Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-10-20

With Mighty Blows of His Open Palms
He Fellod One After Another.
this time picked themselves from the
ground, none of them much the worse
for his experience except the fellow
who hnd been the cause Of 1t and who
would doubtless nurse Il sore shoulder
for week or SO.
"Simpson done It," said one of tina
men. "llo stuck pin into the monk
from behind, and the monk got him
which served him bloomin' we'll right
an he got the rest OF us, too, for
which ! emit blame him, since we nj
jumped him TO once"
Tho captain looked ut Simpson, who
shcepishly admitted the truth of the
allegation; then he stepped over to the
ape rs though to discover for himself
the sort of temper the beast possessed.
But 1t was noticeable that he kept his
revolver cooked and lcvclcd as he
did SO.
However. he spoke soothingly to tho
animal who squattcd at the Russinn'S
side. looking first at one and then an
other of the sailors.
AS the captain approached him the
apo half rose and waddlcd forward to
meet lin. uEnn his countcnance was
tho same straight. searching expression
that had marked his scrutiny OF each
of the sailors he had first encountered
lie came quite close to the officer and
laid a paw upon one OF the mans
shoulders, studying his face intcnt!y
10. an
preston OF disappointment, accompa,
MED by what was almost Il human
sigh, as he turned away to peer IN the
same curious fashion into the faces OF
the mate and the two sailors who had
arrived with the officers.
In each instance he sighed and passed
on, returning at length to Paulvitch's
Side, where he sqnattcd down once
more, thereafter cvincing little or 10
interest In any OF the other men ard
apparently forgctful OF his recent bat
Ito with them
When the party returned aboard the
Marjorie w, paulvitch was accompa-
MED by the ape. who seemed anxious
to follow him. The captain intcrposed
no obstacles to the arrangement. and
SO tho great nnthropoid was tacitly ad.
mitted to membership in the ships
company.
Once aboard he examined each new
face infinitely, evincing the same dis
appointment in each instance that had
marked his scrutiny of the others.
The officers and scientists aboard Of
ten discussed the beast, but they were
unable to account satisfactorily for the
strange ceremony with which he greet
cd each new face Had he been discOy-
cred upon the mainland or any other
place than the almost unknown island
that had been his home they would
have concluded that he had formerly
been pet Of man, but that theory was
not tenable in the face Of the isolation
Of his uninhabitcd island.
He seemed continually to be search
Ing for some one. and during the first
days Of the return voyage from the
island he was often discovered nosing
about In various parts Of the ship, but
after he had seen and examined each
face OF the ships company and explor-
cd every corner OF the vessel, he lapscd
into utter Indifference OF all about him.
Even the Russian elected only casual
interest when he brought him food. AT
other times tho apo appeared merely to
tolerate him.
Lilo never showed affection for him or
for any one else upon the Marjorie w.
Nor did he ut any time cvince any In
dlcation Of the savage temper that had
marked his resentment of the attack
or the sailors upon hin, ut the time
that he had come among them.
Most Of his time was spent in the
eye or the ship, scanning the horizon
ahcad, as though he were endowed
with sufficient reason to know that the
vessel was bound for some port where
there would be other human beings to
undergo his searching scrutiny. All I'm
all, Ajax, rs he had been dubbed was
considered the most remarkable and in
telligcnt ape that any one aboard the
Marjorie w. had ever seen.
Nor was his intelligence the only re-
markable attribute he owned. His
stature and physique were, for an ape.
awe inspiring. That he was old was
quite evident, but IL his age had i'm
paired his physical or mental powers
IN tho slightest 1t was not apparent.