The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-08

II have had some strange crews in
my experience, said old Captain Ben
son, but the funniest kind Of q ships
company that ever sailed with was
one of big African apes, and it happen
ed i'll this way:
1t was during that period of the
lifetime OF the great Snowman P. T.
Barnum, whom 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
mold, also rhinOceros and giraffe,
while i'll wooden houses on deck we car
fleo several zebras, q number Of ante
lope and deer, also ten huge apes as
large as men and looking III the face
exactly like the cartoons of the Emer-
aid Isle natives found in the humorous
papers The apes We're very intelligent
and were capable of being taught many
amusing tricks.
"On our voyage homo had occasion
number of times to advise the officers
and men against teasing these creatures,
telling them that they were known to
possess u good memory and wero re-
vengeful and would surely make it u
point to get even with their tormentors
at tho first opportunity, but as the
heavy wooden bars divided them from
tho 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 i'll going about their work, for OH
two or three occasions the alert oocu-
pants had been known to suddenly
thrust forth u long muscular arm and
grip tho unwary seaman i'll such say
age way as to elicit u howl of pain on
Jacks part. / could go among them
without the slightest fear and several
times entered their cage for the purpose
OF caring for sickly little baby ape
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
"One morning the crew were all
aloft on tho yards furling sail, for it
was blowing strong and the ship had
been obliged to reduce her spread of
canvas. had taken the wheel, and tho
two mates were going from mast to
mast helping the work along by haul
ing upon tho gear as it was required.
The apes had been fed short time be-
fore, and it must have been that had
carelessly fastened tho bar that secured
the cage door, for while 1 was looking
aloft heard IL 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 tho funniest scene that / ever
witnessed was presented. Six of the
apes took stations at the foot of the
shrouds, SO that each mast was guarded
Oh both sides, and tho other four mount
Ell tho shrouds with all the agility of
sailors and sought to reach the men
Tho apes followed the men as thev
mounted higher and higher to escaps;
then, when tho latter could climb no
farther, they would grasp IL stay that
led to some place of temporary safety
and slide down it, sometimes going
from one spar to another i'll this way.
For nearly an hour this impromptu ex-
hlbltion continued, and during all this
time the sentrics on deck hoped about
III excitement, uttering cultural yelps,
which have no doubt were cries of en-
couragement and advice to their friends
aloft.
=" AT last tho big monkeys gave ND tho
chase and camo 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
had been thinking out plan to
recover possession of my ship, and now
put 1T i'll execution. Apes are very fond
OF bananas, and i'll my room L had a
fine bunch that had been green when
placed on board, but which had ripencd
perfectly since that time 1t gave mo
something OF il heart spasm to part with
them, but l considered that if the
scheme worked the sacrifice would not
be great one. So | lashed the wheel TO
keep the ship steady, then brought the
fruit from below, carried it forward in
~ We" vi 'hc apes anu placed IL With
Ill their cage, standing beside the door
and carelessly eating banana that
had broken from the bunch.
The apes crowded inside and fell to
work on those bananas us though it was
IN eating MATCH with % prize for the
one that consumed the greatest number
Ill given time. l slammed the door to
and fastened it upon my lnutineers, and
yon may be assured that for the re-