The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-10-02
Monkey Life In india.

|
among men, and are the playmsteS Of
their children, the Hindoos have grown
fond Of them, and the four-handed folk
participate in all their simple house,
hold rites. In the early morning, when
the peasant goes out to yoke his plough,
and tho crow wakes up and the dog
stretches himself and shakes Oft tho dust
in which he has slept all night, tho old
monkey creeps down from the peepul
tree, only half awake, and yawns, and
looks about him, puts straw in his
mouth, and scratches himself contem-
| platively. Then one by one the whole
family come slipping down the tree
trunk, and they all yawn and look
about and scratch. But they are sleepy
I and peevish, and the youngsters get
cuffed for nothing, and begin to think
life dull. Yet the toilette has to be per-
formed, and whether they like 1t or not,
the young ones are sternly pulled up,
one by one, to their mother to undergo
the process.
The scene, though repeated exactly
every morning, loses nothing Of its de-
lightful comicality, and the monkey
brats seem all to be in the joke of
"taking in mamma" But mamma was
young herself not 80 very long ago,
and treats each ludcrious atfectation of
suffering with profoundest unconcern,
and, as she dismisses one "cleanedn
youngstcr with cuff stretches out
her hand for the next one's tail or leg
in the most business like and serious
manner possible. The youngsters know
their turns quite we'll. AS each feels
tho moment arrive 1t throws itself on
It's stomach rs If overwhelmed with
apprehension, the others meanwhile
sitting their satisfaction Mt the capital
way ''so-and so Is doing it," and the
instant the maternal paw Is extended
to grasp the tall the subject Of the next
experiment utters piercing shrek,
and throwing its arms forward in the
dust, allows itself to be dragged along,
a limp helpless carcass, winking all the
time, no doubt at its brothers and sisters.
at the way 1t is imposing Oh the old
lady. But the old lady Will stand no
nonsense, and turning the child right
side up proceeds to put 1t to rights
takes the kinks out of Its tail, and the
knots out Of its fur; pokes its fingers
into its ears, and looks at each Of its
tocsi the ineXprcssible brat all the time
wearing on It's face on absurd express
sion Of hopeless and incurable grief,
those who have been already cleaned
looking on with delight at the scream
ing farce, and those who are waiting
wearing becoming aspect Of enormous
gravity. The old lady, however, has
her joke, too, which is to cuff each
youngstcr before she lets it 60, and,
n1mblc rs her offspring are, she gcner-
ally, to her credit be It said, manages
to "fctch them one on the cars'' before
they are out Of reach.
The father, meanwhile, sits gravely
with his back to all these domestic mat
tcrs, waiting for breakfast. Presently
the mats before tho hut doors are pushed
down, and women with brass vessels
they scour the pots and pans with dust.
exchange between songs the compli-
ments of the morning. The monkeys
by this time have come closer to the
preparations for food, and sit solemnly,
household by household, watching
every movement. IIindoos do not
hurry themselves in anything they do
but the monkey has plenty of patience,
ana III the end, when the crow has
stolen little, and the dog has had it's
morsel, and tile children are all salts.
fcu, the poor fragments Of the meal are
thrown out on the ground for the
"bhundcr logue," the monkey people,
and it is soon discussed, the mother
feeding tho baby before she eats, her.
self. When every door has thus, in
turn, been visited, and no chance of
further feeding remains, the monkeys
go OH to the we'll. The women are all
here again, drawing the water for the
day, and the monkeys sit and walt. the
Old ones IN front, scntcntiolls and scri-
Gus, and the youngsters rolling about
IN the dust behind them. till at last
| some girl sees the creatures waiting.
and, sin the name Of RAM" spills
lotah full Of water In a hollow of tho
ground, .whercupon the monkeys come
around 1T In circle, and stoop down
and drink, with their tails all curled
up over their backs like notes of inter-
rogation. There is no contention or
lostling. A forward child gets box
on tho ear, perhaps, but each one, as t.
has satisfied its thirst, steps quietly out
or tho circle and wipes its mouth. TIE
day thus fairly commenced, they 90 Off
to see what luck may bring them. The
grain-dcalcr's shop tempts them
to loiter, but tho experience of
previous attempts makes theft hone
less, for the bunnya, with NIL his years,
Is very ninblc on his legs and an aston
lsh'ng'y good shot with a pipkin. So
the monkeys merely make their saIaams
to him and pass on to the fields. Ifthe
corn Is ripe they can soon cat enough
for the day, but, If not, they 20 wan