THE RIVER JUNGLE 



with Turk's-head knots about a foot apart on its 

 whole length, like the hand-over-hand ropes of 

 gymnasiums. Other ropes were studded all over 

 with thick blunt bosses, resembling much the out- 

 break on one sort of Arts-and-Crafts door: the sort 

 intended to repel Mail-clad Hosts. 



The monkeys undoubtedly used such obvious 

 highways through the trees. These little people 

 were very common. As we walked along, they 

 withdrew before us. We could make out their 

 figures galloping hastily across the open places, 

 mounting bushes and stubs to take a satisfying 

 backward look, clambering to treetops, and launch- 

 ing themselves across the abysses between limbs. 

 If we went slowly, they retired in silence. If we 

 hurried at all, they protested in direct ratio to the 

 speed of our advance. And when later the whole 

 safari, loads on heads, marched inconsiderately 

 through their jungle ! We happened to be hunting on 

 a parallel course a half mile away, and we could 

 trace accurately the progress of our men by the out- 

 raged shrieks, chatterings, appeals to high heaven for 

 at least elemental justice to the monkey people. 



Often, too, we would come on concourses of the 

 big baboons. They certainly carried on weighty 

 affairs of their own according to a fixed polity. I 

 never got well enough acquainted with them to 



97 



