238 
THE STORY OF THE MONKEY . 
The whole crowd yelled and chattered louder than ever, and the croco¬ 
dile’s mouth opened wider, but he gave no other evidence of eagerness. 
The monkey had nearly reached the bottom of the line when he made a 
misstep, lost his hold, and fell into the river. 
There was one cry of agony, that was fairly human in its intensity, and 
the unhappy wight was dragged under the water. The crocodile and his vic¬ 
tim had disappeared. 
The chain was immediately broken, the monkeys flew up the tree in ter¬ 
rible haste, their merriment changed to doleful cries, and there they sat 
wringing their hands and bewailing the fate of their companion. 
In Darfour and Sennaar the natives make a fermented beer of which the 
monkeys are very fond. Aware of this, the natives go to the parts of the 
forests frequented by the monkeys, and set on the ground calabashes full of 
the enticing liquor. As soon as a monkey sees and tastes it, he utters loud 
cries of joy, attracting his comrades. Then an orgie begins, and in a short 
time the beasts show all degrees of intoxication. Then the negroes appear. 
