Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-03
Monkey Sagacity.

1t was in wild and dreary part of the
country, in the plains of India, while
journeyiDg, that one day friend and self
sat down under the shade of an umbrage-
Gus banyan tree, and were enjoying q
meal of various edibles, to be washed
down by glass of Bass best, when we
were disturbed by the arrival and the
noise of troop of large, blqck-face mon
keys-the branches overhead literally
swarmed with them. They looked on us
as interlopers, no doubt, and for some
time their gestures appeared so menacing
that we were apprehensive they would
dispute the ground with us. But, after
time, things seemed to settle down, and
we went on with our repast in peace. We
had just risen from our meal and were
strolling forth from under the shade,
when, to our surprise, one of
the monkeys, young one, fell
down from a high branch at our feet 1t
was quite dead The clamor that rose
above us, on the occurrence of this calam-
ity, was deafening. The whole assembly
of monkeys clustered together for con-
fab. Long and loud were the gatherings
and varied the grimaces of the tribe, each
individual vieing with the other in the
loudness Of his tongue. Their looks and
gestures made it apparent that they sus-
pected US as being the cause of the death
of their juvenile comrade; and, had we
guns in our hands, or any other murder
Gus weapons, we should no doubt have
been set upon and maltreated. But we
were unarmed, and the good sense of the
monkeys seemed to tell them that there
must be some other culprit. Having come
to this conclusion, one monkey, apparent
~ the senior and leader of the whole tribe,
separated himself from the rest, ran to the
spot on the branch whence the young
monkey had fallen, examined it carefully,
smelt the branch, and then glided nimbly
down one of the pillars or pendant
roots, with which the banyan tree is
so richly furnished, and came to the corpse
of the monkey, took it up, examined it
infinitely, particularly the shoulder, where
there was wound-not gunshot, but
one somewhat smaller. Instinct immedi-
ately turned suspicion into certainty. He
placed the corpse on the ground again,
and, turning his gaze in every direction,
endeavored to pierce the foliage in his
search for the murderer. After a little
while something seemed to rivet his at
IentiOn; it was but for a moment-the
NEXT instant he had mounted the tree,
sprung to the spot, and, with one clutch,
nau SeiZei d long Wnlp-Snake, Win winch
he fastened to the ground. Now occurred
a most curious scene. The whole monkey
rabble, following their leader in his rapid
movement, were on the ground almost as
soon as he; and then, as many as could,
ranged themselves ON each side of the
snake; each monkey put his hand on the
reptile, clutching hold of the skin of the
back tightly. At a given signal, the exc
cutioners dragged the body of the with
ing snake backward and forward on the
ground, till nothing was left of the muir
derer but the backbone. The mode of
execution was at once summary and
effectual; and, in the way in which it was
carried out, was manifest the clear under
standing which the monkey language con-
veys. 1t reminds me of the lingo of some
of the Paharee tribes of the Himalayas,
which consists of string or succession
of sounds like ha-ha-hoo hoo-hsn-hin-
equally uninteligible to us as the chatter
ings of the monkey, but very well under
stood by the "hoonoomans" by whom it
is used; even as the monkeys can compre-
bend one another.-Leisure Hours.