Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-11-13

renee which came under his obser-
vation during his official residence
in Liverpool. A successful and
wealthy ship owner, having devoted
more time to the business Of money
making than to the unneces-
sary embellishments of the in
tellect, was considered by his
business associates a little "off "
in his photography. He sent
an order to Bombay, and,
among other things, wrote for two
monkeys, which he wanted to pre-
sent to some friends; but, depart
ing from the usual.mode of spelling
the word two, he put it too. Per-
haps the handwriting was not very
legible, as is often the case with
others than illiterate ship owners.
At any rate the master of the ship
read it 100, as did also the agent in
Bombay. There was much aston
ishment at so strange an order, but
the master was bound to obey it.
Accordingly the services of a num-
Der of natives were secured, the
country round about was secured
and in a few days hundred mon
keys of all colors aud previous con-
ditions were secured. There were
little black monkeys with eyes like
beads, bigger monkeys with whis-
kers, and baboons whose grave ex-
pressione of countenance presented
ridiculous contrast to their undig-
nifed antics. The whole crowd
chartered, screamed and fought in
the cage which had been provided
for them in the ship in spite of all
efforts to keep them quiet. In a
few days the homeward voyage was
commenced, and with it the
troubles of the crew.
AS soon as the motion of the ship
was felt the monkeys redoubled
their noise, making a regular pan
demonium of the ship. Relays OF
them shook the bars of the cage
without a moments hesitation for
twenty-three hours out of each
twenty.four, until the cage was lit
orally shaken to pieces, and the
astonished sailors beheld a cloud of
monkeys suddenly issuing from the
hold, scrambling, fighting, and
tumbling over each other, as if
their lives depended upon getting
into the rigging in the shortest pos
sible time. From that moment
poor Jack had not a moments S
peace. The monkeys, with mis-
chievouSness unparalleled, would
steal every thing they could lay
their hands on. If clothes we're
hung up to dry they would carry
them up to the highest point attain
able and pick them to pieces. 1t
was necessary to set a guard over
every thing 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 Sc
curely his back would be scarcely
turned before the old ape, half as
big as a man, would have it going
through the motion of sweeping
the deck with an air of indescrib-
able gravity. So great was the an
noyance that it was with the great
est difficulty that the officers could
prevent the men shooting their tor
mentors, and when the ship touched
at Alden half of the crew deserted,
prefering to take their chances at
this inhOspitable place than to en-
dure the prosecutions of the mon
keys.
Finally the ship reached home.
She had been signaled at Lands
End, and the owner was at the dock
when she arrived. Shipowners gem
orally pride themselves on the trim
appearance of their ships, and our
friend was weak in this respect, if
in no other. What then was his
astonishment to see his ships rig
ging crowded with knots or punches,
with here and there a festoon where
several monkeys had suspended
themselves from a spar ip string,
holding each other by the tail I
Everybody about the docks viewed
with wonder the approaching spec
tacle. The ship moved closely to-
her berth, and presently her yard
arms neared those Of several other
vessels lying at the dock. In an in
slant the monkeys leaped from one
to the other, and began q tour
among the forest of masts that
fringed the harbor of Liverpool.
All the boys and idlers around the
dock were engaged, and q grand
hunt ensued, mp and down the rig
ging from ship to ship, all over the
harbor. They were finally cap
tured,
Vhe owner wns furiouS hnt ,vas