82 THE MONKIES. 



when travelling, he has occasionally entered these 

 ancient temples, to repose himself, and his Indian 

 dress gave the animals little suspicion. He has seen 

 several of them at first considering him, and then 

 attentively looking at the food he was about to eat. 

 Their eyes and agitation al\^ays painted their in- 

 quietude, their passion to gormandize, and the 

 strong desire they had to appropriate at least a part 

 of his repast to themselves. 



In order to amuse himself on these occasions, he 

 always took care to provide a quantity of parched 

 pease. At first he would scatter a few on the side 

 where the chief was, (for he says they have always 

 a principal Monkey to head them) and the animal 

 would approach by degrees, and collect them with 

 avidity. He then used to present his handfull, and 

 as they are in general accustom.ed to see none but 

 pacific people, the cliief would venture, but in a 

 sideling manner, to approach, as if eagerly watching 

 that there was no sinister contrivance. Presently, 

 becoming bold, he would seize the thumb of the 

 hand in which the pease were liCld, \Nith one paw, 

 and eat with the other, keeping at the same time 

 his eyes steadily fixed on those of M. D'Obsonville. 

 *^If," continues our entertaining writer, " I laugh- 

 ed or moved, he would break off his repast, and 

 working his lips, make a kind of muttering, the 

 sense of which, his long canine teeth, occasionally 

 shewn^ plainly interpreted. When I threw a few 

 at a distance, he seemed satisfied that others should 

 gather them up ; but lie grumbled at, and some- 

 times struck those that came too near mc. His cries 



