Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-04-08
THE APES MUTINIED.
ON A VOYAGE FROM AFRICA THEY
CAPTURED THE SHIP.
Drove All the Grow Excepting tho Cap.
tain n a R~igeing-The Exception
Wa Fatal t Their Plans, II They Had
Any-A Useful Bunch Of ~Isansnas.

sSAu AnGo Sno 6~a8GinH-Ine exception
Wa Fatal to Their Plans. II They Had
Any-A Useful Bunch Of I~sansnas.
II have had some strange crews in
my experience" said old Captain Ben:
son, ''but the funniest kind Of a ships
company that I ever sailed with was
one Of big African apes, aud it happen.
ed In this way:
1T was during that period of the
lifetime Of tho great Snowman P. T.
Barnum, when he had his museum OIL
lower Broadway in New York city,
that my vessel was chartered by him to
go out to Africa and to bring back a
oargo Of wild animals that his agents
in that country had collected. We had
three big and two baby elephants in tho
hold, also o rhinocoros and a giraffe,
while i'll wooden houses on deck we car
ried several zebras, q number Of ante
lopo and deer, also ton hugo apes as
large Of men and looking in the face
exactly like the cartoons Of the Elmer
aid Isle natives found in tho humorous
papers. Tho apes were very intelligent
and were capable of being taught many
amusing tricks.
Son our voyage home I had occasion
Q number of times to advise the officers
and men against teasing these creatures,
telling them that they were known to
possess o good memory and were re-
vengeful and would surely make 1t o
point to get even with their tormentors
at the first opportunity, but as the
heavy wooden bars divided them from
the hairy faces that scowled at their
funmaking they felt safe enough to
give no heed to my warnings. Tho
mates and sailors took good care, how
ever, to pass at a safe distance from tho
cage in going about their work, for On
two or three occasions tho alert oocu-
pants had been known to suddenly
thrust forth q long muscular arm and
grip tho unwary seaman in such q saw
age way as to elicit a howl of pain on
Jacks part. 1 could go among them
without the slightest fear and several
times entered their cage for the purpose
of caring for u sickly little baby apo
that had been born just after leaving
Africa. and for which tho ocean voyage
subsequently proved too heroic, as it
died before we reached New York.
Zone morning tho crew were all
aloft Oh the yards furling sail, for it
was blowing strong and the ship had
been obliged to reduce her spread of
canvas. l had taken the wheel, and tho
two mates were going from mast to
mast helping the work along by haul
ing upon the gear as it was required.
The apes had been fed Q short time be-
fore, and it must have been that I had
carelessly fastened the bar that secured
the cage door, for while I was looking
aloft ! heard u startled yell from my
two officers. and tho next moment they
were climbing up the rigging like mon-
keys themselves, while the crowd of
apes came leaping aft in pursuit of
them.
"Then the funniest scene that I ever
witnessed was presented. Six Of tho
apes took stations at the foot Of the
shrouds, 80 that each mast was guarded
on both sides, and the other four mount
cd tho shronds with all the agility Of
sailors and sought to reach the mon.
Tho apes followed the Mcn as they
mounted higher and higher to escape;
then, when the latter could climb no
farther. they would grasp a stay that
led to some place of temporary safety
and slide down It, sometimes going
from one spar to another in this way.
For nearly an hour this impronptu ex-
hibition continued, and during all this
time the SCI ries on deck hoped about
in excitement, uttering cultural yelps,
which I havo no doubt were cries Of en-
enlargement and advice to their friends
aloft.
"At last the big monkeys gave up the
chase and came down on deck, where
they joined the others. and all sat ON
their launches. gazing up at the crew,
occasionally showing their rows Of
wicked looking teeth, as much as to
say: All right, my fine fellows. You
stay where You are if you know what's
good for your health
II had been thinking out q plan t.
recover possession Of my ship, and now
put 1t in execution. Apes are very fond
Of bananas, and in my room I had q
fine bunch that had been green when
placed on board, but which had ripened
perfectly since that time. It gave me
something of o heart spasm to part with
them, but l considered that it the
scheme worked the sacrifice would not
be a great one. Sol lasted the wheel to
keep the ship steady, then brought the
fruit from below, carried it forward in
full view Of the apes aud placed it with
in their cage, standing beside the door
and carelessly eating a banana that l
had broken from the bunch.
"The apes crowded inside and fell to
work OH those bananas as though it was
an eating match, with q prize for the
J "n" that consumed the greatest number