The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-11-08
BABOONs CAPTURE
AND HOLD MIDDLE
Think Him a Relative and
Treat Him With Best of
Hospitality
COMPANION ESCAPES,
BRINGS ASSISTANCE
Bonfire and Rockets Scare
Off the Simians and He
Is Rescued After
Three Days

NEW YORK, Nov. Held a cap
tat,ve by an army of giant balloons for
two days until he had given up all
hope OF ever seeing his home or ship
again was the amazing experience OF
George w. Griggs. the youngest MILDLY
aboard the Bucknell liner kasenga, in
port to-day from Calcutta and Nom
passa.
Griggs owns his escape to Chief Of
ffcer Wallace Wooster, who at the head
OF q picket of native police and twen-
ty malay sailors, attacked the balloons
in the Mombassa jungle and drove
them away from their young prisoner.
who was lying exhausted and almost
dead from fright at the foot of giant
cactus.
Il shudder at the thought of it, said
the MILDLY to-day "Mfdshiprnan
Horne and I thought we would take a
walk through the jungle by moonlight
so we left the ship at nine o'clock.
Capture BY Monkeys.
We sang and raised flars--eiiIs
when suddenly we heard the combined
chattering of million monkeys. and
then. some beast put its arms around
my neck. l shrieked and Horne ran
away. Then a dozen or more balloons
pressed round me and dragged me
not hurt me except when they scratch
ed me in tearing my Uniform. After
about five-mile march they halted in
banana grove and held council OF
war.
Il fell down cold with terror. To
see those fearful faces in the moon
light, and to listen to their internal
chattering almost drove ME mad.
must have tainted, for it WAS day light
when l saw them again. They squatted
round me and offered me bananas ana
pineappies to eat. They seemed to
have a kind of camping ground, and
had posted sentries some yards away
from where / was lying.
Thought Him Relation.
They did not leave me all day. Per-
haps they thought | was a relation of
theirs, for one big fellow treated me
as though l was his child. l found n
can of pressed meat which they hadn't
been able to open, but ! wasn't hun
cry and thirsty. How the day and
following night passed l don't know. Ii
seemed a year to me before the CHIEF
and the natice police found me-"
Chief Officer Wooster took up the
story at this point and explained: Il
thought Horne was rouancing when he
came back to the ship. and said that
Griggs had been kidnapped by balloons,
but finally he convinced me. All hands
were called on deck posse OF ma
tives impressed and off We started to
trail the monkeys. It was the third
night since Griggs left the ship when
our guides brought US TO the monkey
camp. At their suggestion we had
brought pile of ships rockets with
US and after lighting fire 10 wind
ward OF the camp we threw the rock
cts ia the blaze. piled on heap of red
pepper aud started to yeIl.
las the rockets shot UP one by one
the balloons shrieked in chorus. sight
ed the fire, sneezed at the pepper and
tore away through the jungle like so
many mad men. Then we advanced
and found poor Griggs, almost naked
and shivering with fear. dose OF
Scotch put him on his pins and away
we started for the old Dasenga and
III bet the lad never loved the old
ship as much before. did you, Griggs %
NO. l didn't" answered the MILDLY