Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-01
AN ARMY OF MONKEYS NOVEL BRIDGE

AN AKIN VI 1S--A NONEL ERiDSE.
They are coming, and will most likely
cross the river by the rocks yonder," OBJ
served Raoul.
How, swim it ?" l asked. at is tor
rent there p
"0h, no." answered the Frenchman :
monkeys would rather go into fire than
water. II they cannot leap the stream they
will bridge it."
Bridge it and how ?"
Stop moment, Captain, and you shall
| see." The half-human voices now sounded
nearer, and we could perceive that the ami
mails were approaching the spot where we
| lay. Presently they appeared upon the OPP
posite bank. headed by an old gray chief
tain, and differed like so many soldiers.
They were, as Raoul stated, of the comad-
reja or ring-tailed tribe.
One-an aide-de-camp or chief pioneer
perhaps-ran out upon a projecting rock.
and after looking across the stream, as il
| calculating the distance, scampered back,
| and appeared to communicate with the
| leader. This produced movement in the
| troops Commands were issued. and IA
hgue parties were detailed and marched
to the front. Meanwhile several of the
comadrejas = engineers, no doubt ran
along the bank, examing the trees on both
sides.
At length they all collected around a tall
cottonwood that grew over the narrowest
part OF the stream, and twenty or thirty OF
them scampered up its trunk On reach
ing high point, the foremost-a strong fell
low-ran out upon limb and taking sew
| eral turns of his tail around it, slipped off
| and hung head downwards The next on
the ilmb, also stout one, climbed down
| the body OF the first, and whipping his tail
tightly round the neck and forearm of the
latter, dropped off in his turn, and hung
head down. The third repeated the ma
| neuver upon the second, and the fourth
upon the third, and so on, until the last
one upon the string rested his fore paws
upon the ground.
The living chain now commenced swing
ing backward and forward like the pendu-
lum OF clock. The motion was slight at
hrst, but gradually increased, the lowermost
monkey striking his hands violently on the
earth as he passed the tangent of the oscil-
latlng curve. Several others upon the limbs
above aided the movement.
This continued until the monkey at the
end OF the chain was thrown among the
branches OF tree on the opposite bank.
! Here, after two or three vibrations he
ciutched limb and held fast. This move
ment was executed adroitly, Just at the Gull
mnatlng point of the oscillation, in order
TO save the intermediate links from the
violence OF too sudden Jerk
The chain was now fast at both ends.
forming a complete suspension bridge over
Whlch the whole troop, to the number of
four or five hundred, passed with the ra-
pidity of thought.
1t was one of the most comical sights I
| ever beheld, TO witness the auizzical ex-
| preston of the countenances along that
| living chain
The troop was now on the other side. but
how were the animals forming the bridge
to get themselves over? This was the
question which suggested itself. Mani
| testify by number one letting go his tail.
| But then the point dappni on the other
side was much lower down, and number
| one, with half a dozen of his neighbors.
would be dashed against the opposite bank
or soused into the water.
itere, then, was problem, and we
waited with some curiosity for its solution
1t was soon solved. A monkey was now
seen attaching his tail to the lowest on The
bridge another girded him in a similar
manner, and another, and so on, until a
dozen more were added TO the string.
These last were all powerful fellows; and.
running up to high limb they lifted the
! bridge into position almost horizontal.
Then q scream from the last monkey of
the new formation warned the tail end
that all was ready; and the next moment
the whole chain was swung over and
landed safely on the opposite bark. The
lowermost links now dropped OFF like a
melted candle, while the higher ones
leaped to the branches and came down by
the trunk. The whole troop then scamp.
cred off into the chaparral and disappeared
Adventures in Mexico, by Lieut. N. Reid.
! ---------o s
HEADACHE is cured by ST. Jacobs Oil
| 1t goes right TO the SPOT.