Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-06-03
Wanderings in India. .

been giving sketches decribing scenes, life
occurrences, and the administration of civi
government in India. In one of his arti
cles We find the following description o
a convention of monkeys. The following
remarkable incident is related rs an actua
fact:
"About two miles from the bungalow
to which We were proceeding, | overlook 8
tribe of large monkeys. l should say
there ware as four hundred; and each car
ried stick of uniform langth and shape
They move along in ranks or companies
Just, in short, as though they were imita
ting wing of regiment of infantry. Al
the heap of this tribe was an old and very
powerful monkey, who was no doubt the
chief. 1t was a very odd sight, and be-
came more ard mo interested in the
movements of the creatures. There could
be no question that they had either some
business or some pleasure on hand; and
the fact that each carrying a stick led Us to
conclude that it was the former upon which,
they were bent. Their destination was like
ours, evidently Deobond, where there hre
some hundreds of monkeys fed by a num-
Der of Brahmins, who live near Hindoo
temple there, and perform rel lgious ceremo-
nies. They (tbis monkey regiment would
not get out Of the road on our account, nor
disturb themselves in any way; and my
friend was afraid to drive through their
ranks, or over any of them, for when as
sailed they are most ferocious brutes, and
in such numbers, could have annihilated
us, therefore, but to let the mare proceed
at walk in the rear of the tribe, the men,
bers of which, now that we were nearing
Deobund, began to chatter frightfully.-
Just before we came to the bungalow, they
left The road, and took the direction of the
temple. Fain would we have followed
them, but to do so in the buggy would have
been impossible, for they crossed over some
very rough ground and two bitches. Ny
friend therefore requested the sowars 10
follow them, and report all they might OBJ
serve of their actions.
My friend now mentioned to the Khan
samah, very old but very active and in
telligent man, the sight we had seen on the
road-the regiment of monkeys.
"Ahr' exclaimed the old man, cit is
about the time"
sWhat ,ime?"
"Well, Sahib, about every five years that
tribe comes up the country to pay n visit
to this place; and another tribe comes about
the same time from the up country-the
hills. They meet in a jungle behind the
old Hindoo temple, and there embrace each
other as though they were human beings
and old friends who had been parted for a
length of time. l have seen in that Jungle
as many as four or five thousand. The
Brahmins say that one large tribe comes
all the way from Ajmere, and another from,
the southern side of the country, and from
Nepaul and Tirhoot. There were hundreds
of monkeys here this morning, but now l
do not see one. Isuppose they have gone
to welcome all their friends"
The sowars who had been deputed to
follow the tribe now rode up, and reported
that, near the old temple, there was an
army of apes-an army of forty thousand /!
One of the sewers, in the true spirit of Ori-
entail exaggeration, expressed himself to
the effect that it would be easier to count
the hairs of ones head than the number
there assembled.
"Le' us 90 and look at them," l suggest
ed, "and by the time we return the lady
may be stirring"
"But we will not go on foot" said my
friend; s'we will ride the sowars' horses.
In the first place, have an instructive hor-
ror of apes, and should like to have the
means of getting away from them speedily,
if they become too familiar or offensive.-
In the second place, l do not wish to IA
tigue myself by so long walk in the heat
of the day."
We mounted the horses and were soon
at the spotindicated by the sowars. There
were not so many as had been represented; !;
but | am speaking very far within bounds
when state that there could not have
been fewer than eight thousand, and some
of them of an enormous size. / could
scarcely have believed that there were so
many monkeys in the world if l had not
visited Benares, and heard of the tribes at
Gibraltar. Their sticks, which were thrown
together in heap formed a very large stack
of wood.
"What is this?" my friend said to one of
the Brahmins; for since his appointment
he had never heard of this gathering of
apes.
at is a festival of theirs, Sahih?" was
the reply. aJust as Hindoos, at stated
times, 60 to Hardware, Hagipore, and 9TH
er places, so do these monkeys some to
this holy place."
"And how long do they stay?"
1.-TWO or three days; then, they 60 away
to their homes in different parts of the coun-
try: then attend to their business for four
or five years; then come again and do fes-
tival, and so on, sir, TO the end of all time.
You see that very tall monkey there, with
two smaller ones on either side of himw
"Yes."
"Wcll, sir, that is very old monkey
His age is more than twenty years, l think.
first saw him fifteen years ago He was
then full grown. His native place is Meerut
He lives with the Brahmins Mt the Soorj
Khan, near Meerut. The smaller ones are
his sons, sir. They have never been here
before; and you see he is showing them all
about the place, like very good father"
Having seen enough of the ''sacred ami
mails" we returned tc the bungalow.
GE-A Correspondent of the New York
Copmercial gives the history of canary
bird which had attained the wonderful age
of 26 years.