The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-04-08
THE TRIBUNE.
How an Array Of Monkeys BrfdgeI .

How an Army OF Monkeys BrfdgeL ,
Stream.
"They are coming and will most ,;ke,,
cross the river by the rocks yonder," OBJ
How. swim ?" I asked. cit is
torrent there"
oh no." answered Raol; monkey.
would rather go into fire than water. /
they cannot leap the stream they vii
Bridge i'll and how 2"
stop = moment. captain, and you
shall see The half-human voices nov
sounded nearer, and we could perceive
that the animals were approaching the
spot where we lay Presently they ap.
Peared upon the opposite bank, headed
by An old gray chieftain. and Off
cered like 80 many soldiers. They were
MS Raol stated, of the con,edreja, or ring
tailed tribe.
One-an aid de-camp, or chief pioneer,
perhnps-ran out upon projecting rock;
and after looking across the stream as it
calculating the distance scampered back
and appeared to communicate with the
Leader. This produced movement IN
the troops. Commands were issued, ia
SA6u0 pdTttcS WCTC OcldllCo 1uO ihe-iShSU
to the front. Meanwhile several of the
con,adrgos- no doubt-ran
along the bank examining the trees on
both Sides
At length they all collected around a
tall cottonwood that grew over the mar
newest part of the stream, and 20 or 30
of them scampered up its trunk. On
reaching high point, the FOREMOST
str fo1I ouf, n tItnh and
taking several turns of his tail around it,
slipped off and hung headdownward. The
next on the limb also stout one, climbed
down the body of tie first, and whipping
his tail tightly round the neck and fore
arm of the latter, dropped off On his turn
and hung head down. The third repeat
ed his maneuvre upon the second, and
the fourth upon the third, and SO on, I'M
Ill the last one upon the string rested his
fore paws upon the ground.
Theliving chain now commenced swing
ng backward and forward like the pen
ulum of clock. The motion was slight
first, but gradually increased, the low
most striking his hands violently on the
nth as he passed the tangent of the os
llating curve Several others upon the
nbs aided the movement. This con-
ued until the monkey at the end of the
lin was thrown among the branches of
rec on the opposite bank. Here, af
two or tn rec vibrations, he clutched
and held fast. This movement was
cuted adroitly just at the eliminating
Mt of the oscillation, in order to save
intermediate links from the violence
too sudden jerk The chain was now
at both ends, forming a complete
pension bridge over which the whole
op to the number of four or five hun
d passed with the rapidity of thought.
It was one of the most comical sights
yer beheld, to witness the quizzical ex-
,ssions of the countenances along that
ing chain
The troop was now on the other side,
how were the animals forming the
dye to get themselves over! This
s the question that suggested Itself
anifestiy by number one letting go his
|. But then the yoiHt d ouppi on the
ler was much lower down, and number
e, with halfa- dozen of his neighbors
,uld be dashed against the opposite
nk or soused into the water.
Here then was problem, and we wait
with some curiosity for its solution. 1t
As soon solved. A monkey was now
en- attaching his tail to the lowest on the
idge, another girded him in a similar
amer and SO on, until a dozen more
ere added,to the string. These last were
powerful fellows, and running up to a
gh limb, they lifted the bridge into a
sition almost horizontal.
Then scream from the last monkey of
e new formation warned the tail end
at all was ready; and the next moment
e whole chain was swung over, and
,ded safely on the opposite bank. The
Ner-most links now dropped off like a
citing candle, while higher ones leaped
the branches and came down by the
1nk. The whole troope then scamper-
off into the chapperal and disappear