The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-11-21
THE SHIP OWNERS ORDER.

Sending for Two Monkey and Getting One
Hundred-The Frisky Animals Taking
Possession of the Ship.
An American consular officer, now In
Washington On leave of absence, relates
a very funny occurrence which came
under his observation during his official
residence in Liverpool. A successful
and wealthy %shipowner, having devoted
more time to the business of money.
making than to the cultivation of any of
the necessary embellishments of the in
%tellect, was considered by his business
associates a little "of" in his orthog-
raphy. He sent an order to Bombay,
and, among things, wrote for two mon
keys, which he wanted to present to
some friends; but departing from the
usual mode Of spelling the word two, he
put it too. Perhaps the handwriting
was not very legible, as is otter the case
with others than iliterate' sA.powners.
At any rate the master OF the ship read
it 100, as did also the agents in Bombay.
There was much establishment at 30
strange an order, but the master was
bound to obey it. Accordingly the ser
vices of q number of natives were
secured, the country round about was
secured, and in a few days a hundred
monkeys of all colors and previous con-
ditions were secured. There were little
black monkeys, with eyes like beads,
bigger monkeys with whiskers, and
balloons whose grave expression of
countenance presented a ridiculous con-
trast to their undignifed antics. The
whole crowd chartered. screamed and
fought in the cage which had been pro-
vided for them in the ship in spite of all
efforts to keep them quiet. In a few
days the homeward voyage was com
menced and with it the troubles OF the
crew.
As soon as the motion of the ship was
felt, the monkeys redoubled their noise,
making regular p~andemonium Of the
ship. Relays of them shook the bars
of the cage without a moments hesita-
ton for twenty-three hours out of each
twenty-four until the cage was literally
shaken to pieces, and the astonlshed
sailors beheld q cloud of monkeys sud
denly issuing from the hold, scrambling,
fighting and tumbling over each other, as
if their lives depended upon getting into
the rigging in the shortest possible time.
From thst moment poor Jack had not a
moments peace. The monkeys, with mis-
c%hievousness unparalleled, 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 attainable and pick them to pieces.
It was necessary to set a 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 scarce
ly turned before an old ape, half as big as
a man, would have it, going through the
motion of sweeping the deck with an air
of indescribable gravity. So great was
the annoyance, that it was with the
greatest difficulty that the officers could
prevent the men shooting their torment
ers, and when the ship touched at Alden
half of the crew deserted, preferring to
take their chances at this -inhospitable
place than to endure the prosecutions of
the monkeys. - ~. -E-. H.
Finally the ship reached home. She
had been signalled at Lands End, and
the owner was at the dock when she ar
rived. Shipowners generally pride them
selves on the trim appearance of their
ships, and our friend was weak in this
respect, if in no others. What then was
his astonishmentto see his ships rigging
crowded with knots or punches, with here
and there q festoon where several mon
keys had suspended themselves from a
spar in a string, holding each other by
the tail ! Everybody about the docks
viewed with wonder the approaching
spectacle. The ship moved closely to
her berth, and presently her yardarms
neared those of several other vessels ~
ing at the dock. In an instant the mon
keys leaped from, one to the other, and
begaua tour among the forest Of masts
that fringed the harbor Of Liverpool. All
the boys and idlers around the dock were
engaged, and a grand hunt ensued, up
and down the rigging from ship to ship,
all over the harbor. They we're finally
captured.
The owner wa furious, but was, after
q while, Modified by an explanation over
q bottle of wine, and the difficulty, salts
factorly adjusted. The monkeys we're
gradually sold off, realizing o profit of
about ten pounds (ffty dollars) above all
costs. But the master Of the ship de-
clared that he never wanted to sail an
other voyage with a cargo of live mon
keys.-RarJord Conn., Times.