The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-06-03
THE APES MUTINIED.
ON A VOYAGE FROM AFRICA THEY
CAPTURED The SHIP.
Drove All ths Grew Excepting Cap
tain Into the Rigging The Exception
Was Fatal to Their Plans. ~ They Had

IL have had some strange crews in
my experience. " said cad Captain Ben
son. but the funniest kind Of IA ships
company hat | ever sailed with was
one of big African apes, and it happen
cd in this way:
1T was during that period of the
lifetime Of the great Snowman r.. 4.
Barnum, when he had his museum on
lower Broadway in New York city,
that my vessel was chartered by him TO
go out to Africa and to bring back a
cargo of wild animals that his agents
in that country had collected. We had
three big and two baby elephants IN the
hold, also a rhinoceros and a giraffe,
while in wooden houses ON deck we car
ried several zebras. 10 number Of ante
lope and deer, also ten huge apes as
large as men and looking in the face
exactly like the cartoons of the Emer-
aid Isle natives found in the humorous
papers. The apes were very intelligent
and were capable of being taught many
amusing tricks.
ION our voyage home / had occasion
a number of times TO advise the officers
and men against teasing these creatures,
telling them that they were known to
possess a good memory and were re-
vengeful and would surely make it a
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. The
mates and sailors took good care, how
ever, to pass at a safe distance from the
cage in going about their work, for ON
two or three occasions the alert occu-
pants had peel known to suddenly
thrust forth a long muscular arm and
grip the unwary seaman i'll such a saw
age way as to elicit "a howl Of pain on
Jacks part. / could go among them
j 'ithout the slightest fear and several
Y mes entered their cage for the purpose
Of caring for a sickly little baby ape
that had been born just after leaving
Africa, and for which the ocean voyage
subsequently, proved too heroic, as 1t
died before we reached New York.
Zone morning the crew were all
aloft on the yards furling sail, for II
was blowing strong and the ship had
been Obliged TO reduce her spread OF
canvas. | had taken the wheel, and the
two mates were going from mast t.
, mast helping the work along by haul.
ing upon the gear as il was required.
The apes had been fed a short time be.
fore, and ii must have beef hat l had
carelessly fastened the bar that secured
the cage door, for while / was looking
aloft / heard a startled yell from my
two officers. and the next moment they
Were climbing up the rigging like mon
keys themselves. while the crowd Of
apes came leaping aft III pursuit o.
: them.
Then the funniest scene that ! eve
! witnessed was presented. Six OF tn
apes took stations at the foot of tn
shrouds, SO that each mast was guarded
on both sides, and the other four mount
i ed the shrouds with all the agility o
sailors and sought to reach the men
The apes followed the men as the.
mounted higher and higher to escape
then, when the latter could climb IL
farther, they would grasp a stay tina
led to some place of temporary safet.
and slide down it, sometimes goinI
from one spar to another In this way
For nearly an hour this %impromptu ex
hibition continued, and during all thi
time the sentries on deck hoped abou
in excitement, uttering cultural yelps
which / have no doubt were cries of en-
enlargement and advice to their friend
aloft.
Eat last the big monkeys gave up tn
chase and came down ON deck, wher
they joined the others, and all sat O
their launches, gazing up at the crew
occasionally showing their lows Z
wicked looking teeth, as much as I
say: All right. my fine fellows. 70
stay where you are if you know what
good for your health
II had been thinking out q plan {
recover possession of my ship, and Il o
put it in execution. Apes are very fon
Of bananas, and in my room / had
fine bunch that had been green whe
placed ON board, but which had ripene
perfectly since that time. 1t gave III
something of a heart spasm to part wit
them, but / considered that If til
scheme worked the sacrifice would n,
be a great one. So / dashed the wheel
keep the ship steady, then brought th
fruit from below, carried ii forward /
full view of the apes and placed it with
in their cage, standing beside the doc
and carelessly eating a banana that
had broken from the bunch.
THE apes crowded inside and fell I
work ON those bananas as though it wa
an eating match, with a prize for tn
one that consumed the greatest numbt
in a given time. l slammed the door
and fastened it upon my mutineers, an
you may be assured that for the r,
maindor Of that voyage the security {
that gate was carefully looked after. -
Harper's Round Table.