Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-05-10
IT RAINED MONKEYS.
NAN VINO WANTED AMUSEMENT and COT
PLENTY or IT.
Hundreds Upon Hundreds or Them
Dropped Down and Squatted
About d traveller In India.

tried to initiate the works OF the Creator
but failed signally to equal them. Instead
of the horse, he could produce only the ass
%%n q ihe e' msnksy "nS nds sSe
paradise Of monkeys, they are held In high
honor because of the aid which their king,
Hanoonman, "in. the days Of old" gave u
the god Rama when. to rescue his wife,
Sita, hc invaded Ceyl0n; Hanoonman help
Ing To bridge the strait.
Duty had taken me to Dharmsala, q hill
station considerably west of Simla. On
the return journey turned Off the main
rosd TO ace . neighboring shrine, much
. venerated by the Hindoos, and called
Jwalamookhee. We had been told that
self fed jets of natural fire burned night
and day within its walls. The temple was
considered particularly sacred, and the
Hindoo Raiahs of India WED with each
city-in decoratingi it. We knew that quite
recently the Rajah of Faridkote had covered
the huge doors of the temple with thick
plates Of chased silver.
A few hours ride brought us to the
pttle town, which lies on the hillside, DO.
low the temple. The native pilgrims, who
come In thousands, lodge in the open air
under the tiees and cook their own food |;
the rich bring tents for their accommo-
dation. But there was no place for
Europeans to lodge in except the usual
district officers bungalow" This is
always small house, with two or three
rooms, built and furnished by the Gov
ernment, and put in charge of q man serv-
ant, who both looks after it and attends to
the wants of those who occupy it.. On tell
ing the care-taker who we were, he opened
the house; and 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 visit
The main road passes through a dense
wood not 100 va de from fhio NIB; ;,l,
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.
L found the house stuffy and damp,
The stiffness around was oppressive. Not
sound was heard except the munching
of our horse in the neighboring stable or
the rare cry of bird in the trees. There
was nothing i'm the house to read, and
long ride and felt rather stiff in the legs
80 rising from the chair l strolled out of
the house. After walking lstlessly al ound
II, and pacing the small cleared space in
front, followed the avenue to the main
road and then returning, passed into the
wood, immersed in my own thoughts. II
WAS literally a twilight wood" for
though 1t was nearly noon on bright
august day, the trees stood so close and
heir leaves grew so thick that scarce
patch of sunshine lighted up few favored
Fpots. The giant branches of the grand
pld trees more than touched they inter-
aced, and formed a leafy canopy overhead,
with just here and there rent, to admit a
ray of light and to give glimpse of the
blue sky above.
Sauntering under these trees, suddenly
became conscious of noise in the branches
.bove me. l looked up and about; but
hough the branches stirred and the leaves
moved, could see nothing. / was not,
however, long left i'm doubt or speculation.
monkey, large male, dropped from a
branch to the ground at distance of about
feet in front of me. AS he reached the
round he squatted on his heels, resting
10Th his hands on his knees and gazing
txedly and solemnly at me. His gravity
pset mine. Then near him another
monkey dropped down; a third and
ourth followed. 1t began to rain monkeys.
tens, in scores, in hundreds; old
liddle-aged, and young large and small;
Flales and females-inany of the latter
arrying babies, some on their backs,
theirs in their arms-kept dropping from
he trees around me. l was standing
nder mighty giant of the forest; and
gainst its trunk, some feet in diameter,
set my back, as the monkeys in their
undreds squa,ted down in an irregular
emcrcle around. They did not go be-
ind the tree, for its trunk was much wider
IAN my back, and they chose to sit only
here they could see me. Around they
It a clear space; but at the distance of
bout 80 feet they sat, huddled close to-
ether in several rows, 600 and more i'm
lumber.
1t may be said in passing that monkeys
70 sacred animals in India. They are
ID and protected and allowed to roam at
rye with impunity. Vast numbers in
st Delhi, Agra, and other large towns.
Benares they are perfect plague. In
favorable situation rs Jwlamookhee,
ley naturally multiply beyond reckoning,
nd people the woods in sufficient hordes
account for the hundreds that now sur
(unded me. AT some distance beyond,
veral young monkey urchins, which
'eferred play to curiosity, kept suspend
& themselves from the branches in long
ling chains, holding on to each others
hnds or tail, and swinging themselves
ndulum-wise to and fro. They were
It the small, puny creatures generally
en- in European menageries, but the real
nuine Indian Hauoonman, of which race
large and strong males stand, when
pct, fully four feet In height There were
any such, among others of smaller size,
the crowd around me.
1t had not taken three minutes to form
at solid semi-circle of monkeys. They
come down as thick as a shower of
ilstones; but so softly and gently had
by descended to the grass and leaf-covercd
Dund that scarcely any noise had been
ede. For short time they sat notion
IS and silent, staring hard at me; baby
pnkey, having made IA noise, was in
lntly smacked by its mother in a most
man fashion. They looked at me, then
each other, and again at me; then they
gan to chatter-tirst one, then few to-
ther, then many at once. finally all in a
orus. They talked, chattered, jabbered,
Fcussed, argued, shouted, and yelled
,ticulating meanwhile, making faces and:
nning. Suddenly there was dead
ence for a short interval, during which
by gravely stared at me harder than
or. Every now and again one or another
several at once would grin, snarl. and
pwl at me, showing their large canine
|th. Again the chattering discourses
)uld be renewed.
first of my visitors died very sudden
sth, for my curiosity to watch their be-
vior did not prevent my realizing the
that was not in very safe position.
en- one or two monkeys would be difficult
pugh to deal with, ii they chose to attack
nan, for though small, they are ex-
mely muscular and agile, and it would
harder to prevent them from biting and
ring than 1t would a mad dog. True, /
ew that one or two would hardly dare to
ack a man, but when hundreds crowded
Eether around one stranger the circum-
noes were far from encouraging. Here
,as, unarmed, nothing but light riding
in in my hand surrounded by hundreds
monkeys, to which my white face and
ropean dress were evidently objects of
much aversion as curiosity. Natives
" did not mind, but Europeans they
med to regard with the hatred due to
ruders.
fully realized my danger, but continued
m and collected, and reasoned the posi-
n out myself. The only chance of safety
\ to remain quietly against this friendly