THE MONKEY-EATERS. 187 



be directed. The river, not being more than 

 fifty yards wide at this point, we could dis- 

 tinctly see all that was taking place on the 

 other side. The loud " Whoop ! Whoop ! " of 

 the lungur monkey (a note that can be heard 

 miles off), with the occasional harsh, coughing 

 cry of the animal when alarmed, was now 

 heard in the point of land opposite. The 

 " hill-hillo-ing " approached nearer and nearer, and 

 now we could see the tree tops opposite shaken 

 by the monkeys as they leaped from branch to 

 branch. Presently about a dozen long-tailed, black- 

 faced monkeys appeared in the trees overlooking 

 the river. They would peer down into the water, 

 and then jabber among themselves as if hold- 

 ing a consultation. Several large fellows now 

 descended the trees and approached the stream, 

 in search of a place where to cross. The stream 

 was deep at this point, and much too wide to leap 

 over ; and as there is nothing this class of monkey 

 dreads so much as deep water, they made up their 

 minds there was no crossing there. This was soon 

 communicated to their fellows on the trees, and 

 now began a scene of rushing from branch to branch, 

 with shrill screams of fear as the hunters began 

 to draw near them. Several of the Behurs were up 

 in the trees armed with bows and arrows, more were 

 on the ground with slings from which they hurled 

 stones into the topmost boughs to drive forth 

 any of the monkeys that might have concealed 

 themselves there. The women and children, armed 

 with sticks and branches, kept on beating the 



