The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-09-04
MONKEY sAaAC1rr.

:. 1t was in a wild and dreary part OF
the country says writer in q Lon
don magazine, in the plains OF India,
while journeying, that one day a
friend and myself sat down under the
shade of an umbrageous banyan tree !;
and we were enjoying meal of edl-
bles, to be washed down with glass
OF Bass best, when We were disturbed
by the arrival and the noise of troop
of large black-faced monkeys. The
branches overhead literally swarmed
with them. They looked on US as in<
teflopers, no doubf;;. and for. somk
time their gestures were so menacing
that we were apprehensive they would
dispute the ground with ns. Bat af-
ter a time things seemed to settle
down, and we went on with our re-
past in peace. We had just risen
7 from DEiIf ines1 and were stYohing
Z from uadeF. the shade, Wheh, TO. pur
surprise. one or the monkeys
young one-fell down from a high
! branch atseur feet.s It Vase ute de&ps
The clamor that rose above -tIs' on the
occurrence of this calamity was deaf
eHing. Tl1e whole assembly of mon
KEYS clustered together for a confab.
Long and loud were the gatherings,
and varied the grimaees pf the tribe,
each individual Vfeing with fhe4other
in the Ioudness of his tongue. Their
looks and gestures t9ade, it appafent
that they suspected us as being the
cause of the death of their juvenile
comrade and had we had guns in our
hands, or any other murderous weap-
is0us, we woMld0osd ddIlbt have been set
upoAf and, qnAlfrea4AAA ButEHe, ,&EsEe
unarmed, and the good sense of the
monkeys seemed to tell them that
there must be seme other culprit+ =
Having come to this conclusion, one
monkey, apparently the senior and
leader of the whole tribe, separated
himself from the rest and ran TO the
spot on the branch whence the young
one had fallen, examined it carefully,
smelled the branch, and then glided
nimbIy down one of the pillars OF
pendant roots with which the banyan
tree is SO richly furnished, and came
to the corpse of the monkey, took it
up, examined it minutely, particular
ly the shoulder, where there was q
Wound-not a gnnshot, but one some
what smaller. Instinct Immediately
turned suspicion into certainty. He
placed the corpse on the ground again,
and, turning his gaze in every direc-
ton, endeaVored to pierceathe foliage
in search of the murderer. After
little while, something seemed to riVet
his attention 1twas but for a mo-
ment. The next instant he had mount
ed the tree, sprung ,tp the spot, and
with one hand had seized long whip
snake, with which he fastened to the
ground. Now Occurred most Curl
GUS scene. The whole monkey rabble
following their leader in his rapid
movements, were ION the ground al
most as soon as he and then as many
as could ranged themselves on each
side of the snake. each monkey put
ting his hand ON the reptile, clutching
hold of the skin of the back tightly.
At a given signal the executioners
dragged the body of the writhiHg
snake backwards and forwards on the
ground till nothing was left of the
murderer but the backbone. The
mode of execution was at once sum-
mary and effeetuals and insthe manner
in which Ii was carried out manifested
the clear understanding which the
monkey language conveys. It re-
minds me of the lingo of some of the
Paharee tribes of the Himalayas,
which, consists. of a, succession of
sounds diI1g IhasAa- hob -E6os1in-hin-
equallyJ unintslhgible to- US as the
chatterings of the monkey, but very
well understood by the 'hoonoomana'
by whom it is used, even as the mon
keys can comprehend one another"