20 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



served taking a survey of the defences ; but, after 

 mature deliberation, he gave two short grunts, tho 

 porcine (language), I imagined, for " No go," and took 

 himself off at a round trot, to pay a visit to my neigh- 

 bour Ram Chunder, and inquire how his little plot of 

 sweet yams was coming on. The jackals sniffed at 

 every crevice, and determined to wait a bit ; but the 

 monkeys laughed the whole entrenchment to scorn. 

 Day after day was I doomed to behold my canes de- 

 voured as fast as they ripened, by troops of jubilant 

 monkeys. It was of no use attempting to drive them 

 away. When disturbed, they merely retreated to the 

 nearest tree, dragging whole stalks of sugar-cane along 

 with them, and then spurted the chewed fragments in 

 my face, as I looked up at them. This was adding 

 insult to injury ; and I positively began to grow blood- 

 thirsty at the idea of being outwitted by monkeys. The 

 case between us might have been stated in this way. 



' " I have, at much trouble and expense, cleared and 

 cultivated this jungle land," said I. 



' " More fool you," said the monkeys. 



4 " I have planted and watched over these sugar- 

 canes." 



4 " Watched ! Ah, ah ! so have we, for the matter 

 of that." 



1 " But surely I have a right to reap' what I sowed." 



4 " Don't see it," said the monkeys ; "the jungle, by 

 rights prescriptive and indefeasible, is ours, and has 

 been so ever since the days of Ram Honumau of the 

 long tail. If you cultivate the jungle without our con- 

 sent, you must look to the consequences. If you don't 

 like our customs, you may get about your business. 

 We don't want you." 



