From Dalhousic into Chamba 95 



pitiable appearance of the old monkeys can scarcely be 

 imagined. That patch was never rifled again. 



In the district of Cooch-Bahar a very large tract 

 of land is actually considered to belong to a tribe 

 of apes which live in the neighbouring hills. When 

 the natives cut the various grain,, they always leave 

 about a tenth part behind, piled in heaps, for the 

 monkeys, who, as soon as their portion is marked out, 

 troop down from the hills in large bodies and carry 

 back their tithe, storing it under and between rocks, 

 to prevent vermin destroying it. On this grain they 

 largely live ; and the natives assert that, if defrauded 

 of their due portion, they would not, another year, 

 allow a single grain to ripen, but would destroy the 

 entire crop when green. 



Devout Hindus, of course, worship the monkey 

 together with the cobra. The more savage and fierce 

 the monkey, the higher is its caste. Two British 

 officers once lost their lives in a popular tumult 

 through causing the death of a monkey. 



I remember General M.'s charming chimpanzee, 

 who when asleep would often stretch himself on his 

 back and side, at full length, using one hand as a kind 

 of pillow ; never sleeping, like other monkeys, in a 

 squatting position. He would sit down to table like a 

 man, open his napkin, and use it always after drinking. 

 He would take up a glass with instinctive care, clasping 

 it with both hands, and setting it down so softly and 

 carefully as never to break anything. He would pour 

 out wine and clink glasses. He used a spoon and 



