162 



UNGKA APE. 



prehensile power of his foot. It was the most 

 grotesque scene imaginable, and will long remain 

 in the remembrance of those who witnessed it, 

 and was performed by Ungka with the most per- 

 fect gravity of countenance, whilst the poor suf- 

 fering monkey grinned, chattered, twisted about, 

 making the most strenuous endeavours to escape 

 from his opponent's grasp. His countenance, 

 at all times a figure of fun, now had terror added 

 to it, increasing the delineation of beauty ; and 

 when the poor beast had been dragged some dis- 

 tance up the rigging, Ungka, tired of his labour, 

 would suddenly let go his hold on the tail, when it 

 would require some skill on the part of the mon- 

 key to seize a rope, to prevent his receiving a 

 compound fracture by a rapid descent on deck. 

 Ungka, having himself no caudal extremity, 

 knew well that he was perfectly free from any 

 retaliation on the part of his opponents. 



As this mode of treatment was far from 

 being either amusing or instructive to the 

 monkeys, they assembled together in an exe- 

 cutive council, where it was determined, that in 

 future the "big black stranger," who did not 

 accord with them in proportions, and who 

 demeaned himself by walking erect, wearing no 

 tail, and was in several other respects guilty of 



