Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-07-03
A Tough Monkey Story.

a AVW6D A4vANSy
They're coming and will most likely
cross the river by the rocks yonder," said
Raoul.
How, swim it" asked "It is a tor
rent there "
ooh, no, sir" answered Raoul; "mon.
keys would rather 60 into FIRE than water.
If they cannot leap the stream they will
bridge it."
bridge i'll and how2"
"Stop a moment, Captain, and we shall
sec"
The half-human voices now sounded
nearer, aud We perceived that the animals
we're approaching the spot where we lay.
Presently they appeared on the opposite
bank, headed by an old gray-headsd chief:
tain, aud officered like so many soldiers.
They were Of the comadrcja or ring.tailed
tribe.
Onc--an aid-de camp, or chief pioneer,
pcrhaps-ran out upon projecting rock,
and after looking across the stream as il
calculating the distance, scamped back and
appeared TO communicate with the leader.
This produced movement among the
troops; commands were issued, fatigue
parties were detailed and marched to the
front. Meanwhile, several of the comdre-
jas--engineers, doubtless--ran along the
bank and examined the trees on both sides.
At length they all collected around a
tall cottonwood, that grew over the mar
rowest part Of the stream, and twenty or
thirty Of them scampered up its trunk. On
reaching a high point, the foremost, a
strong fellow, ran out upon limb, aud TAX
ing several turns around it, slipped of and
hung his head downward; the next on the
limb, also stout one, climbed down the
body Of the first, and whipping his tail
tightly around the neck and forearms of
the latter, dropped off in turn and hung
head down. The third repeated this man.
euver on the second, the fourth on the
thind, and so on, until the last one upon
the string stretched his fore paws upon
the ground.
The living chain now commenced swing
ing backward and forwarded like the pen.
duum of a clock. The motion was slight
at first, but gradually increased, the move
mcnt became aided by others upon the
limbs. This continued until at length the
monkey on the lower end of the chain was
thrown among the branches Of tree on the
opposite bank. Here, after two or three
vibrations, he clutched limb and held
fast. This movement was executed adroit.
ly, just after the elimination of the oscilla.
tiun, in order to save the intermediate
links from the violence of too sudden
jerk. The chain was now fast at both
ends, forming acomplete suspension bridge,
over which the entire troop, to the num-
Der Of four or FIVE hundred, passed with
the rapidity Of thought.
1t was one Of the most comical sights
ever beheld, to witness the quizzical ex-
preston of the countenances along the
living chain!
The troops were now upon the opposite
side, but how were the animals forming the
brid 90 to get themselves over? This was
the question which suggested itself. Man
ifestly by number one letting 60 his tail.
But then the point Tapmi on the other side
was much lower down, and number one,
with half dozen of his neighbors, would
be dashed against the opposite bank or
soused into the water.
Here, then, was problem, and we wait
cd with curiosity for the solution. 1t was
soon solved. A monkey was seen attach
ing his tail to the lowest on the bridge, an
other then girdled him in similar man
ner and so on, until dozen more were
added to the string. These last were all
powerful; and running up q high limb,
they lifted the bridge in position almost
horizontal. Then a scream from the last
monkey Of the new formation warned the
tail end that all was ready, and at the next
moment the whole chain was swung over
and landed on the opposite bank with safe
ty. The lower links dropped off like a
melted candle, while the higher ones
leaped to the branches and came down by
the trunk. The whole troop then scamp
cred off into the chapparal and disappeared
Reeds Adventures.