simian life. In the vo-
luminous folds of u bon constructor was be-
iny slowly inwrapped beautiful brown mon
KEY. whose Lass cries and struggles denoted
that l cam too late, even had been pre-.
pared 10 do battle with the reptile in the
cause Of oppressed innocence. The mon
KEYS, in evident alarm, ran hither and thith-
er, moping and mcwing, and chattering but
not one advanced near the spot, where pre-
sen:ly their poor companion became almost
quite hidden from view in the embrace Of its
DESTROYER. Determined to watch the pi ocess
Of the affair, quietly sat down, until grad
ually the monkey had been moulded, as It
were, into proper condition for degiutition,
for could hear the bones crack as they broke
beneath the pressure to which they were SUBJ
iected; and ere long, he serpent began to
untwist Its folds, | could admire at leisure
the magni6cance Of its glittering scales, that
shone like some chilly varie 6 ted metallic
substance. l shuddered as Ibeheld its grand
and awful head-the prominent orbits Of the
eycs--and the eyes themselves large, and iu-
minous with fiery Ii hit. The creature was
at least tw nty feet in length, and was apla-
rently famished by long fas.. Perfectly
needless Of the nose M de by the monkees,
it unwound lis coils till the victim, now an
unrecognizablc mass, lay before it fabricated
and fit to be received into thr destroyer's
stOm ,ch.
When the reptile had fairly commenced lis
repast, and the before Aaccid body began to
fli and swell, retired from the arena Of
conflict and hall Of banquet, desrous Of sum
mon ing my friend to assist me in capturing
the stated giant. knew that when gorged to
rppeion, there would be no difficulty in ma
king prize of the serpent; and he entered
into nv plans most willingly. Accompanied
bv a stout lascar, bearing a strong cudgel
and sharp knife, for slaughter and SKIN
ming, we lost little time in reaching the scene,
where, however, fresh marvels were being en-
acted, proving that the passion If revenge is
not confined to the human breast. Keeping
aloof, we resolved not to mar byoey inter.
ference the by no means mystifyiHg opera
tons in which the monkeys were engaged
The boa constructor la-, thoroughly gorgrd,
and like log of wood, ben,ath the same
projecting mass Of cliff where ha1 left it.
On the summit Of this rock troop Of mon
KEYS had assembled, and three or four Of the
largest and strongest were occupied in dis
plac ng an lmm nSe fragment Of the massive
stone, already loosenel by time aud the elc-
ments, from the rest of the ledge. This mass
almost overshadowe the reptile. BY eDor-
nous cxcrtions, m de in silence that was
rare with them, they at last succeeded in
pushing it EDWARDS until it hung over the
boa's head, when uttering fierce yell, in
which every separate voice mingled, by Wig
orous movement they showed it sheer down.
The heavy mass FELL right on the e"rpent's
heal, cru h ng it as if it were cocoa-nut !;
and rs the reptile dashed IFS fearful tail about
in the fal struggles for life, we could not
rsfrain from joining in the singular choru, of
rejoicing with which the monkeys now cele-
DRAFTED their accomplished vengeance.