Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-07-26
THE MONKEY TRIBE.
Ex-CONSUL NICHOLAS PIKE GIVES PASSAGES OF EXPERIENCE.

He Talks About Baboons-Their Clever
 ness and Almost Human Traits-Shoot-
 ing a Thief-Freaks of a Pet Baboon-A
 Sad Fate.
 I was calling on Col. Nicholas Pike one evening recently, when, our conversation turning on the peculiarities of the monkey tribe, he gave me the following bits of his experience gained while United States con- sul at Mauritius in the Indian ocean:
 "When on the voyage to my post of duty in the United States steamer Monocacy," said the colonel, i've called at the Cape of Good Hope. 1 made a pedestrian trip down the coast, covering thirty to forty miles. While travelling along and making observa- tions which would in any way aid me in the study of natural history I came across Scotch missionary named Capt. Miller, who who the only white man for many miles, his neighbors being all Hottentots. He showed me about the place, and when he came to his garden said that it was unfortunate that all the vegetables and fruit had been carried off by the baboons He made up his mind at one time to put stop to their depredations, and so he erected thatched hut overlooking the garden and placed a man in it with a loaded rifle
 
 ''The balloons, however, were very cute. They would watch until the man went to dinner, and then they would post sentinels while others of their number would seize as many ripe vegetables they could carry and make off with them to their mountain retreats. One day the baboons, having be- come careless by success, were filling their cheek pouches with pumpkins when the man crept back to his lodge and, firing, wounded one which stood about four feet high. Capt. Miller told me that the scene which followed the shooting so painful to him that he made up his mind that he would never let another one of the animals be killed if they ate all his vegetables
 ''He said that the death agonies of the creature were exactly like human being He looked up pitifully into my face,' said Capt. Miller, while his cries for help were so pitiful that I felt as if had been party to the commission of a murder A short dis tance from the house was high bluff, and at the request of tho missionary I walked over there to witness what he termed a wonderful sight, which truly it was. At a distance we could see company of baboons at play. By looking through our glasses every movement was distinctly discernible. The little ones were sliding down chute like those made by passing logs down a mountain side. They would slide down on their posteriors, while the older animals, probably their parents, would stand with big sticks in their hands, apparently enjoying the sport hugely. Isaw i'll this same country a monster baboon be- longing to a soldier in an English regiment He had been taught many tricks by the sol dier, one of which was to draw cork from a wine bottle and drink the contents. They provided uniform for him, in which he was usually arrayed. He lived too high, how ever, became very bloated and died of an affection of the liver.
 PET BABooN
 "N tile I was stationed at Port Louis French officer gave me q baboon which we considered quite a pet. He was silver gray in color and very glossy. l never could as- certain the exact species to which he be- longed, and he was certainly great curios- ity. He was quite young when captured, but grew to be about four feet high and very stout. As he became older he became a dangerous fellow to have around; for in- stance, he would go up into the bread trees and pelt people whom he didn't know with the bread fruit. He would also take up large stones and hurl them with great force and accuracy. I could always control him by merely shaking my finger at him and calling his name, which was Jean Louis, but for safetys sake placed an iron band around his waist and tied him up when 1 was not on hand to watch him. He would feel il my pockets for fruit when 1 came home and when he found any the least bit bruised or dirty he would reject it. He was a great imitator. Sitting by my side while writing he would take up the pen when 1 had gone, dip it in the ink and scratch the paper, mak- ing a sorry mess of whatever came ill his way. He, too, would draw cork and drink the contents of the bottle, be it wine or brandy, but he was especially fond of the lat ter. He saw me bore hole with @ gimlet, and immediately initiated me, and the same with driving nail.
 ''1 had a suit of clothes made for him, in- tending to bring him to America with me had not sad fate overtaken him. One day he took stone and hammered the links of his chain until they were broken. He then wandered forth upon a marauding tour. Coming to the cathedral, which was frame building, he loosened the clapboards and commenced to rip them off one by one. Get ting inside the building, he went into the chancel and proceeded to tear up the bible. The sexton came in, intending, if possible to save the property from destruction but the baboon picked up hymn books and pelted him with such force that he was glad to re- treat. Finally MT. Balloon got upon the roof and began to tear off the shingles. The police at this juncture leveled their revolv- CTS at him, and poor Jean Louis fell to the earth a dead bahoon. They sent me word that he was committing depredations, but I could not get to him in time to bring him under subjection. His dead body was brought and laid upon my veranda, and it looked like a human corpse. I was sorry to lose the animal, and had to provide new bible for the church and several hymn and prayer books. He was skinned and stuffed, and can now be seen in the Museum of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences at Port Louis.-"C. D. B." in Brooklyn Eagle.