The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-04-15
SACRED MONKEYS OF INDIA.

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 a great
nuisance in some parts of that country.
No one is allowed to molest theni. They
run about the streets, help themselves to
whatever they please at the shops, rob
orchards and gardens and play havoc gen
orally. To thrash them is regarded as
misdemeanor, 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
They were not content with simply eating.
but amused themselves with throwing half
munched fruit at each other. To shoot
these pests was out of the question and to.
nit them with ssones was impossible, as.
they easily lodged any missile that might
De thrown at them. An idea struck the.
Englishman one day. and he at once pro
ceeded to carry it into effect, with great
success.
He got large basket of the largest DO
tatoes that were to be found and had them
boiled. When they were scalding hot he
mad 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 90
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 thu,
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 writhiug 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
Fhe Engllshman once witnessed a pa
thetic as well as heroic scene in one of the
city squares, in which the sacred MONKEYS
were the actors He saw a number of
monkeys seated and standing in a 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.
colled and with head erect, watching the
enemies by whom he was surrounded
Suddenly young and athletic male
monkey sprang into the arena He care
fully approached the cobra, which pre-
pared itself to strike. The monkey made
a few passes, and just as the shake 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 to
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 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 chatterings 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
poor mother carried about her dead babe
for two days longer.-Chicago Tribune
Maud Howe Elliott and Florence Howe