Middletown transcript., 1869-05-29
Our Oliu.
Iowan Army of Monkeys Br,aged Stream.


They are coming, and will most likely
cross the river BY tho rocks yonder;" OBJ
served Raoul.
How, swim it," asked cit is
torrent there ?"
"Oh, no." answered Raoul; !" mon
keys would rather 60 into fire than water
If they cannot leap the stream they will
bridge it."
q Bridge it! and how p
Stop a moment, captain, and you
shall see." The half-human voices now
sounded nearer, and we could perceive
that the animals were approaching the spot
where VIC lay. Presently, they appeared
upon the opposite bank, headed by an old
gray-hcaded chieftain, and oficered like so
many soldiers. They were, as. Raoul
stated, of the can,adreja, or ring tailed
tribe.
Onc-an aid de camp, or chief pioneer,
perhaps-ran out upon a projecting rock,
and after looking across the stream, as if
calculating the distance, scampered back
and appeared to communicate with the
leader. This produced movement in the
troop. Commands were issued, fatigue
parties we're detailed and marched to the
front. Meanwhile several of the CANA
drejas-engineers, no doubt-ran along
the bank, examining the trees on both
sides.
At length they all collected around
tall cottonwood that grew over the mar
rowest part of the stream, and 20 or 80
of them scampered up its trunk. On
reaching high point, the foremost-a
strong fellow-ran out upon limb and
taking several turns around it, slipped off
and hung head downard. The next on
the limb, also stout one, climbed down
the body of the first and whipping his
tail tightly around the neck and forearm of
the latter, dropped off in his turn, and
hung head down. The third repeated his
man@uvre upon the second, and the fourth
upon the third, and SO on, until the last
one upon the string rested his fore-paws
upon the ground.
The living chain now commenced swim
ging backward and forward like the pen
dulum of a clock. The motion was slight
at first, but gradually increased, the low
ermost striking his hands violently on the
earth as he passed the tangent of the os-
cillating curve. Several others upon the
limb aided the movement.
This continued until the monkey at the
end of the chan was thrown among the
branches of a tree ON the opposite bank.
Here, after two or three vibrations. he
clutched limb and held fast. This move
ment was executed adroitly, just at the
eliminating point of the oscillation, in
order to save the intermediate links from
the violence of a too sudden Jerk! The
chain was now fast at both ends forming
complete suspension bridge over which
the whole troop to the number of four or
five hundred passed with the rapidity Of
thought.
1t was one of the most comical sights |
ever behcld, to witness the quizzical ex-
preston of the countenanees 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 dappHi on the
other side was much lower down, and
number one, with half a dozen Of hi:
neighbors, would be dashed against the
Opposite bank or soused into the water
Here, then, was a problem, and We
waited with some curiosity for its solution
1t was soon solved. A. monkey was now
seen attaching his tail to the lowest or
the bridge, another girded him in o simi.
lar manner, and so on, until dozen more
was added to the string. These last were
all powerful fellows; and running up to :
high limb. they lifted the brid ge into !
position almost horizontal.
Then scream from the last monkey O.
the new formation warned the tail enc
that all was ready and the next momen
the whole chain was swung over, and Ian
ded safely on the opposite bank. Th
lowermost links now dropped off like
melted candle, while the higher ones lea
ped to the branches and came down by th,
trunk. The whole troop then scamperet
off into the chapperal and disappeared.