The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-11-16
A Voyage with a ship-Load Of Nom
keys.

A Voyage with a ship-Load of Mon
keys.
An American consular officer. now /,
Washington on leave ofabsence, relate
very funny occurrence which came un
der his observation during his ofIicia
residence in Liverpool. A successful
and wealthy shipowncr, having devoted
more time to the business Of money
making than to the cultivation of an,
orthe unnecessary embellishments thu
intellect, was considered by his bust
ness associates a little ''ofl'' in his or
typography. He sent an order to Bonn
bay, and, among other things, wrote
for two monkeys. which he wanted tc
present to some friends; but Departing
from the usual mode of spelling The
word two, he put il too. Pcrhaps ths
handwriting was not very legiblc. rs /,
often the case with others than illiterot,
shipowncrs. AT any rate, the maste,
OF the ship read it one hundred, as dif
also the agents at Bombay. There was
mlich astonishmcnt at so strange an or
der, but the master was bound TO obey
w. Accordingly, the services of num-
Der or natives were secured, the country
roau about was scourn and in few
days hundred monkeys, of all colors
ana previous conditions, were captured
There were little black monkeys witt
eyes like beads, bigger monkeys with
wnlskers, and balloons whose grave ex.
preston of countcnancc presented rid.
lculous contrast TO their undigniiied an.
Tics. The whole crowd chattered
screamed and fought in the cage which
had been provided for them in the shin
in spite of all efforts to keen them uuiei
In few days the homeward VOYAGE
was commenced, and with il the iron.
blcs of the crew.
AS soon as the motion of The ship was
icll The monkeys rcdoublcd their noise
making a regular pandcmonium of the
snip. Relays of them shook the bars oi
the cage without moments hesitation
for twcnty-thrcc hours ont of cacf
twenty-four, until the cage was literal.
ly shaken TO pieces, and the astonishcd
sailors bcheld cloud of monkeys sud.
denly issuing from the hold, scrambling
lighting and tumbling over each Other
as if their lives depended upon getting
into the rigging in the shortest possible
time. From that moment poor Jacl;
had not an instant's peace. The mon.
keys, with mischicvousncss unparallcl.
ed, would steal everything they could
lay their hands on. If clothes were
hung up to dry they would carry them
up to the highest point attainablc and
pick them TO pieces. 1t was necessary
to set guard over everything that was
washed or dried. When the cabin-boy
swept the deck he had TO lock up the
broom, for if he hid it ever so securely
his back would be scarcely turned bc.
fore an old ape, half as big as man.
would have it going through the motion
OF sweeping the deck with an air of in.
discriDable gravity. SO great was the
ANNOYANCE that it was with the greatest
difficulty that the offices could prevent
the men from shooting their tormen.
tors, and when the ship touched at Alden
half of the crew deserted, preferine to
take their chances at this inhospitable
place rather than to endure the persccu.
tions of the MONKEYS.
Finally the ship reached home. She
had been signallcd at Lands End, and
the owner was at the dock when she ar.
rived, Shipowncrs generally pride
themselves OH the trim appearance OF
their ships, and our friend was weak in
this respect, if in no others. What
then, was his astonishmcnt TO sec his
ships rigging crowded with knots OF
punches, with here and there festoon
where several monkeys had suspended
themselves from a spar in a string, hold.
ing each other by the tail! Everybody
about the docks viewed with wonder
the approaching spectacle. The shin
moved closely 10 her berth, and present.
~ her yardarms nearcd those of several
other vessels lying at the dock. In an
instant the monkeys lcapcd from one 10
the other, and begin four among the
forests of masts that fringed the harbo,
of Liverpool. All the bows and idlcrs
around the dock were engaged, and n
grand hunt ensned, up and down the
rigging from ship TO ship, all over the
harbor. They were finally captured.
The owner was furious, but was. af.
ter while, Modified by an explanation
over bottle of wine, and the difficulty
satisfactorily adjusted. The MONKEYS
were gradually sold off, realizing prof.
it of about ten pounds, (fihy dollars
above all costs. But the master of Inc
ship declared that he never wanted Ia
sail another voyage with cargo of live
monkcys.-[l Hartford Conn. J Times.