Omaha daily bee., 1890-11-11
PETS ON "A MAN-U'-WAR.
The Affectionate Monkey and the Ma
ternal Love of the Chameleon.


1t is impossible for landsman to imagine
the amount of pleasure derived from pets on
board of one of Uncle Sans cruisers in for
eign seas during the dog watches, when
Jackey is in want of new diversions. The
monotony of shipboard life would be oppress-
i've IN the extreme were it not for the pa
tlence Of Jack in fondling, caring for and
training animals found in foreign climes
where permission to visit the shore Is granted
the sailor.
While the writer was serving on the
Brooklyn few years ago number of pets
were gathered from their wild homes in
Africa and Madagascar prior to and after the
transit OF Venus expedition of 1883
Captain Weaver had fine collection of
gray parrots from Cape Town, of which he
thought great deal. One of the most prom
ising met with a watery grave while impris-
oned in his cage, due to the carelessness of a
steward who attempted to clean the home of
the beauty on the gangway, where he lost his
hold on the cage which fell and sank beneath
the quiet waters. of the Rio de la Plata.
Another of the number excited attention
and comment by calling ''Come in r' to the
knock Of the orderly on the door of the cap.
tain
AS time wore on the bird began to arrest
the attention OF officers and men by its CONF
mand to strike Eight bells and call the
watch" given with all the expressive en-
phasis of the tired watch officer anxious for
his relief, when o'clock had been announced
to the captain. The commanding officer con-
sequently became very much attached to his
bird, which learned to repeat whole sentences
calculated to be especially gratifying to the
captains children In after days.
On the transit Of the Venus expedition a
great variety Of pets was secured, among
which young guanaco was the most con-
| spicuous. This was a beautiful animal: its
lustrous eyes were so expressive of gentle
ness that it seemed pity to keep it IN cap
tivity The tried every means to tame it, but
| it died before it became accustomed to its
new surroundings. A young ostrich lived
| on the forecastle for some weeks, and as
| tonished all by voracious appetite. 1t
finally died, however, from undigested copper
| tacks.
| On the Madagascar cruise the greatest
| variety of pets were collected. Among the
| most amusing and entertaining was monkey
named Mayjunga, after Mojanga in Madagas-
| car, where it was given to the marine officer.
| This monkey stood about feet inches high:
| it was very good natured and was secured by
| heavy chain, notwithstanding which she
| frequently broke adrift, and the efforts to
| capture her in the rigging and In diff
| fercnt parts of the ship created a
! good deal of fun Her frequent ex-
| cursions to the quarters of the officers
| of the ward room, when an inkstand was
| found to be upset, the teeth of combs
| wrecked, photographs of loved ones at home
| scattered and a yatiety of other irving misde-
| mernors committed. Frequent appeals to the
| owner of the monkey for relief resulted in a
! sale to an American circus company. and
! Mayiunga was one of the attractions OF the
| snowy posters.
| At Montevideo, .Jackey, with a view of
| having THANKSGIVING dinner. secured A
| Young pig, which was duly named ssDenn1s },
| it did not take long for his porkship to be-
! come drilled into the wishes of his trainers.
| He was always on hand at the hatch yvav
| when the pell struck for meals. In the
| rear guard of the diners Dennis would waddle
| along with his charastic grunt. During meat
| hours Dennis would trot the deck with
| NTom.u n noble. knowing cat and a terror
| to mousehood. astride his back. spectacled
| and with cigarette in his month.
| At CapetoWn. South A Africa. n chameleon
| was one of the steerage nets This strange
| creature called Dick, was fed with flies and
! after getting remarkably fat one dav pave
| birth to twenty-one little chameleons' Tbe
| Youngsters thrived for awhile and tnain
| died Dick grieved so much over ber Ioss
| that she pped away until one morning early
| her ufeless body was found ON the table nv
| Jimmy Legs on his rounds. y
| Referring to Mayiunpa. the incorrioible
| monkey the writer cannot refrain from tell,
| inc of n combat with his biohness IN the
| occasion of his transfer 10 the circns nre.
| cincts ne showed signs of insnhordina ion
| toward his trainer His sense of snnar;or;tv
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