The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-02-09
AN EPISODE IN MoNKEY.L1rH,

| L have nad some experience Oh WHAt Jun
gle life in India is, and cannot therefore ignore
a certain amount of familiarity with class OF
animals, Fhich, from the days of Ewes temp
tation, h as acquired a character for cunning,
magnify, aud spite, from which its aspect
at times, indeed, the very beauty Of ugliness-
by no means exonerates it. Emblems of the
revolving and the terrible have serpents al
ways been, and yet who can deny that GER
tain singular fascination belongs to them,
which renders the slenderest details about
them strangely interesting, even TO those who
regard them with utter adherence Not on
ly in the kingdom of Snakedom have fr 5e-
ly wandered, without, alas having acquired
that magial masterdom over the reptile race
of which George Borrow naturally boasts but
have also had some ongoings with the mon
key tribe
Many years ago, in the year 1923, / hap
pened to be with my regiment-a battalion
of Madras native infantry-on the march
from Bangalore, in My sore, to Kulladghee, in
the Doab. We had reached the hill forts of
Badaumy, in the province of Bejapoor, where
we halted fer a day and at any place more
istrikingly picturesque, we had not stopped
during the three hundred and odd miles we
had traversed
| I have never witnessed the wonders Of
Flora or Elephsnia, but though on dimin-
ished scale, the hons of Badsumy, are of the
same nature, and compel admiration from the
least enthusiastic observer. The hil-forfs
themselves, comprising two different sides
or peaks of the same mountain ridge in whose
recesses the smsll town is built, are specimens
of what art can do when nature has prepared
the foundation forts labors. AT the very top
of the steepest preciplce, a pool of excellent
| water supplies that element from sources
| which no amount of heat has ever exhausted;
and down in the narrow valley amongst the
houses of the village, large and well built
| t0iab, or tank, of delicious water-coOl and
wholesome, though of bright smaragdus
green - affords unfaiiing refreshment. On
each side of this pond are houses or gardens,
and over two ends of this mountain gap low
er the twin. .fortalices, opposite each other
the highest precipiee, called Runmundle, be-
ing grotesque in shape, and terrific in gloomy
grandeur. Encamped outside the town, no
sooner had night descended upon us ere the
reports we had heard ofthe number of sacred
monkeys that abounded in the neigh borhood
were confirmed. Had we reached the place
at night, ignorant of this fact, we might have
concluded that we had fallen upon some ter
| rible Armageddou, haunted by rebelous
ghous and afrits in venomous conflict for,
from every peak and jjutting promontery
| arose such discord of monkey voices, as, in
other circumstances. one would have been
only too ready to ascribe to diabolic sgen-
| cies. Yeils, shrieks, hootings, iIdescri ba bly,
wild, detained us as if by spell for more
| than an hour and presently when the moon
rose, we could distinguish the imp-like crea-
| lures, springing from tree to rock. and from
stone to stone, up among the cliffs, and as
we supposed, exercising some warlike evolu-
tions, or engaged in some fierce gala of ami
NAL life, until by dint of observation we
really came to think they had got up q dra-
| matte representation for our peculiar amuse
ment. Wewere afterwards informed that the
| opposite ridges of the mountain were seve-
rally occupied by two distinct families or
| clans of rnonkeys-the very Montagues and
| Capulets of the order SimiG-between whom
| reigned a perpetual feud which often termi-
mated in blood and death.
| Some months after our arrival at Kullad-
ghee: applied for few weeks leave, which
| being granted, Iresolved to revisit Badaumy.
L reached il at d season when the surround
| ing country was arrayed in the brightest liv-
| cry of summer and in addition to the at
| fractions supplied by the wild windings and
subterranean passages to the hill forts with
| the cavernOus temples in the rocks, contain
ing the whole Hindoo Pantheon in beauti
| fully carved images of an amazing size,
| found great pleasure in traversing the juDgles
around, climbing the rocks, and penetrating
/ into the ravines, in search of plants and wild
berries, whose nature, and native names were
| revealed to me by my faithful Mussulman
accompany me.
! He taught me likewise to observe the hab
| its of those very monkeys, whose nocturnal
! orgies had startled us on our first arrival at
Badaumy, as we'll as to distinguish the speck-
| led gray and white tree snake, which is SO
fatal from the spotted brown and green one,
| which haunts the same bowery receses, yet
is harmless. He told me that venomous SER
pents are generally marked by greater
| pf ehrot of uhin
gives to the neck the appearance of being
smaller than it really is; and he warned me
| to beware of dark and briery paths, where
| the track Of snails was diScernible-such be-
| ing a Indication OF the vicinity of snakes
| From him | learned that some OF the deadliest,
when taken unawares, roll themselves up spirsliy,
| the head elevated, when suddenly uncoiling, they
| spring forward on their dsturber, man beast,
with surprising velocity Strange things he reeted
OF the daDa or revengeful feeling retained by the
| cobra da capello, against any individual who has
pursued or tried to kill it, and of the odd antago-
nistc feeling of the ape against the cock, the
| psnt and the apparently harmless tortoise mon.
key has. indeed, ridiculous horror of the latter.
Tne moonshee did not accompany / set out
| one bright morning TO rambls about my favoritc
rocks, where found ample store of wild plants and
| noWers whose names and qualities better know
| now than did then | was climbing one of the
| slanting ascents Of the Runmunde cliff when be-
| came aware that unusual commotion reigned
| amongst my friends, the monkeys, which had by
this time got so tamiliarised with my appearance,
| that they seldom condcscended to honor me with
snarl; or bough flung towards me in sport was
conscious that something went wrong with them;
and as knew that sentiments OF superstition, il not
| OF humanity preserved them from the prosecutions
OF the natives, became curious as TO the cause of
| The prevalent excitemeDt. Creeping round rock.
behind which they appeared to congregate, and on
which grew a large gumarabic tree, completely
| golden with the abundance of yellow blossoms
which covered 4, and which, like Tenny sous lime
| tree, was in sooth
| A eutnner.home Of rnurmurous wings
| at once found myself on the Stage of a strange
| tragedy in smian lite nthe voluininous folds OF
| and enormous boa constructor was being slowly
| inwrapped beautiful brown monkey, whose last
cries and struggles denoted that came too Isic
even had beer prepared to do battle with the rep
tile In the cause of oppressed Innocence. The NOM
keys, In evident alarm, ran hhher and hither mop
| ng and moving. and cbatterpg; but not one ad
vsnced near the spot, where presently their poor
| companion becanS almost quite hidden from view
in the embraces II its destroyer. Determined to
watch the prece pfihe affair, Iquietiy sat down,
until gradually ilfs4nonkey had been moulded, as
it were.into proper condition for deglutition. for
could hear the benfs crack as they broke beneath