Milford chronicle., 1891-04-03
sAcRep MoNKEYs oE INDIA.
They Have Things All Their Own Way
and Cut Up Some Queer CaPers.


they Have Things All Their own Way
and Cut Up Some Queer CaPers.
An English gentleman who has lived
many years in India tells some queer stories
about the sacred monkeys that are great
nuisance in some parts of that country.
No one is allowed to molest them. They
run about the streets, help themselves to
whatever they please at the shops, rob
orchards and gardens and play havoc gen
erallv. To thrash them is regarded as q
rnisdemeanor, and to shoot a monkey
might cause a second mutiny.
The gentleman had garden where grew
delicious fruits. The sacred monkeys easily
scaled the walls and helped themselves.
Tl,ev were not content with simply eating,
hut amused themselves with throwing half
nunched fruit at each other To shoot
these pests was out of the question, and to
hit them with stones was impossible, as
thev easily dodged any missile that might
he thrown at them. An idea struck the
FnQIishman one day, and he at once pro
ceeded to carry it into effect, with great
success.
He cot a large basket of the largest po-
tatOes that were to be found and had them
boiled. When they were scalding hot he
had basket and potatoes placed under one
of the trees. The monkeys were watching
these movements from the trees. Presently
every monkey seized a hot potato, and then
followed the most unearthly screeches and
chatterings. A monkey will never let go
any article Of food that he once gets hold
OF. even if he has to die, and these monkeys,
true to their nature. would not drop the
hot potatoes.
They held them in one hand and then in
the other, and then they would take bite
and scald their mouths, and roll in the
dust, writhing with pain, but never letting
the potatoes once out of their grasp. They
ate up the potatoes, and then disappeared
over the walls and never returned.
The Englishman once witnessed pa
thetic as we'll as heroic scene in one Of the
citv squares, in which the sacred monkeys
were the actors. He saw number Of
monkeys seated and standing in large
circle, and a female monkey hugging and
wailing over the dead body of her baby,
that had Just been killed by a cObra's bite.
The other females were trying to console
her by caresses, while the males appeared
| to be in earnest consultation among them
selves. In the center of the circle was the
large cobra that had inflicted the fatal bite
coiled and with head erect, watching the
enemies by whom he was surrounded.
L
| Suddenly a young and athletic male
monkey sprang into the arena lie care
! fully approached the cobra, which pre-
pared itself to strike. The monkey made
| a few passes, and just as the snake was
/ about to dart its head he sprang to one
side, and then over the cobra. This was
repeated so often and with such astOund
| ing rapidity that the cobra became bewil
/ dered, when the monkey seized the snake
| by the neck and proceeded to crush its
/ head to a jelly by rubbing it on the ground
with all its might. The snake tried tc
/ free itself by coiling around the monkeys
neck; but in vain; its struggles became
weaker and weaker until life was extinct
/ When the snakes head had been reduced
/ to a shapeless mass the simian hero dropped
the cobra and executed a series Of hops and
| somersaults.
Up to that moment the other monkeys
| had maintained the most anxious silence
watching every movement of the combat
| ants with eager interest. The snakes
| death, however, was the signal for the
most joyous gatherings and gambols
| They took hold of the conqueror of the
snake, patted him on the head, scratched
| his back, danced around him and gave
/ every manifestation of their great appre
/ citation of his valorOus achievement. The
Door mother carried about her dead babC
| for two days longer.-Chicago Tribune.