Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-14
1T RAINED MONKEYS.
An English Traveller Has a Thrilling
Experience in Hindoostan.
SURROUNDED BY COUNTLESS APES
And in Imminent Danger of an Attack
From the Vicious Brutes.
THE STOUT OF A SCOUT SAVES BIN

THE SHOUT OF A SCOUT SAVES HIN
Duty had taken me to Dharmsala, hill
station considerably west of Simla. On thu
return journey turned off the main road a
Kangra. The object of the excursion was tt
see q neighboring shrine, much venerated
by the Hindoos and called Jwalsmookhee
The native pilgrims who come in thousand,
lodge in the open air under the trees and
cook their own food; the rich bring tents
for their accommodations. But there wal
no place for Europeans to lodge in except
the usual "district officers bungalow" This
is always a small house with two or three
rooms, built and furnished by the Gov
ment and put in charge of a man servant
who both looks after it and looks to the
wants of those who occupy it. In it the
officers whom duty takes to such out of-the
European-world's places lodge and transact
business during the few days of their period
ical visits. To this bungalow, therefore,
we went.
On telling the care-taker who we were he
opened the house, and while went in and
INDUCED in q very needful and refreshing
wash he attended to my horse. These pre-
liminaries being over we sent him into the
town for the double purpose of procuring us
some food and of inquiring from the priests
at what hour we might pay the temple a
visit. The main road passes through a
dense wood not 100 yards from this house,
which was more than half mile away
from the nearest part of the town. From the
road narrow avenue had been cut among
the trees to a small clearance around the
house; otherwise it was quite buried in the
wood.
A SHOWER OF SIMIANs.
When the care-taker left me, I found the
house stufy and damp. 1t had probably
not been opened or aired for days. The
stiffness around was oppressive. Not a
sound was heard except the munching of our
horse in the neighboring stable or the rare
cry of bird in the trees. There was moth
| ing in the house to read. and nothing to do.
Moreover, had had long ride and felt
rather stiff in the leg. So, rising from the
chair, strolled out of the house. After
walking listlessly around it, and pacing the
small cleared space in front, I followed the
avenue 70 tu6 iudlu IOdu, duu Iucu, tetuEu-
| ing, passed into the wood, immersed in my
own thoughts. 1t was literally twilight
mood" for, though it was nearly noon on a
bright August day, the trees stood so close
and their leaves grew so thick that scarce a
patch Of sunshine lighted up a few favored
spots. The giant branches of the grand old
trees more than touched; they interlaced
and formed leafy canopy overhead, with
| Just here and there a rent to admit ray Of
light and to give a glimpse of the bright
blue sky above.
Sauntering under these trees, suddenly
became conscious OF noises in the branches
above me. 1 looked up and about, but,
| though the branches stirred and the leaves
moved, could see nothing. I was not,
| however, long LETT in doubt or speculation.
| A monkey, a large male, dropped from q
branch to the ground at a distance of about
| 80 feet in front of me. As he reached the
ground he squatted on his heels, resting
both his hands on his knees and gazing
f1edly and solemnly at me. His gravity
upset mine. Then near him another mon
key dropped down; third and fourth fol-
lowed. 1t began to rain monkeys. In tens,
in scores, in hundreds; old, middle-aged
and young; large and small; males and
females many of the latter carrying babies,
| some on their backs, others in their arms
kept dropping from the trees around me.
was standing under mighty giant of the
forest, and against its trunk, some five feet
in diameter. 1 set my back as the monkeys
in their hundreds squatted down in an
irregular semi-circle around. They did not
90 behind the tree, for its trunk was much
wider than my back, and they chose to sit
only where they could see me. Around
they left clear space, but at the distance
of about 80 feet they sat, huddled close
together in several rows 600 and more in
number.
SACRED ANIMALS IN INDIA.
1t may be said in passing that monkeys
are sacred animals in India. They are fed
and protected, and allowed to roam at large
with impunity. Vast numbers in fest Delhi,
Agra and other large towns. At Benares
they are perfect plague. In SO favorable
situation as Jwalamook hee, they naturally
multiply beyond reckoning, and people the
woods in sufficient hordes to account for the
hundreds that now surround me. At some
distance beyond several young monkey
urchins, which preferred play to curiosity,
kept suspending themselves from the
branches in long chains, holding on to each
others hands or tails, and swinging them
selves pendulum to and fro. They
were not the small, puny creatures generally
seen in European menageries, but the real,
genuine Indian Hanooman, of which race
the large and strong males stand, when
erect, fully four feet in height, There were
many such, among others of smaller size, in
the crowd around me.
1t had not taken three minutes to form
that solid semicircle of monkeys. They
had come down as thick as shower of hail
stones. but so softly and gently had they de-
scended to the grass and leaf-covered ground
that scarcely any noise has been made. For
a short time they sat motionless and silent,
staring hard at me, and baby monkey,
having made a noise, was instantly smacked
by his mother in q most human fashion.
They looked at me, and then they began to
chatter-frst one, then few together, then
many at once, finally all in a chorus. They
talked, chartered, jabbered, discussed, ar
gued, shouted and yelled, gesticulating
meanwhile, making faces and grinning.
Suddenly there was a dead silence for
short interval, during which they gravely
stared at me harder than ever. Every now
and again one or another or several at once
would grin, snarl and growl at me, showing
their large canine teeth. Again the chat
teriRg discourses would be renewed.
A BAD PREDIcAMENr.
knew that one or two would hardly dare
to attack man, but when hundreds
crowded together around one stranger the
circumstances were far from encouraging.
Here was unarmed, nothing but light
riding whip in my hand, surrounded by
hundreds of monkeys, to which my white
face and European dress were evidently OBJ
jects of as much aversion as curiosity. Ma
tives they did not mind, but Europeans they
seemed to regard with the hatred due to in