THE MONKEY TRIDE. 3 



mischievous, malicious, mocking, but inimitable Jack, 

 whose pranks had often made me laugh against my 

 will, as I watched him from a distance, but with whom 

 I had never made the least acquaintance. Whether 

 from fear or presence of mind I do not pretend to say, 

 but I remained perfectly still, and in a minute or two 

 Jack put his head forward and stared me in the face, 

 uttering a sort of croak. He then descended on to my 

 knees, examined my hands as if he were counting my 

 fingers, tried to take off my rings, and when I gave 

 him some biscuit, curled himself compactly into my lap. 

 We were friends from that moment. My aversion thus 

 cured, I have ever since felt indescribable interest and 

 entertainment in watching, studying, and protecting 

 monkeys. We had several on board the above-men- 

 tioned vessel, but Jack was the prince of them all. 



Exclusively belonging to the cook, although a favour- 

 ite with the whole crew, my friend (a Cercopithecus 

 from Senegal) had been at first kept by means of a cord 

 attached to the caboose ; but as he became more and 

 more tame, his liberty was extended, till at last he was 

 allowed the whole range of the ship, with the exception 

 of the captain's and passengers' cabins. The occupa- 

 tions which he marked out for himself began at early 

 dawn, by overturning the steward's parrot-cage when- 

 ever he could get at it, in order to secure the lump of 

 sugar which then rolled out, or lick up the water which 

 ran from the upset cup. He evidently intended to pull 

 the parrot's tail feathers; but the latter, by turning round 

 as fast as Jack turned, always faced him, and his beak 

 was too formidable to be encountered. I was frequently 

 awakened by the quick tramping of feet at this early 

 hour, and I knew it arose from a pursuit of Jack, ia 



